M the MENTOR Feb. 19, 2013
John Riforgiate Staff Writer Six candidates for the position of Manhattan High principal were announced last week, and formal interviews for the job started yesterday. These candidates and their interview schedule are: • Dustin Dick, assistant principal at Topeka Highland Park, yesterday • Angie Messer, assistant principal at Junction City Middle school, today • Greg Hoyt, principal at Eisenhower Middle School, Thursday • Shelly Swayne, principal at Solomon High School, Monday, Feb. 25 • David Holloway, assistant principal at MHS, Tuesday, Feb. 26
• Michael Dorst, assistant principal at MHS, Thursday, Feb. 28 A committee of teachers, staff members and parents will conduct the interviews. As to the personality and goals of our new principal, the hiring committee will be factoring in many ideals. “There is not a specific trait I will be looking for in the candidates,” Ted Dawdy said. “It will be their ability to clearly and concisely explain themselves, their strengths and their goals for our school.” There will be a public meeting from 3:15 to 4 p.m. on each principal candidate’s respective day. Parents, teachers, students and community members are invited to meet the candidates and ask questions.
After a series of applications and interviews, the Interpersonal Skills class released its roster of 26 students for the 2013-2014 school year. The previous weeks saw 52 interviews before the lucky students made the cut. The IPS teachers has something specific in mind for the students selected to participate. “We were looking for those willing to learn about disabilities, people who had time after school, diversity, nice people and kind hearts,” IPS teacher Barb Crooks said. Those who made it see it as a positive opportunity and are ready to get started. “I want to be in it to be helpful and to be a leader. I want to be a positive influence as well as a friend to these students,” junior Jesse Kujawa said. Although the next school
year is still a ways away, many of the new mentors are already thinking of next year and how
“It is a very caring group and a diverse group. We are excited to work with them.” -Crooks they can be productive participants in the class. “To this class I can bring a positive outlook to the mentees and of the mentees, I can bring fun to their lives,” Kujawa said. “It is a very caring group and a diverse group. We are excited to work with them,” Crooks said.
‘39 Steps’ challenges actors
The position of principal will be vacated at the end of this school year when Terry McCarty completes his doctorate and moves on to prepare for a superintendent position. McCarty has been at MHS for 16 years. This change in staff will, of course, bring changes in policy as well. “There will be things about how Mr. McCarty ran things that will be missed and the new principal will have new ideas that really make things better,” Dawdy said. “I will miss being able to pop into his office and talk about anything.” McCarty is enthusiastic about his moving forward, and wishes the best for students and staff at MHS. “Thank you for being such an extraordinary student body,” McCarty said.
IPS determines future class Maddie Ross Trending Co-Editor
Volume 100 issue 18
Manhattan High School, Manhattan, Kan.
Changes in leadership
News
2013 IPS Class: Morgan Dreiling Nick Bandy Pilar Dritz Tyler Belin Kennedy Felice Jacob Biller Madison Fellers Jesse Crawford Sammi Grieger Ethan Fabrizius Aubrey Jung Patrick Guvele Jesse Kujawa Peter Maier Liz Logback Chris Melgares Parfitt McNair Alex Richt Megan Neipert Ethan Schmidt Alaina Schroeder Lane Sorell Phoenix Sparks Wade Stroda Aleise Williams
Jonah Webber
Seniors Alex Tolar and Ilana Budenosky play the framed protagonist, Richard, and German spy Annabella, respectively, in the Hitchcock-spoofing “39 Steps.” For more, see page four and five. Savannah Elcock, photographer
Students win top dollar in art competition Seth Runyan Staff Writer More than 30 hours of work on her first independent piece of art ended up yielding a big reward for junior Emily Andrews. It also earned top dollar for the Beach Museum of Art. Andrews was one of several Manhattan High School artists who took part in a district-wide competition. The fifth annual “Early Expressions” event shows off the artistic abilities of students in the Manhattan area where the best art pieces are chosen to be displayed at Beach museum. Approximately 1,900 pieces were submitted for the competition this year. Andrews won Best of Show. “When I found out I won, I was hoping it was my ring and
it was,” Andrews said. She was still surprised about her win since it is more often a painting or drawing that wins Best of Show. Two other MHS students also brought home awards. Sophomore Peter Sang won the Middle School/High School category and senior Bailey Snyder won the 3-Dimensional category. Sang submitted a ink drawing of a cat and Snyder submitted a sculpture of a dolphin. Sang likes both drawing cats and in ink. “I like how much you can control it and cross-hatching with it,” Sang said. He was genuinely happy when he found out he won a category. “When I found out I won, I was like ‘Oh cool, do I get paid?’” Sang said. Snyder nearly threw her
piece away from all the stress that came out of it. “We had to pick an animal for class. A dolphin seemed like it would be easy but it isn’t,” Snyder said. She was surprised when she found out she won but instantly became sad when she found out it was selling. The winning pieces were displayed at a public reception on Feb. 9 at the Beach Museum of Art for the students and families to witness the artwork being featured. The next day, a fundraising gala was held in the museum where each piece was auctioned off to the public. Andrews’ Ring piece sold for $150 at the auction, Sang’s ink drawing sold for $130 and Snyder’s sculpture sold for $50. Both Sang and Andrews are interested in competing in more art competitions with their newfound success.
Governor supports educational exchanges with China Sarah Shi News Editor
Gov. Sam Brownback met with exchange students from LuHe High School on Feb. 5. These students from Beijing, China, stayed in Manhattan for three weeks to learn more about American culture. As part of the capital tour, the Chinese students were able to learn more about Kansas history and U.S. government. Courtesy photo
Clu b Notes FFA
Three students from Manhattan FFA were among more than 30 students who took part in a poultry judging contest in Linn last week. Junior Wade Stroda was the top placer for MHS, finishing just outside of medal territory in 11th place. As a team, Stroda, junior Megan Lundin and freshman Dawson Beffa placed fourth. “Basically the judging and points are based on impurities and problem that you find in the egg shells, interior and exterior parts on the chicken, carcasses and broiler,” Lundin said. Examples of impurities to look for are feather qualities and marks on the inside of the body. The scorekeepers at
the contest keep track of the impurities that the contestants find and do not find, and contestants gain points for impurities found and lose points for impurities that are not there, but do not lose points for impurities not found. -Derrek Williams
Medical Explorers A trip to Mercy Hospital for the Feb. 7 meeting of the Medical Explorers gave them the chance to learn about and interact with a surgical robot arm. On Feb. 7, in what was the Medical Explorers’ best meeting of the year, Dr. Pauls, a surgical technician, demonstrated the use of a large, three-part robot that costs $1.5 million.
Gov. Sam Brownback recently told 25 Chinese exchange students from LuHe High School in Beijing, China, that the prospects of future Kansas-China education exchanges are “very good” and expanding. The Chinese students, who plan to study at American universities after high school and are spending three weeks at Manhattan High School to learn more about American culture and the U.S. education system, toured the Statehouse and met the governor on Feb. 5. “Fort Hays State University has a very large exchange program right now,” Brownback said. “Now, there are many people from China who are getting their degrees from Fort Hays. I guess the relationships grow, and people travel more and see more.” Brownback encouraged Kansas students to study in China, adding that his son, who is getting a doctoral deRobots of this nature are very precise and greatly reduce risk during surgery. Club members, all dressed up in scrubs, were shown in a very interactive presentation how this robot is used and got to try their hand at a 3-D simulator performed by the robot. Pauls then performed a demonstration where the board game “Operation” was set up in front of the robot and the robot was used to remove the pieces with precision. “I think it was a breath of fresh air that a doctor didn’t just talk, but we all go to experience some really cool technology,” club president Mohana Chakrabarti said. -John Rockey
Scholars Bowl Improving over last year’s performance at the State meet and qualifying for the televised
gree in economics, is looking at future study opportunities in that country. According to the governor’s office, the Kansas State Department of Education has educational exchange programs established with Spain and China. The memorandum of understanding with Spain was executed in 2005 and with China in 2006. The programs allow teachers from those two countries to come to the United States to teach in Kansas classrooms for up to three years. The teachers are hired primarily to teach Spanish, Chinese and English as a second language, but they also may teach other subjects, such as art, mathematics, science and elementary grades. Several dozen Chinese teachers have come to Kansas to teach Chinese since the memorandum of understanding was signed in 2006. There are currently 17 teachers in Kansas as a direct result of the memorandum. Likewise, many Kansas teachers have traveled to
China on trips organized by Hanban, the Chinese ministry of education. The trips have encouraged administrators to offer Chinese language classes in Kansas schools. In 2006, there were only a handful of Kansas school districts teaching Chinese in high school. Today, there are more than 20 districts offering Chinese courses. China also is one of the top five countries for Kansas exports, with more than $642 million in exports to China in 2011. “(Trade) has been growing. It’s taking place now, I think it will in the future,” Brownback said. “You’re seeing now more investment from China in Kansas with Wanda Group that bought the AMC Theatre.” In May 2012, Kansas Citybased AMC Entertainment and Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese conglomerate, announced a $2.6 billion deal for Wanda Group to acquire AMC’s screens and theaters in the United States and Canada. “There has been more in-
vestment in energy and potentials in manufacturing, particularly aviation,” the governor also said. To help Kansans become more competitive in an increasingly global economy, Brownback said “the state has invested in targeted areas: increasing number of engineering students 50 percent, investing more in veterinary medicine, human medicine and aviation.” Brownback said exchanges such as the one between LuHe and MHS will help strengthen Kansas-China trade. He stressed the importance of relationship building and advised the students to make connections now. “This is a great time to do that. Really reach out for a broad set of experiences,” he said. “It’s a good chance in life to really learn and experience different things that you can use later on.” The visit of LuHe High School students to MHS was
QUEST competition were highlights of the end of the Scholars Bowl team’s season. The Varsity team went to the State tournament on Feb. 9 at Washburn Rural. The team went 3-4 in pool play beating Maize, Hutchinson and Wichita North. Blue Valley ultimately won State. “We were very close in all of our losses with the match coming down to the last question in three [of the matches],” Dawdy said on the loses that prevented the team from advancing further. Working well as a team may have been a factor in the accomplishments the team had this season. “We all get along really well. We are all friends,” senior Austin Canady said. For Dawdy, the team’s accomplishment at State was a season highlight. “Making it back to the State tournament
and improving our position was the biggest accomplishment,” he said. “Placing second in the first ever Centennial League tournament was an accomplishment as well.” Starting the League tournament has been a goal of Dawdy’s for a while, and he hosted the inaugural meet at MHS to make it happen. But for some of the team members, getting into the QUEST tournament at KTWU television was the highlight of the season. This is the fifth consecutive year that an MHS team has made it into the broadcast. “Going to QUEST. [It] was very nice to be able to participate,” senior Nicholas Donohue said. Canady and Donohue, along with seniors Jack Hubler-Dayton and Logan Sutton, junior Hanna Hayden, and sophomore Kyle Weston,
were among 70 Kansas teams who took the qualifying test at Washburn University back in December. They scored in the top 16 to qualify for the TV show and went back in January to tape an episode vs. Wichita Independent. The episode will air on Feb. 24 and March 1 and 2 on KTWU stations. The State meet may have been the last time the seniors participate in a Scholars Bowl competition, unless they decide to participate in something similar in college. “If I have the opportunity [to do it],” Jack Hubler- Dayton said. “I would hope so, definitely [If I have the chance],” Donohue said. Dawdy remained confident that his team members will do well whether they continue in academic competitions or not. “I wish my seniors the best
See Exchange on page 7
See Scholars on page 7
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Feb. 19, 2013
the MENTOR
Opinions
Vatican: Listen up Ben Shields
editor-in-chief
In an unprecedented move, or at least unheard of for 600 years, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy effective Feb. 28. Absolutely no one is sad about this. Benedict emblemized every quality that anti-Catholics abhor about the Church. A noxious force of right-wing, anti-Semitic and pedophileshielding extremism, his greatest contribution as pope was to stop being pope. His successor has to change the image surrounding secular notions of what it means to be pope. I am a lapsed Catholic and an atheist, but I have to
admit the Church will always be special to me. I’m fascinated by human tradition, and what better than a ritual performed every Sunday all across the world in precisely the same way for 2,000 years and counting? But sometimes it can go too far; is there some sort of secret papal rulebook dictating all popes must droop their heads into their laps whilst making the sign of the cross with a gnarled, fleshy old hand? What about that image is going to resonate with the typical Catholic? It’s a reality that Catholics just don’t follow the pope anymore -- the infallibility thing exists only on the books. The Vatican isn’t blind to facts (unless it’s an altar boy). They know nobody wants a pre-Vatican II -- type pope again. Word is we might be in for a non-European choice. But here’s the worry: Benedict hand-picked all the electors himself prior to jumping ship. Though he’s no longer reigning, he may have made
a lasting impact by ensuring another conservative, ultradogmatic pope for another generation or two. Think of it as a papal suicide bombing. Looking back just a handful of decades, the church is simply unrecognizable today. Its obsession with conservative stances on social issues, rather than social justice, has ruined it for millions across the globe. A key difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is the emphasis on good works as well as faith. What, exactly, happened to that? How did the church founded by Jesus Christ ever align itself with the Republican Party? How are idiots like Paul Ryan, who foam at the mouth over Ayn Rand’s nonsense, now part of the Church? I’ll tell you: people like Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, perverted modern Roman Catholicism with their socially and politically conservative philosophy. I live by a simple quote uttered by Camille Paglia at an
MIT lecture: “Hate dogma. Love Learning. Love Art.” The Catholic Church has always been in first place on loving art (I attribute my interest in art partly to the Catholic images I was exposed to as a child), and it is time they surge ahead on the other two. The Vatican must learn from its past errs and choose a pope who will bring back the old Church, the one that wanted to end poverty, not elect Koch Brothers-approved candidates. It must learn that being Christ-like doesn’t mean reducing his message to a couple of political issues. I get that the Bible is pretty clear on homosexuality, but does one passage merit an announcement from the pope that gay marriage is ruining justice and peace (said on World Peace Day -- nice!)? Vatican, listen up: time to get real. Change now, or lose another generation in a puff of white smoke.
High school all about the memories Ed Chandler Guest Writer The years of high school are going to be many of the memories that are long lasting throughout your life. Not, so much, the names. It’s those deciding moments that took place. Many good memories and yes, some not so good. During my sophomore year a lot happened but I refer here to just one. There were complications of a social life; it was extremely limited. Just my buddies that I had known since seventh grade. Then one day it happened; I had my first date. I didn’t ask her, that would have been against my nature for fear of being turned down or what if she said yes? I remember Eva when I picked her up for the school dance. She was very pretty. She smiled at everything I said, which made me feel at ease, as much as I could. I recall it as a nice evening. She was a wonderful dancer and I was a guy with “three left feet.” I was a gentleman as mom told me to be. I opened the car door for her when she got in and out of the car. I was polite and only slugged one of my friends once or twice during the evening. We had a wonderful time. I felt all tingly inside.
But we never went out again. I would have had to ask her; all was well, but a guy named Casey from school dated her the remainder of high school. I went on the remainder of the year with my buds working on cars and talking about girls we would like to date. My junior year, now that was a time, I think. At least this is when I figured out that if I wanted to graduate from high school and have any future (as Mr. Davis would remind me!) I had better study and get my grades up. My dad didn’t yell at me anymore about grades, and life was good! I had a study hall class, in the library, and Mrs. Webb knew what we didn’t know. I was reading one day and a friend of mine across the room whispered my name. Just as I looked up a ruler hit me in the back of the head! It was Mrs. Webb standing right behind me. I asked her why she did that, and she said “because you were thinking about doing something.” She was right and I told her that! Was it my imagination or were there more dances that year? I didn’t say dates! A friend of mine and I would go to the dances at school and church and our goal was to dance with every girl that was hanging on to the wall, afraid
that no one would ask her to dance. This was much better than the one date that I had been on, and I got to know many of the young ladies in school. My social life took a step forward. I worked for a saddle making company that year; it was okay and paid pretty well. All of the old gang hung out together fishing and hunting year round, working on cars and talking about girls we would like to date. My senior year didn’t start as glamorous as the others of high school. A football injury caused total reconstruction of my knee, three months in a cast, four months on crutches -- how medicine has changed! My limited social life remained that way until the spring, when I discovered a young lady that I really felt comfortable with and she with me. We dated through the spring and continued on after high school; in fact we still have our date nights to this day! It was a busy year. the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was being questioned by the public and politicians. At 18 you register for the draft and see how it comes out. I was busy working as a DJ at the high school radio station. That was a lot of fun! I also
sang lead in a band, Wildflower -- what, you’ve never heard of us? Well, don’t worry, most people haven’t; that was a long time ago. Graduation was in the spring (or at least most of the snow was gone in the Rocky Mountains). The principal announced to the senior class any boy that had his hair touching his collar would not participate in graduation exercises; that included me! So my girlfriend, mentioned above, suggested that we all pin our hair up under our caps, which we did. That seemed to calm the community and school leadership. During the playing of the school song we all took off our caps and let our hair down. My dad laughed, but others “freaked out.” At the end I got my empty folder and turned in my cap and gown at the office and was told that never shall ye pass through these doors again. They were right, I didn’t. I wasn’t hanging out with the guys very much by then and I didn’t need to talk about girls I wanted to date!
Ed Chandler teaches Economics and US History at Manhattan High School
Hand-washing not optional Nastajja Rivera Staff Writer Hand-washing is a mandatory part of yours and everyone else’s health. How disturbed would you be if you went to a restaurant, went to the restroom, saw your server use the restroom and then walk out without washing their hands? I highly doubt you would eat the food they brought you. Well, according to nationalpurity.com, 20% of people included in their survey have witnessed a restaurant worker leave the restroom without hand washing. Many people in our world do not wash their hands. Every time I make trip to the restroom I tend to observe
people walk out without stopping at the sink and washing their hands. It is completely filthy and disgusting. Why in the world would you not wash your hands? If you really think about it, it’s the not washing of your hands that gets most people sick. According to itsasnap.org, nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold. “Hand-washing is the number one way to prevent the spread of diseases,” nurse Robin Smith said. You can get so many diseases and sicknesses from not washing your hands. According to ehow.com, not washing your hands can help you get diseases like E.coli, Giardia and Salmonella.
Hand-washing is such a big importance that the HealthReach Community Health Centers organized and advertised National Hand-washing Awareness Week which is Dec. 4-10. During this week they stress the importance of things like washing your hands whenever possible. For example before you eat. Before handling your food, wash your hands because all that bacteria and dirt that is on your hands is touching your food. Think about it: while all those germs are on your hands and you pick up food and put those germs in your mouth you are basically asking to get sick. Not many people think about the consequences when they do this.
Not that I’ve never done this before. Back in kindergarten I loved finger painting. Everyday after lunch we had free time and I would rush to the classroom to be the first one at the painting station. One day after free time after I was done painting we had a end of the year party. I picked up a plate and started grabbing food with my hands. That afternoon after school I went home and got really sick with something that lasted about a week. Of course my mom questioned me about what I did to get sick and when I told her she got really mad. I learned my lesson to always wash my hands especially when handling food because I could get really sick.
Little things count in high school Dheepthi Perumal
multimedia editor
Sometimes in life, you take things for granted. It happens to everyone but mostly for high school students. Living the teenage dream of going to school and partying. It’s the stereotypical high school life, but has it gone too far? Being
a sophomore, I have only been in high school for two years but those two years flew by. I remember my eighth grade year sitting in English and listening to the MHS counselors lecture us about choosing the right classes for freshmen year. Of course I chose the classes all my friends were going to take. Luckily I didn’t regret them but actually am happy that I discovered the journalism field. Although I lucked out, a lot of students I know personally HATE some of their classes. I just don’t get it, switching classes changing entire schedules to be with your friends or your boyfriend. It’s stupid. What happens when
you have a fight with your friend or you break up with your boyfriend? Is it really worth it to stay in a class you HATE? High school years are to have fun, but also to learn something new. Everyone says they regret coming to school and I mean who really wants to wake up in the 6:30 in the morning to look presentable. But coming to school and seeing your friends, crushes and the teachers you despise, it’s comforting. Personally, I know that I take things for granted. The little things. It annoys me when I see people throw away a plate of food, a bottle of water, laughing at the students in special education.
Not everyone gets what they want, even a simple education that as students we take for granted. And I mean I have thrown away food I hated and I get frustrated with school but, when looking at the bigger picture, I feel guilty. I’m not telling anyone to feel guilt but just to think about the little things in our lives. So when all the seniors leave at the end of this semester I hope they have had a fantastic high school journey and to remember the little memories that make you smile. Because I know I haven’t and I regret it. Because the little things are what makes the teenage years the best years.
Amanda Pettay, Cartoonist
Ending drama the key to reducing stress Julianne Harkness
staff writer
I’m F.I.N.E. Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional. T his well known acronym fits today’s teen society pretty well. At least once a day I see someone, usually females, having an emotional freak-out. Now, I have been one of these people before -- making a big deal out of something minuscule and popping off with “I’m fine” when someone asks what’s wrong. When it comes to seeing people in this emotionally distressed state I feel bad for them. Something in life caused them to have this reaction. T he reasons may be unknown or irrational to the innocent bystanders walking in the hall but to the person freaking out, their reasons are logical. Everyone has those days when the world seems to be caving in around them; if you don’t have them, then honey, love life because you’re lucky. When the world seems to be crashing down you shouldn’t overreact and take out your frustrations on your friends. It will seriously get you nowhere. Try taking deep breaths and rationalizing everything before you make a decision how to act. I know when you enter that mindset of distress, rationalizing is one of the last things you
want to do, but you have to. If you don’t stop to rationalize every once in awhile you will notice your friends start to disperse, leaving you alone. I have lost friends because I couldn’t control half of my emotions and overreacted when it came to the smallest things. I mean, one day fairly recently, I freaked out on one of my friends for calling me moody. It was one of the most irrational things I have done in a long time. T hankfully after two hours of text-fighting we worked things out and I apologized. If I wouldn’t have slowed down and thought about how stupid the fight was I might have lost them. One thing I’ve noticed is that the people who have the most emotional moments tend to be surrounded by unneeded drama. To minimize emotional breaks, rip drama out of your life by the roots. It is unneeded and stressful. Why would you want it around? Drama not only causes emotional freaks but results the losing friends aspect of all of this. If you’re drowning in drama and freaking out about it, your friends won’t want to be around. Minimization of breakdowns and freak-outs is important. Stop, think and rationalize what’s going on. If you don’t, everything that you think is a logical reason to panic now will barely be a blip on your radar. Losing friends because of something so diminutive is honestly really dumb. Clear your head before you act. It will save your friendships and limit the embarrassing moments you create for yourself. Take my word for it, because I am a professional at freaking out.
the Mentor staff
editor in chief/opinions -Ben Shields news editor -Sarah Shi entertainment editor -Naomi McClendon sports editor -Nick Bandy features editor -Liz Logback trending co-editors Connor Bliss Maddie Ross photo editor -Kaitlin Wichmann copy editor -Kayla Dieker multimedia editor - Dheepthi Perumal business manager - Jerry Sextro adviser -Kristy Nyp contributing writer - Ed Chandler cartoonist - Amanda Pettay
writers/photographers - Danielle Cook Kelsey Crawford Tre Fuentes Julianne Harkness Jordan Morris Julith Perry John Riforgiate Nastajja Rivera John Rockey Seth Runyan Maddy Sparks Derrek Williams circulation - Kristyn Baker Leonard Castilow David Clinkinbeard Patrick Falcone Corey Garrison Sam LaFleur Kasey Morris Mallory Morris Kendall Oatney Emma Rowley Austin Tatum Seth Wagner
the MENTOR
Lucky traditions
Features
Connor Bliss Trending Co-Editor
Before a big boxing tournament or practice Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne and Tyga hype up sophomore Hasan Saleem. “I listen to music to get pumped up before I box. It gets me ready for hard practices,” Saleem said. Without his music, Saleem feels his four-days-a-week practices would wear him out faster. “I just have more stamina for training with my music,” Saleem said. No matter if he is preparing for a tournament or just practice, Saleem is sure to use the same warm up technique. The warm up includes slow and fast punching shakes and a series of kicks. The tempo of the music determines the pace of Saleem’s warm up. With music blaring and his warm up ritual, Saleem finds luck in the repetition of his boxing. “It gives me power and gets me ready. It’s real nice,” he said.
Snacking for speed The cross country team can be found in a similar ritual before their meets. “Caitlyn Webb always says a prayer before we run. She’s like a little minister,” senior Emily Vannatta said. The team huddles up before each race to get hyped up and to mentally prepare. The huddle is similar before every race, with encouraging words and a short prayer. When Vannatta began running cross country and track four years ago, she developed her own lucky tradition. Whale snack crackers are what get Vannatta going before each game, and it’s a snack she’s not willing to give up. “We had to wait a long time for track freshman year so I started bringing Whales. They are a delicious snack and now I have them before every race,” Vannatta said. She also feels having a good breakfast before racing is essential. Cocoa Krispies is the only cereal Vannatta will eat before she runs. “I take my running very seriously so I have to have a hearty breakfast,” she said.
Rolling shirt reaps rewards
Screaming and pounding on each others backs in a tight huddle, the Manhattan High baseball team can be found doing the same ritual before every game. Whether the pre-game huddle brings good luck to the team or not, it’s not something they aren’t willing to chance playing without. Senior Josh Klug has been playing baseball since he was four years old. As the years progressed and baseball became more competitive, he developed good luck habits to insure each game he played was a lucky one. “I always wear a specific undershirt because it’s lucky,” Klug said. “I started hitting well when I wore it last year, so now I wear it for every game.” Not only does Klug make a point to wear the shirt every game, but the sleeves must be pushed up to a certain spot on his arm near his elbow. ‘It gives me a weird tan, but oh well, it’s lucky,” Klug said. In addition to wearing his undershirt, Klug makes a point to say a prayer before he plays. “I pray because I want to keep everything glorified for God. It’s easy for me to get carried away, but praying keeps me focused and I play better, and I don’t believe that’s a coincidence,” Klug said.
Liz Logback Features editor, photographer
Brothers share bond on wrestling team Athletes often form fraternal feelings with teammates, but few share actual brotherhood. Junior Angel Foster and sophomore Estaban Foster are brothers on and off the mat. The Fosters began competing together on the same football team when Angel was eight and Estaban was seven. A year later they were on a basketball team coached by their dad, Reuben Foster. Their mutual love of sports continued in middle school with football, wrestling
Feb. 19, 2013
Pregnancy adds to teachers’ work load
Boxing to the beat
John Rockey Staff writer
3
and track “It’s pretty fun because he’s there, so I can walk over to him and talk with him,” Esteban said. Being on the same team has helped the brothers for a great family bond, but it also brings out challenges and emotions. “We get along, but obviously just when you’re competing, you can get irritated,” Angel said. Being together on the same team for so long requires selflessness and remembering family comes first above anything else. ”You can’t really do
anything without family there. They’re always gonna be there for you,” Esteban said. When Angel dislocated his elbow midway through the wrestling season, it was his brother who took his place on varsity in his weight class. “Angel said to me that now’s my chance to get onto Varsity,” Esteban said. Wrestling coach Robert Gonzales has seen different families compete together on the wrestling team throughout his career, including the Mullin brothers and the Vesta brothers. This year also has sophomore Ben and senior Caleb Gorman competing in
wrestling. “The Fosters are great supporters of wrestling. They’re both very nice and very coachable,” Gonzales said. “Both [Foster] boys enjoy wrestling immensely and hate to lose.” At the end of the day, no matter how tough, they’re still family that loves to compete and win. The Fosters show what it feels like to compete for a common goal with someone you care about. “No matter how much you hate each other in the practice room, you still go home like family,” Esteban said.
A large amount of planning and grading is a normal workload for teachers, but for business teachers Tiffany Anderson and Kathy Ricketts, a maternity leave threw in an extra amount of classroom preparation. The two teachers recently had babies and were forced to coordinate with their students from home and through long-term substitutes. Anderson was due in November with her daughter Allison but had to leave school in September when her doctor told her that she needed to go into bed rest. “I ended up having some problems so I had to leave early,” Anderson said. “I had to be gone a lot longer than the regular maternity leave but I had a really good sub, Miss Tritsch,” Anderson said. After filling in for the remainder of the fall semester for Anderson, Maddie Tritsch was lined up to step in for Ricketts when her baby was born in January. When Anderson had to leave early they weren’t able to prearrange lesson plans. Ricketts was able to meet with Tritsch beforehand and talk class policies and lesson plans. Ricketts said having a substitute for the eight weeks of her leave has gone smoothly because she had a chance to prepare Tritsch for the tasks of her classes. “I haven’t had to [interact with Tritsch] because things have gone really smoothly with Miss Tritsch,” Ricketts said. A usual day for a sub involves them getting a call in the morning when a teacher has taken ill or has other obligations and coming in to school. Being a long-term sub has allowed Tritsch to avoid the hectic life of a day-by-day sub. “I like the consistency and know where I’m going to be everyday, rather than getting called in the morning or being all over the place,” Tritsch said Anderson had to transition back into school at the beginning of the second semester. “That was especially [easy] since it was the beginning of a new semester and I have quite a few semester courses,” she said. “As far as school it was fine to transition into. Getting used to be gone from your baby and getting her where she needs to be and getting to work and everything [was hard.]” To keep in touch with her daughter and husband while she’s at work, she FaceTimes during her lunch break. Ricketts left on Jan. 17 when her son Witten was born and plans on coming back around spring break.
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BATTLE of the THE BANDS BANDS THAT WILL ROCK THE STAGe :
FUMA Members:
Senior Naomi McClendon (Keyboard/Lead Vox), senior Andre Middendorf (Guitar), junior Albert Cochrane (Drums), sophomore Flora Riley (Vox), freshman Nathan McClendon (Bass)
Sound: A Pizza Party in your Ears Background: FUMA started over two years ago as a folk-duo, but got much larger and much louder over time. The band quickly
evolved into a four-piece rock-band consisting of a few friends who just wanted to jam. Over the past few years, FUMA has played a few dozen shows in Manhattan and Lawrence and has been an active part of the Manhattan music community. As last year’s winners of Battle of the Bands, FUMA is competing to keep their title. “Our lineup is different from last year; our lead singer graduated,” guitarist Middendorf said. “So we’re all playing different instruments than usual and it’s all mixed up. I think it’ll be a good show, though.”
Motive Behind the Music: FUMA’s goal is to make people want to dance and to make them think. The band’s songs range from upbeat tunes
about colors to borderline heavy-metal jams to jazzy smooth-grooves. FUMA’s lyrics aim to evoke emotion in listeners through personal accounts and hidden social statements.
NEARLY FLIGHTLESS Members: Senior Sam Rozell (Guitar), senior Adam Hagedorn (Drums), Rock Creek junior Jackson Meyer (Vox/Guitar), homeschool junior Austin Cranston (Bass)
Entertainment
‘Shrek the Musical’ succesful adaptation Children marked with green paint on their faces and green antennas awaited anxiously in McCain Auditorium to see their favorite ogre onstage. As the curtains began to open, the crowd roared as Perry Sook stood alone on the stage in his elaborate costume as Shrek, bringing the animated character to life. “Shrek the Musical” is a delightful broadway adaption from a beloved movie that retains all of the childish and more mature humor while still sticking to its fairy-tale roots. The production has a number of strengths, with the stage design being one of them. The stage used a number of sets, colors and tremendous backgrounds that were extremely pleasing to the eye and faithful to the movie. The costumes and makeup are also something to take note of as Pinocchio and Shrek were easily the best looking characters. “Shrek” even stays true to Lord Farquaad’s height problem with Christian Marriner having prosthetic legs attached to his thighs while being on his knees for his entire performance. The biggest jaw-dropping moment of the musical were the scenes featuring the dragon. The dragon was essentially a gigantic puppet with puppeteers holding her with rods and one controlling the head and mouth. Seeing the dragon
take flight on the stage was one of the most memorable moments. The musical couldn’t have been a bigger hit with the audience. Every joke cracked got a huge response from the crowd and after every number they applauded loudly. With such great success, there is always some negativity that is overlooked. There were some issues with this musical, but they did not affect the overall outcome of it. There were a few visible stage crew throughout the musical, especially when sitting high up in the balcony. These instances take the audience away from the magical world of the show, which is unacceptable in such a performance. Sook had pretty big shoes to fill trying to sound like Mike Myers’ version of Shrek. At times, impressions fell short, especially Jeremy Gaston’s Donkey. These expectations come with adaptations from a well-loved franchise though. Overall, “Shrek the Musical” was a great performance. It stayed true to the movie and its characters and even retained the adult humor we loved from it as well. With great music such as “The Goodbye Song” and “I Think I Got You Beat,” “Shrek” showed it can use its renowned humor in some very catchy and noteworthy songs. It most definitely was one of McCain’s ‘don’t miss out’ shows of the season.
39 Steps
Sound: T hespians master Dance-Rock accents, multiple characters Background: Nearly Flightless has been together since last year but began to “get serious” a few months ago in November. Previous experiences in other bands brought this foursome together. They had also all been involved in the same church. Since November, the band has played a few shows and has practiced almost daily.
Motive Behind the Music: Most of Nearly Flightless’ tunes are lyric-heavy love songs. According to guitarist Rozell, their lead singer “gets sad sometimes.” The band jokingly described their goal as “to not suck” and said they’re about having fun.
ELI REDEKER
Member: Senior Eli Redeker (Guitar/Mandolin/Vox) Sound: Stripped-down, rootsy covers of classic tunes Background: Redeker began his musical career at just four years old with the violin. After he decided the violin wasn’t cool enough, Redeker moved to the guitar, which he has been playing for nine years. He picked up the mandolin around three years ago and has played publically a handful of times.
Motive Behind the Music: Redeker likes to share music with people who may not be familiar with it. “Music has has a profound effect on me, and I think it has to potential to affect everyone -- that’s what music is about,” Redeker said.
Summer T ime
Member: Senior Summer Senn (Guitar/Vox) Sound: Acoustic/Hippie Background: Senn’s dad is a musician, so she’s been around the scene for her entire life. Senn has learned about music itself and
the art of performing from her father. She picked up the guitar around two years ago and has been playing publically since her freshman year. And according to Senn, she’s been singing “since forever.” Senn’s also been a frequent performer for her cat Daisy, who is her “biggest fan.”
Motive Behind the Music: Senn is all about love and good vibes. According to her, the purpose behind her music is to make herself feel good
first of all and make others feel good in the process. Most of her tunes are quirky love songs, as she believes that love is unique to each and every person. Senn just wants to make people happy.
WHITE Members: Junior Kyler Reith (Vox), junior Jake Nyswonger (Drums),
in Hitchcock spoof Ben Shields Editor-in-Chief
Dial S for Success. The cast of “The 39 Steps” performed the Alfred Hitchcock spoof on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. “The 39 Steps” traces back a long way, dating originally to a 1915 crime novel by John Buchan. Buchan sat daydreaming at the seashore when his daughter came walking down a stone stairway proclaiming, “Daddy, there are 39 steps!” He thought that was a great title and worked from there. Hitchcock released the film version in 1935, and that was it for decades. Then Patrick Barlow adapted it in 1998 for the stage. At that point it was still a mostlyserious crime drama; it did not become a spoof until 2004 in the second stage adaptation. Drama department head Linda Uthoff saw this spoof version several years ago at the Kansas City Heartland and thought at the time it would work great for high school. When she saw a (serious) PBS adaptation on TV sometime after that, she got serious about directing it. This was a bold decision. In fact, Uthoff believes most teachers would be inclined not to try this show because it requires every single cast member to adopt an accent. “I just thought our students could do it,” she said. “It’s worth trying in high school or you’ll never have a chance to.” Uthoff has taught the art of accents on the college
and professional levels. She compares learning accents to learning to sing. “Some people have a natural ear for it,” she said, “but there are ways to tune somebody’s ear up and to get them to try things. I send them to places like BBC and other shows where you’re hearing native speakers. That’s always best... if they really just immerse themselves in it and listen to it a lot.” Speaking in a new dialect for hours every day wasn’t the only challenge in “The 39 Steps.” Many of the actors were required to play two and three different characters. Sophomore Matt Ball had four roles as a salesman, an elderly man, a pilot and an innkeeper. In one scene, he switches character from underwear salesman to train porter right onstage in a comedic change of hats. On the opposite side of the stage, sophomore Trevor Bashaw changes character from salesman to paperboy, also with the sole use of a hat. “You have to get into the mindset right before you go onstage,” Ball said on juggling multiple roles. “When you’re in a play you have to get in the mindset of your certain character and you have that mindset throughout the whole play. But between scenes when you switch character you have to into a whole new mindset and a whole new character and pose. I go out into the hall before going on [stage] and practice my voices and my mannerisms.” Though the script is far different than the original film, it retains the
senior Sam Hatcliff (Bass), senior Mason Wheatley (Guitar), MHS alumnus Caleb Loop (Guitar)
Sound: Heavy Metal Background: White began over two years ago as a group of friends who all played music. The hard-rock five-piece has been an ac-
tive part of the Manhattan Music Community and has played dozens of shows around town. The band placed third at last year’s Battle of the Bands, and two of its members have participated in the show for all four years of their high school careers.
Motive Behind the Music: According to lead vocalist Reith, all of the band’s songs have a different meaning, but most of them are satirical. “F*** the media is an overriding theme in all of our stuff,” Drummer Nyswonger said. He describes the goal of the music as “to give pissed-off kids something to listen to and to encourage others to make music of their own.”
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Feb. 19, 2013
SubDeb
2013
“Come Aw ay Wit h Me”
SubDeb gives back Naomi McClendon Entertainment Editor For most students, SubDeb is a night of dancing, fun and friends. But behind the pretty lights, fancy up-do’s and expensive dresses is a dedicated group of girls serving a nationwide philanthropic organization. SubDeb, which is a nickname for the event’s full title, Suburban Debutant, was designed as a fundraiser to provide humanitarian and chari-
table assistance to communities across the nation. Manhattan is one of the few remaining communities that continues the event. Each year through ticket sales, SubDeb raises thousands of dollars, which are all given back to the community. The SubDeb committee, which consists of 30 girls, decides where the money goes. According to SubDeb co-presidents Jenna Stigge and Annie Roberson, the money raised from SubDeb is always split between numerous different organizations.
“We always give to a few charities,” Roberson said. “Like last year, we donated a lot of it to breast cancer research, and also to [the Interpersonal Skills class].” According to the girls, the committee also tries to give back to the school. “We always donate to IPS, since they lost their funding a few years ago,” Stigge said. “And we always try to give back to our school in another way, too, since that’s what really matters to us.” This year, the dance raised $5,000 in profit,
which, according to Roberson, is a little more than last year. Raising such a huge amount of money is not easy. The 30 girls who make up the SubDeb committee sacrifice their time and part of the dance to make sure the event runs smoothly. “There’s a lot of work behind it,” Roberson said. “But it’s all worth it.”
Student Council hosts Mr. MHS audtions Maddie Ross Trending Co-Editor A tradition in its 28th year at Manhattan High School, Mr. MHS is rooted in creativity surprising both its audience and administration. Student Council organizes
Hitchcock feel by referencing some of his most famous movies: “Pyscho,” “Rear Window” and “North By Northwest,” to name a few. Uthoff thinks the great director may have been mortified by the Monty Python-esque reinterpretation, yet feels the audience responded very well to the “fast-paced silliness” and that the actors took away invaluable skills from the production. “[The cast] has done a beautiful job of trying to pull these accents off,” she said. “That’s not easy to do. This play is rapid, fastpaced, and you have to handle language. I’m really proud of these kids.”
TOP Sophomore Charlotte Benjamin and senior Alex Tolar cringe as sophomore John Dabeck recites a bizarre prayer. BOTTOM Seniors Jakob Borgen and Da’Merius Ford await Annabella (Ilana Budenosky) with murderous intent. Savannah Elcock, Photographer
the pageant each year and provides EmCees, with other clubs such as AFS helping out by providing ushers. Mr. MHS pushes pageant contestants to step out of their comfort zones putting on a show that can be considered quite a spectacle.
Boys who wanted to participate had to submit applications by last Friday and auditions took place yesterday after school. Those chosen to participate will be in rehearsals up until the show on March 14.
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Feb. 19, 2013
Wrestling sends 11 to State John Rockey staff writer
Senior Davis Matthews attempts to get an escape at last Saturday’s Regional meet. Davis finished second. John Rockey, photographer
Varsity wrestling results Centennial League MHS- 2nd place
1st place: Jase Stone (113) Dallas Vesta (126) 2nd place: Kian Clemens (120) Michael Leeper (152) Austin Chauncey (160) 4th place: Josh Mullin (138) Davis Matthews (145) Michael Forshee (170)
Regionals MHS- 2nd place
1st place: Austin Chauncey (160) Jordan Price (195) 2nd place: Jase Stone (113) Kian Clemens (120) Davis Matthews, (145) Josh Mullin (138) Michael Leeper (152) 3rd place: Dallas Vesta (126) Michael Forshee (170) 4th place: Darrion Taylor (106) C.J. Moorman-Meador (220)
The Manhattan High wrestlers took a steadfast approach to State and were met by a tough Regional match Saturday. Junction City came out ahead of Manhattan, but not before the wrestlers persevered in both tournaments. As a result they are now sending 11 people off to the State Championship in Wichita this weekend. The team spent the last few weeks preparing harder than ever before for their upcoming tournaments. “As a whole team, to go from a powerhouse with State champions from last year and then to start again, we moved through the ranks quickly this season,” senior C.J. MoormanMeador said. Going into Centennial League, Manhattan was ranked fourth in state behind Junction City who was in second. This year presented a greater challenge with Junction City able to hold their own. Nonetheless, Manhattan performed strong and got eight people to place. That set them up for the Regional tournament held again at Junction City. “Our expectations as defending League champions were to defend our title, but we did come up short,” wrestling
Girls crush Highland to continue winning season Tre Fuentes staff writer This year, the Manhattan High Girls basketball team is good. Really good. If you saw them last Friday night against Highland Park, you would know that. In fact, if you have seen any of the games they have played this season, you would know just how good they really are. After Friday night’s 65-33 easy win over the Highland Park Scots, the Lady Indians sit at 14-4 on the regular season -- one of the top teams in the Centennial League. One of the key factors to the Indians’ success this year is their depth. Senior guard Elayna Spilker is back in the starting lineup for the Lady Indians and, along with being
an excellent three-point shooter, brings a lot of experience to the tribe. Junior Darby Price is a gifted rebounder and sophomore Caroline Ballard is one of the top scorers on the team. But the Lady Indians also produce a lot of underrated players that are key to their success. Kristen Thompson and Katie Proctor are two other seniors who use their experience and knowledge to help some of the younger players on the team. They are very good shooters for the Indians and use their experience to their advantage. “We’ve had some injuries along the way but a lot of our players have stepped up,” head coach Scot Mall said. “We have a lot of players that can fill in for certain situations. We have been in
certain instances where we need a certain type of player, and our depth allows us to use our players in a position that utilizes their strengths.” The Lady Indians also have a lot of younger players that contribute to the productivity of the team. Par McNair is a very consistent shooter in the paint and can also shoot the long shot when given an opportunity. Savannah Thaemert was one of the leading scorers for MHS against the Scots on Friday with eight points. As long as they stay healthy the Lady Indians have a good shot come post season play to be competitive and challenge for the Centennial League title and even the State championship. Yeah, they’re that good.
Swimming finishes 15th at State Alan Brown staff writer The swimming season has officially come to an end, but the Manhattan High swim team has gone out in style. The team placed second overall in the meet at Washburn Rural and placed 15th at the State meet last weekend. “[It was a] good day for us,” MHS coach Jerry Carpenter said regarding the Topeka meet. “There was some great competition and lots of best times.” A few team members who performed well at Topeka included Brett Bandy, Jordan DeLoach, Cameron Beauregard and Evan Olson. Each of them also received all-League team honors. While in Topeka, Zane and Xavier Hayden had impressive performances
as well. Together, the team collected 395 points, second only to Washburn Rural. The State meet the week after was successful for many of the team members, but star senior DeLoach in particular had an especially good performance. DeLoach not only had lifetime best times in each of the events he participated in, but came close to nearly achieving all of his goals as well. He qualified for finals in both of his two individual events, the 200 and 500 freestyle races. He was also said to have an effective leader, igniting the team with his enthusiasm. “The State meet was really fun,” said DeLoach. “The relays were so dramatic.” Two of the three MHS relays also advanced to finals, and Bandy swam in the 100
fly but did not advance to finals. Since the season has ended for MHS, DeLoach and fellow teammate Bandy plan to continue swimming with their club team, the Manhattan Marlins. They will be attending meets in Topeka and Kansas City during the next two weeks and hope to continue improving. They also plan to be the managers for the MHS Girls swimming team for the second year in a row. “The thing I will miss the most about [the MHS swim team] is definitely the people,” DeLoach said, who just finished his final season with the team. “I have trained for years with a lot of my teammates, and we’ve grown to be very close.”
Coach Robert Gonzales said. “But I thought the wrestlers did an admirable job. It’ll be tough. They are very similar to our team last year.” Saturday brought a long day of competition the wrestlers’ way, with 11 out of the 12 that left came back with placements in State. However, it was not without facing a tough matchup against up Junction City who came ahead of them in first place this year with 201 points. Manhattan came behind in second place with 168 points and two first place finishers, Austin Chauncey (160) and Jordan Price (195). “We’re glad all of them came out as champions,” wrestling coach Devin Schwartz said. “We got to look at where we’re at now, and what we need to be at State.” “We need to work on our footwork, but our main competition for state is Junction City,” Chauncey, junior, said. This week is all that remains of the 2012-2013 season for the wrestlers. This week they will work on every aspect for all the time they’ve wrestled. State may be the last meet for a few of the wrestlers and they intend to show nothing less than their best.
Sports
Athlete of the Week Q: What motivates you to be the best you can be? A: It just comes from myself. Everything I do I want to do my best and bring the best effort possible. When I am playing basketball I try to take it to the next level and play as hard as I can so that I have no regrets. Tre Fuentes staff writer
Caroline Ballard This year’s Girls Basketball squad is one of the best in the Centennial League and has a good shot to make State. Ballard is one of the top scorers for the lady Indians on a consistent basis and a key contributor to the team. Exactly two weeks ago against Topeka West, Ballard scored a career high 22 points. She followed that performance three days later topping her own career best, scoring 24 against Shawnee Heights.
Q: When did you start playing basketball? A: I started in first grade.
I really liked the competitiveness and physicality of it and I have been playing ever since.
Q: Do you have any goals of basketball after college? A: Yes that’s definitely my
goal. I really enjoy competing and I want to take my game to the next level. Having that goal of playing in college motivates me to try my hardest everyday and never give up.
Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season? A: We want to make it to
State again this year and if we can win out from here that would help.
Q: Who is your favorite athlete? A: Kevin Durant Q: What is your favorite meal before game day? A: Quiznos
Boys lose to Highland Park on senior night as Substate race heats up Nick Bandy sports editor As the referee threw the ball into the air to start off last Friday’s game, five seniors realized that it might be the last time they ever play a game at Manhattan High after almost four seasons. “It’s been a good four years here at MHS. It’s sad we had to lose tonight on senior night but I think in the end it will just make us work harder,” senior Garret Henry said. MHS lost to Highland Park 29-56 on senior night after a four-game winning streak, continuing their dramatic roller-coaster of a senior season. “They’ve made this season enjoyable for me. Their work ethic and desire to get better every day has been monumental. They’ve been good leaders,” head coach Tim Brooks said. MHS knew it would have its hands full with a Highland team that is undefeated on the year, but MHS came out strong and was within two points early on in the game. However, that was as close as they would get, as they were down 14-24 at half after strong defense by Highland. “Their defense is pretty suffocating, both on the perimeter and inside. We tried a lot of different things to get different looks and it was just tough,” Brooks said. The second half was much of the same, and turnovers continued to plague the Indians, who finished with 17 total. “We need to value the basketball more and not make so many turnovers and dumb decisions,” junior Winston Dimel said. Even though MHS allowed Highland to score 56 points,
Senior Jacob Holloway protests a call as the boys lost to Highland Park 29-56. Things did not go his way as he scored only three points. Tre Fuentes, photographer
that is the lowest amount Highland has scored all year. On offense the Indians also struggled with outside shooting; they finished with only two threes in the game and one of those was made with two seconds left in the game. Senior Chris Hudgins was the highest scoring Indian with seven points. Even when the final whistle blew, the seniors’ hopes to return and play at MHS again are still alive. With their record at 10-8 they must win at least one of their two road games next week to host the first round of Substate. “We need to make sure we bounce back because these next two games are important,” Dimel said. Before their loss, the Indians had a four game winning streak including an overtime 59-54 victory over Topeka
West and a 64-59 victory over Shawnee Heights in which sophomore Peyton Stephens scored 18 and seniors Hudgins and Jacob Holloway each had 12. Last Tuesday MHS defeated Junction City 48-46 to complete their sweep of their biggest rival. “It was one of our goals at the beginning of the year, so it means a lot. We have swept them the last three years so it’s a nice trend that we have going,” Brooks said. After the second quarter the Indians never lost the lead, led by Holloway’s 15 points and Hudgins 13, and they were a perfect 19-19 from the free throw line in the second half. The Indians will travel today to play Hayden, who they defeated earlier this year, and they can potentially secure a first-round home game for
16 MHS students sign with colleges Bowling competes Tre Fuentes staff writer
MHS football player pose with head coach Joe Schartz after they signed to play football in college. They were five of the 16 MHS athletes that signed to play in college last week. Kristie Kutei, photographer
Balancing collegiate academics with sports is a challenge that faces those elite athletes who get the chance to stretch sports interests into college. Manhattan High senior Jenna Stigge hopes that her experience as this year’s Tribe president, president of SubDeb and member of National Honor Society on top of her softball participation will help her manage it all when she takes on softball next year in college. “I always love to play softball,” Stigge said. “I play it all the time and it’s something I really enjoy doing. I chose to play softball in college be-
cause it’s something when I look back on I don’t want to regret. It’s something I have a real passion for, and I couldn’t just quit on it.” Stigge is one of the 16 students at MHS who has inked her intent to play college sports. Most of them signed on Feb. 6 during National Signing Day. While Stigge is the only one so far to have signed to play softball at the collegiate level, five of Manhattan High’s best football players have signed their letters of intent. Gabe Caldas will be attending Coffeyville Community College, Wyatt Charleson is headed to Fort Scott Junior College, Michael Max is taking his talents to McPherson College and
at League meet Danielle Cook staff writer “The girls just never got it going today, but it just didn’t happen,” coach Chris George said of the Lady Indians’ eighth place ranking at the Centennial League Tournament, which was held on Thursday at Gage Bowl in Topeka. The girls’ shooting score for Thursday’s tournament totaled up to 1,941 points. George believes that with some more work on specific aspects of the game, the team will be able to pick up their score as a whole.
“We just need to pick up those easy spares; we leave a lot of them too often,” George said. However, for many bowlers on the team, achieving personal scores are just as, if not, more important to placing well at tournaments than overall team scores are. The MHS girls were hoping for a more successful tournament on Thursday in order to beat their approximate 2,020-point average for this year, but a drop in personal scores assisted in preventing the reaching of that goal this time. “Some of us have actually gone down, sadly; I went from
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News
Feb. 19, 2013
Intramurals produce new boy and girl team champions Team Pain 64
Team Pain 41 Par’s Team 33
Bandy of Brothers 39 Team Pain 45
Hoopers 34
DIno Might 44 e-Lemon-ators 37
Hoopers 55
e-Lemon-ators 74
Stiff Competition 42 Stiff Competition 47
The Basketball Team 41
The Monstars 31 Stiff Competition 52 My Dixie 24
Stiff Competition
The Basketball Team 21 Vatos Locos 24
Hoopers
Coconut Bangers Ball 46 Coconut Bangers Ball 32
Culinary competes for scholarship Kaitlin Wichmann Photo Editor Senior Kristie Kutei has been sacrificing her Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in recent weeks in hopes of winning a $1,000 scholarship at the upcoming Kansas Prostart Invitational, a cooking competition in Wichita next week. The competition holds high importance to Kutei because she plans to go on to culinary school. “I decided to go because it’s a competition they have every year. It’s not really a learning thing, but more of a competition,” Kutei said. “I guess we will learn about working with other people and how to deal with different situations.” The competition will split into two teams -- management and culinary. The management team will present a business plan and explain the floor plan, budget and menu.
They will show a PowerPoint, a tri-fold board and a notebook that lays it all out for the judges to look at. The culinary team has one hour to cook and prepare an appetizer that goes along with their meal, the entree which includes not only the meat but also the starch and vegetable, and finally a dessert. They do this on two butane burners with no oven, no electrical equipment and no battery operated equipment. The purpose of the competition is to teach culinary knowledge, skills and creative abilities through demonstration of skills, mastery and the preparation of a meal. “I hope that they learn teamwork and that they learn that they have to be very precise,” culinary teacher Lorena Ingmire said. “They learn professionalism and how they relate to not only one another, but also to the judges because the judges will be close
New pizza improves sales Derek Williams Staff Writer A new kind of pizza is available in the cafeteria at Manhattan High and it was chosen by students. For a few weeks the lunch staff researched different pizzas that were available, to hopefully offer something students would like better than the ones that were being served. “We knew that the students did not react well to the wheat crust,” lunchroom supervisor Lisa Andrijeski said about the old pizza before the change. “To be honest the old pizzas tasted like dirty pennies,” sophomore Derek Wood said. Once the options were narrowed down they then had to look at the ingredients and nutritional values of the pizzas and had to get rid of the ones that did not meet the government regulations and qualifications. After spending
a few weeks checking the pizzas they were finally left with two pizzas, the Big Daddy’s pizza and Domino’s pizza. The lunch staff held a taste test where students tasted the two pizzas and then voted for the one they preferred. “The students had voted and for the most part they voted for the Big Daddy’s pizza,” Andrijeski said. After the taste test and the votes were tallied, the staff then had to work out the prices and ordering the pizzas. The staff in the kitchen, like most students, like the new pizza. “We have less problems with the pizza, like it doesn’t stick to the pans,” Andrijeski said. From the records the cafeteria kept, the students reacted well to the new pizzas, from selling only 40 pizzas a day to about 224 a day.
Dental hygienist possibility Julianne Harkness Staff Writer Would you take advantage of a dental hygienist if there was one for free here at Manhattan High? This is the question nurse Robin Smith is asking students over the next few weeks. The nursing department is considering getting a volunteer dental hygienist from Konza Dental. The dental hygienist would be at the school once a year just like the vision screenings. If students show an interest in this opportunity the hygienist would be brought in to do free screenings and sealants on students. They would most likely be set up in the Little Theater or some other locaBowling from page 6 [doing] 530s to 420s,” said sophomore Katherine Eimer. Though some personal scores have dropped since the start of the season, healthy competition between teammates has proved to keep the game fun and worth-while for a majority of the girls. “It’s still fun, and there is a lot of competition between teammates,” said senior Miranda Dooley, Girls’ Varsity team captain. On the boys’ side of things, the Indians found that per-
tion other than the nursing station. “The screenings are really fast. All the hygienist uses is a flashlight and a tongue depressor,” Smith said. “They would also be doing quick visual checks of the gums and teeth. If you have any visual cavities the hygienist would tell you and provide you with dental care information for those students who can’t afford proper dental care. The main reason students don’t always get the best dental health is because it’s so expensive. With the hygienist here they would help with directing those students to a more affordable dentist.” The hygienist would be at West Campus more than at East, anywhere between two hours and half a day. sonal scores weren’t so much an issue as tough competition and focus. “The boys had spurts where we were competitive, but Washburn Rural and Seaman really got off to a good start. We were in the same pod of lanes with those two schools, and I think our guys may have tried to do too much to catch up, rather than just focus on the next shot,” George said. The boys scored a 2,307, putting them in sixth place. Despite not doing quite as well at Thursday’s tournament, George plans on a
to them to be able to talk to them while they are preparing the meal.” If Kutei and the other competitors from Manhattan hope to win the scholarship, they must work together quickly in order to impress the judges and create a practical and tasty meal. “The judges critique the kids, but only afterwards,” Ingmire said. “During the hour of the meal the four kids must work really fast. There’s almost a sort of choreography between the team members.” The pressure to prepare the meal in less than an hour will undoubtedly be present. “It’s pretty high stakes,” Ingmire said. “There is first, second and third places and all of the first place team members all win $1,000 scholarships. The first place team also gets to go on to nationals, and then that opens them up to have a lot of scholarship opportunities given to them.” Signing from page 6 Devin Cossman and Chance Drake are both bound for Garden City Community College. Killian Gorman is going to Fort Scott and Evan Williams is heading to Dodge City to play soccer. Two volleyball players will be playing in college. Colbi Brooks will be attending Dodge City while Alexis Massanet decided to go to St Mary’s College at Leavenworth. This year the girls soccer team’s expectations are really high as they already have six girls who are going to play soccer at the next level. While everyone is excited to play at the next level, Bailey Snyder explains that there is nervousness to go along with it. “I am excited to be able to play soccer at Fort Hayes, but I am also a little nervous,” Snyder explains. “Playing soccer is something I really enjoy and I always want to be playing. I really like the whole campus at Fort Hayes and their sports program but it is also going to be a new experience.” Jennifer Then and Kristen Thompson are joining Snyder at Fort Hayes State University while Kayla Faust, Courtney Payne and Willie Stockton are going to attend McPherson. All of Manhattan’s elite athletes have new experiences waiting to happen and dreams waiting to be fulfilled, but none are going to forget where they came from. “I am really going to miss all the friends and memories I have made at MHS,” Stigge says. “It’s an experience that I will always remember for the rest of my life.” Exchange from page 1 facilitated by Jishu Shi, professor of anatomy and physiology at Kansas State University. more successful performance and hopes to meet more team goals at Regionals. “We have Regionals at home next week, and we have bowled our best here, so there is still time to achieve some of the goals that we set at the beginning of the year,” George said. Scholars from page 1 and I am sure they will be very successful in whatever they choose to do in life,” Dawdy said. -Julith Perry
Junior Bryce Rincon and senior Kristi Kutei prepare their dishes they will present at the Kansas Protstart Invitational. Sarah Shi, photographer
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Feb. 19, 2013
The MENTOR
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‘Community’ needs to stick to its roots
Greendale Community College is back in session after a long delay and has changed a little but hasn’t lost any of it’s quirks that made “Com-
munity” a standout show. “Community” isn’t in the hands of creator Dan Harmon anymore but doesn’t seem to have changed that much. The first two episodes featured three different parodies: the Hunger Deans, a laugh track comedy in Abed’s head and a “Paranormal Activity” walk through Pierce’s house. One thing that will be different this season is the weird themes of episodes that seem to be four months old. That’s because they are, due to the delay from September. This results in the
Halloween episode airing on Valentines Day. At least I will be able celebrate Christmas in April. The show does seem to be missing a little spark to put it on the level with “Parks and Recreation,” that spark being the relationship that doesn’t seem to exist anymore between Abed and Troy. We haven’t any weird “Inspector Spacetime” episodes in the dreamatorium. This is in part because of the couple of Troy and Brita. This has pulled the
attention away from “Inspector Spacetime” and to wishing fountain dates. This will probably change next episode when the gang travels to an “Inspector Spacetime” convention. I do love comedy couples -- I have to because I love “The Office” and the entire show has either been about Jim and Pam’s relationship or Angela cheating on Andy. I wouldn’t hate if the show went back to Troy and Abed and move away from Brita. What this season hasn’t
had yet that it will need to stay alive is a classic episode that all the past seasons have had. It needs its “Pillows and Blankets” or “Modern Warfare.” These will probably come near the end of the season like in the past but by that time Chevy Chase’s character Pierce Hawthorne might be gone because of Chase’s parting with the show. “Community” may be in new hands but seems to stay true to its formula that has worked for three whole sea-
sons. It did try to fix some things that weren’t broken and that’s where it messes up. I do love shows that innovate but sometimes you have to stick to your roots.
Weather Forecast By Eli Redeker and Robby Kobza Tomor row : a pleasant day, as long as your legless boyfriend doesn’t shoot you. Thursday: Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. Friday: In Soviet Russia, meteor launds on you. Saturday: Hotter than Christopher Dorner’s cabin. Sunday: A Good Day to Die Hard. Monday: So cold.... Why not take a Carnival Cruise and get stranded for a week?
Graphic by Tre Fuentes and Michael Melgares
Ending redeems ‘Safe Haven’ Julith Perry
staff writer
Josh Duhamel’s hotness aside, the latest Nicholas Sparks movie “Safe Haven” was a big disappointment. However, the twist at the end was somewhat promising. This movie was everything I expected a Nicholas Sparks movie to be, and that is the reason why I loathe it. Everything from the doomed-love story line to the stolen “The Notebook” scenes had cliché written all over it. Julianne Hough plays the damsel in distress, Katie (also known as Erin). Duhamel plays the role of Alex, a very hot widowed father of two. Cobie Smulders stars as Jo, the creepy stalker neighbor who is never seen around anyone but Katie. David Lyons plays the role of Katie’s alcoholic husband.
Seeing the trailer for this movie had me in awe, mainly because it was yet another movie based off a Nicholas Sparks book. With the Sparks named attached to it, I walked in the movie theatre prepared to love this movie and its storyline. As I watched the events of this movie unfold, I found myself disappointed in how predictable it all was. It breaks my heart to say this, but maybe Nicholas
Sparks movies have lost their spark. Ever since “Dear John” they’ve all turned into the typical cliché sappy romantic movies. These are the kind of movies that my hopeless romantic side lives for, but that doesn’t mean that they are great. Just when I thought this movie was done, the ending came and it had a twist that blew my mind. How can a movie so stupid and predictable have such a good ending? It’s extremely infuriating. I hate the movie but I love the ending and it’s because of the ending that I think this movie is worth a watch.
John’s Hits and Misses Miss: K-State went off to lose to Kansas for a second time. Sing a new song with your new coach would ya? Hit: Wrestlers go to State this Friday and Saturday in Wichita.
Miss: Javier Bardem wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.
Hit: North Korea wishes.
Miss: Stocks are down and gun violence is up. Never a good combination. Hit: Obama announced that 34,000 troops will be coming home from Afghanistan.
Photo courtesy of nicholassparks.com
Photos courtesy of ner.org,ku.edu,whitehouse. gov