Sports Basketball
Entertainment One Acts
Basketball teams sweep Dodge City in home openers. Page 4
Thespian members excite crowds during annual One Acts. Page 5
THE MENTOR VOLUME 105 • ISSUE 11 • DEC. 12, 2017 VISIT MHSMENTOR.COM
Annual Club Feast builds student fellowship
Photo by Meredith Comas
Amazed. Senior Maddy Shaneyfelt, junior Angie Juha and senior Riley Taylor laugh at the video on Taylor’s phone. Those visiting the club feast ate the food provided before joining together to play a group game. Afterwards, attendees mingled around, hoping to meet someone they didn’t know yet. “It was nice to interact with people I normally would talk to,” Taylor said. “I just wish more people showed up.” Kami Bussmann Staff Writer
Manhattan High Student Council has a tradition that brings the clubs at the school together to create a better environment for the school: Club Feast. “The idea is to get all the clubs together to talk with each other and encourage fellowship between clubs,” sophomore class president Hannah Higgins said.
The whole idea of Club Feast is to bring the clubs closer with food and lots of chit chat to ultimately bring the Manhattan High clubs more together as a whole. Hosting the feast has become a StuCo tradition. “Club Feast is an MHS tradition,” Higgins said. “We have been hosting a club feast for a while now.” This year, it was held on Dec. 5. It was an overall success but had some mishaps
within it. “There was a slight confusion of what time the event started but that didn’t rip the integrity from it at all,” Higgins said. “There were intramurals so at the beginning the turnout was good but not as good as the end.” StuCo sophomores are in charge of making Club Feast happen. Sophomores volunteer to chair the event planning. The sophomore chairs this year were Bronwynn
Bliss and Tanya Singh. “I just volunteered,” Bliss said. “Sophomores are in charge of it, so I was like sign me up.” After the sign up, Bliss and Singh sent out invitations to all the clubs at Manhattan High and met with the freshmen to start planning the theme. The theme that was picked was Winter Wonderland because of the winter season. “Our main job in the fresh-
man class StuCo for club feast was to pick a theme and come up with ideas for and buy decorations,” freshman class president Zach Paquette said. Each club is assigned a different side dish to bring. The members of StuCo chip in for the feast as well. “Within StuCo we assign different classes to bring different things, but sophomores bring the main dishes,” Bliss said.
Debate gains experience Physical mascot proceeds controversially Kaitlin Clark Entertainment Editor
Manhattan High’s debate team competed in the National Debate Qualifiers tournament last Friday and Saturday, and although they may not have found victory, they did gain a great deal of experience. “This tournament is definitely much more difficult than the rest,” Raven Arasmith, junior, said. “You compete against a lot of talented teams and that makes it much harder.” Eight MHS students were taken to the tournament, with only one pair making it through the first round of eliminations. The National Qualifiers tournament is organized differently than other tournaments. All teams debate two rounds on the first day, and all pairs with a winning record moves on to a third round, followed by the Saturday portion of the tournament. Only one Manhattan High team made it past the first two rounds. “The hardest part [of the tournament] was going against better competition than normal,” Cameron Marshall, sophomore, said. “The format makes the tournament harder, as every round gets tougher and tougher no matter what.” There was added pressure for students since it was a tournament that could potentially qualify teams for nationals. “This tournament had a lot
tougher competition, seeing as how it was to qualify for the national competition in the summer,” Blaise Hayden, junior, said. There were several difficult aspects to competing, including the appearance of new cases made by other teams. “The hardest part of [debating] is coming up against new [affirmative cases] that we don’t have any opposing evidence for,” Arasmith said. “It’s hard to argue against something that you don’t have anything on.” Even without the success they have become accustomed to, debate students gained a great deal of experience from competing in such a difficult tournament. “My partner and I lost both rounds, but neither of us were really that disappointed,” Hayden said. “We knew it was going to be [a] tough competition going into the tournament. We could’ve met up more before the tournament to go over and prepare.” This tournament also marks the end of the debate season for students who will not be moving on to larger upcoming competitions, such as the state tournament. “I’ve enjoyed this debate season,” Hayden said. “It’s been my first proper season, and even though I haven’t had a winning record, the people I compete with [or] against are what make it really fun.” See DEBATE page 5
Jacob Clanton Print Editor-in-Chief
Manhattan High’s physical mascot is on to the final stage. At the USD 383 Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, senior student body president Lily Colburn, in conjunction with Manhattan High principal Greg Hoyt, recommended that the board accept the naming of the MHS physical mascot as the wolf. This recommendation came on the heels of the final vote on Nov. 30, in which students could pick either “No Mascot,” “Bison” or “Wolf.” The final vote totals were 505 students in favor of “No Mascot,” 448 for “Wolf,” and 441 for “Bison.” However, since both the “Wolf” and “Bison” choices were in favor of a physical mascot, 63 percent of the student body was in favor of a physical mascot. As a result, wolf was recommended as the physical mascot choice of the students. Counting the votes that way wasn’t the choice of a single person or group. “Independently, as [Student Council student body] executive officers and [StuCo adviser Leslie] Campbell and I,” Colburn said, “we decided that the best way going forward would be to interpret both categories of ‘Yes mascot, bison,’ and ‘Yes mascot, wolf,’ as ‘Yes’ votes. However, when we presented it to Mr. Hoyt, we did not present that to him at first, we simply presented the numbers, got his
opinion, and he also agreed mend ‘No Mascot’. By amalwith us.” gamating the various mascot Influencing the decision votes into a majority, and was the fact that the student then choosing to recommend body had voted in favor the most popular of of a physical masthe mascot votes, cot in all other the school inadrounds. vertently made “When you some stulook at the dents feel dedata withceived.” out opinion,” The execColburn said, utive board “you see that struggled the data colwith how they lected, through wanted the balall three rounds lot to look, before of voting, reflects ultimately choosing that a majori- Graphics by Jacob Clanton to give students ty of students Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding three options want some sort with the opportuof physical mascot nity to vote on one. and that’s the “I’ll be very position of myhonest in sayself personaling that it ly. By looking was a time at the votes, issue,” Colthey reflect burn said. “It that students takes a lot of want a physitime to count cal mascot.” 1,700 ballots However, and to collect many students 1,700 ballots. I’ll opposed the recombe honest in saymendation. They took ing if I could go back to Twitter, commenting that and do it, I would have asked since “No Mascot” received two questions, just to avoid the most votes, it should the controversy. I believe have been the winner. One that if we would’ve asked of their complaints was the two questions, we would’ve structure of the ballot. The had the same results, there’s ballot asked students to vote no doubt in my mind about for one of the three options, that. We understand that the and it didn’t mention how time commitment is someStuCo would count the votes. thing that was a given, but “When the ‘No Mascot’ we decided to streamline it vote received the most sup- and, from the beginning, to port,” senior Caleb Luck said, interpret the data in such a “I think many students exSee MASCOT page 5 pected the school to recom-
OPINIONS
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MLK Jr. Day should reflect his legacy This editorial is a compilation from a discussion held by the editorial board. To listen to the conversation that led to this piece, visit MHSMentor.com Martin Luther King Jr. has gone down in American history as one of the most influential leaders in history. He even has an American holiday -- celebrated each year on the third Monday in January -- dedicated to him. Most schools and non-essential government offices observe this by closing for the day. While many people around the country are celebrating the legacy King left by being active in their community, some are using this holiday to simply run errands or catch up on the recently added section of Netflix. While USD 383 takes the day off and Manhattan holds activities in King’s honor, the brief observance of the day simply is
not enough. Manhattan High and all of USD 383’s observance of MLK day was decent, but ultimately, did no true honor toward King when a significant amount of students didn’t participate. Rather, they stayed home to do nothing. It should be noted that, during the annual Mr. MHS pageant, Student Council paired with the Black Student Union to present different parts of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech -- which tied perfectly with the pageant’s theme of “Heros” -- but this still isn’t quite enough. In the larger Manhattan community, MLK events were offered, but those were poorly publicized. The Manhattan Public Library had activities throughout the day that honored King while getting kids active in the community. Teens in the community were invited to participate in their “Martin
Luther King Jr. Day of Service Teen Volunteering” in which students were able to gain volunteer hours around the city
Graphics by Rebekah Efken
while focusing on King’s mission of serving others. The Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee organized events in the days preceding MLK day as well as the day itself. There were art and writing contests, the MLK Jr. Day of Service, a prayer breakfast and a lecture hosted by
Kansas State University members. While all of these would have been perfect opportunities to get involved, the lack of communication between organizers and community members left many in the dark about these events. It is the agreement of The Mentor editorial board that there are simply too many failing to recognize the holiday as it should be -- in honor of a great and influential leader -and the community plays a role in adding to that issue. MHS could easily incorporate a week dedicated to King and his mission. Give students the actual day off, but when they return to school spend a week discussing King and his work. Advisory serves as a place to build a student community with consciousness of all cultures and races, as well as the influence of students’ pasts and their futures. King played
a huge role in the lives of so many and continues to be an influence today. People should be talking about him and his work as well as the civil rights movement in general. It’s also a great segue as January heads into February, or Black History Month. As for the issue with the Manhattan community as a whole, it’s a simple fix: communication and publicity. Spread the message through the schools, newspapers, radios; use the given resources. Help make the message known to the community so that everyone can celebrate and honor holidays and people like MLK. King was a man who advocated for unity, rights for all and love for all through works of service and kindness. MLK day should reflect that. Everyone should be involved. Live out his legacy, Manhattan.
Overwatch League reasons for not hiring female gamers unacceptable
Elizabeth Alexander Trending Editor
Just as quickly as the Overwatch League is raking in viewers, it is also stirring up controversy. Now don’t get me wrong; I am quite the fan of the Overwatch League and have been cheering on the Houston Outlaws since their first match against Philadelphia Fusion, but I can not and will not stand idly by and turn a blind eye to the issues that
lie within the league. One of my main concerns is the lack of gender diversity in the league. The immediate argument people tend to challenge that idea is that “girls usually aren’t gamers.” This, quite literally, is factually and statistically false. According to the Indiana University Media School, about 44 percent of gamers overall are female. Despite this, girls still get an odd mixture of reactions in the gaming community, but one thing that is common is harassment. Harassment towards females in the gaming community is so common, it’s the exact reason why Kim “Geguri” Se-yeon, one of the world’s best Zarya players, was not signed on to join the Overwatch League, despite the fact that she’s already part of a professional competitive
Hammock for good health
Aaron Hemby Print Photo Editor
A couple of years ago, an old way to lounge started to become a new trend: hammocking. To this day you can still walk around parks and see hammocks hung between two trees. Not only is hammocking one of the most fun and relaxing pastimes, but also has many health benefits. “As you lie down in a hammock, all your vertebrae align properly with the head and tail bones,” Jason Ladock, one of the administrators and publishers of Health Guidance, said in an article for Health Guidance. “This will automatically transform you into a state of meditation.” I was introduced to hammocking by my friend, freshman Chaylen Simar. He bought me a hammock for my birthday last year. Ever since then, I’ve been hammocking whenever the weather allows. When we go to sleep we normally sleep on beds with a pillow or two. Lying face up with a pillow under your head puts you into the optimal sleeping position. Often we lay on the ground, or in beds that aren’t very comfortable. Because of this we will roll over on to our stomach. According to Livestrong.com, laying on your stomach misaligns your spine, can cause neck pain and headaches, and places your spine in an unnatural position. Sleeping in hammocks pulls you in the Jacob Clanton -- Print Editor-in-Chief John Ostermann -- Online Editor-in-Chief Meredith Comas -- Opinions Editor Sophia Comas -- Features Editor Micheal Simmons -- Sports Editor Kaitlin Clark -- Entertainment Editor Elizabeth Alexander -- Trending Editor
perfect position to sleep and avoids any pain. The movement of a hammock is also helpful. “[Swaying] induces a sustained boosting of slow oscillations and spindle activity,” Michel Muhlethaler, professor of neuroscience at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, said in an article for Healthguidance.com. “It is proposed that sensory stimulation associated with a swinging motion exerts a synchronizing action in the brain that reinforces endogenous sleep rhythms.” This means that sleeping in a hammock can improve your concentration and memory because it can increase those brainwaves. “According to the researchers, we need a deep sleep because this can affect a better recovery,” Muhlethaler said. “When a person sleeps deeply, that time our body improves itself by restoring energy, repairing tissues and muscles, and improving the immune system. So, sleeping in a hammock makes us sleep deeply or soundly, which automatically affects the health of our bodies.” Many people have installed hammocks into their home so that they could sleep in them, because humans get better sleep in a hammock than when they sleep in a bed. “Some people choose hammocks as a favorite place to read,” Muhlethaler said. “If you are one of them, the benefit you will get is an increase in brain function to move, so that the learning process becomes more efficient.” I love reading, studying and writing in a hammock. It is clear that hammocks do wonders for your health, so if you have never been in a hammock I urge you to try it. Aaron Hemby -- Photo Editor Dylan Higgins -- Business Manager Staff Writers/Photographers -- Dylan Thomas, Megan Klug, MaKenna Eilert, Hailey Eilert, Makenna Wollenberg, Kami Bussmann, Aloera Ostermann, Mason Alberto, Maddy Gleason, Leah Beyer and Lauren Race.
team, the ROX Orcas. Seyeon was so good at playing that one player threatened to visit her home with a knife and two professional players retired after promising they would if she proved she was not cheating by using aimbot, which she successfully did. Why was Se-yeon not signed on? While she clearly has the skills and qualifications to play, which was confirmed by the league, she was denied a spot to play for Korea because of the possibility that she might get harassed and would not have any chemistry with the all-male team. While the league denies Se-yeon, they’re perfectly okay with hiring someone like Felix “xQc” Lengyel for Dallas Fuel who has a long history of dissing and yelling at teammates, harassing players, reporting players who
have not done wrong to get them punished and throwing competitive matches. Lengyel’s behavior is so bad, he has already been suspended from a professional OWL match due to homophobic remarks towards Austin “Muma” Wilmot, an openly gay player for the Houston Outlaws. All this, in the first two weeks since the league has started. The fact that OWL is alright with hiring players like this, but not players with true skill and clear records like Se-Yeon is unjustified. Another argument that is brought up is the idea that it isn’t about women being good enough at the game, but rather the idea that women who do want to go pro would not be able to handle the criticisms and backlash they would face. Many say women who want to go pro more than likely do not truly
Question
understand what they would face. I challenge this argument. This argument is nothing but a well-articulated excuse to discourage female players from doing what they want. How can someone say women do not understand what they are getting themselves into if they won’t even allow us in the first place? Technically speaking, because of this argument, women have yet to reach the peak that many men have, so how could there even be a level of understanding to compare to? Overall, while I do still love the Overwatch league and will continue on to keep up with their stats and games, I can only hope to see some change in the future when it comes to the rosters. This treatment towards women in the gaming community is unacceptable.
of the Week
Sum up your snow day in five school-appropriate words. No more, no less. “Wow! It’s only one a.m.?” -- Junior Parker Wilson @ThatWildcatGuy
“Why am I sick now?” -- Sophomore Stephen West @stevew1113
“Gossip Girl and chocolate milk.” -- Junior Caylee Asebedo @caybedo
Next week’s question: How do you plan to beautify yourself for SubDeb?
Kansas game microcosm of Weber’s career
There were 15 seconds left on the clock, and Kansas State’s mens basketball team was down just one point to its archrival Kansas. KU’s Malik Newman had drained two free throws to give the Jayhawks a 73-72 lead at Allen Fieldhouse. Now, it was K-State’s turn. Barry Brown got the ball and, instead of hustling to the basket, walked the ball up the court, stood around for a few seconds, moved to the right side of the court and threw up a prayer as time expired. It hit the rim and bounced up, ending the game. Though it was just one play, it was a good synopsis of K-State head coach Bruce Weber’s tenure at KSU. Time and time again, the ‘Cats have had chances to win late in games only to miss key shots or turn the ball over. Enough is enough. It’s time to fire Weber. Granted, he’s not the only reason for these losses. For example, last year in Allen Fieldhouse, after K-State’s Dean Wade missed an open 3-pointer, KU’s Svi Mykhail-
iuk dribbled up the court before taking four steps (of two allowed steps) enroute to the game-winning layup. That’s life in the Big 12. However, you can’t always blame the refs. Last year, down one point to West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament, K-State got the ball with 20 seconds left. That’s more than enough time to set up a good play and score. Instead, Kamau Stokes threw up a contested, fadeaway 3-pointer, missing badly. Maybe it’s just bad players. Obviously it was the players who were throwing up the shots. As Weber said after the game, the ball was supposed to go to Wade, “just like last year.” This sure makes it seem like Weber’s not at fault. The only problem with that is Brown’s a junior; he’s had three years under Weber. Not only did Weber recruit Brown and Stokes, but he’s been coaching them for enough time to make lack of game smarts his fault. If a player is unwilling to learn for three years, that’s just bad recruiting. Speaking of recruiting, that’s not Weber’s forte (Marcus Foster anyone?). “But Jacob,” I can hear you saying. “Weber-coached teams have made the National Championship and won the Big 12 Regular Season Championship.” Don’t worry, I’ve thought of that too. Both of those happened in Weber’s first two years coaching (Illinois and K-State respectively). While
it takes some coaching skill to take a new team deep in the postseason, I think those years say more about Bill Self and Frank Martin respectively. Speaking of those two coaches, we need to talk about NCAA tournaments. Self has made 19 straight NCAA tournaments across three teams. As KU’s head coach, he has always made the tournament. In Martin’s five years at K-State, he made the NCAA tournament four times, winning 22 games the other year. In those four tournaments, KState never finished worse than the Round of 32. Weber has been at KState for five years, making three tournaments. His teams have never moved past the Round of 64. The two years K-State didn’t make the tournament, his teams finished with 15 and 17 wins. That is hard to justify. I dislike comparing coaches to an extent, but the point remains. Weber’s teams are not good in the postseason, arguably the most important time of the season. I realize that winning isn’t the most important thing at Kansas State. Bill Snyder has given us a great example of how to be a fantastic coach, even as the wins don’t come easily. However, given Weber’s track record and the apparent non-coachability of his players, I think it’s time to say “Au revoir” to Bruce Weber.
Kristy Nyp -- Adviser Circulation -- Caleb Barnes, Angel Cid, Caleb DeLoach, Charlie Dickey, Karl Drown, Rachel Efken, Bon Fox, Terra Harvey, Colten Kirk, Joshua Kohls, Douglas McCaskill, Jospeh Myers, Allie Parker, Connie Santos, David Sherwin and Zane Smith.
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
Jacob Clanton Print Editor-in-Chief
FEATURES
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Missoula Children’s Theatre works with area students Kaitlin Clark Blue M Managing Editor
With bright smiles and bold actions, the Missoula Children’s Theatre worked with Manhattan High’s special education department to present an acting workshop for students. Last Thursday, the travelling group presented “Acting in Oz,” a program that leads participants through a series of activities highlighting focus, emotions and courage. “My favorite thing about [Acting in Oz] is that we don’t just teach them these skills, we teach them that they already had these skills,” tour actor and director Lindsay Riddle said. “Once you have the confidence to use your skills like focus and expressing your emotions and having courage, it makes everything in your life easier.” “Acting in Oz” is a program made possible by a grant to MCT from the Kennedy Center’s VSA Performing Arts program in an effort to provide workshops to children of all abilities. This includes a focus on not only performing, but also building skills that will be vitally important in their adult lives.
“The fact that they are the show, the kids are the show, is so cool and I think it’s awesome that we get to help develop life skills in children through participation in the performing arts,” tour actor and director Carlysle Garland said. “That’s our mission, and we go for it every week because we do believe that the arts are very, very important.” In addition to “Acting in Oz,” MCT also put on a production of “The Little Mermaid” at the Manhattan Arts Center. Working with children from across the community, they had a week to prepare before opening night. Within that week, participants are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones in order to put on the best show possible. “Each student has their own journey, whether they started out shy or nervous, or really excited and goes to even more super excited,” MCT tour actor and director Sadie Lockhart said. “It’s really amazing to watch that transformation and the transformation within myself as I watch them do it and learn from them as well.” While MCT benefits many people in the community, it
also aids employees as they have the opportunity to express themselves in new ways through their work. “I wasn’t interested in theatre,” Garland said. “I was actually in a really bad place in my life, and Missoula Children’s Theatre gave me an outlet to explore different ways of being. It helps you create. You get to create somebody that you’ve never been, that you’ve never seen, and it’s okay.” MCT actors and directors maintain that the support of others is what makes their program so successful. “We’re really grateful the town is doing this for their young people,” Riddle said. “We couldn’t do this without them.” Whether they are presenting a workshop to a handful of kids or directing a 60-person cast, the MCT tour actors and directors retain their sense of enthusiasm for their work and look forward to every performance they get to help children put on. “This job is one of the best jobs in probably the world,” Garland said. “I use the word unique because it is. It’s unlike any other children’s theatre I’ve ever heard of.”
Photo Courtesy of Linda Uthoff
The special education department at MHS participates in the Missoula Children’s workshop held last Thursday. They were presented “Acting in Oz,” a program that includes cetain activites designed to help them cope with emotions and gain courage.
Sophomore plans to dance until she drops Gonzales receives national award Kami Bussmann Staff Writer
When something pushes you to your breaking point, it’s difficult to continue participating in whatever it is. Sophomore Ashton Davis has been pushed on the dance stage to be the best she can, ever since her first dance class when she was 2 years old. “[I dance] because I love it, it keeps me in shape, and it’s very fun,” Davis said. She danced at Washington Dance Studio in Manhattan until seventh grade, when she joined Dance Factory out of Topeka. Dance Factory is a successful studio and she is the only dancer at Manhattan High who dances for them. Part of this is probably attributed to the fact that it is based out of Topeka, making the trip hard for anyone from Manhattan, but Davis doesn’t let this stop her. Distance is no obstacle on the way to doing what she loves. In addition to being on Dance Factory, Davis is also a part of the Manhattan High dance team, adding to her true love for dance. She often takes part in some sort of
dance activity seven days of the week. Davis finds a way to put dance in her everyday life. Most days after school she heads to Topeka to go to dance practice and gets back to Manhattan late at night. On Fridays, she goes to the basketball or football games to dance. In some cases, she goes straight to Topeka after games to get ready for competition weekend. With all the practice that the dancers do for Dance Factory on top of their school teams, they are often successful in many of the competitions that they attend. The most recent competition being on Jan. 6. Davis’s studio attended a regional dance competition, Tremaine. This took place in Kansas City where around 20-30 studios in attendance each with several dances to perform. Dance Factory competed hard all throughout the competition and came out on top. “It went really good,” Davis said. “We won first place overall and got into the faculty show.” Every weekend during competition season, she goes and competes anywhere from
CAPTURE
Kansas City to other states, making her dedication to dance apparent. Aside from all the competitions with Dance Factory, Davis still finds time to compete with the Manhattan High dance team. Back on Oct. 8, she attended a competition at Bill Snyder Family Stadium with the Manhattan High dance team. Prior to competing at night, the dance team spent the day with Classy Cats, where they learned different tips and pointers from them. They then performed for the K-State band directors and were given many suggestions on how they could improve and make their routines better. The band, including the dance team, ended up winning first place in the competition. Davis’s dedication to dance leaves her busy all the time, yet somehow she still finds the time for school, friends and family. Davis gets to spend her days doing the thing she loves most even if it means making some sacrifices. Dance for Davis is truly not just a phase; it’s a lifestyle.
your memories with a personalized 2018 Blue M
The steps are as easy as 1, 2, 3. 1. Fill out the Personalization Line with the name that you wish to have engraved on your yearbook. 2. Select the icons you want by your name (see options on the back). 3. Fill out the order form. Deliver the form and payment to Mrs. Kristy Nyp in room C107 by 2/8/2018.
Your personalization helps support the cost of printing your yearbook.
1. Put your name on the cover Must purchase a personalization tag in order to put your name on the cover
2. Add icons to your cover
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Icons are $3.00 each. To add icons, a personalization tag. The maximum number of tags is four (4). See chart for options and write names in the boxes provided.
3. Contact information Student Name: Parent Email: Parent Phone: Grade:
Total your order Blue M Yearbook, $78.00 $75.00 Personalization, $5.00 Icons, $3.00 each Total (Tax is already included) Checks Payable to MHS Feb 15 Yearbooks will cost $83.00
Mason Alberto Staff Writer
Not only is Manhattan High’s wrestling coach, Robert Gonzales, returning back for another season, he can add 2017 National Coach of the Year to his accomplishments. Gonzalez’s 14th year of being wrestling coach ended with him leading the team to the 6A State Championship and his third Kansas state championship. Gonzales has been coaching wrestling since 2004 and enjoys the challenge of meeting new wrestlers to coach them to their best potential. “Wrestling is my passion and I have enthusiasm for the sport daily,” Gonzales said. “[It] keeps me young.” Gonzales was notified back in September that he was nominated by Dave Cherry of the Kansas State High School Activities Association in Topeka. He underwent a 10-page documentation in order to receive the award, which is based on school and community service. “This is a great recognition for our high school, administration and wrestling community,” Gonzales said. “I’m blessed to be a small part.” The Coach of the Year award by the National Fed-
eration of State High School Associations was granted to Gonzales and nine other coaches throughout the nation. Gonzales was the only recipient of the award to both be from Kansas as well as a wrestling coach. Part of his coaching process is to be very interactive with his student athletes. “He’s very supportive and makes sure you’re doing what’s right in and out of school,” Darius Island-Jones said. “And he truly cares about all of his wrestlers.” Over the 14 years of coaching wrestling at Manhattan High, Gonzales has accumulated a record of 317 wins and 133 loses. At the end of the 2017 season, Gonzales had lead Mason Wallace and Jalin Harper the titles of state champion and runner-up. “[I am] so happy for my family, my wife of 45 years and our three children and the sacrifices they made so I could teach and coach,” Gonzales said. He not only coaches wrestling, but he also teaches the freshman Physical Education/ Health class and Drivers Education. “I had Gonzales last year over summer for Drivers Education and he helped me out throughout the course and made sure I passed all my tests,” Mitchell Titus said. “The stuff he taught me I won’t forget.”
AP students struggle to balance Sophia Comas Features Editor
The constant battle between grades and sleep is an ongoing ordeal that the vast majority of high school students can understand, but for Advanced Placement, it’s the terrible start to a raging war. Between school work, social lives and extracurricular activities, it’s difficult to find the time and the energy to keep up. The demanding nature of college credit courses is just one of many, but by far the most immense, contributors to sleep deprivation and a decrease in school performance. “If you forget to sleep or if you ever stay up late to do something for this class, your grade will plummet extremely,” Joseph Salvatierra, a junior currently taking AP Language and Composition, said. “[I have experienced] high stress levels, and it takes a lot of devotion and you have to really focus if you want a good grade and you want to maintain your GPA.”
The pressure of doing well in an AP class as well as juggling prior commitments also affects the way student athletes, performers and active club members with other planned events and practices prioritize their sleep. “I’m up until about at least 11:30 because I have swim practice after school,” Morgan Day, a sophomore enrolled in AP Physics 1, said. “It definitely takes more studying and dedication if you want to get a good grade.” However, while most AP students are comfortable with the decision to put homework and class projects ahead of their mental and physical health, others thrive off of the obstacles AP classes throw at them and embrace the extra challenge. “Overall I just feel not so great [when I don’t get enough sleep],” said Maiesha Hossain, a senior taking AP Biology, AP Literature and Composition and AP Government, “but… it’s a time to challenge yourself so I think it’s worth it.”
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SPORTS
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Bowling takes second in home opener Mason Alberto Staff Writer
Photo by Dylan Thomas
Freshman Connor Weyand competes at the home opener for Manhattan High. This was the fifth tournament for MHS bowling. MHS has three home tournaments left and has 10 left in total.
ATHLETE OF THE
WEEK Photo by Jacob Clanton
•Scored 27 points against Seaman, along with an assist and four deflections and rebounds. Throughout the season, Wilson has scored 116 points, accounting for 21 percent of all Manhattan Highs points. Wilson currently averages 13 points per game.
Kia Wilson Girls Basketball Micheal Simmons Sports Editor
In every sport there is an element of talent and it’s apparent that there is a great amount of talent on the Manhattan High girls Varsity basketball team, as they regularly blow out opponents. In big win, it has always been a team effort, and it’s shown on the statistics sheet. One of the regular contributors, junior Kia Wilson, was able to help the team overcome a slow start and eventually finish out a close game against Seaman. Wilson contributed 42 percent of the team total points. Despite the fact that Wilson was
the one who got the statistics, it wasn’t done alone. “I think our teamwork was huge,” Wilson said. “We had some really great passes that made a huge impact. I think that is great especially for us because that is something we have been putting emphasis on.” Wilson has played basketball throughout her entire high school career and has no plans to stop anytime soon. “I love basketball and I don’t know what I would do without it,” Wilson said. “The best part of basketball is definitely my team.”
Spirit teams cheer it up at Tournament of Champions Kami Bussmann Staff Writer
Every year, Manhattan High Varsity cheer team goes to Dodge City with the boys Varsity basketball team for Tournament of Champions. Not only do they cheer it up for the boys at each game, they are there for a competition of their own. It was a weekend of nonstop action for the cheerleaders. Prior to leaving, the team learned three new dances and a new stunt sequence on top of learning their dance for the upcoming Pep Rally. Thursday, they immediately unloaded and went to cheer at the MHS vs Hays game. After the game, they went to a practice that Leavenworth, Dodge, Maize, Wichita East and Wichita Heights squads attended to go over the group performance for Friday. Friday morning, the cheer team went to a local elementary school with Wichita Heights basketball team to read and participate in a Physical Education class with the kids. “It was a great experience for everyone involved,” senior Kaitlyn French said. “The kids were so happy to see us and loved asking questions, they even drew us all pictures.” After spending time with elementary kids, they went to cheer at the MHS vs Leavenworth game. After the game, the squad stayed at the arena, to begin the cheer competition. The opening to the competition was a dance that all squads were in. “It was really cool to see each team perform the dances but in different ways,” French said. “There were ripples throughout the dances and seeing those applied to each team really pulled the whole dance together.” Each squad performed their
own dance after the group dance concluded. The MHS cheer team performed with heart. “It was great our squad hit everything [stunts] and our coaches were literally jumping up and down with excitement,” sophomore Denae Stokes said. The end of the competition was closed with a performance that all squads participated in. Following that, coaches from each team talked together to decide awards. There wasn’t a team that won over the other ones. In the Tournament of Champions, awards are given out to individuals not a specific squad. “It was a joint collaboration. Individuals were chosen for the all-tournament squad,” MHS cheer coach Maddie Tenbrink said. Stokes and senior Raegan Wilcoxson were chosen for all-tournament squad. The cheering and nonstop action did not end there though. Afterward, all squads and basketball teams attended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes event with an illusionist and motivational speaker. People in the audience participated in the illusion. “It was so much fun and very entertaining,” Stokes said. Saturday morning, the team got ready to cheer at the boys’ final game against Wichita East. The award ceremony for the cheer competition happened before the championship game, but because MHS did not advance to that game, the girls did not stay to witness it. The weekend of cheer was exhausting for the girls, but it had been exciting and full of experiences. “We all worked really hard,” French said. “And it definitely was worth it.”
Last night’s quad was a fun time and some good bowling for Manhattan High’s teams, but that wasn’t enough to surpass Shawnee Heights, leaving both MHS boys teams in second and girls in third. MHS faced off against Junction City, Emporia, Shawnee Heights teams at Little Apple Lanes. “We had a blast today. Home tournaments always seem to go better for bowling or any sport,” senior Parker Wilson said. “There was definitely high spirits among most of us today.” Although it was a home
meet, both J.V. and Varsity teams got second place, while junior Nathaniel Chaput got third individually from the meet. The girls Varsity-only team earned third place. On the Varsity team, junior Michael Moran got a score of 484 on his series and Chaput got a 602. Freshman Connor Weyand got a 526, while sophomores Grant Terril bowled a 600, Brandon Bragg got a 515 series and Avery Groover got a 476. “It went pretty good all around,” Terril said. Each team bowled a standard game and each team took the top players average scores and compared it to the other teams. The overall win-
ners for boys Varsity and J.V. and for girls were Shawnee Heights. Chaput’s first game was his best where he got a score of 245 and got back-to-back strikes multiple times and was 55 pins away from a perfect game. Another player on J.V. who achieved a great series of 604 was freshman Evan Wasanger. He bowled the best from MHS. “Today’s tournament went well,” Wilson said. Having the home field advantage definitely exists and helped us a lot today.”
Girls basketball overcomes slow start Micheal Simmons Sports Editor
It’s a rare sight to see a team that can keep up with Manhattan High, but that’s what Seaman gave the Lady Indians when MHS finishes out a close game 63-50 against Seaman. With a difference of only 13 points, this was the Lady Indian’s closest game of the season. “I felt like we were a little slow in the beginning,” junior Haleigh Harper said. “We haven’t played a team that could keep up with us since our second game of the season against Saint Thomas Aquinas, so it took us a little bit to get used to it. I think as the game went on we started playing them well, I really feel like we played as a team and did a great job of picking people up on the court and on the bench.” During the past few weeks, MHS has shown total dominance over their opponent. An example would be beating Topeka West by 54 points.
Against Seaman, the Lady Indians came out strong, finishing the first quarter 20-9, but slow down in the second quarter finishing the half 31-23. This slow second quarter continued as they finish the third quarter 42-36. “Seaman is a good team. I can’t take anything away from them,” Harper said. “They were quick and caused some of us to foul early, which hurt us a little. They did a good job of going to the basket and hitting outside shots. We would score and they would respond which made it a close game. In the end it really came down to who wanted it more and you won’t find another team that wants it more than us.” Despite Seaman being able to keep up, MHS still finished out the fourth quarter with a 21-14 run. The team had several abilities that they demonstrated throughout the game that helped them overcome Seaman’s physicality. “Teamwork and building each other up along with stay-
ing composed and making free throws when we needed to was what helped us pull through with a win,” senior Chrissy Carr said. “Freethrows had a big part in deciding who won, especially when need points without running time down and you’re up. I think these attributes are going to have a big impact on the McPherson tournaments since we won’t have any home fans there to support us, we need to be able to be our own cheerleaders on the bench.” The team made 27 of 31 freethrow attempts throughout the game, seven of which came from Carr. Harper and junior Kia Wilson both contributed six freethrows as well The Lady Indians’ next competition is the McPherson Tournaments, starting on Thursday and ending on Saturday. “I felt like it was good for us to have a close game and pulling through,” Carr said. “It gives us a taste of what it will be like this upcoming Thursday.”
Boys survive thriller against Wichita East Jacob Clanton Print Editor-in-Chief
Jaylen Randle caught the ball, jumped behind the 3-point line and put up a potential game-winning shot. “When the shot went up, I thought he made it,” senior Carson Marsh said. “He kind of had a free shot, so I was scared for a second, but it didn’t go in.” Wichita East’s junior hit the front rim with his shot, and in the scuffle to rebound the ball, the clock ran out on Wichita’s (6-6) chances, giving Manhattan High (6-4) the 5048 win in the Tournament of Champions. The Indians finished the tournament in fifth place after dropping the first game to Hays 63-45. “We realized we weren’t really ready to play when we got there to Dodge,” Marsh said. “We just kind of had to stay focused and realized that
we can’t take any team lightly, like we’re going to have to actually work to win any games this season.” MHS fought throughout the first half, taking a 26-16 lead into halftime. Manhattan took that momentum into the second half, rushing out to a 13-point lead. “I think just moving the ball [was big], to be honest,” senior Dawson Stewart said. “Every shot was our shot, so I think that was key.” However, Wichita East came back, closing the gap to two points with 15 seconds left, setting up the last second shot. “They were pressing the whole game,” Stewart said, “but obviously, they started pressing more because game was about to be over. We weren’t super strong with the ball, but it’s a great learning experience for us.” Though Wichita’s press gave it a chance, the last-second shot fell out, giving MHS the 50-48
win. During the game, Manhattan drew five charges, meeting a goal head coach Benji George set before a game. “Coach said before the game if we got five charges, then he’d shave lightning bolts in his head,” Stewart said. “We’re going to hold him to that, and it will happen in a week or two.” Marsh set a school record by drawing three of the team’s five charges en route to being named to the all-tournament team. “It feels pretty good [to be named to the team],” Marsh said. “My uncle was [on] the all-tournament team, [so] it’s kind of cool because my name will be up there for however long the tournament lasts.” Marsh was joined on the all-tournament team by senior Nate Awbrey. After the tournament, the Indians have a week off before traveling to Seaman (7-4), resuming Centennial League play.
Wrestling battles through adversity, suffers multiple injuries Micheal Simmons Sports Editor
Owasso, Oklahoma, had several things in store for the Manhattan High wrestling team, very few that were pleasing. A seventh place finish is not always the best news to receive, but it didn’t put much of a damper on the team’s spirits. “I’m always excited for the team,” head coach Robert Gonzales said. “They get to wrestle some of the best competition, such as some nationally ranked school and a few state championship schools from Oklahoma and Kansas. I feel like if we present the best competition available and if our administration supports us attending the event then I’m always excited.” The team started out strong by beating Deer Creek 38-29 and then beating Bartelsville 51-28. Then they went into the final match of their pool, where they received their first loss from Perry 18-50 to end the first day. During the second day, the team proceeded to the quarter finals where
they lost to the Mustangs 3339, then went to the consolation semifinals where they lost to Sand Springs 20-39. This lead them to their final match against rivals Shawnee Heights where they won 37-30, giving them a seventh place finish. “We weren’t to happy about placing seventh,” senior Jalin Harper said. “We had a lot of room for improvement and thought we could have done a lot better. Overall we felt pretty good since there is a lot of good competition. We wrestled some good matches and lost some matches where we were really close to winning.“ There was a total of 24 teams at the tournament, some of which are nationally ranked and several others that hold state titles, including Goddard who is the defending 5A state champion. A seventh place finish wasn’t the only surprise Owasso had in store for MHS. “One of the things I think I could’ve done better was bring more wrestlers as we suffered three injuries two of which will see doctors on Monday,” Gonzales said. “I think these injures made us stronger, I think
our athletes knew they had to fight. A good example of this was sophomore Adrian Kaus; he was overpowered in almost every match, but he did not get pinned, which meant he only gave the other team five points, instead of six. The team really rallied around him and was cheering him on the whole time.” Junior Christian Schlepp suffered a shoulder sprain, freshman Josh Pence received a broken nose and junior Bubba Wilson strained his knee. “Well I can’t say we wrestled bad. I think we did a lot of good things,” Harper said. “They were just tough teams and sometimes you run into matches like that and you take a loss. Thanks to that we have a lot of things to work on in order to get us ready for our state run.” This tournament finished the dual season for MHS. They were able to finish with a dual record of 13-7. Their next competition is the Centennial League tourney on Saturday at Topeka West.
ENTERTAINMENT
The Mentor • Jan. 23, 2018
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‘The Post’ perfectly portrays journalist’s struggles Kaitlin Clark Entertainment Editor
With its quick wit and ability to answer the tough questions about the media’s relationship with politics, there is perhaps no film better to discuss a situation reminiscent of our current climate than “The Post.” The 125-min film focuses on the moral and legal struggle the staff of The Washington Post faced when deciding whether or not to publish articles related to the explosive Pentagon Papers -- documents that proved the Johnson and Kennedy presidential administrations had purposely misled both the public and Congress on the progress of the Vietnam War. Following the 1971 publishing of several articles in The New York Times pertaining to the documents, President Richard Nixon pushed to censor the media. What came after was a struggle to reveal the informa-
tion to the public, one that brought the First Amendment squarely into view. “The Post” delves into the question The Washington Post staff had to answer. On one hand, they could ignore the situation, keeping the paper safe, but allowing the people responsible to get away with their actions. On the other, they could publish, risking a lawsuit, their own professional reputations, and prison. Actress Meryl Streep plays Katharine Graham, publisher of The Washington Post. As the first female publisher of a large American newspaper, Graham faces criticism every step of the way as she tries to maintain the paper she inherited from her late husband, while also proving that she can be a strong leader. Streep’s portrayal of Graham creates a character
paper she’s fought so hard to keep control of. She becomes a woman who defies the traditional business woman archetype. She isn’t inherently unshakable, nor did she create her newspaper empire herself, but she has talents that are all her own. Her strengths lie in her openness to others’ ideas and her determination to do what is best for the paper. Streep does a wonderful job of shaping this character into someone audiences can cheer on as she makes the tough decisions that are necessary for her publication. Tom Hanks acts alongside Streep as Ben Bradlee, the executive editor of The Washington Post. Throughout the film, Bradlee nevPhoto Courtesy of 20th Century Fox er wavers in his belief that who is trying to gain the conthey should publish the viction necessary to represent Pentagon Papers, insisting that her staff while also saving the it is their responsibility to the
Feinstein thrills once again with ‘The First Major’ Jacob Clanton Print Editor-in-Chief
United States dominated the first 25 Ryder Cups, losing only three times. Since then, the
Golf has never been all that exciting to me. I’ve watched my fair share of Masters and U.S. Opens, but it’s never been a high priority. I just don’t get into it like I do basketball or football. I did, however, enjoy John Feinstein’s latest book. “The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup” is about golf, but I still loved it. Once I began reading it, I found it hard to put down. Feinstein starts the book in an odd place: the end. He begins with the American victory in the 2016 Ryder Cup. Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but if you care about the result, I assume you already know it. After introducing the most recent event, Feinstein launches into the history of the Ryder Cup. To me, this was one of the more interesting parts. I love learning about history, so to learn about the Ryder Cup intrigued me. The recent history of the Ryder Cup is what triggered the book in the first place. The
Photo Courtesy of Penguin Random House LLC
U.S. won just four of the next 15. To the Americans, that was unacceptable and led to a overhaul for 2016. To do this, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America created what was dubbed a “task force.” The way Feinstein dove into the task force and the issues surrounding it exemplified
SPORTS
what I love about his writing style. Not only does he tell the story of the event, but Feinstein goes in-depth on sidebars that add to the emotions the reader feels. The reader understands the life stories of the subjects, so they can better connect to the subjects. Of course, Feinstein didn’t neglect the entire reason for the book: the Ryder Cup. With the pomp and circumstance that surrounds an event like the Ryder Cup, it takes an impressive writer to fully capture the event. Here, Feinstein shines. His background as a sports writer for the Washington Post is apparent as he tells the story of the Ryder Cup from all angles. The reader hears from the Americans and the Europeans. At times, it feels like the reader is in the locker room, sitting next to the golfers. The emotions are evident. Add this one to the list of great Feinstein sports books. I picked this book up because it had his name on it, and I was not disappointed. As a sports fan, it was a great dive into a world that I knew very little about.
Continued
Indians late push secures second place finish
Sivan stuns with new bop MaKenna Eilert Blue M Photo Editor
Yo u T u b e - p e r s o n a l i t y turned-pop-sensation Troye Sivan returned to the music industry spotlight on Jan. 10 with the release of his new single titled “My My My!” Sivan had been teasing fans about new music on Twitter and Instagram since the conclusion of his last tour in November 2016. The big countdown was initiated by a single tweet along with a giant billboard in Times Square only six days before the release date. “Anyone been to Times Square this morning?” Sivan tweeted. Fans promptly raced to Times Square and tweeted him back with pictures of the gigantic billboard, beginning the countdown to a brandnew Troye. More than two years after his first album “Blue Neighborhood,” Sivan’s new single “My My My!” reveals his new style. That being said, Sivan’s new album still has a lot to live up to since his debut album “Blue Neighborhood” was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2016 ARIA Music Awards. Previous music from Sivan contained darker melodies and melancholy lyrics about heartbreak and his emotional turmoil, while “My My My!” reveals a happier and more confident artist. “My My My!” taps into a more candid version of Sivan, embracing new themes regarding freedom and sexuality. Sivan has openly expressed the song is about genuine
two points. As the swimmers sure that his team would be began to enter the pool, the re- able to pull second place out lay team knew what they need- after trailing early. “Our last three races, we When the Manhattan swim ed to do. “We were right there in looked pretty good,” Brown team competed last Wednesday, they were battling not Lane 5 and we looked over said. “Training is really intense only their opponents but fa- at them in Lane 6. We knew right now, so we didn’t see tigue as well. As the day wore it was about to go down,” se- many of the best times. I was on the Indians swim team only nior Preston Harrison said. “We happy with some of our comgot more exhausted. After long were ready to race, and I think petitiveness. We needed the practices with an intense train- we gave it our all. We had two back part of the meet to step up, and that’s what we did.” ing regiment the Indians were really good swims in there.” The relay team blew out While many of the team’s completely worn down. “As team captains, we have Washburn finishing second swimmers did not have their to keep reiterating that we have place by almost five seconds. best days, Harrison was able to push through,” senior Cole Sophomore Xander Say start- to notch first in the 100-yard Dudley said. “We don’t have ed off with a 54.17 split. Junior backstroke. Junior Zane Kohl also had a meet next week and we are Suman Wang swam next, and just going to focus on working. swam equally well finishing a successful day on the diving It’s going to be hard for all of with a 54.15 split. Wang tagged boards, blowing the other divus, but this is the time that is in Dudley, who swam a 55.02 ers out and finishing first. Kohl split. Harrison then anchored finished with 241.8 points, nearreally going to test us.” As the Indians headed into the team and finished strong ly 75 better than the next clostheir last race, they await- with a 50.4 time to close the re- est competitor. MHS has an off week comed the announcement of the lay out in 3:33.75. “At the end, it was pretty ing up, where they will attempt team scores. But it wasn’t anIf you are ordering a yearbook with a Name Plate with a Mark, check the box to the right of the nounced as usual. Technical much a neck-and-neck compe- to complete 100 100-yard laps, Mark you’ve If you want purchase marks, a “1” grueling in the box of theex-Mark that tition,”toDudley said.two “We were write the most training difficulty haltedselected. the announcereally and fighting andinwe ercise their get right of you want to final the left your name a “2” themanaged box of the Markinthat youbooks, want to to the ment and the relayofswimto pull that off. There was so them ready for league and state mers were forced to wait sevyour name. If you are buying a single Mark, it will engrave to the left of your name. Kendra Geisbrecht eral minutes. At last the scores much pressure on us, we knew meets coming up in February. were announced, and the Indi- we had to step up.” Javi Mercado Coach Alex Brown was unans trailed Washburn Rural by Staff Photographer John Ostermann Online Editor-in-Chief
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WEEK used to do drawings for Christmas every year I got like drawing stuff, colored pencils, markers and everything like that. Especially throughout the past years because I’m taking AP [art] and it’s a very big workload.”
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terested in art? 2022 “Since I was in elementary school, art was always my favorite class and in like kindergarten and up through that.” Bear
love and happiness inspired by his now boyfriend Jacob Bixenman. “’My My My!’ is a song of liberation, freedom, and love,” Sivan said in an interview with Paper magazine. “Throw all inhibition to the wind, be present in your body, love wholeheartedly, move the way you’ve always wanted to, and dance the way you feel — hopefully even to this song.” The “My My My!” music video was directed by Grant Singer and features Sivan in an empty warehouse dancing on his own. The video contains a crucial warning at the start for those with photosensitive epilepsy due to the strobe-heavy content.” Singer is well known for creating many other awe-inspiring music videos. He has produced for influential singers like The Weeknd, Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift. After its release, “My My My!” quickly climbed the iTunes music charts, hitting fourth worldwide in a matter of minutes. A release date for the entire album hasn’t been announced, yet but Sivan has stated in many interviews to expect sometime this spring, with tour announcements soon after. Overall, Sivan’s resilience in the music industry goes to show how times are changing and with it, comes great works of art and influence. The social impact he has on today’s generation has contributed to the wave of gay rights activists speaking out for inclusion and representation in the media, leading to a brighter future for all.
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American people. Hanks’ representation of Bradlee adds some humor to an otherwise serious movie, ultimately creating a character that is determined to follow his morals and get the papers published. His steadfast resolve is refreshingly optimistic to see on the screen as he is part of the team fighting to do what is right. “The Post” is a stunningly real take on one of the most well-known news cases in American history, presented at a time when protections for the press are crucially necessary. The struggle journalists constantly face is wonderfully represented by a talented cast who bring the events of the 1971 Pentagon Papers leak to life. It is a must-watch for anyone who believes in the power of truth, justice and the potential individuals have to change history.
How long has art impacted your life? “For a long time, I always
What’s your favorite kind of art? “I’m best at doing paper cuts, cutting out shapes and putting it together into an image.” What can you take away from your art? What does it mean to you? “I think it’s fun because all my other classes are just studying and reading textbooks while taking notes. But this is a good way to take a break and sit down to enjoy something.”
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The Mentor • Jan. 23, 2018
Starting the New Year Off Right
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The start of a new year is a perfect time to plan to reinvent yourself. To do this, you can create a New Year’s resolution and work to improve yourself and your life. Some goals can include eating better, im-
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proving organizational habits, getting out and exercising more, and improving your relationships with those around you. This week in “The Mentor,” here’s what you can do to kick off the new year.
Eating healthy: your new year’s resolution Kaitlin Clark Entertainment Editor
Kill ‘em with kindness
Sophia Comas Features Editor
People struggle every day. We all need someone or something to brighten our days and lift us up. Having a rough day is something that happens a lot, especially to high schoolers. Picking other people up is something that anyone can do. Finding a way to do that can be difficult, but if students take a little time to think about it then making someone’s day can become as natural as breathing. “Opening the door for somebody,” sophomore Jacob Hirschey said. Doing something as little as holding the door open for someone can alter their entire day. It is so simple to take one moment to help someone who has their arms full. Most people will appreciate such a small act and even consider paying it forward later in their day. “Help someone with their homework,” sophomore Emily Ostermann said. Most students will struggle with homework at some point in their school year. Offering to help those students can make their day so much easier and reduce their stress levels. This might take more time but will make that much more of an impact on each person that is helped. “Give someone a piece of gum,” sophomore Chase Erickson said. A lot of students get bored during their classes in school. One thing that can help them focus is if they have something like gum to occupy parts of their mind, allowing them to concentrate on the class itself. Lending someone a piece of gum can not only make their day but also help them succeed in school. “Give someone a compliment about their looks,” Hirschey said.
For high school students self-confidence is a common struggle. How to dress and how to wear your hair are hard decisions for students. Telling someone when you think their hair looks nice, you like their shirt, etc. can make their day. It also helps build their self-confidence, and could even influence them to compliment someone else during the day. “Ask how their day is going, or even just say hi to people” sophomore Kami Bussmann said. Simple conversations can mean a lot to people. Not everybody realizes that they have someone who even cares how their day is going. If every person asked one student how their day was going or even just said hi to them everyone would feel that they are cared about on some level, making school a more enjoyable environment for students and faculty alike. “If you know the person has a test or quiz say ‘Hey good luck on your quiz today! Hope you do well,’” sophomore Jordan Stegeman said. Everybody needs a little luck throughout the day. Words can have a huge impact on people so saying good luck can change someone's entire mindset, allowing them to hopefully achieve success on the quiz or test you took the time to wish them luck on. Positive words and actions can mean the world to some people. Help others around our school find a way to show even one act of kindness throughout the day and our high school can become a place that is more enjoyable for every student. Let's all take part in killing all the negativity with our own words of kindness.
Every new year, magazines, television shows and social media are filled with pictures of smoothies and acai bowls, all with the cliche line “new year, new me.” Inevitably, everyone will once again be posting pictures of burgers and tacos by February. How do you stick to eating healthy when everyone around you is eating takeout? The answer lies in new ideas and variety. Nobody wants to eat the same foods for every meal. It gets bland, and frankly discourages people from continuing to eat healthy. With dozens of fruits and vegetables readily available at your local grocery store, it has never been easier to try something new. This in no way means you need to eat nothing but produce. Healthy eating encourages swapping out foods that provide you little nutrients for ones that will be more filling and better for your body. Calories are not the enemy. Many healthy foods such as nuts, avocados and peanut butter are higher in calories, but provide your body the
nutrients that it needs. Moderation is key, so try eating healthy foods that are higher in fat in combination with a lower calorie option. For example, peanut butter and apples provides a great sweet alternative to unhealthy foods. If sweet is what you’re looking for, flavored Greek yogurt, fruit, smoothies, shakes and almond butter are all ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Overnight oats use chia seeds, oats and milk as a base for an easy-to-make breakfast that you can customize to make any combination of sweet flavors. Honey and agave syrup make great natural alternatives to sugar when flavoring different foods as well. There are countless recipes and ideas online, making it simple to find something that you're sure to love. Personally, my favorite healthy sweet foods are pomegranate seeds, almond butter, pears and flavored Greek yogurt. Often, healthy foods are sweet, but it isn’t hard to find savory alternatives to keep some variety in your diet. Vegetables and hummus make a great combination that is full of fresh flavors and added health benefits, while also giving you an op-
tion that will keep you out of chips and dip. Whole grain pita bread can also prove to be a delicious alternative for traditional white bread, keeping your savory foods full of nutrients. My recommendations are pita bread and hummus, vegetable wraps, low-fat cheeses and quinoa. Eating healthy isn't just to lose weight; often, people are interested in making changes to their diet in order to live a healthier lifestyle in general. It's important to remember to pay attention to the nutrients in the foods you are eating so that you can stay in good health, and also to eat a healthy amount of the foods you choose. It's more about the kinds of food you eat, not how much. It's essential to eat enough to keep you full until your next meal, or eat several smaller meals throughout the day. Not only is it easier than ever to eat healthier, it's also more delicious. There are countless options available to people interested in changing their diets, regardless of price range or region. This year, you can stick to your resolution all year long.
Keep workspaces tidy, increase productivity Leah Beyer Staff Writer
Everyone works differently. Some need a cup of coffee in their hand, while others work best with soothing music in their ears. However, there are two things that will benefit everyone in their workspaces: cleanliness and inspiring colors. “In general, my room has to be very clean,” senior Gloria Gantt said. “But the desk I work at doesn’t have to be neat, it just has to be organized so I can work at it.” Every time the new year comes around, most people re-dedicate themselves to old goals or even start new ones. Everyone wants to be the best version of themselves and strive to find that, particularly around Jan. 1. One of the best ways to improve in the new year is by tidying up your work area. This is easily done and has many benefits, including increased productivity. According to Indigo Triplett in her article “The Incredible Power of a Clean Workspace” on inc. com, working in a cluttered
environment causes “unrecognized stress” that can actually hinder productivity. In order to get as much done as possible, specifically when deadlines are involved, put everything in its place. While it may take a small bit of time away from your work, you will be able to get much more done in a clean environment than in a messy one. “If it’s messy then I can’t work at it, so I just tend to try and keep it relatively clean during the school year,” senior Lydia Fry said. A clean workspace in high school, whether a desk or a kitchen table, is also especially important for preparing yourself for future jobs. Habits created in high school, good or bad, will most likely also transfer to future employment opportunities and are more easily changed now, rather than later. Clean workspaces at these future jobs will not only represent you well, but also the company image, specifically if potential clients will be entering these workspaces. Another thing that causes inefficiency is a boring work area. Dull colors or bland spaces can decrease productivity and even happiness. According to Alina Dizik in her article “How to Transform
Your Workplace With Color” on entrepreneur.com, an easy way to combat this is through including accent colors in workspaces. While this is definitely important, it is also vital to remember that too many could cause clutter or agitation. Some accent color schemes to consider are red/orange, yellow, and blue/green. Red and orange splashes, when used sparingly in a workspace can give off energetic feelings, while yellow accents are related to cheerfulness and can even raise self-esteem. On the other hand, blue and green color schemes can have a particularly calming effect. Much like coffee and music in a work area, different colors will work better for different people. The new year is often all about creating goals and striving to meet them. One of the best goals to get on board with is increasing productivity through a tidy and inspiring workspace. “I have a letter board on my desk that currently says ‘Do your best and let God do the rest’ and that’s what motivates me,” Fry said.
The best way to get out of a toxic relationship Sophia Comas Features Editor
In light of the new year, a common theme in resolutions is removing toxic people from your life. Having to end any kind of relationship, whether it’s with a friend or a significant other, is difficult and often painful. When it comes to toxic relationships, always remember that it isn’t your fault and cutting ties with them is the best option you have for maintaining happiness. You may be skeptical at first but according to CBS News, the beginning step to any breakup is to observe how they treat you. Identifying a harmful relationship starts by seeing a pattern of controlling, victimizing, dishonest and selfish behavior. They also won’t respect your
boundaries and will likely try to keep pressure you into interaction. That treatment coming from someone means that the respect they have for you is very limited within the relationship and that they don’t value the bond they share with you. Once you have recognized that it’s a bad relationship, you can begin to remove them from your routine. Before anything else, keep in mind that someone who didn’t respect your boundaries before probably won’t later, so remember that distancing yourself is a gradual process. Also know that the most important thing is to be honest. Tell them how you feel in a kind and calm manner. When talking to them, it’s best to do it in a public place.
They will be less likely to retaliate in a disruptive way and if necessary, you can just get up and leave at anytime. It’s also important that you avoid arguing with them. A toxic person won’t understand why you have chosen to separate from them and won’t be willing to listen to any argument you may have. The most efficient way is to just state what you feel in a collective and steady tone without engaging in a debate. After the discussion, try to lessen the contact you have with them. This means no talking to them through social media and not interacting with them during the school day. You distancing yourself will communicate to them that you want to be left alone. Whenever a relationship
Graphics by Elizabeth Alexander
ends, it’s sad and it hurts, but this new year is all about having the courage to face your challenges head-on and loving yourself through your actions. Once the damaging people are gone from your life, you can form new friendships with people who will enjoy your company and contribute to your overall happiness.