INSIDE THIS EDITION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS -- Sophomore Dayne Aschenbrenner readies to throw the ball as the Indians take on Wichita Southeast Friday. The Indians won 73-20. Photo by Hailey Eilert. Senior Hallie Matteri pours frosting into a bowl. Matteri participated in cupcake wars, a competition in the baking and pastry classes. Photo by Emma Elliot.
the mentor volume 106 - Issue 06 - OCT. 30, 2018
MHSMentor.com
USD 383 prepares for bond referendum vote Sophia Comas Sports Editor
Amid the Nov. 6 midterm elections, USD 383 is having a vote of their own. The 2018 Bond Referendum is set to be decided upon on that date, either making or breaking the district’s plan to improve security and spacing issues for schools and setting the final decision as to whether the $129.5 million will be obtained to make those improvements happen. The bond is meant to touch all aspects of the district, from prekindergarten all the way to high school, as well as administrators and the central district office. According to Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid, one of the main issues the bond is meant to combat is overcrowding. At the
younger level, the district is hoping to make true Early Learning Centers out of two adapted former elementary schools -- College Avenue and Eugene Field -- and to build a new one entirely in Blue Township. “It’s a huge impact on the district,” Reid said. “Some of them, it’s two elementary buildings put together for that increase that we’ve seen, so it’s extremely important for that.” On the elementary level, USD 383 is hoping to have a strictly K-5 program and is working towards putting sixth graders in the middle schools. They also hope to eliminate mobile units to better ensure student safety as well as working towards better art programs through more classrooms. “At the elementary level, it’ll expand offerings for sixth grade,
allowing them to take some elective classes that maybe they don’t have access to at the elementary schools,” Reid said. In addition to these changes, the district has even bigger plans for MHS. The biggest change is to welcome the freshmen to West Campus, something that the school has yet to get used to. Instead of being at East Campus, A Hall would be rebuilt to have a second floor in order to accomodate to the new influx of students. It would also eliminate the need for transportation during passing periods that take away roughly 10 minutes of class time each day. According to MHS principal Greg Hoyt, the plan could also expand the practice field and tennis courts for more parking space and storm shelters that would fit the entire school as well as updat-
SADD celebrates Red Ribbon Week Hannah Heger Features Editor
Students Against Destructive Decisions hosted this years Red Ribbon Week with events ranging from simulating driving under the influence and postponing the seatbelt check due to rain. “[Red Ribbon Week] was really good this year. We did a bunch of activities, mostly with our club members,” senior Cami Wells said. “We also did a pledge event at lunch where students sign their name to make good deci-
sions on a banner that we did.” “Instead of doing one banner all together we did two banners so they could hang up, one at the East campus and then one at the West campus,” senior Ashby Stark said. “We have a seat belt check planned for this year, but it was postponed.” During the Red Ribbon Weeks SADD helped out at the middle schools with activities for the students to do, “We went to Anthony Middle School for their Red Ribbon
Photo by Hailey Eilert Senior Cami Wells talks to an Eisenhower Middle School student about Red Ribbon Week. SADD members travelled to EMS on Friday to motivate students to sign a poster to be drug free.
week. We did an obstacle course with what we call, fatal vision goggles,” Kari Humes, SADD sponsor said. “Those are goggles that stimulate if you’re under the influence of alcohol or parents.” Students also had a bicycle they had to ride with the fatal vision goggles to simulate impaired driving. While SADD was at Eisenhower Middle School SADD helped out at Red Ribbon Week dance that Eisenhower Middle School hosts. “Here [Eisenhower Middle School], we always come to this dance and do something with the students.” Humes said. “I felt like it was really a good, successful week, and it’s kind of nice to have this at the very end to finish it up.” With many volunteers for Red Ribbon Week SADD has to prepare the next generation of SADD officers and members. “Since most of our senior officers are going to be leaving next year, we really try this year to involve new students, sophomore, freshman kind,“ Wells said. With Red Ribbon Week coming to a close the new generation of officers will be ready to plan next years Red Ribbon Week. “Our officers are mostly seniors so we already have some See Red Ribbon on Page 4
ing the security systems for ensured safety. “I think it would make us feel more like one school. We are one school, but we’re at one school in two different buildings,” Hoyt said. “There’s a certain element of disconnection attached and associated with that. It’s my hope that there will be more unity in cohesion.” There is a question as to what the district will do if the bond doesn’t pass. Their main concern is with the elementary schools, as they hope to avoid a difficult situation with a surplus of students. According to Hoyt, the student population has increased by 776 students since the last bond was passed in 2008. “We didn’t add a lot of space at the elementary… at the last bond issue,” Hoyt said. “It really
was bringing buildings up to par with one another so that there was equity in terms of space at each of the buildings.” While all of these ideas are still being discussed, USD 383 is hoping that those who are able will vote in favor of the bond in order to put these changes in progress. “I encourage every high school student that is the voting age to get out research this topic,” Hoyt said. “Even though I’m not going to be here as the principal next school year... I strongly support this because I think it’s what’s best for this community, for the kids of this community. I think kids of our community deserve the best educational experience this community can provide.”
Seven compete in programming, engineering contest Brianna Carmack Opinions Editor
Solving programming problems in the fastest time possible was the challenge in front of seven of Kathy Ricketts’ students who attended the High School Design Competition at the University of Kansas on Wednesday. “Basically it was an engineering contest at KUS where there’s a bunch of different events,” senior Max Kokene said. “There’s, like, building stuff, programming, which was the competition I was in.” The students were divided into two teams, both in the advanced programming portion of the contest, competing from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. “Depending on how fast they solve the problems and if they got it correct, partially correct, depending on how many points they got, that puts them into a ranking,” Kathy Ricketts, business and media teacher, said. Ricketts was also the sponsor of the trip. Scholarships are given to those who place, but unfortunately none of the Manhattan High competitors placed. “I think the first or second place winners of a lot of the dif-
ferent types of the contest had scholarships offered,” Kokenge said. With this being the first year for some student and others having more experience, the students managed to come out with a positive attitude even though they didn’t place. “They learned a lot about a... they should’ve studied more, should’ve practiced more, that there’s a lot more that they should learn before going to the contest,” Ricketts said. “It was a good learning experience for them, and they came out with a positive attitude, so they did a good job.” After the contest was over, the students had the options of going and touring the KU engineering department, watching other competitions or stuffing their faces with free pizza. “The best part of the contest I think was just having the students, the competition with the different programming levels,” Ricketts said, “Both teams were both in the advanced portion of the contest, so the problems were a lot more challenging to solve. Just working together as a team, and doing the best they could do.”
New Science Cafe introduces scientific discussion, student participation Alora Osterman Staff Writer
The roars of Manhattan High’s lunchroom could barely be heard in the Alumni Room of West Campus last Tuesday as, about 10 juniors surrounded a small table, craning to listen to a woman seated in the middle. Behind her, a PowerPoint presenting the psychology of video game play stood paused and at attention for the inaugural Teen Science Cafe event, hosted by Sunset Zoo’s Behind the Science program and Science Communication Fellowship, with help from Biology teacher Noah Bush and Environmental Science teacher Clancey Livingston. “It’s important for high school students looking for higher education to get a realistic idea about what it’s like to be a graduate student,” Livingston said. “With [Science Cafe], we get both the scientific and human aspect of the experience.” According to their Twitter, Behind the Science is “an initiative to take the public behind the scenes of scientific research.”
This is often done through their science communications training program for graduate students by using Behind the Science events as practice in engaging a public audience. While it typically hosts events for adults, such as Science on Tap, or family events like Science Saturdays, according to director Jared Bixby, the group has been looking for a way to reach out specifically to the high school audience for some time now and are quite enthusiastic about the introduction of Science Cafes here at MHS. “The thing [program directors] keep hearing is ‘we want to inspire younger generations and future scientists’ and high school is a great way to do that,” Bixby said. “Working with [Livingston] and [Teen Science Cafe] will allow both grad students in our program and high school students to be exposed to something new.” Similar words were expressed by Science Cafe’s first speaker ever, Lisa Vangsness, medical student, Ph.D. candidate at Kansas State University and Sunset Zoo
Science Communication Fellow. According to the Teen Science Cafe flyers, Vangsness was invited to speak to students about her research regarding human beliefs about difficulty, and how they affect our ability to complete tasks, as well as how she studies these through visual research, academic procrastination and video game play. “There are a lot of different areas of science and high school does a good job preparing us for those but doesn’t actually address necessarily the specific fields,” Vangsness said. “[Science Cafe is] a way to get people exposed to the different areas of science and help them understand not every aspect of science is just a bunch of calculations.” She went on to encourage all students to participate in the experience regardless of their postsecondary goals. “I want to point out that not every person goes to college,” Vangsness said. “Some go and others go to tech school, or some don’t go at all and that’s okay. This is just another point of inter-
est, a way to get exposed to something else.” Again, exposure to the various aspects of science seemed to be a recurring theme of the event, as stated by attendees. “I want to go into the medical field and even though [psychology] isn’t the specific career I want to study, it applies to many differ-
ent career paths you can take,” Liz Efken, junior, said. The next Science Cafe will be hosted next Tuesday in the Alumni room during first and second lunch. According to Bixby, they may relaunch the series in the winter and spring depending on the success of these first few events.
Photo by Mason Alberto Sunset Zoo representative Lisa Vangsness talks about her profession and how it affects her life as junior Alex Andresen listens. Students had the oppurtunity at lunch to come together and listen to Vangsness. Photo by Mason Alberto.
Opinions Upcoming bond referendum will make a positive impact on the district 2
The Mentor Oct. 16, 2018 MHSMentor.com
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
USD 383 has been in a slump for a while now. With this upcoming bond referendum, that could all change. New tennis courts, a new elementary school and the expansion of Manhattan High will fix most of our problems our district is facing right now. As the student population continues to increase, the slump that the district and community is in right now will also continue to grow. But, if there is something that will be done to fix the overcrowding and major safety issues we currently have then we, as a community, can prevent the
downfalls our district is facing. It is the agreement of The Mentor editorial board that the bond referendum could have many positive effects. However, we feel that the referendum should not be an all-or-nothing deal. With 2008 being the year of the last bond referendum, many things have changed in the last decade, one being the rapidly growing population of students. According to the USD 383 PowerPoint presentation, there has been an increase of 1,334 PreK12 students since the last referendum. In addition, this sudden boost has not only caused an issue of overcrowding, but creates an unsafe environment for this many students to be in. Better security
Preparation helps with ACT
Riley Williamson Staff Writer
Preparing for the ACT is a concept that is overlooked by many students. With high college costs, getting a good score on the ACT can be beneficial. Besides the score being used for admissions, ACT scores are also used for scholarship opportunities. But in order to achieve a high score on the test, preparing yourself is necessary. Students should take advantage of every opportunity to prepare, even if it means paying for preparatory classes. There are several different ACT prep classes offered that can help students understand the concepts of the test. The ACT website provides various ways to practice beforehand, from a test prep book to online prep. They also offer an ACT Academy, Kaplan online prep live, a question of the day and practice tests. These are all resource that can help you study. A free preparation curriculum that is offered to all students at Manhattan High School is accessible through Naviance. The test is broken up into four sections: English, math, reading and science (and an optional writing test). It is impor-
Question of the Week Will you dress up for Halloween, and if so, what? What is your favorite movie of all time?
tant to have a basic knowledge of what could be potentially seen. Learning simple test-taking strategies can help to maximize your score over all four sections. Some straightforward strategies are; using all available time given to you by pacing yourself, answering every question even if you have to guess, reading the questions carefully and always checking your work. Not only is it important to study and use strategies, but being ready physically and mentally is ideal. Physically readying yourself by being well rested in the days leading up to the test, and making sure to eat a good breakfast on the test date. To mentally prepare yourself, it is key to be accustomed with the format and content of the test. Also going into the test with a positive attitude helps. A helpful tool the ACT also offers is a copy of your answers and the test questions with the list of correct answers to the questions, if you purchase the test information when you are signing up for the test. This is only offered on certain dates, but it is a great way to learn from your mistakes and how to prevent them if taking the ACT again. With several different options provided to students to study for the ACT, taking advantage of them should be important. Improving your score can be an easy task if you study and prepare yourself for the test.
“A cow.” -- Rylee Felice, sophomore @gymfelice
“I will be a nerd for Halloween.” -- Taylor Clauseen, sophomore @taylorclausse10
Want to help with newspaper, yearbook and broadcast? Come to Pub Club in 3-4 p.m. next Tuesday in West Campus C107. Copy Editors Hailey Eilert -- Photo Editor Mason Alberto and Makenna Wollenberg -- Assistant Photo Editors Staff Writers and Photographers - Ayden Boyles, Kami Bussmann, Josh Flickinger, Olivia Haas, Cade McNeil, Javi Mercado, Aloera Ostermann, Madison Ritz, Jennifer Sadler, Riley Williamson, Tara Wood
dents it’s difficult for a teacher to meet the individual needs of each one. If sixth graders were moved to the middle schools, up to 20 open classes will be free in the elementary schools, making more room for students. A big issue was brought up last year about parking and new tennis courts. The referendum states the wants of expanding the lots and re-doing the old, deteriorated courts. Last year, the tennis team struggled with hosting events because the school courts and City Park courts are inadequate for hosting a meet. There are not only improvements to expanding the schools, but also improvements for the needs of our athletic program. In order to be able to fund for
these wants and needs, slightly raised taxes are going to occur, which is what people are most upset about. There are some low income families who can’t fully support the higher tax rate, and with it being about 20 to 25 years until they get some of that interest principle back, most families aren’t willing to commit since there children won’t be here in 20 to 25 years. Overall, the bond referendum proposes many positive impacts on the district. This matters because it is the future of our education, so we should work on making it better. Manhattan is going to keep growing, and it’s best if we begin early to make it a better place.
Is bad luck really bad luck? completely renewed. Even if you had seven years of bad luck, wouldn’t you still have a few things be good? I’ve noticed since my parents have broken my mirror, neither of them have any bad luck so far. In olden times, mirrors were not cheap but were made in low quality, making it really easy to be held as extremely breakable and fragile. In order to keep the people from breaking it, they had to make up a myth of breaking it would curse you to give you seven years of bad luck, but why seven years? “If a person who breaks a mirror is too lazy or too busy, to avoid the curse, it just leave the broken pieces the way it was for seven hours. One for each year of bad luck, then pick it up immediately after the hours are up,” MirrorHistory.com said. It’s not only breaking mirrors that causes bad luck. Other examples could include walking under a ladder while it’s open or opening an umbrella indoors. According to HowStuffWorks, “If a ladder is up, chances are someone’s standing on it, working, and you don’t want to take the chance of something falling on your head. Nor do you want to risk jostling the ladder and knocking someone down.” Others say it’s because the ladder is positioned in a triangle. If you believed in the Holy Trinity, it was considered that if you walked underneath the ladder, you’d then break the Trinity, with attracted “the devil.” Superstition also includes common ways to break the curse during or after walking un-
der the ladder, such as making a wish as you walked underneath it or even walk underneath it once again. Now, I’ve never believed in the devil myself. With that being said, I don’t believe in attracting “the devil” either, so I never understood why walking under a ladder would attract the devil anyway. Other than walking under a ladder or breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella indoors was considered bad luck because of the mechanism the umbrella has. The “wings” of the umbrella were sharp and pointy when it was first invented. To get people to not open them indoors and to keep people safe from being poked, people back then stated it was prohibited so that nobody was in danger. Now, by the sounds of it, it all sounds like the statements made above were to keep people from doing bad things in the first place. The bad luck from breaking a mirror kept people from breaking mirrors on purpose because of how valuable they were. Bad luck kept people from walking under a ladder to prevent people from knocking people off the ladder on accident, and opening an umbrella would keep people from being hurt. In my opinion, superstitions sound fake, because it just really sounds like people don’t want us to do bad things. I don’t believe in superstitions because now that I’ve read these facts, it just sounds like other people make these up just to help us not do bad things.
Everyone knows that drinking under 21 in America is illegal and thus impossible for those underage to obtain, right? For the sake of my sanity let’s be honest. Lots of people drink under THAT age, even members of this school. Although there are multiple different ways to obtain alcohol a popular one in the U.S. is by using fake IDs. If you’re one of the members of the population that either has a fake ID or is “borrowing” someone else’s because you look like them, there are some things you should know. First of all it’s illegal to have a fake ID of your own and even if you’re “borrowing” one from someone, in the eyes of the law that is identity theft and you
can get into even more trouble by taking that route. Bouncers are trained to spot a fake ID and get incentives to make sure that you’re not let in. So it will be taken away if you get caught and all that money you spent will go down the drain. I went down to Aggieville to find out how common it is for those with a fake ID to get caught. I talked with a cop, Officer Wes Ulmer, who used to work down in the Aggieville. “I worked down here [ A g g i ev i l l e ] every weekend for a couple of years when I was working down here caught IDs probably once or twice a night,” Officer Ulmer said. Look out for you and the safety of your friends while having fun during Halloween because drinking can make someone more susceptible to being victimized. Don’t make the mistake that if you drink too much and get into
an unsafe situation that the police down in Aggieville won’t help you because you’re underage. The police are there to aid you. “[If] they have alcohol poisoning...they’re sick, they need help, you can call us and there will be no legal action against you guys if you’re calling for help,” Ulmer said. “We’re not going to go after your friend… we’re going to try to help your friend.” With all of these reasons to not get a fake ID, why would you? You could jeopardize your health or get into some serious legal trouble. It can Graphic by Anika Nyp put you in a place where you could become a victim to predators. And probably one of the most scary parts is that you’ll waste all your money on booze and the fake ID you probably just lost. Just stay home and pass out candy to trick-or-treaters this Halloween.
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Madison Ritz Staff Writer
About a week ago, my parents accidentally broke my bedroom mirror. My dad moved the mirror to the back of my door, but then my mom followed up and opened the door while the mirror was leaning on the door. It pushed the mirror forward and hit the floor leaving the mirror’s glass shattered. “Well, looks like you guys have seven years of bad luck,” I said sarcastically. “I’m excited to see what happens to you guys.” Some people, myself included, refer to the myth “breaking a mirror is seven years of bad luck.” This is believed because the first time humans saw their reflections in a pool of water, they believed the image of themselves were their actual soul. I never actually believed in this superstition, it just seemed weird because it’s the people’s physical appearance, so wouldn’t they recognize it? It was believed that the Romans were the first ones to state that a broken mirror meant bad luck for seven years. They believed it took seven years to renew oneself. After seven years they think that you’ll fully be renewed and recovered after this accident. I don’t believe that after seven complete years that you’ll be
Fake IDs don’t have fake repercussions
“I’m going to be a ladybug because my dog’s going to be a bumble bee.” -- Hailey Eilert, junior @haileyjaee
Find more stories online at MHSMentor.com
Kaitlin Clark -- Print Editor-in-Chief Meredith Comas -- Online Editorin-Chief Micheal Simmons -- Blue M Editorin-Chief Brianna Carmack -- Opinions Editor Sophia Comas -- Sports Editor Hannah Heger -- Features Editor Rachel Edie and Julianna Poe --
would have a greater impact than most students would think. It is important that living in an era where mass shootings and attacks on schools are becoming a normal thing, we always need to be protected and secure. Increasing the capacity to 2,179 would allow the ninth graders would be able to move up to West Campus and still allow growth, and the freshman busing system would conclude. Overcrowding is still always going to be a possibility since class sizes are increasing, but it definitely would not be as bad as it is today. Classroom sizes are also an issue, especially in elementary schools. This year, some of the class sizes have 30+ students, and when there are that many stu-
Tara Woods Staff Writer
Sports
The Mentor Oct. 16, 2018 MHSMentor.com
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Girls golf successful at state tournament Riley Williamson Staff Writer
The season ended for the Varsity girls golf team at the 6A state tournament on Oct. 16. The girls placed sixth out of 12 teams at the Salina Municipal Golf Course. “As a whole, we played really good… and it was just really cool to see us all improved from where we started from the first tournament,” junior Kamryn Bussmann said. Bussmann was one of three players that broke their personal record. She shot a 94, Rhys Phipps, sophomore, scored a 98 and Camryn McAtee, senior, shot an 82, all beating their personal records. McAtee was the top scorer, placing 10th and Elise Jackson, senior, placed 16th with a score of 86. The two seniors were the lowest scorers for Manhattan, ending their golf career with good standings. “McAtee had her personal all-time low and it was just good to see because she’s worked re-
ally hard this season,” head coach Paige McCarthy said. “The seniors have been… the anchor of our team. So it was good to see they finished really strong.” Last fall, of 2017, the girls golf team placed fifth at the State tournament, although the team scored seven strokes better than last year, they went down in place. The 6A state winner for this year was Shawnee-Mill Valley High School, with a team score of 323. Bussmann is looking forward to next year to continue the atmosphere the two seniors, Jackson and McAtee, created. “I’m excited to see how much we will improve for next year and how much the girls coming in will improve,” said Bussmann. Although the season has ended, one opportunity the community has to support the girls for next year is a Chipotle fundraiser. The fundraiser was rescheduled after the State tournament was postponed. Join the team 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 17 at Chipotle.
Photo by Maddie Ritz Watching the ball fly, junior Lauren Erickson hits the ball and concentrates on its direction at Manhattan Country Club. She and her teammates use techniques like this whenever they compete to ensure accuracy, helping them achieve sixth place at state competition.
Varsity Cross Country brings home third, seventh from State Meet Bella Lane Staff Writer
The MHS boys brought home seventh place in state with a score of 185 points, while the girls earned third with 105 points at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, where the team competed in state and also brought home one new personal record holder.
Sophomore Daniel Harkin was again the top runner for MHS, earning second place with a time of 15:55 out of 103 runners. On the girls side, senior Clara Mayfield place third out of the 100 participants with a time of 18:52. “I feel really good about how I ran this season,” Mayfield said, “I don’t have any regrets about
Wichmann, sophomores Sean Anderson and Gavin Erickson and freshman Ben Mosier. The alternates were freshman Max Bowyer and junior Ian Percival. Pickering placed 47th with a time of 17:05 and Gros placed 51st with a time of 17:08. “I did great, I got a new PR,” Anderson said. “It was a great course, it was a great day to race.
I just really left it all out there.” The girls’ race was at 12:55 p.m. The other runners were seniors Maddie Purdom and Emily Keeley, junior Ella Rosenkranz, and freshmen Morgan Turner and Rachel Corn. The alternates were freshman Anna Culbertson and freshman Anika Nyp. In 16th See CROSS COUNTRY Page 4
Manhattan boys Varsity soccer wins regionals
Athlete
Kris Long Staff Writer
of the
week Daniel Harkin Cross Country Photo by Kyla Barnett
Sophia Comas Sports Editor
ness and keeping it nice. It’s fun, I think, to compete athletically.
• Placed first in the Manhattan Invite with a time of 16:15 • Placed first in Centennial League with a time of 16:32 • Placed third in regionals with a time of 16:08 • Placed second at state with a time of 15:55
Is there a reason why you chose running? No, I was trying out a lot of sports and I just kind of liked running so I just kept with it.
What inspired you to become an athlete? I don’t know. I’ve always felt good about keeping up on my fit-
any of the meets and I really look forward to continuing running. I’m also really proud of how the team ran and especially at state. We definitely gave it our all and I’m so happy to have won third.” The boys’ first race was at 11 a.m., consisting of seven runners and two alternates. The runners were senior Carson Gros, juniors Matthew Pickering and Luke
Based on this season, what are your expectations? I don’t really have any expectations for next year since it’s so far away, but I was hoping I can continue to stay healthy and then work as hard as I can and hopefully do better next year.
Manhattan (5-11) beat Hutchinson High (14-2) and Garden City in the 6A regionals last week on Oct. 23 and 25. They went into the tournament having earned second seed in the Centennial League; Washburn Rural got first and Manhattan won a coin flip against Dodge City two weeks ago to get second, allowing them to play both of their games at Bishop Stadium. Hutchinson played the play-in
game the day before the match and beat Junction City High 7-0 knocking them out of the tournament. Manhattan won 9-0 upping their clean sheet streak to nine games in a row. Manhattan scored two goals in the first half and seven in the second. The scorers in the first were French and Roberto Maysonet Luckily, Manhattan had no injuries and were able to play their starting 11 because Garden City proved to be a good match for Manhattan, resulting in a win of
4-0. Winning this game made Manhattan regional champions and means they will be able to continue on to the quarterfinals this week. “I am very proud of this team,” Pedro Espinoza, assistant varsity coach, said. “The guys work very hard and hard work pays off. We have a very talented team and being regional champions was expected.” MHS now has to win the game today at 6 p.m. against Dodge City.
Football cruises through first round of playoffs Kris Long Staff Writer
Manhattan High Varsity football (8-1) defeated Wichita Southeast (2-7) in the first round of the playoffs last Friday night in dominating fashion 73-20. Manhattan will move on to the second round to face off with Wichita West, who beat Wichita East 47-0. Head Coach Joe Schartz described the game as “awkward.” “It’s the playoffs,” Schartz
said. “The intensity is [going] to rise. Every team that comes in here, us or our opponents, they have seniors on their team. Potentially, it could be their last football game of their life. So, when you put that type of situation in there, you’re going to have some intensity and some emotions boiling, so the team that handles that the best is the team that has the best chance to win.” Manhattan fans were a little nervous to start the game after
Wichita Southeast opened up with a 52-yard passing touchdown to put them up early. That would not last long. MHS would go on to put up 44 unanswered points in the first half. Senior Kevontae McDonald described Wichita Southeast’s touchdown as “It woke us up.” In the first half alone, McDonald had three rushing touchdowns, senior Jaylynn Liggons See FOOTBALL Page 5
Volleyball ends season without state tournament Micheal Simmons Blue M Editor-in-Chief
The post-season was cut short for the volleyball team as for the first time in recent years they didn’t make it to the state tournament, losing to their league rivals, Washburn Rural, at sub-state. The team ended the season with a match record of 19-17 and a set record of 42-38. Despite the end of the season, the team did not leave emptied handed as they beat Lawrence Free-State before playing Washburn. “We didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked to. We had so many ups and downs this season with injuries and loss, I was really proud of the girls to beat Free-State,” head coach Lisa Kinderknecht said. “To comeback and beat them after losing to them earlier in the season in a high stakes game like that was huge. We played really hard and I was really proud of how they finished. Even though the score did not depict the effort, the teamwork or the communication.”
MHS won against Free-State (25-21, 19-25, 25-21) despite losing to them earlier in the season (22-25, 17-25). This win put MHS one step away from making it to state, the only thing blocking their path being Washburn. The rivalry between the two teams has affected all three times they have met, each time with Washburn being on top. “There was a big student section,” senior Haleigh Harper said. “They always bring out a big show when they play us. The rivalry definitely affected the game, I know we were really hyped up to play them and they were hyped up to play us, it just didn’t turn out the way that we wanted. It’s tough to end the season with a loss like this, especially to Washburn who have always been a rivalry school with us so it was really bitter to lose to them.” Every time MHS has faced Washburn, despite Washburn coming out on top, the matches continued to get closer together and more intense. During their
previous meet, MHS played them to three sets, loosing in the third by a five-point margin. When they met in the sub-state tournament, with the season dangling for both teams hanging in the balance, MHS had no expectations of ending their season. “I think it was a shock to end this early,” senior Brooklyn Cink said. “We should have won [on senior night against Washburn Rural], it was just some little errors we made here and there. I think that to play them like that versus how we played them on senior night was definitely a shock to us.” After losing the first set, Kinderknecht gathered her team and told them to leave the court with no regret. They then headed back onto the court, for what would be their final high school volleyball moments of their lives. “Everyone’s first reaction was anger [after losing to Washburn],” Cink said. “Not at each other but just at the fact that we had lost the game and it was the end of the
Photo by Jennifer Sadler Senior Addie Terrill serves the ball during a match against Hayden High in their Varsity volleyball game.
season. After we told [Washburn] good game I think the sadness set in and knowing that it was the seniors last time playing high school ball. The underclassmen were sad
too but it hit the seniors hard. I had gone to state during my freshman, sophomore and junior season so not going my senior year definitely hit home.”
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Features
The Mentor Oct. 16, 2018 MHSMentor.com
first time car buyers: what to look for
Hannah Heger Features Editor
Hello everyone, my name is Hannah Heger and my car caught on fire. My first car, a 1999 Toyota Camry, was tragically lost a few weeks ago when it caught on fire after rats chewed through wires and built a nest. This happened during my lunch period, thankfully it wasn’t at school, and the fire department came to our rescue and put out the fire. This started a whole new search for a replacement car. But finding a car can happen in many ways. For example, my mom found my previous car through “Words with Friends.” So with the countless ways to find and buy cars, which is the best way, and how do you know what to look for when you need a car? With those questions, I started the journey to buying a new ride. While buying directly from an individual is an option, there are dealerships specifically for used cars, as well as dealerships that handle new and used cars. After a couple of weekends of driving around looking at used car lots, I went to an official car dealership, Briggs Auto, and met with
John Windham, a sales representative who is triple certified Buick, GMC and Nissan. One of the things that makes Briggs unique from some dealerships is that they have an onsite certified body shop. “We have two master technicians doing every single inspection for safety, every single inspection for service,” Windham said. “We do more to control the cost of what we put on to do to our cars and the quality of the work that’s done to them.” But the process of buying cars has been developed over the past 35 years at Briggs by the owner. “Typically, it starts with the road to the sale. If you haven’t heard of that, it’s your meeting and greeting, get to know somebody, then you do your fact-finding, followed by a presentation,” Windham said. “At that point, you start getting more serious about the financial side of things.” After looking at credit history and other factors, they develop a payment plan. Briggs provides possible financial institutions that have the best possible rates for the buyer. Your local bank might be another funding option. But knowing all of that I still wonder if buying a brand new car is better than finding a used one. “The biggest difference be-
Photo by Javi Mercado Junior Hannah Heger interviews Briggs sales representative John Windham. The interview covered the car buying process and finances.
tween the two is peace of mind,” Windham said. “Of course, on a new car, you do have for warranty, so when you’re talking about a used car, you’re going to only get a portion of that guarantee. You don’t know how the vehicle was driven forehand or how the previous owner took care of it. Of course, you have your Carfax reports, and then your service records, if it was maintained by the
company’s bottom from that you can see. But other than that, the way that they drove it and their tendencies in that vehicle are going to affect its lifespan overall.” A piece of advice Windham gave me is to know what you’re looking for in a car. “The best thing that you can have walking in as a plan in place already,” Windham said. “That gives me the ad-
vantage of knowing where I’m going things right off the bat.” Knowing what kind of car you like, your price range and your credit options can help a lot. “The best thing that you can have walking in is a plan in place already,” Windham said. “That gives me the advantage of knowing where I’m going with things right off the bat.”
Fall activites takeover manhattan Culinary Students Practice Their Craft In ‘Cupcake Wars’ Madison Ritz Staff Writer
What’s better than hanging around a pumpkin patch, enjoying homegrown goods at a farmers markets and doing corn mazes during fall? In fact, these activities are staples to fall traditions in many families. Pumpkin patches across Manhattan have been putting on annual pumpkin patches starting Sept. 22 until Oct. 31. The patches put on exciting activities like zip-lining, picking a pumpkin, hayrides and corn mazes. If this sounds like your cup of cider, attend a pumpkin patch and see what all the fuss is about. But most of all, enjoy all the activities the patch has to offer. Corn mazes are especially fun for those who enjoy challenges. You won’t be able to find the end without wandering all around the maze in a barrel of fun with family or friends. When you’re in the maze, there’ll be corners and turns making you think the end is near, but that’s what’s fun about this challenging activity. There are several farmers markets being hosted in fall, from the Summer Market to K-State’s Farmer’s Market. A farmer’s market is a
community-based market selling various types of foods. There are also starter plants, soaps, woodworking, jewelry and other arts and craft pieces. Various vendors host their booths promoting their farms’ or business’ products. “Currently, my family sells baked goods,” Julianna Poe, freshman, said, “Every Friday, before the Saturday farmers market in Downtown Manhattan, my family and I bake cookies, muffins and brownies. My sister and I also sell painted rocks and handcrafted jewelry, which we make in our free time. The following Saturday morning, we load the truck and when we arrive, we set up our tent, tables, samples and packages.” The fall farmers markets are up for business, and are up till the end of October, at which time the Winter Market begins. “All the vendors at the farmers market are friendly and helpful,” Poe said. “Coming by and saying hello to each of them, checking out their hard work and maybe even sampling some of their items is always appreciated.” The fall farmer’s market had just ended, at which it’s time for the Winter Market to begin.
Artist of the
week Photo by Hailey Eilert
Allen Zhang Orchestra/Concertmaster Makenna Wollenberg Assistant Photo Editor
What got you into orchestra? “We had a program at my old elementary school and so I joined through that.”
On the orchestra tour Zhang had the chance to play with Kansas Wesleyan Orchestra at different venues. Zhang has also participated in a student program by Carnegie.
we can use to express our internal emotions.” Do you want to continue music after high school? “Yes, definitely.” What is your role in orchestra? “I am Concertmaster.”
Why are you so passionate about your music? “I think the reason is because it is a form of communication that
What do you do as a Concertmaster? “I have to keep the orchestra together and in one direction.”
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students that want to step up into those officer positions next year,” Humes said. “Every time there is a new group of students that are leading the way, they come up with different ideas.”
place was Rosenkranz with a time of 19:58. Third for the team was Purdom in 28th with a time of 20:24. Overall most of the team is happy with the result. Girls got a plaque for earning third. Their average time was 20:13.
Gavin Gaston Staff Writer
of cupcakes they wanted to do. The group named “Halloweentown” made Oreo cupcakes, while other groups, such as the
“Creativity is one of the main points in the project,” Pluff said. Culinary students in Baking “Another thing that is important and Pastry class got a chance on is how the flavor, texture and apOct. 17 to create their pearance go together.” own cupcakes and comThe cupcakes were pete against each other graded on many categoin their own version ries such as appearance, of “Cupcake Wars.” flavor, texture, presenThe goal of the Haltation, creativity and loween-themed project overall quality. Many was to create the best of the students were looking and tasting in the class for fun and cupcakes. After school wanted to get a good a panel of 12 teacher grade on their cooking. tasted them and rated “Much of the class them. The team with the is fun, and it’s cool to most points for things learn how to bake all of like appearance and these amazing things,” taste was named winner. sophomore Bayleigh Nine teams competed Warry said. “I just want from different hours to create delicious foods of Lisa Pluff’s classes. and get a high grade “They are using their on it, as that tells me baking skills with cake, I’m doing good on it.” and then going with The winning team was creativity on their own sophomore team Halfrom there,” Pluff said. loweentown, and each Pluff said that the of them got their own class gained inspiwhisk as a reward. Their ration for the projPhoto by Nick Walters next unit will be over ect from the Food Senior Katie Nelson prepares her piping bag before frosting cupcakies. more baking, this time Network’s show, Nelson and other students enrolled in the baking and pastry classes com- the focus will be cookies. peted in a cupcake competition, students were challenged to bake and “Cupcake Wars,” decorate cupcakes in teams on Oct. 17. “Many of the stuwhich the projdents in the class have ect name was pulled from. group simply named “Ghosts,” a passion for baking, and that Many of the teams also had created chocolate cupcakes allows for fun projects like different ideas as to what kind with ghost decorations on top. this to happen,” Pluff said.
MHS Students Have Chemistry Kami Bussmann Staff Writer
Seniors Tejaswi Shrestha and Akash Aryal headed to Ames, Iowa to present some chemistry knowledge to undergraduates at Iowa State. “I had a poster presentation about research I had done over the summer at K- State,” Shrestha said. Shrestha had worked with Dr.Bossmann to develop a copper activated drug against MRSA gene and other positive bacteria. When the body is infected the area is swamped by toxic copper ions. Shrestha’s defending drug is going to help with the flooded toxic area. “ We are creating a compound that will bind with copper,” Shres-
tha said, “and either deliver the copper ion inside the bacteria or intercalate in the bacteria’s wall.” By showing her poster, she gave a overview of her project and answered questions to undergraduates and other people at the conference during the undergraduate poster session. “It was interesting to hear other people’s input into my project,” Shrestha stated. In addition she also got to see other people’s posters which helped her learn more about research that is happening in the chemistry world. “There were a few other people from my lab and from K-State,” Shrestha said, “So I went to their presentations.”
On the other hand Aryal presented two projects at the conference. One being along the lines of laser cancer treatment. “It tested the feasibility of using indocyanine green dye (ICG) in laser interstitial thermal therapy for cancer tumors in the liver,” Aryal said. Along with poster presentations in the form of a gallery, they also heard presenters speaking about current news in chemistry. The speakers ranged from graduate students to professors. “The research conference really broadened my horizons,” Aryal said. “and exposed me to a vast number of research topics and areas, many of which I had never seen before.”
Find more at MHSMentor.com “I am happy and thankful to be on a team that made it up on the podium this year,” Keeley said. “I don’t know if it’s exactly how I’d expect it would be, but I guess these kind of things are never very predictable. So I’m just thankful that it ended the way it did.”
The boys’ team had an average time of 17:04. When previously asked, the runners said they wanted to get to state and help be a part of it. Majority of the runners are satisfied and happy to say they got to state with hard work and a long journey. “...It was a good season,” Har-
kin said. “Overall I didn’t really know what to expect this season. [I’m] just hoping I ran my best and I think I did at the end, so I’m very happy with my result.”
The Mentor Oct. 16, 2018 MHSMentor.com
Entertainment
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Lauv performs for manhattan Madison Ritz Staff Writer
Ari Leff, who you may know as his stage name, Lauv, came to visit Manhattan, KS on Oct. 25. Around 9:00 p.m., Lauv performed at Bosco Plaza just outside of the K-State Union. Lauv is well known for his singles “I Like Me Better” released in Aug. 2017. He is also known for his single, “The Other” released in May 2015. Lauv performed at K-State in Manhattan KS, in 40-degree weather. Even though it was raining, his fans still showed up. Lauv and his crew were introduced onto the stage, and the crowd went wild. Lauv opened with his hit “I Like Me Better” and the crowd joined along as he sang. He would play various songs like “Paris In The Rain,” “Comfortable” and “Chasing Fire”. Throughout the show, Lauv gave the front row in the audience a chance to hold his hand, and the crowd went crazy over it. “Now you guys probably noticed that I, like, flare around on stage, and have a good time.” Lauv said. “For the longest time, I was writing songs for other people and producing songs for other people. But then I was like, okay I have songs that I want to
Photo By Madison Ritz Singer and song writer Lauv sings his viral hit, “I Like Me Better”. Lauv played at the bosco Plaza jsut outside the K-State Union on Oct. 25.
sing. Maybe I should learn how to dance and to be the particular figure but [screw] that. I’m just here to have a good time,” Lauv mentioned in between a song transition. “Like when you’re out with your friends … you don’t care how you look, you’re just there to
have a really good time,” Lauv had read an anonymous note that read “I met a superhero. I lost her. I want her back.” He had felt like it was a song, and ten minutes after he read the note, it was. He was on the search for his
anonymous co-writer, they found Martin, the guy who wrote the anonymous letter. This is explained in his “Superhero Lyric Video” released on YouTube. Martin had been in a longdistance relationship with a girl named Diana. Martin was from
Germany and Diana lived in Boston and Martin had planned on meeting her at Lauv’s concert. Before the concert, they both got in a fight. Martin then attended Lauv’s concert alone, and that made Martin write the anonymous note about her. Lauv, to this day, continues to keep his “My Blue Thoughts” box for every show he performs at. Lauv began to play the one song ”Superhero” using his standard guitar. “Basically, I’ve been doing this thing on tour, it’s a project called “My Blue Thoughts”, some of you guys might know it … where basically the whole concept was, I’ve been inviting every person to consider on your way out, picking up a pen and a piece of paper. With a stream of consciousness, write down something, anything on your mind, something you need to let go of about your day, something you’re afraid to tell your friends or your parents. It’s just something to say anonymously and let go of it,” Lauv said. Lots of fans found it surreal that a popular artist, like Lauv had come to Manhattan to perform a free concert.
MHS Orchestra goes on tour with Kansas Wesleyan Thespian Kids Camp provides learning opportunity for youth Sophia Comas Sports Editor
Spending an extended amount of time with classmates on a cramped bus isn’t the ideal picture of fun, but for the Manhattan High Chamber Orchestra, it was perfect. Traveling with Kansas Wesleyan University to join them on a tour of various locations in Kansas proved exciting, showing the group new playing environments along with a sense of freedom not found within class. “I loved it. It was a fantastic tour,” Nate McClendon, director, said. “[It] was really good because being here in Manhattan, there’s nothing else here except for us so we don’t get to see anything else. It’s important for us to go out and see other things.” The group began the tour last Thursday with a combined rehearsal with Kansas Wesleyan and their director Dr. Jesse Henkenseifken, who also made appearances at MHS last week for additional practices. They then continued throughout the week-
end with various concerts and performances, which they think will contribute greatly to their progress. “I think we learned a lot about ourselves,” Grace Hart, junior, said. “I think we know what direction we need to go in now and how to get there.” The tour presented students with an opportunity to get to know each other better, one that many took advantage of. “I think it went really well. I did make a lot of new friends in orchestra,” Elisabeth Efken, junior, said. “We all just like connected together. That was the highlight of my weekend.” While the tour presented itself as a golden opportunity for positive experiences, there were some setbacks that caused some issues. According to McClendon, who claims to have never felt rage in four and a half years, was reintroduced to that “way of life” by his students. “The trip offered some growing opportunities… it gave me the opportunity to address some
things that we need to correct as musicians and as student musicians in the way we approach what we do, not just musically but just the way we act,” McClendon said. “It gave me the chance to express some things on how we can move to that next level, not only musically but just personally.” Along with the new-found rage, the orchestra had to also combat low productivity within a college setting, something they hadn’t been exposed to much. “There were difficulties in the music where not everyone was as committed to practicing,” Hart said. “Just focusing was kind of an issue for everybody. Punctuality was not our strong suit.” Despite their minor problems involving work ethic, the orchestra made the best of the tour, recognizing it for the amazing opportunity that it was, especially in the aspect of their futures. “It was definitely a good experience like college wise,” Efken said. “It’s kind of like a next step to our ultimate goal of just being the best orchestra we can be.”
Dark Lord means she will lose her right to be in the mortal world with her best friends Rosz and Suzy and her boyfriend Harvey. As her aunts keep pressuring Sabrina to sign her name in the Book of the Beast and walk the path of night, her “cousin” Ambrose comforts her as she tries to find a way to stay in both worlds that she is attached to. In my opinion, the story is great and the music works amazingly well with the classic character Sabrina’s look and actions. The fashion is great; especially the dark baptism dress that she wears is outstanding. In the new version, Sabrina seems a lot closer to her aunt Hilda instead of her other aunt Zel-
da like it was in the past television version. Personally, I didn’t really like the way they made Zelda kind of rude and very negative but the bond between Hilda and Sabrina is very sweet. Hilda is different from the original series in a lot of ways. She’s more responsible and more like a mother to Sabrina but she’s afraid of her sister, which makes helping Sabrina fight the darkness harder for her. Overall, I think the new series is definitely worth a try, it’s very interesting and will give you goosebumps while you watch
Spooktastic retelling of ‘Sabrina’ sheds new view on classic Anika Nyp Staff Writer
Anika Nyp Staff Writer
The new Netflix series the “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” which came out on Friday, kicks off with a bang as a new view of the classic tales of Sabrina Spellman, her two aunts Hilda and Zelda, and her classic black cat Salem. But this is not the version from the Archie comics of the 1960s and ‘70s or the cute and sweet version from 1996. This story takes unexpected twists and turns. It introduces more characters and beings that your heart will warm to and chill you to the bone. Sabrina is faced with a choice either to lose her friends and join the Dark Lord or her friends and the mortal world. Choosing the
Kaitlin Clark Print Editor-in-Chief
E-hall saw everything from ghosts to paperboys this week as Thespian Troupe 941 hosted their annual kids camp and continued rehearsing for the upcoming fall musical, “Newsies.” The Thespians’ busy week began as Manhattan High was home to some spooky sights on Friday as kids participated in the Halloween-themed kids camp day. The event was created in an effort to teach younger children about the elements of theatre including lights, props, sound and costumes. Participants completed a series of stations while they were lead through the scripted mystery of the ghosts Fred and Ophelia, who Thespians often jokingly make reference to as the ghosts of Rezac Auditorium. Thespian volunteers felt that the kids had truly enjoyed their experience at MHS. “I think the kids really enjoyed it and had a day of fun that they will want to come back to,” Thespian representative Tess Garvin, senior, said. Garvin currently serves as the Thespian Senior Representative on the Thespian board. After completing the stations and storyline, kids were taught a dance to “Spooky Scary Skeletons” by the Thespian musical dance group, which they performed for a parental crowd. “My favorite part was really at the very end when all of the kids had learned their dance and performed for their parents,” senior Marlena Hummel said. “They were all really excited too and the parents really
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had one receiving touchdown and senior Javon Peoples had a receiving touchdown and a punt return. Both went for more than 50 yards. Sophomore Dayne Aschenbrenner had two passing touchdowns for 17 yards and 54 yards. In the second half, Sophomore Nate Harge would return a kickoff for 70 yards to the house to give MHS a big lead. Peoples would get in on the action once again with another rushing touchdown.Aschenbrenner would get another passing touchdown, this one to senior Chace McIlvaine for five yards.
enjoyed it.” As the Thespian President, Hummel organized the event, delegating tasks to other members of the officer board and working on the script for the kids’ ghost hunting adventure. The event, while enjoyable for many of the volunteers, was bittersweet for some senior members of the troupe. “I think having the kids here is great,” treasurer Ryane Hoffman, senior, said. “It’s great to teach younger people about theatre and get more people involved because even though I’ll be gone, it’ll be nice to know that I at least had an impact on the future generations that help here…” It was a busy week for the troupe as they continued rehearsing for the fall musical “Newsies.” As they prepare for dress rehearsal week, most cast members are tired from long rehearsal hours and finishing choreography, but the group as a whole is still looking forward to their upcoming Nov. 4, 6, 8 and 10. “The cast morale this year is insane,” Hummel said. “We’re all super excited.” Cast members continue to encourage each other as the curtain prepares to open on their biggest performances of the year. While dancing, singing and acting may be seen as difficult, they enjoy the opportunity to do what they love with others who share their passion. “I’m just looking forward to putting on another musical,” Hoffman said. “They’re always fun, and I am proud of my fellow castmates. They’re doing exceptional.”
On defense, junior B.J. Young would have himself a night. An interception in the first half and a 50-yard punt return. Junior Tyce Hoover had an interception as well that would end the game after MHS kneeled the ball to run out the clock. “Special teams was big for us,” McDonald said. Manhattan High Varsity football (8-1) will stay home next week to face off with Wichita West (6-3) in the second round of the playoffs. “It starts tomorrow morning, watching film,” said Schartz. “It starts with more of a sense of urgency in practice.”
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The Mentor Oct. 16, 2018 MHSMentor.com
Halloween at MHS
Halloween holidays coming to close Spooky Season in effect for Manhattan High Gavin Gaston Staff Writer
October is ending and Halloween is prevalent. Many kids, teens and even some adults dress up and search out candy. Many of the people who go trick-ortreating are young kids who want to get a sugar high for the night. But some people like just hang back and give kids the candy, or simply walk around their neighborhood and enjoy the costumes. “For like the past two years, I’ve just kind of hanged back and handed out candy,” sophomore La’von Conner said. “I still really do like Halloween, but I just feel that being a teenager on Halloween means either pranking little
kids, or staying home and passing out candy to them.” Many teens stay home because they just want to watch a scary movie. But some like to go out in their own costumes, as a way to express themselves. “I personally like Halloween because all of the colorful decorations and and costumes,” sophomore Austin Bender said. “I think it’s good for people to go out and be whatever they want for a night. Just letting people express themselves is good.” But some teens feel the opposite about costumes and decorations. They feel that even though it is Halloween, some decorations are really necessary.
“I understand the whole costume thing, but Halloween isn’t really like a seasonal event. It’s a one day thing and then it’s over. I just don’t see me ever really doing that,” sophomore Tara Zipperer said. “I hate to sound like a pessimist but it does seem like a lot of extra work.” But there are also teens who are kind of mixed about Halloween. Some just want to relax on Halloween night. “I don’t really go out. I just like to stay home and watch movies and eat candy i got at the store,” junior Diamond Chisolm said. “Halloween can be for everyone, but I guess some people just choose not to enjoy it.”
Zombie Toxin gives MHS students a fright Nic Walters Staff Writer
When you hear of Halloween, what do you think of ? Trick-ortreating, pumpkin carvings, maybe… haunted houses? Zombie Toxin is a popular horror attraction in Junction City that people of all ages visit. Each room is almost like a horror movie. Each detail was put in place for the maximum scare effect.
Junior Kenzie Shoff was one of dozens of Manhattan High students who went to Zombie Toxin this season looking for a fright. “The line was long, so characters would entertain us outside while we were waiting to go in,” Shoff said. “Since we went during the blackout night, the staff there gave us glow sticks. When we went in we had to watch a video
about how the directors and staff made the whole attraction.” The house was split into sections with staircases leading to different floors. Each floor and room all had its own theme. One room could be full of porcelain dolls while the other room had moving parts that could knock you down. “There was a room where they had two ovens. One of them was just burning while the other one had a body in it. I found that to be one of the creepiest rooms,” sophomore Taylor Decker said. Although Zombie Toxin is notorious for its jump scares and crowds line up for hours just to spend a mere 15 minutes winding through the halls, this year some students weren’t as impressed as they have been in the past. “Even though [Zombie Toxin] isn’t truly scary, I would recommend going with your friends because it’s a fun experience,” Elise Mitchell, junior, said, “My favorite part was the vortex, but the claustrophobic room was disappointing.” Despite some students’ disappointment, Zombie Toxin remains one of the most popular Halloween attractions in the area this year. “Zombie Toxin was HallowTastic,” Decker said.
Manhattan High reveals favorite candy Photo courtesy of Kenzie Schoff
Surprise, it’s not Reeses! Naysa Hicks Staff Writer
Some high school kids still plan to go trick-or-treating to get candy, while others want to stay home and pass it out to smaller kids -- and hopefully eat whatever candy is left over. We took a vote called “What’s
your Favorite Type of Candy?” by doing a purely unscientific survey of 180 students during first and second lunch from West Campus on Wednesday and from East Campus on Thursday. In the Kit Kat was the topo vote getter with 25, followed by Reese’s with 24. Snickers received 14 votes, M&Ms got 12, and
Smarties and Twix each received 10. There were 32 other candies that received fewer than 10 votes each. In the drawing from participants, senior Alayne Novotney won a bag of Kit Kats at West and freshman Katie Childers won a bag of Reese’s at East.
Naysa Hicks Staff Writer
The month of October for Manhattan High students is full of spooky memes, a lot of talk about costume ideas, and last but not least sweets. For majority of the month of October most people try to plan out what they want to be for Halloween, which some people plan ahead the month before because either they don’t want their costume idea stolen or they just want to be very creative and be very outgoing. Some students have great ideas for current costumes, while others preferred a costume they had as a child. Senior Amani Rockett said her costume idea was to dress up as Blank Man. “I would get a blanket as a cape either red or blue and also
wear some swim goggles, or some type of goggles and then with some tights and wear my hair in an afro,” she said. Rockett’s favorite childhood costume was either a butterfly or a witch and also a fairy. Although sophomore Chalice Carter hasn’t dressed up since the age of five, she liked to dress up pretty for Halloween, with her favorite costume being Snow White. ”The main reason why I liked the costume is because I would have a chance of putting makeup on,” she said. That was also the appeal for junior Paris Souza. “My favorite Halloween costume from my childhood was Tinkerbell because I got to wear a blue wig, and it was a bob,” she said.
Too old to trick or treat? Emma Elliot Staff Writer
Trick-or-treating is a long-held tradition, where kids get to have some fun with friends and family, deck out in elaborate costumes and be someone or something else for a few hours. When we think of trick-ortreating, we typically imagine two to 10 year olds in cute little costumes or junior high kids disguised in a scary or trendy costume. Teenagers, however are often quick to dismiss trick-ortreating as a “childish” activity to take part in, and choose not to participate. This begs the question...how old is too old to trickor-treat? Most teens have ditched trickor-treating for Halloween parties, handing out candy and hanging out with friends to watch scary movies or go to haunted houses. Personally, I don’t trick-ortreat either. I’m 16 now, and I haven’t gone since eighth grade when a bunch of my friends got together to spend the night out. I prefer not to myself, but I don’t think anyone is weird for doing it. After all, we are in that weird grey area between childhood and adulthood, so why not get festive and celebrate in the most harmless way possible? Cities across the U.S. have
been putting age limits on trickor-treating, saying that kids above the age of 12 can’t go door-todoor unless they wish to face misdemeanor charges, fines or jail-time, which is understandable when issues are being caused. Parents want their young children to be safe and have fun, not be tormented by high school kids. Many parents also complain about the issue, saying that kids old enough to drive should not be going door to door begging for candy, but I disagree with these bans and ideas. While it is strange for 18 year olds to parade around town like overgrown children, I think it’s perfectly normal for kids of any age under 18 to go out and have some fun for the night. We are all told to grow up so fast, so having fun with this little bit of childlike innocence shouldn’t be a problem. However, there are some issues that arise from this, because there is always that one guy that thinks it’s cool to ruin the fun for other people. As long as you do more than throw on a baseball cap and call yourself “a little leaguer,” you’re respectful of the adults handing out candy and the children going around, and you don’t egg anyone’s house, I’d say have a little fun and go for it.
Spooky season means spooky memes Gavin Gaston Staff Writer
Social media is a way for people to share their ideas. Many people share their thoughts on a topic, like what they felt on the season finale of a show or something political. But many people also like to share funny things, maybe just between them and their friends or publicly sharing for other people. When October rolls around, many of the memes throughout Twitter and Instagram go towards a Halloween or fall vibe. Everybody seems to put up memes because of it being ironic or it just being plain funny. “A good reason why I like major holidays is because making a meme is easy, just think of something relating to the holiday and then meme it,” freshmen Justice Britton said. Britton uses Instagram sometimes as a way to upload her own memes. “Everybody likes content that makes them laugh, and even
though like 15 people see my memes, people still like them,” Britton said. “The whole process is fun too because I get to think of funny ideas.” Many of the meme culture in October revolves around skeletons, and how “spooky” they are. A popular example of this includes a song titled “Spooky Scary Skeletons” and its remix by The Living Tombstone, gaining both 23 million views and 75 million views, respectively. “The Spooky Scary Skeleton remix is a good song to use for meme videos because for some reason it seems to fit in any situation,” Britton said. Memes are all different, and they all could either convey the same idea, or have opposite ideas or each other. “That’s the reason i like to make memes,” Britton said. “I can create a meme with either a certain focus on something or just about something I find funny and I know that people will like it.”