190910 Vol. 107 Edition 2

Sept. 10, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com

THE MENTOR

Volume 107 Issue 2

TRUTH & EDUCATION

MHSMentor.com

Comedy and Horror Coming for fun in ‘Ready or Not’ Story by Anika Nyp Blue M Editor-in-Chief

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at Kansas State University’s McCain Auditorium Friday morning. Pompeo was invited as a part of the Landon Lecture Series, effectively becoming the first speaker of the 2019-2020 school year. His speech consisted of the importance of Americanism and unalienable rights. This came just days before he announced the end of U.S.-Taliban peace talks.

“When I think of a scary movie, I didn’t think hide and seek. “

Photo by Lauryn Maxwell

No place like home Secretary of State Pompeo joins Landon Lecture Series Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Cheif

T

he Manhattan community lined the halls of MCain Auditorium at Kansas State University on the morning of Sept. 6 to get a glimpse of the newest addition to the K-State Landon Lecture Series: U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

The highly anticipated speech -- which occurred days before Pompeo announced the end of peace

the meaning of the rights secured by the founding fathers, introducing these topics as the purpose of his speech.

“It’s something to be proud of,” he said. “Our glorious history shouldn’t be revised ...it should be revered…. That’s why I’m here today: to talk with you about our proud American tradition of unalienable rights, and why we must recover a proper understanding of it.”

See more on Page 4

“It feels great to be back in Kansas.

There’s no place like home.”

-- Mike Pompeo talks with the Taliban -- was the first lecture of the year and the 190th of the series. “[Pompeo] didn’t have to come here,” attendee Aaron Hoff, senior, said. “He could have gone to any place, like his alma mater at the United States Military Academy at West Point or Harvard. But he chose to go to Kansas State, which is local.”

Pompeo -- a former member of the House of Representatives for Kansas’ 4th Congressional district and a Kansas representative to the Republican National Committee -- opened his speech by remarking on his love for the Sunflower State.

“It feels great to be back in Kansas. There’s no place like home,” Pompeo said. “I know the other Manhattan thinks it’s the center of America, but I think this Manhattan has a far more legitimate claim to that title. Kansas really is the true heartland of America.”

While the audience looked onward from the crowded seating of McCain, Pompeo took the opportunity to speak to the ideal of “Americanism” and

Pompeo addresses questions from the audience off-podum after his speech. There comes before speculation as to whether or not Pompeo will make a senate run for Kansas, as he is Senate Republican leaders’ top choice to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts (R).

SPORTS

Football dominates, ready for big match up Story by Cole Schmitt Social Media Manager The Manhattan Varsity football team (1-0) went up to Olathe Northwest (0-1) and dominated on away soil. The win gives them confidence going into a well-anticipated rematch of one of the best games of the year last year against Topeka High.

“I am satisfied with our overall performance,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “But there is clearly work to do in order to be ready for Topeka High this upcoming week...

The kids played hard which I fully expected of them. I was proud of their efforts. Now we have to refocus in preparation for week two.”

The offense and defense for the Indians played great. The defense created four turnovers, while the offense scored six touchdowns.

For the defense, senior Tyce Hoover was the standout player in the game. He had one fumble recovery and one interception while leading the defense to a 7-point standoff

Distinguished Service -- the program that allows students to receive recognition for volunteer service hours at Manhattan High -- has been around for a while. However, on Aug. 30, the program upgraded from paper to an online submission system.

The counselors added a link to their department website for students to submit hours to Naviance through a website called X2VOL, which is verified by email or text message. Once on the website, students will submit the hours that they have done, along with the contact information of the person who organized the volunteer opportunity.

Senior Raeshon Riddick started using this program a couple of days ago when he volunteered at an event with his Interpersonal Skill group.

“It’s easier than having to fill out the paper and… worry about whether or not it’s going to be turned in for hours,” Riddick said.

There is also a X2VOL app that will let students submit service hours from anywhere.

“Students are always on their phones,” Riddick said. “[It] just takes a few seconds on hand, just to log into a website and put in your hours.”

There are only 28 people using the X2VOL so far, and as of right now there is only one event on the website, but the event planners are working to

“This will be more efficient and more accurate... And that paper copy thing is just painful.”

-- Erin Spreer put more on the website.

Erin Spreer, sophomore counselor, is the one who makes events and sets up the website with the help of Tony Wichmann, senior counselor. By next semester, Spreer wants to be done with paper forms and use the website

against Olathe Northwest.

“The defense will have to continue to make stops and create turnovers and become better tacklers,” Schartz said. “We can’t give up big plays.”

Junior quarterback Dayne Aschenbrenner had three rushing and one passing touchdowns, the throw going to senior Tyler Higgins.

Higgins might be a senior but this is his first year playing football since middle school.

Senior running back B.J. Young had 13 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

The Indians will now move onto next week’s game against the team they not only tied with for Centennial, but produced an electrifying 21-20 win at home in overtime -Topeka High.

“I anticipate the Topeka High game to be fast and physical,” Schartz said. “Our team will have to be prepared for that.”

More Sports on Page 3

Photo by Lauryn Maxwell

Distinguished Service goes online Story by Gage Mingo Staff Writer

See more on MHSMentor.com

for all student volunteer service. This will let students and their families be able to track how many hours of community service they have, as well as providing more efficiency for service requirements on college applications and graduation cords.

Sponsors or coaches can have Spreer make them an account for posting volunteer events. She wants anyone who has questions to come talk to her.

“I just think this will be more efficient, and more accurate, I think, for everybody,” Spreer said. “Once we get everybody on it and get going… technology is just the way of life now.

It just kind of makes sense. And that paper copy thing is just painful.”

The counselors have already put all the volunteer hours from the paper form to the electronic website. Instead of having to hunt down people for volunteer hours, the website will have the events for the school listed with other events, but if a student does something like church work, they will have to fill out the contact info for the person in charge of the event.

See more on MHSMentor.com

Red Cross holds first meeting of year Story by Gage Mingo Staff Writer Last Wednesday, Manhattan High School’s Red Cross Club had its first meeting of the school year.

The club made sure that members were signed up for Volunteer Connection, which is how Red Cross keeps track of volunteer hours and attendance.

They will hold their officer elections this Wednesday, instead of last year’s second semester election. The change is due to timing, as last year the club was trying to become officially sponsored by the American Red Cross.

Now, the club will be hosting training in CPR, first aid, and more for any students. “[RCC is] focused on giving students more chances at community service [and] allowing students to get more medical hands-on experience and exposing our high school scene to ARC in general,” RCC president Elizabeth Kim, senior, said.

For the full story, visit MHSMentor.com

OPINIONS

Sept. 10, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com

Volume 107 Issue 2

Page 2

AP exam registration move not beneficial to students 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 A College Board decision to move the AP course registration deadline to October has drawn controversy.

It’s the opinion of The Mentor editorial board that it’s unnecessary and irresponsible to move the date, as it will have a mostly negative impact on students, teachers and administrators.

The College Board moved the registration deadline from March to Nov. 15, meaning the school will need a decision from students next month.

Students pay $94 to take an exam this year, and if they choose to back out of the exam, they will pay a $40 cancellation fee. There is also a $40 late registration fee after the October deadline.

Requiring students to decide whether on not to take the test in October causes extra pressure on students.

They will have to decide whether they have a good chance of getting college credit -- most colleges require at least a three. More prestigious ones four or five -- before the class has covered most of the content. Students are therefore less likely to make the right decision for them.

The quickly approaching deadline is

a stressor that also applies to teachers, who are already asking students to consider whether or not they should register for the exam only a few weeks into the school year. The stress also applies to administrators, who have to help all AP students reach their decision in a significantly shorter period of time. Thus teachers have to start preparing students for what the test will be like this early in the school year.

Moving the deadline up also disproportionately negatively affects lowerincome students.

According to Total Registration, an organization that works with schools to manage AP Exams, “[There were] 3,141 additional low-income testtakers at the pilot schools but only 742 additional scores of 3+. This gives a pass rate (scores of 3+) of 23.6 percent for the ‘additional’ low-income.

Another way to look at this is that 76.4 percent of the low-income students who were coerced to take the exams because of the new deadline, late fees [and] cancellation fees did not pass (scored a 1 or 2).”

Story by Katya Tarabrina Blue M Organizations Editor So often we hear people complain about things that are going on in their lives or things they went through in the past. The truth is, We are traumatized by the things that happen to us. Every single situation can affect someone differently compared to other people. Whether you went through something small or something big, does not change the fact that it has impacted you and affected your life and wellbeing.

People will try to tell you that your pain is minuscule compared to that of others. When we share what has happened to us with other people, some

start to talk about something that happened to them relating to that. It could be a small similarity or a big one.

However, that is a closed minded way of thinking. Everybody has demons. Everybody goes through something every day. Whether it’s not getting enough sleep or losing a friend, there will always be someone that has it worse than you. But that does not make what you went through mean any less. Either way someone can -- even if its subconsciously -- tell that person, because they have gone through more, their pain isn’t as important in the big picture.

When guest speaker Nathan Harmon came to Manhattan High on Sept.

4, he explained how his trauma has affected him. A lot of people decided he was extorting the situation for money.

He didn’t know real pain, they said. He just blamed the whole situation on his problems instead of on himself.

The thing is, he never blamed what he went through on the car accident.

He didn’t say “Something led me to

cause a car accident,” because that is a small part of the picture. He didn’t do it because something specific pushed him to do it.

It was a sequence of events, a sequence of small things that built up inside him that broke him down. They broke him down so much that they caused him to be so hurt inside that it started affecting the way he felt about himself.

And no matter how much you say this isn’t true, if you don’t care about yourself and your well-being, how could you care about other people’s?

When you don’t even have time to think about yourself and think about your future, how would you have time to think about other people?

Just because the things that affected Harmon didn’t affect you the same way does not make his hurt any less valid. You can’t just say “I went through worse” and then have another person’s pain go away with that phrase. They still feel what they feel, they still are impacted the way they

EDITORIAL POLL:

Students whose socioeconomic status allows them to pay for the test for the chance of getting college credit at such a low cost were paying for the test regardless, meaning moving the registration date isn’t as likely to affect those students. The students it most effects are those paying for it out of their own pockets or those whose parents don’t have the money to take a gamble.

The College Board claims that students will be more motivated to work hard in the class if they have already paid the fee. It is true that in test runs more students received fours and five than in schools who didn’t move the deadline up. However, even more students received ones and twos because in general as more students took the exam. It’s also up to the student as to whether or not they are motivated in class. Signing up for the tests earlier doesn’t change that.

Along with the criticism the College Board has taken, its profits have recently increased.

If the board really wants to help students, they could have students sign up for the test early and not implement a cancellation fee, or move registration to the beginning of second semester or later.

End trauma Olympics: Suffering not competition

Physicality competitive not definitive of sports

Story by Julianna Poe Sports Editor If you’ve said that golf, dance, cheer or bowling are not sports, this article is for your critical eye.

One may say that if an activity is not physically challenging, then it is just a game.

However, from my perspective, any competitive activity that’s physically challenging or mentally challenging, is a sport. In order to further investigate what makes a sport a sport, we must define the difference between sport and game.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “sport” as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

According to this definition, a sport must meet two requirements: physical exertion and skill, as well as competitive nature in that of a team or as an individual.

For example, golf exhibits both requirements. It involves physical exertion by the act of swinging a golf club and, if you choose to, walking the miles-long course. Skill is acquired through practice and is necessary for 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 Brianna Carmack -- Entertainment Editor

making par. Additionally, golf is a competitive activity in tournaments and is mentally challenging.

On the other hand, one may describe golf as a game -- or as Dictionary.com says: “an amusement or pastime” -- which can also be true.

When not a tournament, golf can be described as a hobby. But that doesn’t mean golf altogether isn’t a sport.

According to timesofindia.indiatimes.com, “The difference of purpose differentiates sport from game, combined with the notion of individual or team skill or prowess.”

In that case, the difference between a sport and a game is the intention of the event. One of the many intentions of a sport is to compete for medals, ribbons, trophies, whereas one intention of a game is to have fun. Every sport could be described as a game, but not every game could be described as a sport. Furthermore, you could run every morning, but that isn’t a sport, that’s exercise. You could play a few frames of bowling, but it isn’t a sport unless it’s a tournament.

However, with that definition, baking competitions, poker and more could be defined as a sport. To eliminate the gray area in intention, we must find another definitive view of a sport.

There is no significant difference between sport and game. Sport, game, even competition is only a label. We, as a society, must categorize everything in order to simplify and process it. So really, a sport can only be defined by the eye of the beholder.

Hannah Heger -- Trending Editor Joshua Flickinger -- Photo Editor Jennifer Sadler -- Assistant Photo Editor Cole Schmitt -- Social Media Manager Rachel Edie -- Business Manager Staff Writers and Photographers -Madison Ritz, Katya Tarabrina, Gage Mingo, Lauryn Maxwell, Jeremy Emberton, Andrew Adams, Paris Burgess, Sammara

are. Maybe you can handle more than they could at the time.

Our environments also affect the way we react to situations. If you grew up in a loved, well-taken-care-of, welloff environment, tiny things that happen may seem stupid and not worth being upset about. But if you grew up in a less fortunate environment, how can you be sure what tiny thing will break you down entirely?

Your perception of what is “the lowest point” is completely different than other people’s. Do not use trauma to excuse your behavior towards people you think “went through less.”

Just because you think that your problem is larger compared to someone else’s doesn’t mean they can’t talk about it and share it with people.

And if you did go through something huge, to make the best of the situation and trying to help others understand themselves better should be your top priority. Not shame others for not being as strong as you.

‘Emily Doe’ provides justice for survivors

Story by Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor Formerly associated with the name Emily Doe, 27-year-old Chanel Miller has empowered many sexual assault survivors worldwide in just the span of a week by stepping forward as one girl among millions who is a victim of sexual assault. She was raped and assaulted by former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. This woman has reached millions by revealing her identity as the victim in one of the most controversial sexual assault cases, including releasing a memoir, “Know My Name,” later this month.

Miller’s story made headlines in 2016 when the world became aware of the People v. Turner case. When former college student, Brock Turner was charged with three felony charges. This had a drastic impact on the #MeToo Movement, as more sexual assault survivors began to face the truth of their assault. The case took quite a turn when it was revealed that Turner was only sentenced to six months in county jail but was let out in three.

Aaron Persky’s [the judge in the case] judgment was criticized internationally. Persky was later recalled as

Jacobs-Brown Video Production -- Mbofho Ndou, Gabe Jernigan, Declan Weixelman, Gavin Gaston, Kameron Maranville, Mary Rankin, Kevin Breedan, Giuseppe Maioranna, Tristan McLaughlin, Grace Wilson 21st Century Journalism -- Ashlyn Cassel, Mckayla Clarksnodgrass, Alexus Forsythe, Emmarae Hayes, Lasirra Hines, Hannah Loub,

judge, being the first in California in over 80 years.

Miller’s impacting decision to reveal herself caused her to announce her upcoming memoir that follows everything that happened in her life during and after the Brock Turner case.

“Know My Name” will be released on Sept. 24.

Another similar case happened to be in a fictional Netflix Original titled “13 Reasons Why” where two of the main fictional characters where involved in a sexual assault case, similar to Miller’s case. The person of guilt ended up serving only three months of the six that he was sentenced to.

It’s amazing that all of these survivors are now speaking out and empowering others worldwide. It’s completely understandable as to why anyone who goes through a scenario, similar to the ones mentioned earlier, would want to stay quiet. Victims don’t know what the reaction is going to be if they speak out about something so sensitive. However, these survivors have treated it as an opportunity to help bring justice to sexual assault survivors. “[Chanel Miller’s] decision to come forward will shine a light not only on-campus rape but on how powerful institutions behave in such cases,” said sexual assault advocates in an article written by themercurynews.com.

This decision that Miller made has impacted millions of people worldwide by turning her vulnerabilities to something that is bringing justice for all sexual assault survivors.

Marley Neel, William Robben, Taryn Robinson, Aubrey Strother, Aspen Tallent, Adam Wollenberg Kristy Nyp -- Advisor The Mentor is published each Tuesday that school is in session at Manhattan High School, 2100 Poyntz Ave. Manhattan, Kan. Telephone (785) 587-2114. More than 1,000 Mentors are printed each week and

distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is a public forum. E-mail us at mhsmentor@ gmail.com.

SPORTS

Sept. 10, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com

Volume 107 Issue 2

Page 3

Freshman Zachery Goscha fights for a time win against a Topeka runner. Goscha placed 22nd with a time of 20:10.2, -- just one 10th of a second away from 21st -- having ran a 4K at the Warner Park meet on Saturday. The boys Junior Varsity team placed first with a score of 19, Garder-Edgerton second with 68.

Photo by Julianna Poe

Cross Country sweeps first meet Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief

T

he Manhattan High Cross Country teams dominated their first meet of the season, winning every single race from C-team to Varsity.

The wins came after weeks of practice and personal efforts made by both the team and the coaches to make sure that everyone was up to speed and ready to race on Saturday morning.

“Across the board, kids really ran fierce,” Susan Melgares, head coach, said. “We haven’t been able to do what we would normally do, but I felt like they handled the hills … and the heat really well.”

Along with the bold competition, the team had to also ensure that any new runners on the team felt prepared to participate in their very first race.

According to freshman Amelia Knopp, keeping the team bond between the girls helped her ease into her role as a Varsity runner.

“I’m really excited,” Knopp said.

“I’m just glad I have so many good teammates that I can go through it with.”

Knopp, who placed third in the girls Varsity race with a time of 20:43.9, was Manhattan’s second runner to cross the finish line. She followed senior Ella Rosenkranz, who placed first with a time of 20:14.6 and overall contributed to a first-place team finish of 37 points.

The boys ran in a similar fashion, leaving a total of 19 points between themselves and second place. Like the girls, the boys Varsity team had a total of 37 points partially earned through a first-place finish by junior Daniel Harkin with a time of 16:17.6 and a

sixth-place finish by senior Matthew Pickering, Manhattan’s second runner, with a time of 17:33.0.

“I thought it went really [well],” junior Sean Anderson said. “We had a nice pack up in the front. It’s definitely tough coming out of the first couple weeks of practice though.”

Anderson directly followed Pickering in the race, placing seventh with a time of 17:37.7. To see more results, go to LetsGoRun.com.

Although the team is more than happy about the results of their first meet this season, there’s plenty they feel they still need to work on. Because this was the first opportunity to compete outside of practice, they know that none of their wins are guaranteed.

“I think as we’re allowed to do more conventional training I think

we’ll be good,” Melagres said. “We’ll get our mileage up a little bit.”

While the team as a whole will work to achieve that, the runners have individual goals of their own, one being to be in the right headspace.

“We definitely slowed down toward the middle of the race,” Anderson said.

“I just don’t think we’re in the mindset yet of pushing through the course.”

Despite these setbacks, the team is ready to carry this week’s success into the rest of the season.

“We just had a great bonding time with our teammates right before [the race],” Knopp said. “We pumped each other up and I hope that continues through the rest of the season.”

The team will compete at 9 a.m.

Saturday at Emporia for the Emporia Invitational.

Sophomore Morgan Turner zooms by as Manhattan’s fourth lead runner. Turner placed 13th with a time of 21:53.3, having ran a 5K at the Warner Park meet on Saturday. Overall, the girls Varsity team placed first with a score of 37, Emporia second with a 79.

Photo by Julianna Poe

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Photo by Julianna Poe

Amelia Knopp

Freshman; Cross Country • MHS Girls Varsity Second Runner • Placed third with time of 20:43.9 Q: What are you excited for this cross country season?

A: I’m most excited to strengthen friendships with all of my teammates, put in a lot of hard work, and help my team achieve our goals.

Q: Who do you look up to as a runner?

A: My mom really inspired me to start running at a young age. Running is something that makes her happy and helps her lead a healthy lifestyle.

Q: What goals do you have for this cross country season?

A: My goals are to work hard to achieve PRs and to push my teammates so we can be the best team possible.

Titan Tournament disappoints, team shows improvement Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor After conceding two losses and then coming back to win the last match, Manhattan High boys soccer came in seventh in the Wichita Titan tournament, which concluded on Saturday.

“We were expecting to do better than [seventh],” junior Michael Ohler said. “[But] we’re still … learning to play together.”

MHS played the first game on Monday, Sept. 2, losing to Wichita

Heights 4-0. The game was close throughout the first half, with chances on either side. In the second, MHS won and missed a penalty. Coming off that momentum, Heights scored four goals in the next 15 minutes, winning the game. Manhattan had a few chances after going down 2-0 but were unable to finish them before conceding the others.

“We just lost focus for 10, 15 minutes,” senior Roberto Maysonet-Perez said. “That’s just the consequences to losing focus … When we got scored on, we got a little bit frustrated.”

Manhattan lost their second match of the tournament 2-0 against Wichita East on Thursday afternoon. They went down five minutes into the game from a corner and conceded their second goal towards the beginning of the second half.

In the final round of the tournament on Saturday, MHS played and beat Trinity Academy 3-2. Manhattan was up 1-0 in the first minutes of the game with a goal from Maysonet- Perez, followed up by a goal from Ohler with 22 minutes until halftime. Trinity tied back up before the end of the half

due to some defensive errors. Senior Hunter French scored the winning goal in the 57th minute to make the final score 3-2.

“I think we will learn from our mistakes and continue to improve,” head coach Mike Sanchez said. “I’m really proud of the way our … midfielders and our forwards started to step up our last game and hopefully we’ll keep going that direction.”

Manhattan will take on rivals Junction City away this Thursday where they hope to continue a three-year winning streak.

Girls golf scores four-way player tie Girls tennis wins first game of season Story by Hannah Heger Trending Editor

Traveling to Seaman on Tuesday to compete in the Seaman Invitational, the Manhattan Varsity girls golf faced off against other teams to earn first place.

For their first tournament, they had an interesting twist for the players, with four players finishing with an individual score of 89.

“It was really cool, we were more shocked than anything because it’s so rare,” junior A.J. Ryan said.

After the judges conferred, the MHS team had members placing third through sixth place.

“This was the first tournament of the season, so it was a really good start,” Paige McCarthy, head coach,

said. “But I think it was really good to let the girls see exactly where they are and to build their confidence because they all did some really good things.”

In preparation, the team used this tournament to develop their skills.

“Practice was dedicated to the mental game and to know how the girls handle pressure,” McCarthy said.

“We’ll continue to focus on that as well as just the playing of golf itself.”

But mental game isn’t all that matters when it comes to practice.

“We’ve practiced a lot on the short game chipping and putting, and that will continue throughout the season,” McCarthy said. “I’m hopeful that the girls will continue to see improvement and see their hard work pay off.”

The team will be traveling to their next tournament today in Salina.

Story by Madison Ritz Blue M Student Life Editor Despite the outrageous heat on the tennis courts, the Manhattan High Varsity girls tennis team traveled to Junction City for their first game -competing against Salina South, Junction City and Lawrence Free State -winning the first match of the season on last Thursday.

Freshman Jillian Harkin played on one single at the match, along with junior Kayla Lei, who played two singles and one double, senior Joanna Park and sophomore Hannah Loub played one double and lastly, senior Kate McGee and freshman Maura Wiens played two doubles.

“I was super proud that I [handled my] nerves,” Harkin said. “It was my

first meet in high school tennis.”

Harkin placed first in her single along with Lei, both scoring 3-0. Park and Loub, placed second with a score of 2-1 along with McGee and Wiens.

With the heat these past few practices, they were able to adapt to the hot temperatures.

“We were a little concerned about the heat,” head coach Tony Ingram said, “but the girls played well through it.”

Despite this, the team feels that they did well for their first match.

“I think the team performed really well,” Harkin said. “Especially for the first meet of the season.”

For coverage of volleyball, Go to MHSMentor.com

FEATURES 2A to 6A: Sept. 10, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com

Volume 107 Issue 2

Page 4

Jimenez joins Manhattan High community as junior administrator

Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Chief

roots as an educator, considering the challenges and strengths of a 6A school as a refreshing change from his past work in a 2A school.

2:40 p.m. It’s lunchtime at Manhattan High.

“I was lucky to be kind of used to it,” he said. “I It’s Friday, Sept. 6. Students taught in a 5A school… going to a small begin flooding in and out of the school was the biggest adjustment for me. front entrance for lunch; others Like when I went out to western Kansas, begin taking their seats, blanketing that was tough for me. But I learned it the wood-paneled walls and cement and then moving back into this, this has floors of the Prentup Commons in just kind of been a breath of fresh air for waves of blasé chatter and white me.” noise.

Sitting in his office that afternoon, At the top of the stairs, underhe expressed a joy for Manhattan High, neath the overhang diligently distalking of his new students and even an playing the Manhattan High mascot, appreciation for the daily lunchroom stands Benjamin Jimenez, Assistant pandemonium.

Principal to the junior class and the “Kids are awesome here,” Jimenez newest addition to the MHS adminissaid. “Totally different than I think what trative team. some people see as in a 6A school. And Observing the cafeteria buzz it’s just amazing how everybody... meshes and students as they arrive back to together perfectly...you walk into that school, Jimenez takes in the thrill of lunchroom and the kids come in… they the 6A-chaos. find their spots, they have their friends, “I love it here,” he said. “For like, they sit, they eat, the noise level really the last eight years, I was in Oberlin, isn’t that bad. I mean, I’ve been in my 2A Kansas, which was a very small 2A high school when the noise is louder than school. And I loved it there… I was that,...that’s what amazed me, you know, able to go to all my kids’ games and coming in here was, we have really good all that kind of stuff. But, you know, kids here.“ as we got down to it, I just wanted to As Friday’s midday frenzy began to be want to be back in a big school.” settle, Jimenez nonchalantly spoke of his Junior Principal Benjamin Jimenez stands in the corner of the commons. “I like this area because it’s where I greet students every Jimenez, a Kansas State Univermorning,” Jimenez explained. time in Manhattan and his passion for the sity graduate, has been in secondary Photo by Jennifer Sadler. community. education for 20 years. Starting in “Manhattan has been really… this is the Wichita school district, he has been at schools it for me, this is where I want to be,” Jimenez said. educator. When I graduated from K-State, I was around Kansas, working as a high school social ready to start teaching… my goal from that day until “I’m from Manhattan… I graduated college from studies teacher and coach in Valley Center before here. Played football here. I have a love for Manhatnow has been to get back here.” receiving his masters in Building Leadership from tan. And so I’m excited to be here. I want to stay.”

According to Jimenez, he has taken his transiBaker University. For the last eight years, Jimenez tion from Oberlin as an opportunity to return to his has been in Oberlin, working as a 7-12th-grade principal.

“From the time I was in high school, I wanted to be a teacher,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a principal at that point time. I knew I wanted to be an

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IPS members ‘make new connections’ at Camp Wood Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor Members of Interpersonal Skills explored Camp Wood -- a Young Men’s Christian Association camp in Elmdale -- on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to kick of IPS’s school year.

IPS has been attending Camp Wood consistently for the past 11 years.

They use it as a team building experience to get to know each other as a community at the beginning of every year, as many of the students taking the class are new.

“It sets the tone for how the rest of the year will go,” senior Egan Dritz said. “As we have 60 people that go, you can really get to know people a whole lot better than you would in the 55-minute period that you have in school.”

Every member of IPS was allowed to go, at no cost to them, for the entire day. They arrived at around 9 a.m. and stayed until 7:30 p.m. that night.

The students were split into four groups that each rotated through the activities the camp had to offer. While not everyone in the class was physically able to participate, accommodations were made by fellow group members.

“I really like camp… because everybody is so supportive,” assistant teacher Jamie Schnee said. “Not everybody can do everything that’s offered, but it’s great to see how people… make adaptations to include everybody… even if you can’t physically do something you can still be included in other ways.”

Students participated in archery, horseback riding, ropes courses, climbed a fifty foot tower and took part in various team building activities. Those ranged from other outdoors activities to making dinner together, which was the last activity they did.

“Camp Wood is beneficial because it is a great way to connect with your peers and to build the team,” senior Logan Linenburger said.

While it may seem like a fun field trip, Camp Wood is an integral part of building the IPS community for the school year. The trip incorporates many of the important aspects of IPS’s goal as a class.

“I think that going out of town and spending that day, just as a group together all day, you get to not only talk to the people in your group and experience things together but get to… do things that are outside of your comfort zone,” Schnee said. “And that’s… what the class is about, is learning about each other while pushing comfort zones and working as a team.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK What are you most looking forward to in your favorite class?

Sophomore Max Bowyer: “Dissecting Stuff.”

Junior Amir Eshar: “The bell ringing to end class.”

Junior Katya Tarabrina: “Learning something new and doing school work.”

Continued from Page 1: Mike Pompeo:

Using a multitude of historical allusions relating to Kansas, Pompeo centered his speech on America’s progression of individual rights, speaking out as Secretary of State on behalf of the people of Iran, Venezuela, China “and people of all other nationalities.”

“They deserve their God-given freedoms just as much as we do,” he said.

He then took the speech closer to home, remarking on the “uphill battle” presented by modern media and politicians.

See the full story on MHSMentor.com

Daniel Harkin travels out of state for Tennis Tournament Story by Rachel Edie Business Manager At this time of year sports fans expect to see Daniel Harkin’s name associated with big wins in cross country. But Harkin spent Labor Day weekend focused on the other sport he excels in: tennis.

Every year, certain students from the Manhattan High tennis team are selected to participate in an out-of-state tournament in Oklahoma. This year it happened to be Harkin.

In addition to being the top MHS cross country runner, Harkin has played on the MHS tennis team since freshman year. He began playing tennis at the age of four and is currently a singles player, so he does not play with a partner. During the seasons when the school’s team is not playing, he still practices in his free time along with running with the boys on the cross country team.

The selection process for who is able to go to the meet is extremely simple. It’s based on a ranking system for the state. If someone has a high ranking, then they are

automatically selected to participate in the tournament.

Last spring he claimed the title of Regional Singles Champion for the second consecutive year, finishing with a 4-0. He also managed to seize fourth place in boys singles at the Class 6A tennis tournament as a freshman then one-upped himself by placing third his sophomore year.

He continued to improve upon his skills and learned more from every new experience, whether he won or lost.

In college, he hopes to continue to play tennis at an even higher level.

At the Oklahoma tournament, he won his first two matches. These two were against players ranked similarly to him and they also have a similar skill level. The two wins secured his place to compete in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, this was the end of the road for Harkin as he lost to his opponent.

Harkin is planning on continuing to stand out as a player in both tennis and cross country, one day hoping to advance in the sport while in pursuit of higher education.

Sept. 10, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 107 Issue 2

Page 5

ARTIST OF THE WEEK Story by Katya Tarabrina Blue M Organizations Editor

Teagan Hitchings Junior; Cosplay

• Has earned around 51.3K followers on TikTok Q: How long have you been doing cosplay?

A: “A year.”

Q: What made you start doing cosplay?

A: “Inspiration from other cosplays and just wanting to do it for years.”

Q: What is your favorite character to cosplay?

A: “Vriska [Serket] or Maki [Harukawa] probably.”

Q: How often do you cosplay?

A: “Depends, usually once a week though.”

Q: What are you trying to express through cosplay?

A: “Good question, I just think its mostly ... it’s just a good way of selfexpression and just showing your creativity.”

Q: What do you want people to know about cosplaying?

A: “It’s a lot of fun, and it’s not that weird of a hobby.”

To read more stories, go to MHSMentor. com

Seniors Grace Hart and Liz Efken practice their Shostakovich piece with their violas as they wait for director Nate McClendon to arrive for class. The orchestra began rehearsing earlier in the week in preparation for the day when they must play it completely by memory.

Photo by Sophia Comas

Chamber Orchestra sets aspirations deep, personal Students work to build interpersonal relationships with music Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief

U

ncomfortable.

That’s how director Nate McClendon opened class for his students in Chamber Orchestra on the brisk Wednesday morning of Sept. 4.

Of course, when thinking of an orchestra class, one does not immediately think uncomfortable, but that’s what came to mind for his conversation.

It didn’t start that way though.

Uncomfortable does not come to mind when senior Liz Efken draws mini-figures of McClendon on the whiteboard. Uncomfortable does not come to mind when various stringed instruments are being plucked to odd tunes that sound as though someone cut off the note too short.

Uncomfortable does not come to mind when the group jokes about seniors Allen Zhang and Chris Chae being absent. Uncomfortable does not come to mind when the sound of independent rehearsal carries over the exasperated exclamations of “I don’t know what I’m doing in Physics” or “Have you done the Chemistry homework?”

If anything, it seems special -- an insight into who the members of that group are before they become masked with memorization techniques and concentration.

“I had a great experience last year,” senior Grace Hart said. “I want to make this year just as good if not better because this is my last time.”

Those experiences have carried through each person as they continue to build the unbreakable camaraderie that has never left them. It’s even in the new-comers, two of which are a brother and sister, who have already blended into the group as if they had always been there.

But behind closed doors, they open themselves up to the difficulty.

“There’s a lot of pressure on us new kids to do really really well,” Eadon Marstall, junior, said. “Everyone’s su-

‘IT Chapter 2’ provides frightening but hilarious experience, worth watching

Story by Lauryn Maxwell Staff Writer Sink your teeth into this.

The Dancing Clown -- also known as Pennywise -- has come back for more trouble making. Pennywise still has the same appetite for young children, even after 27 years. However, his favorite children have grown up and left Derry, Maine -- except Mike Hanlon.

The setting for “IT Chapter 2” is back to the town that everybody has a special place in their hearts. The main characters are a group of friends who used to hang out: Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan), Richie Tozier (Bill Hader), Eddie Kaspbrack (James Ransom), Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain) and Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy).

They aren’t as young as they were back in 1989, and some aged better than others. On the other hand, Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) is still looking as beautiful as he did in the first remake in 2017. The movie consists of flashbacks while they each individu-

ally go through Derry once again.

As they go through the memories Pennywise tries to scare them while they’re in the flashbacks. The primary reason they came back is to end Pennywise. In the first remake at the end everyone makes a pact to come back to Derry if Pennywise ever comes back.

And to end him they have to do a ritual by burning their own little tokens of memories when they were younger.

“IT Chapter 2” is more entertaining than the first remake of “IT.” The first remake was visually pleasing but there weren’t any funny moments in it along with scary moments. It was kind of just bland.

In “IT Chapter 2,” my favorite moment is when Richie and Eddie interact with each other. While there is a weird love triangle between Bill, Beverly and Ben, at one point it’s just too much. With a new chapter, you need new material.

This doesn’t mean the movie is perfect or keeps you on the edge of your seat. At least the movie’s ending is more of a success than how Bill Denbrough ends his stories.

Don’t get me wrong “IT Chapter 2” is hilarious. Just don’t have high expectations to be scared if that’s what you’re into. There are good jumpscares. It could be just because of the sound effects make it better.

In the end Pennywise is still just a clown, nothing more.

per nice, so I don’t feel it from them. It’s my own internal pressure.”

That pressure is what drives the Chamber Orchestra to do well. Their first major hurdle is memorizing a piece by composer Dmitri Shostakovich, a Russian composer who battled mental health issues the majority of his adult life.

The piece is what Shostakovich claimed to be his own personal reqiuem because he had planned to commit suicide just a week after he finished it.

“We’re going to be exploring some dark and personal stuff with this,” McClendon said. “We just want to play it as powerfully as we can.”

Their next challenge will be for the Kansas Music Educators Association when their state music conference takes place and all of their rehearsal will become a live performance.

“They’re really good students, not just in playingwise,” McClendon said. “They want to be good and they practice hard,” Being good at what they do is the one goal that they hope to continue to meet throughout the entire year. For McClendon, however, that doesn’t just mean knowing how to play their instruments. It means talking about the uncomfortable, which is why they will all participate in a class-wide book study over “Leadership and Self-Deception.”

“How many of you like conversing with other people?”

McClendon asked the class.

Only two students raised their hands.

The question came seemingly out of nowhere, but as with all things McClendon, it has a purpose. It proves that there are still levels of discomfort within the group.

That discomfort will push them forward. It will bring them closer together. The tension that follows them will prove that it is not something they fear but rather embrace.

“Can you feel it?” he asked again. “That’s one of my superpowers. I’m able to create that feeling of tension.”

Pops’ Choir missing dresses lead to ‘70s-themed outfits Story by Anika Nyp Blue-M Editor-in-Chief Just when the Manhattan Pops Choir was preparing for their performance at the Kansas State Fair on Friday, the girls of the group were given some troubling news. They would not have their signature redsequined dresses for the big performance. “[Choir director Chad] Pape found out that the dress company that he usually gets them from went out of business and got rebought,” senior Macy Hendricks said. “We are dancing in outfits that we’ve created.”

Since the whole performance is an ABBA medley, the choir has planned something extra special to make up for the missing dresses.

“People are wearing some like ‘70s dresses, the guys are wearing some flashy stuff, and just the way we’ll do our hair is like the ‘70s and

‘60s,” Hendricks said.

With there new idea came a lot of scrambling to make it happen.

“It’s different because this has never happened before,” senior Ella Rosenkrantz said, “but we’re trying to make the best of it in light of what we’re dealing with.”

Even with the change, Pops is still keeping things groovy and having some fun with the wardrobe change.

“We’ve all been hyping each other up with our outfits,” Rosenkrantz said.

But just because they have something down doesn’t mean that the choir had to scramble to find something new.

“I feel like we should definitely have them,” Hendricks said. “But it’s also understandable that it’s hard to find them.”

The choir thought about using some of the older dresses they had but that was soon ruled out when they realized

they weren’t in the best condition.

Even with their fun new outfits, Pops still want to restore the iconic image of the sparkly red dresses and black tuxedos.

“We have a plan now, but they wouldn’t have been in to the singers on time,” Pape said.

“The dresses we use are individually constructed dresses, so it’s about an eight week turnaround for the custom dresses.”

“I can’t think of any main event that’s coming up that we need dresses besides later in the year,” Hendricks said. By then they plan to have their signature look back.

Even with the wild time the choir has had, they still love their idea and still love the dresses.

“I love the classic Pops image but I think it would also be fun to try something new,” Rosenkranz said. “So whatever we do, I’ll be happy.”

Sept. 10, 2019 Visit MHSmentor.com

TRENDING

Volume 107 Issue 2

Page 6

Welcome to the world of

Generation Generation ZZ Their own rhythm

Student opinion on representation in media*

Generation Z leads music industry in new direction Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Chief Music -- it’s a daily habit for most. In the car. In the shower. Walking to math class. The rhythmic beats and melodies we adore have become an almost instantaneous commodity provided at the push of a “shuffle play” button.

For those in the music community, there’s a new market audience spearheading industry trends that can last as short as three months or as long as three years: Generation Z. A generation built on the lightening-connection lifestyle of the internet age, Gen Z-ers are fast-tracking music trends and redefining the typical standards, forcing the industry to look at and market music in an ultramodern, unique way never before seen.

According to a June report from Youth Pulse Inc. -- a market group aimed at providing news, commentary and research on Gen Z and Millenials -- 60 percent of young consumers said they listen to a mix of different music genres, with 78 percent in a later survey agreeing their music tastes fall into multiple

music categories, known to insiders as “genre-blending.”

This new set of music tastes is leading to huge industrial change, helping make the careers of staple Gen Z artists such as Lil Nas X and Billie Ellish, both early adopters of genre-blending. Both musicians sparked wide debate as to which genre their music fell into; the catch, however, is the debate actually benefited the artists, bringing attention to their music and helping launch the trend as an industrial advantage.

As a result, Gen Z’s genre-blending has created a new branding strategy for professionals to bring attention to up-and-coming artists. Rising artists are now not only following Nas X and Ellish’s footsteps but are encouraged to do so by executives as a way to set themselves apart in the music scene.

By encouraging artists to generate popularity with small-scale hits that make attention on platforms aimed at young audiences, such as SoundCloud, TikTok or Youtube, artists are able to keep their “indie” or “alternative” audience while rising to high levels of success.

Student votes on mixing music*

Old made new Past fashion trends popularize with new generation Story by Kyla Barnett Features Editor If you went back in time, you’d see that while some things have stayed the same, a lot has changed. This is true for fashion throughout the early 2000s to now. When walking the school hallways, you’re guaranteed to see old trends resurfacing, like scrunchies and chokers from the ‘80s and ‘90s, but Gen Z has taken these trends and made them their own, creating new subcultures defined by these articles of clothing.

Society has come a long way from the bootcut jeans and low-cut jeans of the early 2000s, as well as the cargo pants and tracksuits. Though people do still enjoy some of these fashions, they are not as popular as they once were.

Through the late 2000s to the early 2010s, these trends were replaced with everything animal print as well as a revival of “grunge” fashion. Over the past few years, there has been a rise in many different fashion trends like VSCO, e-boy and e-girl, and others. Now when walking around the school, there’s a guaranteed spotting of mom jeans, scrunchies, Hydroflasks and shell necklaces.

People often define themselves by the way they dress and the trends they’re part of. They can determine friend groups and self-image. Fashion allows people to express who they are and who they want to be.

“Fashion is important to the individual to just show who they are to the outside world,” senior Emily Stewart, said. “Just looking at people you can tell kind of a little bit of their personality. I guess part of it is just because like a lot of people dress like that. So it’s kind of part of our society to fit in, we wear a lot of stuff that everyone else wears.”

With all of the fads and trends, people are finding their style and a bit of themselves. Style is a way to express individual personalities, and people’s ability to be confident in what they wear is just a step closer to confidence in who they are.

Even with the trends and society pushing towards a single image, people find a way to make their style their own.

“The way you accessorize your outfits can kind of make it unique to you,” Stewart said.

Story by Hannah Heger Trending Editor

“

I think we’ve all been negatively affected by a lack of positive representation of diverse groups in media. Overall, I think it’s great and I love seeing it, but we need more things like that.

-Sophomore Ronan Tanona

“

I think that whatever becomes viral, tends to lead to the development of new trends.

-Freshman Annabelle Jung

“

Well I’m barely represented at all, most people don’t know what Samoa Tonga is… so great.

-Sophomore Teuila Ilalio *Both voting polls were run on The Mentor’s personal Instagram account asking students about their personal tastes in music and whether they feel represented in modern day media by asking the questions “ Do you like to mix music genres?” and “How do you feel effected by representation in media?”

Social Media allows expression Story by Madison Ritz Blue M Student Life Editor Our generation, known as Gen Z, MillenGenerationZ and “the Internet generation” has been taking to social media to express its feelings onto a variety of major platforms.

Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are just a few majorly named platforms that students are able to express themselves without being afraid of what other people think.

Platforms like these allow communication in various ways. Before social media, there was only the ability to either call or simply text. But nowadays, something as simple as pressing “record” and “upload” allows people to talk to millions of people and express their personalities through a small screen. “[from Millennials to Gen Z], it’s definitely changed quite a bit of how we interact with people, both online and offline,” junior Teagan Hitchings — a popular TikTok creator — said. “We have a much easier time connecting to people that we never would have met.

Besides that, we also are able to stay connected to people. Sometimes that we cant see people right now, so texting them and stuff makes it an easier communication tool.”

Social media platforms allow creators to be whoever they want to be, with supporters by their side. Creators

such as Hitchings find an outlet for performing arts such as cosplay.

“My cosplays are something I feel like are pretty creative, like I kind of do whatever I want,” Hitchings said. “Like I make my outfit, and do my make-up, then people usually enjoy that. It just takes a lot of creativity.”

There are also platforms such as YouTube. Sophomore Max Bowyer hasn’t posted in about six months, but he typically posts running videos/ vlogs. Now he’s commonly posting TikToks of him making his audience laugh or simply happy.

“I’m really not afraid to embarrass myself,” Bowyer said. “Most of the time, I just make a video and post it. A lot of my friends say it’s pretty goofy, but I don’t really care.”

Gen Z isn’t afraid to become who they really want to become on the internet. Social media platforms allow them to become who they want to be with minimal judgment, as well as make others’ day by posting hilarious, entertaining videos of themselves doing something a little out of the normal.

“Don’t be afraid to have fun and do what you love, making videos,” Bowyer said. “Whatever hobby you have, don’t be afraid of other people judging. Just be you.”

To see full story go to MHSMentor.com

New club rallies against Sexual Violence Story by Jeremy Emberton Staff Writer Sexual violence has been a hot topic in the news lately, as many celebrities and government officials have been under scrutiny for accusations of sexual violence and impropriety. The men and women of this country have been taking a stand against sexual abuse.

Similarly, even students in Manhattan High have been getting involved and raising their voices.

A new interest group, Students Against Sexual Violence, has been formed by students who are concerned about the issue.

“We want to see change and we

want to provoke that change,” junior Megan Emery said.

SASV isn’t the only organization Emery is part of, because she is also a member of Red Cross Club, Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society and Interact. The difference with SASV, she said, is that it’s all about activism. ”We want to see change and we want to provoke that change,” Emery said.

Her co-president, junior Kristin Kolasheski, said the purpose of the interest group is to be informative.

“We are focused on building awareness of sexual violence, particularly at

the high school level, educating people and hopefully giving them guidance,” she said.

They are not alone. The entire club, Kolasheski said, is following the Gen Z trend of working to make a real difference, in this case towards preventing sexual violence. The youth of the nation has always been one of the most active groups in social issues. The voice they lend towards activism has made a real impact.

Activism is important, Emery said, because it is “being passionate about something and taking part in something to change something.”

“Standing up for what you believe

in,” Kolasheski said to define activism.

“If you mean that I support causes I believe in, then yes, specifically with SASV.” Emery and Kolasheski also gave advice for people afraid to speak up.

“If you’re really passionate about something, just think about the outcome you could get from it, and I think that’ll inspire you enough to be brave enough to speak out,” Emery said.

“It is important to stay true to yourself and try even if you can’t succeed,” Kolasheski said.