The Mentor: April 26

Freshman Jacob Wineland introduces sophomore Caleb Luck to the stage as Ferdinand at a dress rehearsal of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH CHERMS

READ MORE ON PAGE 3

VOLUME 103 // ISSUE 21 // APRIL 26, 2016

the mentor

Modified block schedule proposal passed unanimously ANGIE MOSS

Trending Editor A unanimous vote by Board of Education members means Manhattan High will convert to a modified block schedule next school year. The vote at last Wednesday’s meeting followed a proposal by principal

Greg Hoyt.

The schedule is changing from seven 51-minute class periods and one 40-minute lunch period daily to changing on Wednesdays and Thursdays to four 95-minute class periods, a 35-minute lunch period and an advisory session, with Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays

staying similar to this year.

“The benefit in my opinion is the teachers had direct input in the decision,” BoE president Marcia Rozell said. “These professionals understand that advisory time with a smaller group of students is important and they figured out a schedule that could make that happen.

Six district employees will visit Chinese schools in June ANNA HUPP

Staff Writer

“Why do I want to visit China?”

Jeanne Disney, USD 383’s Director of Secondary Education, typed her application. She was aiming to being selected to go on a trip sponsored and organized by the Confucius Institute to observe Chinese language and education.

Disney kept typing.

“Visiting China as part of the Confucius Institute cadre would be a chance in a lifetime to 1) not only visit a country I have taught about as a Social Studies teacher but to 2) learn more about the educational system and a special research interest of mine — professional learning communities.”

A few weeks later, Disney got her answer. She is one of the 10 teachers and school administrators selected out

of Kansas applicants to attend the trip to China. Six of those ten are from USD 383. The journey, which will last from May 28 to June 9, will include visits to various classrooms. “[The trip] is to increase our views about how education

“We’ll get to observe and meet with teachers...and really just get a broader world perspective.”

-- Emily Cherms

systems are in other countries,” Emily Cherms, district coordinator for English as a Second Language, said. “We will visit an elementary school, middle school, high school and a university in China, and we’ll get to observe, meet with teachers ... and really just get a broader world perspective. We get to go look at the structures and the

systems in and of the country and how they have that set up.”

USD 383 employees are both excited and nervous for the trip.

“It’s traveling across the nation to a continent that I’ve never been to before,” Cherms said. “This is the first time I’ve even had to get a passport. I have children and a husband and a dog, so being away from them for that amount of time is nerve-wracking.”

One person going, however, is not at all nervous.

“I’m very excited,” Sujung Yang, administrator for the Confucius Institute, said. “I went to a school we are going to, so I’m excited that they set it up for us to be back there.”

FOR THE FULL STORY VISIT MHSMENTOR.COM

I’m sure it will be a bit of an adjustment but I’m confident everyone has students’ needs as a correct priority.”

MHS students are still handling the shock that comes with change, but some see the benefits that could come from the change.

“I’m on the fence about it

right now,” junior Camille Fellers said. “I think it will be for the greater good, but it’ll be hard to want to adjust for my senior year. I think it will be really beneficial to music and art classes, but lecture classes will be interesting to watch unfold.”

Debate, Forensics crush National qualifiers ELIZABETH UNDERWOOD

Features Editor

The month of April held many moments of success for the Manhattan High Debate and Forensics teams.

On April 4, 11 student congress and senate members gathered to head to Junction City to determine who qualified for Nationals in the Flint Hills District.

After competing all day, the winners were announced. Seniors Nathan McClendon and Sterling Edgar both won first in their respective houses -- McClendon in Congress and Edgar in Senate. Sophomore Douglas Kim also placed fifth in the House Super Sessions, which qualified him as a second alternate to the national tournament.

“Every single kid was critical ... to our team,” coach Ben Sutherland said. “[I’m] very proud of these kids and their capacity to punch far above their weight class. These kids made the magic happen.”

As a twist in the end, Manhattan High -- with the smallest number of Debate attendees -was awarded first in the School Sweepstakes, winning the 2016 Flint Hills National Scholastic Debate Association Congressional National Qualifier.

“A lot of folks worked hard for this win,” Sutherland said.

“Our entire team owes a debt of gratitude to our former coach, Shawn Rafferty, for everything he’s done to build up these kids and this team into the powerful Congress team they are today.”

Then, on April 16, Sutherland took Forensic competitors to their own national qualifier.

McClendon qualified in Domestic Extemp and Original Oration at this tournament while Edgar qualified in International Extemp. Also qualifying was senior Toula Sweeney in Humorous Interpretation. “[The tournament] was probably our most competitive team win,” Sutherland said. “[The students] have a lot to be proud of.”

Dance team prepares for tryouts, faces changes after budget cuts TRACY LE

News Editor After a year of perfecting routines and performing them to crowds of eager students, Manhattan High’s dance team begin preparing for the next year with tryouts.

“It’s really exciting [going into tryouts]. It’s fun to meet the new people and see what is coming,” coach Leslie Finnell said.

While tryouts take place May 5 and students are scored by three judges, Finnell will conclude seven years of coaching the team.

“Mr. [Michael] Dorst asked

me to coach the team but I’m really glad [I did it],” Finnell said. “They’re a great group of students who care about their school and I think they do a great job of representing Manhattan High. Most of them are not studio dancers but they love to dance and you can tell when you watch them.”

For sophomore Bella Hager, dance always sparked her interest.

“Trying out last year, my freshman year, was the scariest thing ever. There were all these people coming back to try out for another year and that was intimidating,” Hager said. “I never danced with a company

GLOBAL NEWS RICK BROWN Copy Editor

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.

Earthquakes strike Ecuador and Japan

On Saturday, April 16, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Ecuador. More than 238 people were killed and over 1500 injured by the earthquake, which devastated the towns of Manta, Puerto Viejo and Pedernales. Ricardo Penaherrera, an official at Ecuador’s national emergency management office, described the situation to CNN: “The lack of water and communication remains a big problem,” Penaherrera said.

“Many highways are in bad shape, especially in the mountainous area because it has been raining due to (the) El Nino weather phenomenon.” Colombia, Chile, Spain and Mexico pledged aid to help Ecuador. Japan also was hit by earth-

before high school and I’d always wanted to. When I tried out I was really nervous but it surpassed my expectations. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Senior Hannah Craig has been a part of the dance team all four years of high school.

“It’s been a roller coaster but totally worth it,” Craig said. “I love that every year there are new girls to dance with and become friends with. The dynamic of the team is very different each year and it’s been amazing because I can see how much I’ve improved over the years.”

The seniors will soon walk away from a final year on the

team, but after tryouts are

“This is my last year though because of budget cuts...It’s hard but it’s out of my control.

I have to teach another math class and I’m here to be a math teacher so that’s what I hae to do.”

-- Leslie Finnell

over, so will Finnell.

quakes on both Thursday, April 14 and Saturday, April 16. Forty-one people were killed and over 1,037 injured by the earthquakes which struck near the city of Kyushu in southern Japan. Whereas the first earthquake was only a foreshock, the second earthquake was a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed many houses and forced more than 100,000 people to seek refuge in shelters. The Japanese government sent approximately 25,000 troops to help with rescue efforts.

bill received bipartisan support, the Obama administration has lobbied Congress to vote down the bill so as not to fracture relations with Saudi Arabia. President Obama met with King Salman of Saudi Arabia last Wednesday.

According to the New York Times, it is unlikely that Saudi Arabia would sell its assets as it would be difficult to do so and it would significantly hurt Saudi Arabia’s economy.

Saudi Arabian foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir warned the United States that Saudi Arabia will sell over $750 in United States assets if Congress passes a bill allowing victims of terrorist attacks to sue foreign governments. Though the

against President Dilma Rousseff. There were 367 votes for impeachment and 137 against, and protestors and supporters alike rallied in the streets as the voting took place. Those in favor of impeaching Rousseff claimed that

Brazil’s lower house votes Saudi Arabia threatens to to impeach president On Sunday, April 17, members take action if anti-terrorof Brazil’s lower house voted to ism billpasses began impeachment proceedings

“This is my last year though because of the budget cuts,” Finnell said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work yet but they’re advertising for a new head coach. It’s hard but it’s out of my control. I have to teach another math class and I’m here to be a math teacher so that’s what I have to do. My hope is that they find a group of girls who work well together, who want to be there and enjoy dancing and can help support the school.”

FOR THE FULL STORY

VISIT MHSMENTOR.COM she covered up a budget deficit so that she could win reelection in 2014. They also blamed her for one of the worst recessions in Brazil’s history. Supporters of Rousseff argued that the impeachment attempt was mearly a coup. Representative Jose Guimaraes was one such supporter.

“This is not good for democracy,” Guimaraes said to CNN. “They want to take the government away from an honest woman.” Representative Ronaldo Fonseca defended the impeachment vote. “Those who are outside, those who are in the streets, the Constitution guarantees this act,” Fonseca said to CNN. “It’s not a coup.” Before Rousseff can be removed from office the Brazilian Senate must also vote to impeach her. A simple majority is all that is needed in the Senate. If the Senate votes to impeach Rousseff then Vice President Michel Temer would become the president.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE NEWS CHECK OUT MHSMENTOR.COM

Opinions

The Mentor // April 26, 2016 // MHSMentor.com Page 2

Curt Schilling fired for offensive Letter to the Editor transgender post 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. Time and time again, social media has either been a beacon for love and awareness of hot topics or a black hole of hatred and backlash. For exBoston Red Sox pitcher and recently-fired ESPN baseball analyst Curt Schilling, social media was the latter. After posting a meme in support of the North Carolina law banning transgender people from using the public restrooms of their choice, ESPN let him go on Wednesday making a statement addressing the issue.

“ESPN is an inclusive company,” ESPN said.

“Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.”

This wasn’t the first

time Schilling had made crude remarks publicly.

Not only did he receive lots of backlash but he also spread hate around himself, making posts across social media downgrading women, transgenders and Muslims.

Prior to firing Schilling, ESPN had suspended him for making a post comparing Muslims to Nazis.

Schilling later apologized but then continued his rampage of controversial comments.

Even after ESPN fired him, it only seemed to add more fuel to the fire, as he ruthlessly and callously posted more and more, all while defending his First Amendment rights. His activity on social media has only escalated post-ESPN firing making more outrageous posts and engaging in countless spats with his followers.

Schilling has since spoken out about the matter stating he’s not homophobic or transphobic.

“As long as you’re not sleeping with my wife, I

don’t care who you sleep with,” Schilling said on Sirius XM on Friday.

Still, that has not stopped the relentless hate and backlash for the comments he made before.

The Mentor Editorial Board felt that the comments made were not appropriate for anyone to say let alone a major public figure representing a leading sports network.

Just because he is such a public figure, does not mean he gets to say whatever he wants. In fact, because he is well-known and has a platform, he shouldn’t misuse it and spread negativity.

Even though Schilling had the right to freely speak his thoughts, the Board thought that he should not have said the things he said because he is a big name, especially in baseball, and because he wasn’t just representing himself but also ESPN and what they stand for.

With all the hate speech going around in society today, we can’t afford for

an individual with a large platform to embrace ideas that are highly insulting.

Since this wasn’t the first time the former Major League Baseball pitcher had said abhorrent statements, the Board felt that ESPN should have taken more action the first time rather than just suspending him. While firing him does improve the image of ESPN, they should’ve have fired Schilling sooner.

In conclusion, social media is extremely powerful and rather than using it to propagate antipathy, we should use it as a forum for supporting people of all backgrounds, appearances, sexual orientations, etc. and creating an atmosphere that brings understanding about these topics to others. Don’t be hesitant to speak up about the topics that matter to you but do be considerate of the thoughts and feelings of others and the potential repercussions that your actions have.

Dear Editor,

I wish to provide an actual historical view point about the Civil War, with regard to a recent article in the newspaper. As a person who enjoys The Mentor but also thoroughly loves history, I must take issue with your piece (“Reasons the South Will Never Rise Again.” By David Fliter).

The article is thoroughly just opinions and is riddled with an immense amount of historical inaccuracies.

In his very first point he states that “innovation as far as civil rights are concerned so enslaving a race of people would be nearly impossible.” The Civil War was simply not about slavery but about states’ rights and their sovereignty.

Though he may not be a perspicacious historian -which is completely fine -- I still believe that you should check your facts before stating a very vocal and delusive opinion.

Fliter’s second and third point also states that “the South no longer has the upper hand as far as military leadership.” And that “the

militia forces would be facing the full force of the most technologicallyadvanced army in the world and its allies.” But just in Texas there are 124,000 standing troops and even a navy (Governing). Also in North Virginia there are 40,000 active duty troops but in Maine there are only 712 active duty troops as of right now (Governing).

In his second point he speaks of the militia and how it would be facing the full force of the rest of the country but militia literally means “National Guard.” (Legal-dictionary) Meaning that these “militias” may be stationed in South or North states but it serves as part of the first-line of defense for the United States. Meaning that it is a federal army and not just in the South, making his point about militia in its entirety not make any sense.

The article overall is just riddled with opinions and historical inaccuracies, making it wrong to print as “truth.”

Sincerely, Samantha Hall

Why I am disappointed with modified block scheduling

Rick Brown

Copy Editor

Starting next year, modified block scheduling will replace the current weeklong seven-period schedule. While this new schedule has been hailed as a means for fitting in more discussions about social and emotional topics, I view it as a step backwards from the current school week in several respects.

The new schedule penalizes advanced students. Whereas currently students can take classes at Kansas State University for school credit, the new block schedule would make it much more difficult for students to do this.

Under the new schedule, students will meet for only their first three classes and an advisory period on Wednesday.

This will place students who are taking MondayWednesday-Friday afternoon college courses in the dilemma of having to either skip classes at the high school or skip their college courses each Wednesday.

S t u d e n t s will find it harder to conc e n trate on Wednesday and Thursday. Research from Indiana University professors Joan Middendorf and Alan Kalish has shown that students are best able to focus during the first 20 or so minutes of a lecture, after which

point their ability to focus drastically decreases.

This suggests that nearly doubling the length of class periods from 52 minutes to 95 minutes on Wednesday and Thursday will cut into the learning ability of all students, especially those who can hardly handle the current schedule. I know that it is difficult for me to concentrate during finals

ods! This brings me to my third point.

Open lunch will essentially disappear. The lunch period of each school day, blocked and regular, will be reduced to 35 minutes from the current length of 40 minutes.

Most students currently have barely enough time to go to open lunch and return so it is likely that most students will be un-

to school in time. Neither of these options is preferable to the current situation.

The purpose of the new schedule is to allow space for a 95-minute advisory period that will function roughly the same as Tribe Time. While the topics discussed will undoubtedly benefit some students, most students do not need an extended Tribe Time.

I have not met a single student who thought Tribe Time was useful, and several of the people I have talked with acknowledged that their teachers did not follow the Tribe Time schedule. Why force all students to engage in an unwanted and unnecessary activity period each week, and why do so for

“Though modified block scheduling was made with good intentions it will result in negative and unnecessary consequences.” days at Manhattan High, during which each period is 87 minutes long. Imagine a 95-minute-period school day without an extended lunch period or lengthened passing peri-

For another perspective on the modified block schedule, head to www.mhsmentor.com to read Angie Moss’ “Calm down, it’s only five minutes.”

Question of the week:

What are you doing instead of going to prom?

“I’m going to the mall with a few friends” --Ethan Levin, senior (@ebobthethird) “teaching myself a semester worth of psychology”

“I don’t know about you, but I’ll be writing some poetry!”

Alan Brown, senior -- Jane Yoo, sophomore (@yolocheetos) (@asbks123) “probably writing a rap. CHECK ME OUT ON SOUNDCLOUD TWOQUARTSOFMUSIC” “going to prom” Camille Fellers, junior (@Camillieonn)

-- Emma Landsdowne, sophomore (@epicemma55)

“watching Netflix for 12739263 hours” -- Marta Cantu, sophomore (@marta_cantu17) “Parkour while listening to ‘Views from the 6’” -- Chandler Mixon, junior (@ChandlerMixon0)

There will be no QOTW next week because The Mentor Staff will be creating a special magazine edition. Be sure to look out for the magazine next week!

able to go out next year without being tardy. As a result, it is probable that many students will either skip their next class period or drive recklessly so that they can return

an hour and a half?

While it is unlikely that anything can be done to reverse the recent decision to enact block scheduling for next year, it is a shame that an alternative and less adverse solution could not be reached.

Why couldn’t Tribe Time have been extended by 14 minutes so that it lasted 34 minutes total?

This would give enough additional time to Tribe Time to help the students who need it but would not have the regressive side effects of a modified block schedule. Each class period could have been shortened by only two minutes to account for those additional Tribe Time minutes. Unfortunately, such solutions will not be adopted. Though modified block scheduling was made with good intentions it will result in negative and unnecessary consequences. That is a pity.

Tubman remarkable selection

Megan klug

Staff Writer

Recently, there has been a debate concerning the removal of Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill and replacing him with slavery hero Harriet Tubman. Along with this change, a few of the other bills are under consideration to change to female figures as well.

In 1928, the current faces of the bills were determined and have remained the same ever since. In fact, the United States has a law that no living person can be on the bills. Each person on the face of a bill has a significant reason for being on there. George WashEDITORS: Greg Woods -- Editor-InChief Tracy Le -- News Editor David Fliter -- Opinions 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 Rick Brown -- Copy Editor Tara Magaña -- Blue M Assist. Verbal Editor

ington was the first President and was a war hero, Abraham Lincoln had the Emancipation Proclamation as a first step against slavery, and now Harriet Tubman will be recognized for her brave acts to save slaves.

The addition of Harriet Tubman to United States currency and changing the face of a 20 dollar bill is not a bad idea. However, it will take over the course of a decade to integrate the currency into the United States while the Jackson 20 is still in use. One of the common flaws found in this idea is the curiosity of what will happen to the current 20 dollar bill. This will not deface the value of the Jackson 20 and it will remain usable.

Harriet Tubman is well deserving of a spot on United States currency considering her bravery, courage and heroic actions in the time of slav-

ery. She helped thousands of slaves cross to the North without getting caught. A reward was up for her arrest which would amount to over one million dollars in modern money. Tubman beat the odds as a female and an African American and is without a doubt a United States hero.

Essentially the change of design on the 20 dollar bill and other changes will make it more like the United States quarter.

Similar to the quarter, they will essentially have the same general design.

However, the 20 will be an entirely different face and back design.

Although the changes will not change much in society or the way the currency works, if they want to change the face of the 20 then Harriet Tubman is a remarkable selection.

She is well-deserving of the honor.

OTHER: Staff Writers -- Anna Alanazi, Lexi Bieker, Ale Flores, Anna Hupp, Megan Klug, Gavin Larios, Jordan Lutz Staff Photographers -Hasan Al-Basri, McKenna Eilert, Lauren Race, Dylan Thomas Kristy Nyp -- Adviser

Mythias Satterfield, Amissa Self, Tedi Stein, Hannah Sullivan and Austin Tatum.

Circulation -- Kim Schnee’s fifth hour class: Kristyn Baker, Caleb Barnes, Dalton Blake, Wesley Cattanach, Charlie Dickey, Karl Drown, Rachel Efken, Logan Jones, Lynne Jones, Colten Kirk, Josh Kohls, Douglas McCaskill, Faith A. Parker, Alesha Pearl, Megan Ritthisorn, Bradley Rollins,

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.

PAGE 3

THE MENTOR // APR. 26, 2016 // MHSMENTOR.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

Varsity Choir faces busy week of performances SAVANNAH CHERMS

Staff Writer

As the end of the year draws closer and closer with each day, the choirs are finishing out their year with one of their tours of schools around Manhattan. The past week has been filled with back-to-back concerts and travel back and forth across the town, with students missing class to sing. Each performance of this tour consists of five or six songs that the group has prepared throughout the year.

“We’re really prepared on all of our songs,” sophomore Sam Clark said. “[Chad] Pape knows how to get things done. He asks us if we’re okay with the songs and we go out and perform.”

“Catching up with

classes has taken some work,” sophomore Wyatt Balman said. “I have to go talk to my teachers before I leave the school. It’s a drawback but it’s also a lot of fun singing.”

This sentiment has been shared with other members of the choir as well.

“It’s been pretty tiring but I think the group has handled things well,” junior Dustin Wichman said. “It’s been tough keeping up with classes but because our performances during choir classes we don’t miss core classes.”

With their busy schedule, many students would crack under the pressure of leaving class every day for a week, but choir members seem to have no problem.

“I’m handling it pretty

well,” Clark said. “Most of our performances are during Chamber or I get a pass if we run late; it’s mostly a lot of fun.”

“The only really rough day was when we had to finish one performance and then get everything set up for another one at a different school in like 20 minutes,” Wichman said.

Despite the tiring routines and non-stop performing, choir members still are excited for each performance.

“It’s a lot of fun seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and hearing their genuine laughter,” Balman said.

“The best part has been just getting to go out to all the schools and see how excited the kids are to hear us sing,” Wichman said.

Varsity choir members perform at an early concert for MHS parents. Varsity Choir has spent the last week touring elementary school’s for their end of the year tour.

PHOTO BY DAKOTA SANTIAGO

Dark Souls 3 insanely hard, insanely rewarding

DAVID FLITER

Opinions Editor

The new installment in the Souls series brings the player yet again to a land filled with things trying their absolute hardest to kill you. This time around, the game cranks up the difficulty by adding elements from the much faster-paced Miyazaki-directed game Bloodborne.

Although I have enjoyed almost every facet of the game, as a returning fan from the previous games, I think that some bosses are recycled and that it is much too linear.

The story of the game centers around the player character known as an Unkindled. The player is part of a long line of undead that have been resurrected from death in order to defeat the Lords of Cinder and link the fire in order to prolong the age of fire and to prevent the abyssal plague from consuming the world.

The Lords of Cinder are the Abyss Watchers of the Farron Legion, Saint Aldritch of the deep, Yhorm the Giant, king of the Profaned Capital and the twin princes of Lothric.

Between these Lords of Cinder are bosses that have been more difficult

for me than the Lords of Cinder themselves.

On this note, the bosses of Dark Souls 3 have had the best design of the entire Souls series. The upgraded graphics engine has added gorgeous textures to the various monstrosities that the player will face. That being said, the way the fights play out are quite repetitive. All of the bosses have a second

used to bosses doing this after playing Dark Souls one and two, but it seems way too excessive in the third game.

My main gripe with the game is how linear everything is compared to the previous games. In previous games, the player could choose whichever path they want and take out whichever boss they wanted to first. In Dark

PHOTO COURTESY OF FROM SOFTWARE

phase of their fight, and it most often has them just adding fire to their weapon and doing a ridiculous amount of damage against the player character, or creating a clone of themselves so you have to worry about two enemies doing the exact same moveset. I am

Souls 3, it seems like if you branch off the main path, you will be destroyed by enemies that seem way more overleveled than the player character, a facet that has never been in a Souls game. This honestly disappoints me as one of my favorite parts of the

Souls games was creating my own path and getting a system down for taking out the bosses on my own accord. The upgrade materials to level up your weapons all seem to be distributed around the areas based on the different levels of the player character rather than evenly distributing them around the entire game.

With the negatives nailed down, I would say that the atmosphere of the game is the best atmosphere that I have ever experienced in a game, and the combat is the most engaging. The amazing feeling after being stuck on a boss for days and then finally beating them after hours of attempts was incredible. I was stuck on a certain boss (Pontiff Sulyvahn) for at least four days. I went in on a certain attempt in order to just learn the bosses moveset so I could adjust to it, but in the end I finally beat him and I am pretty sure my neighbors heard me yelling “YES!” from a few miles away.

Not only this, but the game incorporates characters and areas from the first game, so the nostalgia while playing the game was at times almost overwhelming.

Dark Souls 3 is linear and some of the bosses are boring, but even with that, it is probably my favorite Souls game to date, and I think it is the perfect finale of the series.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK -SAMUEL VARNER What kinds of art do you do? -- “Here, about maybe seven, I think, over the entirety. But about nine for all my life.”

What made you get into drama? -- “Probably, actually, just how fun people are. The people around you and just talking to them all seeing what they’ve done, and also how close I am with some people.”

What’s your favorite thing about the productions?

-- “ProbPHOTO BY SAVANNAH CHERMS ably the feeling of when it’s finally done, truth be told. It’s fun ctually doing it and being apart of it. That’s absolutely the best feeling ever, because you’re actually talking to so many people and being around so many people.”

What is your favorite production that you have been in so far? -- “Probably ‘Guys and Dolls.’ It was a bit more fun, with all of the dancing and going through the actual movements. Also, the dance director, Mr. Almonton he actually made it a bit more fun than it usually is. Because he had a pretty good personality for it.”

ACTOR

Music department soars at KSHAA competition CORA ASTIN

Photo Editor

Weeks of practice finally paid off this weekend for Manhattan High School’s music department. On Saturday, small groups of musicians in Manhattan High traveled to Lawrence to perform at the All State Solo and Ensemble competition.

From the choir, all three groups took three songs.

Those groups scored at least a two, on a scale from one to five.

Students who performed in the orchestra section got scores above threes.

“We did pretty well, as far as the orchestra we were pretty well balanced between ones and twos,” senior violinist, Kyle Thompson said.

“There were a couple of threes in there, but overall decent.”

In the weeks of practice before competition, choir students learned how to perform as a group and not become selfish with movements.

“We learned the piece about a few weeks before regionals and we practiced it quite a bit,” sophomore Bel’ Voce singer Emily Willi said. “Definitely worked on consonances and phrasing a lot, because it is such a moving song. Once we got all that done we learned how to stand in a horse shoe and sing to each other and feed off of each other.”

Many students performed in a different group than they have done previously.

“Well this my first year in a small group, I’ve taken solos before,” junior Grace Gallagher said.

“Being in the small group is different because you don’t feel quite alone. It definitely took stress off singing in front of the judges.”

The musicians that went learned the potential of their talents.

“Well we know what we are capable of,” Taylor said. “We still know that there is stuff that we can fix and make better.”

To learn more about the KSHAA competition, go to MHSMENTOR.COM

Sports The Mentor // April 26, 2016 // MHSMENTOR.COM Page 4

Tennis continues victory streak, win both at home and on road ANNA ALANAZI

Blue M Photo Editor Manhattan boys tennis won at home against Junction City, Marysville and Highland Park last week, then won against eight teams at the Salina South Invitational.

Unique at the home tournament was playing against some of their own.

Highland Park was short

on players so the Indians had to substitute Tanner Knapp at No. 2 singles and the team of Rawson Evans and senior August Balman at No. 2 doubles for them.

No. 1 singles Abdul Naeem went 2-1, Blaine Snyder went 1-2 and both our doubles teams went 3-0. For Marysville, Knapp went 3-0 and Evans and Balman went 2-1.

“I thought all our play-

ers played well, particularly our doubles,” coach Bob Kelly said.

During the Salina South tournament, senior Collin Queal injured his shoulder and was unable to play. Therefore, the No. 1 doubles team did not play. Senior Kirkland Lambert, Queal’s partner, played singles against junior Brice Easton in the finals tournament. Lam-

bert won in his bracket by beating Easton 7-5 in a tie breaker.

“It was a very evenlymatched competitive final match for the championship,” Kelly said. “I was particularly impressed with the play of Easton, who performed as well as he has all season.”

Senior Carter Nelson, who usually plays singles, was put in a doubles team

with senior Kevin Harper as a last minute pair-up.

“We didn’t play well,” Nelson said. “Because we got put in at the last minute together. We don’t usually play together, I usually play singles, and it just takes a while to get used to the partner.”

Harper and Nelson placed eighth, and seniors Ben and Matt Turnley placed third in their

bracket out of the 16 entries.

“The Turnleys played as well as they have all season,” Kelly said. “Playing both aggressively and consistently. They were beaten by a good Smokey Valley team.”

Next up is the Emporia Quad tournament before League.

the offensive side, with nine runs in the first inning alone, and 10 coming in the second.

“Our girls did a great job adjusting to a little bit slower speed,” head coach Monty Enright said. “[They] were patient at the plate, and then we ran the bases really well.

Pretty much everything you’d want to do offensively, we were able to do.

With such a commanding lead, Enright was able to take advantage of the Junior Varsity off day. Three juniors and one freshman were able to play their first Varsity game of the season.

“I think it’s always exciting to get some of your JV players in,” Enright said. “You hope that maybe they’ll get in, you know, the games will go well and you can, and today was. I got a bonus of both worlds today. I got to win fairly comfortable, and I got to see my JV kids get in there.”

The second game was more of the same for Manhattan. The Lady In-

dians scored seven runs in the first inning, and added on 11 in the second. They left the bases loaded in the second when one of the runners made a baserunning mistake.

“One of our runners took off too quick,” Enright said. “If you leave too early, then the umpire just calls you out.

[The runner was] trying to read a jump, and just went to early.”

Defensively for Manhattan, junior Chelsey Henry was able to pitch two innings of shutout softball before running into some trouble in the third. Henry walked the first two batters, and allowed three runs, before striking out Highland Park junior Susana Arreola to end the game.

With the wins, the Lady Indians improved to 5-5 on the season, with their next game at Seaman High on April 22.

Softball sweeps Highland Park in doubleheader Junior Chelsey Henry sends a pitch into a Washburn batter. Manhattan won both games 19-0 and 18-3.

PHOTO BY MEGAN KLUG

JACOB CLANTON

Staff Writer

The Manhattan High softball team was able to bounce back from getting swept by Washburn Rural with a

dominating effort against Highland Park on April 19. The Lady Indians never trailed, giving up a total of three runs. They won the first game 19-0 in three innings, and the second game 18-3, also in

three innings.

In the first game, Manhattan was led by sophomore pitcher Anna Batt.

In her three perfect innings of work, she faced only nine batters, striking out seven.

Swimming and diving host meet, take second MEGAN KLUG

Staff Writer

With State just around the corner, the girls swim team has been busy with several meets. They took on multiple teams from Topeka at a home meet.

Placing third, the team was confident in their performance.

“It was a good meet; it was fast. Everyone really stepped up and we had a lot of people getting their best times and support,” sophomore Victoria Bedros said.

The team nearly placed higher, but secured their

spot in third.

“We got third and we were between third and second, I was in the last relay race that we were supposed to get points for. We closed the gap, but not enough to pass them,” Bedros said.

An additional home meet was held on the April 18, the team competing against Emporia and Hays High School.

With an overall placing of second, the girls improved from their previous meet. They were content with their finish.

“We got second despite not having a lot of people

there due to injuries and sickness,” sophomore Eilish MacCharles said.

As a team, they strive to have fun at all the meets as well as compete.

“Our goal as a team is to just get out there and have a good time and make sure everyone tries their hardest,” Bedros said.

State is creeping up and to qualify will require hard work.

“We only have about three or four meets, I have hope for state,” MacCharles said. “If we really push ourselves we can do it.”

trying to improve on our short game and our accuracy stuff because that’s where you score and lose strokes,” junior Dustin Wichman said. “All of our top three have been playing well, they’ve had good scores in tournaments.

Cole [Gritton, senior] and Trevor [Dillon, senior] have been doing a really good job of getting people to work hard after practice and not just during practice and their scores have been leading the teams and stuff in tournaments, so it’s been nice to have that big senior presence.”

Sophomore Ben Robben joins Gritton and Dillon in the Varsity top

three.

“It feels good [being a sophomore in the top three of Varsity]. I have a couple years left, so it’s good feeling to know that I have a spot,” Robben said. “I just got to trust the practice that I put in, all the hard work I put in.

I’ve been improving my swing, doing a lot of drills and improving my putting which has been really crucial. My putting is really important. I just got to trust my preparation. It’s really just another round of golf and if you treat it like anything else than the pressure becomes too much.”

Boys golf practices with determination GAVIN LARIOS

Staff Writer

Despite last Monday’s winds gusting up to 19 miles per hour, boys golf won the Topeka High meet with a team score of 501 at Lake Shawnee in Topeka. Junior Wesley Grogan took second with a score of 80, sophomore Raul Garibay took third with a score of 81 and freshman Josh Priddle placed fifth with a score of 82.

After the meet last week, the team decided to buckle down and focus.

“I think practice has been going really well.

We’ve been really focused this year and just

FOR MORE INFO ON THE LATEST GOLF RESULTS CHECK OUT www.mhsmentor..com

“All my pitches were working okay,” Batt said.

“And [the umpire] wasn’t calling a lot of variations.

It was just a good pitching night.”

The Lady Indians were just as unstoppable on

Track competes at home, KU Relays ANGIE MOSS

Features Editor Last Friday, the Manhattan High track team competed at both the University of Kansas relays and the small schools invite at Bishop Stadium.

The small schools invite was the first home meet of the year, but the competition wasn’t as large as past years.

“There weren’t very many teams there,” sophomore Ella Bahr said, “so every event had less people in it than usual. I don’t remember how many people were in the 800, but most of

them were from Manhattan so it was fun to get to work together as a team.”

The home meet was successful for many of the athletes, including junior Makayla VanDyke, who achieved a new personal record and placed second in javelin. “[Throwing 94 feet] made me feel very excited,” junior Makayla VanDyke said. “I felt amazing after I threw that. [I] had a big smile on my face.”

Some athletes competed at KU in the morning and then came home to compete at Bishop in the afternoon. “[The meets] were both good for different rea-

sons,” junior Cara Melgares said. “I just threw javelin at the home meet so after that was over, I got to watch and hang out with my teammates and some friends who came out so that was fun.”

Melgares was one of the few that competed at both meets.

“The competition all around at KU relays is crazy and it was awesome to get to be a part of that environment and race people from all over the Midwest,” Melgares said. “It’s a good simulation for the level of competition we will see at State in May.”

Soccer prepares for Blue Valley Stillwell ERICK ECHEGARAY

Sports Editor

After continuing their dominating campaign in their home pitch, the Manhattan girls soccer team prevailed once again against three different opponents, two of which fell to the Lady Indians at Bishop Stadium, continuing their unbeaten run at home.

“We’ve been learning each other’s playing and it’s been a lot easier for us to play,” sophomore winger Kaitlyn French said.

Manhattan first defeated Emporia State on April 12 by a score of 4-1 and then went on to defeat Seaman on April 15 by a score of 4-2 to finish the week. The Lady Indians would then go for a third straight home win as they would then face Great Bend last Monday in what would be a match absolutely dominated by Manhattan who would win the match by a score of 8-0.

“We’ve been connecting really well as a team.

We’re also finishing really well, it’s just been re-

ally good overall,” French said.

Manhattan will face Blue Valley Stillwell when they travel to Overland Park for yet another away match that will threaten to break their recent win streak.

“I think it’s going to be a really good game we really have high expectations. We’re shooting for winning the rest of our games,” French said.

Manhattan will kick off today against Blue Valley Stillwell starting at 6 p.m.

Baseball splits with Seaman, walks off in game two GREG WOODS

Editor-In-Chief

A glance at the previous 13 innings’ box score, spanning across two games, would have given anyone skepticism about Manhattan’s chances at a rally. Those 13 frames had produced just four runs for the Manhattan baseball team struggling to find a rhythm at the plate Friday against the prolific pitching performances of Seaman.

Nick Wohler won it for the Indians and drove in two in the seventh.

With men on second and third and his team trailing by a run, the junior sent a grounder through the middle, and it snaked by the gloves of Seaman’s trying middle

infielders. When junior Brady Woborny crossed the plate, securing the Indians’ 6-5 win, Wohler was mobbed.

The victory was Manhattan’s only of the evening, after getting shut out

by University of Kansas commit Ryan Zeferjahn 5-0 in game one, so head coach Don Hess implored his team to adopt a cleanslate approach.

“When you have a game like we did the first game, you’re always telling your team, ‘don’t let that one loss turn into two. Don’t let them beat you twice with one game,’” Hess said. “Once we got some breaks, then I felt like we were fine.”

The game-winner came off Seaman’s Traice Hartter, the Vikings’ third

pitcher of the evening.

The first was Zeferjahn in game one, however, who was lights out. The senior threw a shutout seven innings. Several scouts, whose radar guns clocked into the low-90s, were in attendance.

Hess, though, was more concerned with his keeping his team’s heads level.

“He’s real good. You just have to be real careful that his reputation doesn’t beat you,” Hess said. “You just have to be careful you don’t put him up on a pedestal that’s unreachable.”

Junior Chance Henderson provided the Indians’ only two hits in the first game (one a bunt single), and his single in the fifth inning of the second game sparked Manhattan’s late-

game resurgence.

“Chance has the ability to bunt the baseball, and when you can bunt the baseball on those struggling days at the plate, you can figure out how to get hits,” Hess said.

On the mound, Wohler made a statement as well.

The second-game hero gave MHS six innings and allowed three runs on five hits, one walk and three strikeouts. He fared better than senior Grant Munsen, who started game two and allowed three runs, but who kept Manhattan in the game long enough for Wohler to seal it for the home team.

The Indians are now faced with a road twinbill with Topeka West on Tuesday.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NICK WOHLER Facing a Seaman team on Friday with its own formidable pitching staff, Nick Wohler held his own and then some. The junior started game one and hurled six innings, striking out three and surrendering just one walk.

But he made a statement at the plate as well: Wohler capped off his team’s rally and came through with a walk-off, two-RBI single in the seventh frame of the nightcap to send his team to a 6-5 win.

The split puts the team at 6-4 overall ahead of Tuesday’s road twinbill against Topeka photo by hasan al-basri West.

BASEBALL

Page 5

The Mentor // April 26, 2016 // MHSMentor.com

Features

Tempest cast varies in age groups

Left: Sophomores Erin Hackenberg and Noah Shirk played the villainous pair Sebastiana and Alonso and they wonder over their location after enduring a shipwreck.

Right: Prospera, as played by senior Savannah Smith, addresses her servant Calliban, played by senior Samuel Varner, during the fist act of the spring play “The Tempest.”

Photos by savannah cherms

Anna alanazi

Blue M Photo Editor Throughout the last two years, the Manhattan Theatre Department was dominated by upperclassmen actors and had very few technicians and underclassmen. However, that is not the case now.

Shows such as “South Pacific” and “Hairspray” were mostly dominated by upperclassmen because they both required a certain level of confidence with working the stage. However, now that hold has lessened and

casting is down to talent and everything else actors can learn as they move forward.

“I feel like there’s been a big demographic change,” Thespian Vice President Savannah Smith, senior, said.

“When I was younger, it was fewer upperclassmen and then there’s just this bubble of the cool juniors and seniors who knew what’s going on and they have a sense of authority and they’re talented, and very few underclassmen. But now there’s few upperclassmen and a huge bubble

Students join Reserves for future Tara magaña

Blue M Assistant Verbal Editor With graduation coming up and college tuition rates rising, the past few months, some students have taken their future finances into their own hands by joining the military reserves, a pool of extra personnel that each military branch employs.

“It’s mostly for college,” senior Josh Abitz, who joined the National Guard Reserves, said. “It’s a really good career path as well, but for me, I’m just going to K-State. They’re going to help me go through school and do what I want to do with my future ... It’s very good in understanding how the world works and how tough it actually is.”

To join the reserves, applicants first had to score high on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, test and pass a physical examination.

“It’s a very simple test,” Abitz said. “It’s just basics like ‘if John had $2 and Amy had $2 and they spent it on X, how much money would they have left?’

It’s very simple.”

For some, like senior Rheannan Weixelman, joining the reserves wasn’t the plan when they took the ASVAB. “I took it just to see what careers I’d be really really good at,” Weixelman said, “but it turns out I get a letter from the National Guard saying with my score, I qualify, and we went in to talk to my recruiter and learned a little more about it, and it sounded like something I’d like to do and long process later, I’ve sworn in and I’m ship-

ping out in August.”

Once enlisted, reservists must attend Initial Active Duty and Advanced Individual Training.

“I can’t [be drafted] until I come back from my basic and AIT training just to make sure I’m mentally and physically ready,” Weixelman said. “Even if I’m in college, they can draft me out to somewhere local.”

While in reserves, the military provides personnel with health and life insurance, as well as the flexibility to live where they want as they pursue education and careers.

“As a military child, I also have my G.I. Bill, but as a part of the military, I also get my own,” junior Jordan Lutz said. “It’ll help me pay for college, and as a reserve member, I can move whenever I want and they’re going to very hard to get me to a town the college that I want to. So, they’re helping me a bunch in that aspect.”

Lutz will be working for the Army Reserves next year as a senior.

“With me being in clubs and such, I just can’t go to certain weekend gigs,” Lutz said. “So I just got to fit it around my schedule, keep in touch with the school because if I don’t keep my morality up and fail out of school, I will get kicked out of the military and lose all that payment and stuff.”

Though the likelihood of being drafted is low, some have mixed emotions about joining the military.

“It’s a mixed emotion,” Weixelman said.

“I’m excited to serve my country, but also it’s like it’s a new thing.”

of sophomore techies.

There’s just a rebirth.”

According to sophomore Anna Washburn, it’s a fresh twist to see new faces and to have more underclassmen actors playing lead roles.

“I think [the underclassmen are] doing a great job,” Washburn said. “I know at least for Jacob [Wineland, freshman] it’s a really big responsibility to have that big of a role as a freshman. But, they really stepped up to the plate and they did their job. I think the underclassmen have learned a lot during

this show since some of us had bigger roles.”

Wineland played the lead role of Ariel in his first MHS play, “The Tempest,” aside from class plays.

“I felt like he’d be a very interesting character to play,” Wineland said. “He’s mischievous and that’s always fun to be, you know, just to mess with people even in character. He’s kind of sleek, cat-like the way he moves is almost kind of regal and he’s other-worldly.”

Whether be it a freshmen or a senior, the actor will be cast it they fit the

character’s description.

Talents vary and it will always be down to who’s better suited for the part.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into casting somebody,” drama teacher Linda Uthoff said. “It doesn’t have to do with how much money their parents make or who I know or who I don’t know. It really has to do with who can act it, sing it, dance it, look the part as we are interpreting it but a lot of people don’t understand all these complexity.”

With senior actors graduating, all the underclassmen have to rise

up and put their talents to the test, because at the heart of it, it all comes down to talent and dedication to the production.

“I’m glad it isn’t an environment that’s stressful just because of age,” Wineland said. “Of course there’s stress with theater just to make everything look good, but I’m glad there isn’t that component to it, and I’m glad and I’m happy that it’s true that I contribute to that me being younger.”

Drama students celebrates 400 years of Shakespeare Ale Flores

Staff Writer

outcome of the preview.

“It was really stunning,” Galitzer said. “The cast did a pretty good job and I am really proud of

To celebrate 400 years since Shakespeare’s death, Manhattan High’s Thespian troupe organized a Shakefest last Thursday, an event in which students were able to participate in workshops and a monologue/duet scene competition, judged by K-state teachers.

“I loved it,” senior Savannah Smith said. “ I dressed up and everything, the monologues and duets were just spectacular and the judges had really good insight to continue with our progress as actors.”

The workshops were given by K-state teachers. One of the workshops consisted of learning Shakespearean insults and Reciting from memory, sophomore in the other students Emily Willi performs Lady Macbeth’s learned a renaissance monologue from Act one, scene seven dance. of William Shakespeare’s play “MacDuring 6th hour, beth.” During Shakefest, students were students were able given the opportunity to preform a to see the first act of Shakespearian monologue.

Photo by Tara Magaña our spring play, “The Tempest,” written by Shakespeare himself.

Emma Galitzer, presi- everyone. I think we’ve dent of Thespians and come a pretty long way stage manager for the since the first time we play, was happy with the came in for rehearsals.”

said. “Dress rehearsals, doing your hair and makeup, finalizing everything, learning our cues.

But now everything is running smoothly.”

The special effects that the play required had never been used for a MHS show before, but technicians managed to make the play look as realistic as possible.

“Having special effects really gives something that we can’t provide for ourselves with the equipment that we have,” Galitzer said.” It was the first time we had to do something like this and I think it turned out really well.”

At the end of the day, everyone was exhausted but happy to have been part of the play. Actors loved their characters and During the morning monologue comwere pleased with petition, sophomore Claire Todd pretheir performances. forms Pops’ monologue from Act five, “We did really scene one of Shakespeare’s famed senior Olcomedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” great,” ivia Groninger said.

Competing actors were judged on their “Makeup was all reperformance by K-State professors.

Photo by Tara Magaña ally fun, the costumes were all really cool [and] the lighting looked amazing. It was a amazing.

“The last week is ex- great show.” tremely stressful,” freshman Jacob Wineland That same night was the premiere of the complete play. Actors and technicians worked hard to get the show to be

Page 6

The Mentor // april 26, 2016 // MHSMentor.com

Trending

Aladdin’s Arabian Nights

Prom is just around the corner...

And you know what that means. If you’re still in freak-out mode and you’re not sure what to do, here are some helpful hints.

What to keep in your bag: maya minocha

Blue M Organizations Editor

and the zipper broke. Bring safety pins just incase.

Lipstick -- You want to keep your makeup look fresh all night, and it is a great excuse to avoid everyone and run to the bathroom.

Bobby Pins -- Your hair looked perfect all afternoon and then right before pictures, you had a loose piece fall out.

Bring bobby pins to make quick adjustments to your hair.

Gum -- You had garlic fries at dinner? No problem, you have gum in your bag.

Safety pins -- Your dress fit perfectly until you sat down

Phone charger -- Your date stranded you and you spent all evening snapchatting, so your phone died. Make sure you bring a phone charger so you don’t get left in a field all alone.

Prep your skin: Wash your face -- Washing your face is always good, but washing it twice a day will help clear your skin up before prom.

Toner -- A facial toner gets rid of all the dead skin and clogged pores that are on your face. Start doing this now, so by prom your skin will be glowing.

Moisturize -- Moisturizing your skin keeps out bacteria.

Facial Mask -- Treat yourself to a facial mask before prom.

Not only will this benefit your skin, but it will have you feeling fresh and beautiful.

Drink water -- Drinking lots of water helps brighten and even out the skin.

DIY Lip Scrub Ingredients 1 tbsp. honey 1 tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. olive oil 1 tsp. Vaseline In a small bowl, add ingredients and mix together.

Apply a small amount to your lips and gently rub them together to exfoliate.

Wash off with warm water and dry with a towel.

Prom statistics

5

comittees

$5,000 total budget

600

invitations assembled planning meetings

6

6

hours of set up

What’s trending this year?

SAVANNAH CHERMS

Entertainment Editor

With each passing year prom trends evolve. Dont fall behind.

Keep reading to stay up to date on what is trending this prom season.

• Two piece dresses. A nice change from the typical long dress that everyone will be rocking, a two piece dress is a great way to stand out and show some personality on prom night.

• Nontraditional updo. It seems like every year as girls browse Twitter and Pinterest for hair ideas, everyone ends up with the same curly, loose updo. This year go for something different with baby buns, a twisted mohawk, or a faux undercut.

• A colored tuxedo. Step out of the traditional black and white tux and go for a more unique one. You could coordinate colors with your date, and stand out from the crowd.

• Ditch prom. It’s almost inevitable that at some point in the night you’re going to want to bail and call prom night quits.

Need somewhere to go? IHOP, McDonald's, and the Varsity Truck are going to be the place to be after prom night.

• Skip prom altogether.

Whether it’s because you’re lacking a date or didn’t want to spend all the cash on a dress and dinner, prom isn’t for everyone. And that’s cool too!

Stay at home in your PJ’s or go hang out with friends. Or, find something cool you and your would-be date can do that night instead.

• After parties. Sure, you could go out after prom with all of your friends and get totally and completely wasted and ruin your lives with DUIs and whatnot. Or you could go to MARCP’s AfterProm and eat Chipotle and hang out with your friends. Or just go home with your group and party that way. Netflix just updated their library; why not watch a prom themed movie.

• Nontraditional dinner. Instead of shelling out $100 on a swanky dinner for you and your date, keep it casual and grab a burrito from Chipotle or a burger from Five Guys.

No need to break the bank on pricey food you might not even like. A McDouble is almost better than that $40 pasta that you can’t pronounce.

• Friends vs dates. Sometimes it’s more fun to spend prom with your friends versus stressing out about asking a date.

And you won’t have to endure the awkward slow dances be-

cause you’ll be too busy laughing it up with your friends. And it’s an opportunity to create memories with your pals you won't ever forget.

• Girls in suits. Dresses aren’t always the most comfortable things in the world. So instead, try showing off your own style and dress up in a suit this prom season. You can get suits tailored specifically for a female body, and you can personalize it as much or as little as you’d like, just like a dress.

• Sandals vs heels. Like dresses, heels aren’t always comfortable either. Unless you’ve been wearing them for years and already can’t feel your feet, those five-inch heels probably won’t make it through the whole night. Not to fear, because your trusty Birkenstocks or Chacos will save you from the world of pain your feet will be in. Not a sandal fan? Vans or Converse are always a stylish option.

• Promposals.

Everyone has seen those huge, flashy promposals on Twitter, where the guy gets the girl a puppy or has this huge elaborate scene planned out. If that’s your thing, go for it! Your date will appreciate your attention to detail. If not, a simple verbal promposal will do. Not everyone want’s the entire student body present for something as simple as being asked to prom.