140225 Volume 101 Edition 18

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Manhattan High School Volume 101 Issue 18 - Feb. 25, 2014

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BOE approves open lunch for juniors and seniors

EcoTeam prepares for Envirothon Louis Melgarejo Staff Writer

Madeline Marshall Staff writer A quick unanimous vote at the last board meeting ended the worries of current sophomores as lunch was decided to continue to be open for juniors and seniors in the upcoming school year.

“I was planning to talk to the board at one of the upcoming meetings [about closing lunch], so now that I don’t have to that’s great,” sophomore Ethan Levine said.

Principal Greg Hoyt approached the USD 383 Board of Education last Wednesday and recommended that the board disengage their plan to close lunch for juniors next year and seniors the following year.

One of the administration’s main concern with closing lunch for juniors in the upcoming school year was space.

“If we were to recommend that we take another step forward and close lunch for juniors next year, I’m absolutely positive that there would be no way to do that and maintain a two lunch period system,” Hoyt said. “Lunchrooms are kind of like church pews; if you pack them in 100 percent no one’s comfortable.”

Observations of administrators are that lunch lines have moved relatively quickly and that there has plenty of space for students during lunch due to the additional furniture See BOE page 3

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Twin brothers Don and Fred Lamb talk absout their memories of Manhattan High before their induction into the Alumni Hall of Fame. The Lamb brothers were inducted due to their work in the field of astrophysics.

Taylor Jones, photographer

Brothers inducted into Alumni Hall of Fame Liz Logback editor-in-chief With a new coat of paint and complete remodel in the past years, the halls of Manhattan High weren’t recognizable to two former students visiting this past week but are still memorable.

Twins Don and Fred Lamb, both now in their 60s, attribute their successes in part to receiving an education at MHS. And Tuesday night they were inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame for their many achievements since high school graduation.

“I feel so fortunate and lucky to join all these other great

people. It’s hard to imagine joining them, but it’s really cool,” Don said.

The brothers have been internationally recognized for their advances in astronomy, physics and nuclear arms control. Both have been recipients of See Hall of Fame page 5

Manhattan High School’s EcoTeam is an elite squad of students dedicated to learning about the complex diversity of Kansas’ environment in preparation for the Envirothon. This team is the brainchild of Noah Busch, MHS Biology, Zoology and Botany Teacher.

“We meet once a week and we’ve taken a field trip, and we’re going to get some speakers to come in and talk to us about some of the content areas to prepare us for the final homestretch of winning the competition,” Busch said.

With an upcoming tournament in Council Grove the EcoTeamers are working to prepare. That includes taking trips to the Konza Prairie where they learned about Kansas wildlife hands-on, and to the exotic People’s Grocery where they learned about organic sandwiches by eating them, as well as other See EcoTeam page 3

BPA members qualify for Nationals Jared Gebhardt Entertainment Editor Two first place awards were among the 11 National qualifiers when members of the Business Professionals of America group went to Wichita over the weekend to take part in the State competition.

Students tested their abilities at a multitude of events that ranged from the everyday business accounting to more advanced computer programming and video production.

Top competitors claimed the title of State champion in their respective events.

“It’s pretty awesome,

State champions you know, it just made me proud that all the hard work we put into it paid off,” senior Troy Ward said. Ward was part of the Financial Analysis team that took first place this year.

Along with him were seniors Jerry Sextro and Hannah Devane and junior Francie Knackendoffel. The four of

them advance to Nationals later this year in Indianapolis.

Besides the team event, members had the opportunity to take on additional events, be it solo competitive or a less competitive open event.

Sextro, who took on the solo event Advanced Ac-

Students freezin’ for a reason

counting, placed third, moving him on to Nationals.

“There were 11 people that competed and only four got competency and I was one of the people, so I was pretty happy for that,” Sextro said.

Devane pulled first place in her solo event, Banking and Finance.

See BPA page 3

New interest group promotes service learning Danielle Cook Copy Editor

Sophomores Robin Burton and Anna Hegarty and junior Isaac Blankenau lead the way to back to the shore Tuttle Creek Lake. These students along with other Manhattan High students participated in the Polar Plunge Saturday to raise funds for Kansas Special Olympics.

Louis Melgarejo, photographer

To prepare themselves, members were allowed to consult with business teachers or look at and study old tests from previous years.

“To study I pulled out the older tests and went through and highlighted the subjects

Kim Schnee’s classroom was filled with cheerful chatter and laughter Wednesday night as a group of Manhattan High students and special education faculty gathered there to discuss plans to create a club for students who wish to be involved in activities with special needs students.

According to Kim Schnee, the interest group will work with about students from a leadership class at Kansas State University, their goal being to “promote service learning” and to help make the group ready to become an official club at MHS. However, this group is not only open to special-needs students from MHS and leadership students from KState; meetings are open to any students from MHS who “would like to have fun and get involved” with specialneeds students.

“Originally, my purpose in creating the group was to broaden the range of social skills for my special-needs students. I wanted to bridge the gap between middle school and high school for them. The high school doesn’t really have any clubs where they can just go to do fun, enjoyable things,” Schnee said.

Jamie Schnee noted that the exact future on-goings of the group are yet to be fully determined, though the group’s first meeting on Wednesday was helpful, bringing in ideas.

“We haven’t chosen a name for it [the club] yet, but those are the kinds of things we went over the other night,” Jamie said.

Kim Schnee explained that future activities of the group may include things such as art, dance and other creative types social therapies.

See Interest group page 3

Science Olympiad set to become FFA celebrates national FFA Week class for 2014-2015 school year Tracy Lee Graphic Editor Though Manhattan High has had a Science Olympiad team for awhile, it has not been possible to have a class -- Honors Science Investigations -- dedicated to what the team does and the events they study. That is, until this year.

“We got together and talked about how we could keep Science Olympiad alive at Manhattan High and we thought a class might be a good way to get other science teachers interested in doing Science Olympiad,” sponsor and science teacher Richard Nelson said. “I hope that as

a result, the class makes Science Olympiad more likely in years to come. One of these days, Mr. (Pat) Lamb and I will be retiring and the fact that we have a class might help preserve the team.”

After months of brainstorming, thinking up ideas and filling out paperwork, the science teachers of MHS, including Nelson, Lamb, Craig Ackerman and Charles Mamalo, were able to get the class approved by the school board.

“I remember that we were talking about the possibility of a class the moment I signed up so it wasn’t really much of a shock but I’m really happy that it finally went through

because I really wanted to take it,” sophomore Rebekah Hennesy said.

Current members of the team are excited.

Though sophomore Morgan Martin will be moving next year, she still believes that the class is a great idea and would definitely enroll in it if she didn’t move.

“I think it’s really good because honestly, this year, we sort of procrastinate,” Martin said. “It’s hard to have motivation to work on it outside of school so a class is good. Then you can spend time every single day to work on your events instead of like See Science Olympiad page 3

Retta Lazaris Staff Writer

The Future Farmers of America ‘Ignited Leadership, Growth and Success’ this year as they kicked off each day of FFA Week with the biggest bang since 2002.

For one week out of the year, FFA is recognized nationally by club members.

However, at Manhattan High, the FFA members took this week into their own hands to make it an active experience for students all around the school.

Sweet scents and high spirits filled the lunchroom during first and second lunches on Tuesday, as members opened the week up with a bake sale, stocked with

goods like pumpkin brownies and Snickers popcorn.

Wednesday, students were seen aiming medical glove ‘udders’ at a small target. Students also participated in horseshoe toss and horse jeopardy as FFA put on their very own Olympic games. Club president Anna Jackson, senior, was accompanied by seniors Natalie Dick and Amanda Gross to supervise the games.

“I feel like we’ve really stepped it up this year, and that we’ve just done more than previous FFA weeks,” Dick said.

“We looked through the activities that FFA had done back in 2002,” Jackson said.

“I’m proud of FFA, and I think the everyone is really

enjoying themselves.”

Members had an informational booth about FFA set up during lunch on Thursday.

Beginning Friday and through the weekend, FFA sponsor Doug Muller chaperoned 15 FFA members as they helped out at the K-State rodeo. Weber Arena was the site of this event, which hosted about 10,000 people.

Muller, being a rodeo coach at K-State for seven years, expressed how rewarding the experience could be for the students.

“It provides the kids with hand-in-hand practice,” Muller said. “Some will be working at the concession stand, and the rest will be See FFA page 3

Opinions The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com Page 2

Anti-gay marriage bill considered dead; rightly so The editorial is a compilation from a discussion held by the Editorial board.

The line between supporting traditional marriages and condoning discrimination is a wide one. How could the Kansas House of Representatives have missed that last Tuesday during the vote to pass the anti-gay marriage bill?

The overwhelmingly Republican House sent House Bill 2453 to the Kansas Senate by with a 72-49 vote.

However, senate leaders appropriately said last Friday that the bill would not pass their chamber.

The bill was intended to prevent wedding businesses, such as florists, bakers and photographers, from being sued for refusing to participate in same-sex weddings.

exposed to the LGBT and often views them with neutral eyes. More TV shows are casting gay couples and the mass media doesn’t shy away from the topic of homosexuality, either.

It seemed that Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Jeff King agreed and said the panel won’t consider the bill and called it dead. The senate leaders said the bill couldn’t pass their chamber amid criticism that it was discriminatory.

While the bill is declared dead in the Kansas senate, similar religious protection legislation has been introduced in Ohio, Mississippi, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Arizona’s plan passed last Thursday is currently the only one.

Furthermore, it was meant to protect churches from having to provide space or clergy for such ceremonies. The bill built its exemption around “sincerely held religious beliefs of the individual or religious entity regarding sex or gender.” The bill spread into areas much broader than advertised and would encourage discrimination against the LGBT community.

Even the original intention was faulty, though. We believe it is one thing to be against homosexuality and it is another to act on that prejudice and turn it into discrimination -- which is especially ironic if the reason is to protect your own religion from discrimination.

The views of our generation also play a part in our decision. The majority of the younger generation is more

S t i ll de a f, b u t n o t q u i te a s b lin d

New glasses give way to new world perspective Madeline Marshall

Spending the majority of my life half-deaf, I’ve gotten used to the fact that I don’t always hear everything.

However, I always assumed that what I saw in the world around me was an accurate

depiction.

I was wrong.

This past week I got glasses and I was completely awestruck as I slid them on for the first time. I had been living life in a haze.

The green crispness of trees dumbfounded me. Each leaf was a vivid little universe of mottled greens. I could see the individual threads of my jeans; each was a slightly different shade of blue all of which wove together to form an ocean, formerly unknown to me. Every person’s face became more defined. Their eyes became deeper and more brilliant, a window like I had never before seen.

How could I have lived so

long not seeing this? I had spent my entire life, before that point, in a world where all of the edges were blurred.

I had thought the only thing I couldn’t see was the writing on the whiteboard, but in fact, I had been missing out on an entire world.

This sudden sight perturbed me. What else have I not accurately perceived?

How can I be so sure of my beliefs when something as simple as my sight was so wrong?

And so, the realization of how important it is to keep an open mind became my focus. In order to have a full and com-

or that our current situation is the only good one without considering everything else.

Life is an opportunity to explore and accept.

Now sure, we aren’t always going to see things for what they truly are – for example, who knew that my glasses would fog up when I drank coffee – but we can attempt to wait for the fog to clear so we don’t run hastily into an assumption.

We live in a world where judgment runs rampant and assumption is the “go to” option. But, when you pause to consid-

er, when y o u t h i n k about what others are saying before you dismiss them and their ideas, you begin to figure out who exactly you want to become.

And in the process, you learn a lot about who others are striving to become as well.

So, as I put my glasses on each morning and watch the world come into focus, I remind myself to keep an open mind, to think about what is being said, and try to understand more and more of the world around me. And, because of this, I’m glad to say that while I’m still just as deaf, I’m a little less blind.

plete view of the world, both the tangible and intangible, you have to be open to everyone and everything that comes your way. You have to allow yourself to embrace different possibilities, opportunities, people, views, suggestions and interests.

Having one narrow set of beliefs that you see as unquestionable truths is like looking through a peephole – an extremely limited range of sight that distorts what you see.

We can’t assume we know who a person is, that we won’t enjoy this or that,

Attention off field should stress athleticism, not personal life Chris Klug

There was so much attention surrounding Michael Sam as he entered into the NFL combine this past week.

But all that attention had nothing to do with how fast he could run or how high he could jump like all of the other athletes hoping to someday make it in the NFL. Sam’s attention was far different than other athletes, as Sam made a public announcement early this month that he is gay. A lot of people have been supporting Sam through this situation in his life, getting supportive statements from the commissioner of the NFL, the athletic

director of his former school Missouri and even President Obama has tweeted to Sam. But I can’t help but wonder, is all of this encouragement good?

2010 was a year much like this one. A man entered the NFL draft, knowing he would get a lot of off-the-field attention. He was known for being different; for who he was, for better or worse. He played three NFL season before being cut, not because he couldn’t win football games, but because he took a lot of heat from the media and teams viewed him as more of a distraction, as someone who would help their team.

His name? Tim Tebow.

If we as society can take Tim Tebow out of a job in the NFL, after proving he can take a team to the playoffs and win football games, then why should we encourage Michael Sam? What kind of

Question of the Week: What Win ter Ol y m pics s p ort will yo u b e watchin g?

“Shawn White on the half pipe.”

- Jamie Steele, senior

Next edition’s Question of the Week: What

mit answers to mhsmentor. com or tweet us at @mhsmentoronline

“One-Handed Underwater Basket-Weaving!”

- Jace Priddle, sophomore

Kristen Batson

Talking back, excluding other children, acting out, being a distraction -- all common misbehaviors performed by grade school children that can be corrected by talking to the child, explaining the issue, and assigning further disciplinary actions if necessary. None of those things are severe enough for children to be spanked by their teacher.

But what about a more severe misconduct like hitting another child or cursing at an adult -- does that give enough of a reason for a kid to be hit up to 10 times, possibly leav-

ing red marks or bruising?

No. No misbehavior gives anyone the right to bruise a child.

Kansas state representative Gail Finney, a Democrat from Wichita, proposed a bill a week ago that would allow this. If this law were passed teachers and caregivers would be allowed to use that extent of corporal punishment as well with the consent of the parent. But hitting does not make children respect adults or teach them right from wrong. If it’s successful in making the child stop the behavior it’s because they’re scared into it, not because they realize their actions were wrong.

There is a certain age, two to six, which children aren’t capable of being reasoned with and it is sometimes acceptable for the parent to physically discipline the child so there aren’t more severe injuries. For example, if a

Maddie Ross, News Editor Sarah Shi, Opinions/Content Editor Jared Gebhardt, Entertainment Editor Greg Woods, Sports Editor Connor Bliss, Features Editor Kennedy Felice; Danielle Cook, Copy Editors Alan Brown, Multimedia Editor Tracy Le, Graphic Designer Allison Olsen, Photo Editor

CIRCULATION: Kristyn Baker David Clinkinbeard Karl Drown Patrick Falcone Vincent Goss Karl Harmon Jordan Hatley Colten Kirk Josh Kohls Kasey Morris

Mallory Morris Megan Ritthisorn Jeremy Romig Zane Smith Austin Tatum

OTHER:

Gage Benne, Business Manager Kristy Nyp, Adviser

STAFF WRITERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kristen Batson Gage Benne Chris Klug Retta Lazaris Louis Melgarejo Madeline Marshall Madison Newman John Rockey Joseph Sell

“Tobogganing. It’s the first sport I’ve ever watched.”

- Michael Everett, sophomore

Schools don’t deserve right to spank

The Mentor EDITORS:

“Short track, half pipe, slope style, and I’m also looking forward to the bobsled relay.”

- Ben Turnley, sophomore

are yo ur plans for S prin g Break? Sub-

Graphic by Tracy Le

Liz Logback, Editor-in-Chief/Trending

message does that send to future generations? That it’s not cool to be a Christian but it is cool if you are gay? Am I the only one that thinks that is a little backwards?

Sam has gotten far more love than hate since coming out and I can’t say I’m too thrilled about it. Tebow was considered an outsider who should leave his personal beliefs aside, while Sam is now considered to be brave and a hero for “being who he is.”

Am I saying I don’t want Sam in the NFL? No, I think Sam should be given an equal shot, just as everybody should have an equal shot.

But who someone is off the field should not be so stressed on the football player. The media and society ran Tim Tebow out of football. All I am saying is, let’s not run Michael Sam into it.

The Mentor is published each Tuesday that school is in session at Manhattan High School, 2100 Poyntz Ave. Manhattan, Kan. Telephone (785) 587-2114. More than 1,500 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is an open forum that accepts contributions from the public. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.

Cartoon by Halsey Camera

toddler runs on to the street, you can’t explain to them why it’s a bad idea or the danger of it, so in this case, spanking is okay because the child will associate the action of running on to the road with pain and refrain from doing so.

The difference is that it is the parent doing the spanking, not a teacher, and no marks are being left. In this instance, it’s assumed the parent has the best interest of the child in mind. The parents aren’t trying to gain respect or harm their kid, they’re trying to protect them.

There’s a huge difference between this and bruising a child because they disobeyed a teacher or disrespected a student. The law should be left as it is in which parents are able to spank, when necessary, without leaving marks.

Entertainment The Mentor

www.mhsmentor.com Page 3

‘Rumors’ pulls in audiences

Maddie Ross News Editor Centered around a complex plot of rumors, lies and misunderstandings, Manhattan High School’s winter play “Rumors” debuted in Rezac auditorium last week.

The small cast has been working on the famous comedy written by Neil Simon since the beginning of the semester.

“Neil Simon has a very interesting sense of humor,” junior John Dabeck said.

“So taking what he has writ-

ten and then putting it on the stage and presenting it in a way that people will really think it’s funny, that was very very challenging for everyone.”

Though an intregral part, capturing the humor was not the only challenge for the cast.

“The hardest part about this production was trying to keep the energy up throughout the whole performance,” junior Katie Dixon said. “It's so much fun up there, but you have to keep telling yourself to be bigger. Some of that

energy can actually come from the audience laughing as well.”

Challenges aside, the cast and crew together worked hard to create a successful production.

“We all worked really hard and it was great to see it all come together so well,” Dabeck said. “It is so rewarding when the audience laughs during the show and when they clap. When people stop you during school or after the play and tell you that you did a good job, that’s the best part.”

Divas take Mr. MHS stage

Student Council representative Molly Bollman, junior, directs the Mr. MHS participants as they lift senior Daniel Schnieders during a dance number at Monday night’s rehearsal in Rezac Auditorium. Mr. MHS is Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale this week during lunch or at the door. StuCo, American Field Service and Business Professionals of America are co-hosting the annual show to raise money for the clubs.

Joseph Sell, photographer From Interest Group page 1 Anna Hegarty, who attended the kick-off meeting said that along with discussing potential names for the interest group and proposing activities that members could possibly participate in once the club becomes concrete, the attendants, for their first activity, made

brownies together.

“We made some brownies [at the meeting]. That was fun, but they didn’t really turn out,” Hegarty said.

Despite the brownies gone amiss, Schnee said that she did enjoy herself at the first meeting, and hoped the students who attended did too.

“Hopefully we are able to grow as a group. We just have some good things planned,” Schnee said.

The new after-school interest group will meet for the second time on Wednesday, March 5, and plan to participate in a fun art project with art teacher Rachel Fontenot.

Through the many misinterpretations, runnings around the house, accidental injuries and drinks, the cast was able to portray its respective characters in a way that made them feel accomplished.

“A goal I wanted to accomplish was to just be funnier,” Dixon said. “I know it's a comedy, but when you're up there you really want to entertain the audience. That's what it comes down to.”

“My personal goal was to get people to laugh, and I feel I did that well and that really

is why I act,” Dabeck said.

“To get people to feel and understand and love or hate the character I play.”

In the end, the winter play came together in a collected chaos that had the audience laughing throughout. “The most rewarding thing about being a part of this production was getting closer to all the techies and actors,” Dixon said. “We have so much fun backstage and goofing around. In the end, you make even closer friends and just have fun.”

“The motto of the Thes-

pians is ‘Act well your part, there all the honor lies,’" Dabeck said. “As a team I think we accomplished all of our goals by giving a killer goal. I'm so blessed to have been able to work with the people, tech, crew and director I did.”

From Science Olympiad page 1

dents that do this, I think, get a much greater understanding of certain topics.”

The class will be available to all students who would like to take it but those who do take the class are not guaranteed a spot on the team.

Just like this year and the years before, students will have to take a couple tests to compete for the 15 spots on the team.

For now, there are still many things the sponsors have to figure out. They are still in the process of creating the criteria and coming up with assignments, but the excitement of it all is definite.

“I think all in all it’s a very good idea and I’m glad that I am still around, because next year’s the first time, so I’m glad I get to experience the class because some of our seniors don’t get to,” Chang said. “I think it will make things easier for us and also more fun.”

From EcoTeam page 1

meeting once a week.”

Sophomore Rachel Chang agrees.

“I think I’m going to have a lot on my plate next year and since I’m hoping to be on the Science Olympiad team again, it would be like extra time for me to work on it and improve more in my events.

We [the team] can get closer to one another and our coaches because we’re going to see them all the time,” Chang said.

The sponsors believe the addition of the class will not only help get teachers involved, but will also get more students interested in the team.

“The students are really going to love it,” Nelson said.

“I think Science Olympiad is wonderful because it takes a student far beyond the normal high school level of studying material. The stu-

From BOE page 1 bought this past year.

However, closing lunch for juniors would require a third lunch period and, consequently, a split class for one lunch period. Some students would have to go to class, stop and go to lunch, and then continue class afterwards.

“I’ve taught underneath those circumstances and it’s not good,” Hoyt said. “It’s not good for students, it’s not good for teachers. The inter-

ruption of class has a negative effect on everyone.”

Adjusting the schedule to fit a third lunch period would not only affect the west campus, it would also require the east campus schedule to readjusted, due to the students and teachers who travel between the two campuses.

The board was eager to make and pass a motion agreeing with Hoyt’s suggestions, taking only half a minute to make a motion, second it, vote, and move on to the next topic.

Student struggles with independent living Kristen Batson Staff Writer A typical 18th birthday consists of celebrating a newly-found adulthood by buying lottery tickets or going to bars, proudly sporting the ‘X’-stamped hand indicating they’re finally old enough to be there, but not to drink.

Senior Jaime Boswell celebrated her 18th birthday a much different way, however. She started out the morning by moving out of her mother’s house because of conflicts that had been going on between the two for over three years.

“I knew it was going to be hard but I had no idea it’d be this hard. The only way to

know is to just do it. I didn’t dip my toe in the water or try it out, I dove straight in,” Boswell said.

While she is a registered CNA, she’s currently not working so she can finish the semester at Manhattan High and graduate. Boswell lives with her fiance who works to support them.

“The most difficult thing is worrying about how I’m going to feed myself from day to day and bills. It’s the most stressful thing when you're laying in bed at night and you’re like, ‘oh crap, what’s due tomorrow as far as bills and am I going to have enough to pay it,’” Boswell said.

She feels there are a lot of

things students don’t appreciate about their parents and that moving out should be a last resort, not a decision you make because you’re tired of having them on your back all the time.

“I had to leave. It got to the point where it got physical and it wasn't a safe environment. I would’ve stayed if I could, that’s what I want people to know,” Boswell said.

“Stay if you can because you don’t realize what you have.”

Living on your own as a teenager isn’t easy and there are things you leave behind, including the few remaining years of childhood and having someone support you.

“Right now money is really tight. We don’t eat dinner

every night and sometimes we don’t have breakfast in the morning. Like today we’re completely out of food.

People just need to know it’s hard,” Boswell said. “There are good things, like the freedom, but you have to realize the sacrifices you make. You have to not get that video or computer game and instead give it up for something like paying your bills and getting a loaf of bread.”

This past Christmas, Boswell cried from excitement when she was given a vacuum cleaner.

“I hate when I hear kids saying ‘Oh I can't pay for my phone; the world is over.’ I’m like ‘you have no idea what’s even coming,’” Boswell said.

“There are just things you have to grow up and learn.”

She plans on becoming an ultrasound technician after she graduates and marrying her fiance in May 2015.

Though she struggles daily with the decision she made nine months ago, she still feels it was her best choice.

“My relationship with my mother is a lot better now that we’re not in each others faces all the time. We still aren’t as close as I’d like to be but she’s an easy person to aggravate,” Boswell said. ”It’s something I’m still dealing with everyday and it’s hard but I know eventually it will get easier and everything will be okay.”

Cast members Levi Jones, Katie Dixon and John Dabeck, juniors, act out a scene for “Rumors.”

Shaley Fisher, photographer

sources of organic foods and their health benefits.

“Right now EcoMeet is composed of my former biology students, but I do put flyers up in the science classrooms,” Busch said.

EcoTeam, a relatively new group, it was formed last semester and currently has only five members: sophomores Alan Brown, Krista Burton, Rachel Chang, Madeline Marshall and Aidan Rosenow.

The team is expected to know about environmental science and give a presentation on what they’ve learned at the upcoming regionals tournament on April 16.

With the chance to win $350 in Nationals, Eco Team intends to go big or go home this semester. The team in the last regionals tournament finished sixth place out of 32 attendees in the same semester of it being formed.

Students are encouraged to apply so long as they work hard and have an undying love for the environment.

From FFA page 1 working with the calves. And you know, most of the kids don’t have calves or other livestock to work with at home, so it gives them the experience of working with them. They are also gaining community service.”

K-State rewarded the FFA members with $500 to put toward their club account.

From BPA page 1 that I didn’t have a lot of previous knowledge on and went over those,” Devane said. “We were able to make a study guide and bring it and stuff to look over while we were testing so that was a big help too.”

Despite the competitive nature, members had some time to enjoy themselves between events.

“It was a great trip, I thought. We ended on a great note, we had 11 out of the 18 qualify for nationals, which is a great number.

Over half of us qualified and are heading to Indianapolis.

I think overall the turnout was great and Manhattan was very well represented,” Devane said.

Sports The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com Page 4

Boys, girls dominate Junction City Greg Woods Sports Editor Domination.

That describes the Manhattan High School boys basketball win over Junction City Tuesday night.

The Indians trounced the Blue Jays, 94-65.

“Our guys committed themselves to executing,” interim head coach Benjamin George said. “We executed probably as well as you can possibly execute on offense.”

Manhattan jumped out a staggeringly efficient start offensively in the first quarter, scoring 29 points, including three three-pointers from junior Pierson McAtee. MHS led 29-17 after the first eight minutes of play.

“We were hitting shots, we were playing together and [we had] a lot of assists,” McAtee said.

While the second quarter’s offensive output wasn’t as much as the first’s, the Indian defense made a statement. Manhattan held Junction City to just 17 points in the second, including a block from McAtee on what appeared to be a breakaway layup for the Blue Jays.

Junior Chris Martin, who had a career-high 19 points in the rout, was pleased with the defensive effort of Manhattan, forcing Junction City into 14 total turnovers.

“Our defense started out really good, and then we got a little tired and [Junction City] started making shots,” Martin said. “But we brought it back the second half.”

Despite what could be considered a less-than-impressive second quarter offensive performance, MHS continued what it started in the first frame. The Indians came back with 27 points in the third period, includ-

ing 9-10 from the free throw line.

“We wanted to come out [in the second half] and play just like we did in the first quarter,” junior Payton Stephens said.

The third quarter ended with a 69-51 MHS advantage, and the Indians had all but run away with the heated rivalry game.

Though what may have seemed a comfortable lead at 18 points through three quarters, Manhattan did not relent. The Indians went for another staggeringly productive 25 points in the fourth, as well as holding the JC offense to 14 points. MHS shot 30/49 from the field overall, good for 61 percent.

“Every win against Junction City means a lot,” Stephens said. “[They’re] our rival.”

The Indians fell short to Highland Park Friday night, 54-44.

Sophomore Gabe Awbrey dribbles against a Junction City defender Tuesday night in Manhattan.

Madison Newman, photographer

Chris Klug Staff Writer It doesn’t matter what sport is in session, Manhattan and Junction City don't like losing to each other and Tuesday night was no different.

The Manhattan High girls basketball team topped the Junction City Blue Jays 7121, in the highly anticipated MHS-JC rivalry. The fans were louder than ever and the players came ready to play.

The Indians started slow and found themselves down 0-5 in the opening minutes of the game. Senior Darby Price and junior Caroline Ballard got the Indians going with a 22-0 run that sparked the Indians to what would turn into a 50 point victory.

“It’s always good to beat Junction, no matter what the score is,” Price said on the win. “We played pretty well the whole game.”

Price and Ballard led the

team with 15 and 14 points respectively, while Amara Ehie and Savannah Roberts added nine and six. The Indian defense proved to be a factor forcing 21 turnovers that led to points for the offense. The Indians shot 54 percent on the night and hit eight three-pointers.

The Indians took on Highland Park on Friday night, topping the Scots 44-30. It did not take long for the Indians to put the Scots away, as they used a 11-0 first quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Price led all scorers with 20 points, while Ballard added 9 and Par McNair had 7. The Indians used strong defense to keep the Scots at arm’s length, holding them to just 30 points.

The Indians are now 17-1 with a 13-game winning streak. With the win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, they clinched the number one seed in SubState and have senior night this Friday.

Junior Savannah Roberts defends against a Junction City player Friday night in Manhattan.

Madison Newman, photographer

Swimming ends season on high note Madison Newman Staff Writer

Last Saturday, February 22nd, the Manhattan High School boys swim team, Madison Newman five boys huddled up and Staff Writer shared a final victory, a record-breaking day, A 19-year-old school and a last laugh together. record was broken SatXavier urday Hayden, by seniorCameron Cameron Beauregard, Bandy, Beauregard,Matt just one of the Derrek Williams and Casey successes the Manhattan Hoffman (as an alternate) High School boys swim team had the State meet on Saturday.

Beauregard, junior Xavier Hayden, sophomore Matt Bandy, junior Derrek Williams and relay alternate Casey Hoffman, sophomore, qualified for the State meet. Senior Evan Olson from the diving team made it to State as well.

Many of the boys were successful in improving their times and were proud of what they had personally accomplished.

Senior Cameron Beauregard beat a school record from 1995 in the 100 breaststroke relay with a time of :59.09.

“Coach J and I had

talked about trying to beat it at prelims, and when I looked at the board and it was well under a minute, I was so hyped, I just started screaming and just looked out in the crowd at my family and threw out a fist pump. It feels good to have accomplished something I worked hard on,” Beauregard said. “It was a great season. We really got to know each other more and it was a pretty close-knit group of guys. I had a lot of fun with them.”

Junior Derrek Williams swam in the 400 free relay. “[The swim team was] originally supposed to get 15th and rank in the 20s but I got us to finish at 12th, and we ended up finishing 13th overall which may not seem that great, but there were 68 teams in the state and I did the math, we finished in the top 9 percent in the state relay teams,” he said.

Williams was also able to reach his goal of a time

Wrestling falls short at Regionals, takes second Joseph Sell Staff Writer The Indian wrestling team only lost the Regional tournament by one point but managed to State qualify 12 of the 14 wrestlers they brought to the meet at Washburn Rural on Saturday.

The 12 qualifiers were freshman Joe Braun in the 106 weight class, junior Darrion Taylor in the 113 weight class, freshman Mason Wallace winning the 120 weight class, freshman Devin Norris for the 126 weight class, senior Kian Clemens with a major to win the 132 weight class, junior Kendrick Rivera for the 138 weight class, senior Erick Sanchez winning the 145 weight class, senior Mike Leeper for the 152

weight class, senior Austin Chauncey taking first in the 160 weight class, senior Josh Mullin for the 170 weight class, junior Anthony Reneteria for the 195 weight class, and freshman Eldon Picou for the 285 weight class.

A huge first round started the long journey through the day, with multiple injuries along the way. That included 10 pins from Wallace, Norris, Clemens, Rivera, Sanchez, Leeper, Chauncey, Mullin, Reneteria, and Picou, then two majors -- a win a match by eight points or more -- by Braun and Taylor.

With this first round the team put pressure on the other schools and contained a good amount of excitement.

Besides the 30-minute break between the first and second

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

of :53.9 when his goal had been :54.

“Everyone did so well; Cameron did awesome.

He was in two individual events,” Williams said.

Now that the season is finished, the swimmers are returning to life without daily practices and weekly meets.

“Even though I didn’t make it I still had fun. The season was great and I’m proud of the guys who qualified. It’ll be kind of cool to not have practice, and maybe have a social life,” junior Nick Clark said.

“I set my best time in the year. I finished off the season well. I really liked this season,” Tyler Belin said. “Last year there were so many people on the team you really couldn’t get to know the guys but this year it felt like a team instead of just a gym class.”

rounds there were many unexpected breaks during the day. In his final match Braun, already injured in the rib area, got a major nosebleed in the match and managed to still win to qualify for State in the 106 weight division. Mullin came in with a shoulder injury from League but also completed the meet with a State qualification.

“It feels good. I finally got redemption on the kid who beat me in League,” Sanchez said.

“I feel good, I got a good seed going into State. It’s all about seeding at Regionals,” Wallace said.

The State qualifiers head to Wichita Friday to begin competition.

SENIOR CAMERON BEAUREGARD

Beauregard broke the MHS 100 breaststroke relay record at the State meet this weekend.

“It’s good to be recognized; I’ve been working so hard,” Beauregard said.

Bowling narrowly misses League title Joseph Sell Staff Writer Seven pins were all that stood between the boys bowling team and a Centennial League championship at last Friday’s tournament.

With those pins standing, the bowling team brought home their highest placings ever with boys narrowly missing first and girls finishing third.

“Today (Friday) we did what we talked about last week, and that is to continue competing even when the scores are not what you are used to,” head coach Chris George said.

An example of this is the unusual score from junior Smitt Thirakul, who shot an uncharacteristic 495.

“I like a lot of oil on the lanes so on the day we went to have our meet there was a lot of oil on the lanes,” junior Shon Eakes said. “and a lot of people didn’t like it but it did good for me.”

The rest of the guys team were lead by Eakes who won the tournament with a 669, then senior Alex Huerta who took third with a 629, sophomore Sean Dewitt who took eleventh place with a 574, then sophomore Tanner Holen taking sixteenth place with a 556, finally freshman Dustin Wichman with 489.

The total team score was 2,456, only missing first place by seven pins.”

“We were a little disappointed by the seven pins but

overall we were pretty good with taking second,” Eakes said.

On the girls side, junior Danielle Miller took third with a 584, senior Meghan Dooley took 18th with a 497, junior Krystyn Winiecki shot a 478, junior Kat Eimer with a 459, senior Harley Roedel with a 455, and sophomore Andrea Miller with a 450.

The total team score was a 2,111. “We were hoping to come in first but third is not bad,” Miller said. “We have a good shot at going to state, I think.”

The team will compete today at Junction City, and then on Saturday advances to Regionals in Topeka.

Features The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com Page 5

Woodshop constructs abstract tables Retta Lazaris Staff Writer Saws pierced the open air of the wood tech room with a vibrating screech. Students in Brian Hobbs’s Wood Shop 1 & 2 classes smoothly cut up the materials they would be using in their next projects: tiny tables.

“I’ve been working on my table for probably two weeks,” senior Cody Dellabough said. “This is sort of my first time building a table like this, but we’ve built other tables and chairs [in wood shop], so its very similar to that.”

Students are supplied with the wood needed for the project, and the entire class learns how to construct the tables together.

“It’s more of a personal project, and most people will take them home,” Dellabough said. “Mr. Hobbs does sometimes take requests for them, and that’s why some people are making more than one. After this project we get to work on our individual projects -like I’m making a computer

desk once I finish staining my table.”

Austin Telck, sophomore, is one of the wood tech students who sold his project.

“We built them, we sanded them, and then stained them,” Telck said, “I sold mine to the French teacher here. I thought that it turned out really well. Some of the wood had a greenish tint to it, and when I brought out the green it looked really nice.”

These in-class projects require the wood tech students to help each other reach a similar goal.

“You have to work as a team to get it done,” Telck said. “I find the projects we do in here very fun. Now that we are done with this project I kind of feel like, ‘Man, I really want to do that again,’ because I know I could build it faster now.”

Students in Brian Hobbs’s Wood Shop 1 & 2 classes work on their abstract tables which they plan to sell.

Retta Lazaris, Photographer

Wilson dreams big in FFA Retta Lazaris Staff Writer FFA member. Triplet. Local Rancher. Football player.

Plain words that describe a guy that isn’t so plain.

Freshman Stephen Wilson is just beginning to dig into his high school career and has already put into motion the goals he wants to accomplish by senior year.

“I believe…” These words mark the beginning of the Future Farmers of America’s creed. Last Monday, Feb. 10,

Wilson was the sole member of the Manhattan FFA chapter to recite this national creed at Chapman High in the district contest.

Wilson joined FFA a month ago to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“My father was in FFA, and he was actually national Vice President,” Wilson said. “That really inspired me to want to be just like him and kind of follow in his footsteps.”

Wilson placed seventh overall in the FFA creed con-

test that was only for freshman participants.

“I was mad that I didn’t do that good, but I was still happy that I went,” Wilson said. “I felt pretty nervous, because I was the only one representing Manhattan. We practiced a lot, but the only thing that really brought me down were the questions.”

FFA sponsor Doug Muller had practiced with Wilson in the weeks leading up to the contest. With practice, Wilson was able to recite the creed from memory. They

Senior Wade Stroda to compete in Georgia Alan Brown Multimedia Editor Crack! A gunshot goes off.

It’s the sound senior Wade Stroda has been hearing nearly his entire life.

Turn the clock back 13 years, and he can be found tagging along with his older brother to shooting classes at the local 4-H Club and the Manhattan Rifle Club. Now, after years of practice and competition, Stroda has become one of the most experienced shooters of his age group.

“Shooting is a mental sport and a competition between yourself,” Stroda said.

“It’s all about improving or matching your score, knowing what you did wrong or right and performing at your best. Those are the rewards of shooting.”

Stroda, a Kansas Rifle Association Outstanding Junior Shooter Award recipient, has participated in several prestigious shooting events, including the Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs. He

also took first in his class at the National Rifle Association Smallbore Championship in Ohio. This week, he will take part in the U.S. Army Junior National Air Rifle Championships in Fort Benning, Ga. After evaluating the competition, Stroda feels confident going into the event.

“You have to be in the top 25 to shoot there so I feel pretty good,” Stroda said. “I am confident that I should be able to go down there and perform at my best.”

Recently, Stroda has benefitted from practice time in preparation for the competition. These repetitive exercises are what have brought him to the level where he is today. Managing equipment efficiently, taking part in cardiovascular exercises and consistently shooting down the middle are a few things Stroda points to as keys for success. Equally important for shooting accurately is having an effective pre-shot procedure. Before taking a shot, Stroda runs through a

checklist in his mind. At this point in his shooting career, it comes to him almost spontaneously.

“Before you pull the trigger, there is a series of checks that you go through. There is natural point of aim, breath control and trigger follow through,” Stroda said. “ When things are going right, things click, and my checklist just happens.”

Stroda will have a major decision to make whether or not he will shoot at the collegiate level. He has been in discussions with the University of Kentucky and Murray State University. However, he is leaning more toward continuing to compete in U.S. shooting matches instead. As for the distant future, the sky's the limit.

“Maybe someday I’ll be on a national team,” Stroda said. “I would shoot professionally and maybe be able to shoot at World Cups.”

marvelous, and he a had really funny way of saying things, which helped us remember things. He was a very dedicated teacher.”

“It kind of shows people who come through Manhattan High School, what we’ve done and what helped us to do that. It helps people think about, ‘Maybe I could do this too. Maybe I could be this person,’” Don said.

Growing up in Manhattan during the 1950s and ‘60s, the brothers formed a passion for social justice.

“My family was very involved in thinking about the world and foreign affairs and social justice and all of this, so these were topics of intense conversation in my family growing up,” Fred said. “After the [Topeka] Board of Education decision our parents called us together and

sat us down and explained to us what had happened and the significance of that.”

Because of his interest in foreign affairs, Fred became the first student from MHS to study abroad.

Don put his social justice passion to use when he attended college at Rice University, which was white-only through his freshman year.

“It was when I was a sophomore that the first African American was allowed to attend Rice,” Don said. Even so, some businesses in town remained segregated. “I got together with some students and faculty and formed an organization called ACCORD, which stood for Academic Community Council Organizational Desegregation. And we demonstrated and occupied these places and forced them to integrate.”

also reviewed over some of the possible questions the judges would quiz Wilson on.

“In the years to come I hope to become a national officer,” Wilson said. “And I also hope to get people more involved in Manhattan FFA because we don’t really have a lot of people.”

Along with other students, he hopes to recruit his brother James and his sister Liz. “We’re pretty divided [in appearance]. But we’re all

pretty sporty. I do football, James does basketball, and Liz does volleyball,” Wilson said. “We did have a lot of fights when we were younger, but we would always make up with a game or something in the end, because we all had to live in the same house and couldn’t stay mad.”

Freshman Stephen Wilson continues the FFA legacy with his dad, Chris Wilson.

Courtesy Photo

Freshmen slam words in poetry presentation

English teacher Terri Payne and freshmen listen to a performer in the freshmen English classes’ poetry slam last week. Students’ poems were supposed to be reflections of self and didn’t have to rhyme. It was encouraged that students not look at their papers and to try to reword things.

Bryce Rincon, photographer

From Hall of Fame page 5 many awards and served as heads of committees at universities around the United States.

Don served on President Obama’s transition team and refers to the president as his “homeboy.” He is also an internationally-recognized astrophysicist. Fred was the leader of NASA’s Rossi X-ray astronomy satellite mission and played a leading role in the development of verification procedures for the U.S.-Soviet treaties limiting nuclear testing.

They both believe that the foundations laid at MHS were formative experiences and helped get them to where they are today.

“Early on we had a very good chemistry teacher, Duane Pickett,” Fred said. “And Kenneth Ohm, who was the physics teacher, was really

Don attributes the stems of his social justice passions to attending Manhattan’s single high school where both white and African American students attended.

Fred agrees with his brother about Manhattan being a strong and formative community to grow up in.

“Manhattan was a very warm and supporting environment,” Fred said. “Learning about other people’s experiences and later on seeing my own children growing up I realized how remarkable it was. I felt very well supported in my interests and I was interested in science and engineering and committed to it very early on. I didn’t understand the full implications but I pursued an interest in science.”

The Lamb brothers also feel their family was very sup-

portive. Their mother recognized Fred’s interest in broadcast when he was 11 and contacted their neighbor David Dary -- also since selected as an Alumni Hall of Fame member -- to share his ham radio interests. “[Dary] was very enthusiastic,” Fred said. “He was talking to people on the other side of the world. He said to me ‘this is something you can do’ and encouraged me to take it up. Within a year or so I got my radio license to have my own station. I was in contact with David and he offered to help me set it up. I was on the air and very soon after that I had my first radio contact with David who was not on the other side of the world but two houses away.

It was very thrilling.”

Dary continued to be a mentor for Fred through his high-

school days and still remains in contact. The Lamb boys were not only taking part in the Manhattan community, but were both actively involved in MHS as well.

“I was in debate, which was a lot of fun because we got to travel around to other towns in Kansas and stay the night,” Don said. He was also in the musical, cross country and track.

Fred pursued similar activities at MHS. “I was interested in many different things,” he said. “In the academic area I got interested in debate. We won lots of trophies and had lots of fun from that. I was the emcee for the senior class variety show. I had a lot of fun doing that.'

Looking back on Sochi Trending The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com

Liz Logback Editor-in-Chief The 22nd Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia, the past two weeks. Athletes from 85 different countries gathered to compete in alpine skiing, biathlon, curling, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, short track, snowboarding, figure skating and speed skating. Russia prepared for the games for years and poured an estimated $50 billion into the production.

by the numbers

#sochiproblems

the iconic torch

Unfinished buildings, hotels filled with trash and packs of stray dogs were among the images getting posted online, spurring at least 70,000 tweets under #SochiProblems during the first 24 hours of the Olympics. Creating a grand total of 2.8 million #Sochiproblems tweets.

The Olympic torch was lit 132 days before the opening ceremonies in Olympia, Greece, then made its away around the world before landing in Sochi for the opening Ceremonies. The torch was even flown into space.

6,700 athletes

85 nations 3 billion television viewers tune in worldwide 25,000 volunteers

XXII Sochi Winter Olympics

ring-tastrophe Official Medal count by country Gold

Russia:

Silver

13 11

Bronze

Total

9

33

9

7

12

28

Norway:

11

5

10

26

Canada:

10 10

5

25

USA: Photo from CVS Flags

Possibly one of the lowest points of the Olympics, large snowflakes that transformed into the Olympic rings, had a malfunction during the Opening Ceremonies. The fifth ring failed to open, leaving many feeling the Olympics started on a wrong note.

grand total:

$50 billion