INSIDE THIS EDITION Sophomore Stone Medaris (far left) and senior Kate Washburn (left) read lines during callbacks for the fall musical “Newsies.” The Manhattan High theatre department is preparing for rehearsals as auditions end. Photos by Mason Alberto
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THE MENTOR VOLUME 106 - ISSUE 02 - SEPT. 11, 2018
MHSMENTOR.COM
Robotics Club starts up, plans for eventful year Ayden Boyles Staff Writer
Photo by Elisa Ohler Senior Alec McGlynn talks during a robotics meeting. As the new school year begins so does the hard work of the club. Robotics allows for students to get hands-on experience with building robots and working with code.
Students eagerly waited all summer for The Robotics Club to start up for the year. They held their first meeting for the year on Sept. 4. The club had many returning members, but also saw an influx of freshman. They discussed a way to get everyone trained in areas such as mechanical, electrical, programming and administrationin charge of promoting the club through social media, advertising, the club website, and setting up fundraisers. “We really encourage everyone to join because robotics is a very unique opportunity to gain hands on experience with STEM fields,” Tejaswi Shrestha, Robotics Administration Head, stated. On Sept. 22, the club will be hosting their Lego Camp for sec-
ond through fifth graders. This event allows the elementary students to build a Lego robot that they will use throughout the day to run through a maze and some other activities. New to the Lego event this year according to Robotics Advisor Emma Detrixhe, the event will be more focused on families. “We usually do a Lego robotics competition as our community outreach in the spring and so the one that we’re doing this year is new,” Detrixhe said. “It’s a little bit more family oriented so that [the elementary students have to work with their parents, so that ... they have some team building exercises.” The club also plans to attend the Cowtown Throwdown competition during October in Missouri, as well as the K-Cup at Lawrence Free-State later this
year. Going to these competitions is not free, so the club is currently holding a Yankee Candle Fundraiser, where you can order a candle right from a Robotics member’s phone. This process will also allow for your candle to be delivered straight to your door. The proceeds will go towards the competitions, trips and membership costs. Being a part of the robotics club has had an impact on many of its members. “As someone who loves STEM, particularly the science and math, I thought Robotics would be a great opportunity for me explore more in technology and engineering,” Alice Le, Programming Head, said. “The experience of being in Robotics opened my eyes to the world of innovation and gave me a deeper appreciation for engineering.”
Renovations to Bishop Stadium continue StuCo prepares for regional conference, expects successful year Sophia Comas Sports Editor
The renovations to Bishop Stadium, home turf for the Manhattan High Indians, have taken longer than expected. While the project, which included replacing the track, was originally planned for completion on Aug. 12, it has been extended into September due to complication with the underlay. According to Mike Marsh, Athletic Director, the situation that caused it to be removed also warranted a new blacktop surface. Since its condition could not be assessed until the surface was removed, MHS remained unaware of how bad it was. In a report published by “The Manhattan Mercury,” Matt Davis, USD 383 Director of Facilities and Maintenance, said,
“Once we got the top layer off, we were able to assess the asphalt layer and found out it is not in as good of shape as it should be to put a track on top of it.” Many athletes worried over whether or not Bishop Stadium would be ready in time for this year’s season, but the complications with the track have not prevented them from playing. According to football captain Jaylynn Liggons, the team expressed some doubt towards the beginning of the season as to where they would be playing their games, but were eventually relieved to know that they would remain at Bishop. “We’ve been told it should be done before the first game,” Liggons said in a previous interview. “We just don’t know.”
Kaitlin Clark Print Editor-in-Chief
Students from across central Kansas will soon be coming to Manhattan High to participate in the annual Student Council regional conference. Despite the hard work it takes to pull the event together, StuCo is looking forward to the opportunity it presents. “One of the most important things that happens at a conference like this is really getting to meet and talk to Student Council members from other schools,” Leslie Campbell, StuCo advisor, said. “You can learn a lot from each other.” MHS last hosted the regional conference in 2015 and currently expect around 300 StuCo members from central Kansas this year. Set to take place Sept 17, the conference’s relatively early
date allows StuCo leaders to have time to implement the things they learn at MHS at their own schools. “I think at the beginning of the year, it’s kind of hard to have a good direction of flow, so regional conference kind of gives Student Council an arrow in the right direction,” Student Body President Parker Wilson, senior, said. MHS will host Michael Cuesta as the conference’s motivational speaker, and StuCo leaders will have time to swap ideas with each other, fostering creativity among several schools. Orchestrating the entire event has been a group effort. StuCo members have been working on six different committees and are looking forward to seeing their hard work pay off. “I’m really looking forward to
having all different schools come because I think our student council’s really strong this year,” StuCo Treasurer Trinity Price, senior, said. “We’re just really prepared for this and we’ve been wanting to do this for a while.” Even though they are hosting the event, StuCo members will still benefit from the conference. “...Just being able to really listen and learn from everyone else is important,” Wilson said. The StuCo regional conference will provide students with the opportunity to learn how they can best work together as they prepare for the year ahead. “Student Council is going great so far this year,” Campbell said. “We have a lot of really enthusiastic people ... I’m excited for the rest of the school year.”
Manhattan High jam-packs month of September with events Meredith Comas Online Editor-in-Chief
Supreme Court Visit The Kansas Supreme Court will visit Manhattan High on Sept. 24 as part of their educational outreach program, holding sessions in the afternoon specific to students as well as holding special sessions open to the public 6-8 p.m. in Rezac Auditorium. According to principal Greg
Hoyt, he began talking with his contact at the Supreme Court, Denise Kilwein, as well as the local district judge to set up the visit. The visit will include a visit from one judge during sixth and seventh hour. Students who are not in social studies at that time will need instructor permission to attend. “That will be very educational,” Hoyt said. “The rest of [the visit] in terms of… the evening is just [the] general public has
an opportunity to see how to Supreme Court interacts.” Homecoming According to Tribe sponsor Leslie Finnell, this year’s homecoming theme “True Colors” will incorporate as much color as possible to get the student body involved on the week of Sept. 24. Tribe will announce spirit day themes through video during advisory next Wednesday. Aside from spirit days, activities will include the pep rally, Powder-
Puff football and the homecoming game. The club will also host the Homecoming dance on Saturday, admitting students for $5. “[It’s] full of color,” Finnell said. “It’s going to be inclusive enough for everyone to be involved in spirit days.” Elections Students are eligible to vote in the upcoming Nov. 6 election if they have turned 18 prior to the election. Registration forms must be submitted to the Riley County
Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 16. According to Susan Boller, election supervisor for Riley County, those wishing to register will need to go to www.rileycountyks.gov and follow the given prompts. In-person registration will be available as well. As Sept. 25 is National Voter Registration Day, the League of WomSee ELECTIONS Page 5
BSU starts year with club meeting Blue Light Journal to publish during school year Riley Williamson Staff Writer
With another school year underway students have the opportunity to join many clubs at Manhattan High. One club everyone should check out is the Black Student Union. BSU is excited to serve MHS this year and looks forward to being a positive club for the student body. About 20 members met last Tuesday for the first session. The group will meet every Tuesday after school in the commons. BSU is open to all students and is a safe place for them to learn about their peers. The club gives people an opportunity to appreciate different cultures. The BSU mission statement is “Educate the school and the community on diversity issues, to advocate for Black students, and to create a safe space for discussion intended to empower Black
students in the face of adversity”. The president of BSU is senior Greg Vandyke. At their first club meeting he shared what the club is all about. “BSU is a place where students can join together to talk and discuss real world issues as well as real life issues that they are facing like right now,” Vandyke said. Vandyke also shared some of the planned yearly activities and introduced the new club sponsor, Mashawnda Dotson. Dotson is eager to work with the students and plans to help start a step squad for the club. Some of BSU’s main events are hosting the poetry slam, participating in the Renaissance Fair and attending the BSU leadership conference. “This year is going to be one of our best years yet,” Vandyke said.
Kaitlin Clark Print Editor-in-Chief
Restarting a publication from the ground up may seem an insurmountable task, but two Manhattan High teachers are seeking student leaders to help do just that. The Blue Light Journal is searching for students to be a part of their new editorial board. The board is just one of the efforts creative writing teacher Ann Lee and journalism teacher Kristy Nyp’s are using to rebuild the publication after it failed to publish last school year. “I hope [the Blue Light Journal] will become more wellknown,” Nyp said. “I think it’s a really well-kept secret at our school.” Although Manhattan High has had a literary magazine for decades, it was officially branded the Blue Light Journal in 2013. Nyp
approached Lee before the school year began, and the two now plan to work together to combine the realms of journalistic design and creative writing. Lee stresses that Nyp’s experience with publications will be very valuable as they move forward. “Thank goodness somebody else is wanting to do this too,” Lee said regarding the literary magazine. “I still feel very new to the building and really wouldn’t have a clue where to start.” Nyp was inspired to help guide the publication after seeing its past work, including a reading from student authors who submitted their pieces. “... it was really moving to see those people reading their own works and sharing that part of themselves that comes from creative writing.” Nyp said. While Lee and Nyp plan to
act as advisors for the publication, they stress that they seek for it to be a student-run magazine. “I think both Mrs. Nyp and I really want it to be the student’s expression and that we’re here to facilitate that, but that it’s the student’s voice and not ours,” Lee said. Lee and Nyp ask that any student interested in joining the Blue Light Journal editorial board submit an application to bluelightjournal@gmail.com at their earliest convenience with a paragraph detailing what they would like to see happen with the publication this year. Both advisors look forward to seeing what students do with the publication. “The more works we have, the better the publication will be,” Nyp said, “and … the more that it will grow.”
SPORTS
The Mentor Sept. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com
Varsity football produces electrifying win in overtime Cole Schmitt Staff Writer
After a 14-point scoring spree from Topeka High in Friday’s Varsity football game, Manhattan came back to tie it late in the fourth quarter and eventually won in overtime by one on the last plays of the game. “The key there was the key to the entire game,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “Never quitting. Our kids hustled across the field and did just enough to stop him short.” Topeka High (1-1) scored a touchdown in overtime to put the score at 21-20 favoring Manhattan (2-0). They had a chance to win the ballgame by going for a two-point conversion. Topeka’s running back went left first, with nowhere to go. He then crossed the entire field and Manhattan’s defense stopped him on the one yard line. Topeka had the first say in the game going up 6-0 after a quarterback sneak for a one-yard
touchdown. In the second half Topeka ran a run option pass, in which the running back received the ball from the quarterback and threw it 63 yards to a wide receiver for a touchdown. In the third quarter sophomore Dayne Aschenbrenner dropped back to pass and delivered a 31yard pass to senior Chace McIlvaine to set up Isiah Childs for a two-yard touchdown run. Topeka High responded well by going down the field and scoring a touchdown that would have put them up 20-6 if not for the illegal procedure by them. They would start again from the MHS seven-yard line with first and goal and this time with a different outcome. “It was huge,” Defensive Coordinator Adam O’Neil said. “It kept the points off the board.” Topeka High threw the ball into the endzone and MHS defender Nathaniel Hanson came up with an interception to give the ball back to the offense. Later
in the fourth quarter MHS went down the field and leveled the game at 14-14 from a Kevontae McDonald touchdown run. Soon after the game would be decided in overtime. High school football overtime rules are each team gets the ball once from the 10-yard line, team with the most points after wins the game, if both are tied do it over again. Manhattan would get the ball first and score quickly and easily off a Childs touchdown run to put the Indians up 21-14. Next up Topeka High scored a touchdown and would go for two to decide the ball game. The rest is history. “Trust is a must,” Schartz said, “You have to trust in your training, you have to trust in your technique, you have to trust in your teammates, and you never quit. The kids did that tonight and we were able to pull out a victory.” Manhattan (2-0) goes on the road Friday to take on Seaman (2-0).
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Photo by Hailey Eilert Senior Jaylynn Liggons runs the ball down the field during the varsity football game. The game was held at Bishop Stadium, Sept. 7. where MHS faced off against Topeka High School. After going into overtime MHS came out on top, winning 21-20.
Volleyball gets set back in race for league title Micheal Simmons Blue M Editor-in-Chief
Manhattan High volleyball made history last season by winning their first league title. Their chance to do it again is hanging in the balance, as they lost two of the three matches of their homeopener on Sept. 6. The team lost to former rivals Shawnee Heights and Seaman, giving Seaman a 1-0 lead in league play, setting MHS back 0-1. The only win of the night came from Silver Lake. “It’s only our third game of the season so it was just kind of getting settled and stuff,” senior Kia Wilson said. “We don’t com-
municate enough, then we get into holes and can’t get ourselves out. I just think that we came in strong wanting to win but we got down on ourselves and that didn’t help.” MHS beat Silver Lake 2-0 (25-20, 25-22), giving them momentum at the beginning of their second match of the night against Shawnee Heights. The Lady Indians started out strong winning the first set 25-15, but it would be short lived as the team struggled to maintain the lead, losing the second and third set (24-26, 2225) and ultimately the match 1-2. While MHS lost to Shawnee, the crowd and players were sitting
Cross Country
Sophia Comas Sports Editor
How did you first get started with running? I didn’t really start running until about 7th grade, but once I started I loved it, and I haven’t stopped since. Who inspired you to become a runner? My parents -- they’ve been part
WEEK
Kris Long Staff Writer
of the running and triathlon world since before I was born, and watching them do it, not only to get better at it but because they love it, truly inspired me. What goals do you have for the season? To keep improving, to be a consistent scorer for my team and to help the freshmen adjust to balancing high school and cross country. As for longer term goals, I’d like to get top 20 at state at some point in my career.
Tennis sees competition Hannah Heger Features Editor
Girls tennis swings into a new season after a summer of preparation. They traveled to Emporia to participate in the Emporia Invitational. With a second place finish at the Junction City Quad on Aug. 30, the team went with high hopes and even higher expectations. “This is our first time going to this meet,” junior Kate McGee said. “It’s a new tournament for
us with some higher quality playing teams.” Kayla Lei, sophomore, placed second in singles, Kira Schartz, junior, placed fourth in second singles, and Jecca Park, freshman, and McGee placed eighth in doubles. “Our team finished third, even though we did not have another team there,” head coach Tony Ingram said. “I feel like if we would have taken a second doubles team, we probably would have See TENNIS Page 5
Golf delays from bad weather Riley Williamson Staff Writer
The girls Varsity golf team had a delayed start on their season. Their first two meets were canceled because of rain. This kept their anticipation high while waiting for their first meet. Practices continued everyday after school as the girls waited for their first meet. “We just kept things normal, I guess we just trained a little bit harder,” Elise Jackson, senior,
a few to many free balls that allowed them to get a strong offense against us.” To some it was a regular volleyball match, but for the players, it was the beginning to an end, as this was the last home-opener for the senior class consisting of eight players. “[Playing my last season] is honestly just really cool, it’s also sad,” Wilson said. “But then again, it’s not sad when you’re with your teammates because I’ve played with these girls since forever and they’re like family to me. It’s really great to just be able to share something with that like that with them.”
Boys soccer places fifth in Titan Tournament
• Won second place at the Manhattan Invite • Won second place at the Emporia Invitational
Ella Rosenkranz
mense throughout the match as neither team gave up a sizeable lead. The first set was neck and neck, ending in Seaman’s favor 22-25. MHS ended the match by losing the second set 19-25. “When we’re battling so hard and there are so many teams battling their hearts out and so many teams are playing to win, we need to get on the winning end of those points in order to battle through some of those emotional games.” Kinderknecht said. “Seaman is a much improved team… we had some serving errors and against teams like that you have to make them earn their points and we have to earn ours as well. We had
ATHLETE OF THE
Photo by Hailey Eilert
on the edge of their seats as they watched the long, endless rallies climax into a single heart stopping play. “We’re keeping the ball alive even when [the opponent] is attacking the ball which makes for fun volleyball,” head coach Lisa Kinderknecht said. “I think [that in the long rallies] we keep sending them back over the net without attacking so we need to be more aggressive there.” The team finished the night with playing the league opener, Seaman, which affected the future of their season. With the home crowd nearly filling the bleachers, the spectator presence was im-
said. “I think we were kind of antsy though because we didn’t get to play.” As the week continued with rainy weather, one day for practice they had a “rules day” in head coach Paige McCarthy’s classroom. This gave the girls an opportunity to make sure they knew all the rules of golf. The girls also got to try putting on the carpet in her room. Although the team is very See GOLF Page 5
The Varsity soccer team finished in fifth place in the Wichita Titan Tournament, which concluded on Saturday with a win against Maize. They started out the tournament on Monday with a loss on penalties to Derby High. “[The first game] was on Monday when all the flooding was happening and so people were late to get to the bus,” said Max Lansdowne, starting forward. “We were late to show up to the game and we were all just kind of worried about that.” Because of a miscommunication between right back Brendan Mummert and goalie Masson Garren, Garren came out and clipped the Derby attacker, resulting in a free kick on the edge of the box. Garren’s sight was blocked by the wall and the Derby player shot it right into the net. In the second half MHS scored off a penalty, evening the
score 1-1. Despite some good chances at the end of the game the score remained 1-1. Normally the game would go to overtime; however, to avoid delaying other games it was decided that it was to go straight to penalties, which MHS lost to Derby, 2-4. “Personally, I would have preferred extra time but I think I speak on behalf of the team for that because in the last 20 minutes we were dominating Derby,” said Mitch Hutchinson, center forward. “We just couldn’t find that goal, and I think that had we had that extra 20 minutes we would have found our winning goal.” The next game, against Wichita East, took place at 4 p.m. on Thursday at Wichita Northwest. Cole Schmitt scored in the first half when Hutchinson made a pass to Carter Wiens who made a shot on goal. It was fumbled by the goalie and fell right into the middle of the box where Schmitt was waiting to slot it into the left side, the lone goal for the game
ending 1-0. The final match, against Maize at Wichita South, started with a goal scored by Lansdowne midway through the first half. Hutchinson won a scramble for the ball then played it through to Lansdowne who juked a defender and put it in the back of the net to make it 1-0. Just minutes later Hunter French passed a ball through to Schmitt who finished to make it 2-0. In the second half Maize scored 2-1, back in the game with only a goal to go for a tie. MHS’s defence stayed strong and Roberto Maysonet Perez tapped one in from a corner to make the final score 3-1. “It puts experience on a lot of players very quickly. There are some hard lessons to be learned... you learn how to play against good competition,” said head coach Frank Alonso. “We have a lot of players that are new to varsity, so it was a big learning curve for them.”
Cross Country triumphs Emporia Invitational Sports Editor Sports Editor
The Manhattan High Cross Country team swept away the competition on Saturday as they won all four of their divisional races at the Emporia Invitational. This is the second first place win for both Varsity teams as well as boys Junior-Varsity and C team. Unlike last week, this is the first time girls J.V. has won first place, since at their last meet they won third. “I thought all across the spectrum it was an awesome performance,” Matthew Pickering, junior, said. “I think we all had a great time seeing each other do well and cheering each other on.” Pickering placed third in boys Varsity with a time of 16:41, contributing to Manhattan’s overall win of 64 points. Though boys Varsity dominated their race with two runners within the top three, girls Varsity was less fortunate. They felt the absence of two senior leaders, Clara Mayfield and Maddie Pur-
dom, though this allowed for the younger runners to step up and be team leaders. “It’s a tribute to all of those girls, not only the hard work they’ve put in over the summer and in practices, but also to their courage and determination to do what they needed to do for their team,” Susan Melgares, head coach, said on their website. Despite the team’s success, the weather caused a minor issue that they were quick to resolve. According to Pickering, the moist conditions caused a lsight issue, but the team was quick to overcome it. “People handled the conditions well,” Pickering said. “The mud added an extra challenge to the race but everyone embraced it well by having some fun with it.” Unlike the team’s last meet at Warner Park, they now have the ability to compare scores and make room for improvements. “Considering where we are in the season and given that we’re still all in the process of gaining
fitness, everyone did what they needed to do in order to succeed for this meet while leaving room for continued improvement for the rest of the season,” Ella Rosenkranz, junior, said. Rosenkranz pulled through with the girls Varsity race, placing second in a season best time of 20:27, contributing to Manhattan’s 8-point lead in the overall score. As the team celebrates their second success, they also continue to put forth every effort in practices to ensure future victories. The team hopes to carry on their triumph in Joplin, Missouri, for the Missouri Southern Stampede this Saturday. “I think that overall we just need to stay focussed on the rest of the season by staying consistent with our training and doing all the little things right,” Pickering said. “When we step up to the line we’ll be confident and can give it all we got.”
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FEATURES
The Mentor Sept. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com
Spanish Club kicking the new year off with “Cafe Español” Brianna Carmack Staff Writer
Spanish Club is kicking the new school year off by adding a new monthly activity called “Cafe Español.” Not only did the students practice Spanish, but they are able to build relationships with others while enjoying yummy pastries. Different groups were spread around the room based on their skill level with advisors at each group. Along with the casual conversations and skill building, there was also doughnuts and hot chocolate for all of the members, creating a fun environment. This allowed students to relax and feel more comfortable when practicing Spanish. “I know I learned Spanish in school and one of the things I was most insecure about was my speaking and so to give people a place to not only practice but to know other students,” sponsor Lindsy Clark said. Spanish Club will be traveling to K-State in October with the Hispanic Student Union for their
annual Hispanic American Leadership Organization. “[HALO] is a conference that anyone can go to but it’s focused on helping empower Hispanic students to go to college or to find leadership opportunities and to be proud to their culture and language,” Clark said. Spanish Club has a busy year ahead with several events planned, including their HALO Conference and the Cafe Español event. They are also planning on planting flowers in the school courtyard and will also help out other clubs with school activities such as the SADD Carnival and Spring Fling, further spreading their influence in the Manhattan High community. Spanish Club has an exciting year planned and it seems like everyone is excited about it. “Seeing the officers that are really excited about it [Spanish Club] and making it a club that is welcoming for everybody, and also want to share their interest in the Spanish language and culture,” Clark said.
Hispanic Student Union Club kickoff Aloera Ostermann Staff Writer
The first Wednesday of each month, clubs meet to fill students in on what they’re doing. The Hispanic Student Union used the first club meeting day to kick off several fun activities and inclusive games. People who were just walking by couldn’t help but stop by for a second to see what all the noise was about. Low and behold it was the HSU partying it up. Club co-presidents Rafael Cuevas-Leon and Noemi Figueroa-Uribe, seniors, kicked off the meeting with short introductions of the main club members including sponsors Carmen Wilson and Diana Wells. Then they introduced the new club name, Hispanic Student Union, and the story behind it. “We wanted to be separated from the Spanish Club and not get confused with them,” Cuevas said, “[The club names] sounded alike so we wanted to be different since we have different missions from them.” The goal of the HSU is to help anyone of any ethnicity become more familiar with the Hispanic culture. People will be able to become better educated about Hispanic people and where they come from, allowing a more friendly environment. With the major introductions behind, Cuevas gathered the 12 students in attendance to play a game. The students were split in half and then one team had to sit on their balloons and pop them before the other team did. The winning team even got candy as a
reward for their efforts. “[The meeting] went really well,” Cuevas said, “I just think we need to organize a little better to make it so much better ... We wanted people to have fun and just to get along with everybody, just to get to know each other and to just get comfortable to play and be ourselves.” Aside from the games some upcoming events were also brought up. One big event for the club occurs in October, where the students get together and go to KState for the Hispanic American Leadership Organization conference. There, the club members will engage in dancing, music and presentations from K-State students, helping them better understand their own culture and to help unite people with the same background. The club will also be doing some fundraisers such as serving in the suites at the K-State football games. All of this will be put towards their ultimate goal: giving out two scholarships for graduating seniors. To apply for the scholarships the seniors will have to submit essays to the club sponsors. Then, there will be a group of people ready to read and evaluate the essays deciding which students deserve the scholarships. This will be the first time the club has done any scholarships and they hope to continue this in the future as their club grows. “This is our second year,” Cuevas said, “We want to kind of start building up from what we did last year.”
IPS participates in Camp Wood Tara Wood Staff Writer
The Interpersonal Skills class hit the ground running this year by immediately starting off with a group activity. On Aug. 29 they went to Camp Wood in Elmdale, KS. Camp Wood is a daylong camp filled with team building exercises. “Camp Wood, that was probably the funnest thing we have done so far,” senior Duncan O’Brate said. “They have you ride a horse slowly down a trail.” IPS is a class for seniors that teaches social skills. These skills are to be used through high school and hopefully for the rest of the students’ lives in whatever community they live in. All the students in the class are very active in our own community. In order to get into IPS, there is an extended process. This is in order to narrow down the number of students. First all applicants must be seniors and have received a nomination. Then before the next school year applicants have to do an interview.
Usually they interview about 200 students and only choose around 50, making the class competitive to get into. “The class is purposefully designed to be diverse,” Kerik Eklund, IPS teacher, said. “We have students with disabilities, students without disabilities, high achievers, at risk students. Basically, we try to create a cross section of a typical community...” Mr. Eklund said. With so many students in just one class it was important for all the students to have an opportunity to get to know one another, so connecting this diverse set of students is a goal of the Camp Wood retreat. “It was just a bunch of activities where we have to be very encouraging and very kind to each other learn everybody’s names and hang out with people that we never have before,” Cami Wells said. “We all made dinner together which is like aver strong bonding experience and ever since then we’ve all been a lot more happy to see each other in the morning.”
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Photo by Javi Mercado
Seniors Cade Hupp and Michael Turnley enjoy a bite at The Cafe Español Thursday morning. Students were encouraged to stop by to have some food and practice their Spanish skills before school started. In addition to their Cafe Español event, Spanish Club will be working with other clubs throughout the year.
AFS fundraises for year-end trip Aloera Ostermann Staff Writer
The AFS club has done a fair amount of fundraising so far this year. While each club has different intents for fundraising all of the money gets used towards different things. All of the money from AFS fundraising will be going toward what they feel is a worthy cause. They are doing their fundraising for a trip, but not just any trip. The students hope to raise enough money for the group to visit Buffalo, New York, in March after spring break. This is a oncein-a-lifetime trip for many of these students, so it is imperative for them to see as much of America as possible. “The main thing of this trip is to visit other AFS students in Buffalo and visit other schools there,” junior Shawn Lange said. This is why they work so hard
at fundraising. The students spend hours working in the suites every Kansas State University home football game day making sure there are plenty of things to eat and drink. “When people start showing up everyone gets one area or station,” Lange said, “When the people want to start a conversation; answer friendly be kind.” The students have two choices of how they wish to work the suites. If they have tickets they work four hours preceding the game and then get to watch the game. If not, they continue working through the end of the third quarter. If they work during the game, how they look and act is very important. All volunteers must be as professional as possible. “We start off the day by getting nice dressed so we dress there a black collared shirt,” Lange said.
“We first started to clean everything, so everything looks nice after that we filled up the buffet with food such as hot dogs, burgers, nachos, corn dogs, macaronis.” While the fundraising is for a good cause the work isn’t always enjoyable. “We work for seven hours,” said junior Jose Pacho. “You can only see on the screens.” Their view of the game is no better than someone watching at home and they have to work long hours, but in the end most of the students believe the work will be worth the trip, especially since, when in New York, they may get to visit the United States side of Niagara Falls. This just goes to show how much dedication a little club can have when it comes to being a part of something bigger than themselves such as AFS.
ARTIST
How did you get into art? I have always liked making stuff and ceramics was just a way to keep doing it in school.
OF THE
WEEK Makenna Wollenberg Assistant Photo Editor
Photo by Makenna Wollenberg
Kennedy Shirk Sculpture/ Performing Arts
• Shirk participates in a variety of arts including ceramics, theatre and chamber choir. In theatre she often works on the tech crews for Manhattan High theatre productions throughout the year
What all do you do in school related to art? I do music, theatre and all kind of arts I can get into. What would you say is your favorite type of art? It would probably be music. I also like sculpture. What is your most recent project involve? Right now I am working on creating 8 inches. So pulling the bowl up on the wheel. Beyond that I am working on creating a hourglass with the center missing.
Are you someone who...
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The Mentor Sept. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com
ENTERTAINMENT
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‘Newsies’ auditions, callbacks determine fall musical roster Kaitlin Clark Print Editor-in-Chief
Hopeful auditionees gathered in Rezac Auditorium last Tuesday through Thursday, each stretching or practicing the vocal exercises that they thought they would need when the big moment came. Auditions for the Manhattan High fall musical “Newsies” took place, bringing the theatre back to life after a long summer of little use. Although it was first performed professionally in 2011, “Newsies” has just recently been released for amateur performances, making MHS the first group in Manhattan to put on the production. The musical will also be seeing new leadership. As the Stage Director for the fall musical, drama teacher Ginny Pape will be working alongside her husband, choir teacher and Music Director Chad Pape. Prior
to accepting the drama teacher So I think they’ll be quicker, there to audition. First year freshmen position at often get MHS, Ginny help from directed the fourth year Manhattan seniors, proParks and Rec viding nersummer youth vous audimusical for tionees with several years, someone to meaning that guide them. she and her “Everyhusband had one so nice, plenty of ideas so it’s like of how to remaking me structure the comfortaudition proable and just cess. making me “I’ve done feel like I can a number of do stuff,” auditions and f r e s h man Photo by Mason Alberto they’re very Jade Boyett Senior Grace Frankie auditions during the musical callbacks on Thursday. The Manorganized,” said. hattan High School fall musical is Newsies. Ginny said. While this “We know exis the first actly what we’re reading when we will be a quicker turnaround too.” year for many auditionees, the come into the theater, we get the The fall musical welcomes any curtain is beginning to close for students in and out very quickly. student in grades nine through 12 the theatre’s seniors. Even seniors
MHS Marching Band successful in KSU All-Star Band Sophia Comas Sports Editor
The Big Blue Marching Band stepped into some big shoes at the Second Annual Kansas State All-Star Marching Band on Sept. 1 during half-time, where they joined both the Kansas State University and the University of South Dakota bands for a group performance on the field. The band featured 24 out of the 30 students nominated along with around 125 more students from across the state. “Manhattan High School has the largest amount of band students selected from one school,” Joel Gittle, MHS Band Director, said. “I’m incredibly proud of our program to produce enough students to represent the most amount of students from one program in this prestigious group.” The band was joined in rehearsal with the KSU Marching Band, where they had a four hour practice on Friday and another two hour session on Saturday. According to Emily Deeds, senior, the director would have them “park and bark” -- stopping while playing to produce the best quality -- repeatedly to determine when the performance was at its best. “It was great to match with upper level band people,” Deeds said. “Just the energy of being on the field with them was amazing. I hope that we can bring that into our band.” While playing with K-State From ELECTIONS Page 1
en Voters will host a registration booth at Manhattan High for eligible students to register. This nonpartisan-community group From GOLF Page 3
small with only six people on Varsity they have high hopes for the season. There are only two seniors on the team this year: Elise Jackson and Camryn McAtee, who are also the captains. This past Thursday the girls Varsity team finally had their first tournament of the season. They played in Topeka at the Western Hills Golf Course. Although they were still worried it would be rained out, the tournament had From TENNIS Page 3
been second place or maybe even considered for first place.” The meet included teams from Blue Valley, Conway Springs, Andover, Derby, Emporia and Lawrence high. “We all kept pretty positive and it was when the match didn’t go our way we kind of supported each other,” McGee said. “During our off times we would go watch others play and cheer them on, or we were on [the court] and they got done before they would watch us.”
was a great experience for the band, it had its challenges. Playing in the heat proved an ordeal for students who carried large instruments. “It was very hot and very tiring but a lot of fun,” Maggie Fontanini, junior, said. “They gave us a lot of hard work to do… we did as much as we could in the six hours of rehearsal we had.” Part of the challenge was to independently study the music they were expected to play. Students received part assignments and music to be learned ahead of time so that when they showed up for rehearsal they could go straight into drill movements. According to Gittle, this will help prepare them for future marching band performances and events by giving them more motivation and leadership skills. “It’s quite an honor to be nominated and a huge honor to be selected,” Gittle said. “I’m proud of the way our selected students represented themselves, Manhattan High School and the Manhattan community.” While this is only the second year this event has been done, the Big Blue Marching Band is hopeful for next year and plans on returning with an even larger amount of participating students. “All in all, it was a great experience to hang out and play with the K-State band,” Fontanini said. “I definitely recommend it to anyone who gets a chance.”
who have only participated in the fall musicals will find it hard to say goodbye to a program that has meant so much to them. “I know I’ve had fun the last three years and I know I’ll have fun this year, but it’s going to be sad leaving all the people that I’ll make friends with this year,” senior McKenna Claussen said. “Newsies” was chosen due to its energetic nature, dance routines and large chorus, and promises to be another MHS theatre production that wows audiences. Ginny is confident in both herself and her students as they complete the audition process and begin their rigorous rehearsals. “I just want the students to have a really good time and to feel good about their product that they produce,” Ginny said. “We have a lot of really talented students, and I think they have the capacity to put on a really excellent show.”
Taylor Swift rocks Arrowhead stadium Rachel Edie Staff Writer
Attendee
Attendee
On Saturday night Taylor Swift rocked the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City with her new reputation. The concert, featuring not just Swift’s vocals, but also those of Camilla Cabelo and Charlie XCX, was described by the Kansas City Star as a major “girl-power moment.” Manhattan High students in attendance seemed to hold this sentiment as well. Fans were emotional as Swift sang some of her older songs along with her most recent hits, making the concert a unique blend of nostalgic pieces and high-energy pop music. While Swift’s concerts are always hits, her Kansas City performance marked an important date for Arrowhead Stadium: according to the Kansas City Star, her performance broke the all-time attendance record.
“This was by far the best Taylor concert she’s put on. It was a total production and so much energy and she was just so real and [it] seemed like we were hanging out with just a normal friend on a Saturday night.”
“The whole concert was great and throughout it during certain parts, I would just get chills cause I would get so into the music. Also at the end after she exited a quote came up on the screen ‘and in her death of her reputation, she felt truly alive’ ”
Avery Koeneke, Freshman
Abbey Finnell, Sophomore
Photo courtesy of Lauren Erickson
will walk students through the registration process. For further information on voter registration, contact the Clerk’s office at their website or call at (785) 537-6300. a great ending for the team who placed second. This first tournament was very important for the team to know how to grow and get better. “Now going in (to the rest of the season) we will try to do better because we have a baseline,” Jackson said. The girls Varsity team plays again Monday in Salina and their J.V. team plays their next game tomorrow at home at Stagg Hill Golf Course. Even though the team didn’t place higher than what they expected they are hopeful for upcoming tournaments in their current season. “I think there’s a really good lot of young players, the freshmen have a really, really good skill set,” Ingram said. Even with their lack of senior leaders the upperclassmen players are doing their best teaching the newer players. The team is looking forward to their next meet today at 3:30 p.m. at the Kansas State University tennis facility.
9/11 MEMORIAL TONIGHT AT BISHOP STADIUM
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