Oct. 29, 2019Visit MHSMentor. com
THE MENTOR
Volume 107 Issue 6
TRUTH & EDUCATION
Sunday at Bishop:
Top Right: The Rock Hills worship team sets up for music and worship on Lew Lane Field at Bishop Stadium. The group was invited by FCA to “Fields of Faith” to engage students in an exploration of their relationship with God.
Photo by Brianna Carmack
Students gather on Lew Lane Field during “Fields of Faith” to play a game of “9 Square in the Air” -- a kickball and volleyball hybrid game played in a similar fashion to “Four Square.” The game was included in the night’s events as a way to bring students together in faith and fun.
Top: Freshman Alessandra Porres and junior Isabel Porres drink hot chocolate that was provided by FCA. The two are few of many who bore through the unexpectedly cold weather to celebrate and worship with fellow FCA club members.
Photo by Brianna Carmack
Photo by Brianna Carmack
FCA hosts ‘Fields of Faith,’ shares powerful testimonies Story by Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor
During one of the coldest nights in October thus far, Fellowship of Christian Athletes managed to gather around 200 people in the community to hold the first “Fields of Faith” tradition last Sunday at Bishop Stadium from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. “Fields of Faith” is an international event where students, families, faculty members, etc. will come together to worship, share their story with faith and pray. “So FCA is a national organization that most high schools have and Fields of Faith is a national event,” officer of FCA junior Chanae Parker said. “We took that idea and kind of started adding pieces.” Unlike FCA’s original thoughts about the weather, as they planned the event in August, the Kansas chill proved to be an obstacle for the night. FCA provided hot chocolate and blankets to help people stay warm. “We kind of took a chance on the weather,” Field Representative and FCA Organizer Ty Zimmerman said. “I didn’t think as many people would show up.” The night started off with a Rock Hills Church led worship. After, Parker shared a few verses from the Bible that would tie into the events later. In the span of a few hours, students participated in the cardboard testimonies, an activity in which they wrote on one side of a piece of cardboard how
they felt before God was a priority in their life. On the other side, the students wrote how their life has changed after God entered their life. Junior Mason Reid was involved in the cardboard testimonies, where he included how he felt “apathetic” towards God before he was introduced
“That’s my prayer, is that these kids and adults... would recognize that Jesus wants all of them.” -- Ty Zimmerman to a book that engaged Reid in his faith. “Apathetic means I wasn’t passionate about Christ before He came into my life,” Reid said. Reid was not only one of the students who presented their cardboard testimony, but he also spoke at “Fields of Faith” to share his story more in depth. After Reid’s speech and the testimonies, Tommy Brady, a former track runner at K-State, made an appearance as the guest speaker. Brady touched on certain areas in the Bible, in real life, etc. where God has changed lives.
ACT opportunity Story by Julianna Poe Sports Editor
Manhattan High had its first experience hosting a Pre-ACT -- funded by the Kansas State Department of Education last week. 398 freshmen and counting participated in the testing. “I think what’s important to note [is] this course is not reported to colleges for the Pre-ACT,” Director of Secondary Education Dr. Jeanne Disney said. “It’s truly a practice opportunity for students so there’s no pressure or stress related to that.”
“We’re trying to get a true understanding of a composite score that is a clear picture of all of our students...” -- Michael Dorst By providing this testing to the freshmen, the district hopes to give them an opportunity to practice the testing format and learn where their strengths are and what needs attention in advance. Students can find resources to study with on Naviance, which can prepare them for the ACT their junior year. In 2019, MHS seniors had average scores in all four content areas -- Eng-
lish, math, reading and science -- at around 23, each exceeding the state averages. In addition, their average composite score -- which was also 23 -- exceeded the national average of 20.8. According to principal Michael Dorst, Manhattan High’s 2020 seniors’ ACT average scores are exciting because there was a large turnout of those who took the test. Last year, the KSDE funded the ACT for the juniors, and those students who had not yet completed the testing were signed up and “strongly encouraged” to take it. However, they were allowed to optout. “If we have a large portion of students opt-out of taking [the ACT], we really aren’t getting a true picture of how well Manhattan High School’s performing,” Dorst said. “We are ... not trying to protect our high composite score, compared to the state average. We’re trying to get a true understanding of a composite score that is a clear picture of all of our students.” In addition to funding the Pre-ACT for freshmen and ACT for juniors, the KSDE will also pay for the WorkKeys testing for all juniors this year. The over arching goal is to prepare students for their post-secondary plans and define where Manhattan High needs to focus to improve their education. “Manhattan High School has been interested in maintaining our programs to not just what the industry is saying is needed, but also, … what students are interested in,” Dorst said. “We’re trying to align not just high ACT scores but experience in programs that we haven’t met yet.”
“I had a teammate in college that was originally going to be the speaker and over the weekend he got in a car accident,” Zimmerman said. “I was kind of scrambling but Tommy was the guy that I went to college with and knew, and he’s in ministry as well, so I kind of just reached out to him.” The night ended with another session of worship and time to socialize, play games and, of course, drink hot chocolate. “I think despite the weather everyone seems to be having a good time,” FCA sponsor Sarah Rhodes said. “I mean just watching everybody play the games and just socialize is awesome to see.” The whole goal of this event was to give people a better understanding of how God can change people’s lives for the better. “I’m just hoping that the people that came were blessed and I’m hoping the people that came that don’t really know Jesus were challenged. I grew up in church my whole life and like I said I always believed in the existence of God,” Zimmerman said. “My life was a surrender to Him and that’s my prayer is that these kids and adults that were here would recognize that Jesus wants all of them.” FCA hopes to make this event a long-lasting tradition. Even though the weather surprised them with harsh winds, FCA still seems to be satisfied with “Fields of Faith” along with other members of the community as well. “I just want to say it was an amazing experience and I’m so glad we got to put this on,” Parker said. “It was so much fun and I’m just hoping that it touched at least one person and that will make it worth it.”
Debate makes top 10 at Hutchinson Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Chief
Following their wins in the last week at the Silver Lake and Salina South debate tournaments, Manhattan High debate is continuing their success streak, placing teams in the top ten in Varsity and Kansas Debate Classic divisions at the Tom Kelly Debate Invitational in Hutchinson this weekend. Varsity pair senior Trinity Brockman and sophomore Sam Delong -- who have consistently been the group to keep an eye on this season -- ranked third overall in the Varsity division after dropping to Lawrence. This comes after their first place win at Salina last week that qualified them to the state Debate Coaches Invitational Tournament, which is available only to those that successfully compete at a top DCI-level tournament. “We competed against a lot of the teams that we will have to debate at DCI state, so it helped us gauge our competitiveness,” Delong said. In addition to the Varsity win,
Phones stolen from girls locker room
junior pair Crysteen Brown and Ben Whitten placed ninth in the Debate Classic division. According to head coach Mac Phrommany, the pair “barely missed making the quarterfinal round.” Brockman and Brown were both recognized as top speakers. Manhattan will move on next week to compete at the Shawnee Heights After School Novice Tournament on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They will then send the Varsity team, along with one novice team, on to the Kansas City Kansas Community College Tournament of Champions -- a national circuit DCI qualifier -- on Friday and Saturday. According to Brockman and Delong, this is the first time MHS will be sending a team in almost five years. “I am expecting to get a more competitive experience than what we’re getting right now,” Brockman said. “Since Sam and I are doing well at the state level and have already qualified to state in three tournaments, we want to make a more national push just so we’re able to be more competitive.” Read the full story on MHSMentor.com
MHSMentor.com
One-Acts invite student creativity and critique
Story by Maddison Ritz Blue M Student Life Editor
Manhattan High School is about three months into this school year. Already four phones have already been stolen from the South Gym girls locker room during first hour. Read the full story on MHSMentor.com
Story by Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor
OPINIONS
Oct. 29, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
Volume 107 Issue 6
Page 2
JC rivalry has gone too far
Bigoted language has no place at MHS This editorial is a compilation from a discussion held by the editorial board. To listen to the conversation that led to this piece, visit MHSMentor.com
T
he Junction City game is widely considered the most important game of the football season for Manhattan High players and fans. Controversy has surrounded the rivalry in past years and this year’s silver trophy was no different. Both school districts -USD 383 and USD 475 -- have opened investigations into the conduct of MHS fans on the basis of allegations of bigoted language directed at Junction City’s fans and cheerleaders. This -- along with the chant “f JC” that is beyond familiar to MHS students -- has been condemned by both districts and there is an ongoing investigation into the allegations in collaboration with the Riley County Police Department. It is the opinion of The Mentor Editorial Board that the rivalry between JC and Manhattan has gone too far. While rivalries can be a healthy bit of fun, racial slurs go beyond those parameters and should be condemned by not just administration but also the student body. Part of the rivalry is bringing Manhattan High students together as a community. However, camaraderie doesn’t mean bullying other students. We don’t need to alienate others to bring ourselves together; the concept in itself is alarmingly cliquish. We can come together to enjoy sporting events without degrading our opponents because we are near adults who have the capacity to understand the difference between banter and harassment. A key component of high school sports, at least in
theory, is sportsmanship. What we saw on the night of Oct. 11 was far from it. Mutual respect is not only an aspect of sportsmanship but a basic right of people no matter where they are from. We seem to be either forgetting or electing to disregard this. It’s not just one night, just one game, just one time -- this has been a repeated issue in the rivalry. Some students are unable to realize that the people who live a 30-minute drive from our high school are also human and worthy of respect. There is no secret that Junction City could be considered a “rougher” area than Manhattan. They have a higher crime rate according to macrotrends.net and nieghborhoodscout.com. That doesn’t mean individuals we know nothing about can be generalized by the common phrase we hear: “ghetto.” It certainly doesn’t give an excuse to degrade them. Their student body also has a more heavily Latino and AfricanAmerican population than that of MHS. But why are we using that as an insult? Because it’s not an insult, it’s a fact about the demographics about their community. Considering this otherwise is an uneducated, narrow minded and racist ideology and should be called out as such. An excuse for the conduct of MHS students given by many is that the rivalry is an age old tradition, but if racism is a tradition, it has no place in this generation or this school. Rivalries exists all over the world and in high schools across America, but they don’t require plainly insulting the opposing team. It’s difficult to separate these allegations from the current political climate in the
Mascot not necessary Story by Hannah Loub Guest columnist
In past weeks, there has been an important question circulating Manhattan High: is having a performance mascot worth it? In 2017, Student Council executed a survey over which there is much controversy. In the first round, the majority of students voted “yes” for a performance mascot. In the second round, although the wolf was the most popular choice for a performance mascot, there were more votes for “No Mascot” in that same poll. This left the school in indecision over what action to take. One reason not to have the wolf as our performance mascot is because it may be confused with Woodrow Wilson Elementary’s mascot, which is also a wolf. If the school is adamant about having a performing mascot, make it not only unique to the school district but have it symbolize something Manhattan High stands for. Despite its striking appearance, the wolf seems like a random suggestion pulled out of a hat. Along with that, it’s unclear how having a wolf dance around at games and pep ral-
lies make that much of a difference. As of now, we don’t have a performance mascot and I for one do not feel like we are missing out. The mascot certainly wouldn’t be the focus of MHS’s identity. If it was introduced it would likely be the focus of mockery. Furthermore, the chosen performance mascot, the wolf, doesn’t lessen the disrespect Native American students and families might feel. We are doing fine without a performing mascot, not to mention it would not be unique to our school district. The school board decided to keep the Indian mascot. Having a performing mascot does not make the Indian any less of a racial stereotype. Despite the fact that the mascot is meant to honor Frank Prentup, a former coach of Native American heritage. We cannot go back on the school board’s decision to keep the mascot. It is a decision that we may not agree with, but must respect. Nevertheless, although the voices of equality may be quieted. The new mascot will be confused with Woodow Wilson’s, not beneficial to school spirt and won’t lessen the offense Native Americans feel. So why have one?
Meredith Comas -- Print Editor-in-Chief Sophia Comas -- Online Editor-in-Chief Anika Nyp -- Blue M Editor-in-Chief Kris Long -- Opinions Editor Julianna Poe -- Sports Editor Kyla Barnett -- Features Editor Brianna Carmack -- Entertainment Editor Hannah Heger -- Trending Editor Joshua Flickinger -- Photo Editor Jennifer Sadler -- Assistant Photo Editor
EDITORIAL POLL:
And what should MHS students do in the future to avoid this type of conflict? “Make sure that Junction City and Manhattan never play each other in football again.” -- senior Josh Brandt Quit being so sensitive -- junior Nash Downie Move to AVCTL, Eastern Kansas League, or Sunflower League. Centennial League sucks. -- junior Jon Grove *Responses gathered from MHS students on the MHSmentor’s instagram. 50 students voted in the poll. Graphic by Kris Long, social media by Cole Schmitt U.S. and around the world. If leaders can call Mexicans rapists and Muslims terrorists that normalizes this racist and thoroughly unethical language. We are all near adults. So why aren’t we acting our age? We’re old enough to understand that racism shouldn’t be tolerated in society and at the same time are part of a generation that can make progress on this front. It’s frankly alarming that people of our generation feel as if
there’s nothing wrong with using bigoted language. Instead of getting caught up in the action, the tradition, students need to take a step back and understand why these allegations are such a big deal. It’s not one comment directed towards one cheerleader at the end of a game. It’s a mentality that’s growing and needs to end. Collectively, as a student body, we need to do better. The first step is to apologize, collectively, as a school,
whether or not students were at the game or participating in the chant. The next step is to do better. Every student needs to take it upon themselves to align with the standards of the 21st century. Oct. 11 should be the last time racist comments are reported, and the last time “f JC” should be chanted at any point. This is Manhattan High School, a diverse, open-minded place of education -- we’re better than this. Let’s be better than this.
October too early to celebrate holidays
Story by Lauryn Maxwel Staff Writer
It is now “spooky” season and this is not a trick but a treat. I have seen numerous Snapchat accounts where students are already talking about watching Christmas movies or buying Christmas candles. Even the stores have their decorations out -- too early. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of the holidays, but let the cold air of Halloween send shivers down your spine. It’s your chance to dress up as anything you want. If you want to be a cop, a nurse, wear the “Scream” costume, become a mystical unicorn, or even go dressed up as a scarecrow, go ahead. In October you get to see pumpkins with faces that glow in the dark, some with menacing faces carved into them, others have designs on them. The wind carrying colorful leaves and the smell of fall
Cole Schmitt -- Social Media Manager Rachel Edie -- Business Manager Staff Writers and Photographers -- Andrew Adams, Paris Burgess, Andrew Davis, Jeremy Emberton, Sammara Jacobs-Brown, Lauryn Maxwell, Gage Mingo, Madison Ritz, Katya Tarabrina Video Production -- Mbofho Ndou, Gabe Jernigan, Declan Weixelman, Gavin Gaston, Kevin Breedan, Giuseppe Maioranna,
flowing all around us. After Halloween it’s Thanksgiving, meaning you celebrate eating turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy ect. Then we celebrate the holidays. If you celebrate the holiday some people on Dec. 25th and run downstairs to open presents with glee. If you celebrate Hanukkah you light eight candles each day and eat various things such as sufganiya, brisket, Hanukkah gelt ect. There are designated months for each holiday. Think about it: you wouldn’t celebrate Presidents Day in December. Than why would you start celebrating for December holidays when fall has just started? Celebrating holidays early ruins the point of celebrating the other ones as well. The reason we have different holidays on a certain day or month is because what they represent and how they were created, either from religion or folk tales. The whole point is to show respect or recognized what happened and how it lead up to this point in our life. Christmas is not celebrating the gifts underneath the Christmas tree, it’s to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Hobby Lobby is particu-
Tristan McLaughlin, Grace Wilson 21st Century Journalism -- Ashlyn Cassel, Mckayla Clarksnodgrass, Alexus Forsythe, Emmarae Hayes, Lasirra Hines, Hannah Loub, Marley Blue Neel, William Robben, Taryn Robinson, Aubrey Strother, Aspen Tallent, Adam Wollenberg Kristy Nyp -- Advisor
larly bad about that with their decorations for the holidays out in October. Once Halloween comes closer I would want to start buying for decorations but there are only a select few and all I see is Christmas trees and the store covered in red, green, white, and blue. There isn’t even a lot of fall decorations even for Thanksgiving. Another reasoning is you ruin the surprise and excitement for that holiday. Once you’ve had the decorations out for a long time it loses its specialness and it doesn’t really go with the holiday that is happening right now. It would be like if people had their Halloween decorations out in the summertime. That would be just plain wrong. October only lasted for 31 days and it’s almost over. So for all of you Karens out there already celebrating holidays this month just wait. This Thursday is Halloween, then it’s November. So be like Dwight Schrute from “The Office” and take a chill pill. You’ll have a full month to get excited about the holidays. “The one that’s cursed Is the headless horseman; he’s the worst. That’s right, he’s a fright on Halloween night! -- from “The Headless Horseman,” The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949).
The Mentor is published each Tuesday that school is in session at Manhattan High School, 2100 Poyntz Ave. Manhattan, Kansas. Telephone (785) 587-2114. More than 1,000 Mentors are distributed each week free of charge to all faculty and students. MHS journalists are members of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is a public forum. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.
SPORTS
Oct. 29, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
Volume 107 Issue 6
Page 3
Volleyball takes one win, one loss in Garden City Story by Rachel Edie Business Manager
A five-hour bus ride and overnight hotel stay on Friday led to splitting a win and a loss in the two Sub-State games for the Manhattan High Varsity volleyball team on Saturday afternoon. The 13 players left after school Friday for an overnight in Dodge City before playing at Garden City High Saturday afternoon. Their first set of the tournament was against Wichita Southeast High -the eighth seed. In the morning they practiced before their first set of games and just overall prepared for them. They went into the game pretty strong, quickly gaining a lead against
their opponent and coming out of the first set winning 25-19. The second set was also over quickly with Wichita not at the top of their game; Manhattan took the second set 25-10. “We started off slow but we gained it back at the end of the first match and carried it to the second match,” junior Alyx Glessner said. Winning this first game moved them up to play their second game against Garden City, the first seed of the tournament. Garden City had won their first match against Haysville Campus High in two sets, knocking Haysville and Wichita of the bracket. Tired from their first game, MHS was defeated in two with the first set ending 25-13.
In the second set, Manhattan put their game faces on and played some of their hardest plays against Garden City for this second set, but it still wasn’t enough to win and Garden City came out on top with the final score at 25-21. “We really showed out during that set and even though we lost it I think it was definitely one of the highlight games of our season,” junior Bonnie Hegarty said. “We gave it our all.” This loss knocked Manhattan out of the bracket -- as well as concluded their season -- and declared Garden City the 6A Sub-State Champions. “We’ve had lots of ups and downs throughout the season but we definitely finished out strong and had lots of fun along the way too,” Hegarty said.
Football heads to playoffs
Photo by Hailey Eilert
T
he Manhattan High football team (7-1) is heading into the playoffs feeling confident after six consecutive wins, dating back to week
three. The most noticeable win? The Silver Trophy win against rival Junction City with a last second field goal by sophomore Grant Snowden. “It felt incredible,” Snowden said. “Just to bring the Silver Trophy back to Manhattan is amazing. It’s a big deal around here, but for these seniors, it’s a first time thing. [Senior] Tyce Hoover said before the game in the huddle how important this is [to him because] he never got to touch that trophy. So to be able to do it for all of them was amazing.” The Indians were up early on Junction but the Jays fought back making it a close game. When the time was right, Snowden would run onto the field with only a couple seconds left to clinch the game for the Indians. The Tribe would keep that momentum going into the next two games, against Topeka West at home and Highland Park on the road. The Indians
combined to score 130 between the two games and allowed zero points. “Well we saw a few things where we’re going to have to make some changes,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “We continue to work at them and they continue to not be very good and so we’re going to
“This is a team this year that I believe can go very far into the postseason.” -- Grant Snowden have to make some changes heading into the future. Going into the playoffs, the Indians hope to be well rested as they played many players against both West and Highland to make sure of no injuries or anything too serious heading into the playoffs. “We have a lot of guys that are a little bit sore, and that’s not uncommon at this time of the year,” Schartz said. “We’ll give some guys a couple days
ATHLETE of THE MONTH Grant Snowden
Sophomore; Football • Scored gamewinning 38-yard field goal at JC game
Photo by Jennifer Sadler
Kira Schartz
Senior; Girls Tennis • Placed three consecutive games post ACL recovery Q: What sparked the idea to join MHS tennis? A: “I have always loved tennis. It was a big part of my mom’s side of the family and I played in middle school.” Q: Last school year you sustained an ACL injury in soccer; how did this affect your final season of high school tennis? A: “It made me enjoy it more and enjoy every second of it and not take it for granted.” Q: How did it feel to finish your high school tennis career with Joanna Park by your side? A: “I would not have wanted it any other way. She is a perfect partner and an incredible person.” Q: What are all of the sports you play and what is your greatest accomplishment in each thus far? “I play soccer and the greatest accomplishment in that [was] getting third at state [my junior year] and for tennis it [was] winning regionals [my senior year].”
Senior Mitch Munsen cheers and hollers in the MHS student section at Bishop Stadium during the highly anticipated football game against their school rival Junction City. The Friday night game brought out a large crowd of MHS students and staff to cheer on the MHS Indians as they competed for the silver trophy. MHS won the game 31-28 taking back the silver trophy to the halls of MHS.
Story by Cole Schmitt Social Media Manager
Athlete of THE WEEK
Photo by Hailey Eilert
off and see how they respond and see if we can get our legs back underneath us before the start of the playoffs.” The last regular season home game against Topeka West marked the annual senior night for the 2020 class. Schartz is proud of what they’ve accomplished over the years going through this program. “[These seniors have] come a long way and we’ve been through a lot together,” Schartz said. “I’m just extremely proud of how far they’ve come and how much improvement they’ve made not only as football players, but more importantly as people, and that’s why we do this. To try to better ourselves and prepare ourselves for the future.” The Indians (4-seed) will play host to Hutchinson High (13-seed) this Friday night in the first round of the playoffs. If they move on from that, they will play host to either Lawrence Free State (5-seed) or Wichita South (12-seed). “I think we have nothing to lose. This is a team this year that I believe can go very far into the postseason,” Snowden said. “We just [got to] keep our heads on straight and eliminate any silly mistakes going forward. Effort has to be there in practice going forward.”
Q: What sparked the idea to join MHS football? A: “My football friends knew I played soccer and challenged me to kick an extra point and I made it. It was at that point I knew I wanted to play for Manhattan.” Q: Who is your football role model? A: “My dad ... He’s definitely been a big help and inspiration [for me] to keep doing what I’m doing.” Q: What was running through your mind before you scored the 38-yard field goal at the JC game?
A: “I was running the steps I take before my kick through my head and imagining the ball flying through the uprights. I was just trying to keep a positive mindset.” Q: What goals do you have for the rest of the football season and in the future? A: “The goal for this year is to win state, but we just need to take each game one at a time and beat Hutchinson here this Friday. A long term [goal] I definitely have is kicking at the next level in college.”
Cross country qualifies for state Girls golf ranks low at state Boys soccer earns narrow win Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief
Manhattan High cross country took the leaderboard for the 6A Junction City Regional with the girls Varsity team placing first and the boys Varsity team placing second. The races took place at Milford on Saturday morning, just one week before their State competition. According to senior Ella Rosenkranz, the race was almost perfect.
“I felt great about the meet,” Rosenkranz said. “It was a really good night for the team and for us individually.” Rosenkranz, who ran a time of 19:36.3, led the team as the first place runner. She was followed by sophomore Jenna Keeley, who placed second with a time of 19:39.1, and freshman Amelia Knopp, who placed fourth with a time of 20:06.1. They contribSee more on MHSMentor.com
Story by Hannah Heger Entertainment Editor
Finishing their season in the less-thanfavorable conditions during the two-day 6A State tournament at Hutchinson, the Manhattan High girls golf team finished within the tournament’s first day of competition with some ranked individuals. “The team did not make it on to the second day of competition,“ Paige McCarthy, head coach said. “So six of our
girls didn’t get to play the second day.” At the end of the first day at state, the team as a whole didn’t rank within the top six couldn’t continue into the second day since only the top teams qualified to continue into the next day. “But four of them had low enough scores that they were low individuals and could compete for individual medals,” McCarthy said. See more on MHSMentor.com
Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor
Manhattan High boys Varsity soccer squeaked out a win against Shawnee Heights 6-5 on Oct. 24 in a back-andforth match to close the season. Shawnee Heights is one of Manhattan’s more competitive opponents, with a win of just 1-0 against them last season. Shawnee came into the match with a better record than MHS (13-2) and were expect-
ed to be a challenge. According to head coach Mike Sanchez the team came out strong. Senior Hunter French put them on the board from a header just two minutes in, with an assist from senior Carter Wiens. Sophomore Ibrahim Ciftci followed it up nine minutes later to make it 2-0. MHS conceded a goal to Shawnee further on in the half, then French scored again to put See more on MHSMentor.com
Oct. 29, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
FEATURES
Volume 107 Issue 6
Page 4
Model UN takes volleyball win
Story by Lauryn Maxwell Staff Writer
After nine teams of Manhattan High club members battled on the volleyball court Wednesday, Model UN and Math Club were left standing in the semi finals of the first Club Volleyball tournament hosted by Student Council. Model UN ended up coming away with the win. Club Volleyball is all about having different clubs play against each other. They clubs that were there were Key Club, Student Publications, AFS, Hispanic Student Union, Model UN, Math Club, National Honors Society, Band and Thespians. Debate was also supposed to participate but didn’t make it to the event.
“I am very happy with the results of today,” Club Volleyball chair Elizabeth Kim, senior, said. “Model UN and Math Club or two or two of some of the teams that actually trained outside of school.” Both teams put forth a lot of effort. “Well, definitely. It was a team effort. I couldn’t have done it without my friends today, you know, we would always practice out we, and that’s important to practice that we put out outside of school,” Model UN chair Bethuel Salazar, senior, said. “So it’s definitely showing this game that we have today.” Club Volleyball replaced Club Dodgeball as a school activity and was moved out of Homecoming week.
“We noticed a pattern definitely with the loss of traction and club volleyball is that people get bored of one event, especially when it’s sports,” Kim said. “We did Club Dodgeball for quite a few years, but before that it was actually originally Club Volleyball to start out with, and to switch it up we just changed it back. Next semester we will be doing Club Basketball, which is a very different dynamic and will very likely ensure a completely different results.” The goal of the event is really to find a way to get more clubs and more students involved in activities, Kim said. “Club Volleyball is just, it doesn’t necessarily have to be just the clubs
Left: Senior Tysen Plummer sets the ball in his game with Key Club against AFS. Top middle: Band’s club volleyball team spikes the ball in their second game of the night. Right: Seniors Lexi Feather, Will Banister, Macy Hendricks and Elizabeth Kim laugh while conducting commentary as part of the StuCo Club Volleyball committee. Bottom Middle: AFS and Key Club shake hands at the end of their game.
Photos by Hannah Heger
coming in watching and actually playing. We want to actually get parents in here, or other students cheering on their friends and classmates,” Kim said. “I want StuCo to set an example to allow clubs to become a forefront of Manhattan High School.”
4-H community conversation fosters dialogue Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor
“All adults do is blame, complain and argue.” Those are the words of youth development specialist Aliah Mestrovich Seay, one of the adult leaders in charge of organizing the 4-H community conversations event at K-State on Saturday. The deliberative forum centered around a discussion of gun regulations and the prevention of mass shootings by people of all ages, predominantly those of college age or younger. It was organized by both adults and youth in conjunction with 4-H and The K-State Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy. “I think that deliberative forums are a critical part of us exercising our freedom of speech and living in a democratic society,” Mestrovich Seay said. “Ironically, many of us have never even participated in one… [They’re important because] in this situation, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, when we get together and commit to being civil, and compassionate and speak with… kindness to each other… I believe we can move forward.” Gun violence was chosen as a topic by a group of 4-H youth from Dickinson County during a “conversation boot camp” held this summer. They had the opportunity to choose between multiple forums about national
issue, with the final vote being on either gun violence or the opioid crisis. “[I think youth chose the subject of gun violence because] most experiences in school do not allow them to actually talk about it,” Mestrovich Seay
Members of the 4-H community conversations sit at a table discussion during the event. The goal of the event was to begin conversations about subjects that are of importance to the community but aren’t always talked about.
Photo by Kris Long
said. “Adults are so uncomfortable with this subject, and we cannot seem to agree or be civil to each other… we’re sending this message to youth that… we don’t want you to talk about it either” The event started with opening statements, then participants from all over the northeast of Kansas broke into groups based on age to discuss the topic. Adults populated some groups, but teenagers were the largest agegroup present. Even children not yet
Environmental fair postponed Story by Kyla Barnett Features Editor
After weeks of effort to put together an Environmental Fair, Environmental Science Investigations postponed the event from Oct.27 to spring because of the lack of response from businesses that were invited to attend. “We invited a lot of businesses and nonprofits from basically the eastern half of Kansas,” club sponsor Clancey Livingston said. “We conceived and planned this thing in a very short amount of time and I think probably we just didn’t give businesses enough time to respond and… I think many businesses we
in their teens attended. “I’m happy [with the level of diversity], there was… a lot of people from different ages and different places around… Kansas,” junior Jacklyn Hernandez, a group facilitator said.
invited already had things planned, so they couldn’t show up.” The event, which was supposed to take place in Cico Park, had taken a substantial amount of planning by the ESI members. “(It) is going to be just a fair where we have a lot of different groups and small businesses within Kansas come and demonstrate and teach families about the value of nature and what being a steward to the land is,” senior Alex Andreson, chair of the event, said. The fair was planned to be a fun and exciting way for Manhattan to learn a little more about their impact. “We wanted to have
an event where different organizations and different businesses could come and kind of advertise the community, interact with the community about environmental issues and what they were doing to decrease their footprint and all of these kinds of things,” Livingston said. Though they don’t have an official date yet, ESI is very excited for the new fair date next spring. “There was a lot of excitement and … if we can get it pulled together in the spring, it’s gonna be a really neat thing, a really cool thing to the community,” Livingston said. See more on MHSMentor.com
“We didn’t want it to just be… [people from] one place. We wanted it to be more diverse.” Each group had a facilitator -- either adult or youth -- who helped mediate the conversation and make sure discussions remained open-minded and respectful. “Human beings need rules and framework to [discuss controversial topics],” Mestrovich Seay said. “Otherwise, it’s just mass chaos.” The discussion was broken into
three broad approaches to stop gun violence: making the logistics of performing mass killings more difficult, equipping people to defend themselves and rooting out violence and hate in society. Within each broader category participants voted to discuss two specific possible solutions to the problem. “[I came because] I feel really passionately about gun control, gun violence and mass shootings,” sophomore Paulo Tolentino said. “I understand people… wanting to be able to own guns…. But at the same time I don’t feel like there’s any like need… for certain normal civilians to be able to have… military use weapons.” After the discussion was finished, each group was challenged to find something they all agreed upon in each category and present it to the whole group in a “town hall” seating. Groups also formulated a “call to action” as the last activity of the forum, in which they laid out they could and those in authority could do to fix the problem. “A criticism of deliberate of forums is, it’s just all talk,” Mestrovich Seay said. “We want to see thoughts become behaviors.” The event’s goal was to a the very least open up a healthy conversation among youth about gun violence, though this was the first event of its kind run by the local 4-H group, they hope to hold others into the future.
Oct. 29, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
ENTERTAINMENT
‘She Kills Monsters’ pleases crowd
Volume 107 Issue 6
Page 5
Story by Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor and Katya Tarabrina Blue-M Organizations Editor
A
fter weeks of auditioning, preparing and practicing for the fall play from students involved in the fall play, “She Kills Monsters” has officially come to an end after last week’s threeday run off the show on Oct. 17, 19 and 20. “She Kills Monsters” follows the story of a 24 year old named Agnes Evans (played by senior Ivy Auletti) who loses her family in a car crash on the night of her college graduation. In order to understand her younger sister better, she finds her Dungeons and Dragons module that she had written prior to passing away. Based on this module, Agnes learns grows empathy for her younger sister through this experience, such as discovering her to be a closeted lesbian. “The major themes of the play have to do with grieving and how to continue life after a family,” Senior Rose Carter said. “A family member dies and it’s about how to keep memories and keep them alive but still also move one.” The play was directed by drama teacher and Thespians sponsor Ginny Pape. The play is a recreation of the book, debuted in 2011 with the same title. Some other roles that made frequent appearances in “She Kills Monsters” included the roles of Tilly Evans (played by Carter), Miles (played by senior Nathan PIckands) and Stephen (Max Barbe). Unlike some of the other plays that these students participated in the past, this play proved to be more complex due to the numerous amount of fight
Seniors Maddy Wolfe, Ivy Auletti and Rose Carter, sophomore Justice Britton and senior Brandon Luck perform on stage for the fall play, “She Kills Monsters” after a combat sccene.
Photo by Joshua Flickinger
choreography. In order to enhance the students performance with fight choreography, Pape recruited a licensed stage fighter to give the students more authenticity in their performance. “[The stage fighting coach] came down to help us with the show by supplying us with real weapons that have been dulled down to be stage fighting weapons,” Pickands said. “They’re real metal and steel and crafted like a normal weapon would be except they’re all blunt to the point that you can’t cut anything with them.” Although the fight choreography included a lot of practicing, some of the students found that all of the preparation proved beneficial when it came to actually performing it. “I think all the fight choreography went well,” Auletti said. “I just wanted to have fun and learn more about stage combat.” “She Kills Monsters” managed to please the
‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare’ breaks all prior expectations
Story by Gavin Gaston Indian Insider Videographer
Every fall season, Activision releases their latest release in the “Call Of Duty” series. Despite the new game being named after the original trilogy, this year’s new title is “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.” It is a soft reboot of the series, taking place in a new universe but with the same characters and a similar setting. I had the chance to play it the day of release, and it definitely blew me away. I had heard of its initial release trailer back in May and thought, “Oh another Call Of Duty. I might rent it for the weekend and that’s about it.” But after more and more of the trailers came out, it started to pull me in with its extremely impressive graphics and a very compelling and relevant story. Typically every COD has the Campaign, Multiplayer and some form of Co-Op, whether that be a Zombie Survival mode, or extra missions related to the story you can play with friends. When I started the game, I decided to try out the Multiplayer first. The gameplay felt very engaging and pretty realistic. Everything, from the reflections on the ground to the smoke leaving the barrel of the gun, really made me feel like I was a part of the game. After playing around an hour of Multiplayer, I decided to switch to the story. This was the moment when I fell in love with the game. The first cutscene is very raw and unforgiving. It starts off with a video of a terrorist propaganda video, as the camera
moves around a van full of men with guns. The camera finally lands on a man with an explosive vest, as he and the other men get out of the van, which is parked in the middle of Piccadilly Circus in London. The men all go their separate ways, as the camera keeps the man with the vest centered as he raises his arm, with a detonator in his hand. But as you look around the scene, you see civilians all noticing the men and started to panic, and as the man with the vest hits the detonator, the screen cuts to black with the words, “Modern Warfare,” in white. This initial scene blew me away. I was shocked seeing all the terrorists commit an attack on a crowded civilian environment. A later mission shows the same attack in further detail as you play the role of an SAS soldier who is a first-responder to the scene. It is also during this mission, where we get re-introduced to Captain Price (played by Barry Sloane), a main character from the original trilogy. That scene alone is enough to cause controversy, not to mention the later scenes and scenarios you see and play through, which depict more senseless attacks and war crimes. From this point in the game you play as Sergeant Kyle Garrick, a member of the SAS, and a CIA agent named Alex, as you help take down the fictional Middle-Eastern terrorist group Al-Qatala. What makes this game so fantastic is the attention to detail and realism. The game runs on a completely new engine, allowPhoto from Activision.com ing for the most realistic depiction of characters I’ve ever seen. But the realism doesn’t just come from the gameplay, it comes from the things that happen in the story and how often these things happen in real life. Modern Warfare doesn’t hold anything back. You see children in the background of the terrorist attacks. You will see characters make hard decisions that may affect the outcome of innocent people. The game is a representation of real-life issues, and that’s what makes it great. It’s trying to show people what really goes on in the world. I feel like Captain Price said best, “We get dirty, so the world stays clean.”
crowd by not only giving out an exceptional performance, but by providing relatability through grieving and figuring out your true identity. “[The audience] were really happy,” Carter said. “We got a handshake from the principal and that was shocking. I think everyone liked it because you could relate to it.” The theatre department hopes to perform more plays in the future that live up to the expectations that this one did. It is highly encouraged by the drama department to support their hard work by stopping by to watch one of the plays this school year. “More people should come support the Manhattan High theatre program,” Auletti said. “Putting on a show is hard and underappreciated. We appreciate everyone who does support us and encourage new people.”
ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Photo by Joshua Flickinger
Ivy Auletti
Senior; Theatre • Started acting at the age of five Q: Do you plan on going to college for theatre? A: I am going to K-State to double major in Theatre, and Theatre and Speech Education. Q: What motivates you to continue acting? A: I guess I continue acting because it’s a step away from reality for a little while. You get to interact with people who you’ve never met and feel emotions that you may have never experienced. It’s a whole new world of feelings. Plus, it’s just fun. It’s kind of like a game of interactions and it’s addicting to play. Q: Do you consider acting to be your passion? A: I would definitely consider acting my passion. I’m planning on spending the rest of my life performing and helping others do the same. I just don’t find happiness in any other career choice. I’m willing to take on the risk of becoming an actor because I love it. Q: What are you going to take away from performing throughout high school? A: Ginny Pape has been apart of my life since I was little. If she has taught me anything, it’s that every part in a show is important and to always say yes to new creative ideas and experiences. Everything I learned from her is going to benefit me later in life. Mrs. Pape is the best drama teacher ever.
Chamber Orchestra commences performance season
Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief
The Manhattan High Chamber Orchestra experienced new feelings of adulthood when they performed with the Kansas State University Symphony Orchestra for their Beethoven & the Blues concert at McCain Auditorium on Oct. 20. The performance was the group’s first official concert of the season,
commencing K-State’s second concert of their 138th season under the theme “Perspectives.” According to director Nate McClendon, the piece the group played was rather difficult and in order to better prepare for the performance, they mimicked the college schedule of not rehearsing every day. “The concert went incredibly well,” McClendon said. “Joining the KSU
orchestra was also very rewarding.” The group also spent only one class time reading through their music for “Beethoven’s Symphony No.2,” a piece in four movements with greater scope and energy. Their practice time was limited to four rehearsals total, which was the same amount for K-State’s group. “As a teacher, I enjoyed the opportunity to give these students a college
experience,” McClendon said. “ According to senior Liz Efken, the nerves played a minor part in adjusting to the environment because the group knew how to work together in spite of not knowing everyone. “Meeting new people and being in a different atmosphere gave us the experience of working as a team even when you hardly know them,” Efken said. See more on MHSMentor.com
Oct. 29, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
TRENDING
Volume 107 Issue 6
Page 6
Happy Halloween
Pumpkin carving tips and tricks
How to make the most of your Halloween pumpkins Story by Hannah Heger Trending Editor
T
he glowing pumpkin faces on front porches and window sills have become staples of the Halloween season. But do you ever wonder where those shining faces come from? The first step comes with knowing where to find your perfect pumpkin. With all the local farms, it is difficult to determine the best pumpkin but having an understanding of what the different types of pumpkins and how to best use them will put you ahead of the other carvers. “There’s a huge variety of pumpkins... some are better for carving than others,” Angela Britt, co-owner of Britt’s Garden Acres said. “Some are more designed for decoration, like the ones that have a hard shell and are all bumpy or the ones that were more designed for food, like some of our ‘Cinderellas’ or ‘Turks turban.’ Either way, they can all be used for decoration.” With all the types of pumpkins, the uses could vary greatly, you have pumpkins such as the ‘Sugar Pie’ pumpkin that has a sweeter taste and is most commonly known for being baked into cakes and pies. Then you have the Atlantic Giant pumpkin which is joked to be the mother of all pumpkins because of its massive size. But looking past the multitude of pumpkins while all pumpkins can be used for carvings, there are some types that make for better carvings. “Jack o’ lantern [variety], make the best carvings because of the depth of the flesh. So when you cut into a pumpkin, you want it to be the skin to
be thin enough that you can cut into it and create a face,” Britt said. “Some of the other varieties are a lot thicker and so you’re going to have a really hard time trying to carve those.” After making a selection of what pumpkin that will bring your carving to life, planning the carving comes next. Planning out and outlining how the pumpkin carving will look can affect the pumpkin choice. “You’ll have to think about what you want to carve on that face,” Britt said. “Do you want a really tall skinny one and sometimes folks will lay that on their side to kind of have like that become the witch’s nose or something with this, or a flat squaddie one, or just the giant, the biggest pumpkin you can find and you could make two or three carvings on that if you wanted to, you know, so it really depends on what you’re looking for, when you go to choose them.” But with all the important choices out of the way is when the fun will begin. Being creative is the best thing that comes with pumpkin carving, it Graphics by Hannah Heger doesn’t matter what type of pumpkin you choose or how it’s shaped, all that matters is your imagination and how willing you are to get messy. “You want to prep your area a little bit because pumpkin carving can be a little messy,” Britt said. “Roll up your sleeves, because you’re going to get to dig into the guts a little bit to get those seeds out, but enjoy coming up and being creative with it, and then roasting those seeds as well, it’s lots of fun.”
The worst Halloween candy
Based on a poll of 100 MHS students conducted over The Mentor’s Instagram
Candy Corn
Black Licorice
Dots
Inktober inspires artists Story by Kyla Barnett Features editor
Halloween brings spooky times, trick or treating, scary movies and a fun challenge for artists. During the month of October artists from all around the country participate in a prompt challenge called “Inktober.” “The whole concept of Inktober is that you draw something for every day of the month and every day you get a one-word prompt,” senior Ella Rosenkranz said. Artists have many different prompt lists to choose from and an official list can be found on most social media platforms or on their website. Inktober was created by artist Jake Parker to develop positive drawing habits and improve skills. “As an artist, you know, you kind of want to improve your art,” Rosenkranz said. Rosenkranz is participating in Inktober for the second year and says that this year she is
just doing the prompts that give her inspiration. Junior Danny Galitzer, who has participated in Inktober for the past four years, has also decided to just do prompts that spark inspiration. “I like to challenge myself with my art and being given a certain prompt often makes me feel more motivated to do something that I wouldn’t normally do,” Galitzer said. “Sometimes it’s harder, because you have to think more outside the box and use it in a way that you wouldn’t normally expect to or in the other direction, you may have to like follow it just directly, which is not something that I usually do.” With Inktober almost over, many artists are happy and feel very accomplished with what they have done and many artists have had their work featured on the official Inktober account. Artists can’t wait to do it again next year.
Halloween Horrors
Story by Rachel Edie Buisness Manager
As the Halloween season reaches its peak, people of all ages have started to turn towards haunted attractions in preparation for the big day. Everyone waits in line for a chance to get in on the fun and, well, be scared. Students at Manhattan High are no exception for the ghoulish festivities. Some peers turn to a more realistic approach to “get their scare on” than simply watching a horror movie in the comfort of their homes. One of the ways they do this is by visiting popular haunted mazes or haunted houses near them. The most popular of those attractions is Zombie Toxin. This haunted house is located in Junction City and has been running consistently for several years now. “I think having a very good scary atmosphere and actors that know what they’re doing keeps you on your toes,” sophomore Haley Hastings said. The overall theme for the haunted house has also remained fairly consistent since the attraction opened. It centers around a fictional “Dr. Von Monschture” and his fixation on discovering immortality, which is where the business gets the “Zombie”in Zombie Toxin. The entire building is divided into multiple multiple theme-rooms -- such as clowns, spiders and fog. When visitors first arrive at the house, they are met with a building decorated with statuelike fixtures on top of the gates and a television screen depicting cartoonish versions of the legends of the doctor. There are two options for tickets; the “regular pass,” which costs $18 and gets you in a wait line or the “speed pass,” which costs $25 and gets you in to a separate line with minimal wait time. The lines can get pretty long, with some customers waiting up to
three hours. As a remedy of this and to prepare guests for the spooky surprises, actors will walk around the lines in hopes to scare people. “I liked the actual haunted house. The suspense leading up to it was awful but the house was great,” Linley Wilson, freshman, said. Some of the actors spotted include Fizz the mad scientist, a pregnant nun, a doll, a tall robed monster and many others depending on the time. The actors are more than happy to take pictures with the guests as long as they ask and often try to pose for the picture. The house itself takes around 20-30 minutes to go all the way through and they let you in in groups of around six people. First after being left in, you go into a room and are shown a video similar to the one presented outside, that shows a bit of a background of the house. Throughout the house there are “chicken exits” for people who are too overwhelmed to continue the whole house. Despite the whole nature of the experience, it’s actually quite safe. Upon arrival, you can immediately spot multiple security guards surveying the area and myriads of families. The policies also play a big role in making it a safe place. The actors, for one are not allowed to purposely touch a guest for any reason, inside or outside the house, and security cameras are in use at all times to prevent anything major from happening. Due to the increasing popularity, Zombie Toxin has added two new attractions to its original haunted house: two escape rooms, Dr. Von Monschture’s five-minute Head Shed, which costs $5 and Jack the Ripper which costs around $15 to get into and include scares and clues. There are multiple other haunted houses in the area but none of them are more popular or more classic than Zombie Toxin.