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Manhattan High School Volume 101 Issue 23 April 22, 2014
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Youth Impacting Community hosts youth service day Tracy Le Graphic Editor The sun was already shining brightly as students arrived at Manhattan High at 9 a.m. Saturday. Adult volunteers were quick to divide them into groups and fill their hands with trash bags and tools. A few moments of instruction prepped the teams, and then they were off for their day clearing the trails of trash and over-
growth. Every year, Youth Impacting Community and other volunteers make their way to the bike trails by Sunset Zoo to clean up the area. Last Saturday, many MHS students did just that. For most, the work day went from 9 a.m. all the way to 3 p.m. but was well worth it. “I think it’s very important,” senior Pilar Dritz said. “I mean, it’s our community, we can help make it better
MHS lands spot on Washington Post list Danielle Cook Copy Editor For the sixth consecutive year, Manhattan High School has been honored as a selection on The Washington Post’s America’s Most Challenging High Schools list. The honor of a place on the list is given to U.S. school’s whose AP programs go above and beyond, administering College Board Exams to the most students in the nation. MHS Advanced Placement Coordinator Bev Fink, along with the school’s AP teachers and administration, has worked hard to keep Manhattan High’s AP program on the radar of See Washington Post page 5
and it’s a great way to get service hours.” Dritz joined YIC her sophomore year at MHS and has loved being a part of the club ever since. ”I really like this club because we are very active,” she said. “We do a lot of projects and we do our own volunteer projects throughout the year so we’re giving back in different ways.” Fellow member of YIC, senior Christine Shiau agrees.
”It’s one of the few clubs outside of school that actually is really involved with the community,” Shiau said. “I feel like we do a lot because people who are a part of it actually care and put a lot of effort into things that we do.” President and CEO of the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation Vern Henricks sees YIC as a great opportunity for students. “They [YIC] raise some of their own money, they do
service projects, they make grant decisions on how much they would like to distribute to some nonprofit organizations that request support, so it gives them an opportunity to experience the foundation world in a small way, but yet they get to go through the steps to raise money and grant it out,” Henricks said. “They’re able to identity the greatest needs in the community so individuals who donate money know that
their money is being used in the most productive way.” The Greater Manhattan Community Foundation created YIC in 2002 and has since provided opportunities for teenagers to give back to their community. ”It’s very rewarding,” Henricks said. “Not only as a part of the Community Foundation, but it’s very rewarding as a citizen of Manhattan to know that we live in a community that cares so much.”
NHS prepares for induction Gage Benne Staff Writer National Honor Society is preparing to conduct dozens of students into the society on April 28. Even more vital to the club’s future, NHS is accepting applications for 2014 officer positions. Last year, seven students ran for president, a coveted position for such a large club like NHS. Current senior Marlee Evans ended up be-
ing elected, mapping out a future for NHS more focused on volunteer work and service hours. “Next year I definitely want to let the members have more input on what they want to do for service projects so that they will be excited to do them,” Evans said after being elected. Delivering on that promise, this year NHS has really intensified its efforts on volunteering. The club now
revolves around a point system, with each service project gaining anywhere from two to 20 points. The club offered tutoring at Marlatt Elementary, ushering at performances at McCain Auditorium, and many others. “My hopes for this year were to kind of change the attitude about NHS, cause everybody seems to hate it.” Evans said. “I don’t know that I’ve super-succeeded, but I’ve really tried. I have
gotten some new things in there, and some different things , we had a new advisor this year as well, so that kind of changed it up a bit. I think we took a really important first step in making NHS better but we still have a long way to go.” The president this year helped institute the point system, helping students to get involved, it gives members of See NHS page 5
Students attend Landon Lecture at KSU Madeline Marshall Staff Writer
Former national security adviser for President Barack Obama Thomas Donilon addresses the audience as he discusses American Declinism during the Landon Lecture Series at Kansas State University last week. Alan Brown, Photographer
This past Tuesday former national security adviser to President Barack Obama, Thomas Donilon, took the stage to discuss American Declinism in the Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series on Public Issues at Kansas State University. Manhattan High School students attended the series as part of various extracurricular activities. Three to five of the country’s leading personalities appear on the Landon Lecture platform each school year. Now seen as one of the most prestigious college lecture series in the country, it was
formed in 1966 by former K-State president James A. McCain -- namesake of McCain Auditorium. Almost 50 years later, the tradition is still alive and strong. “I liked the content, and the guy had a lot of analysis on his stance, rather than the flashy thirty second quips you see on the news,” said junior Trevor Bashaw. Donilon’s lecture took a very optimistic view on the American situation, but it certainly struck a chord with many of the audience members. “He was definitely thorough in his explanations,” junior Peter Sang said. “I have an interest in international
relations so it was definitely interesting and relevant.” The topic of the debate, as well as the focus of the Qand-A session afterwards, were seen as very valuable to many debate team members who attended. “The whole thing did a whole bunch of synthesizing that I can apply in debate,” Bashaw said. “Like, half of debates come down to how can America maintain its hegemony over the rest of the world. Getting the speaker's opinions on the issue was really helpful.” “Debate utilizes a lot of arguments about US leadSee Landon Lecture page 5
IPS recognizes annual essay contest winners Danielle Cook Copy Editor Four Manhattan High students are being recognized by Little Apple Optimist Club and MHS’s Interpersonal Skills class through the annual essay contest about their experiences of being involved in the IPS class. The scholarship competition is one of many ways Op-
timist Club joins IPS in doing services that help to create a bright, well-rounded Manhattan This year, two IPS mentors, seniors Lane Sorell and Liz Logback, and two IPS mentees, seniors Kasey Morris and Mallory Morris, were selected by a judging panel of 11 Optimist Club members as the winners of $500 scholarships and $50 gift cards for their personal essays.
Sorell, who plans to send his scholarship money toward attending Kansas State University, said, “I was flattered to have won, but I really wasn’t expecting it.” For Logback, who also plans for her scholarship money to go toward attending K-State, winning the essay contest also came as a surprise. “It was super humbling
to receive the scholarship. I was not expecting it at all,” Logback said. Logback explained that for her, though, writing an essay about her experiences in IPS was about so much more than just earning some money for college. “It was special to get the money, but it was more special to get to share my experiences with my IPS family and
to celebrate a great year,” Logback said. Sorell also felt that sharing his experiences was rewarding. “IPS taught me a lot -- if you put enough love and energy into your life, you’ll get a lot of that back from people,” Sorell said. IPS teacher Barb Crooks expressed her joy for the contest winners.
“We’ve been involved with the Optimist Club for a long time, so it’s nice to see the opportunities they give to the students go into effect,” Crooks said. “It’s obvious to us that they [Sorell and Logback] care a lot about IPS and about issues bigger than just this school.”
Cadavers provide unique learning Spanish Club shakes their hips opportunity for MHS students Alan Brown Multimedia Editor
Joseph Sell Staff Writer Dead bodies inspire The human body is an amazing thing, and teacher Patrick Lamb teaches that to all of his anatomy students. On Friday his students and members of the Medical Explorers club he sponsors got real-world experience studying the human body with a visit to the Kansas State University cadaver dissection lab. “It was a very good experience for people who want
to be in the medical career,” sophomore Cristina Oropesa said. The trip was something that Lamb used to do every year with his anatomy class until they closed the lab off for a time. “I think they have four cadavers, but we got to see three,” Lamb said. “Also we saw different organs that they had taken out that had various things like the hearts had valves replaced or bypasses.” The cadavers had many different procedures done
on them to show and educate the K-State students, as well as the students who got to visit the lab Friday. “It’s always pretty much the same. I don’t just take anybody. All the students I take took Accelerated Anatomy and Physiology, so you don’t remember all the details especially after this many months, but they’re serious students, so it’s not sort of a sensational thing, but it’s there to learn,” Lamb said. The fact that Lamb keeps See Cadavers page 5
¡Bailar! Influenced by Cuban and Puerto Rican cultures, salsa dancing has become a major cultural symbol of Latin America. Last Wednesday, a professional dance instructor volunteered to teach the dance to members of the Manhattan High Spanish Club. The event was considered a hit. “We were looking for something fun to do that was also cultural and would be new for a lot of people,” senior co-president Jonathan Turnley said. “I think it went
well. I had a good time.” “I had a fun time going out there and dancing with my fellow classmates,” sophomore Darien Stokes said. “The instructor was cool. She was a good dancer.” During the meeting, the club also announced that it was seeking officers for next year. Members that were interested in being selected for a position received applications. On these sheets were questions that asked applicants to choose their preferred position and to write a short paragraph about why they will be suited for the task. Final decisions will be made by current club officers
and advisors. Announcements will be made later this spring. “We are looking for someone that is responsible and can help us organize all the student members,” club advisor Lindsey Clark said. Sophomore Jake Bussmann hopes to be selected as an officer next year. Like many in the club, he is interested in Spanish culture and would like to become more involved. For him, earning the title of an officer would be an opportunity to share his knowledge with others. See Spanish Club page 5
BPA offers scholarship opportunity to members Jared Gebhardt Entertainment Editor Past and current graduating members of Business Professionals of America are up for a scholarship opportunity. The Kevin Coffey Memorial BPA Scholarship is available to any graduating senior who is currently par-
ticipating in BPA. The purpose of the scholarship is to memorialize and honor former BPA member, and Manhattan High School graduate, Kevin Coffey. This will be the first year this scholarship will be offered to students, and so far it’s receiving positive support. “I think it’s a wonderful
thing. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for our seniors here at the high school,” business teacher Tiffany Anderson said. The student who is awarded the scholarship will receive $1,000 paid directly to the post-secondary school of choice to cover tuition expenses and other related
fees. To be eligible for this scholarship students must be graduating seniors at MHS, served a minimum of one year in BPA and received an MHS business teacher’s recommendation. “Each student can ask one business teacher for a letter of recommendation, so I would imagine everybody
would pick the teacher they had [class with] the most or that they maybe felt the most connection to,” Anderson said. Among the students applying for the scholarship is senior Jerry Sextro. Sextro has been a member of BPA since his sophomore year and is currently part of a
team heading to the BPA national competition later this year in Indianapolis. “I just thought I’d take advantage of it because it’s $1,000,” Sextro said. “I think I’d be pretty good to be getting the scholarship because there may be three people See BPA page 5