190814 Vol. 107 Edition 1

Wednesday, Aug. 14 Visit MHSMentor.com

THE MENTOR

Volume 107 Issue 1

TRUTH & EDUCATION

MHSMentor.com

‘Toy Story 4’ sweet, comical Story by Anika Nyp Blue M Editor-in-Chief

After all the years of only growing up with three “Toy Story” movies, Disney decided to release the new “Toy Story 4.” To see more, go to online.

Building principal Michael Dorst stands at the corner of the main entrance and “The Alumni Hall of Fame.” While an unusual spot, Dorst says it’s his favorite because it’s the only place where he can see every part of the West Campus building.

To see content about: • New Schedule Changes • New Teachers • The 57 Bus’ Go to MHSMentor.com

Photo by Anika Nyp

A Day in the Life of Dorst New building principal puts title into action Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief

M

ost of the time, Michael Dorst comes to school early.

Usually, whenever he wakes up is when he leaves for West Campus, but on some occasions he’ll be in as early as 4 a.m. As soon as he gets to the building, he’ll turn off the alarms that ensure the building’s security when no one is inside and he’ll go directly to his office -- well, to his new office.

If anyone happens to be there before him, he makes sure to give them a “hello.”

when he stops Erin Spreer, one of the sophomore counselors, to tell her that their plan to speak later was good to go. She’s barely walked away when he picks up his walkie talkie -- a toy but not a toy -- to say “I’ll help you later” to the anonymous recipient on the other end. To me, it seems utter chaos to be in that hallway. To Dorst, it’s the best place to be.

“There’s a lot of good people who do a lot of good things and that’s where the trust is,” Dorst said. “On my end, it’s providing them with [resources] and listening to the needs that they have.”

See more on MHSMentor.com

“Dorst takes busy to a whole new level.”

On go the lights and the computer and into the desk drawer go his car keys. Once his salad is in the fridge and his inbox is checked, the real work begins.

As soon as everyone else gets to the school, Dorst takes busy to a whole new level. If he’s not in a private meeting, he’s out and about the school, canvassing the area for places where he’s needed.

Every two minutes there’s a new person to talk to, even if the conversation is to the briefest extent.

Despite the overload of work that needs to be done, Dorst knows what he’s doing. He’s planned for it. He’s ready for it. Most importantly, he enjoys it.

“I really enjoyed my staff meeting yesterday,” he told me. “I was able to take my vision of how I see the whole puzzle of our high school program coming together and that’s enjoyable.”

After a closed-door phone call, he opens the door to his office where I have been waiting, and plans his steps for what I’m about to see.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Absolutely, let’s go.”

We’ve only taken three steps into the hallway

SPORTS

Mike Sanchez takes on role of head boys soccer coach Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor Head Varsity girls soccer coach Mike Sanchez will take on the position of boys head coach in the wake of Frank Alonso’s death from pancreatic cancer.

Sanchez played collegiate-level soccer at McPherson College -- a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school -- and first began coaching at the club level before coming to Manhattan High nine years ago. He started alongside Alonso as an assistant for the boys soccer team, then coached the girls starting in 2011.

Though Sanchez has experience as head coach he’s not certain about how the Varsity boys soccer team will look this year, as tryouts for MHS soccer aren’t until Aug.19.

However, Sanchez

Part of Dorst’s new job is to oversee the entire workings of the school day while also trusting that other grade level administrators can take care of their own specific needs.

Photo by Anika Nyp

Mr. MHS moved to fall

Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor

have to turn in the application and… [then] bring it before a panel of judges from Student Council,” Feather said.

“We just make sure that it’s appropriate and that they [can] perform it before an audience.”

The change of date was made when the Performing Arts Department asked to move the musical to the

The consistently highly-anticipated Mr. MHS pageant has been moved from its usual winter performance time to the fall.

Mr. MHS is now scheduled to take place on Nov. 7 in Rezac on one of the few weeks in the year that no other major events are occurring as per the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

According to Lexi Feather, the Student Council officer in charge of Mr. MHS, putting Mr. MHS on a ‘dead week’ is intended to bring more students to The 2019-2020 student body officers, Lexi Feather, Elizabeth the event. Because Kim, William Bannister and Hannah Higgins pose for a photo during the first meeting of the year last Sunday. of the move the Photo Courtesy of Hannah Higgins applications will be available Sept.

26 and due Oct. 11. Auditions will be spring so they could work on building on Oct. 16. the set over winter break. “[Students wishing to perform] In previous years, students in-

volved with Mr. MHS have had to share a stage with spring play practices, meaning their practices went until late at night. Moving it to the fall means they no longer have to share the stage during the week it takes to prepare.

Mr. MHS is a long-time tradition at Manhattan High. Senior and junior boys are allowed to perform at a talent show meet beauty pageant like event with multiple categories before an audience of high school students and parents. At the end of the show, a panel of judges chooses the school year’s Mr. MHS. According to StuCo sponsor Leslie Campbell, Mr. MHS is the only event that is 100 percent student run. Students involved in three separate clubs including technical support from the theatre department work together to put on the show every year, along with those performing. “Mr. MHS offers some students the opportunity to perform that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” Campbell said. “While we often overlap with performing arts students, that isn’t always the case. I love getting those students that are not used to being in front of an audience, they are often the funniest and most ‘out of the box’ performances.”

is optimistic about the upcoming season based on summer practices.

“I think [we’ll do well this season],” Sanchez said. “The expectation in any team that I coach is … to do well, and come out and set a certain standard.”

This is despite the large level of player turnover as the team graduated 14 players last season, including two starting strikers and the entire starting defensive line. With so many graduates there are a lot of opportunities for last year’s Junior Varsity team to start and for upperclassmen to take on leadership roles.

“Summer is about getting better and I’ve seen a lot of guys [make] progress … [and] that’s something to be excited about,” See more on Page 3

Digital Learning Lab adopts new program Story by Hannah Heger Trending Editor After years of using the program Connexus, a digital class for students at Manhattan High, the Digital Learning Lab adopted a new program, Acellus, a video based program.

“Instead of students reading the information, and then doing the work, they will be watching lessons taught by teachers,” Rodney Robison, DLLteacher, said. “I think it’s a better way of learning for students.”

The DLL class is used for students to recover credits in the core classes such as English and math, along with a variety of offered electives.

“I had some students start working on it and trying it out and we decided that we’d like the program so we actually put students in this program throughout summer school, and had a pretty good success rate with the program through summer school,” Robison said.

Statistics show that the completion rate has improved within the new program.

With Acellus students and teachers outside of DLL will be able to access the program and gain the benefits of video lessons.

OPINIONS

Wednesday, Aug. 14 Visit MHSMentor.com

Volume 107 Issue 1

Page 2

Students, teachers should utilize extra time This editorial is a compilation from a discussion held by the editorial board. To listen to the conversation that lead to this piece, visit mhsmentor.com

I

n order to accommodate for construction, the USD 383 school district has shortened the school year by six days and added 15 minutes onto the end of every school day.

Around two minutes will be added to class on regular schedule days and two minutes to passing period on block schedule days. With the change in the schedule, the question has arisen of how teachers can be expected to deliver the same amount of content in six fewer days with only two minutes added onto the end of class to compensate.

It is the opinion of The Mentor editorial board that in order to do this, teachers must focus more on delivering content in an engaging way, focusing less on reviewing, study hall and worksheets.

If teachers spend more time in their classes delivering the content necessary to complete the course, it is possible to cover the content in the time constraints. This means less busy work. Assignments like video guides

will take up time that we no longer have. Another way to maximize time is to start class immediately after the

doable on block days with more time in passing periods. It’s particularly important to start class on time in first

Editorial POLL With longer school days this year, what is the most productive way teachers can use time?

42 (30.7%)

70 (51.1%)

25 (18.2%)

Multiple activities in one class period

Give breaks during class

Allow students to move around

bell rings. Often times the first few minutes of class is spent prepareing for class. If students are expected to be ready when the bell rings, more content could be covered. This is more

hour and after lunch, as these classes often take the longest to get started.

This responsibility is largely out of teacher’s control, which means students will need to step up and take the

responsibility of arriving to class on time and being prepared every day.

With less effective time in class, time will inevitably be cut from reviewing. This means students will have take it upon themselves to review outside of school more often. While this may be seen as inconvenient, it will force students to learn how to review by themselves, rather than rely on teacher’s Kahoot games and cramming five minutes before the test.

In a student editorial poll on Instagram, 137 MHS students voted for the best way to help students stay focused during class, choosing breaks, moving around during class or participating in multiple activities per class period.

More than half chose breaks. According to a study published by The Association of Physiological Science, allowing students breaks is beneficial by giving them a chance to reflect on their work. The editorial board decided these shouldn’t be necessary, excluding block days. A break every 50 minutes should be sufficient for students our age.

Teachers and students both need to change their behavior in order to be more productive to meet the time constraints imposed this school year.

truth, education Letter from student body president Welcome to pursuit of to educate you not just on the hapStory by Hannah Higgins Guest coloumnist Hey Manhattan High School, my name is Hannah Higgins and I’m your Student Body President this year.

I want to start off by saying how pumped I am for this year and everything it will bring. Being a part of Student Council has brought experiences and opportunities that I am very grateful for and I am so blessed to be able to continue that this year. Will Bannister, Lexi Feather and Elizabeth Kim are all wonderful people to be working alongside and we are all more than ready to channel our collective excitement and motivation into this coming school year. We all have great aspirations and ideas for how we can better the organization and transparency of Student Council as well as make all of the events and activities we are a part of this year the best they possibly can be.

Some things that we have already done to prepare for this year include planning the “What Not to Wear Fashion Show” that we will be pre-

senting to the incoming Freshmen, brainstorming ideas for the Mr. MHS Pageant and planning an activity that we can put on for the student body in the spring.

This year will meet us with many changes as students. One of these changes is our new principal, Mr. Dorst. I am very happy to say that Mr. Dorst has been a great support system for Student Council already and I am more than confident that he will do the same for all students of Manhattan High School. I encourage you to welcome him with open arms this year as our new principal and take advantage of any opportunity you get to get to know him on a deeper level.

And lastly, as always, I encourage you to reach out to any of your Student Body officers or class Officers if you have any concerns or questions this year. We are here to be your support system and to value the thoughts of you, the students, more than our own.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve in this role. It’s going to be a great year MHS. Go Indians!

Your stories make publications possible

Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief Because I am the Online Editor-inChief, it would be the coolest thing for me to say that MHSMentor.com is my website. I would love to walk around knowing that I am now the keeper of everything that happens within the walls of this school because I would feel the greatest sense of power and pride. I could change everything with just the press of a button because everything is at my command. At least, that’s what I would like to think my job allows me to do.

The thing about MHSMentor.com is that it is not my website. I may be the keeper of everything, but it’s not my everything to keep. In essence, I do have power and I do have pride, but only over myself and my work, not the entire website. Nothing is entirely at my command and all of our publications staff is better off for it.

If the website isn’t mine, then whose is it? You may ask. The answer to your question is simple: it’s yours.

Every story belongs to you, every Meredith Comas -- Print Editor-inChief Sophia Comas -- Online Editor-inChief Anika Nyp -- Blue M Editor-inChief Kris Long -- Opinions Editor Julianna Poe -- Sports Editor Kyla Barnett -- Features Editor

picture is of you, every video is for your ears and eyes. Our content is not for ourselves to read, look at or watch.

If that were the case, there would be no point to the jobs that we have on student publications.

Therefore, I do not own the website and it’s not mine to control. I just maintain it. I don’t choose what does or doesn’t go on it, who can look at it or who cannot. What I do is make sure that it’s updated with the most recent content and that when you click on a certain page, it shows you something that looks well-designed and put together.

I put in the hours to maintain this website because if I didn’t, your stories wouldn’t be told with color, with sounds, with spirit or with ease. Yes, they would still be in the print edition of The Mentor, but MHSMentor. com is the best way to showcase the journalism we practice; it is the only place where your photo is in color, where your video is full of sound and live-action storytelling is timelier than any other content we produce.

I write, but only you can have power and pride over your story. It’s yours to tell, after all. If you trust us to show everyone your power and your pride, then this will be the best version of the website possible.

Only you can inspire a story to be written, a photo to be taken or a video to be filmed. They are your stories.

MHSMentor can only be great if you trust us to tell them.

Brianna Carmack -- Entertainment Editor Hannah Heger -- Trending Editor Joshua Flickinger -- Photo Editor Jennifer Sadler -- Assistant Photo Editor Rachel Edie -- Business Manager Cole Schmitt -- Social Media Manager Kristy Nyp -- Advisor

Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Chief I’ve sat at this computer for hours, desperately trying to formulate the most magnificent and iridescent line of words that would, within the wordcount allotted, change your entire mindscape on a subject I have yet to reach.

The truth is that I am not perfect.

It’s a shame to admit, for I do have my pride just as any other, but it’s true. My writing is not perfect; my pen -- or curser to be more exact -- makes mistakes, just as yours.

This paper is not perfect. As an editor, I wish I could say it was, but I realize it would be a disservice if it was perfect, because perfection wouldn’t be truthful to the reality of the everturning nature of journalism, let alone our modern society.

Our job as journalists is a job of service -- service to you, the public, and service to the truth. We seek truth in every sentence, every interview and in every edition of these six black and white pages. Whether or not we are successful, well, that’s for you to decide.

However, I ask, as you make that decision every Tuesday we send our freshly printed pages throughout the school and the Manhattan community, that you take the time to seek the truth as well, by familiarizing yourself with the particulars of media literacy.

You see, our job as a publication is

penings of Manhattan High, but the processes and deliberations of the practices that allow people to access and evaluate media through critical thinking. Our job is to provide a guide, a weekly learning opportunity, for you to practice and learn the values of truthful media.

I must also ask that you keep inside your mind, that in no way are we professionals. While we attend to the values of professionalism, at the end of the newscycle, we are just students in a classroom with too many cabinets and not enough chairs. The job of the paper, in conjunction with media literacy, is to educate its staff -- including myself -- on application-level techniques of communications. And yes, we get a grade for this.

I cannot promise to always produce a product worthy of an Advanced Placement score of five -- sometimes, a word spelled wrong is just a word spelled wrong.

However, I can promise to produce a product you can rely on to tell your stories and tell your truth to the best of our ability.

I can promise a product that will be an open forum for your voices and be a voice for those without one. I can promise a product that will never yield in the pursuit of truth and education.

When we rely on each other for this exchange of stories, ideas, education and invoke the values mentioned above, we get a step closer to the true meaning of this great experiment that we have the opportunity to better. I believe we can only do that as long as this partnership remains, as long as we work together in our life-long task.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe my word-count ran away from me some time ago, and I must write farewell.

100 years in counting

Story by Anika Npy Blue M Editor-in-Chief

I’m happy to share that it’s the Manhattan High Blue M Yearbook’s 100th edition, and I’m excited for what we have planned so far. I want to cover as much as possible and make everyone feel like they’re included in the yearbook, but I can’t do it without

The Mentor is published each Tuesday that school is in session at Manhattan High School, 2100 Poyntz Ave. Manhattan, Kan. Telephone (785) 587-2114. More than 1,000 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students.

your help. If you or your organization does something that’s unique, please let us know. We want to make this yearbook the best one yet.

I have a public service announcement to give you. If you’re wondering why all the spring sports and activities are missing from your 2019 yearbook, it’s because you don’t have your whole book. There’s this thing that goes in the back of our book called a supplement. It’s the spring quarter and it has this little adhesive strip that keeps it there forever. And guess what? We have yours so please come get it! The Blue M staff would really appreciate it.

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.

For full story visit MHS Mentor.com

Have an opinion to share? Send a letter to the editor MHSMentor@ gmail.com

SPORTS

Wednesday, Aug. 14 Visit MHSMentor.com

Volume 107 Issue 1

Page 3

Girls golf prepares for upcoming season Hannah Heger Trending Editor

A

fter coming off a fifth place win at state and tying for first at League, the Manhattan High girls golf team is preparing for their upcoming season with new goals.

“This will be my second year as head coach. So hopefully I will be better, and hopefully I will motivate the girls to want to be better themselves,” head coach Paige McCarthy said. “I’m going to expect more, I’m going to be a little stricter with drills that we do in practice, still make it fun, but just make myself and the players more accountable.”

With 10 returning players and two incoming freshmen girls the team runs through drills and team bonding to strengthen the team for the season having practices with both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams playing and practicing together. McCarthy aims to increase the team’s competitiveness at the meets and throughout the season.

“In previous years, Varsity practiced at one course and J.V. in another, but we, the assistant coach and I, thought that is was important that we all practice together,” McCarthy said, “so they feel more like a team. Though [in] golf you’re individually scored,

it really is a team sport because you depend on those fourth and fifth and sixth place scores.”

With both teams working together and practicing the team is planning to increase on how competitive the players are at competitions.

“I want us to be more competitive statewide,” McCarthy said. “Some of the tournaments we play in we finish in the top two, but I think we need [to] really up our game and be more competitive with a lot of the schools.”

Relying on senior Kami Bussman and junior Andi Siebert as the new team captions, the team is preparing for their first game of the season on Sept. 4 at the Seaman Invitational, representing their school and showing their peers about the minor sports through MHS. “We’d love to get the students and teachers supporting the girls, a lot of times [with] the minor sports teachers don’t even know or their peers don’t even know that they are competing in a minor sport,” McCarthy said. “So we’d love for those girls to get some support because they work just as hard as people in the major sports.”

Junior Rhys Phipps pulls back to swing a drive across the fairway at Stagg Hill golf course on June 28 at the girls golf benefit tournament.

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Siebert

MHS volleyball attends camps to prepare for season

SPORTS

New boys soccer coach

Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor Continued from Page 1

Sanchez said. “[Success has] a lot to do with leadership … [and I’m] seeing some of these guys [whose] time [it is] to take on leadership roles and fill the shoes of previous upperclassmen.”

There were only four juniors on 2018’s Varsity team, and just two of them started. Now seniors Hunter French, Carter Wiens, Roberto Maysonet-Perez and Brendan Mummert will, therefore, be taking on leadership positions within the team.

Along with new leadership roles for this year’s seniors, the boys will have to adapt to new playing styles. Alonso typically employed a consistent deep-cross attacking style when coaching games, but according to Sanchez, this will change.

“From a style standpoint, I think [Alonso and I are] different,” Sanchez said. “I want to play through the line and to be a little bit more dynamic … in different aspects of the game.”

According to Sanchez, the team will continue to play a 4-3-3 as they did last year. However, will focus more on building out of the back using their goalkeeper and moving their outside backs out wider and further up the pitch.

As well as bringing success to the team this season and further into the future, Sanchez hopes to continue the legacy of Alonso’s coaching with the players he left behind and the program he influenced so heavily.

“Frank was a good friend of mine,” Sanchez said. “[So] what’s important to me is that we keep the integrity of the program and maintain the level of success that they’ve had.”

“Frank was a good friend of mine.”

-- Mike Sanchez

Photo courtesy of Mike Sanchez

Rachel Edie Business Manager In summer, it’s common for school sports teams to practice and condition in order to stay in shape for the upcoming season and the volleyball team is no exception.

Volleyball camp started at the beginning of the summer and ended on July 12 where they focused mostly on conditioning, passing and setting, drills and some scrimmage games.

One major change this year is the coaches. They have gained almost all new coaches from last year.

Varsity head coach is Krista Schmitz, varsity assistant coach is Jenna Macke, J.V. coach is Kylie Corneliusen and freshman coach is Scott Mall.

“Personally, I love the new

coaches,” sophomore Marlee Hodges said. “I really like the way they help us and explain what’s right and what’s wrong. I learn and get better that way.”

The extra summer practices have helped the team to become adjusted to the new coaches and their methods of playing.

Before they know if they are on the team, players will go to camps and practices as much as possible to improve their skills. However, it still does not allow them an official spot on the team until tryouts have passed. This can be nerve-racking for most girls but they stay optimistic considering that usually very few are cut after freshman year. All freshman players are on the Freshman team no matter their level, and sophomores, juniors and seniors all have an opportunity

Cross Country begins new season, free to join Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor In light of the new school season, sports are returning in which one being cross country.

Cross Country is one of the few sports at Manhattan High that doesn’t involve a ball. It is strictly running long distance in the fastest time.

Some ways that students have been preparing over this summer is by running every day to help decrease their overall time.

“I’ve gone to the summer cross country conditioning,” sophomore Max Bowyer said.

“I also have worked out with

some other friends that run too.”

Since this is a new season, there are new goals that have been brought up in order to not only decrease their over all time, but make it to State at the end of the season.

“I’m most looking forward to running with the new freshmen and working hard to help my team win state,” Bowyer said. “I would like to run on the varsity team, run a sub 17:30 5k time, work hard and help encourage my teammates to try their hardest all the time.”

Some of the ways that the runners plan on helping out their team with representation is by showing determi-

MHS Dance ‘breaks barriers’ Story by Julianna Poe Sports Editor Summertime couldn’t stop the Manhattan High dance team from rocking their way into the school year, more confident and ready than before.

In addition to practicing in their own time, the dance team attended a week-long camp with the Big Blue Marching Band from July 30 through Aug. 2.

“The band has amazing energy, so the girls really feed off of it,” head coach Anna Shields said. “We were able to bring in many choreographers from KState’s dance team so the girls could learn from the best of the best and get a taste of what college dance is about.”

The team also hosted a two-day dance camp the following week on Aug. 5 and 6.

By persevering throughout the year and “holding each other accountable in order to respect the team,” the dancers plan to achieve both one and three together. To break barriers, the team intends to display their skills outside of MHS. “We plan to break barriers this year by creating a presence not only in our school but also [the] com-

to either be on J.V. or Varsity teams.

“I’m really just looking forward to playing and hopefully making the team,” sophomore Elle Klanderman said.

Following tryouts, the first day of practice for all three teams is Aug. 19. There is a parent informational meeting in the North gym at West on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m., which isn’t mandatory but is encouraged by all coaches. The girls begin their competitive season on Sept. 3 in De Soto with both J.V. and Varsity teams playing De Soto High and Shawnee Heights.

“I think this year is going to go really well,” Hodges said. “We have a bunch of girls that are scrappy and multiple that have so much energy, which is awesome to have.”

munity by volunteering and participating in community outreach projects,” Shields said. “Our team recognizes the impact they have on others, especially younger district students that look up to them.”

The Manhattan High dance team smiles for the camera at the Big Blue Marching Band and dance camp. The camp was held from July 30 through Aug. 2.

Photo Courtesy of Anna Shields

nation and achieving goals.

Cross Country is all about improving the overall score each time to help your team out. The runners plan to encourage each other each step of the way, no matter how difficult it may be.

Cross Country is a popular sport due to the fact that there are no tryouts. Everyone is free to be on the team.

As long as there is commitment and determination within each of the runners.

“I don’t really know what to except other than that I know my team and I are going to try our best to better ourselves each and every day,” Bowyer said.

MHSMentor.com

To see previews of girls tennis and Varsity football, go to

MHSMentor.com

FEATURES

Wednesday, Aug. 14 Visit MHSMentor.com

Volume 107 Issue 1

Page 4

Fair King takes leadership from 4-H Madison Ritz Staff Writer

Sophomore Emily Ashmore stands next to her goat while waiting for the live stock judging to start.

Photo by Anika Nyp

Fair gives opportunity for serious passions Story by Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor

D

uring the last week of July, the Riley County Fair is full of people looking forward to the rodeo, eating fair food and riding rides. However, some enjoy entering the many 4-H contests that the fair has to offer. Some of these contests include photography, horticulture, entomology and cake decorating. The winners receive awards, such as a Grand Champion, Reserve Champion, honorable mention and ribbons.

One popular contest is the photography contest. In this contest, people will enter photos that have been taken in everyday life.

One Manhattan High student, sophomore Eden Westfahl, has been entering photos for the contest ever since she was seven.

“My first year I entered a picture, I got a Grand Champion in my class,” Westfahl said. “Last year I won a Grand Champion and Reserve Champion in my class. I’ve won an honorable mention and a lot of purple ribbons.”

Some of the photos that Westfahl has taken that tend to receive high results include pictures of nature.

“I’ve entered in pictures of animals multiple times and they’ve gotten me very high results,” Westfahl said.

Westfahl is also a fan of taking still-life photos, which also tend to get high results along with her nature-based photography entries.

One thing that helps with improvement for future contests is the criticism and feedback the judges will give to the contestants. “[Judges] always tell you what you could improve on with a photo, what they are looking for in future years,” Westfahl said.

Not only are there contests for photography, but there are also contests involving horticulture.

Unlike the photography contest, people entering the horticulture contest have to prepare for months. The judges base their decisions on the quality of the plants, flowers and produce.

“So with horticulture, if you’re into gardening, you can grow your own plants and then show your produce off at the fair,” sophomore and contestant, Julianna Poe said.

Poe also enjoys entering the cake decorating and baking con-

tests.

“With food, you can bake muffins, cookies, cakes, or anything [that piques your interest], and the judges will give you feedback on how well you did,” Poe said.

When it comes to preparing for food contests, the time to prepare for those is a lot sooner to the fair.

“For food, you have to either bake it a day before or the day you enter it,” Poe said. “Cake decorating is also done the day before it’s judged.”

Since the Riley County fair has ended, some may think that the time to enter contests is over. However, people are still eligible to enter contests during the State Fair in Hutchinson. Other than that, the time to start preparing for next year’s contests starts now. Find something that your passionate about and enter it into a 4-H contest.

“I always try to enter in at least one thing into the fair,” Westfahl said.

Sophomore Julianna Poe goes through her picture judging where she recived ciritiques and advise for next time.

Photo by Anika Nyp

Summer camps wrap up with success Story by Katya Tarabrina Blue M Organizations Editor It’s common for summer to be associated with vacation time, but for many Manhattan High students it is the beginning of preparing for their next year by attending camp.

Summer activities vary from camp to camp, depending on their activity focus, such as debate practicing debating and band camp practicing on their instruments. Sports camps, for instance, practice athletic activities such as drills, running and stretches to make sure they are prepared to get back to the competition season.

Junior Mario Ceycedo attended football camp as a refresher for getting back on the field.

“Getting to play … it was like I learned a lot during [football camp],” Ceycedo said. “It’s always nice to ... refresh your memory because I forgot a lot of stuff.”

Debate member senior Tanya Singh, who attended debate camp at MHS this summer, also jump-started her forgotten debate knowledge over the summer.

“I really enjoyed it,” Signh said. “I’d say that it’s helped inform me on the topic and refresh my debate knowledge.”

Many camps have been around for years, but some had their first session ever. One such camp was Manhattan High’s dance camp. Junior Haylee Davis attended so her and other

members could prepare for the pep rally, practice technique and sideline dances. “[Dance camp] was very tiring but we got a lot of work done,” Davis said.

“It’s going to help us be better prepared during the school year.”

Sports teams are not the only participants of camps who could use some time to remember what they’re good at. Other camps such as Girls and Boys State help students improve resumes and even explore their full

aware of what she wanted to do after high school.

“The main takeaway for me is the fact that I do want to go into political science as a career,” Kim said.

Though sometimes stressful, students also felt a sense of improvement as well as group actualization due to the camps.

Tenant drums player senior Nathan Pickands, who attended the band camp from morning to afternoon, saw this in his band community.

“Everything feels more rushed. However, everything also feels like there’s a lot more potential this year,” Pickands said. ”[It felt like] that if we really work at it that all of this year will be a much bigger pay off than last year.”

Certain camps also required students to travel out of state, such as junior Claudia De Leon who traveled for 20 hours for Baptist Christian Power of 2 Youth church camp.

“I liked it there were a lot of new people I met most of them were friendly,” De Leon said. “I got a good godly experience out of it and it helped me grow in the Lord.”

Summer is a time to explore opportunity and positive experiences for Manhattan High, especially as many plan to attend again in the following summer.

“It was really cool to just get back into that groove,” Pickands said.

“Everything also feels like there’s a lot more potential this year.”

-- Senior Nathan Pickands potentials.

Senior Elizabeth Kim attended Girls State and Girls Nation this summer -- both of which are all-girls activities only available to juniors going into their senior year of high school. It includes politically-inclined students from all over Kansas together. Kim is the first delegate from Manhattan to attend Girls Nation.

“I don’t think I truly understood the definition of women empowerment until I went to these camps,” Kim said.

Not only did Kim learn a lot about running a community, but became

There’s a lot that goes into the fairgrounds, and a lot of responsibility to keep the ceilings still standing inside the 4-H building while the Riley County Fair was taking place.

After participating in the fair for nine years, senior Jonathan Hoepner got the title of Fair King. As the Fair King, he has to be a role model for others in 4-H. He took on a lot of tasks at the fair this year overall.

“So as Fair King, I have to hand out ribbons at the livestock shows and help out there as well as the auction,” Hoepner said.

“I also have to be at the Christmas lighting parade.”

While Hoepner was fulfilling his duties as Fair King he was unable to do the things other highschoolers would do.

“I did not attend the carnival this year. I couldn’t gather up my friends. I was sad that I couldn’t this year,” Hoepner said. “But I was Fair King this year, so I got to spend a majority of my time doing that instead.”

Many people who attended the fair and walked inside the 4-H building probably saw Hoepner walking around, observing each booth that was entered into the contest.

“My favorite part of the fair was being able to see the booths and everything that everybody made for 4-H,” Hoepner said. “I found this really cool poker table, and notebooks that somebody made.

I’ve had a very fun time working with 4-H. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted being in 4-H.”

New year introduces over 20 new teachers Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Cheif The 2019-2020 school year has Manhattan High welcoming over 20 new teachers and faculty members to it’s cinderblock halls. New teachers, coming from West Point to right here in the Little Apple, are here to say hello.

Kent Hildebrand MATC US History, US History, and Economics.

“I’m excited to reconnect with former students and teach new and challenging subject matter.”

•

Philip Tramer • Chemistry “[My goal is to] be able to meet so many new students and to build great relationships with them.”

Andee Platt • French 1.2 and 3 “[I] can’t wait to meet my new students and be a part of the MHS pride and spirit.”

Kelli Ireton • Geomtry, Algebra II and LI Math “I am so excited to be returning home to teach... this is where my heart is.”

See more on Page 6

Wednesday, Aug. 14 Visit MHSMentor.com

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 107 Issue 1

Page 5

‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ action packed, comical

Band camp finishes their camp by joining in a giant huddle to celebrate their progress.

Photo by Kyla Barnett

Band camp practices for upcoming football season MHS band prepares early for the new school year Story by Rachel Edie Business Manager

W

hile most of the school was sleeping and getting ready for a new school year, the marching band was busy practicing to perfect their routines.

Band camp took place from July 29 to Aug. 2 and lasted all day. The day was split up into parts. In the morning, they marched and learned how to cohesively move on the football field. The band then went for a quick lunch break before splitting up in their specific sections. Woodwind, brass and percussion all moved to different practice rooms and worked through the music in order to memorize it. After the sections had adequately practiced, they once again met as a whole to rehearse their pieces and work out anything that needs some tweaking.

“This year, the trombone section had a lunch together and got to know each other, bond and talk about goals for the year and it was one of my favorite parts of camp,” Morgan Day, senior, said.

A change this year was the uniforms. The marching band has been increasing in size each year and this year, the size has finally caught up and consequently affected the uniforms.

In previous years the band has needed under 200 uniforms so they only had around 175 to 195 in total. That changed when they had over 250 students sign up for band in the upcoming school year.

“I definitely like the uniforms this year better than last year because they seem more comfortable,” Bentley Murrel, sophomore, said.

The band performs at every football game and has many other performances throughout the year at pep rallies and other occasions.

Sophomore Kealyn Lhuillier stands in position as she and the rest of the band practice marching formations. The band is preparing for the upcoming football season in the fall.

Photo by Kyla Barnett

Story by Julianna Poe Sports Editor Among the many Marvel movie releases this past year, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” hit theaters July 2 after much anticipation.

Following the “Avengers: Endgame” chapter, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) packs his bags -- ignoring Nick Fury’s calls -- to embark on a heroicfree, twoweeklong, summer field trip to Europe with his best friend Ned Photo Courtesy of Marvel Studios Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and his crush M.J. (Zendaya Coleman). Meanwhile, a new hero, given the name Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrives, claiming to be from a different reality. With Elementals -- Hydron, lord of the waters; Magnum, master of the earth; Hellfire, wielder of flame; and Zephyr, mistress of the winds -- on the loose, trust hanging in the air and the world wondering who will be the next Iron Man, Parker must decide whether Spider-Man is just your local friendly neighborhood super-

‘Rocketman’ big, bold, sparkly

Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief

a hallway, speeding up as he goes along. He makes the typical Elton entrance dramatically, but not to the scene I was expecting.

Instead of a concert, he’s clearly in a therapy session specifically for addicts.

The reality of what the scene really meant was directly pointing out that this wasn’t going to be about Elton John: The Musician. This was going to be about Elton John: The Struggler.

From the opening scene, the movie goes in chronological order, showing Elton’s childhood with a careless mother and

As most of my close friends know, I am a seriously die-hard fan of classic rock and ‘80s music, which is why no one was really surprised that even before it came out I was dead set on seeing “Rocketman.”

When it was released on June 2 of this year, I was there and I was ready -- ready to see how Elton John came to be. The very first thing my eyes saw were three things Elton John is best known for: big, bold and sparkly.

“Rocketman” was projectPhoto Courtesy of the International Movie Database ed in the flashiest silver of all the silvers against the an absentee father, to meeting darkest black of all the blacks his best friend and songwriter and I knew right then and there Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) to that this movie was going to be his struggles with drug addiction not just about Elton John but it was going to look and sound like and alcoholism, to the difficulty Elton John too. Boy, was I in for of being a gay man living in the late 20th century. a show.

For me, watching his life The opening scene begins on screen like that was intense with what I assumed to be just but in the best possible way. before a concert. The camera Some scenes were absolutely focuses on a silhouette of Elton, played by Taron Egerton, clearly heartbreaking to watch and yet I watched them anyway because showing the horns and wings to the whole point was that they his bright orange devil costume broke your heart. You can’t live covered in rhinestones -- a staanother person’s experiences, ple in true Elton John fashion. but director Dexter Fletcher sure It pans to the rest of his body as hell tried to make you live and we see him walking down

Elton’s.

Because nothing was hidden or sugar-coated, watching “Rocketman” means that it might not be completely comfortable to watch some of the scenes regarding sex. I’m not sure if there’s anyone who doesn’t know this already, but just to clear the air, I’ll be frank: Elton John is a gay man. The movie makes it abundantly clear that he is a gay man. ‘Nuff said.

Although I deeply appreciate how immensely detailed the plot was about the difficulties of Elton John’s life, by far my favorite thing about it is the fact that Taron Egerton does all his own singing. There is no pre-recorded version done by a hired singer and I absolutely love the authenticity behind it. The main reason I wanted to watch the movie in the first place was because of the music and to know that the production team took the time to do it right is something that I value.

Besides the fact that “Rocketman” was more than I expected it to be, as per usual with anything Elton John, overall it was a fantastic and accurate depiction of how fame and ease don’t always go together. Adults and teenagers alike should start understanding how some of their favorite artists have histories that don’t always fit with the expectation of what they should be, and watching “Rocketman” helps achieve that purpose.

Of course, your reasoning for watching it doesn’t have to be that deep. You could just really like glitter.

hero or an Avenger.

This new installment of the Spider-Man franchise introduces new characters and a twisting, turning plot. About halfway into the humor-filled movie, the tables are flipped, leaving you at the edge of your seat.

The transition from “Avengers: Endgame” was well-written; however, I would’ve liked to see more of the damage that was leftover after the blip, or the five years of time that Thanos had snapped half of every living species away.

Love must have been in the air, seeing as romance was a recurring event between many of the characters, with more than one surprising relationship.

For the duration of the movie, Parker attempts to tell M.J. how he feels with his master plan.

The comedy of this struggle provides comical relief.

Costumes and graphics were a large part of both the plot and visuals of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and were carefully illustrated. In contrast, the effects were significantly better than those in “Shazam!”

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is action-packed, mind blowing and comical. If you’re into unexpected twists and comedy, this movie is for you.

Be certain to watch through the end credits for can’t-miss end scenes.

Country Stampede moves due to untimely weather Story by Anika Nyp Blue M Editor-in-Chief Country Stampede has been a long lasting tradition since 1996 that many people from all over Kansas have come to.

It is usually held out at Tuttle Creek Lake -- until recently.

This year weather and flooding forced it to move to Topeka, which caused a lot of people who had already booked hotels and were ready to come to have to change their plans.

“Well it was the first year that it was in Topeka -- and I would’ve much rather it of been back at Tuttle,” Marlee Hodges, sophomore, said.

Not only did this affect locals but the city as well.

“There were a lot of folks that did some shopping in Manhattan,” Ron Fehr, City Manager, said.

“Though, that’s all confidential [sale records], we anticipate that the sales taxes will probably be down a little bit.”

The news of the new location also meant a rush to get things ready and moved to Topeka.

“I did not like it at all.

They weren’t prepared for the rain like the Manhattan location always is, and there was no shade or trees like Manhattan,” Heidi Hansen, sopho-

more, said. “It was very hot and muddy.”

Even with all the mud and heat people still managed to have a great time and enjoy the music.

“This was my first year because my mom got free tickets in VIP,” Hodges said. “My favorite singer Jake Owen was singing. He sings the songs ‘Barefoot Bluejean Night’ & ‘Down to the Honky Tonks’. Jake Owen touched my hand.”

The city isn’t too concerned with Country stampede leaving Manhattan.

“Over the years, we’ve kind of turned away business, so it’s kind of difficult to host baseball, softball soccer tournaments because there really weren’t very many hotel rooms available,” Fehr said. “So we’ve tried to steer away from having other events in the community during that time and now we’ll be able to market that week and weekend more effectively, so I think we’ll be able to backfill some of that.”

That doesn’t mean everything will go back to how it was.

“Now, obviously, a lot of those events don’t generate the larger crowd.

So the overall impact of retail shopping might still be a little bit lower,” Fehr said.

Wednesday, Aug.14 Visit MHSMentor.com

TRENDING

Volume 107 Issue 1

Page 6

{ Back to school Guide } Notes from upperclassmen on how to make the school year not suck

Freshmen Story by Anika Nyp Blue M Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Edie Business Manager

• Don’t waste your time trying to figure out where everything is at East -- you won’t.

Kris Long Opinions Editor

• Wear more shorts; your calves will look great from all the stairs you’ll walk.

• Don’t use you locker (there’s most likely a • If you practice math in class you won’t bat in it). have to study for the test.

• Be friends with everyone in your class be- • Climate control is not their forte so have a cause then you won’t be bored. jacket and a tank top.

Sophomores Story by Jennifer Sadler Assistant Photo Editor

Katya Tarabrina Blue M Organizations Editor

• Not all freshman are bad, so don’t boo them in crowds.

• Get involved with school sports, activities, clubs, etc.

• Bring your own devices to school instead of using devices from the school.

• Find an upperclassman to help you around school.

• Don’t be sad about not going to any school • The bathrooms are only to be used for dance; your time will come.

“Potty Purposes,” not anything else.

Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief

Juniors Hannah Heger Trending Editor

Gabe Jernigan Indian Insider Tech Manager

• Don’t rely on the use of your locker and be • If you don’t like a class, switch out of it. smart about the text books you bring.

No one is holding you hostage.

• Always park your car in the correct spots and be prepared for any weather.

• Set up an alarm -- you won’t wake up on time naturally.

• Start researching colleges and majors be- • Don’t let political preferences affect cause senior year is sooner than you think. friendships.

Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Chief

Seniors

Josh Flickinger Photo Editor

• Retake the ACT/SAT as early as possible and as many times as necessary.

• Don’t waste senior year on unnecessary classes.

• “Senior” isn’t an excuse for “bully.” You were once a freshman too.

• Stay on top of your work/avoid senioritis, it’s not an excuse.

• Learn basic housekeeping and put it in practice; you’re on your own in college.

• Apply to as many scholarships as possible because college is expensive.

• More advice can be found at MHSMentor.com Continued from Page 4

Anne Caves • 9th Grade English “My goal is to incorporate more texts in my class which feature authors and characters of color and/or LGBTQ+ identities.”

Brooke Ackerman • World History “My goals for this year is to provide the best educational experience possible for my students.”

Ellie Ran • Green House & Learning Centers “I look forward to getting to know all my new students and having some great learning experiences.”

Teresa Leizer • Algebra I & Geometry “My goals for this year is to provide the best educational experience possible for my students.”

Amy Hagemann • General Physics and AP Physics 2 “I look forward to forming relationships with colleagues and students while teaching students how to excel in physics class.”

•

Doug Andresen Chem, Adv. Chem, AP Chem.

“Shorter commute and ensuring my AP class survives as it is my first time teaching an AP level course.”

Chris Holborn • CTE Coordinator “Learn my position as CTE Coordinator and begin the process of setting up internships for students.”

Marshall Adams • Physical Science “I look forward to being back at the school that I went to, and to give back at the place where I was given so much.”

To see more go to MHSMentor.com