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Manhattan High School Volume 101 Issue 5 Sept. 24, 2013
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Survey shows mixed feelings towards Tribe Time Rachel Beach Staff Writer Every Wednesday for 20 minutes for the whole school year; is Tribe Time a good way to spend that time? A recent survey was given to Charles Mamolo’s physics classes regarding the students opinions about Tribe Time. The results of the survey
are in and they are surprisingly controversial. There were 85 students surveyed. The feedback showed that almost exactly half of the students like Tribe Time, find Tribe Time productive, and wish to continue Tribe Time throughout the school year. Whereas the other half do not like Tribe Time, find the time unproductive, and wish for Tribe Time to be discontinued.
Several students left notes on the surveys that specified the difference in their answers depending on activity period days compared to regular, in-class Tribe Time days. The Wednesdays spent in class tended to have more negative responses whereas the Wednesdays dedicated to going to clubs was better liked and found more productive. The results were 50/50 on
all of the survey questions except for the for one which had a clear answer. 39% of the students surveyed said that the allotted time given for Tribe Time is too long and should be shortened. 32% that filled out the survey said they want more time allotted for Tribe Time and the last 35% want the same amount of time. Overall Tribe Time has resulted in mixed feelings among students.
By the Numbers:
Do you like Tribe Time? Yes- 48% No- 51% Do you find Tribe Time productive? Yes- 47% No- 53% Should Tribe Time be continued? Yes- 53% No- 47%
Students lead campaign against texting, driving
Students and organizers Heidi Rippert and Kari Quiton stand outside Rezac Auditorium during lunch Thursday collected pledges from students, saying they wouldn’t text and drive. FCCLA, SADD, and the family and consumer science classes helped organize the event that included the pledge, and a movie showing the dangers that accompany texting and driving. Danielle Cook, Photographer Liz Logback Editor-in-Chief
Students squirmed in their seats as they watched the horrors of texting and driving accidents unfold before their eyes. The silence in the auditorium was thick, and only cut when victims shared their stories. The tissues came out when a brother began to explain his sister’s coma and the effect it had on him. A few students even got up and left when a woman mourned the loss of her dog, her best friend.
The video presented by Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and Family and Consumer Science classes on Thursday showed all the gruesome results of texting while driving, causing many students to pledge against it. The three groups partnered up to host Manhattan High’s first annual hands-free driving pledge. During both lunches Thursday, a large banner was laid out for students to sign and vow that they would not text and drive. At the same time, a movie played in Rezac auditorium that reiterated the dangers of distracted driving. “The purpose of the pledge and what FCCLA is doing is to make people aware of the dangers of texting and driving. And hopefully deter as much texting and driving as we can,” Resource Officer Jamie Douglas said. The preparation for the event took about three weeks. FCCLA advisor and Family and Consumer Science instructor Heidi Rippert says she couldn’t be more proud of her students.
“They [students] have done all of the contact with Mrs. [Linda} Uthoff to set up all the stuff in Rezac. They’ve made the contact to The Mentor as well as to Michelle Jones. It looks like I did it all because it’s from my email, but the students wrote all of those emails,” Rippert said. “They had to propose their plan to Mr. [Greg] Hoyt, to actually get permission to do everything they wanted to do.” Family and Consumer Science student junior Austin Gwinner worked on designing the posters and setting up the video in Rezac. “We want to stop an accident before it happens. We don’t want to have to do this because an accident happens, we want to think ahead,” he said. SADD member senior Janelle Collado feels similarly. “You can get in a lot of trouble just by texting a few letters,” she said. “This is a national initiative that’s going on right now. I’ve seen some celebrities tweet about it like Ashley Tisdale. Every time somebody pledges on the computer, AT&T donates a
dollar to FCCLA.” AT&T, Riley County Police Department and Able Printing all provided promotional material for the event. “From the planning process, to proposing to administration, to collaborating and working out all the details, printing and hanging posters, and getting the information out there to all the students, we want to be proactive in some of the standards that we’re trying to learn in our Real Life Class,” Rippert said. “I hope my students have gained cooperation skills, learning that they have to put things first and that they have to go through a planning process,” she said. For sophomore Andrew Wilson, taking the pledge made a difference. “One minute you’re up texting someone and then the next moment you’re in the back of somebody else,” Wilson said. “It’s important to get the word out, because people go out to lunch and stuff and you don’t want car wrecks.”
Enviro science has ‘hoot’ with owl pellets
Environmental Science students in Leslie Campbell’s classroom slice and dice owl pellets on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Left, junior Jason Kildow and senior James Kordyak admire the bones pertruding from their pellets. Right, senior Kyler Reith cuts into the pellet to uncover all the tiny bones of mice and small birds within. Owl pellets are formed when owls throw up their undigested food. Retta Lazaris, Photographer