Nov. 5, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com MHSMentor.com
THE MENTOR
Volume 107 Issue 7
TRUTH & EDUCATION
This week online: ‘ESI becomes Manhattan Environmental club’
Graphic Courtesy of MEC
Story by Kyla Barnett Features Editor
“For one Manhattan High club, the name has changed but the mission remains the same...”
Immunization requirements to take effect Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief
Manhattan High students are now under a deadline by USD 383 to comply with new immunization requirements. The deadline, which is Dec. 2, requires all students to become current on required vaccinations as well as implementing a new requirement by the Health Department for the meningococcal meningitis immunization for all students who are 16 years of age or older. This comes after a proposed immunization exclusion passed by the Board of Education on Oct. 16, which dictates that all non-compliant students may be “excluded” from school and school-related events until they can show proof of compliance. “The goal is to get the students in compliance so that they can stay in school,” Robyn Mall, school nurse, said. “We work very closely with the Health Department to follow the guidelines they recommend.” The requirement was released in the summer, so both Mall and school administrators have been working since then to ensure that all students and parents are aware of the necessary steps they need to take to make sure all kids stay in school. According to Mall, 265 students at MHS aren’t compliant with the meningitis vaccine, which is part of a larger group of 318 students who are non-compliant with other immunizations. While non-compliant students may be unable to enter the school building, administrators want parents to know students who are excluded can still work with their teachers to continue school work at home, either through Canvas or direct communication by email or phone. “There is a certain number of kids who can and should be immunized,” principal Michael Dorst said, “but exclusion does not mean they will be unable to participate in the education process, which is the main goal for MHS.” Read the full story on MHSMentor.com
East Campus stands devoid of students at 901 Poyntz Avenue Monday afternoon. Just a couple days ago, the school suffered a shooting threat, which turned out to have been nothing more than a Halloween hoax from an unknown student.
Photo by Brianna Carmack
Halloween Scare
Shooting threat leads to heightened security, arrest of student unrelated Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor and Brianna Carmack Entertainment Editor
More than the usual Halloween festivities was on the minds of Manhattan High students last Wednesday. At 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, Kansas Highway Patrol’s School Safety Hotline received an anonymous call from a concerned parent. The caller was told by their daughter that a school shooting was planned at MHS East Campus the next day and that students were supposed to wear red to avoid being shot. Officials are not sure
“We didn’t really know what we had. It was hard to tell if it was credible or not credible at that point...” -- Michele Jones why the call was placed anonymously. Despite the relatively small amount of information, the school and Riley County Police Department took action immediately. “Just those two little things about wear the color red and some sort of rumor … about a shooting … that’s the only information that we had to begin making plans,” Michele Jones, director of communications and school safety, said. “We didn’t really know what we had. It was hard to tell if it was credible or not credible at that point.” The Highway Patrol contacted RCPD and school superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade. From there the RCPD contacted Jones. The school and police department started making plans at once, with Michael Dorst sending out a statement on the school’s social media in the first hours of Wednesday morning. “[My initial reaction] was [to be] worried,” School Resource Officer Sonya Gregoire said. “[I] hop[ed] that it was not true, but
wanted to take every avenue at the police department to make sure that everybody was safe.” RCPD officers secured East Campus late Tuesday night and the police department increased their presence at both campuses throughout the school day Wednesday. Teachers and administrators were on high alert and administrators brought their offices into the hallways in order to more closely monitor the situation. While the threat was directed at East Campus, West Campus also increased security through police presence. “People were concerned that [the call] was a ploy to get police to go to East, and that the threat was actually the West,” Gregoire said. “That’s why, myself and another officer came to West to make sure that it was … safe.” On Wednesday 516 students were absent from MHS West and 182 were gone from East Campus -- close to 700 students total. “That’s an individual parent decision,” Jones said. “I think everybody had to make the best decision that they could with the information that they had.” In an unrelated event, sophomore Connor Bruce was arrested by RCPD on Wednesday as a result of posting threats with a weapon on social media. It is confirmed that there is no connection between his arrest and the threats made on Wednesday. A joint investigation into the threats by the RCPD and USD 383 has determined that there was no danger posed to Manhattan High students. However, Jones and the RCPD urge that students continue to speak up when they hear a threat -- even if it’s a false alarm. “You’re not being a snitch by telling, you’re protecting your community,” Gregoire said. “If you hear something, say something. Even if you want to put a note underneath my door. If you want to remain anonymous just tell me you want to remain anonymous and I will not tell people who you are.” It is also important students take the topic of school shootings with as serious as it is. “I think students need to realize that we take these threats seriously, no matter if they’re anonymously called in to the safety hotline, if you tell your parents, if you make a joke of it,” Jones said. “It’s not something to joke about. It’s not a joke to say I’m going to be a school shooter … those things are taken seriously by us and by the police department.”
SADD hosts annual Red Ribbon Week activities Story by Meredith Comas Print Editor-in-Chief and Lauryn Maxwell Staff Writer
Students Against Destructive Decisions took up the fight to combat the day-to-day routine of fall last week by hosting student activities for Red Ribbon Week, an annual event observed in the last week of October to advocate for a drug-free America. “[It] just kind of encapsulates all of it like ‘don’t do drugs; don’t drive distractedly; wear your seatbelt...not drinking alcohol,’ things like that,” SADD officer Nichol Savage, junior, said. SADD made sure to include both West and East Campuses in the activities, starting the week with a raffle to win gift cards to various restaurants around Manhattan. One of the most recognized and notable activities SADD does for RRW every year is the pledge signing, where the club encourages students to sign a large banner -- which will be displayed all year -- that asks them to commit to being drug free. According to SADD officer Desiree Cain, junior, the club followed up the pledge with a fun play-on-words
seatbelt check. SADD aimed to encourage students to drive safely and wear seatbelts by checking whether students wore when entering the parking lot, and handing out Smarties to students who practiced safe driving. Those who went unbuckled, however, received a Dum-Dum -- a clever play on words just in time for the Halloween holiday. “We’re trying to say ‘hey look at all these people who are choosing not to make these destructive decisions,’” Savage said. “You’re not the minority, you’re not alone if you choose not to make decisions, even if you feel like everyone else is.”
Top Left: Signatures of MHS students fill SADD’s Red Ribbon Week banner that asks students to pledge themselves to a drug free life. The banner is filled out each year by a new group of students and displayed in the school throughout the year until the next RRW. While the pledge is one of their more recognized events, SADD hosted a multitude of student activities throughout the eventful week.
Photo by Sammara Jacobs
Left: Junior Taylor Claussen flags down cars as they pull into the parking lot for the SADD seatbelt check. Clauseen was one of many club officers who participated in the seatbelt check for RRW.
Photo by Anika Nyp
OPINIONS
Nov. 5, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
Volume 107 Issue 7
Page 2
School justified in excluding students Taking drastic action necessary to enforce vaccine requirement 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
Dec. 2. That’s the deadline for all Manhattan High students to get up to date on their vaccinations or face what the USD 383 school district is dubbing “exclusion” from all school activities, including physically attending classes. Over the summer, the school board approved measures to ensure that all USD 383 students are properly immunized before they can interact with and potentially harm other students. Currently, 318 students could be “excluded” from MHS if they don’t show proof of compliance by the deadline. Specifically, 265 of these students specifically are non-compliant for the meningitis for new state-level guidelines required students over the age of 16 to have the meningitis vaccine. The mandate states that all students entering seventh grade and 11th grade need to have updated meningitis vaccines. There will be exceptions for students for religious and medical reasons. It is the opinion of The Mentor Editorial Board that, while these measures are harsh, they are necessary to keep MHS students safe. However, the school could further publicize the change in the requirements in order to make sure students are aware. It is the first responsibility of the school to educate students in a safe environment. An environment where students are not immunized to a deadly disease that is entirely preventable is not up to that standard. It’s not fair to students who can’t get vaccinated for health reasons to be put at risk by students who simply don’t have the vaccine because
Editorial POLL: The school will exclude all students who are no up to date with their vaccinations from attending school and any school related events starting on Dec. 2 in an attempt to enforce state policy. Is the school justified in taking such drastic measures?
*Responses gathered from MHS students on the MHSmentor’s Instagram. 79 students voted in the poll. Graphic by Kris
Long, social media by Cole Schmitt
they couldn’t be bothered to go out and get it. In the same way the school doesn’t allow weapons into the building, they shouldn’t allow this pointless danger onto school campus or into school sponsored events. While the school’s measures may seem drastic to
some, it is evident by the fact that 318 students are not up to date with their vaccinations that something dramatic needs to be done to call attention to the issue. If the district continues to send letters to students and families, they’re unlikely to gain ground on this urgent problem. Taking students out of classes will make it impossible for them to continue to ignore the guidelines, guaranteeing students who don’t object based upon religion or health related issues comply. The school is not denying education to those who aren’t vaccinated. Students will be able to keep up with teachers via email or Canvas. However, this is a much more difficult task than just going to school. This will hopefully provide an extremely strong incentive to get vaccinated. For those who do not intend to comply, online school through MVA is always an option. Every effort has been made by the school’s administration to make non-compliant students and families and every opportunity given to students to get it. One thing the school could do to justify such action is to better publicize it. Simple things like putting the deadline in morning announcements would make it significantly harder to miss. The administration should also speak to non-compliant students face-to-face in order to make sure students understand the situation, because if students’ parents aren’t complying, students need to be given the chance to advocate for themselves. Enforcing state policy will make MHS a safer place, if inconvenient for some. Students -- with the help of school administrators -- have had every opportunity to be vaccinated, for their own safety and that of others.
American college tuition too high Esports beneficial to high school gamers
Story by Mbofho Ndou Indian Insider Producer
College tuition is at one of the highest rates America has seen. The average American family, according to College Data, spends about $102,480 or more depending on the major of their student in college tuition fees. After college, if the student is able to obtain a job, the individual will most likely have student loans leading to debt. College education in the United States is directly linked to homelessness rates increasing alongside the increases in wage gaps. Public education in the United States has systematically not supplied individuals with equal secondary education opportunities due to socioeconomic status. Economic status in America is one of the factors that separates opportunity. The Business Insider argues, “the median household income grew by only 14% since 1987, the price of a college education sky-rocked by 103% in the same time period.” College in the United States has escalated at an alarming rate. The average national household income is $59,039 a year making college unaffordable for the average American family. This has led to the debt crisis America is currently facing. Due to student loans, Time claims, today more than 44 million Americans have outstanding student loan debt, which has become one
of the biggest consumer debt categories. All told, student debt in the U.S. now totals more than $1.5 trillion. Homelessness rates continue to rise as education is unaffordable; a survey conducted by USA Today claims that nearly 86,000 students found that homelessness affected 18% of respondents attending two-year colleges and 14% of those attending four-year institutions. The number who said they had experienced housing insecurity, was much higher, at 60%, among those attending two-year schools, and at 48% for those enrolled in four-year institutions. College students are sleeping in libraries, on couches and in the unknown because some are unable to afford a place to sleep. Many students are unable to continue their education because of the unaffordable tuition rates. Education is critical and creates opportunities; as Nelson Mandela states “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Higher education is momentous for the personal, social and economic development of the nation. As a society, if we continue to allow inequity within our schooling systems we allow individuals with lower funds to suffer, which is inhumane. Students should have access to education no matter the funds their parents have. If we don’t change these circumstances we will continue to increase the wage gap between the rich and poor. As a nation, America must advocate for equal opportunity for everyone. All students deserve life, liberty, and justice at the no matter how much wealth individuals possess. Attending university should not be a privilege, but a given.
“Attending university should not be a privilege, but a given.”
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
Story by Gabe Jernigan Indian Insider Tech Manager
Since 2002, competitive gaming -- also known as esports -- has gained an extraordinary amount of popularity with the release of Xbox Live. To be more specific, esports are more popular and beneficial to high school students because they give everyone, regardless of physical athleticism, a chance to compete. Wide varieties of people can play any video game since there are no physical requirements to play, whereas sports like football require fast, strong and versatile athletes. In terms of diversity, there are far more games to play than there are physical sports and I see that as a big advantage. While some of those
games may not be as popular as Fortnite per say, people can still play in smaller competitions. If a high school gamer wanted to continue their competitive gaming after high school, then there are a growing number of colleges who offer scholarships to represent their university in the esports world. Leading the charge is the University of Utah, who is one of the larger schools offering scholarships. Stephens College is home to over 31 scholarship-sponsored esports programs. Gamers can even get paid to play in college, as Robert Morris University students can earn profits up to $19,000 a year in scholarships. Esports aren’t just limited to college and post-high school. Some current high school students are currently with an official organization competing in said games. One such gamer is Justin Morales, aka Jstn, who joined NRG at the age of 14. He was the youngest to partake in the Rocket League Championship Series Grand Finals. Another noted high school player who also cashed in a
whopping $3 million is Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, who won the Fortnite World Cup. These guys are winning big in esports at our age, as this allows people to turn their passion into a career, which is not only enjoyable to everyone, but a fun hobby as well. Streaming services like Mixr, Twitch and YouTube Gaming have burst into this scene as well, giving gamers the ability to livestream their gameplay. Some gamers stream just for fun, while other gamers show off their skills in games such as “Counter Strike: Global Offensive,” “Call of Duty,” “Dota 2,” “Rocket League,” the list goes on. Gaming can be really beneficial to high school gamers as esports presents many opportunities to earn scholarships for college and also be noticed and signed by an official organization, like NRG. Gaming also does not require you to be super athletic, thus when somebody says, “Anybody can be a gamer.”
Halloween costumes often insensitive
Story by Anika Nyp Blue M Editor-in-Chief
Another Halloween has come and gone, and we still haven’t learned that dressing up as a global tragedy, over sexualized culture or a mentally ill person is wrong. People dressing up as the 9/11 towers, holocaust survivors or soldiers is a total offence to the people who actually went through those tragedies.
Cole Schmitt -- Social Media Manager Rachel Edie -- Business Manager Staff Writers and Photographers -- Andrew Adams, Paris Burgess, Andrew Davis, Jeremy Emberton, Sammara Jacobs-Brown, Maxwell, Gage Mingo, Madison Ritz, Katya Tarabrina Video Production -- Mbofho Ndou, Gabe Jernigan, Declan Weixelman, Gavin Gaston, Kevin Breedan, Giuseppe Maioranna,
People who over sexualize cultures like Native Americans, Hawaiian culture and Asian cultural dresses. This disrespects many customs and ceremonies that are presented in a sexual way when they are not meant for anything of the sort and should be respected. To paraphrase Cady Heron from “Mean Girls,” girls are allowed to dress however they want on Halloween and no one can say anything about it. That means most adult costumes marketed toward women are way too short and over sexualizing, and in the case of cultural costumes like Native American dress, they are degrading to their culture. People don’t think about the actual Hawaiian traditions when they wear the
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
grass skirts and coconut bras. In all reality, that’s not what they wear and is insensitive to their culture. But it keeps happening even in our own high school. Dressing up like a mentally ill person, a “hick” or any caricature of a group of people is also not a great costume idea. It’s unfair to make a whole costume dedicated to a group of people who have uncontrollable conditions. Instead there are other fun and creative costume ideas that are not offensive. Visit a thrift shop to come up with ideas, or do a fun group costume. Next Halloween if you’re wondering if your costume idea could be offensive, you probably shouldn’t be wearing it.
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.
Nov. 5, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
SPORTS
Volume 107 Issue 7
Page 3
Solid at Rim Rock
Cross country takes fourth at state meet Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief and Anika Nyp Blue M Editor-in-Chief
T
he crisp fall air was packed with the anticipation of competitive grandeur as Manhattan’s Varsity cross country teams prepared to race in their last event of the season -- state. Both teams placed fourth at Rim Rock in Lawrence, a ranking that they are more than pleased with. According to head coach Susan Melgares, just knowing that students ranked at all is a “significant milestone.” “The kids went out and competed hard,” Melgares said. “[I’m] real proud of our kids and they made it a really fun season.” The meet began with the boys race, which was more than eventful for Manhattan. Junior Daniel Harkin placed first, topping last year’s placement of second, making him the top-ranked runner in the state of Kansas. “I was satisfied with my performance,” Harkin said. “I feel like everything went great.” Harkin ran a time of 15:25.24, a whole 33 seconds ahead of the second runner to cross the finish line. His first-place win was Manhattan’s first state title in five years, making his win even more notable. He was followed by Manhattan’s second runner, senior Luke Wichmann, who placed 15th with a time of 16:33.03. Manhattan’s third runner was sophomore Sean Anderson, who placed 35th with a time of 16:46.43. “We had a lot of solid performances,” Melgares said. “[These kids] are not afraid of the competition. They’re not afraid of the course and I think that paid off for them.” The girls team raced in a similar fashion. They were led by senior Ella Rosenkranz, who placed 12th with a time of 19:22.40. She was followed by freshman Amelia Knopp, who ran a time of 19:38.05 and placed 18th, and sophomore Jenna Keeley, who ran a time of 19:41.94 and placed 20th. Rosenkranz also met a new personal record, which was the fastest she’s ever gone at Rim Rock. “I felt really good about it,” Rosenkranz said. “It hasn’t really sunk in for me yet, but I just feel sad that it’s over.” For Rosenkranz, this was the last cross country meet that she would ever run in for MHS. She and the rest of the team’s seniors felt the bittersweet moment of knowing that it was still the end of their high school athletic careers. “It’s always hard,” Melgares said. “It’s kind of sad in the end because it’s such fun.” Despite the difficult goodbyes the team would have to give, they were also marveling in their suc-
cesses. Along with new PRs and improved rankings, the team was especially proud of Harkin, who received the Bob Timmons award, which goes to the meet’s fastest overall runner. “The time that Daniel ran the race he ran was awesome,” Melgares said, “but I’m just as proud of the people who come out and wear a flamingo costume or wear glitter in their hair and all the kids who maybe didn’t place first.” The state meet was beyond is impressive for everyone involved, whether they were coaches, runners or others along the course cheering them on. It proved to be exciting for just about everyone, regardless of what their role was. “Even if you don’t get to race it, you come out and you come with a great attitude and supporting everybody,” Melgares said. “I’m just really proud to be a coach of the whole tribe.”
Photo by Anika Nyp
Ella Rosenkranz
Senior; Cross Country
See next edition for Athletes of the Season
Photo by Anika Nyp
Freshman Amelia Knopp flies by as Manhattan’s second runner. Knopp placed 18th with a time of 19:38.05. The girls team took fourth at the State meet at Rim Rock on Saturday.
ATHLETE of the week • Placed 12th at State with time of 19:22.4
Junior Daniel Harkin sprints ahead of the pack as Manhattan’s first runner. Harkin placed first with a time of 15:25.24, 33 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. The boys team placed fourth at the State meet at Rim Rock. "I was satisfied with my performance,” Harkin said. “I feel like everything went great.”
Photo by Anika Nyp
Q: Who is your cross country role model and why? A: “Clara Mayfield. She was my teammate in cross country since middle school and her dedication and drive when it comes to the sport has always been admirable to me.” Q: How did it feel to gain a new personal record at Rim Rock for your final high school cross country race? A: “It was a satisfying end to what I felt was my best season yet. It wasn’t quite a personal record, but it was still a record for that particular course.”
Q: What do you feel was your greatest achievement in your high school cross country career? Why? A: “I’d say learning how to balance my own personal achievements with being an effective leader of the cross country team and a better teammate overall.” Q: What advice do you wish to leave behind for the underclassmen cross country runners? A: “Enjoy the experience while you still can. It doesn’t feel like it, but your time on the team goes by fast.”
Soccer ends season at regional final Football moves on to Free State Story by Kris Long Opinions Editor
went another way, we’d still be playing right now.” Wichita got onto the board early, The boys Varsity soccer team came just eight minutes in, putting Manhatup short against their last opponent tan behind from the beginning of the of the season in the regional final game. French tied East up directly afon Thursday night. The team lost to ter going down, getting MHS back into Wichita East -- the first seed in the the game. In the 27th minute MHS region and a team that beat Manhatwent down again to Wichita, but this tan High 2-0 earlier in the season -time couldn’t make up the difference 2-1 away on making it Halloween. 2-1 at the After half, which taking the the game win against would end ninth seed at a standHaysville still. Campus at “It rehome Tuesally came day night in down in the the first leg end to two of regionals, mistakes MHS -- who [in the were ranked first half],” eighth Mummert Senior Carter Wiens and Haysville Campus’ goalie watch as the -- were said. “We ball rolls in, putting the first score of the night -- assisted by Wiens, made by junior Michael Ohler -- on the scoreboard. The matched knew it with the first first regionals game went 2-1 in favor of Manhattan on Tuesday. would be a Photo by Julianna Poe seed. close one “We ended up, unfortunately, on a ... We knew we couldn’t make those really bad path through the postseason mistakes. But unfortunately, we just having to play … the one seed team,” made one more than the other team senior Brendan Mummert said. “But I and that’s how it ended.” know that as a team we got a lot better See more at MHSMentor.com [this season] and, if maybe one game
Story by Cole Schmitt Social Media Manager
Although the Friday night football game against the Hutchinson Salthawks (2-7) didn’t go as expected for Manhattan (8-1), the players expressed a win to be all that matters as a result at this time of year, and a score of 48-21 achieved just that. “Everyone did their part,” senior B.J. Young said. “That’s all that matters at this time of the season.” Young had himself a night, as he has done many times this year. He racked up four touchdown runs, three of which came in the first quarter alone. He has been a force to be reckoned with this whole season for opposing teams. Ever since the 2732, the Tribe have been
on point, with seven straight wins and a high confidence team. But the Indians want more, and to get that they are taking it one game at a time. “We play with an edge because next Friday isn’t guaranteed,” Young said. “Film and practice the
of every opportunity we have,” Shields said. “Not taking anything for granted is key and just practicing and playing like it could be our last [game].” After the first-round win at home, the Indians will be back at Bishop this Friday night facing Lawrence Free State (8-1). The Firebirds will be after revenge as last season the Indians came into Lawrence and got the win against them to advance to the semifinals. The Indians will look to defend their home field this time to advance to the quarterfinals. “We just need to keep getting better and keep advancing [in the playoffs],” junior quarterback Dayne Aschenbrenner said. “We need to have fewer penalties and better communication.”
“It’s survival of the fittest.” -- B.J. Young next day [is] not guaranteed, it’s survival of the fittest.” For the seniors, they’re going out and playing for what could be their last game. Senior Sam Shields is using that as motivation and living every moment of it in case it is in fact their last. “We’re just making sure we make the most
Nov. 5, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
FEATURES
Volume 107 Issue 7
Page 4
FFA takes break to bond
Incorporating holidays into class Story by Kyla Barnett Features Editor
FFA poses in hay bales at Britt’s Farm on Saturday during their club bonding time.
Photo courtesy of Jacoby Kerr
Story by Julianna Poe Sports Editor
Crisp autumn air tickles your apple colored nose as the smell of sweet, warm cider and burnt orange pumpkins surrounds you. Welcome to one of the countless Manhattan community’s fall interests: pumpkin patches. In the Saturday afternoon sun, FFA members met up at Britt’s Farm to engage in relaxing -- as well as exciting -- entertainment. “[The goal was] to have an event for the FFA chapter to get together,” senior Jacoby Kerr, FFA member, said. “Not necessarily at a state [or] district event.”
Club members participated in numerous activities, such as the traditional easy and hard corn mazes, the giant slides that make your stomach drop and a petting zoo -- complete with goats, chickens and the occasional donkey. Other fun included the epic potato cannon, enormous jumping pillows -- huge trampoline cushions, similar to an inflatable jump house -and a squeaky teeter-totter. “Spending time with the club [was fun],” junior Tessarae Harris, FFA vice president, said. “[My favorite part was] definitely the jumping pillows.” After each picked out their very own pumpkin, the group traveled back to the school to carve them into jack
o’ lanterns and devour mountains of pizza. The club members were in for a delightful surprise upon their return, as their club sponsor -- who is currently on maternity leave -- was able to attend the event. “[Elissa] Mullinix came for the pumpkin carving at the end,” senior Chanae Parker, FFA president, said. “It was nice to catch up with her.” Through autumn festivities, the chapter bonded and enjoyed a laid back club event, the first after numerous scheduling conflicts. “I think everyone had a great time and we really got to know each other better,” Parker said.
Spanish incorporates Day of the Dead Story by Madison Ritz Blue M Student Life Editor
During her block-schedule classes, she had her students begin watching “Coco,” a movie to teach what Day of the Dead is and to emphasize how important it is to remember your passed loved ones. “I really enjoyed seeing how ac-
Each student would then bring up their note and stick to the board on the table. Spanish teacher Olivia Leon incorThurston admits she does some porated her Spanish classes - Spanish additional Mexican cultures similar to 2 and 4 - into teaching them how imthis at home. portant Day of the Dead is in Mexican “We normally make Hispanic food cultures. like tacos, tamales or flautas,” The Day of the Dead is norThurston said. “We never remally celebrated by Mexicans ally decorate but I like to light and Spanish cultural countries. a candle and write notes to the It’s a two-day holiday on Nov. 1 people I’ve lost.” and 2, to celebrate the dead and Unlike American cultures, celremember loved ones who have ebrating the dead isn’t supposed passed. to be sad and mournful, but Leon began the lesson by instead, Spanish cultures throw asking the students to engage a big festival, have parades and in the holiday and bring items celebrate the lives of the dead like flowers, pictures of their lived. passed loved ones or candles Skulls are a big cultural aspect for the altar that she set up in of Day of the Dead. Leon had her front of the room. In traditional students decorate a skull to hang holidays, Spanish cultures would up in the classroom after they Sophomore Kealy Lhuillier and fellow Spanish 2 students set a huge altar of pictures of finished coloring them. passed loved ones, food and/or place items on the Day of the Dead memorial in Senora Unlike last year, Leon Leon’s room. drinks the dead loved or things planned the movie to be first this Photo by Lauryn Maxwell that they loved doing and placyear to have them understand ing them on the altar to remember curate ‘Coco’ is to the actual holiday the movie by watching it first, then who they were, any why their life was and I enjoyed our discussion on Friday incorporating the lessons afterwards. important. about el día de los muertos,” junior Last year, she did the lesson first, then “I personally think it’s really Haliee Lewis said. the movie. important to participate in activities On the first day of Day of the Dead, “I think it’s awesome,” Thurston for other cultures,” junior Sophia Nov. 1, Leon had her classes finish the said. “I’ve traveled a lot and learned Thurston said. “It helps show you how movie. Later, she handed out post-it that being immersed in a culture is different the world can be. The day of notes to stick on the altar. Students very educational. It’s also a great way the dead is also a great way to happily would write a ‘dear to whomever’ to help understand other people and remember people who have passed letter about their past love one they how to better interact with people away.” want to write about and remember. from different cultures.”
Key Club creatively collects donations for UNICEF Story by Julianna Poe Sports Editor
Through holiday themed fundraising techniques, Key Club set out to raise money for the United Nations Children’s Fund. One of their approaches included selling Halloween candy grams -similar to the well-known candy cane grams during Manhattan High’s winter festivities. Club members set up a booth during both lunches on Monday through Wednesday and sold these goodie bags -- filled with sour patch kids and chocolates, among other sweets -- for $2 each. “Our sales from the Halloween grams were a little lower than we would have hoped,” Key Club sponsor Laura Sapp said. “But this is the first year we’ve ever done this so it’s something we might just have to plan better for next year [by] planning a little more ahead.” In the future, Sapp aims to sell these festive grams at the East Campus for further involvement from MHS students. The hope is to gather interest from students to take part in making a change. In addition to less than expected
success, according to sophomore and Key Club member Deeshana Nilaweera, the preparation for the event felt “a little rushed,” with the
into groups with UNICEF donation boxes -- a recurring event the club participates in each fall. According to communications officer Ashi Wickramasundara, sophomore, the teams were reminded to “stay safe” and together went door to door to ask for donations. “My group split into pairs and walked through the neighborhoods surrounding our own houses, so we were familiar with most of the streets,” Wickramasundara said. “[We] went to houses with their porch lights on and politely asked for donations instead of candy. Of course, our commuJunior Chaylen Simar pays members of Key Club for a nity members were so kind to candy gram during second lunch on Oct. 30. The group spent the first three days before Halloween raising money donate and give us some candy by putting together bags of candy for other students and as well in the process.” staff to gift to people. Despite the cold weather Photo by Sophia Comas and occasional struggle to explain to community members colorful signage hastily drawn up and what club members were aiming to advertising not satisfactory. do, trick-or-treating while serving oth“Having signs and everything made ers was notably a fun adventure. on time [would’ve improved prepared“Hanging out with friends and ness],” Nilaweera said. doing service with friends [was] Furthering their fundraising efdefinitely one of [my favorite] parts,” forts, on Halloween night, Key Club Nilaweera said. members dressed up and divided
Susan Melgares, Manhattan High School’s cross country coach and Mind-Body Fitness teacher has been finding many fun ways to incorporate holiday themes into class and practice. Melgares finds holiday related yoga poses and cardio exercises like the Great Pumpkin game, which simulates taking pumpkins from other teams pumpkin patches. “If I’m teaching yoga I will look for a… Halloween yoga theme. Just kind of… an activity that will complement the holiday and go along with what I’m trying to do,” Melgares said. “Whether it’s cardio exercise or strength or cross country, we need to have some fun and take a little bit of pressure off the State meet, so it’s nice to do a Halloween run.” She also holds holiday runs for the cross country team, such as the Halloween run and the Search for the Christmas Crab run. The Halloween run takes place at Warner Park and participants search for the coaches, who are hiding throughout the park. Melgares wants her students to be able to have fun and says she is constantly trying to up her game to look for more ways to make class and practice fun. “I thought most of it was pretty fun, like how she renamed the yoga poses and stuff like that,” sophomore Bella Rowley said. Mind-Body Fitness students have enjoyed having themed workouts and poses. “I liked (the activities), I thought they were interesting and it made me more excited for class,” sophomore Kiira Facey said. Having students enjoy her classes is Melgares’s main goal, as well as helping them feel more motivated to appreciate fitness. “There is a value in enjoyment of activity, whether it’s in class or within the sport of cross country and just making things fun and festive... I think it adds enjoyment,” Melgares said. “Running can be, if you let it, it can be kind of a grind, so adding ways to just enjoy and have some fun flavors along with it I feel is an important thing to do… People are laughing and enjoying themselves… I enjoy that I love, love to see that.”
Question of the week Did you come to school the day of the shooting threat? If so, why? • “I trust myself to not die,” sophomore Emmett Spaw. • “Well even though school shootings happen, we got to get our education. It’s a priority,” junior Jon Grove. • “The threat sounded like other ones I had heard os I thought it was made up,” sophomore Bella Lane.
Senior photos and ads due Dec. 20. Send them to the Blue M staff through mhsbluem@gmail. com or bring photos to C-107.
Nov. 5, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
ENTERTAINMENT
Volume 107 Issue 7
Page 5
Freshman Sophia Evangelidis plays with her fellow orchestra members as part of the group’s first concert of the performing season. She and the rest of the group performed in the Concert Orchestra before the Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras joined them.
Photo by Aspen Tallent
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MHS Orchestra students perform in their first concert of the new orchestra season. The orchestras that participated in this concert consisted of Concert, Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra.
Photo by Aspen Tallent
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Director Nate McClendon stands before the freshmen orchestra as they prepare to begin their piece. Although this isn’t his first concert of the 2019-2020 school year, McClendon spent the majority of the week making sure that each orchestra was prepared for their first group performance.
All Rise: Orchestra ‘rises to occasion’ for combined performance
Photo by Aspen Tallent
Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief
T
he Manhattan High orchestras commenced their performance season with a mindset of achieving new growth and unity, combining all three orchestra groups into one space as they worked together for their very first concert. The Symphonic Orchestra played a piece called “Simple Symphony,” which is notably “not simple” according to director Nate McClendon. “The music that we played last night was completely different music,” McClendon said. “They’ve just been learning so much music and just playing at a really high level.” Along with each group performing together, the concert featured solos from every single group. Between Concert Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, there were multiple soloists: seniors Allen Zhang, Chris Chae and Grace Hart; junior Emily Ward; and sophomore Ava Bahr. “It felt pretty good,” Ward said. “When I first heard it I was like ‘eh’ and then my mom showed me a recording and I felt a lot better.” Ward -- who performed two solos -- and her
fellow Symphonic orchestra musicians had never before seen the music for “Simple Symphony.” However, for the Chamber Orchestra, the music was more than familiar. According to senior Tanya Singh, playing the same piece with experienced performers in the audience made the concert even better. “It was a really hype concert,” Singh said. “Because we got to play the third movement in ‘Simple Symphony,’ which Chamber had played a few years back, it was really fun to play.” This concert comes after Chamber Orchestra performed with Kansas State’s Symphonic Orchestra one week earlier. There, the advanced group established themselves as leaders for the rest of MHS’s musicians. “It was really exciting. A week ago, we played Beethoven’s Second Symphony, which is a huge half-hour piece of work,” McClendon said. “That piece alone for high schools is like a whole year’s worth of work and we did that in one quarter.” Although this was only the first group performance of the year, the group has high hopes for what they’ll achieve next. According to McClendon,
the Concert and Symphonic Orchestras impressed on both their leadership skills and their musical accomplishments. “Perhaps I’m most excited about [how] I think we’ll see the most growth out of that group this year,” McClendon said. “They rose to the occasion last night.” The group hopes to reflect that growth through class time practices and future performances. While they plan on continuing their improvement as musicians, they also hope to continue growing closer as an orchestra as they prepare for their next concert on Dec. 14. “At the beginning of the year, I had a lot of high hopes for this group,” Ward said. “They sounded really good and they made it happen.” According to McClendon, the music they’re playing is more difficult on purpose. He’s confident in their ability to perform well, which is why all of the groups are being pushed to excel at bigger challenges. “We’ve worked really hard this year and we’re a lot better than we were when we started,” Ward said. “I think that there’s only up from here.”
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ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Photo by Katya Tarabrina
Lillian Smith Senior; Realism
Q: What’s your favorite medium to work with? A: I really like working with colored pencils and acrylic. Those are like my top two. Q: What’s your favorite type of art to do? A: I guess realism, realistic art. Q: What would you say inspires your art? A: I’m not entirely sure, more like what I’m feeling that day, kind of like my feelings and emotions. Q: What motivates you to continue doing your art? A: It keeps me calm, it helps me with my anxiety and it’s just fun to do in my past time. Q: What would you like to improve in your art? A: A lot of things. [I’d like to] practice more, expand my range. Q: What’s your favorite part about doing art? A: [With art], the possibilities are endless, you can do literally anything.
Nov. 5, 2019 Visit MHSMentor.com
TRENDING
Volume 107 Issue 7
Page 6
Breakfast at Manhattan
Student guide for breakfast nutrition
Story by Hannah Heger Trending Editor
Waking up in the morning for school can be hard enough. Add in having to get up, make yourself presentable for school and leave the house on time, it’s no surprise that students often is the most “important” meal of the day: breakfast. Breakfast’s claim on the title as the most important meal of the day comes from the fact that it is the first meal someone eats, they are “breaking the fast” from dinner. Since breakfast is the first meal of the day, it has to be able to provide enough nutrients and energy to be able to get an active high school student through a stressful day of classes and after school activities. Even today, out of the 65 students polled about whether they eat breakfast regularly only 42 students responded saying that they eat breakfast. “It could be a scenario where starting that early, without breakfast, without some nutrition about maybe nine or 10 o’clock. Things may be a little bit more difficult to do, some of the school work or pay attention,” said Mark Haub, professor and Department Head of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health at K-State. “Especially for those that do activities after school its critical have in the gas tank practices, whether it’s band, orchestra or sports, because those days can be kind of long.” How students choose to spend their day is up to them, but having the proper energy to stay active and alert is based off of what they choose to start the day with whether it is just an apple or an actual cooked meal, having sources of healthy nutrition is what makes breakfast so important. “So I think a mix of foods by, but foods that have decent energy, carbohydrates and other nutrients,” Haub said. “Some people may agree to disagree but I think carbohydrates are an important aspect of that, as well as protein, I think those are the two are
the two key ingredients.” A decent breakfast consists of many protein options ranging from eggs and bacon to cereal. But not every breakfast option is the most beneficial like having toast, because toast alone doesn’t offer protein like the other possible choices. “I think the unhealthy options are when students might just get carbohydrate or sweet, sweet foods for breakfast and there’s no protein,” Haub said. “I think, probably a lot of students like Pop-Tarts for breakfast or something like a pop tart. But… it’s all sugar and that having just that can lead to some problems later in the morning.” While pre made breakfast bars and snacks can make for a quick and easy option for breakfast, but even with easy options like those it’s still difficult for students to fit breakfast into their schedule. “I think one of the big problems is sometimes people will get ready for the day. They think about breakfast, but they have to leave in five minutes,” Haub said. “And something you’re left with, ‘Okay, I’ve got four minutes to figure out what I’m going to eat and eat it,’ which Graphics by Hannah Heger makes it a problem.” Fitting in time to sit down and eat isn’t as hard as people may think, understanding that to make the most out of your breakfast is to just plan ahead like you’d do with any other meal. “You kind of have to have the mindset of ‘I’m going to make this an important part of my day,’ so that’s the mindset part of it you have to be ready to do it. One aspect is that to get ready before bed,” Haub said. “And so, in addition to brushing teeth and do the things that people would do to get ready for bed is have to check to make sure you either have the items for breakfast or even set those out, so that when the student gets up it’s ready to go. And so, that’s, it’s having the mentality.
Local restaurants dominate Manhattan breakfast market Story by Rachel Edie Business Manager
Breakfast, lunch, or brunch, Early Edition and The Chef Cafe do everything except dinner. Locally-owned restaurants like this have increased their popularity in the Manhattan area. The Chef Cafe is a locally-owned restaurant that focuses on breakfast and lunch Americanstyle dishes. It was opened in September 2008 by Kevin and Kurstin Harris, accompanied by Zach Filbert. The restaurant was created to model the popular 1940s restaurant, The Chef, which was located in downtown Aggieville. When it reopened, people flocked to it and they haven’t really stopped. The minimal hours also help with the crowded business as it’s only open from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends. It also helps that the business is located in downtown has a rich history is Manhattan. “[We] thought that downtown needed a little breakfast place,” co-owner Kurstin Harris said. One of the most popular breakfast places in Manhattan is Early Edition. Since opening, it has expanded to two locations, one in downtown, and one near Bishop Stadium. They have a steady flow of customers, some coming every day, despite their minimal hours. Similar to The Chef Cafe, this restaurant is open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Cooks come in at 5:30a.m. to start out for the morning rush. “On the weekdays it’s impossible for students but weekends are pretty easy to find hours”, sophomore Anthony Rossi said. Rossi has worked at Early Edition as a cook since October 2018. He applied there because of the young hiring age. His job as a cook means he works egg side, middle grill and the frying station. Larger than most, the restaurant employs a large amount of high school students. Since they close before school gets out, during the week they have a lot of college students, as well as regular employees keeping the place running. And since the restaurant is a family owned, it can set its own limits for things, specifically the hiring age. For Early Edition, this means the hiring age is 14, so many students who want or need a job at an early age turn to this restaurant to employ themselves. Starting there, an employee can be a server, busser, cook, hostess, or dishwasher. “In all positions it’s hard work so you have to be prepared to learn and work hard, “ Rossi said. “The customers are great,” junior Olivia Mehl said. “There are a lot of regulars and they’re super sweet and I have many relationships with different people who come in regularly.”
The best pancake in Manhattan Story by Sophia Comas Online Editor-in-Chief
The judging of each restaurant was determined by a taste test and rubric written by myself, print Editor-in-Chief Meredith Comas and Trending Editor Hannah Heger. Denny’s: 4 To begin our pancake journey, went to Denny’s. The waitress was nice, but the overall restaurant experience wasn’t very pleasant. The environment didn’t seem very welcoming and the service was slow. The pancakes themselves looked like a standard plate of pancakes. The “waiter’s choice” was an off-the-menu item, which included a double stack covered in vanilla icing and strawberries. The presentation for these dishes was shocking. The icing looked exactly like white gravy. The gummy texture of the pancakes didn’t pair well with so much moisture and when all was said and done, we were notably unimpressed. The only high marks Denny’s managed to achieve were their price points. At essentially $1 per pancake, Denny’s was the most economical option out of all the restaurants we went to. If you’re not a picky eater and don’t want to fork out the big bucks when the check comes, Denny’s is the restaurant for you. IHOP: 7 IHOP is one of the better known pancake places in town and immediately as I walked in, I noticed the homey, inviting atmosphere. The pancakes I was served were truly and genuinely classic. They were fluffy and flavorful, making it the first restaurant where we ate the entire plate. For the “waiter’s choice,” we were recommended their seasonal pumpkin pancakes, which tasted great too. It was the perfect reminder of what the fall season brings in terms of comfort. Although it wasn’t the cheapest option available, the quality of the food made up for the added expenses. Overall, IHOP still remains to be the classic restaurant it always has been, making above average pancakes for above average people.
Early Edition: 8 The best thing about Early Edition is that it’s local to Manhattan. Between two locations, it serves a wide variety of Manhattanites looking for a solid breakfast spot. We were welcomed to a very homely environment, but because we walked in right as brunch began, we did have to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. However, the pancakes the pancakes made up for the wait. First of all, just one pancake was about as big as three regular sized ones from IHOP. It was also sprinkled with powdered sugar and it looked the most tempting out of all the pancakes. The “waiter’s choice” were their chocolate chip pancakes, which tasted fantastic as well. The regular pancake wasn’t too sweet and having chocolate included didn’t overpower it at all. When it came to paying for them, the price seemed more than reasonable. $3.50 for one pancake may look like a lot, but since it really only takes one pancake to satisfy one’s hunger, I’m not mad at it. For
anyone who loves to support local businesses, Early Edition is the perfect place. The Chef: 5 Like Early Edition, The Chef has the local ties that can only be found within the walls of our town. Although the space is small, it’s familiar and welcoming and puts out every effort to serve you. The only downside to our experience there was the hour-long wait, and even then we were seated at the bar. However, it’s hard to complain about something that was easily preventable on our part. The pancakes we ordered were simple, and although the regular ones didn’t impress much by appearance, they did impress on the flavor. The small hints of cinnamon enhance its overall taste of something that can be eaten just fine on its own.
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