Volume 102 Edition 1

The mentor Vol. 102 Issue 1 | Manhattan High School | Aug. 12, 2014

‘Barnyard’ cast explores the globe

Students travel to London and Edinburgh to perform and sight-see Madeline Marshall News Editor After approximately seven hours in what junior Emma Galitzer described as “the Titanic of planes,” cast of the play “Barnyard” landed in London.

The end goal for the students was a series of performances in the Fringe Festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Their performances were a part of the American High School Theatre Festival within the Fringe Festival.

The play, written by Manhattan High School alumnus Richard Broadhurst, “explores bullies and bullying, as portrayed by a group of animals.”

“We have been preparing for this since the end of last school year,” Galitzer said.

Before these performances, the cast was able to explore London and Edinburgh.

“We spent four days in London. We toured around, went shopping and saw some shows,” junior Cherokee Hayden said.

“The great thing about London is that you know it’s a big city, but it doesn’t feel like a big city,” Galitzer said. “Everything is so precise from the trains to the plays.”

The students were able to watch Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” in the iconic Globe theatre and also took part in a workshop at the Globe theatre.

“It was amazing,” Galitzer said. “The actress who played Cleopatra was fantastic and it was so good. I’m just really glad that I got to see a performance at the Globe.”

The group also got a good dose of dark British comedy when they attended the play “A

The “Barnyard” cast performs in their play for the second of four performances. “There were a couple of little kids that came up to see me afterwards and they were pretty adorable,” Galitzer said. “It was a really great experience for me, meeting those kids who just wanted to see me because I did a good job in my role.”

COURTESY PHOTO BY RANDALL BAUGHMAN

Small Family Business.”

“It was absolutely terrifying with some very unexpected events,” Galitzer said. “It was extremely well done, though.”

After four days of exploring London, the cast and crew hopped aboard a train at the renowned King’s Cross Station. The seven-hour train

ride landed them in Scotland where they toured Sterling and Edinburgh Castle, walked through the Fringe Festival, climbed to the top of Arthur’s

Seat and watched other high schools’ performances.

The most memorable attraction was the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a “music,

dance and precision display with the Massed Pipes and Drums, the Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, cultural SEE THESPIANS, PAGE 3

Big Blue Marching Band prepares for season Band performs mock drill down Tracy Le Trending Editor Vibrant waves of color crowded the field at Bishop Stadium as over a hundred Manhattan High band members, color guards and dancers took their places on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 1.

The students eagerly awaited

director Joel Gittle’s marching commands before performing a mock drill down.

“The drill down in particular is something fun but also helps improve our band and make sure it’s successful,” junior Andrea Lu said.

“Basically it’s a way to see just how fast you can react to the

Dancing the week away

marching commands he gives you and how focused you are.

First, he starts easy making the tempo not as fast and giving you commands and then each round he gradually makes it harder by either upping the tempo or trying to trick you with the commands.

SEE BAND, PAGE 3

PHOTO BY JENNIE JORDAN

Joseph Sell Online Editor-in-Chief

Students perform a mock drill down they have been practicing for since July. The drill down lasted for 45 minutes. Sophomore Chelsea Henry was the winner.

PHOTO BY TRACY LE

The dance team got together from July 28 to Aug 1 for their first bonding experience.

The camp was full of new dances for the team to learn.

The first few days the team learned the new sideline dances that go with the band songs.

Then they learned the halftime show for the first football game.

“The same dance will also be performed at K-State Band Day, Sept 27 at halftime of the KSU game to the Beatles’ ‘Day

Tripper’,” senior Krystyn Winiecki said.

For an hour each day they were also outside with the band learning their commands and how to march. “[Dance Camp] was fun, but I hated waking up early and learning to march was a struggle,” freshman Hannah Kordyak said.

On the last day the band, color guard, twirlers, and dance team got together at Bishop Stadium for a drill down where they practiced the commands they learned.

“We have a lot of girls on the

team and this is the first year since I joined the team my freshman year that we actually bonded,” junior Hannah Craig said. “Most of the girls spent extra time during the summer going to practices too, so the week long camp went smoothly and everyone knew what they were doing.”

Overall, the dancers enjoyed the camp.

“I think our dance team this year has a lot of potential and I’m really excited to see what all we are capable of,” Winiecki said.

StuCo talks teamwork, communication Scouts traverse New Mexico’s Mountains

Danielle Cook Entertainment Editor Getting back into “school mode” when summer is still in full swing is never easy, and for members of Manhattan High’s 2014-2015 Student Council, getting back to school means getting back to some important business. However, StuCo made sure to start an upcoming year of hard work off with some constructive fun.

Sunday, this year’s StuCo members and supervising supporters, including StuCo sponsor Leslie Campbell, met up at MHS West Campus for their annual start-of-the-year StuCo retreat, where leadership activities and the group’s first official meeting of the school year took place.

According to Campbell, the retreat was held at Rock Springs in years past, but due to “several factors”, it was decided that this year’s retreat be held at home.

“The administration was excited to do something in the

house,” Campbell said, adding that school board members, Pat Hudgins, Curt Herrman, Marsha Rozell and Leah Fliter, along with Superintendant Bob Shannon, even joined the group for dinner later in the day.

However, the superintendent and board members were not the only special guests in attendance at the retreat. Before dinner, StuCo members participated in team-building and leadership activities led

by Andrew Cherry, who’ leads high school StuCo workshops in Emporia.

“The primary goal of the retreat is for Student Council members to get to know each other and to build relationships with each other,” Campbell said. “It’s a good opportunity for the senior representatives to get to know the freshman representatives, to help the freshmen feel that they’re very much apart of the group now, as well.”

Senior Class Secretary Dheepthi Perumal also saw

the retreat as a chance to help create bonds between StuCo members, which she explained will be beneficial to more longterm StuCo goals, as teamwork as a foundation for the group is key in having a successful year.

“We actually have many new members this year, including both students and sponsors, so the retreat is about having a good time while really getting connected to one another,” Perumal said.

Student-body President senior Nicholas N. Clark explained that one of his goals for the retreat was touching on communication and cooperation within the student body itself.

“This year, we are really going to be pushing increased cooperation between StuCo and clubs, and an increase in interest groups and intramural activities,” Clark said. “Communication has really been lacking between StuCo and the clubs of MHS, so that’s something we’re really trying to remedy this year.”

John Rockey Senior Photographer Standing at 12,441 feet in Cimarron, New Mexico is Mount Baldy. From this height, MHS students in local Boy Scout Troop 75 looked out at the mecca of scouting: backpacking through the 214 square mile Philmont scout ranch.

Seniors Patrick Taylor and Nick N. Clark came to this for their second trek since they started in Boy Scouts and both took in what was a substantial change compared to their first in the summer of 2012.

“By the end of our trek, we had gone about 96 to 100 miles in 10 days,” Taylor said.

“It was definitely harder than last time. Last time we went, we did 70 miles.”

Each crew had an itinerary to follow that entailed the length of their trek, the destinations and activities they were expected to encounter on certain days and designated

days of rest as well as side hiking different mountains. The older crew that included Taylor and Clark traversed one of the hardest of the 36 itineraries: itinerary 33 across 92 miles and the three main mountains; Baldy, Phillips and the Tooth of Time.

“Every day we woke up about five, packed up camp and started hiking around six.

We would eat breakfast as we hiked since it was all snack stuff, then navigate our way to camp and eat lunch once we got to camp,” Clark said. “After camp was set up, we would go do programs, if we were at a staff camp, and would do that for several hours.”

The activities for their specific itinerary consisted of .3006 rifle shooting and reloading, muzzleloading, shotgun shooting and reloading, blacksmithing and numerous sidehikes up along their routes of the trip. A week into the trek was designated for a trail conservation project. Early on,

the group had a burro to carry their gear a couple days into the trek.

“We were dropping it off the next day and at that time, we were cliffside basically yelling at it to move,” Taylor said.

While Taylor and Clark were enjoying their return to the mountains and deserts of New Mexico, scouts like junior James Bunting took in the scenery for the first time as something entirely new.

“Seeing Philmont for the first time was breathtaking. It was a beautiful scene,” Bunting said. “I took that Philmont is like personal life: You have your ups, downs, plateaus and hard climbs.”

The biggest change for the returning Scouts was largely in the crew that they went with both years and how they were able to work together with them.

“Last time we had people from different troops join us, See SCOUTS on page 3

Opinions

The Mentor • Aug. 12, 2014

Society should take pressure off teens Mentor editorial board discussed this issue and came to the conclusion that high schoolers are asked to make decisions they aren’t prepared or capable of making.

There’s a reason college students change their major time and time again. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself in high school you can’t be ready to chose a career path after four years of core classes and a few electives that may or may not be relevant to your subject of interest in college.

Too much pressure is placed on adolescents during a time that should be about discovering your interests and who you wish to become. Instead of

THIS EDITORIAL IS A COMPILATION FROM A DISCUSSION HELD BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD. TO LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION THAT LED TO THIS PIECE, VISIT WW.MHSMENTOR. COM In today’s society teens face a great deal of pressure regarding their futures, whether it’s grades, classes, tests or sports.

They’re expected to have their lives figured out and know what they’re going to major in at 18, far before their brains are fully developed.

With the start of a new school year rushing at us, The

being given this opportunity we’re pressured to have a job, participate in extracurricular activities and maintain a 4.0.

This should be a time of trying new things and soul searching before you have to spend thousands of dollars on a degree.

If students had some weight lifted off their shoulders and were given more time to explore options and career paths instead of making these years about standardized test scores and appearing well-rounded on a college application, they would be far more capable of making the decisions they’re expected to make.

Find solution to obesity lem. While I was in London, I was met with a completely different food environment.

Apart from the occasional McDonald’s or “Tennessee Style Chicken” quick eats, fast food was actually difficult to find.

If you needed a less expensive meal, eating a pre-made sandwich was just about the only option. The difference in the appearance of the people was dramatic. Throughout my entire trip, that lasted a total of two weeks, I only remember spotting two obese people that did not speak with an American accent. The healthier food available seemed to make a huge impact on the health of the people there.

We in America have a great burden on our shoulders. We are met with the challenge to fight past the unhealthy eating temptations that we see on the street or on TV. Our fast food corporations have made it

Alan Brown Features Editor Obesity: it’s a problem indeed.

The facts aren’t unfamiliar to us. According to the US Disease Prevention and Control Center, 78 million Americans are considered obese. In other words, over 1/3 of the population are overweight.

What is going on with the United States?

Temptation.

The next time you drive down the interstate, take a good look at the eating options available at each exit. The chances are high that the street will be littered with fast food.

I now challenge you to find a healthy eating option. Not so easy, huh?

Traveling to a new part of the world gave me a fresh perspective on America’s prob-

convenient to make the wrong decision on a regular basis, and that’s not something the rest of the world has to deal with. While many people here are busy pointing fingers right and left trying to pinpoint the cause of our problem, it should be obvious. It is just too easy to give in to convenience, low prices and whining taste buds.

We too often find ourselves giving in to the temptations that have been set in front of us.

It’s not that we are simple minded compared to the world around us. The truth is that we have more decisions we must make in our daily lives.

In order to solve our obesity problem, we must be taught to better handle eating decisions, and should be aware of what the sometimes fatal consequences may be if we cannot.

Page 2

Lethal injection unethical Angie Moss Business Manager Out of the 50 states in America 35, plus the U.S. Military and government, have authorized lethal injection as the primary method for the death penalty, wrongfully so. It is exceptionally inhumane and tortuous. If the death penalty is going to be used at all, the inmates should be killed instantaneously. They shouldn’t have to live through however long it may take for the drugs to spread and kill them.

Lethal injection often goes wrong due to the fact that the people carrying out the executions often aren’t trained and they miss a vein or insert the IV into the wrong vein, causing unnecessary pain to the inmate. Since 1985, there have been 32 botched executions due to complications with lethal injections. If this method has continuously failed, why do we still use it on our Death Row inmates?

One of the most recent executions that went wrong is Joseph Wood’s execution in Arizona on July 23. Wood had

been on Death Row since 1989 for the murders of two people.

The execution team injected Wood with 750 milligrams of Midazolam and Hydromorphone, which is 15 times the amount the state calls for.

Witnesses saw Wood gulp and gasp over 600 times during his execution. After an hour and 52 minutes, Wood was finally pronounced dead.

In Oklahoma, Clayton Lockett became a victim of another botched lethal injection execution. Officials claimed that they couldn’t find a usable vein to insert the IV, therefore they had to insert it in the femoral vein. This is a painful place for insertion and requires medical expertise. After several minutes, Lockett was rendered unconscious. Lockett then began thrashing and moaning. The officials claimed that Lockett’s vein had blown.

After 43 minutes of writhing in pain, Lockett suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead.

The children of Dennis McGuire, the victim of another bad execution, were present during the time of their father’s

execution. Both of his children described the execution as torture. McGuire was reported to have been gasping for air, according to Huffington Post.

"I don't feel like anybody deserves that — families, or my dad, anybody on death row — nobody deserves to go through that," Dennis Mcguire, Jr. said.

The death penalty doesn’t exactly teach any lessons to our criminals or our society in the first place but if we’re going to allow it to be legal, shouldn’t we use a fool-proof method? Other methods include gas chambers, hanging, a firing squad and electrocution, which has failed almost as often as lethal injection according to Death Penalty Information Center. Something can go wrong with any of these methods, but the government needs to find a way that is less agonizing and has a higher success rate. They may be criminals, but they’re still people. We shouldn’t torture them just because they committed a crime, no matter how heinous the circumstance.

Make most of high school experience Kristen Batson Print Editor-in-Chief As much as teenagers like to complain about high school and how awful it is, this is what it comes down to: we have four years. Four years to prepare ourselves for life away from home, four years to make memories to last a lifetime and make the hard work and sleep deprivation worth it, four years to discover what

we're passionate about and hope to accomplish.

My first two were kind of a bust. I mean, they were a learning experience for sure, but I would've done some things differently. Thankfully it's never too late to find something you love. I ended up in Digital Media Design & Production because I had the room in my schedule since I, praise the Lord, no longer needed a physical education

class. I had no idea how much I'd grow to love this publication and staff. It's such an incredible feeling to find a little niche you fit into, especially at a new school.

So here's my advice to the incoming freshman, the loner, the slacker and anyone just looking for something new; join a club, try something different, branch out. It's amazing how happy you can be when you try.

Question of the Week: What did you do this summer?

“Went to a One Republic concert.” -Connor Bliss, senior @connorblissful

“Went blonde :)” -Trevor Bashaw, senior @flirtydad

EDITORS: Kristen Batson -- Print Editor-In-Chief/Opinions Joseph Sell -- Online Editor-In-Chief Danielle Cook -- Entertainment/Content Editor Madeline Marshall -- News Editor Alan Brown -- Features Editor Greg Woods -- Sports Editor Tracy Le -- Trending Editor Anna Hupp -- Photo Editor Jennie Jordan -- Photographer Jake Bussmann -- Photographer

“Kicked @sachindyoung1’s [Sachin Deyoung] butt.”

-Katrina Yau, senior @yauski

“Experimental Theatre yo -Israel Wheatley, junior @a_nu_matt

OTHER: Angie Moss--Business Manager Kristy Nyp--Adviser The Mentor is published each Tuesday that school is in session at Manhattan High School, 2100 Poyntz Ave. Manhattan, Kan. Telephone (785) 587-2114. More than 1,500 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is an open forum that accepts contributions from the public. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Tweet your answer @mhsmentoronline or answer at our website, mhsmentor.com

Sports

The Mentor • Aug. 12, 2014

Page 3

Football prepares in wake of winning season Greg Woods Sports Editor The Manhattan High football team opens its season Sept. 5 at home against Shawnee Heights, and the players have spent months preparing.

The Indians attended camp at Pittsburg State University June 8-10, and begins with an intersquad scrimmage Aug. 28.

“Typically Manhattan High School football is made up of a bunch of tough individuals,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “We do typically come together as a team. That’s how we measure our success, is how well we come together as

a team. It’s going to be a challenge, and hopefully this team can accomplish it.”

The team elected its captains last spring: seniors Luke Stegeman, Joe Trujillo, Chris Martin and Anthony Renteria.

Stegeman played linebacker and running back last year.

Trujillo played place kicker and linebacker. Martin played primarily running back last year, and is expected to play quarterback this year, alongside senior Eric Prockish. Renteria is an offensive lineman.

“We always expect our entire senior class to provide the leadership, and this year will be no different,” Schartz said.

FOLLOW @MHSMENTORONLINE ON TWITTER FOR FOOTBALL COVERAGE ALL SEASON LONG!

Senior Chris Martin awaits a kickoff last season at Bishop Stadium. Martin primarily manned the running back position last year and is expected to play the same role this year in addition to quarterback.

JACOB BUSSMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER

McCarthy sisters swing around country with The First Tee Greg Woods Sports Editor

Senior Kelsey McCarthy drives the ball down range at the KWGA State Girls’ Championship tournament. Kelsey placed fourth in her age group.

Courtesy Photo by Paige McCarthy

Seniors Kelsey and Kylie McCarthy can usually be found together in the halls of Manhattan High School, but this summer was a bit different. The twins toured the United States with golf program The First Tee this summer and applied to two different academies. Kelsey was accepted into the majority of the ones she applied to and Kylie was accepted into one. Among other academies, Kelsey attended Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy in Bluffton, S.C. with fellow senior Pierson McAtee.

“We played nine holes each day, and then we went on the range and did some chipping and putting drills,” Kelsey said.

Kelsey and Kylie also attended Life Skills and Leadership Academy in San Diego where they golfed every day and visited the TaylorMade and Adidas headquarters in addition to some fun stops like the San Diego Zoo. “The First Tee just gives you so many opportunities to do so many things,” Kelsey said.

“Especially since [Kylie and I] are older kids and [we’re the] Eagle level.”

The sisters additionally took part in tournaments with the Kansas Junior Golf Association. They played in a tournament at the Manhattan Country Club on June 16. Kelsey shot an 84 while Kylie shot 87.

At the Salina Municipal tournament on June 24, Kelsey shot a 76 and Kylie shot 75.

The girls took part in the Kansas Women’s Golf Associa-

tion State Girls’ Championship July 1-2. Kelsey finished fourth in her age group.

“I was pretty proud of myself for [placing fourth in my age group]. I got a pretty good plaque for that,” Kelsey said. “That was fun.”

They then participated in the KWGA Amateur Championship tournament, in which neither of the girls did as well as they hoped. Nevertheless, Kelsey said she was glad she went.

“There were so many girls from around Kansas that have had so much experience. There were a couple college players that were [there],” Kelsey said. “It was a really good experience for both of us.”

Senior golfers set to compete at Pebble Beach Greg Woods Sports Editor Seniors Pierson McAtee and Drew Casper qualified this summer for the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in California. The boys applied early in the summer for the

tournament on Sept. 23-28.

“It was a long application process that [Drew and I] had to go through,” McAtee said. “[Kansas State University Golf Assistant Director of Development] Bernie Haney really helped us through it.”

Eighty-one people from around the United States were

selected for the tournament in California.

“The three days of [The First Tee Open] are the ProAm tournament, so we’ll play the professionals out there,” Casper said.

Sept. 23 and 24 are designed for practice rounds, and the seniors will begin competition

Sept. 26 and finish Sept. 28. All three days of the tournament will be televised live on the GOLF Channel.

“Our director wanted us to apply for [the tournament] and he goes out there with us.

So that’s pretty cool,” Casper said. “It’s challenging because this is our last year to try and

get looked at by college coaches, and that can get kind of stressful.”

McAtee and Casper are attending The First Tee Open through the Manhattan First Tee. McAtee cites The First Tee for the majority of his golfing this summer. “[Drew and I] have been

participating in and helping coach with The First Tee of Manhattan, which has been our most golf involvement,” McAtee said.

FALL SPORTS upcoming SCHEDULES FOOTBALL Inter-squad Scrimmage Aug. 28 | 7 PM Shawnee Heights Sept. 5 | 7 PM Seaman Sept. 12 | 7 PM Hayden Sept. 19 | 7 PM Highland Park Sept. 26 | 7 PM Topeka West Oct. 3 | 7 PM Junction City Oct. 10 | 7 PM *Home games in bold THESPIANS from page 1

troupes, singers and the poignant refrain of the Lone Piper against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.”

“It was an amazing showcase of talent from around the world,” junior Evan Heger said.

“It’s indescribable,” Galitzer said. “The Tattoo was any musician’s dream.”

As much fun as the cast had off the stage, the group had even more during and after their performances.

“We had to change the script in June because some people weren’t able to go on the trip,” Galitzer said. “So we had to start rehearsing a different show.”

The play consisted of nine parts, but was cut to six.

“The overall message is basically the same, but the changes did affect the character development,” Galitzer said. “The majority of the plot

VOLLEYBALL CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS TENNIS BOYS SOCCER GIRLS GOLF Olathe South Tournament Sept. 6 | 9 AM Shawnee Heights/Silver Lake/ Seaman Sept. 11 | 5 PM Clay Center/Rossville Sept. 16 | 5 PM Hayden Tournament Sept. 20 Con/TW/TH/Man Sept. 23 | 5 PM Seaman Tournament Sept. 27 | 8:30 AM HP/WR/EMP Oct. 7 | 5 PM *Home games in bold

Manhattan Invitational Sept. 6 | 9 AM Emporia Invitational Sept. 13 | 9 AM Missouri Southern Stampede Sept. 20 | TBD JV Meet Sept. 23 | 4 PM Rim Rock Sept. 27 | TBD Junction City Invitational Oct. 4 | 10 AM Haskell Invitational Oct. 11 | 9 AM

movement was based on two characters.”

After working out the kinks from the first show, the group reports doing really well.

“I believe we have done a good job portraying the show as an effective children’s show,” Heger said.

The audience’s reactions after the play confirmed the cast’s positivity.

“I had multiple children come up to me and they were all just so excited by the play and my character,” Galitzer said. By the end of the journey, the thespians never wanted to leave.

“I’ve started using English colloquialisms without even thinking about it,” Galitzer said. “There’s just something about the prominence of theatre here that I really enjoy. I’m seriously considering moving here someday.”

BAND from page 1

*Home meets in bold

Once you get caught messing up you’re out. It keeps going until one person is left and is declared the winner.”

Lu began taking twirling lessons at a dance studio when she was in fifth grade and is now embarking on her second year of twirling for the marching band.

“There’s a lot to look forward to this year. I feel lots of excitement, but definitely some nerves in trying to do the best that I can,” Lu said.

For freshman Emma Lansdowne, this will be her first year in marching band.

“I really liked the drill down. At first I wasn’t too sure about it, but as the camp went on I got better at it and ended up being the second to last freshman left and being in the top 15 people.” Lansdowne said. ”I thought it was a fun experience to get to know

Topeka High Dual Sept. 2 | 3:30 PM Junction City Quad Sept. 4 | 3 PM TH/TW/SHHS Sept. 9 | 3:30 PM JC/W.Rural/Marysville Sept. 16 | 3:30 PM Topeka West Dual Sept. 18 | 3:30 PM Shawnee Mission East Dual Sept. 22 | 3:30 PM Lawrence Dual Sept. 25 | 3:30

Alumni Game Aug. 22 | TBD Lawrence Aug. 29 | 7 PM Wichita Titan Tournament Sept. 1-6 | TBD Shawnee Heights Sept. 16 | 6:15 PM Seaman Sept. 23 | 6:15 PM Washburn Rural Sept. 25 | 6:15 PM Great Bend Sept. 27 | 1 PM

*Home matches in bold

*Home games in bold

everyone and it really helped me build the fundamentals of marching.”

Lansdowne started playing the alto saxophone in the school band in fifth grade and has loved it ever since.

“I’m very excited for band this year, especially because of the Disney trip, but all around I enjoy advancing my skills on my instrument,” Lansdowne said. “I hope it’s a fun year and I hope I don’t mess up too much.”

Junior Jennifer Meierer is also looking forward to being a part of the marching band this year. After watching one of the band’s performances, Meierer decided to join the color guard her freshman year.

“I thought it looked really interesting and fun,” Meierer said. “[Now] I love being in the color guard.”

Meierer already has high hopes for this year.

“It was fun to be back with

everyone and be back marching again, she said. ”I feel like this year is going to be really good.”

At the end of the drill down, Gittle spoke to the audience about the upcoming school year, the Disney trip and more.

“You have great kids with great attitudes and that’s going to make our jobs a lot easier,” Gittle said.

By 7:25 the field and the bleachers were empty as the many students and people who came to show their support rushed off to enjoy cake and watermelon.

“Everyone in the band plays such a crucial part whether they’re playing an instrument, color guard, section leaders or drum majors,” Lu said. “They all work hard to make sure the band is as good as it can be. It’s also great having the opportunity to meet new people that have joined the band.”

Shawnee Heights Invitational Aug. 28 | 3 PM Salina Central Sept. 9 | 3 PM Lawrence Invitational Sept. 16 | 8 AM Salina South Invitational Sept. 23 | 1 PM Washburn Rural Sept. 25 | 1 PM Centennial League Sept. 29 | 1 PM Hutchinson Invitational Oct. 2 | 1 PM *Home meets in bold SCOUTS from page 1

so the group dynamic wasn’t there,” Clark said. “As a crew leader, I felt like I had to do what I had to do. The better I did, the more the guys would have fun, so I had to focus on keeping things under control.”

Finishing the trek 12 days and 96 miles later, the Scouts returned home bearing their gear and memories of the New Mexico ranges and wilderness.

“One day it was raining, we were crossing a stream several times along our route,” Taylor said. “Sometimes there was a bridge, and then there wasn’t.

There were rocks sometimes to cross. But in all that, my boots ended up getting soaked. I turned 18 that day.”

The Scouts brought home a bit of wisdom from spending time with each other.

“It’ll seem like you can’t make it, you do,” Bunting said.

“If you can climb three mountains, you can do anything.”

Trending

The Mentor • Aug. 12, 2014

Page 4

BACK TO SCHOOL It’s that time of year again.

Summer break has now officially come to an end. No longer is the school year just “right around the around.” No longer is going to sleep at 3 a.m. and waking up at noon possible on a daily basis.

Ready to get pumped up about those shiny new ID cards and early morning P.E. classes? Nah? Okay.

Well, there are still many things to look forward to. Seeing friends, fall weather, new journals (for all you journal fanatics out there), interesting classes, clubs, sports and much more.

Here’s to another year of tests, cramming and great memories.

-------------------------------------------------------School Shopping List

s s c e i i r n ies o o s r pl s e s t s h ce oe ec p t l su o c l h e c a s In 2013, the National Retail Federation produced a survey expecting families with children to spend an average of $634.78 on clothing, shoes, electronics and supplies.

total money spent on

public education

in Kansas in 2010-2011

Summer

$4.7

million according to the National Center for Education Statistics

didn’t D

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1. Finish s um 2. “Find m mer assignment yself” (I fo und the In

ternet.

Does that 3. Work o count?) ut 4. Eat hea lth 5. Get a n y ew wardro b 6. Becom e insanely e hot 7. Learn s omething new (Ha. H 8. Advent aha.) ure!

9. Start a bo 10. Figure y band? out my fu ture 11. Get a life 12. Figure ou 13. Set ala t how to sleep rm for sch ool

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2013...

50.1

million students attended elementary and secondary schools

35.3

million students attended prekindergarten through eighth grade

14.8

million students attended ninth grade through 12th grade