PAGE 3, FEATURES
PAGE 4, SPORTS
VOLUME 104 • ISSUE 4 • SEPT. 20, 2016 VISIT MHSMENTOR.COM
THE MENTOR
Debate competes in first tournament at Washburn Rural
1.
2.
3.
2017 National Merit Semifinalists selected; finalist process begins Media students attend Scholastic Press Corps
“When you become a National Merit Semifinalist there is about a 90 percent chance of becoming a After taking the PSAT Finalist,” Haus said. “This last year, four Manhattan doesn’t mean you just sit High School students have around and do nothing, been chosen as National however. You have to get a Merit Semifinalists, sturecommendation letter from dents for the class of 2017. a teacher and also write an As high school winds down essay.” to a close for seniors Owen The title of National Merit Li, Eric Higgins, Saubhagya Finalist or Semifinalist is a Shrestha and Josh Haus, highly prestigious the scholars one. Private inqualify to apply “This doesn’t mean you just sit stitutions such as for recognition Northwestern Unias National around and do nothing, however. versity accepted Merit Finalists You have to get a recommendaover 200 scholand receive ars and provided the opportution letter from a teacher and financial aid for nity for various also write an essay.” nearly 75 percent post-second--SENIOR JOSH HAUS SAID in 2015. Harvard ary educationUniversity, one of al scholarthe highest ranked ships. “There are a ton of schol- and, in Kansas, achieve at schools in America, also arships available for Na- least a 217 for their appli- boasted 209 scholars in attional Merit Finalists and cations to be considered. tendance last year. “It felt great.” Shrestha even Semifinalists,” Shres- The results of the exams tha said. “Some universities are determined at the end said. “It’s a selective proeven provide full tuition. Be- of the year, but they find cess, so I was excited and ing a National Merit Semi- out if they were chosen as honored to hear that I was finalist or finalist also helps Semifinalists the year after. a Semifinalist.” As of now, the MHS set you apart other students The students selected as when applying to top univer- Semifinalists based on their Semifinalists for this year scores are then required to will begin the process of sities.” National Merit Scholar- fill out the finalist applica- applying for National Merit ships contribute $2,500 to tion which includes honors Finalist positions. the finalist’s tuition for their received, extra-curricular freshman year of college. activities, etc. MIRA BHANDARI STAFF WRITER
GLOBAL
NEWS ANGIE MOSS PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Corporate and college sponsored merit scholarships cover costs from $500 to $10,000 per year for the majority of four-year institutions. The scholarship application process consists of many requirements. Students interested in National Merit Scholarships must first take the PSAT test during their junior year
MIRA BHANDARI STAFF WRITER
Along with the annual display of Kansas culture, the Scholastic Press Corps program took place at the state fair on Friday. Ten members of the Manhattan High School publications staff attended the fair and took part in the SPC journalism and video production competitions. As the day began, the participants were assigned stories regarding the events at the fair as well as a randomly chosen main story to compile together as a newsletter. The MHS print team also took up an additional social media challenge. They spent the rest of the day out and about at the fair, gathering the necessary information for their articles and taking photos of the events. After finalising their stories, photos, and layout, the team finished and submitted their day’s work. “[My favorite part was] being able to run around the fair, but with permission and a purpose,” The Mentor’s Entertainment
Editor Preston Harrison, junior, said. “It just gave me a sense of freedom. It gave me a purpose.” The SPC program was established with the intent of providing insight into the life of journalists and media producers. The competitive and time-based aspect of the program added to the realism and further proved the SPC experience to be a gratifying and educational one for the students that participated. “The competition was the closest thing I’m going to get to real-life journalism until college,” The Mentor’s Editor-in-Chief Angie Moss, senior, said, “so it was a great learning experience. The deadline pressure was intense and I was right down to the last four minutes with the design of the newsletter so it was amazing to actually meet the deadline and have such a good product to be able to enter into the competition.” The group will find out the results of their entries in approximately three weeks.
MINN. STABBING DEEMED TERRORISM N.Y. EXPLOSION HURTS 29 PEOPLE
DALLAS COP SUES BLM MOVEMENT HASIBUAN MAKES NYFW HISTORY
After a stabbing in a Minnesota mall left nine people wounded Saturday night, the Islamic State claimed that one of their soldiers was behind the attack. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is treating the episode as a “potential act of terrorism.”
Sergeant Demetrick Pennie has filed a lawsuit against Black Lives Matter and its supporters, claiming the movement is inciting a race war. Pennie, a 17-year veteran, is asking between $500 million and $1.5 billion in the complaint he filed in federal court.
An explosion that occurred on Manhattan’s West Side around 8:30 p.m. Saturday night injured 29 people. The New York Police Department, determined that the explosive was planted near a dumpster. NYPD captured the perpetrator yesterday.
History was made at New York Fashion Week when Muslim designer, Anniesa Hasibuan, released the first-ever collection featuring hijabs in every outfit. Hasibuan is the first Indonesian to present her designs in NYFW.
Manhattan High School’s Debate team opened the tournament season last Friday and Saturday at Washburn Rural High School. 1. Sophomore Jered Zhang and junior Douglas Kim competed in six rounds of the open division and ended with a record of 4-2. The two finished in 13th place as a team. 2. Juniors Martina Hernandez and Micah Wiggins competed in five rounds as novices and went 3-2. Wiggins then went on to achieve fifth place in an individual speaker event. 3. Juniors Trinity Hogan and Maeisha Hossain competed in the same novice division and finished 3-2 as well. Hossain competed in an individual speaker event later on, earning third place. Debate will be competing again this Saturday at Emporia High School.
PHOTOS BY LILY COLBURN
Powderpuff to return to fall pep rally ERICK ECHEGARAY OPINIONS EDITOR
With homecoming week around the corner, the preparations for this year's first pep rally have already started taking place. Powder-Puff cheerleading has been confirmed to make a return this year and continue its tradition as an event in the homecoming rally, as well as in it’s football games. Tribe sponsor Andrew Lee will oversee the whole operation. “Powder Puff cheerleading is where the male senior students cheer on the Powder-Puff girls as they play football.” Lee said. “I oversee the officers of Tribe that then run the powder puff football game and coordinate the cheers for the male students.” Tribe will manage and construct powder-puff and all of its performances. “Honestly I think it’s something really cool to get involved in,” senior Tribe member Melisa Cross said. “It allows for the roles to be switched and students just seem to enjoy it every year so it’s just fun to bring back.” Tribe has constructed and managed powder-puff in previous years. “We will put [the dances] together, and we will choreograph. Then we’ll teach the guys and they’ll dance,” Cross said. The fall homecoming pep rally is set to happen on Oct. 23.
VOLUME 104 • ISSUE 4 • SEPT. 20, 2016 VISIT MHSMENTOR.COM
Anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina have created a problem for sports fans all over the nation. NCAA has decided to pull all championship games out of North Carolina because of their anti-LGBT laws that stated that people must use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificate, not the sex they identify with. Some reasons are certainly more reason-
able than others. If a team or band is put at risk for any potential harm or injuries, there’s absolutely no logical reason as to why they should continue. If fans belonging to the LGBT community could face any danger, there’s yet another reason why it shouldn’t continue. However, those cases
are situational and it is
letes or sporting fans be
“If a team or band is put at risk for any potential harm or injuries, there’s absolutely no logical reason as to why they should continue. If fans belonging to the LGBT community could face any danger, there’s yet another reason why it shouldn’t continue.” difficult to see any ath-
targeted specifically for
being a part of the LGBT community. Sporting events are not typically known for attracting the LGBT community alone and not every North Carolinian is opposed to homosexual rights. Hosting events on such a large scale boosts the economy within the community. NCAA pulling all championship games out will impact North
PAGE
2 OPINIONS NCAA pulls championship games out of North Carolina Carolina greatly. For this reason, people will be unpleased with the decision and will demand change. Since the anti-LGBT laws are what is keeping the NCAA out of North Carolina, there is a chance that the community will address the laws with their legislatures, which could begin the process for getting rid of the laws.
The death of art: bring visual arts back to life Animal testing unnecessary
ELIZABETH ALEXANDER FEATURES EDITOR
It’s not just food people refer to with the word “starving.” It’s mainly recognition. Artists strive to put their work out into the world as soon as it’s finished, hoping to gain credit, acknowledgment, and -- more importantly -- criticism in order to improve their work. The lack of exposure is incredibly pathetic. Something people seem to complain about is the fact that many artists these days have gone into digital art, which is basically when an artist creates pieces through their computer. Those who don’t know how the process works see this as “cheating,” when really it allows an artist to branch out and explore farther than ever before. Digital art is done
through a tablet that simulates paper and a tablet pen that simulates a pencil. The friction between the tablet and pen is then displayed on the computer screen in whatever brush, texture, and color the artist chooses. As time goes on, no matter how advanced we as humans get, we should never let something as unique as art go to waste. Encourage your fellow artists to keep striving forward and practice, allow beginners to branch out and explore and perhaps let yourself doodle a bit here and there.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF FOOTBALL SEASON?
OF
QUESTION
THE
The world we live in is constantly moving forward with its technological advances, and while they may seem incredible, an important concept keeps getting left in the dust: visual arts. While it may seem to be a minor issue, the amount of disrespect the art community receives is absolutely appalling. Art used to be something that was once cherished,
something that was deemed intricate and respectable. The sheer amount of time, determination and love that goes into an artist’s work is immense, something viewers can never truly understand. Now, art is taken for granted, stolen, and stepped upon. To start, the term “starving artists” is a very accurate word to describe the majority of the artist community these days, compared to the times where artists were seen in a positive light. Many find themselves having to part from their passion to seek a “better job” in order to just put food on the table. They abandon their skill and learn to only use it as a “backup plan” when times get tough.
WEEK
“Watching Iverson Robb and John Haug destroy people. Also getting hype af with my fellow seniors,” senior Aaron Castro, @_a_castro “Awkwardly standing around and screaming at the wrong moments,“ junior Jane Yoo, @yolocheetos
“Who even likes football?” junior Kaitlyn Ring , @ring_kaitlyn
“Marching band!“ sophomore Chris Carter , @chriscarter945
NEXT EDITION QUESTION: HOW DO YOU PLAN TO SUPPORT MHS AGAINST J.C.? Want to express your opinions? Write a letter to the editor at mhsmentor@gmail.com and get published in our next edition!
SAVANNAH CHERMS TRENDING EDITOR
Revlon. MAC. Chapstick. Clorox. These are all brands that you have heard of and probably have at home. These are also brands that still test their products on mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. But why? The short answer is this: they want to sell their products in China. The Chinese government requires all cosmetics to be animal tested. Cosmetics are classified as “articles intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions,” according to the Food and Drug Administration. This means that any makeup, shampoo, hair color, nail polish, etc. is labeled as a cosmetic and has to go through animal testing to be sold in China. The reason why animal testing is so awful should be obvious, but most people don’t know what animal testing really entails. Animals are shaved down and have harsh chemicals dropped onto their skin or dripped into their eyes. This means that these animals are subjected to their skin being burned by acid and are blinded while they are restrained
and offered no pain relief. They are also fed lethal doses of chemicals to find the dosage that will lead to death. Are the deaths of thousands of small animals really worth the profit? A driving question for animal testing is, “How will we know products are safe if we don’t test them?” The easiest solution is to use products that have a history of being safe. Using all-natural products in place of harsh chemicals would remove the need to test them. Many brands offer the sentiment of “tested on models, not animals.” Advanced non-animal testing methods are some of the most up to date and technologically advanced methods that science can offer. Practices using human tissues and cells to replicate how a product will react in use have proven more effective than animal testing. The fact that animals are being bred to live a life of abuse trapped in unkempt, filthy cages and just waiting to die is completely cruel and unnecessary. Do your part and shop cruelty free. Brands like Yes To, Tarte, and Burt’s Bees are just a few cruelty free brands that you could replace in your life. You can also urge your lawmakers to support the “Humane Cosmetics Act” which would require animal testing to end in the United States. Help your furry friends where ever you can; they will soon be all we have left.
Exploring unknown territory : research oceans, not space far up. Little is known about how our weather acts and is formed. We can only accurately tell the present state of our climate. Our weather doesn’t
Humans explore. It’s what we’ve done and it’s what we will always do. We give our utmost efforts to discover what is just around the corner. It is our nature. Finding new places and things furthers us as a species. We become smarter and more creative. New technology is introduced to find what we’re searching for. New thoughts are inspired by the need for a more efficient and safer way to reach the beyond. But what should we explore? Recently, our best scientists have been reaching for the stars. We’ve looked beyond our own soil in order to find others. We’ve ignored our own secrets and treasures. We’ve abused the very world that helped to create our existence in the first place. Our species now knows more
about the infinite amount of stars that float around in the universe then the ground you sit on while reading this. We are a very lucky species. Billions of years and several mass extinction events and now we reside as the most advanced species to have ever inhabited a beautiful planet we call Earth. We’ve expanded to the majority of the planet and established many different civilizations. Humans have made an impact that will be left for millions of years to come, even if we were all to perish this very second. Yet we choose to ignore the environments we live in. We leave most of our massive oceans unexplored. There are pieces of land that we have never set foot on, because we’d rather set foot on our moon. We like to look up, and not down to our own feet. And even though we look up, we look too
just affect us. It affects all of the species that coexist with us humans. It affects the millions of species that we have yet to document and research. Some amazing crea-
Print Editor-in-Chief -- Angie Moss News Editor -- Angie Moss Online Editor-in-Chief -- David Fliter Opinions Editor -- Erick Echegaray Features Editor -- Elizabeth Alexander Sports Editor -- Jacob Clanton
Entertainment Editor -- Preston Harrison Trending Editor -- Savannah Cherms Content Editor -- Anna Hupp Copy Editor -- Mira Bhandari Photo Editor -- Dylan Thomas Graphic Artists -- Elizabeth Alexander and Vanessa Guvele Business Manager-- Lily Colburn
Social Media Managers -- Savannah Cherms and Jeremy Woolever Staff Writers/Photographers -Hasan Al-basri, Cora Astin, Mira Bhandari, Alli Bruce, Taylor Bullock, Karen Estrada, Na’Qyah Jackson, Megan Klug, Mikayla Larkin, Jordan Lutz, Alyse Maender, Karmen Martinie, Bhawantha Nilaweera, Johna-
PRESTON HARRISON STAFF WRITER
tures and plants have come and gone without our acknowledgement. And we could have prevented many of those extinctions. In our never ending
search for a better world to explore, we ignored that ours has yet to be fully discovered. Every few months, research comes out informing the public of a
new discovery found in the oceans and some crazy ecosystems never before known of. Each time these new species, places and even resources are found, it dramatically changes the overall mission of science. Each new thing could progress us further by providing new ideas for research, which will push our knowledge to expand greatly. But if furthering our own knowledge is not enough motivation, then research to save the human race should be. Around the world, events and catastrophes happen that are often out of our control. Earthquakes, eruptions, dramatic weather events and extreme climates still puzzle us to this day. Each of which pose a major threat to all human life. Why are we still sitting back and casually watching it all go down? Are we so motivated to find other forms of exo-planetary life that we will potentially throw ours completely away? Space can wait. For however long it takes.
Our own planet is calling for our attention, our own lives even. We still struggle for an all around cure to cancer. We still suffer minor and major diseases that we fail to understand in their entirety. We cannot even begin to explain the complex matter that resides inside your head, the matter that composes the thoughts to explore space, oceans and the matter that fabricates this very column. Oceans are just a scratch on the surface of what is left to explore under our own atmosphere. The idea to explore oceans and not space is just a topic wagon we ride along to view our other now major areas that lack significant knowledge. Rockets are cool and fascinating. But let us use the technology to explore deeper into our own world and lives. Maybe then we could find a true destination to search for, or possibly many of the answers we so desperately seek.
thon Ostermann, Lauren Race and R.J. Walling. Videographers -- Gavin Larios, Chandler Mixon, and Hans Ahorro Kristy Nyp -- Adviser Distribution -- Thanks to Kim Schnee’s class - Caleb Barnes, Oscar Casas, Angel Cid, Charlie Dickey, Karl Drown, Rachel Efken, Terra Harvey,
Lynne Jones, Colten Kirk, Josh Kohls, Kahari Lowery, Allie Parker, Alesha Pearl, Megan Ritthisorn, Mythias Satterfield, Dave Sherwin, and Hannah Sullivan. 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 and National Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is a public forum. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com
GRAPHIC BY VANESSA GUVELE
VOLUME 104 • ISSUE 4 • SEPT. 20, 2016 VISIT MHSMENTOR.COM
PAGE
3 FEATURES Seniors tweak child car for two-year-old with brain injury ANNA HUPP CONTENT EDITOR
“Do you know it?” his mother asked, bouncing him in her arms. “Do you know you’re getting a car today?” Two-year old Avery Pozarek smiled a lose, happy grin. He didn’t know it yet, but the car he would get was a small black minimotor, the kind children ride up and down the sidewalk. This one was a little different. It had buttons, four on the dashboard instead of a wheel, along with a headrest, a padded seat and several harnesses. These modifications were made by four seniors -- Nolan Blankenau, Eric Higgins, Owen Li and Tony Lu -- because Pozarek has Periventricular Leukomalacia, a brain injury which delays cognitive development and impairs motor skills. As a was too new, his mother, result of the condition, Lindsay Pozarek, said, Pozarek cannot walk. with too many strange “We had to modify faces. It might take time quite a bit of it,” Li said. -- maybe a week -- for “The child can’t con- him to adjust. But his trol his arms very well. parents were grateful for He doesn’t have much the addition. strength; same with his “We were so excited, feet. So the steering because, you know, [Avwheel and the accelera- ery] wouldn’t be able to tor pedal had to be taken experience having a car out and instead we just like that,” Lindsay said. installed these buttons “He needs the support to push down so he can actually control “It was gratifying. It helped the car. To support us and it helped the child.” his body he needs a whole system of har--SENIOR OWEN LI SAID nesses -- straps on his ankles, his shoulders, chest, waist -and then a head rest be- and he can’t use a steercause his neck doesn’t ing wheel like another support his head very kid would get to do. So well either.” we were very excited, The seniors arrived so happy, and we feel with the car, and Poza- blessed, even that this rek’s parents lowered was available, because him into it. Pozarek rode we had no idea it existfor about 30 minutes, his ed.” parents pushing the car The seniors built the and coaxing him along, car over the course of helping him press the about two months, after four buttons to move up Higgins’ mother heard and down the living room of GoBabyGo!, an orgacarpet. nization that researches Pozarek was crying. It the effects of giving
children with disabilities small cars. According to its website, GoBabyGo! is “committed to a single, urgent vision: all people exploring their world via independent mobility.” “They want [the cars] to be fun; they want them to be something other kids will envy,” Susie Peterson Higgins said. Susie matched the students with Pozarek through a co-worker at Infant Toddler Services. Then they ordered a pre-made mini-motor online. “Exactly what changes needed to be made depended on the person we built it for,” Li said. “We knew we were going to modify a car but nothing besides that.” The boys worked in the Higgins’ basement for a few hours most days in the summer and more sporadically during the school year. “I had a summer job,” Blankenau said. “So we would meet in the mornings and work around that.”
Exchange student national competitor in octathlon JORDAN LUTZ BLUE M BUSINESS MANAGER
Track and field brings thoughts of sprints, distance, jumps and throws. So, hearing about an octathlon competitor is not something MHS students and faculty do that often. Junior Kō Saito, an exchange student originally from Yamagata, Japan, competed in octathlons and is nationally ranked in the highs school boys division in Japan. Saito won a national title in the Yamagata Prefecture. “There are eight events [in octathlons],” Saito said. “100 meters, 400 meter, 1500 meter, 110 hurdles, javelin, shot put, long jump and pole vault. Day one is the 100 meter, long jump, shot put and 400 meter. Second day we are going to do 110, javelin and high jump and 1500 meter.” With octathlons, one person competes in
TOP: It’s hard to turn when you’re not used to the car. Avery and Sean, his father, press the “left” button to readjust. BELOW: Avery’s parents, Lindsay and Sean, try to adjust their son to the new vehicle, which was given to them by the four seniors who modified it. PHOTOS BY ANNA HUPP
Overall the project was challenging, with several major hiccups and unexpected adjustments, but the high
each event. In the twoday competition, Saito competes in four events each day. He created a training schedule to help him prepare for each event equally. “I make schedules [to practice],” Saito said. “Monday is hurdle day, Tuesday is run hard day,
Wednesday is run and shot put or javelin day, you know.” While Manhattan High does not offer an octathlon competition, Saito runs on the cross country team and is looking forward to joining track and field in the Spring.
With current events surrounding police officers swimming through everyone’s minds right now, cops are not the most popular people to some students. The new East campus School Resource Officer Jamie Dickson is challenging that mindset. After being a member of the Riley County Police Department for four years and doing almost everything she could in the department, Dickson decided to dip her toes into the water of East campus. “I had just come out of investigations and was getting ready to go back to patrol,” Dickson said. “This was something new and I thought about but I didn’t know if I would like being in the school because it’s completely different from any other police
Seniors test themselves in Independent Foreign Language MIKAYLA LARKIN BLUE M ORGANIZATIONS EDITOR
The usual sequence of foreign language classes includes Spanish 1, 2, 3 and 4, then AP Spanish. But four Manhattan High students have changed that up to skip Spanish 4 and go straight to AP Spanish. If these students pass the Independent Foreign Study test with a score
of 3 or better they could even minor in Spanish in college by only taking two more classes. Seniors Ben Brokesh, Brandon Cook and Tony Liu are among the students in Independent Foreign Study. The three of them have been in Spanish since they were in eighth grade. This class is one of the most advanced Spanish classes in MHS. It’s a step above the language and culture class at MHS. “It is one of the hard-
est tests,” Brokesh said. “A language is harder to learn than any other subject,” Liu said. “You can challenge yourself.” The students believe it’s worth it to put themselves through such a difficult course because it will help them later in life, maybe even helping them to get a job in the future. They and Spanish teacher Carmen Wilson devote a lot of time to this class. They come into the school on the weekend to read literature and study for the
“It was gratifying,” Li said. “It helped us and it helped the child.”
New East Campus SRO strives to be role model SAVANNAH CHERMS TRENDING EDITOR
Junior Kō Satio runs at the Manhattan Cross Country Invitational. PHOTO BY HASAN AL-BASRI
school students say the experience honed their robotics skills and allowed them to benefit Avery.
class. “Senora Wilson is a great teacher,” Cook said. “She’ll help us out whenever we need it. She is one of the most dedicated teachers that the school has.” The students say they stay engaged with the foreign language course because of the contents. “To see a different point of view,” Brokesh said. “Just learning about a whole new culture and language is interesting.”
work you do. I’m used to going out and doing traffic stops or doing investigations ... a lot of it is just interaction with the kids.” Dickson is the first female SRO Manhattan High has seen in awhile, but she is not letting that shake her at all. “A lot of the girls come talk to me,” Dickson said. “They called me ‘chill’ so I must be pretty cool to them. They don’t just talk to me about things they want to report, they talk to me about ‘well what do you think of this outfit,’ or ‘I like this boy.’” Dickson believes that as a female police officer and a police officer in schools, she feels she has a responsibility to be a role model to students both male and female. “I think being a role model comes naturally. You have to step up to that plate, you have to step out of your comfort zone,” Dickson said. “I’ve been trying to go a few steps further than what
our typical role is. I’ve been going into classrooms and partnering up with students, helping them with assignments, things like that.” Dickson’s main mission as a new SRO is just to be on the same level with the students. To truly be a resource for students to comfortably talk about their problems. “The interaction is something I feel like a lot of these students haven’t had with a police officer, because we do get a bad rep as cops but it has been a lot of fun,” Dickson said. “The kids come talk to me, they knock on my door and even the staff and teachers really appreciate it, me coming into classrooms and helping because no one has ever done that before. I want to be a counselor and a mentor first and a police officer last.”
Have you picked up your 2016-2017 Blue M and Spring Supplement yet? If not, come to C-107 to pick it up!