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Manhattan High School Volume 101 Issue 8 Oct. 29, 2013
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Altercation occurs at Exchange students enjoy fall traditions East Campus Maddie Ross News Editor An altercation took place at the East Campus last Wednesday between a student and faculty member. The situation took place in the restroom in between classes. Neither the student or teacher was seriously injured. Law enforcement officials were called to the scene and are involved. In a statement sent to parents after the altercation the school district claims that “Manhattan High School remains committed to providing a safe and secure teaching and learning environment for our students and staff.” “These instances are extremely rare,” Principal Greg Hoyt said. “They have the potential to put Manhattan High School in a bad light, but are not indicative of Manhattan High School at all. It is a very sad situation.” East Campus security personnel and administration were contacted but declined comment.
Students think pink for breast cancer awareness month Madison Newman Staff Writer
Senior Andy Grenier and junior Tobias Hopfenwieser embrace the American tradition of carving pumpkins, along with other AFS students on Sunday afternoon. Along with carving pumpkins students also played basketball and made s’mores. Maddie Ross, Photographer
Sarah Shi Opinions Editor The tables are set, the newspapers are laid out, and the two dozen pumpkins wait patiently to be carved. Last Saturday, junior Jillian Kiracofe hosted an American Field Service pumpkin carving activity at her home in an effort to give her exchange student, Tomas Nocetti, and the others an American experience.
Last year, Kiracofe organized a similar event with her then-exchange student, Florian Wirsen. “It was my mom’s idea last year so we thought we’d do it again,” she said. For Nocetti, he thought his experience would be easier. “It was my first time carving and I thought it would be easier. I didn’t know it would be that thick and you had to take everything out first,” he said. “The most fun part was design-
ing. I tried to make the first one scary, but it really didn’t turn out that way. The second one was better.” Carving pumpkins was not the only activity that night. The Kiracofe’s prepared chili, chicken noodle soup, and s’mores for dinner, which was accompanied by a few exchange students playing the guitar and piano. “The food was really good,” Oliver Serrate said. “We all got to hang out. That was the best part of it.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, some Manhattan students are reminded of how strong they've had to be in the face of cancer within their own families. Senior Lexi Haus was about 12 years old when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “My mom felt a lump in her breast. She also wasn't feeling very good. She looked online for like two months and then decided to go to the doctor,” Haus said. “She was told that she didn't have breast cancer, but she went for a second opinion and found that she did in fact have breast cancer. The cause of her cancer came from taking a birth control that was too high in estrogen for too long.” See Thinking pink page 5
AP Statistics classes survey peers as part of hands-on project Tracy Le Graphics Editor The AP Statistics classes taught by Ted Dawdy and Laura Sapp have focused on learning by doing more this year than in the past. They have recently finished their unit on surveys and samples and are now designing their own survey questions to find data that shows response
bias. "I think it's a good way for students to learn about surveying instead of just reading the book or doing homework,” Sapp said. "It gives them a good experience with the way researchers do it in the real world." Response bias is when a question is worded or asked in a way that manipulates the response.
"If the question was 'Do you trust men with mustaches?' And I was a guy that wore a mustache, that might influence the answer to the question,” Dawdy said. “Or the question could have been ‘Are blonds unfairly stereotyped as being dim-witted?’ And have that question asked by a brunette versus a blond." Students got into groups
of three or four to come up with questions to ask their classmates. They surveyed 50 peers, asking half of them one question, and the other half the same question but presented differently. Arnav Das, sophomore, and his group came up with the questions: ‘Do you brush your teeth three times a day?’ And ‘Given the fact that not brushing your teeth can cause cavi-
ties, do you brush your teeth three times a day?’ The data they ended up with supported showed how the wording of the question impacted the responses. "It was pretty interesting,” Das said. “People said ‘yes’ more often when we added the phrase [‘given the fact that...’] then when we didn’t add it.” Dawdy’s class presented
their data last Friday. The Powerpoints they put together analyzed the answers they had received with the help of graphs the students created. “The idea was a way to help students see the real-life application,” Sapp said, “see what researchers do in real life because that's a goal for this class, that they're actually doing things that statisticians do.”
SkillsUSA looks to annual competition German Club hosts movie night Retta Lazaris Staff Writer The countdown to the end of the school year has many students wild with anticipation. They look forward to their classes slowing down and the long breaks from school. Some students will anticipate playing a favorite sport, or acting out in a play. Of course, seniors look forward to graduation. While this year is speeding by, members of SkillsUSA are working towards their annual state competition in April in Wichita. Members are eager to show off their skills and are practicing hard in their classes to sharpen those skills. Co-presidents Sam Livsey, senior, and Noah Johnson, junior, enjoy the hands-on
work and experience that comes with being in this club. “SkillsUSA, to me, is a club where people who like cars, who like working with metal, and welding and doing a lot of shop stuff, they can put their skills to the test,” Livsey said. “What we do out here [in class], this is practicing for the automotive competitions, but we have kids in all different classes.” There is a diversity in the club, where students from wood-technology, welding and automotive classes all come together, and put what they’ve learned in class ‘to the test’ at competitions. Livsey is enthusiastic about going to his first competitions with SkillsUSA this year. “They have cars that are set up so their bugged, so
there could be an electrical problem, or a fuel problem, and it’s a race to see who can fix all of the problems the fastest,” Livsey said. Along with the competition and team building the members will go through, they are gaining hands-on practice. For some, this is a push forward in the career they are working towards. “I’m going to go to college to be a diesel mechanic, and working on cars and stuff like that, kind of gives me an upper hand on going to school for it,” Johnson said. He joined the club his sophomore year and plans to be in it for the remainder of his high school career. “Whenever anyone in the school or any faculty need See Skills USA page 5
NHS prepares for upcoming fundraisers Kristen Batson Staff Writer This year National Honor Society has been trying to change-up and make things more fun. Members of NHS have been involved in many different fundraising efforts, including selling insulated water bottles and candy. The proceeds will be used for scholarships that will go
to students of Manhattan High School and some money will also be used to assist USD 383 families who are in need. “The proceeds stay here in our community. They don’t go to the Red Cross or anything like that,” club president Marlee Evans said. NHS will also be hosting a canned food drive/competition to help those in Manhat-
tan in need. In addition to fundraising, NHS has been tutoring freshman football players and students of Marlatt Elementary School. “We went and helped them with their computer labs,” junior Trevor Bashaw said. “They were friendly and I feel like I helped, so it See NHS page 5
Members of German Club gather in room E108 last Tuesday night for snacks, conversation and a movie, “Das Wunder Von Ben”, which in English translates to “The Miracle of Ben.” “The movie, I think, will bring the students back to an important time in German history. It is set in the 1950s and it really shows the students a good picture of the aftermath of World War II,” Manhattan High German teacher and German Club sponsor Elke Lorenz said. Danielle Cook, Photographer
John Block speaks with FFA members Loretta Lazaris Staff Writer Dawson Beffa FFA Reporter Students join clubs because they share similar interests and want to know more about that club’s interests. That is why members of FFA were delighted to listen to the tales of John Block and his experiences being former
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under former President, Ronald Reagan. Last Tuesday, FFA members sat back and took in Block’s words as he painted his life’s story in front of them during a visit to their classroom. Block started out as just a boy working on his family farm, in Galesburg, Ill. He had also been an active
FFA member throughout his career at West Point High School, until he graduated in 1957. He moved on to serve as a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Benning, Ga., for three years. Feeling that his home was where his heart was, Block See FFA page 5