181211 Vol. 106 Edition 10

INSIDE THIS EDITION GIRLS BASKETBALL-- Senior Kia Wilson dribbles the ball after a rebound during the varsity game against Seaman High. Photo by Jennifer Sadler WRESTLING--Senior Quincy Sadler wrestles his opponent from Bonner Springs at the Thursday home dual. Photo by Hailey Eilert See Page 3 for more

THE MENTOR VOLUME 106 - ISSUE 10 - DEC. 11, 2018

MHSMENTOR.COM

Class, department changes to occur in 2018-2019 year New math classes to come to MHS Maddie Ritz Staff Writer

Senior Seth Higgins has a discussion with classmates in their math classroom following an assignment.

Photo by Josh Flickinger

New U.S. History class offers new opportunities Aloera Ostermann Online Editor-in-Chief

Students will have a new college-credit option for meeting their U.S. History requirement beginning next year. Manhattan Area Technical College is offering the course at Manhattan High.

Next year, however, a new class will be offered, a U.S. History class offered by MATC. The new MATC US History class counts not only towards your high school credit hours but also guarantees hours in many colleges, no AP exam necessary.

The class will be offered through MATC and taught by Todd Stewart, who currently teaches US History. “... [Stewart] does have mas-

ter level classes in US History,” Social Studies department head Amy Doering said. “That’s why we asked him to teach the class and he was already interested in teaching it even before we asked him.”

Assuming students pass the class, they will receive high school credit hours and three hours of college credit for each semester they are in the class. These college hours apply to all Kansas schools and should qualify for most out of state schools.

The class will be taught at the college level so students who take it must be prepared to work hard.

“I think students just need to make sure they understand it is a college level class and so the requirements are going to be high-

er,” Doering said. “Even though you’re getting the high school level credit, they definitely need to be informed that it is a college level class.”

With this said students need to be mindful of which class they choose to participate in, the MATC class or the AP one.

“I would recommend that kids really look to see what they want to get out of a US history class.

Because I still think the AP US history class is still an important class.” Doering said. “It really kind of depends on the kid of what they want. I think it kind of AP serves one purpose, and MATC serves another. So it’s just for the kids to decide what’s going to be best for them.”

Science Biomedical pathway undergoing significant changes Meredith Comas Online Editor-in-Chief

Unbeknownst to many students, the Manhattan High science department is host to three CTE pathways that provide students a chance to advance and excel in applied scientific technologies, such as the biomedical pathway.

Featuring biology as its introductory course, as well as genetics, anatomy and Advanced Placement Biology as its technical courses, the new Biomedical Innovation class will serve as the application-level course for the pathway.

“It has a lot to do with what are the newest and latest innovations or technologies or ideas in terms of medicine and health,” department chair Craig Ackerman said.

According to Ackerman -- as

the application level course is required for state funding -- the change to the curriculum was imperative to keeping the pathway available for students after what MHS offered was no longer considered as an application-level course by the state.

The new class will feature a more hands-on and updated curriculum, as compared to the previous course, aimed at students primarily thinking about following to medical field pathway into career.

“It’s a lot of self-driven learning by the students where they have to basically seek out the people they are going to interview or internship with, and create a big project out of the whole thing,” Ackerman said. “If [students] work hard and actually meet all the checkpoints, I think they’ll uncover a lot of really awesome opportunities out there in the

medical field.”

The curriculum, while more engaging than past classes, will be rigorous and only offered to few.

The prerequisites for the class will limit positions only to students who have taken biology, anatomy, genetics and AP Biology. According to Ackerman, this is due to the need of a stable background in biomedicine before jumping into an applied-learning environment.

Because it is rare for a junior or below to have all these courses already secured under their wing, the class will be heavily made up of upperclassman.

“The knowledge they learned from this class should probably carry over pretty well in terms of when they get to medical school or nursing school,” Ackerman said. “This kind of gives those students a head start on the type of new ideas and innovations they’ll be using as a career.”

Students next year will have three new classes to gain college credit are coming to Manhattan High School.

The dual credit courses with Manhattan Area Technical College include Technical Math I, Technical Math II and Elementary Statistics.

For students who want to further their post-secondary education or plan to go to a technical college these classes will help to get some requirements out of the way and get those college credits.

Technical Math I and Technical Math II are below college algebra level classes. The students will have to end up paying tuition for these classes. But they become transferable and can transfer out to any college if they plan on attending a college in the future.

These classes are here to give the students more options and a wider range of classes for the students to take in the future. “[The purpose of switching classes is] to provide more op-

tions, if they’re similar in contents, which they are because we’re reviewing basic skills, we’re doing a lot of the concepts are exactly the same as they’re doing Intermediate Algebra,” math teacher Ted Dawdy said. “If they’re not quite ready to go on to Algebra II, these two classes hopefully refurbishing and remediate some of the skills that they were a little bit lacking on.”

There is a class being replaced with these other classes coming in. Intermediate Algebra is being replaced by these new classes since it teaches the same information.

The new classes are each a semester long. Elementary Statistics is a core class so students won’t get a college credit for that class.

“If they take Tech Math II and two then they can get college credit for it if they want,” Dawdy said. “But the only reason they would need to get college credit for would be if they knew they were transferring, they’re going to be going to a technical college like Beloit or any of the other technical schools here in Kansas.”

English department to remove two classes Kaitlin Clark Print Editor-in-Chief

While there is still another semester for the 2018-2019 school year, Manhattan High’s English department is already looking forward to the next year, when many changes will be taking place.

Planned department changes include changing ninth and 10th grade English class titles from advanced to accelerated, removing the Advanced American Literature and Composition and the Advanced Humanities and Composition courses and focussing more on teaching through the “growth mindset.”

Teachers in the department read “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, which focused on the idea of developing a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset. English Language Arts department chair MaryKris Roberson hopes that upcoming department changes will encourage this growth mindset in students.

“We believe that so much of what students can do is based

more on their willingness to try, their desire, their effort they put into it,” Roberson said, “and so we started talking about what are we doing that’s promoting a fixed mindset, rather than a growth growth mindset to help all...students feel like they can continue to learn and grow and to achieve at high levels.”

According to Roberson, the removal of the two advanced junior english classes was done in part to encourage high-achieving students to take the AP course that is available. The department additionally hopes that it will lead to a greater mix of students in the typical English courses.

While these departmental changes are extensive, teachers are hopeful that they will be beneficial to students and instructors alike.

“We just want it to be the best experience for...all of our students regardless of which path they choose,” Roberson said. “So we’ll evaluate after we’ve done it for a year or so and see if it’s working, and then if we have to rethink it , we’ll have to rethink it.”

Visit MhsMentor.com for more coverage including

a debate update and a computer science trip

CTE department to add three new classes to curriculum, including teaching pathway Sophia Comas Sports Editor

In light of the new changes being implemented at Manhattan High, students can expect to see certain adjustments made to the Career and Technical Education courses offered at the school meant to better improve skill sets by making more specific courses.

Part of those changes include specifying career pathways and adding more classes to the course

book for the upcoming school year, which include new courses such as Teaching as a Career, Teaching Internship and Digital Media Project Management.

“We’re offering three new courses… two of those are in the education pathway, which we’ve never had before,” Debra Kidd, CTE Coordinator, said. “The education pathway has several courses that are in the family consumer science pathway, and then there are two courses we’re going

to offer that are specifically for teaching.”

The changes come for a variety of reasons. Either the state causes a change to be made or the district chooses to change certain courses for the benefit of students at MHS. Either way, those changes are better helping students to learn and assisting in the selection of courses for the upcoming school years.

“For Career and Tech Ed, it’s almost always that the state re-

quires something. That’s why I have several every year,” Kidd said. “For instance, in the AV communications area, they’re changing their pathway name at the State Department to Digital Media, and then we’re changing a couple of the course names based on relevance to the student.”

Students who have a distinct interest in those career pathways now have the ability to further explore those interests in high school. Being able to take those

courses in high school can help students explore what they want to do in the future “We’d always like for students to know a little bit about what they want to do after high school,” Kidd said. “If they’ve done their individual plan of study, then they kind of know what pathway they’re on to take courses in high school to help prepare them for possibly the same type of courses in college.”

OPINIONS

2

The Mentor Dec. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com

Public title should not dictate opinions

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

Public image in a world where almost nothing else seems to matter is a driving force for the way society as a whole perceives people. Every aspect of a public figure or official’s life is plopped under a microscope for common folk to pick apart and criticize, and yet people still continue to put themselves into positions where they are put on the receiving end of the utmost scrutiny.

In cases such as recently deceased former president George H. W. Bush, many people have already taken stances on his overall goodness of character based on certain policies that were enforced within the duration of his one term.

It is the agreement of The Mentor editorial board that while these two opposing views of Bush are fighting for dominance, public image should not be the sole factor in the overall judgement of a person’s character. For example, “Queer Eye” grooming specialist Jonathan Van Ness took to Twitter to criticize Bush, saying, “People died of HIV/AIDS when George HW Bush left office. His inaction allowed the virus to spread, stigma to grow, and so many vulnerable people in the cold. He served our country yes, but his hand guided so many towards HIV & stigma that still lasts today.”

Many members of the LGBTQ+ community have voiced similar concerns as to how Bush should be remembered by the people of the United States, claiming that Bush failed to do his

duty to all Americans by remaining inactive towards the AIDS crisis.

In contrast, other people have chosen to regard Bush in a much different light, taking other parts of his presidency into consideration.

For example, in July of 1990, Bush signed into law one of the most significant and comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination towards people with disabilities.

Bush’s work with the Americans with Disabilities Act became a memorable part of his legacy.

He was an influential role model for his son, George W. Bush, who followed in his father’s political footsteps when he became the 43rd president of the United States. In the younger Bush’s eulogy for his father, he said, “Dad taught us that public

service is noble and necessary; that one can serve with integrity and hold true to the important values, like faith and family. He strongly believed that it was important to give back to the community and country in which one lived. He recognized that serving others enriched the giver’s soul.

To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light.”

Under the lense of history, people are glorified or villainized quite easily. However, instead of categorizing people based on affiliation or political differences, judgements should be made solely on facts. Given the state of the country’s current politics, perception becomes clouded by personal opinion and political views, and while everyone has a right to their own opinions, those opinions should be built from a foundation of trustworthy information that

stands alone from personal assessment.

Additionally, when people are creating their own opinions about public figures or officials, they must also understand that anyone within the realm of public eye is a person too. No one is perfect, especially in the political sense, and there will those who disagree with the people in office. Citizens should keep in mind that perfection is an unrealistic standard to hold others to and part of being human is making decisions that people won’t always appreciate.

Public title and public image should play no role in how a person is regarded by the common citizen and rather than use their platforms as an accurate measure of a person’s standard, people must focus on factual information for building opinions in regards to the basic respects of humanity.

University, community, or gap year? Aquatics center would

Tara Wood Staff Writer

Skipping a university to attend community college or take a gap year has a negative connotation, but I want to dispel the common myth that students can’t be successful without going straight from high school to a university.

So many high school students don’t even consider these options because they have a tendency to be looked down upon.

People don’t consider smaller, oftentimes two-year colleges to be “quality” or have just as good or sometimes even better education.

The same goes for deferring college for a year; just because it’s not the usual route doesn’t mean a year away from school is useless.

These schools may not be the Ivy Leagues but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn or grow which is the whole point of college. A year of adjusting to being an adult might be better for some students before they dive right back into their studies.

Smaller two-year colleges, usually community colleges, tend to be more accessible and want to actually be there to help you, the student. In a community college,

you can grow a better relationship with your professors, meaning they might actually know your name and thus you can actually go to talk to them ask them a question or get help. On top of that community colleges, more often than not, cost less than universities, which means you can go into less debt or none at all. For those athletes out there this could give you time to hone your skills before playing at any college level or maybe going to a Division I school.

As for gap years there’s a specific stereotype I want to address.

If you take a year of to save up for college, travel, or anything else, that does not always mean you are throwing your life away.

It’s not uncommon for adults you respect to not agree with deferring a year because they jump to the conclusion that it means you have no goal or drive and will fail in life.

The Princeton Review says the most common compelling reason to take a gap year is, “The opportunity for students to explore their interests and develop a purpose for their future. Students can take a break from intense coursework and focus on enriching life experiences.”

If you want to take a gap year, take the gap year. Take the time to not only enjoy yourself and prepare yourself for a new level of learning. Travel to someplace you’ve never been before and become more aware of the world

around you and learn things that you never knew. Gap years can help you save up to get through a full year of college because you don’t have good enough support system or scholarships to get through.

Now don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not saying we should all be Malia Obama or anything. I’m saying do what’s best for you, whatever that means. That could mean deferring college for a year or going to a tiny little community college in the middle of nowhere or even going to a huge university far away. Start focusing on what you want out of your college experience and what is the best way for your to reach your goals.

When you hear things like “a smaller school means it’s not as good” or “taking a gap year means you’ll amount to nothing” don’t be peer or parent pressured into what everyone else thinks you should do. Go ahead and be excited about whatever you feel is the right fit for you because at the end of the day your the one that’s going to need to be happy about your decision because you’ll have to live with it.

benefit MHS

Meredith Graves Staff Writer

Even though Manhattan High School should be building add ons to the West campus they are still missing one crucial thing: an aquatic center -- something almost all high schools have. Yet we are still missing this.

A survey done by the Red Cross in 2014 said that only 56 percent of Americans know “water competency.” In other words how to swim if in a dangerous situation, and about 10 people die from drowning everyday. Although water is still dangerous to those who do know how to swim, giving a unit on swimming is helpful.

The swim teams also need

a better facility. The only pool available in town is the Ahearn Natatorium, which is about to fall apart. In the past the building has had a lot construction work done on it just to keep it from caving in. The pools are nasty with their walls falling apart and the gross gutters. The air quality of the Nat is also poor. The chlorine that is used to clean the water gets into the air and stays. If we built our own pool we could add better ventilation. If the air quality is better then swimmers will have an easier time swimming.

The equipment is also very old and not very functional. The blocks were actually deemed “unsafe” and were taken out for a short period. The starting technology is very old and sometimes malfunctions.

It also wouldn’t be too expensive in the long run because we wouldn’t have to pay to rent the Nat. We would also be able to hold more meets here which would also bring in some money.

If MHS built their own facility the high school swim would greatly benefit and so would the Manhattan Marlins, Manhattan’s local swim team.

Question of the Week- What is your favorite part of the holidays?

“Less homework and time with family and friends.”

-- Bella Lane, freshman @lilbee799

“PJ’s and cocoa.”

“Family traditions.”

-- Forest Efken, senior @forestefken

-- Ally Doud, junior @ally. irenee

Next week’s question: What do you want for Christmas?

Ignorance causes hostility for LGBTQ+ community Brianna Carmack Opinions Editor

Coming out can be one of the hardest things a person will do in their lifetime. Whether it’s coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or other types of sexuality, not everyone will be as welcome as they should be.

Unfortunately, a fellow sophomore friend of mine feels that they have been treated unfairly by individuals, some not being students.

According to TheGuardian. com, on average, most people come out when they are in high school. Of course some people come out earlier or even later

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 -- Copy Editors Hailey Eilert -- Photo Editor

but I personally think it makes the most sense for teens, more specifically, in high school to come out, because high school is usually when teens figure out who they are. I’m not saying that it is mandatory for you to come out as a teen but I think in this case the research makes sense.

Let’s be honest, teens are ruthless and when you’re coming out, your fellow classmates and friends might turn out to be your worst enemy. Even though most bullying is caused by the students in cases at Manhattan High, I’ve noticed that sometimes teachers will pick at a student or make fun of them.

From my perspective, our nation has mostly diversified some of their viewpoints, such as welcoming in different sexual orientations. But, when I hear an insult about someone not being a perfectly straight human, I get furious, especially when those comments are made by adults.

“I think… when you’re singled out by a teacher or picked on by a teacher, it can make you not want to trust anybody anymore or trust any staff anymore, because those are the people who are supposed to look out for you and protect you,” he said.

Most of the staff at MHS is very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, MHS was voted the top LGBTQ+ friendly school in Kansas. But, due to ignorant, closed-minded people, MHS is still not as safe for the LGBTQ+ community as it should be.

My friend came out in the middle of the eighth grade, so before high school, he had already been identified as a male. When starting freshman year, he told me that an email went out for the teachers, so that they made sure to call him “him” and use the correct name. “...when that email went out for them to call me a different

name and use different pronouns instead of what was in the system, most teachers were fine with it, they completely switched over,” he said.

Although most of his teachers were fine with this simple change, some teachers completely disrespected his choice in gender. “...you know it’s something you expect to hear from students because they are ignorant like they don’t know the ‘power of words,” he said. “They don’t know that kind of thing because, you know we’re in high school, we’re 16, 17 and 18, we’re young.”

To be honest, I think his fellow students and teachers don’t understand how scary it can be to completely switch over to a different gender. From simple tasks, such as using the bathroom to correcting someone when using the wrong pronoun, it’s scary. “[Transgender people] experience a lot of violence. Like a lot of violence,” he said. “It is scary

to just open your mouth around people who, and even if it’s not on purpose for them to use the wrong pronoun, if they say the wrong thing, you could end up saying something that’s wrong to them.”

Over all, when completely switching your sexual orientation, people may not see you as the same person and therefore, can create a hostile environment for those who have chose to come out.

“If you are going through that, you should definitely find somebody who’s trusted or go to your secretaries in the office and go to people who you trust,” he said. “Let them know that it makes you, let them know that it makes you uncomfortable and that it’s something that is really not okay. It needs to be taken care of.”

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 Video Production -- Gabe Jernigan, Duncan O’Brate, Jarrod Wege 21st Century Journalism -- Kyla

Barnett, Coy Cavender, Parker Dawdy, Emma Elliott, Gavin Gaston, Meredith Graves, Joe Hall, Heidi Hansen, Chloe Henderson, Naysa Hicks, Ryleigh Lancaster, Bella Lane, Hannah Le, Kris Long, Jimmy Marshall, Ethan Morrow, Anika Nyp, Elisa Ohler, Cole Schmitt, Katya Tarabrina, Nicholas Walters Kristy Nyp -- Advisor

Circulation Team -Mary Alderink, Caleb Barnes, Sebastian Bryant, Angel Cid, Brandi Cummings, Caleb Deloach, Rachel Efken, Kimberley Genandt, Terra Harvey, Kayla Wong

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 and National Scholastic Press Association.

The Mentor is a public forum. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.

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

SPORTS

The Mentor Dec. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com

3

BASKETBALL SHOOTS TO VICTORY Varsity boys basketball wins overtime thriller Cole Schmitt Staff Writer

Manhattan High Varsity boys basketball (3-1) defeated the Seaman Vikings (1-1) with a score of 49-48 in overtime last Friday night. They gained some confidence before heading into a week filled with two games, one being a rivalry.

“A lot of things we need to get better at but you know one thing we have is some fight,” said head coach Benji George. “It feels good to pull a rabbit out of the hat a little bit but we got our rival Tuesday night. I told our guys ‘if you want to be a team that does something you have to protect your home court and play well against your rival.’”

Manhattan was trailing most of the game. They were down by five at the end of the first quarter, then tied it up right before halftime.

At the end of the third quarter, the Vikings had a six point lead.

In the fourth quarter the Indians trailed by four with 39 seconds left and the Vikings had the ball.

Sophomore Owen Braxmeyer stole the inbound and got a quick layup to cut the lead to two with 31 seconds left. Seaman would eventually be fouled to stop the

clock. The Seaman player missed the one-and-one and MHS would go on to tie the game from a last second bucket scored by junior Raeshon Riddick. “[Riddick] is a natural scorer,” said George. “He’s been our most consistent scorer night in, night out, this year. A guy we have a lot of faith in and he has the most experience out of everybody on the team. Definitely a guy we want to go to late.”

In overtime, the Indians got out to an early lead before Seaman hit a big shot to put the Vikings up by one. The Indians had the ball, down by one, with 30 seconds to go. Another shot by Riddick put the game to bed.

“The biggest thing was that we just stayed patient on offense and looked for great shots instead of good shots,” Lawson Monaco, senior, said. “We got stops when we needed them down the stretch.”

The Indians Varsity boys basketball team (3-1) will travel to Junction City today to take on the Junction City Blue Jays (2-0). The Blue Jays are coming off two wins by double digits.

“We know that Junction City is going to be ready to go,” said George. “It’s going to be an exciting game in a packed house so we’re excited for the challenge.”

Photo by Javi Mercado Junior Chandler Marks moves down the court during the Varsity basketball game on Dec. 8. The home game ended with a one-point difference, but the Indians were still able to take the win over the Seaman Vikings, 49-48.

Girls basketball defeats Seaman in home-opener Micheal Simmons Blue M Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Jennifer Sadler Sophomore Taylor Claussen prepares to shoot a free throw during the basketball game on Friday, resulting in a score of 48-39. The home game against Seaman High School added the third win of the season.

No lead no problem for the Manhattan High girls basketball team (3-1) as they rebound early in the second half from being down by seven early in the first quarter to beat Seaman (0-2) 4839 in the home-opener.

“I thought the Seaman defense did a great job. They collapsed inside really hard on the ball because they were playing without any size,” head coach Scott Mall said. “We had to make a play quick and if we [didn’t] it made it harder for us to get the shot off.

Sometimes on offense we settled for shots on the outside when I would have liked us to look inside and move the ball.”

Despite being down 2-9 in the first four minutes of the game, the team adjusted to the unexpected Seaman lineup, ending the first quarter 10-11.

“It wasn’t a great start. They really came out hot, but I wouldn’t say it really phased us,” senior Taylor Johnson said. “We are probably one of the fastest teams

in the league and when we push the ball up the court quickly and play a really tight defense I think we do really well.”

The slow start would be short lived as they took the lead in the second quarter and never turned back ending the first half 22-16.

“I think adjusting for sure was really important,” senior Kia Wilson said. “They didn’t have a big girl on the floor. They were missing a player, so they played with all five players out with all guards which is new for us and we kind of had to adjust to that. We were expecting to see a different line up.”

This is the first time this season that the team has begun with a point deficit and managed to end the night with a win. The pressure of the home crowd and a point deficit caused no issues for the Lady Indians.

“I wasn’t really worried,” Wilson said. “It added a little pressure and kind of told us ok now we have to go and we have to pick it up a little because we weren’t just going to get it easy. That pressure along with our assistant coach

Kelly [Moylan] saying we have to win the first four minutes of this second half probably caused us to pick it back up.”

The team went on a 24-12 run in the second and third quarter lead by junior Aloera Ostermann and Wilson, scoring seven and eight points. Wilson and senior Garrin Williams closed out the fourth quarter strong, scoring 11 of the teams 15 points. Wilson ended the night just one point short of her season high with 18 points.

“I thought we pushed the ball and got some plays [in the second half],” Mall said. “We had a couple of nice plays where we kicked it out and got it down to Kia [Wilson] where she had a break out or two. On offense I thought we attacked the basket a little better and took advantage of some openings from that with Haleigh [Harper, senior] and Kia getting some shots off of that.”

The team will play away against their undefeated rivals, Junction City, later today at 7:45 p.m.

Wrestling hosts weekend matches ATHLETE Kamryn Bussmann Staff Writer

The wrestling team fell short of a win on Thursday but came back on Saturday to get second at their home duals. Bonner Springs visited to dual the team on Thursday which also was the team’s senior night.

“We’ve had four years to get better,” senior Jake Mitchell said. “...We are basically the top now.”

Even though all eyes were on the seniors Thursday night, they gave the packed home gym a show to watch and a night to remember. Bubba Wilson (160) won his match 14-5. Quincy Saddler (170) and Robert Houston (195) won with a pin. Mitchell (138) ended

up losing his match 2-11.

“It was good to get to wrestle in front of a home crowd one last time and actually have some decent competition for the team,” Wilson said.

They had some small setbacks.

Junior Darius Island-Jones lost 1-7, Freshmen Talique Houston (182) and Tucker Brunner (126) lost to a pin. Juniors Mikey Soberano (220) lost to a pin and Tate Sauder (120) lost by a decision 0-6. Freshman Jantzen Borge lost with a technical fall 0-15.

“I was being sloppy with my shots and couldn’t get off bottom,” Saddler said.

There was also an open weight class (152) that the team did not

participate in and ended coming up short by losing the dual 31-39.

The boys came back to Manhattan High’s gym on Saturday for the Manhattan Dual Tournament to go up against Paola, Shawnee Heights, Smith Center, Abilene and Mustang Oklahoma.

Although the day didn’t end how they wanted, there was still an upside to the tournament. Wilson, Sauder, Taylor and Llalio fought hard and ended with pins bringing in points for the team.

The boys went 4-1 as a team by continuing to push through setbacks. The team will travel to Grand Island, Nebraska this Friday.

For more about wrestling, visit MHSMentor.com

Boys swim and dive dominate meets Anika Nyp Staff Writer

The Manhattan High Swim and Dive team finished in the top half at two meets last week, finishing second at home on Thursday and ninth at Olathe on Friday.

Friday’s Varsity-only Olathe Invite was 6A teams who the

swimmers might be going up against in state.

Senior Zane Kohl won first place in diving, while the MHS swim team got ninth out of 18 teams.

“The meet went very well. We had a lot of people swim their best times,” senior Suman Wang,

co-captain, said. “This was a really fast meet too so it was nice to see that we were ahead of most of the teams.”

The meet at home on Thursday was a full meet including Varsity and J.V. For more about swimming, visit MHSMentor.com

OF THE

WEEK Raeshon Riddick Varsity Basketball Photo by Javi Mercado

Sophia Comas Sports Editor

• Contributed to the team win against Seaman, 49-48 How do you think the season is going for you so far?

Right now I think that it’s going well. I mean, there’s always things to improve upon.

What do you hope to improve upon?

Mainly, I want to work on ball handling because I had a lot of turnovers in the last game and I want to work on being more consistent and faster with my stride.

What expectations do you have for the rest of the season?

Just winning and getting better and try to go all the way.

What has been your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration for playing is my family.

How do you think next season will go?

I think next year will go well, like it’s just another year. I feel like it’s just going to be another year and we’ve got to do the same thing.

4

FEATURES

The Mentor Dec. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com

Recycling to better environments Hannah Heger Features Editor

Schools depend on students and faculty to keep the hallways and classrooms clean.

Lately many students at Manhattan High School have been throwing away food waste in the recycling bins the school provides.

While throwing food waste into the recycling bin seems easy, it can cause many problems for the students and the school.

“The first reason would be that that creates a health hazard with rotten food being present in the hallways,” Clancey Livingston, science teacher, said. “The second reason is because as we had this week, that creates a breeding ground for fruit flies, which is its own separate health hazard. And also, those are a pain to get rid of.”

Food waste can also cause the school to be an unpleasant place to be.

“This is everyone’s school, the students and the staff, and when individual students misuse recycling or other facilities,” Livingston said. ”They’re degrading the environment that they’re in.

They’re making the school less pleasant for themselves and for others.”

Effectively making sure that the school’s recycling bins are food waste free is a big commitment for the students and teachers.

“My first choice would just be to make students aware that the recycling bins are separate from the trash containers and what goes in one should not go in the other,” Livingston said. “The only option beyond that is finding a way to have someone sort the trash from the recycling, which is very messy and labor intensive.”

Previously dealing with students improper use of recycling, Livingston knows to teach stu-

dents how to properly take care of food waste and recyclables.

“When students have put things in the recycling erroneously, in the past, I explain the difference between the recycling and the trash and have them move whatever they threw away to the correct container,” Livingston said Teaching the next generation the impact and importance of recycling correctly and properly disposing the food waste we generate will not only help the environment, it can make a better place to live for future generations.

“Humans put an enormous amount of waste into the environment that should not be there and this is everyone’s environment that we all have to live with and that we all depend on,” Livingston said. “and and if one person degraded, it makes it worse for everyone.”

Graphic by Hailey Eilert

Culinary classes participate in food truck designing Riley Williamson Staff Writer

Culinary Arts 1 is finishing up the semester with an unusual final. The students had the opportunity to compete in a food truck design competition.

“They had to develop a business plan for a food truck, including designing the outside and what equipment they would need on the inside of the truck,” Culinary Arts teacher Heide Rippert said.

Not only did the students have to design the truck, they also had to come up with two main dish and two side dish food items. Rippert wanted the students to adapt recipes and make them original.

Junior Allison Doud made her own seafood stock for her shrimp etouffee to make it original. But the effort put in can be rewarding.

The students will get their food judged by five different faculty members in the school, including Rippert. Since there is a limited amount of space in the kitchen, the class split up into two groups.

Part of the class was judged last Thursday. And the other half will be looked at on this Thursday.

This gives the students a chance to help one another while cooking. In the days between judging, the students can work on their rationale project for why Manhattan should have food trucks.

“They have to write a short rationale paper and research… the history on it and [explain] why they should provide food trucks in Manhattan,” said Rippert.

This is not the only competition some of the students will be involved in. Rippert hopes the group will be able to go to competitions in February, March and April. By designing the menu for their semester final, it should prepare the group for upcoming competitions.

“So this kind of gets their blood pumping. Because in those competitions, two of them they have to develop a menu for,” Rippert said.

Geometry races around math problems Madison Ritz Staff Writer

Solving math problems to progress through challenges similar to the CBS show “The Amazing Race” has been a new project in Jancy Radke’s math classes this week.

Students are given a paper folded together similar to the actual tickets that the contestants on the show receive during the race. The paper the students are given is a worksheet of problems. Once the students complete their worksheet of problems it reveals a word. The students then have to retrieve the solved answer gave to Radke so they could get their next ticket.

Some tickets had an orange slip in it named ‘Detour’. When students receive one of the slips, it had the students move one of two places: senior administrative assistant Michelle Heit’s office or registrar Diane Spiegel’s

office.

When the students were directed to Heit’s office, they either had to bring her a piece of candy or make three ‘trashcan’ balls, But when students were directed to Spiegel’s office, they either had to make a paper snowflake or sing her a Christmas carol.

Majority of students enjoyed all of the activities that the detours took them on. Whether they were to take them to the senior office or main office. “[My favorite activity would be] the snowflake thing and having to deliver a snowflake to the main office,” sophomore Colton Johnson said. “It was it was unexpected, and it was kind of Christmas themed, which is unique.”

Most of the students enjoyed the activities that took place in Heit’s office.

“The part I enjoyed the most was the part where we had to shoot a certain number of trash balls into the trash can,” sopho-

more Brogan Flint said. “I seemed to enjoy this because it is a somewhat sporty activity.”

The students weren’t the only ones who enjoyed experiencing the activities that had them engaged. Heit also enjoyed seeing the students coming in her office.

“It was exciting because they weren’t really sure what they were doing. Some of them came in and shot baskets. Some of them, [weren’t] so great,” Heit said. “It was very entertaining to watch them play and not do very well.”

Radke said that it got the students involved in the activity and got the students moving.

“It was just a fun way to get them out and moving, wandering around and also practicing working with congruent shapes,” Radke said. “I have kids who don’t usually participate. But everyone was participating.”

Student excels working with stained glass Hannah Heger Features Editor

Seeing her older brother work on metalwork for his art class inspired junior Marin Poulson to join jewelry as an art class. Since then Poulson has also learned about working with stained glass. “[Stained glass] is very beautiful. But it’s also been around for a long time,” Poulson said. ”It’s kind of an old form of art that it’s not very popular anymore.”

Poulson enjoys the whole design process of stained glass.

“I’ve never been very good at drawing,” Poulson said. “I’m better at [3D art] and then with stained glass. I never get tired of any of the steps.”

In stained glass art you have to design your piece and figure out the colors of the glass. Next you cut and shape the glass to get the glass to fit close to each other.

“I like coming up with the

ideas and then figuring out how to make them and then seeing them like when they’re done,” Poulson said.

Poulson plans on being able to open her own stained glass business.

“I think people should try it.

It’s something new and something different and it’s... made me

really happy... it’s my favorite class during the day everybody [as well as] for the people that I talk with during the class,” Poulson said.

“We all look forward to it. And I think people should try [even if it] it seems really scary, especially in the jewelry class, but it’s actually not that bad.

Junior Marin Poulson works on a project during jewelry class.

Photo by Coy Cavender

ARTIST OF THE

WEEK Larkin also plays guitar, participates in rowing, wrestling manager.

Photo by Makenna Wollenberg

Mikayla Larkin Stained Glass Makenna Wollenberg Assistant Photo Editor

How did you get into art?

I have known Mrs. [Sonda] Copeland for many years and I talked to her son and he recommended to take one of her classes. I agreed and I really wanted to take a class from her before I graduated anyways. Then last year, I decided to take the jewelry class and I absolutely fell in love with it.

What is your favorite thing to do with art?

“Honestly just about everything. There is nothing specific that comes to mind. My favorite medium to work in is stain glass.

Art is just a different way to express yourself which I love about

it. It is a way to get all ideas out of your head and be able to share them with other people.

What is your inspiration?

Definitely Mrs. [Sonda] Copeland. She has helped me in so many different ways and has helped me grow in art. There are a lot of things I didn’t know before I took her class. I have taken a few art classes before her but nothing that really caught my eye.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a big stain glass piece for my parents as a graduation gift.

What keeps you going?

It is complicated in a way.

There are days where I show up to class and just don’t feel like working or get really frustrated and want to give up but at the same time I think about it and I can’t wait to see the end result.

Students studying around the world Madison Ritz Staff Writer

At the beginning of the semester, Educational Humanities and Composition teacher Jenna Grater assigned her senior students to research a country of their choosing.

The students present them to the class, teaching their classmates about the countries’ traditions and culture.

“We just kind of present like historical facts like if you were to go and travel to this country, what like you could experience,” Taylor Hughston, senior, said. “I think the purpose of it was to really have knowledge about things outside of the country because we’re kind of used to what’s going on in the U.S. so kind of branching out to learn more about what’s out there rather than what we just know.”

Grater assigned requirements that included, the countries’ traditions, music style, clothing style, videos and documentaries that are made in the specific country and facts that correspond to country. It helps bring the country into the classroom.

Students were given the instructions and were assigned this assignment a couple weeks into the first semester. Students were given the option when to present during the semester. Some students chose to go in the first part of the semester or at the end of

the semester.

“I actually was the first one to present in our class, which was back in September so I felt pretty confident,” Hughston said. “I’m not really shy when I had to talk in front of the class being able to confidently show like what I researched for like a while.”

The students were given a requirement to present in a range of 18-25 minutes but the students had all semester long to work on it.

“I enjoyed it. I think it’s really cool and interesting, something different and to learn about other countries,” Nadiyah Gamble, senior, said. “I get to be educated on other countries and their cultures and their traditions and unexposed to what they do in other countries.”

To gather the whole presentation all together, the students had to find a short story to summarize their country.

Including stereotypes, at the beginning of the project they were told to research their country of their choosing and teach their classmates that stereotypes are not necessarily right to do. They learned that stereotypes give off a bad vibe and ruin how Americans looks at other countries and their cultures. “[Stereotypes are good to] get to know something or someone surely for who they are,” Gamble said.

Want your voice to be heard!

Email us at mhsmentor@gmail.com

The Mentor Dec. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com

ENTERTAINMENT

5

Orchestra prepares for unique performances Sophia Comas Sports Editor

Lights. Camera. Action?

Those words aren’t typically associated with events like orchestra concerts, but the Manhattan High orchestra is preparing to break the bounds of traditional music at their annual winter concert.

Featuring a laser light show, electric violins, props and assistance from the Pops Choir and the Robotics team, this concert is meant to help the audience grasp an appreciation for all forms of art.

“Well, this isn’t a normal concert,” Nate McClendon, director, said. “There are a lot of individual and small group performances so rehearsals for the last few weeks have been fragmented, allowing all the different groups to practice.”

According to junior Duru Dogan their Saturday rehearsal is the most important because everyone is able to practice together rather than separately.

“We have been rehearsing the music in class for weeks and just had our most important rehearsal

Photo by Tara Wood

Seniors Tarryn Lancaster and Andrew Suh admire the performance of their peers during the fall orchestra concert.

on Saturday that worked on the non-musical aspects of the show,” Dogan said. “Typically, we run through all of our pieces because all three of the orchestras are in attendance. Then we rehearse any acts we have planned like

singing, talents, acting, dancing, etc.”

While this is more than just a performance for the orchestra, the group has been working harder and harder each day. All three orchestras are coming together

YouTube Rewind 2018 fails to match expectations

Riley Williamson Staff Writer

Last Thursday, the yearly YouTube Rewind video was published. Every year YouTube and Portal A Interactive release an overview video of different events, trends, music or viral videos that have happened.

But the video took me by surprise because of the different perspective they took this year.

I’m not sure exactly how I feel about the video because of everything that took place in it.

This year’s video, I had expected the YouTubers and creators that were featured to

make an appearance in it. But the layout and the flow of the video was unusual. There were several breaks and change of points.

The theme for this year’s video was “Everyone Controls Rewind,” but I found several different topics mixed in the 2018 video that could be considered themes.

Some topics that stood out were diversity, inclusion and overcoming social issues. They did hit these topics well, but the execution and main ideas were missed. Considering they wanted to include everyone and all ideas in the video, their theme was accurate but all over the place.

The inclusion of everyone for this year’s video literally means everyone, not only the famous creators. They tried to include what the people wanted by reading off comments in the rewind video. This did not work out for

them.

Already the YouTube Rewind 2018 video is the second most disliked video on YouTube.

I think the crowd that was looking forward to this year’s publication was disappointed in what they saw. There are always high expectations set for the annual video and this year it didn’t meet the mark.

Something that could have been carried out differently would have been to choose one topic and stick with it. I think the idea of pleasing everyone blocked out the simple flow of the video.

I hope in future videos a certain focus will be put in place, and the different scene changes will have steady movement throughout.

Although I was not pleased with this year’s published video, I will still be looking forward to YouTube Rewind 2019.

‘Pride’ reteaches important ‘Pride and Prejudice’ theme Hannah Le Staff Writer

“It’s a truth universally acknowledged…” the book “Pride”

by Ibi Zoboi starts.

Those are familiar words to Jane Austen readers, as they also begin her book “Pride and Prejudice.” National Book Award Finalist “Pride” published Sept. 18 of this year is a remix of the classic book “Pride and Prejudice” published in 1813.

Much like Elizabeth Bennet in the original, 17 year-old Zuri Benitez is a prideful woman. Very different from Elizabeth, Zuri has Afro-Latino roots, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Both books begin when a very wealthy family moves in next to them. For Elizabeth, it’s best friends Charles Bingley and William Darcy. For Zuri, it is teenage brothers Ainsley and Darius Darcy. Then Benitez family largely resembles the Bennet family, with a very well read father, gossiping mother, and five very different sisters.

When the four youngest siblings greet their oldest sister Janae who is back from college, they welcome the Darcy brothers to their neighborhood Bushwick.

Quiet Janae, the Jane of “Pride” and outgoing Ainsley, the Charles of “Pride” immediately take interest in each other. Yet while Zuri believes she can find some common ground with Darius, he remains uninterested and aloof.

Even before the Benitez sisters met the Darcy family, just taking a look at the extravagant house the Darcys were moving into, Zuri had made up her mind about what the family would be like.

They would try to clean up their neighborhood and throw away its character.

After the Benitez and Darcy families’ many exchanges, including a cocktail party at the Darcys’ mini-mansion, Zuri’s opinion of the family kept declining. She believed they were arrogant, showoffs, and believed they were better than everyone else in Bushwick.

Yet as Zuri got closer to Darius, she tried to be optimistic and understand things from their perspective. Maybe Mrs. Darius just looked intimidating. Maybe the family was just fighting, and that’s why they aren’t being friendly.

But Zuri knew her first im-

pressions about some of the family were correct. They would talk about her as if she wasn’t there and look down on her and her family. And then they would disrespect Bushwick, and act as if her neighborhood was full of uneducated people who would only be bad influences and not be successful later on.

Just like “Pride and Prejudice” did, “Pride” talked about the stereotyping and pride on each side. In this case, of the wealthier people, and the average individual. Zuri, Elizabeth, Darius and William all struggled to not let their previous judgements of others cloud their view of someone.

After learning to disregard their pride and hear each other out, it resulted in them finding they had a lot more similarities than at first glance, and it earned them a friendship and maybe something more.

“Pride” recaptured the ideas and the theme of “Pride and Prejudice” and put them into a story relevant in our time and with our problems. Zoboi strayed far enough from “Pride and Prejudice” that it feeled like a completely different story, with characters that built off of and captured the essence of the characters in “Pride and Prejudice.”

Last chance, seniors!

2019 Blue M senior portraits and ads are due Dec. 14. email us at mhsbluem@gmail.com or see us in room C-107

for the event, along with other aspects of the Art Department at MHS. “[Sonda] Copeland and [Sara] Rempel have done some projects for this show and their classes have made some props

for us,” McClendon said. “Additionally, the robotics team and a few vocalists from Pops Choir are helping out as well.”

With all the additions to the concert, the group needs to work out some kinks before it’s time to perform. According to McClendon, most of the remaining issues are technological.

“We still need to work out all the sound issues with the electric violins and wireless receivers,” McClendon said. “There’s a bunch of small things too. Then there are some surprise things that need tweaking but I can’t tell you what they are.”

While the orchestra and all of its helpers work for an unforgettable performance, their main focus is still the music. Given the time of the year, people in attendance can expect to hear some Christmas themed music, getting everyone in the mood for the festive season.

“The concert will feature a mix of holiday music and orchestra music. We’ll even perform ‘This Is Me’ from ‘The Greatest Showman’,” McClendon said.

“All I can say is it’s not a typical orchestra concert.”

Thespians prepare for One-Act Play Festival Kaitlin Clark Print Editor-in-Chief

Even though their big fall musical was just a month ago, the Manhattan High theatre department and Thespian Troupe 941 is preparing for another night of acting and fun as the One-Act Play Festival draws near.

This year’s festival is different than others because all Advanced Repertory students were required to participate.

“This is really different because we had...advanced rep students be the directors so we could direct a whole bunch of kids who are going to take our spot once we leave because we’re graduating,” senior Mckayla Alberto said.

There are five one-act plays that will be performed. Through one-acts, students get to work with peers that they would not have the chance to work with.

“It’s really fun to see what the other classes can do because my one act has a lot of like freshmen in it and they’re hilarious,” Alberto said.

One-acts are unique from a typical play in the sense that they are shorter. A typical one-act does not last any more than 30 minutes. Combining the shorter show time with a smaller class can create a group that works

closely with each other, especially with cast members. “It’s also a really cool experience to be able to direct your peers because it’s not like directing somebody you don’t even know,” senior Finn Huslig said. “It’s...kind of like co-directing with the people who are in the cast.”

One-act casts have been practicing to ensure their performances will be perfect, but participants don’t seem to mind the time it takes. “...every single person that’s involved is so excited to be doing it, so you know we’ll spend hours rehearsing but we just get on it, like we get with it,” senior Grace Franke said.

This year’s group of one-act actors and directors are greatly looking forward to their upcoming performances on Friday and Saturday, and invite anyone who is not able to attend those dates to come to one of their dress rehearsals.

While it is a busy and somewhat stressful time for directors and cast members alike, they are still looking forward to the annual One-Act Play Festival.

“One-acts are always phenomenal,” Franke said. “The one-acts at MHS always have this reputation of being like the most fun thing.”

Netflix keeps ‘Friends,’ creates controversy

Kamryn Bussmann Staff Writer

When fans of the ‘90s sitcom “Friends” heard that the show was only staying on Netflix until the end of 2018 they went ballistic. They took to social media platforms to share how they feel about it.

Netflix announced that it would keep “Friends” until the end of 2019 but it would cost them $100 million to continue streaming it, when they only payed $30 million before. One of the reasons it’s a high-cost show is because back in 1994 when it debuted the main six cast members Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer banded together and demanded equal pay making the show the highest contract salaries on record during that time.

Keeping or not keeping the sitcom created a big controversy between viewers. There are some people that believe Netflix should take off “Friends” because it stopped showing on television

back in 2004. One topic that kept coming up was that Netflix could have used that $100 million to stream new shows, movies or make more original films.

“I think it’s time to say goodbye, add new show on Netflix, everyone has seen it enough,” junior Hunter French said.

Other students at Manhattan High took it to heart when the announcement came out because the show warms their heart. It also helps them push through, however they are feeling.

“I am so happy ‘Friends’ is staying on Netflix because it’s my go to show and it always makes me feel better whenever I’m down about something,” junior Elizabeth Chapman said.

The top movies and shows streaming platform will go up against some competition.

The show is likely to stream on AT&T’s coming service.

Netflix concluded their statements about it by addressing things on twitter: “The Holiday Armadillo granted your wish: “Friends” will still be there for you in the US throughout 2019.”

Along with a picture of Ross in an armadillo costume during a scene where he tries teaching his son the story of Hanukkah.

“Friends” and Netflix are indeed not on a break, at least until the end of 2019.

TRENDING

6

The Mentor Dec. 11, 2018 MHSMentor.com

‘TIS THE

SEASON

Hunt for holiday rock begins Whoville creating a Tara Wood Staff Writer

In Manhattan Jingle Bell Rock isn’t just a song, it’s also an annual local competition through local radio stations at Manhattan Broadcasting. This year the Jingle Bell Rock is sponsored by Manhattan Running Company and G. Thomas Jewelers. The rock itself is literally a big rock painted black with all of the radio station logos painted on it. The rock is hidden somewhere in town for anyone who chooses to compete to find.

This year’s contest opened Dec. 3, but for those who have missed the earlier clues, each week on Friday at 5 p.m. they are posted online at purerock. com, 1350kman.- com, b1047.com and z963. com.

Last year Rachel Tesene and her dad, Brian Tesene, found the rock. They worked on it together and her father happened to find it underneath a bunch a railroad ties while he was searching without her. Interestingly, he

had also found the rock back in 2012.

“Since we’ve been doing this for years, we always have these

big maps of the town and stuff,” Rachel Tesene, sophomore, said.

“We try to quadrant off where it could be and use past ones to make where we think it is.”

According to the rules listed

Manhattan gets into holiday spirit with tree lighting Aloera Ostermann Staff Writer

For the sixth year in a row, the Blue Earth Plaza hosted the Festival of Lights where a massive Christmas tree bursts into light in directly in the center of the courtyard on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The ceremony is used to raise money for various local charities.

Kids of all ages love to go

online the daily reading will fall between the hours of 6 to 9 a.m.

The daily clue will be read once on each station each day. A general clue is that the rock will always be hidden on public property and any person who is searching for the rock is considered a contestant. The Jingle Bell Rock is considered not found and the contests are still active until it is returned to and in possession of Manhattan Broadcasting.

Be warned, it’s very competitive and some years, because of the fierce competition, the rock can almost be found immediately.

If this happens, and it often does, then the radio stations will often hide a second one so they can continue it throughout the holiday season.

“We always see lots of people out trying to find it. You can clearly see that they’re trying to find it. We try to avoid them,” Rachel Tesene said. “[Its] very competitive.”

jolly good time

Ayden Boyles Business Manager

Every town has that one event that kicks off the holiday season.

For Manhattan residents, that is the tree lighting ceremony put together by Whoville Inc. This year, on Nov. 23, around 10,000 people attended the lighting ceremony. Attendees got to play games, do crafts, decorate cookies, play with virtual reality and go on a carriage or mini train ride.

Whoville Inc. introduced pixel lights this year to the Christmas tree, making it one of the largest.

“We had no idea it would be this big,” Joey Athon, one of the Whoville Inc. organizers, said.

“It’s the tallest Christmas tree in Kansas and now with the new lighting system, it’s the tallest pixel-lighted tree in the United States.”

Putting together such a large display requires the help of many people and business’ in the Manhattan community. Whoville has had help from K-State Credit Union and ERA High Pointe Realty who provides volunteers for the ceremony, as well as a father and son team from Kansas City who built the tree

and lighted tunnels. Whoville has also enlisted the help from Master Landscape and friends and family.

Since the tree lighting is such a big event, organizers worry that something will go wrong, though the feeling they get when it is all set up is irreplaceable.

“My biggest fear every year is something’s not going to turn on and it’s going to let people down,” Athon said. “Hearing all the people, even throughout the year and seeing on Facebook or social media, everybody taking their family pictures, it’s just a good feeling knowing we were a big part in it.”

The tree lighting is very expensive to operate, but Whoville is determined to keep the event free and open to the public.

They want everyone to be able to come back with the same experiences. Whoville also introduced 3D hologram glasses that display holiday pictures when you look at a light bulb.

“Everybody says well just charge for those [the glasses] you know that would make you some money,” Athon said. “No, in the spirit of everything we do, we want it to remain free forever.”

and enjoy the first lighting of the Christmas tree and various other activities that come along with it.

Even high school students have a blast drinking the free hot chocolate and walking through the tunnels of lights.

The event provides the perfect opportunity for students to take cute pictures and often make their first Instagram posts’ about the holiday season and the joy it brings..

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Wilson The arch of lights is a popular attraction for high school students. Sophomores Lindsay Wilson and Tanner Oberhelman pose under the arch. The post contained multiple photos that encompassed her and her friends having fun during the new holiday season.

Photo courtesy of Jacklyn Hernandez Sophomore Jacklyn Hernandez posted a collection of photos to show her experience at the festival. She posed in front of the arch with a huge smile.

Photo courtesy of Jordan Stegeman Junior Jordan Stegeman captioned her post “TIS THE SZN” as a way to convey the excitement that beginning of the Christmas season brings her and her friends. Stegeman and sophomore Faith Beyer hold up junior Ainslie Markle in front of the newly lit Christmas tree.