Manhattan High students deck out in red, white and blue for the second football game of the year. The team was cheered on to their 49-21 win over Seaman Friday night. PHOTO BY LAUREN RACE
READ MORE ON PAGE 4.
Volume 103 // Issue 2 // Sept. 15, 2015
the mentor
School reacts to bomb threat Science Olympiad move past loss of class MADELINE MARSHALL
Print Editor-in-Chief
Yesterday at approximately 9:30 a.m. a student found a potential bomb threat on a bathroom wall at Manhattan High West campus. The message was very vague, saying something about a bomb going off at noon. “A student reported to a teacher that there was a message written on a wall in the boys bathroom,” Principal Greg Hoyt said. “That teacher informed one of the assistant principals and that assistant principal alerted me and Officer [Jamie] Douglas.” The threat was determined to be minimalShortly after, an unauthorized individual was granted access to the building by a student at approximately 11:10 a.m. School staff were
made aware of this during first lunch and approximately five minutes later the individual was located, questioned and escorted from the premises by law enforcement. Hoyt hopes that these happenings will help remind those at MHS to be alert and stick together. “It's incumbent upon all adults and students in the building to just constantly be alert,” Hoyt said. “We're all in this thing together and we have the responsibility to try and keep each other safe. It's a good time for us to pause and learn and reflect and think. I want students to know that if they think that they can play around this way, it's not a good way to play around and if we find you there will be discipline applied.”
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced its 16,000 semifinalists last Wednesday. The list included Manhattan High seniors Spencer Parish, Cathy Lei, Joshua Schwartz and Nathan McClendon. Check out WWW.MHSMENTOR.COM for the story
TRACY LE
News Editor The life of Science Olympiad’s budding class came full circle, but not in the best way. With education a target of Kansas budget cuts, Honors Science Investigations, a class a number of students took last year, was one of the classes taken off the Manhattan High schedule. “It was real disappointing because it worked so well for us,” coach Pat Lamb said. “They keep cutting money from education and they’ve got to know: it’s hurting people. [Our students] are some of the people who got hurt. The cuts took away something that was a real strong academic pursuit, but we had to make cuts and that was one of the casualties of them voting not to give money to education. It drives me crazy.” For the one year of its existence, the class brought Science Olympiad members together to study with their team and their coaches.
“The class was so helpful and gave each of us an opportunity to study something we really love. ,” senior Rebekah Hennesy said. When Hennesy found out the class would be cut, she immediately signed up for an hour of study hall for extra time to work on her events. “I do worry that the quality
up taking State and moving on to Nationals. “The guy that was disqualified last year...I watched him personally launch his [aircraft] 30, 60 times. [He] never had a problem with the launching apparatus,” Lamb said. “He worked so hard on straightening it out and he had it down. It wasn’t his fault. It was just a luck thing.” Lamb also believes that the class allowed the team to focus. “We practiced so much more efficiently. I think it made a huge difference last year,” Lamb said. “Matter of fact, I think if our team had all been in the class, we could have rocked places. Not win by nine points, but rock the competition. We’ve had our run of bad luck so I think this is our year. We’re going to have to work just as hard as we did last year, and that’s awfully hard.” Coach Dick Nelson agrees. “I was not surprised with all the talk of budget cuts, but I
“It worked so well for us...they keep cutting money from education and they’ve got to know: it’s hurting people.”
-Lamb
of studying will go down as I won’t necessarily have access to my partners and coaches,” Hennesy said. “I’m hoping that it won’t affect the team too much because we’ll try to meet more outside of class. [Getting to Nationals] would be such a great closing chapter to my three years with the Science Olympiad team.” The team took second at State last year, facing a disqualification in an event that could have put them nine points ahead of the team that ended
SEE SCIENCE PAGE 3
English teachers align curriculum throughout district TARA MAGAñA
Blue M Assist. Verbal Editor Walking into English classrooms throughout the district, students may notice something that wasn’t there before: Essential Questions. Now, the Vertical Alignment Team has introduced six questions throughout the district with the purpose of aligning curriculum. “Essential Questions are basically the broad questions that you come back to over and over again, either within a work or it could be throughout the semester,” team member and Manhattan High English teacher Wendy Howard said. “We’ve also created some Essential Questions that we want the district to use from K-12
that we hit each year so that students can see how each year of English is related and changing and growing.” Made up of one or two English teachers from every grade level K-12, the Vertical Alignment Team came together with a goal of creating commonalities between the different grades and classes in order to make sure each student is on the same page. The questions have also made planning and instruction more effective for teachers. “I don’t have to stand up in front of the class and lecture as much and try to fill brains with knowledge,” English teacher Tammy Sheffield said. “Students are actually more responsible for their learning
GLOBAL NEWS MADELINE MARSHALL Print Editor-in-Chief
Global news is a vital part of news today and can directly affect MHS students. In order to inform our readers, The Mentor has compiled small summaries describing some of the largest happenings in the world today. We encourage the reader to read about these topics, and others, in greater depth.
Refugee crisis worsens, European leaders take new actions
European leaders have been struggling to manage this massive influx of people in these past few weeks. Last week, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker set out proposals for mandatory quotas for European Union countries to take in 120,000 refugees who were already in Italy, Greece and Hungary. These numbers would not include plans made in May to move
because they have to formulate their opinions and then they have to support why they say something instead of me saying ‘here’s the facts.’” Though not all teachers have the questions up in their room yet, some English teachers, such as Judy McClendon, have already begun implementing their use in the classroom. “[McClendon] wanted us to understand why we’ve been writing and why writing’s important and how we’re going to use it a lot in our future jobs and just in life in general and it can help us in our studies and stuff,” senior Emily Wilson said.
SEE ENGLISH PAGE 3 40,000 from Italy and Greece. There is still uncertainty surrounding the fate of the Syrian and Iranian refugees and the tension grows higher as more lives are lost.
California in state of emergency due to wildfires With two wildfires devouring more than 100,000 acres of land near Sacramento and killing four firefighters, Gov. Jerry Brown was forced to declare a state of emergency on Sunday. The fire started on Saturday and was very fast moving, destroying 40,000 acres in the
English teacher Judy McClendon lectures. McClendon was one of the first to implement the Essential Questions. PHOTO BY MAKENNA EILERT
first day. Thousands of residents have fled their homes as approximately 5,000 firefighters battle with the fires.
Police tackles former tennis player James Blake; police brutality brought back into spotlight New York police have released video footage of the mistaken arrest of retired professional tennis player James Blake. Blake was going to the US Open when a plain-clothed officer approached him and knocked him to the ground. Po-
lice say he was misidentified as a suspect in a fraud case. Blake has claimed that the officer used improper force when he was slammed to the ground on Wednesday. Blake, who is of mixed race, said race may have contributed to the incident and that his primary concern was with the amount of force used. The department has lately been involved in many prominent cases involving accusations of police brutality, the most prominent being the killing of Eric Garner by illegal chokehold.
Opinions
The Mentor // Sept. 15, 2015 // MHSMentor.com Page 2
Lockout points to larger gun control issue THIS EDITORIAL IS A COMPILATION FROM A DISCUSSION HELD BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD. TO LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION THAT LED TO THIS PIECE, VISIT WWW.MHSMENTOR. COM. Right before you get in the car to head to school you see a tweet: “The search is continuing for the possible armed subject on Manhattan campus. Please stay inside and lock your doors until further notice.” There’s a shooter on the grounds at Kansas State and you drive right by campus on your way to school. Still you drive, fearing for your life. As you enter the school building the announcement is made that Manhattan High is in lockout. You wait until the bell rings and then head to class. Hopefully you don’t die. Then, you are in class, hoping a shooter doesn’t bang at your classroom door, hoping that you won’t have to smear another student’s blood on you so that a shooter thinks you’re dead, hoping your parents are safe at home, hoping your sib-
lings won’t be shot, hoping that no one will die. You are now living the myth of the school shooting that the media used to tell you about and you are terrified. After last week’s lockout it only became clearer that we have a problem in America – a gun problem. We know about Columbine, Sandy Hook and more, but nothing makes people think about something quite like experiencing it. Combining the lockout with the fact that since Sandy Hook there have been at least 95 school shootings and that America now averages more than one mass shooting everyday, it would seem reasonable to expect that stricter gun control would become an American priority. So why is it that after so many shootings and close encounters we, as a country, have made no progress in the realm of gun control? The Mentor editorial board believes there are a few reasons. After such a colossal number of shootings, people have become de-
sensitized to the violence around them. The sheer number of shootings, and the following media coverage, has numbed us. Shootings and death have, thus, become mundane. The current political divide of our country has also made gun control seemingly unattainable. Instead of coming together to try to reduce mass shootings in the US, the red and the blue have pushed farther away from each other. The partisanship of this country, the refusal to come together to compromise, could very well be the reason for the loss of even more American lives. The reality of school shootings was thrust upon us during this lockout. We could very well be dead right now. And so, for your own sake, as well as for all of those around you, we urge you to reach out to your representatives and demand safety. Tell them you don’t want to fear death on the way to school. Force them to recognize the value of life, and how guns hinder it.
crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” Trump said during that infamous June speech. This quote about illegal immigrants from Mexico seemed as though it would inevitably outr a g e Americans. Later, offensive attacks towards J o h n M c Cain’s military service record, childish insults fired at fellow politicians, and a poor debate performance appeared to spell doom for Trump. In fact, just about every aspect of Trump’s campaign was not supposed to work. Then, the seemingly impossible occurred: many Americans listened to Trump’s message and jumped on the billionaire’s bandwagon. Now
as the runaway frontrunner of the Republican Party, Trump no longer has any reason to hire actors to support him. In fact, he’s nearly filling up entire football stadiums of rabid supporters.
Syrian conflict a global affair
DAVID FLITER
Staff Writer
The rise of social media has made news more accessible for those in every generation, so at this point we are all aware that the situation in Syria worsens with each day. The civil war has been raging since 2011 and the introduction of the terrorist group ISIS has made matters even worse. On Sept. 2 images surfaced on various news sources of drowned Syrian children that had washed up on the shores of Greece. It is sobering to realize that these children will most likely not be the last victims to wash
up on foreign shores. Over the past couple of weeks, tens of thousands of refugees have flooded into Europe seeking asylum from their war-torn home province. The problem that these refugees face is the governments of these countries are concerned about the political, cultural and economic issues that could unfold because of such a large influx of a specific ethnic group. Germany has spent over 4.4 billion euros on the refugee crisis alone. While these are reasonable concerns, the governments could work on making jobs for these people, even if they are not the best jobs available. It’s similar to the illegal immigrant situation in the United States. None of the jobs that Hispanic immigrants could get are jobs that everyday Americans would enthusiastically apply for and so the “they take our jobs” argument falls pretty short.
Certain countries have openly offered asylum to the Syrian refugees. British prime minister David Cameron said that Britain will accept 20,000 refugees by the year 2020. Argentina and Austria have welcomed them with open arms, and the Finnish president even offered to host a family in his own home. To ensure the safety of those escaping by sea, the Mediterranean countries should provide naval escort to these people, and give them temporary asylum when they return to shore, and then if necessary send them to a country that is welcoming them. With Russian military presence having been confirmed in Syria, the situation is only going to get worse, and the world should keep this in mind while dealing with the issue of immigration from Syria.
Trump campaign supporters’ logic faulty Alan Brown
Copy Editor
When Donald Trump declared his intent to pursue the presidency in June, rumors swirled that he had hired actors to cheer him on during his campaign speech. The accusations seemed to only further belittle the billionaire’s already seeming miniscule chances at the GOP nomination. Trump, an outspoken New York businessman and TV star, carried an alarmingly high disapproval rating from those in his own party. As a result, the political experts said that he didn’t stand a chance. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing
of the
week:
“ONE DIRECTION. IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?!?” -- Robyn Burton, senior (@redrobyn_yuum)
attacks (provoked or not) against political opponents would only create further tension and division. It’s also important to note that voting in a boisterous president would send a message to politicians everywhere: act more like Trump if you want to be elected. This would be disastrous. Politicians would find themselves distracted by trivial quarrels among each other rather than focusing on the more important issues at hand. Ultimately, everyone wants a government system that is productive and is willing to work together to keep America strong. In order to do that, Washington needs a president who will promote civility and mend political faults. Based on what Trump’s campaign strategy thus far, it’s likely that he will do just the opposite.
Why exactly are people flocking a candidate like Trump all of a sudden? History has shown that Americans do not take kindly to brash and outspoken candidates. Why has that suddenly changed? To find the answer to this question, we must realize that Trump’s rapid rise is just a piece of a much larger conflict. Trump’s supporters are currently in the midst of
raging in DC. In a way, Trump’s supporters may have a right to be angry at the government. After all, Democrats and Republicans cannot seem to agree on or get anything done together in Washington. It’s no wonder Congress has a fourteen percent approval rating. The fact that modern politics seems to encourage lying, deceit and political agen-
What’s the best music right now?
Friendship: companionship should not be burden
“The mama mia soundtrack is up there as well”” -- Robyn Burton, senior (@redrobyn_yuum)
“also the weeknd” --Robyn Burton, senior (@redrobyn_yuum) “Jungle Behavior” Autumn Hatcliff, senior (@SneakyAutumn) “PSY - Gangnam Style” -- Jace Priddle, senior (@adjacent_)
“Elvis Presley. Also The Beatles.” -- Joshua Schwartz, senior (@GreenWeasel11)
Next week’s question:
das more and more each day is equally frustrating. Change, some believe, is needed. They argue that if politicians are unwilling to cooperate and get things done, then the people should elect someone else, an outsider, who w i l l . T h e o u t sider of their choice h a p pens to be none other than Trump. My question to them is this: why would you send a bully to promote compromise and cooperation in Washington? It’s almost hypocritical, really. It seems like a stretch to think that a man who specializes in insults (“loser,” “lightweight” and “dummy” are just a few of his insults of choice) would make many friends in Congress. In fact, petty
“Why would you send a bully to promote compromise and cooperation in Washington?”
Question
“Darude - Sandstorm” -- Jace Priddle, senior (@adjacent_)
waging an unwise war against a very uncooperative partisan system. Unfortunately for them, they are walking into a trap. Trump’s presence in the Oval Office would only fuel the fire that is
“what do you mean by my boy @justinbieber” -- Tammie Melton, senior (@_tmelton_)
If you could create any one class at MHS, what would it be?
JORDAN LUTZ
Staff Writer
School has been in session for about a month now and already I have overheard, as well as been in the middle of, friends fighting. It is very uncomfortable and surprises me, to be honest. Within a month, people are already getting caught up in the drama that walks hand-in-hand with school. I believe everyone just needs to take a breather and calmly look at the situation. People need to realize how lucky they are to have friends as not
everyone has one. I always see friends keeping problems with other friends locked inside. Why would anyone want to worry friends? In my mind, friends are people who can rely on each other in a more intimate way than acquaintances. So why would you not try to solve problems quickly? Everyone has their pride; I understand that. Apologies have to come from somewhere, otherwise everyone will start to drift away as not every fight will blow over. Personally, I think every party should apologize not just to one person but to everyone. If they do not accept any attempt at apologies then forget them. I believe true friends will accept each others’ apologies without fail. If they accept an apol-
EDITORS: Madeline Marshall -- Print Editor-In-Chief/Opinions Greg Woods -- Online Editor -In-Chief Tracy Le -- News Editor Savannah Cherms -- Entertainment Editor Erick Echegaray -- Sport Editor Elizabeth Underwood -- Features Editor Angie Moss -- Trending Editor Cora Astin -- Photo Editor Andrea Lu -- Graphics Designer/Copy Editor Alan Brown -- Copy Editor Tara Magaña -- Blue M Assist. Verbal Editor OTHER: Staff Writers -- Anna Hupp, David Fliter, Jordan Lutz, Ale Flores, Gavin Larios Staff Photographers -- McKena Eilert, Logan Logback, Moriah Presley, Lauren Race, Dylan Thomas Kristy Nyp -- Adviser
ogy, they are the friends that value the relationship. Cherish the friends that refuse to abandon you all because of a fight. The ones that stay are the ones who care. Hear me out. Weed out the ones who do not care, the ones who never accept apologies, the ones who never commit or hang out. Will it be difficult and hurt? Yes, it most likely will. Even if it hurts, leaving friends who waver too often will have a positive effect on the mind. Plus, being surrounded by people who actually care make school more enjoyable. Believe me, I have only just recently started taking my own advice. Ever since I started getting rid of the “friends” who did not care, school has stopped being a chore and has become an enjoyable place.
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 1,000 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is an open forum that accepts contributions from the public. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.
Thank you to Kim Schnee’s fifth hour class for distributing the newspaper!
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The Mentor // Sept. 15, 2015 // MHSMentor.com
Entertainment
Pops choir works to impress at Purple Power Play
The women of Pops Choir perform “Mr. Sandman” originally performed by The Chordettes. The theme of the night’s performances was oldies, and the group performed songs from the musical “Grease” along with other classics. The men of Pops also had a solo song, “Blue Suede Shoes,” by Elvis Presley. PHOTO BY SAVANNAH CHERMS
SAVANNAH CHERMS
Entertainment editor
After many of last year’s seniors left Manhattan High to face the world, Pops choir was left with many open spots for fresh new faces and voices, ready to shine. Of the 16 members, only two students are returning. Pops choir has spent nearly every day since school began practicing their performance skills, along with their dance routines.
“It takes a lot of work to develop the skill,” senior and new Pops member Amber Daveline said. “We work a lot in class on performing and making sure to always look out at the audience.” “I definitely felt better about this year’s performance because last year I had missed the choir camp...and this year I was there for it,” senior and returning member Emma Galitzer said. “I definitely felt a lot more confident.”
Many of the members felt positive about their performance, especially after the weeks of practicing. The group prac-
act. “This wasn’t a performance we took lightly,” Senior and returning member Sean Zenk said.
“After all the practicing and working together we were comfortable in our shoes.”
-Harris
ticed their routines every day from the first day of school leading up to this
Zenk performed at Purple Power Play last year with the varsity choir.
Many of the newcomers to the group also spoke highly of their work that night, working through the pressure of the first true performance of the year. “This is definitely one of the bigger ones because it’s Purple Power Play, and there’s a lot of people here to see us so we have to put out our reputation,” Daveline said. Daveline had a short dance solo in one of the songs Pops performed that night.
With the choir being made up of mostly new members, the students had to work to become comfortable in front of crowds and with multitasking. “I feel like a lot of us are definitely not naturals, and it took a while for us to get comfortable with dancing in front of a crowd,” senior Charlie Harris said of the performance. “After all the practicing and working together we were comfortable in our shoes.”
Justin Bieber releases new single, poised for new chapter in career
SAVANNAH CHERMS
Entertainment Editor
After what was presumed to be the rise and fall of Justin Bieber, made famous by singles like “Baby” and “Boyfriend,” the Canadian superstar released his first single in three years. I feel like this is the beginning of something amazing for Bieber. He was tossed into the limelight at a young age, growing up fast but nev-
er maturing. Maybe the three-year break was what Bieber needed to get his head right and start to see the errors of his ways. And why not start a transformation with an amazing single that is upbeat and easy to bob along to? The song is titled “What Do You Mean?” and has a much more grown up sound for Bieber. The theme is similar to previous songs, talking about trying to “figure out” his girlfriend. “What Do You Mean?” combines modern house beats with piano and a pan flute carrying the tune throughout the chorus. The song has been called the sequel to Bieber’s collaboration
with Skrillex and Diplo in “Where Are Ü Now?” Bieber performed “What Do You Mean?” for the first time at the 2015 Video Music Awards, which was a very emotional moment for the singer; he broke down on stage once the song was finished. Bieber later reported in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that the staggering amount of support from fans and audience alike overwhelmed him. This laidback dance jam has definitely caused Bieber to earn new fans, but also bring himself back up a peg or two in the music world. A lot of people will still hear
Bieber’s name and think of the horrible things he has done. I strongly believe he is ready to move on. He has acknowledged that he did some horrible and inappropriate things, but this new age for Justin Bieber just might help his reputation as a bad boy with a bad mouth to ebb from the public’s memory. Whether you still see Bieber as the teen in purple skinny jeans singing “Baby,” or as a new and improved man, leave all your previous judgements behind and listen to this song. COURTESY PHOTO
Fall musical callbacks create excitement in students ALEJANDRA FLORES
News Editor
Students start off their auditioning process by dancing for “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” from the musical “Guys and Dolls.” PHOTO BY ELIZABETH UNDERWOOD
The Manhattan High Thespians had their auditions for the fall musical “Guys and Dolls” two weeks ago, and there was a lot of excitement and people ready to audition for the play. The day after the auditions, the judges of three different sections of audition (in dance, song and acting) assigned different parts within the play “I think the things that they are looking for in the people they are going to callback is leadership and responsibility,
as in showing up on time in rehearsals and follow instructions,” junior Hannah Phillips, stage manager, said. The process of callbacks was to learn a part of song and a dance and present it to the judges even though everybody that auditioned is going to be in the musical some students got parts as main characters of the play. Senior Evan Heger got the part of Arvide Abernathy the grandfather to Sarah Brown. “When I checked the callbacks list I was very satisfied even though I actually auditioned for
What Starry Bodies Are Aligning In The Void Of Space This Month? >> By Dakota Santiago <<
ARIES Have a good time!
LIBRA
;)
SCORPIO There is a small, mean, lizard somewhere that is not representative of your personality but is a physical manifestation of your least ideal self. You are a human, not a lizard. Try to worry less about this.
LEO The word “Embrace.”
CANCER If you believe in yourself and try hard.
TAURUS Good luck! This is not intended to be ironic!
GEMINI You’re probably an okay person.
SAGITTARIUS The sound of someone clearing their throat before giving a short but impassioned speech.
CAPRICORN Unless it’s mean, what you’re doing is valid.
PISCES VIRGO Your friends probably like you.
Your ideas about spirituality are cool, but not always a good topic for casual conversation.
AQUARIUS Most people are decent; so are you.
the role of Sky Masterson. I am really glad,” Heger said, “Last year I played another grandfather in the play “Leaving Iowa” so I don’t think it’s going to be difficult, though one of my challenges would be singing as a grandfather.” Not all people got the part they auditioned for but for junior Wesley Danielson it was different. Danielson auditioned for Lieutenant Brannigan and that’s the part he got. “I felt taken aback that I got the part but also happy and very honored to actually get the role I auditioned for.”
Lieutenant Brannigan, Danielson’s character is known for being strict but with a strong moral compass and Danielson is trying his best to bring the character some humor. “My biggest challenge is to play the correct amount of forcefulness and also being comical,” Danielson said. junior Addy Bliss didn’t get a big part in the musical, but she was pretty enthusiastic about it. “I got a small part as a dancer but I am pretty excited,” Bliss said. “I think the show is going to go be pretty good.”
ENGLISH FROM PAGE 1
get back together and see what kind of tweaks we’ll need to make.” Despite possible changes, teachers actively using the questions hope the program continues. “I think it’s really going to help us as teachers and it’s really going to help the students,” Sheffield said. “I think we’re going to be able to take Manhattan High to another level with Essential Questions. I think it’s really going to challenge everybody.”
With this year being the introductory year for the program, the Vertical Alignment Team knows the questions may need adjustment. “We tried to get as much feedback as we could,” Howard said. “But just in practice, things aren’t going to work the way we necessarily thought they would and so the discussion this year, as teachers are starting to play with them and use them, we’ll
SCIENCE FROM PAGE 1 was disappointed. I think it made us better and it gave the students the opportunity to really dig deep.” Nelson said. Students are being tested and a team will be decided in October. Until then, Nelson and Lamb
are making plans to return to studying on the weekends. “[The loss of the class] makes it much more difficult, but it isn’t like we can’t make it,” Lamb said. “We’re going to be there. We’re always there.”
Sports The Mentor // SEPT. 15, 2015
Page 4
Football wins home opener, moves to 2-0 for season Greg Woods
Online Editor-in-Chief The second quarter was all Manhattan needed to win. The Manhattan High football team earned its second win of the season Friday night, a 49-21 win over Seaman in the Indians’ home-opener. MHS tallied 35 points in the second frame, a feat head coach Joe Schartz was quick to credit to both his defense and offense. “Everything was going right,” Schartz said. “The defense played a great game tonight. [Seaman] was having a hard time moving the ball, and we were getting the ball. Things really started happening for us, and I think what really broke it up was the plays in the passing game.” Also in the second, junior Zephry Killham picked off Seaman quarterback Dalton Cowan, setting up junior quarterback Trapp’s seven-yard touchdown run. Manhattan’s lead was then 280, and Schartz was content with his team’s two forced-turnovers on the night. “That’s the game of football -- if you can protect the football and you can create turnovers, you have a great chance
to win,” Schartz said. “I think so far, we’ve done a nice job of that.” Trapp racked up 120 passing yards to go along with 138 rushing yards, and accounted for five total touchdowns. He exited the game following a 29-yard strike in the third frame to junior Parker Beer to push the Indians’ lead to 49-0, a play he attributed mostly to Beer. “They were trying to guard two guys with one guy,” Trapp said. “So whoever they went with, I could just throw to the opposite. Parker crossed his face, and I hit him, and the rest was all Parker.” Trapp explained that the work the team did in practice allowed for the margin to be anticipated to a certain extent. “We’ve done a lot of preparation over the summer and the first weeks of school, and we practice so hard,” Trapp said. “Any result, we’ve definitely worked for. So I guess it’s to be expected a little bit.” Seaman’s offense came primarily via Cowan and running back Colton Moranz, the latter of whom contributed 127 total yards. Schartz was pleased with how his defense contained the duo. “They basically have
Quarterback Ian Trapp gets in postiton to recieve the snap in Friday’s game agains the Seaman Vikings. Manhattan went on to win 49-21 in their second game of the season. PHOTO BY LAUREN RACE
one quality run play, and that’s the inside zone,” Schartz said. “Our guys were doing a great job of holding the line of scrimmage and gang tackling.” Schartz also praised the defense as a whole. “They’re doing a great job in preparation and listening to the coaches,” Schartz said. “We’re get-
ting lined up, and we’re getting to the football. We’re playing great defense.” After Manhattan went into the locker room at halftime with a 42-0 lead, the scoring slowed down for the home team in the third, save for Trapp’s touchdown pass, but the Vikings got on the board.
Cowan punched it in from a yard out, but MHS entered the final period with a 49-7 advantage. Seaman went on to score twice in the final quarter, both courtesy of Cowan, but Manhattan hung on to improve to 2-0 on the young season. The Indians now turn their attention to Hayden
next Friday in Topeka. Trapp was optimistic about his team’s chances on the road. “We’ve had a couple great games coming out,” Trapp said. “I think we’re going to be really excited going into this next week in practice, and we’ll be working hard.”
Girl’s Golf Wins first Tournament Girls tennis swing into new season Gavin Larios Staff Writer
The girl’s Varsity golf team picked up its first victory of the season last Tuesday. The team won the nine-hole tournament against 12 other teams at the Salina Central Invitational with a score of 174. Salina Central placed second with a score of 186, and Clay Center following in third with a score of 192. Sophomore Macie My-
ers won the Tournament overall in a sudden death playoff on the first hole against Junction City’s Madison Roether, both scoring a 36. “I really felt good playing at the Tournament, but there is always more room for me to improve,” Myers said. Sophomore Lydia Fry, who is playing for her first time on the Varsity team, placed fourth in the Salina Central Invitational with a score of 43. Fry
was at 42 points, when she arrived 25 feet away from the hole Tuesday evening. “I was very nervous,” Fry said. She took the shot and drained the ball in the hole, scoring her best nine-hole yet. With only six games left, the Lady Indians look to improve their performance at their next tournament, the Salina South Invitational on Monday.
Varsity Volleyball season has rough start Jordan Lutz
Staff Writer
Last Thursday, Varsity volleyball played their first match of the season in a home game against Silver Lake. Starting off strong, the new team won the first set in a close game of 25-20. Falling behind later on, Manhattan ended up losing the match as the second set ended with a score of 2517 and the third set ending 25-16 as the favor fell towards Silver Lake. The team was hurt by losing their first game but that loss gave them the motivation to defeat Seaman in two sets ending at 25-19 and 25-1. Shawnee Heights was their third match of the night and it left a bitter taste with Shawnee Heights winning both sets 25-13 and, with a close margin, 25-22. “They have some re-
Senior Reagan Terrill spikes a ball during game against Silver Lake. Manhattan would go on to lose two out of the three games of the night. PHOTO BY DAKOTA SANTIAGO
ally strong hitters and it’s a quicker pace game to get the block out,” junior middle blocker Gigi McAtee said. “Shawnee Heights I think we came out a little slow against just because we were intimidated by them but we really fell hard in the second game and almost beat them.”
Losing two out of three matches was not what the girls had hoped for, but it shed light on some areas that needed to be worked on. “We could have talked a little bit more and just had better communication in general,” senior middle blocker Sarah Middendorf said.
Manhattan wins two straight, loses in final game Erick Echegaray
Sports Editor
All Manhattan needed was one more win. The Manhattan High soccer team competed in the Titan Classic, a competition it has never won before, playing and winning two matches which would put them in the final of the tournament. Their opponent in the final was the nation’s seventh-ranked team, Saint Thomas Aquinas. Manhattan thrived in their first two matches winning their first against Wichita Northwest by a score of 5-0. Junior Angel Fraire scored in the game as well as seniors Austin French and Kirkland Lambert. “The team played really well in that game,”
Fraire said. Next up was KapaunMt. Carmel in the semis. The Indians held on for a comfortable win against Kapaun by a score of 4-2. Senior Gardner Blanck drew two goals and sophomore Modou Faburay drew one to push Manhattan past Kapaun. A game away from making history, Manhattan traveled once again to Wichita on Saturday to play against the highlyrated Saint Thomas team. Goalkeeper Ryan Goralczyk returned from injury just in time for the final game in the competition. The game kicked off to bad start for Manhattan as Aquinas scored twice in the first half to gain the halftime lead. MHS could not recover from the start and lost,
2-0. “We had our chances and we just didn’t capitalize,” Lambert said. He started at forward in all three games in the tournament. “I think were even with that team, just a couple of balls didn’t go our way. After going against a team like Saint Thomas who was big and physical and we matched that so I’m definitely excited to get into Centennial League play now,” Lambert said. Manhattan will look back to bounce back in their match today as they travel once again to play Shawnee Heights High in their home stadium. Their next game at Bishop Stadium will be against Washburn Rural on Thursday, Sept. 24.
ANNA ALANAZI Staff Writer As the season starts to heat up and the weather cools, girl’s varsity tennis kicked the season off with three wins so far. “We’ve been a part of a duel and a couple of quads tournament,” coach Tony Ingram said. “Right now, for me as a new coach, [I’m] teaching them routines and teaching them expectations.” With winning second in two squad tournaments, and first in the quad against Topeka High, the team looks forward to start getting more competition. “I have high hopes for this season,” senior Cathy Lei said. “This year we’re stronger both technique-wise and just how we mesh together.” The team continues to improve and work on their skills. “I feel like everyone has been playing well,” senior Tracy Le said. “They’ve been working really hard and improving a lot. I feel like I have improved a lot from the last season, even though I haven’t won that many matches yet, but I’m working on it.”
Senior Lexi Bieker returns a volley during warm-ups. Bieker plays No. 2 singles for the varsity tennis team. PHOTO BY ANNA ALANAZI
As well as playing and practicing with each other, the team hopes to land a good spot in Regionals with the help of the new coach this year. “He’s really great,” Le said. “I think he knows what he wants to do, and he gives great advice. We have a really strong team and I’m really excited to play doubles with my partner,” Le said. “I really like the rides in the
vans... and it’s just a really great experience.” The team became close quickly and looks forward to start winning. “I think we have the potential of being a competitive team,” Ingram said. “I would like to finish in the top three.”
Cross Country finishes second Greg Woods
Online Editor-in-Chief One week removed from beginning its season with a win at the Manhattan Invitational, the Manhattan High cross country team once again placed in the top two last Saturday and finished second at the Emporia Invitational. Head coach Susan Melgares chose not to run her girls Varsity team, as a portion of the team would be absent for the meet. The boys Varsity team, meanwhile, finished second behind Maize with a team score of 53. The Indians beat out Washburn Rural, Haysville Campus, Lawrence, Blue Valley North, Emporia and Wichita Northwest. Melgares held out sophomore Alex Henton and seniors Alex Martinez and Ethan Levin for rest, and said that the meet served as one for her runners to relax at.
“[The Emporia Invite was] not quite as intense,” Melgares said. “You can let off the pedal a little bit as we get ready for the next couple meets, which will be pretty hardcore. This was a good meet to just relax and run.” Top 5A teams St. Thomas Aquinas and Bishop Carroll were slated to participate in the meet, but their Varsity boys were no-shows. Levin said they weren’t the team’s first concern. “[Aquinas] girls Varsity apparently swept, but they’re a 5A school, so we’re not worrying too much about them,” Levin said. The Emporia course differed in a few ways from Warner Park in Manhattan, one of which lied in a hill named Champions Hill. “Most of the course is downhill, to be honest,” senior Austin Telck, who finished seventh on the team, said. “It feels like a downhill course the en-
tire race. When you finish after Champions Hill, you’re just like, ‘let’s find that next gear and finish.’” Senior Sam Morgan, who finished fourth on the team in the J.V. race, said there wasn’t anything challenging in particular, and that the course was friendlier than the Manhattan Invite. “Besides having a bunch of runners out this Saturday, it was actually probably better because the conditions were nicer,” Morgan said. “It wasn’t as hot.” The team now turns its attention to the Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday in Joplin, Mo., a perennial challenge for teams. Melgares said preparation will be much the same as for other meets. “We just need to put the work in and get some miles run,” Melgares said. “And get excited -- that’s the main thing.”
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The Mentor // Sept. 15, 2015 // MHSMentor.com
Features
Whitney prevails over brain surgery Imagine having to take a six-week hiatus from sports because of brain surgery. After having constant headaches and vision loss last year, senior Wes Whitney was informed that he had a mass on his brain and he needed it removed. At the time, Whitney was in the midst of baseball season and finishing up his junior year, but all of that had to come to a halt. Whitney received a small MRI scan at the hospital in Manhattan. When those results came back and showed the mass on his brain, he was transferred to a children’s hospital in Kansas City. There he received a more in-depth MRI, which showed the intensity of the mass. The next morning, Whitney was taken
into surgery. “I was shocked,” Whitney said. “You hear about things happening to people but you never think about ‘what if it happened to me,’ and then it did. I didn’t know what to think. I was scared, but I really couldn’t think about how scared I was because everything happened so quick.” During Whitney’s recovery, he struggled with keeping food down and being able to stay awake. After a couple weeks, he finally got all of the medicine out of his system and was able to do regular things again. Throughout the recovery, Whitney had support from friends and family. “People brought a lot of food for my family so they didn’t have to worry about that and just different gifts and stuff and cards and that’s what really helped,” Whitney
Angie Moss
Trending Editor
Senior Wesley Whitney defends the goal during the Varsity and Junior Varsity Soccer scrimmage, after going through an intensive brain surgery in the end of April of last year. PHOTO BY TARA MAGAÑA
said. “It was a time when I was by myself and I was really scared so [people] were really supportive and were praying.” At the end of the six weeks it took to heal, Whitney returned to playing baseball and finished out his junior year. Now, he is the starting goalie on the Varsity soccer team. Whitney doesn’t have to take any precautions, but he does still suffer some vision loss from the mass. “That week I started playing baseball again and I haven’t stopped doing anything since,” Whitney said. Although the mass is gone and Whitney isn’t experiencing any more symptoms, he still isn’t completely in the clear. Whitney has to go back in December for a check up MRI to confirm that there is no new growth.
Female players make football teams Elizabeth Underwood
Features Editor
Gender expectations have been broken. After football tryouts at the beginning of the school year many students rejoiced at making the team, among them two females. “I don’t know, I just like
football,” senior Princess Goudy said. “I don’t like people telling me I can’t do things so I’m just like ‘you want to bet?’” For the past five years Goudy has been playing as a tackle and guard on her school football teams in Abilene, Solomon and finally here in Manhattan. This year she’s made it onto both the Varsity and Junior Varsity foot-
ball teams to compete and gain more plays. “It doesn’t feel that differently,” Goudy said. “But, like it’s pretty normal, like it’s a family. I love it.” In addition to Goudy, freshman Olivia Kubista has joined the other players participating on the Freshman team. “Well it’s kind of awkward when they’re all
like in the locker room and I walk out in full pads and they’re kind of all in helmets and cleats. I’m like ‘great. I didn’t know that,’” Kubista said. “But, like, the lack of communication is probably, like, the worst part.” The first appearance of these two out on the practice field caused differing opinions among the male players, more so for those
who have not played the game alongside women, such as the Anthony Middle School players have with Kubista. “All the Anthony [Middle School] guys were like ‘okay well she’s playing football again. That’s great,’” Kubista said. “But all the other guys were like, they couldn’t believe that I was actually playing football.”
Alexander, along with other members of the club, ran for office for the club. Alexander ran for president, giving a short speech about her plans for the hidden club. Her words easily persuaded the other members, and earned her the title of president. “My plans are definitely to be more vocal about
Of the officers, sophomore Myra Rivera was one of the hopefuls who earned a spot in the lineup. “I ran for secretary and I won which makes me really happy,” Rivera said. “I get to keep track of what happens during GSA meetings and recap what happened at the previous meetings
accepting based on their language, and actions towards people who aren’t them,” Rivera said. “So when people come here and they sit down and are able to tell everyone without fear ‘hey, I’m this,’ that makes me feel really happy.” The value of the club is highly apparent when looking at the members of the club. The members of this club are passionate about earning their equality and having the right to be who they are at school and throughout their lives. “[GSA] means a lot because there is a lot of outside judgement for no reason,” sophomore and StuCo representative Rylee Stos said. “You hear people who are saying ‘That’s so gay!’ In the halls and then to come to a place where that doesn’t mean anything other than you literally are homosexual is very pleasant.”
Top: Sophomore Kylie Alexander cheers as she learns she was elected president of GSA. Alexander won the majority of the votes after giving a short speech about her plans in president, including being more active in the community. Bottom: Junior Allison Clauss and sophomore Kylie Nettles learn about each other through a get-to-know-you activity. The club members were given cards with questions to ask each other, before individually introducing themselves to the club. PHOTOS BY SAVANNAH CHERMS
Despite the difference in physicality from the boys, both Goudy and Kubista show no signs of accepting modifications in training or playing. “I do everything exactly the same, I don’t like special treatment,” Goudy said.
GSA elects officers, hopes to create an impact in community Savannah Cherms
Entertainment Editor
The poorly-lit classroom on the daily is home to English students, eager to learn. By the end of the day, the back table has candy spread out and a diverse group of students gather to find a safe place at Manhattan High. The club is the GayStraight Alliance, and it is considered by most of the members as more of an underground club. Not many students know that the club exists, let alone what goes on at meetings. This is true for many of the sophomores who have started their first year at West campus. “As a freshman, I had no idea what this club was doing,” sophomore Kylie Alexander said. “I thought it was more like a ‘hey we exist, but we don’t do anything,’ type thing.” At the first official GSA meeting last Tuesday,
“[GSA] means a lot because there is a lot of outside judgement for no reason.”
-Stos
our club,” Alexander said. “I am very intent on being a little bit more vocal and getting a lot more interactive.” Along with president, the club members ran for vice president, treasurer, secretary and Student Council representative.
we have had, and I think that’s really cool.” Rivera also touched on the importance of the club and why having a safe space in high school is a necessity for the community. “I feel like a lot of people here aren’t really that
New school year welcomes new debate dynasty Elizabeth Underwood
Features Editor At the end of last year, the debate program lost a valuable member: Coach Shawn Rafferty. Over the summer, new coach Benjamin Sutherland was hired to teach English and coach both Debate and Foren-
sic teams. “I really like the new coach. He’s doing a good job and I think, like, the team will do well,” senior Nathan McClendon said. “I don’t know, it’s just different. Like separate but equal, for lack of a better phrase.” Besides students becoming comfortable with the new coach, Suther-
land has also had to become used to these students and their attitudes. “[Debate’s] definitely changed a lot; especially because of a new coach we’ve had a new system,” junior Robin Joung said. “It’s his first time teaching, so there’s a lot of things he has to learn and there’s a lot of things we have to learn from him as
well.” For these first few weeks, many debaters have been struggling to adjust to the sudden change in teaching style. More so, the senior members that have been under Rafferty for the last few years. “The biggest difference is just sort of the, like, the personality, like the at-
mosphere of the debate team,” McClendon said. “That was what Rafferty was known for; that sarcastic teacher that would be cussing at you on the first day of school.” In all, students are reacting positively to the new coach and his means of success. “Well, [Sutherland] definitely knows how
to push the students to their limits and see what’s good in them and definitely improve them,” sophomore Douglas Kim said. “Rafferty kind of just let us do what we want, so the bad students were just bad. This teacher makes the bad students good too.”
Global Affairs explores world order Anna Alanazi
Blue M Photo Editor
Making worlds. Seniors Sean Mirtz, Noah Juelfs and Dustin Meier present their world reach. The three created a world where dwarfs lived in harmony. “[My favorite part was] Just doing whatever I want and just making it so it’s not humans. It was the best part.” Juelfs said. PHOTO BY ANNA ALANAZI
With dwarfs, planets and Kanye West, Global Affairs took on a new project with the objective Of exploring world orders, creating new rules and comparing them to human affairs. “The objective [of the project] was for them to explore what world order is,” teacher Sam Lehrman said. “I wanted them to have room for creativity so that they could create their own rules for their world.” Lehrman used this project as an introduction to world order and
so that the students could connect to what the actual laws are. The project resulted in many students, without knowing it, mimicking the government we already have. “A lot of them had democracies in place,” Lehrman said. “But there were a few that made worlds that just didn’t look like our world, which is sort of what I was hoping they’d do. There’s a group that had Kanye West in control; that was interesting.” One group’s world had planets that each carried a certain resource. They had to come up with a way to distribute these
resources between planets. “It just brought up a lot of new interest to talk about,” Lehrman said. “We just own resources because it is in our border.” Another world was called “Reach” and was populated by high elves and dwarfs. “It’s like a disk that’s surrounded by mountains,” senior Sean Murtiz said. “It was pretty much a communist/socialist government. So everyone was equal because they had their own self-interest in mind.” Reach is an utopian world with elves that
were above the idea of war and where the highest elf was the one with the biggest beard, and female elves grew beards faster than male elves. “It was a lot of fun,” senior Noah Juefls said. “I like that kind of stuff where you can just be creative and make whatever you want.” Most of the project that students had done were goofy, creative and inspired by what we already have. “I thought they were very creative,” Lehrman said, “There were some different ideas but I think it turned out really well.”
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The Mentor // Sep. 15, 2015 // MHSMentor.com
Trending
EMERGENCY Lately it seems that all we’ve heard in the news is how many mass shootings there have been. September is National Preparedness Month and this week also happens to be school safety week, so we put together a little guide for how to deal with whatever emergency could possibly occur.
SCHOOL SAFETY WEEK:
This week is School Safety Week and this means we’ll be practicing several drills throughout the week. We’ll have a fire drill, tornado drill, lockout drill, lockdown drill and an evacuation drill.
What if there’s a shooting at our school? According to the Mass Shooting Tracker, America is averaging more than one mass shooting per day (four or more people being shot in one incident). After the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, U.S. News published some tips for staying safe if you ever find yourself in this situation. Be realistic and understand the situation.
Gunshots can sound like a number of things. Balloons popping, hammers hitting things, etc. Assess the situation you’re in and be realistic.
DEATHS DUE TO INJURIES FROM FIREARMS PER 100,000 POPULATION WA 8.7
Lock out.
Hopefully if you’re at school, it’s going into lockout or lockdown mode. If your school hasn’t taken these steps yet, you can lock yourself in.
OR 11
Get out.
Start looking for ways to get out of the place you’re in. Don’t rely on locked doors. In some instances, the shooter may have keys to the doors.
Take out.
This is your final option. If you end up in a face-toface confrontation with the shooter, fight back. If you can’t get out of the room, barricade the door with a desk or something hard to move.
CA 7.7
ID 14.1 NV 13.8
Never ever unlock a door for anyone unless you know they are law enforcement. This will keep you safe.
Report any clues that an attack may happen.
More often than not, shooters have given clues that they may attack. Pay attention and report anything that is even a little questionable.
AK 19.8
WY 16.7
UT 12.6 NM 15.5
Don’t take instructions from anyone except proven law enforcement.
ND 11.8
MT 16.7
SD 10
KS 11.4 OK 16.5 TX 10.6
HI 2.6
WI 9.7
IA 8
NE 9
CO 11.5 AZ 19.8
MN 9.7
NH ME VT 9.7 10.9 9.2
IL 8.6 MO 14.4 AR 16.8 LA 19.3
NY 4.2
MI 12 OH 11
IN 13
KY 13.7 TN 15.4
AL MS 17.6 17.8
PA 11.2 WV 14.3
VA 10.2
MA 3.1 RI 5.3 CT NJ 5.7 4.4 DE 10.3 MD 9.7
NC 12.1
SC 15.2 GA 12.6
FL 11.9
Information was gathered from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
How to: deal with Kansas weather We’ve all lived in Kansas long enough to know that the weather is a little (or a lot?) sketch. We know that it can storm for one minute and be sunny the next. Do we all know how to stay safe and be prepared? If not, here’s a little guide to help you through whatever disaster may happen.
Weather warnings and what to do when they happen Tornado Watch -- This really only
means that there is weather that has the capability to produce tornadic activity. You don’t need to take shelter yet. Just stay tuned to your local weather station Extreme Cold -- It’s unsafe to be outand have an action plan in case the need side. This is like Elsa freezing over Arfor shelter arises. endelle in the middle of summer cold. Try to stay inside as much as possible. If you have to be outside, cover as much of your skin as possible and don’t be outTornado Warning -- You need to take side for long. You can get hypothermia shelter NOW. You should hear sirens go- or frostbite and you really don’t want ing off. If it’s not the first Monday of the either. month, you’ve got a problem. If you have a basement or a storm shelter, get there. If not, find a place without windows near the center of the building you’re in. Stay low and cover your neck to protect your spinal cord. If you have a blanket or a mattress you can throw over you for protection, use it. Most injuries are from Severe Thunderstorm Warning -- In Kansas we tend to ignore this. We flying debris. really shouldn’t because they can be fatal. This means that there is lightning, destructive wind, hail and the chance for tornadoes to form. Avoid windows, unplug electronics, Stay off your cell phone, stay out of the shower or bath, stay tuned to your local weather station and be Flash Flood Warning -- It’s raining ready to take shelter. heavy enough to flood. This can take minutes to hours to develop. If you live in a flood prone area (low in valleys, ditches, etc.) move to higher ground. Flood Advisory -- There’s a chance for a ton of rain and you should be prepared because it is very possible a flood could occur from the forecasted rain. Be cautious.
Extreme circumstances call for extra precautions TARA MAGAÑA
Blue M Assistant Verbal Editor Big white buckets with Jolly Ranchers, tornado drills with sometimes questionable routes to safe zones, lockdown and lockout drills to protect against intruders. By now, everyone should know what the emergency plan is for most situations, and if not, they will be informed by their teachers during safety week. With these standards in place, some teachers still feel the need to have something in their classrooms to defend students. For English teacher Brad Ficke, that something is an old 5-iron. “I think [students] kind of think it’s funny at first,” Ficke said. “But then, it also helps them understand the reality that in an extreme circumstance, I’m going to do whatever is necessary to keep them safe and that, you know, having something like that there probably makes them understand the gravity of the situation.” Though students feel safer with these measures, some believe television has desensitized people to the real-life effects of emergency situations, causing students to not take drills seriously. “I don’t know if there’s something that could actually be done that you can instill in people’s brains,” senior Rachel Chang said. “I think something has to happen really close to home.” Despite these thoughts, feeling safe at school is still important. “With the installation of the cameras and the new policy of locking the door, I think kids, this year, are really buying into that,” Ficke said. “There doesn’t seem to be a problem. I think change takes a couple years sometimes... [safety measures have] gotten a ton better and I think kids are more aware, too.” To be prepared for all emergencies, have a kit with the following objects readily available.
>> Water. Wunderground recommends one gallon per person per day. >> At least three days of food >> Battery-powered weather radio >> Flashlight with extra batteries >> First aid kit >> Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation >> Dust mask or cotton to filter air >> A jacket or coat >> Long pants >> Long sleeve shirt >> Sturdy shoes >> A hat and gloves