Scholars Bowl
LOSES to Mill Valley ANDREA LU
Graphics Editor Manhattan High Scholars Bowl team attended another meet last week at Hayden High School in Topeka. Sixteen teams competed and the Manhattan High team went undefeated in pool play with a 7-0 record. “It was a pretty standard meet with two pools of eight teams all playing each other once,” team player Joshua Schwartz, senior, said. “Then the top two teams from each pool advanced to a four-team double-elimination bracket to determine the first through fourth places.” The team won their semifinal match against Seaman with a score of 60-30 allowing them to advance to the finals where they lost to Mill Valley, a school they beat in pool play, 80-45. “Sadly Mill Valley, one of the better teams in 5A, beat us 40-35 giving us second place for the tournament,” Scholars Bowl coach Ted Dawdy said. Team player Sterling Edgar was slightly disappointed by the loss. “I was a little bummed out by the last round because we had beaten that team earlier that day but then they beat us in the finals,” Edgar said. Regardless, the team made it to the finals again, maintaining their consistency and demonstrating, yet again, their team is one of the strongest at meets. “We’re a pretty strong team,” team player Arnav Das said. “We got all of the subjects covered.”
Senior Nathan McClendon claps along with the crowd at StuCo’s Battle of the bands. McClendon is the bass player for the winning band, Captain Funkatron and the Intergalactic All-Stars, or Funkatron for short. READ MORE ON PAGE 4.
PHOTO BY SAVANNAH CHERMS
Volume 103 // Issue 9 // Nov. 24, 2015
the mentor
Model UN sets off into new strides ANNA ALANAZI
Staff Writer
Most 6A schools have a local chapter for Model UN that’s dedicated to those interested in Global Affairs, politics and debate. However, Manhattan High school does not. Not yet anyways. Model UN is an official interest group at MHS. Model UN is a simulation of the United Nations. As the name implies, members of the club will be modeling the delegates of the country. Researching how their countries act and votes will determine how the delegates will act “[Sophomore] Rick Brown approached me early September and then we quickly tried to find as many people as we could,” Lehrman said. “We got a late start so a lot of it is hav-
ing to happen in a scrunched amount of time. But it’s coming together pretty well. It’s going to be a good time.”
“I’m hoping to get more people involved in thinking about what’s going on with the world,” -- Rick Brown As president of Model UN, Brown decided to create one at the high school after hearing about it from his middle school teacher that’s starting one at the middle school. “I’m hoping to get more people involved in thinking
about what’s going on with the world. To be better debaters as well and to be better at writing resolutions,” Brown said. “I’m hoping that people will look at going into politics because of this or getting involved in their communities in other ways. Because that’s what Model UN is all about. So I’m excited about that.” With 14 students participating, the club is currently working through meeting times and topics to discuss. As well as debates and keeping up with current events, the club is looking into writing letters to those who are in prison for an unjust reason in a different country. “I heard about Amnesty International which is the orga-
SEE UN PAGE 5
Key Club packs for Operation Christmas Child MAYA MINOCHA
Staff Writer
Sophomore Alex Lu assembles Operation Christmas boxes so they can be filled with presents to be shipped to children in third world countries. PHOTO BY MAYA MINOCHA
Key Club packed boxes full of toys and necessities for Operation Christmas Child. “You get a shoe box and fill it with things like toys, crafts ... for children in third world countries to receive on Christmas,” senior Autumn Hatcliff said. Operation Christmas Child is run through the global nonprofit organization Samaritan’s Purse. They have distribution centers scattered across the United States waiting to be sent to their receiver. “These are going to be sent
to kids that don’t usually get Christmas presents, and we have a bunch of toys and stuff and we are just packing everything in there,” senior Christina Martin said. Key Club will do Operation Christmas as one of their service projects during the holidays. “The holiday spirit is really about sharing with other people as opposed to getting all the material gifts that you can receive, and it is important to remember that and that is why it is important to give back during the holidays,” senior Caitlin Rusk said.
Youth Leaders of Tomorrow put on hold TARA MAGAñA
Staff Writer
Wanting to reach out and connect to local youth, Marie Bovee decided to create a program this past fall called Youth Leaders of Tomorrow in order to help students get involved. But there were two problems: lack of grant funding and participants. “It was put on hold primarily because we didn’t get the
enrollment numbers needed,” Bovee said. “So, the director felt that in order to have an effective program, we needed a good amount of numbers of students to attend so ... they could work in cohesion in activity levels where they could be working as a team, too.”
For the rest of the story,
visit: mhsmentor.com
Debate takes DCI ELIZABETH UNDERWOOD Features Editor
Spending their weekend in Topeka, Manhattan High School’s Debate Team competed amongst some of the top debaters in Kansas at the Topeka High Debate Coaches Invitational Debate Tournament. “It was really fun. We got to go against a lot of older kids as well. You never really know what you’re going to hit in open,” sophomore Rain Raite said. “So it was really fun getting to go out and getting to run new cases that Bella [Isabella Petri, junior] worked on and stuff.” Raite and Petri were paired together for this tournament and ended with 3-2 wins to losses. For the past week, Petri worked with Raite to create new topics for them to debate over at this DCI tournament. “[Our case was] a feminism case, and what it is is we’re basically lifting some federal abortion laws, and that was go-
ing to stop some surveillance of women,” Raite said. “And we’re empowering [women] more so through that and allowing them to get more safer abortions.” In addition to Petri and Raite’s success, the team of freshman Parker Wilson and senior Samuel Varner competed in their first open tournament. “So this [was] a novice team that then beat a lot of experienced kids,” coach Ben Sutherland said. “They did excellent, I was really proud of them.” Like Raite and Petri, the team of Varner and Wilson went 3-2, but did not break. The two spent the majority of the season working on their case to create a valid argument over nationally controversial topics. “[We] debated over the Resolution, which is [where] the Federal United States Government should substantially curtail its domestic surveillance,”
SEE DEBATE PAGE 5
Rescheduling committees make progress toward end goals MADELINE MARSHALL
Print Editor-in-Chief
This past week both the district-wide and Manhattan High schedule committees made strides towards reaching their long term goals. The district
rescheduling committee, after spending time discussing each education level’s ideal schedule circumstances, worked to create faculty and parent surveys on which to mold their plans on. “We just worked on finaliz-
GLOBAL NEWS MADELINE MARSHALL Print Editor-in-Chief
Global news is a vital part of news today and can directly affect MHS students. In order to inform our readers, The Mentor has compiled small summaries describing some of the largest happenings in the world today. We encourage the reader to read about these topics, and others, in greater depth.
Louisiana goes blue
A Democratic state representative from Amite, La. won the Louisiana governor’s seat Saturday night, dethroning a Republican Louisiana political legacy. Prior to this election, no state in the Deep South has had a Democratic governor since Kathleen Blanco left office eight years ago. In fact, a Democrat hasn’t even come within spitting distance of statewide office in Louisiana since 2008, when former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu won reelection. This past Sat-
ing survey questions that we’re going to send out to parents and faculty and staff,” committee member and MHS senior principal Angie Messer said. “We spent a majority of the time hammering out those questions and then we spent some
time finalizing our discussion our goals. Our overall goal is to make a K through 12 calendar that’s more consistent.” The surveys were sent out yesterday afternoon. At the building level, MHS faculty/ committee members have been
working together to create possible MHS schedule options for next year. “At this point in the time the committee has come up with three possibilities,” mem-
urday Edwards came out of nowhere to, historically, take down Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican candidate once seen as unbeatable in a solidly red state. Preliminary election results show Edwards topped Vitter by 12 points, a resounding victory.
professor of communication studies said that she was notified Friday morning that five people filed a discrimination complaint against her. She requested leave of absence; the school said she will remain off-campus until the investigation is complete. Quenette used the slur in her Nov. 12 class after a university-wide town hall forum on race following the events at the University of Missouri.
16 people had been arrested in a joint police and military operation to try to head off what the prime minister earlier described as a “serious and imminent” threat of a Paris-style terrorist assault. Belgian security forces conducted 19 raids in the Brussels region on Sunday and three in the southern town of Charleroi, Eric Van der Sijpt, a magistrate and spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office, said at a late-night news conference. Backed by heavily armed soldiers, the police also sealed off at least two areas of central Brussels, including streets around the city’s medieval central square, the Grand Place, a major tourist attraction.
KU professor on leave due to racial slur A white University of Kansas professor is on paid leave after using a racial slur during a class discussion about race. The Lawrence Journal-World reported that the university is investigating a discrimination complaint against Andrea Quenette. The assistant
Belgium on high alert After a dramatic security sweep late Sunday marked by the deployment of soldiers in the historic center of the Belgian capital, authorities announced early Monday that
SEE SCHEDULE PAGE 5
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Opinions
The Mentor // NOV. 24, 2015 // MHSMentor.com Page 2
We need to actually talk about sex THIS EDITORIAL IS A COMPILATION FROM A DISCUSSION HELD BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD. TO LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION THAT LED TO THIS PIECE, VISIT WWW.MHSMENTOR.COM. White, heterosexual male Charlie Sheen’s going public about having HIV introduced some of the first media coverage of the disease in a positive light. With decades of negative and homophobic stigma surrounding HIV, the fact that all it took was a rich white heterosexual male seems to raise quite a few problems in regards to American sex education and awareness. First, there is an obvious problem when the majority of Americans simply sweep an issue as large as HIV under the rug, dismissing it as simply a “gay issue.” The Mentor editorial board believes there should be greater measures take to bring awareness to the topic so that people real-
ize that it’s not a “gay issue,” it’s a “people who have sex issue.” Likewise, looking at the larger topic of awareness of sex-related issue in America, it seems there is a pretty big problem with the current sex education curriculum. In only promoting abstinence and never fully addressing the topics of safe sex, we actively further the issues of sexually transmitted diseases. Instead of simply screaming about how sex will make you die, we should work to actively teach students about how to have safe sex. While in school we are simply told to abstain, the world we live in is constantly romanticizing and commercializing sexual desires, making it all the more impossible for students to just “not do it.” Around the country, teachers can provide sex education courses that are biased against specific races or ethnicities, that are inappropriate for
Question of the
week:
students’ ages and that promote specific religious agendas, according to a recent Guttmacher Institute analysis. Furthermore, 37 states reportedly allow for medically inaccurate sex education, and only 18 states require teachers to provide information about contraception. Given these figures, it is hardly surprising that the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any other developed country. It’s about time that America stops trying to avoid the “embarrassing” and “scandalous” topic of sex in schools and instead embraces the possibility that with proper education people can have sex, enjoy it and be safe too. And, as ridiculous as it is that a famous white guy had to announce having HIV for us to even recognize it as an issue, perhaps this will be the publicity boost the American sex educators need revamp the whole system.
What’s your favorite way to show school spirit?
What was the best/worst part of Thanksgiving?
SAVANNAH CHERMS
Entertainment Editor
Here’s the problem. The idea of focusing on yourself and your happiness has become a negative thing. People who care about themselves and their own happiness and their own minds are known as self-centered and selfish, but this isn’t the case. Sure, there is a fine line between focusing on yourself and not caring about the world around you, but there is a line nonetheless. We need to abandon the “we” for the “I.” This is kind of an abstract concept that is hard for people to grasp, so I’ll explain it. We, as a school, value sports quite a bit.
“well, it was participating in powderpuff cheerleading” -- Corbin Sedlacek, senior (@csedlacek_97)
“sacrificing people in the name of MHS” -- Grace Woods, freshman (@gracelows)
“to get hype AF with my fellow classmates. And wear the crazy/fun outfits for games” -- Aaron Castro, junior (@c_a_castro)
Next edition’s question:
Abandon the ‘we’ for ‘I’
“‘go to all of the MUSIC CONCERTS CAUSE OUR SCHOOL IS FULL OF TALENTED MUSICIANS” -- Emma Lansdowne, sophomore (@epicemma55)
“spreading twitter hate against MHS for not allowing my senior photo” --Israel Wheatley, senior (@a_nu_matt)
Weirdos deserve second glance, respect
ANNA HUPP
Staff Writer
I don’t know why this is, but I attract weirdos. If the police want to find a serial killer they should just put me in a park and wait for the creepy guy to ask me out. The thing is, too, that weirdos are people I actually enjoy hanging out with. I can interact with weirdos; really interact, not scrape off surfacelevel conversations like grit on top of a big rock. I connect with weirdos because they are observant, desperate and in-
tense. (Actually, maybe I connect with weirdos because I am a weirdo, but whatever, keep reading.) Weirdos watch the people around them and try to analyze everything. They’ve learned that life is shifting and unpredictable, like a floor of tectonic plates. The plates could tilt at any second, and above all things weirdos do not want to be the person scrambling alone on the surface when that happens. So they observe the scenarios playing out in front of their eyes, tensed for any warning of disaster. Because weirdos know that life is dangerous, they look for something that will save them. I imagine weirdos scanning the floor of a pool, looking for the telltale glitter of something valuable and
thinking to themselves, “There’s an old bandaid, there’s a toenail aha! something shiny.” Weirdos desperately search for life, not because they’re more enlightened than normal people, but because they’re simply more exposed. Weirdos are also intense, often devastatingly so. They are too busy surviving to have room for gloss. This is why we shy away from weirdos; they’re too raw, they’re too real. To sum up, observation, desperation and intensity draw me toward weirdos. In fact, weirdos have been some of my close friends. I value weirdos, and I think MHS would miss them if they weren’t sprinkled into our classrooms like nutmeg.
But be careful. Observation, desperation and intensity do not equate a higher, more enlightened person. Forest Gump knew better than Jenny. Weirdos without love are still broken. They’re still people. I knew this before I became close with weirdos, but somehow eventually I came to expect just a little bit more from them, maybe an ability to love because of their brokenness living without it, or an inherent trustworthiness. Do not be deceived. Weirdos look out for number one, just like any other lost person. So next time you encounter a weirdo, don’t shrug them off as annoying. Weirdos are tangled, grasping people -- kind of like me and you.
I, as an individual, don’t really value sports that much. That’s the dumbed down version of it really. Another more relevant example would be that we as a school appear to value education over mental and even physical health sometimes. I, as an individual, think that it is perfectly fine to take a mental health day, to ask for an extension on an essay you couldn’t write because you were having a bad mental health day, which kind of gets into my point. Focusing on your life and your happiness is not a bad thing. It is perfectly fine for you to not want to spend time with your friends because you need some time alone. You aren’t a bad person for needing some time for yourself. Another issue surrounding this is that we all have this tendency to follow the crowd. We all like to think that we are
all our own person, but really, we all do things or think things because it’s what the majority thinks. And while, yes, it does make life easier to just be a ‘yes man,’ you lose your sense of self when you can’t have your own opinion or your own thought process. It is more important to be your own person and have your own personality and thoughts than to be well liked and to have a big group of friends. The people who really matter in your life are the ones who will stick with you and like you for who you really are. And, truthfully, you will be happier once to realize that you can be your own person and step away from the crowd and the majority’s thoughts and actions. Be individual. Be great. In the words of Donna Meagle from “Parks and Rec,” treat yo self.
Mental illnesses not trends It was just that simple for me. That living and breathing and being myself was harder than any homework assignment I had completed, any test that I had taken. It was just harder. Then again GRACE WOODS the next year, only worse. 21st Century No one knew. No one had Journalism Student any clue that the girl who was smiling and making witty remarks was Depression isn’t cool. Taking daily anti-de- depressed. My parents, pressants and talking to my sibling, my friends -a therapist twice a month they all didn’t know. And isn’t something that high sometimes, during the schoolers should want days where the light at the or think is cool. They end of the tunnel seemed shouldn’t joke about kill- too far off, I wished they ing themselves, and they did. But at that time it was shouldn’t use depression just easier to keep my deas a scapegoat when they pression to myself. They thought feel a little I was b u m m e d “There were days fine. But I one day. B e c a u s e when I thought the wasn’t, and in fact, I depression only possible way was the furisn’t cudthest thing dling up on to end the mental from it. your couch I was illness we call deand listendrowning, ing to sad pression; was killand everymusic; it’s one else g u l p i n g ing myself. ” was breathdown pills ing. to stop the For those voices in of you who aren’t as fayour head and it’s the miliar with depression, kind of feeling not found on the outside, but the in- here are the most common ones found in young side. I don’t look depressed, adults ages 15-24: clinical but I am. I can smile, laugh depression, melancholia, depression, and joke with my friends dysthymic every day at school, but and seasonal affective that doesn’t mean my life disorder. Depression can is perfect. It doesn’t mean be hereditary, meaning it that I haven’t had voices is passed down from genin my head and sadness erations, and sometimes in my bones, because I it isn’t hereditary. Somehave. I’ve had scars on times, it just happens. My my wrists and therapists family’s blood runs thick who’ve asked me how with depression, and that I am. There were days means mine does too. It’s still hard. There are when I thought the only possible way to end the days more difficult than mental illness we call de- others, and that’s ok, but pression was killing my- it’s not cool. Depression isn’t cool, self. no matter how much soLike I said, depression ciety begs to differ. isn’t cool. When I was in seventh grade, living was harder.
MHS technology department needs more diverse course opportunities JONAH KERMER
21st Century Journalism Student You’ve all probably seen the course description book at some time, looking through the available courses. Each year when I look for classes to enroll in, I look for classes that could help me with my future career. If we take a look at the technology courses very quickly, you can start to see a pattern. You see a lot of business and finance classes compared to information technology classes. If someone wanted to pursue a specific field of IT,
they would either have to wait until college to take relevant classes, or take classes outside of the high school unless there was already a pathway for it. My point is, students interested in jobs in information technology don't have a diverse range of classes to prepare them for different job fields. There aren't enough classes that actually dig deep into some fields of IT. You have some classes that go down the programming pathway, and others that go down the digital communications pathway. What is really missing is the physical side of IT. Servers, net-
STAFF MEMBERS: Madeline Marshall -- Print Editor-In-Chief/Opinions Greg Woods -- Online Editor -In-Chief Tracy Le -- News Editor Savannah Cherms -- Entertainment Editor Erick Echegaray -- Sport Editor Elizabeth Underwood -- Features Editor Angie Moss -- Trending Editor
working, hardware, all that information that is arguably as important as the other pathways, so why don't we see any classes that cover it? Java programming is a skill that could be also used in this pathway as well as the programing pathway, so it is really the only class that would help cover this. Each student should get equal opportunity, right? There are more accounting and business classes than actual IT classes. In the course description book, there are five pathways bunched together into one section. The IT classes are mixed
Cora Astin -- Photo Editor Andrea Lu -- Graphics Designer/Copy Editor Alan Brown -- Copy Editor Staff Writers -- Anna Alanazi, David Fliter, Ale Flores, Anna Hupp, Megan Klug, Gavin Larios, Jordan Lutz, Tara Magaña, Maya Minocha, Dakota Santiago Staff Photographers -- McKenna Eilert, Logan Logback, Moriah Presley, Lauren Race, Dylan Thomas
in with business, accounting and communications. In total, there are eight classes available for the business management pathway, six available for the business finance pathway and nine classes for the AV communications pathway, some of which are the same classes. In the programing pathway there are five classes, and in the digital communications pathway there are seven classes. In total, that’s 22 for non-IT pathway classes, and nine classes for IT pathway classes. I'm not saying that other classes like business and accounting aren't useful,
I'm only saying that there is vastly more of them than IT classes. They are useful to know in general; it wouldn't help specifically for IT. Based on what we’ve seen so far, the range of classes in IT tips in favor of Programming and Web & Digital Communications. There’s a Java programming class, a game design class, and a couple animation and graphic design classes. There’s a whole section of IT missing that isn't covered in any class. This can be fixed if we add a couple of classes, or maybe even coordinate with local area colleges and get college
Kristy Nyp -- Adviser Circulation -- Kim Schnee’s fifth hour class: Kristyn Baker, Caleb Barnes, Dalton Blake, Wesley Cattanach, Charlie Dickey, Karl Drown, Rachel Efken, Logan Jones, Lynne Jones, Colten Kirk, Josh Kohls, Douglas McCaskill, Faith A. Parker, Alesha Pearl, Megan Ritthisorn, Bradley Rollins, Mythias Satterfield, Amissa Self, Tedi Stein, Hannah Sullivan and Austin Tatum.
credit classes. Manhattan Area Technical College already coordinate to supply college credit classes, and they do teach networking there. If this idea can be pushed through to the right people, we could this idea to become reality. The range of IT classes provided here at MHS is biased. The existing classes leave out an arguably important part of IT. This means that students interested in those fields must wait until college to pursue them. In my opinion, MHS should take steps to integrate more diverse classes in the Technology department.
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 1,000 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is an open forum that accepts contributions from the public. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.
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The Mentor // NOV. 24, 2015 // MHSMentor.com Entertainment
BETTER THAN THE REST:
StuCo’s Battle of the Bands rocks Rezac Auditorium
Junior Erick Echegary smashes his guitar after finishing his last song at Battle of the Bands with his band, The Noise. Echegary then gave his guitar to an adoring audience member. The Noise howvever was beaten by opponents Funkatron. PHOTOS BY SAVANNAH CHERMS
SAVANNAH CHERMS Entertainment Editor
The sounds of shredding guitars and heavy bass lines were better fit for the stage of some seedy bar, not the battered stage of Rezac Auditorium. Still, participants of Battle of the Bands managed to put on a show fit for a sold-out crowd. While this year there were only two bands competing, both had a common goal: they wanted to play good music, and they wanted to win, and StuCo gave them that opportunity. The night began with The Noise, composed of
juniors Erick Echegaray on guitar, Gavin Larios on bass, Jack Matthews on drums and Marcel Chlupsa on guitar. Each member had his moment on vocals as well. The band was high energy with every song they played, and was even more charismatic between songs. Larios provided plenty of banter between members of the band and audience members, who had all ditched their seats and flocked to stand in front of the stage by the first song. The Noise played two covers and seven original songs, giving their setlist a diverse sound. Members of The Noise were all relatively
ARTIST OF THE WEEK How long have you been playing drums? -“Seven years.”
pleased with their performance. “We did battle of the bands for the love of music. I love the feeling playing music and playing live music, especially with an audience like that, it’s really fun,” Echegaray said. The Noise put on an explosive show, ending the night with an (almost) smashed guitar courtesy of Echegary. After The Noise was Captain Funkatron and the Intergalactic All-stars, or Funkatron for short. The band consists of seniors Ethan Levin on guitar, Nathan McClendon on bass and Rachel Chang on keyboard and junior Jack Matthews
Fallout 4 returns fans to the Wasteland, brings best installment to date DAVID FLITER
Staff Writer
What does music do for you? -“Music in general lets you let emotions out and I think more so when you need to let something out you can just physically hit something and call it music, that’s always helpful. ”
From “Misery Business” to “Still Into You,” Paramore has always been able to write and produce quality music and have proven this plenty of times throughout their now-10-year career. The band has gone through its ups and downs just like any group, and with countless rumors of separation and solo projects, the road has definitely been a rocky one. Regardless of these roadblocks, the band has still been able to come out on top time and time again. Paramore, like most bands, started from humble beginnings. The band began in Franklin, TN as a small group of friends who were just trying to make music. Their lives changed once they released their first full length album, “All We Know Is Falling.” Today, 10 years after the birth of this record, the
Will you continue to play music after high school?-“Even if it’s not my full time job, I will still be making music for as long as my hands will play. Until arthritis kicks in and I become sad.”
JACK MATTHEWS
shared by their bassist, McClendon. “Music is cool because it’s a form of self expression,” McClendon said. “Every art is different but I think music is really special in its ability to communicate emotions and feelings in a deeper way that words aren’t really capable of doing.” At the end of the night, members of Funkatron walked away with the hundred dollar prize, and one lucky audience member left with Echegary’s damaged guitar.
The MHS Mentor staff reviews the most up and coming releases. See the full stories at mhsmentor.com
With its highly anticipated release, Fallout 4 blew away all expectations as it brings the series’s best game to date. The world of Fallout takes place in a world parallel to our own. The United States began isolating itself in order to preserve all of the remaining fossil fuels as all oil reserves
How could you describe music in one word? “YES. There isn’t any sort of facet of life that you can’t apply music to or apply that facet of life to music, it is just all.”
love for the music was obvious. “Everybody has something to say, either an issue or an insecurity or a need to dance around like an idiot on stage, and we just wanted a way to express that,” Levin said. “Music affects my life in so many ways. I’m one of those people that if I’m digging a song I’m happy or if I’m feeling down, music is one of the best ways to curve my mood or find sympathy with it,” he said. “If something goes wrong in my day I can always go home and just pluck something out.” Levin’s view on music was wholeheartedly
What’s new in the entertainment world?
What got you started playing drums? -“In fifth grade I kept hitting the desk, and the girl who sat next to me got so fed up that she said ‘you should join PHOTO BY SAVANNAH CHERMS percussion with me next year.’ So then in sixth grade I started drumming.”
Who/what inspires you? -“[Jazz director Nate] McClendon inspires me, definitely. The way he talks about music and he never just describes it as notes. He’s obviously very fond of correct notes but the music is much more to him, it’s his life and I understand that.”
takes the stage once again on drums. Again, every member had their moment when they took the mic on lead vocals. Funkatron took the stage accompanied by some severed mannequins, helping to set the scene for their set.. As soon as the first song started, McClendon pumps out the classic bassline of “Hysteria” by Muse, and you can see it in every member that they are happy to be on stage. “Being on stage is fun because not only are you allowed to be stupid, but you’re encouraged to be stupid,” McClendon said. For every participant of Battle of the Bands, the
across the world become exhausted. The Middle East increases the price of oil drastically, which causes many small nations to collapse, and the European Commonwealth (The game’s equivalent of the European Union) invade the Middle East and starts the Resource Wars. Neither side benefits, and disputes in the United Nations cause it to disband.
Paramore celebrates 10 years SAVANNAH CHERMS Entertainment Editor
First Showcase offers new experiences
Senior Katheryne Hager; ,uniors Dustin Wichman and Kaylee Fritchen; and senior Aidan Rosenow, members of Varsity Choir, sing for the Showcase Concert on Thursday Night. PHOTOS BY LAUREN RACE
band’s sound and image have changed drastically. While they are no longer known for their more rock inspired vocals, Paramore is still a force to be reckoned with while they bring the worlds of pop and rock together. Paramore’s success could easily be measured in their record sales or their awards. But that just doesn’t do the band justice. The easiest way to see the band’s influence, in the music world and out, is simply to look at the fans. Lead singer Hayley Williams has inspired hundreds of girls everywhere to not only be themselves. Even Lynn Gunn, lead singer of the band PVRIS, was affected and inspired by the raw power of WIlliams’ performance. “You see someone else doing that up there and you’re like, ‘I could do that,” Gunn says. “That was a realization point, because she was a young girl just going up and completely killing it. I can do that if I want to.
ALE FLORES
Staff Writer
“Catching the Sun” by Spyro Gyra, “Doxy” by Sonny Rollins, “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar and “Heart of Glass” by Blondie were some of the songs that Manhattan High’s Blue Notes Jazz Band, Varsity and Pops Choir performed last week at their Showcase. Students have been preparing for the show for a while, but this was the first time the jazz band performed with an audience. “The first time is always exciting,” jazz director Nate McClendon said. “There is a lot of new students, a lot of teaching
China’s economy never recovers, and the Soviet Union never collapses. The Middle East then begins to war with each other, and after a nuclear weapon deployed by terrorists destroys Tel Aviv, Middle Eastern countries launch all available nuclear weapons against each other and completely decimate the area. This is personally my favorite Fallout game. I
put countless hours in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas and I knew Fallout 4 would be the same but even then it blew my expectations right out of the water. There has not been a game that I have been immersed so quickly in. Overall gameplay and perfectly written quests and characters overshadows these errors dramatically.
‘Mockingjay Part 2’ OK at best ERICK ECHEGARAY
Sports Editor
When I first read The Hunger Games back in sixth grade, I was intrigued by not only the futuristic dystopian story of the original books but also the characters in this tale. Fast forward to present time, and we find ourselves with the release of the last movie of the saga of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.” This movie -- trust me on this -- is in no way or form a cinematic success or a masterpiece of a film, because it is not meant to be that. It is a big blockbuster with really nothing else to offer. But this “Part 2” suffers from what many blockbuster movies have suffered (and gained mountains of cash) from -- being split into two parts. The film picks up immediately where the last one left off. The only problem is that many of us have absolutely no idea where that was. And
and learning this is when we get to put the teaching into action. ” Varsity and Pops choirs, on the other hand, have been performing since summer. They put together 60 shows through the year. “I think we did pretty good,” senior Claire Huber said. “This was better than the first [concert] we’ve had.” Pops and Varsity choirs got to dance during some of their musical numbers and wore their uniforms. Vocal teacher Chad Pape was happy with the outcome of the whole event. “This was a great day,” Pape said, “We’re hoping to improve our singing techniques.”
even though the film felt four hours long (actual running time: 2 hours 17 minutes), it feels incomplete as if you were only getting the second part of a movie. Oh wait. The beginning of the film, although a little boring, is not that bad in comparison to the rest of the films. In fact if it wasn’t for the struggle of trying to remember what happened in the previous film, it would have been much better. The “Mockingjay” book has always had a reputation as being the worst book of the trilogy, but the film is surely one of the best of the entire collection. With thrilling action, the second half of the movie saves the film. It also brought forward Jennifer Lawrence’s best performance in the series. It was a fitting way to end the story of “the Hunger Games” without any serious errors that would complicate the legacy of the movies, the books or the story.
Blue Notes Jazz Band is having their next performance in the fall, and Pops and Varsity Choir have a lot of performances coming this year. “We’ve the got holiday season coming,” junior Aeron Julian said. “We go to places like pre-schools, tea parties, anyone can call and ask us to perform.”
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Boys Basketball looks ahead at new season GREG WOODS
Online Editor-in-Chief Coming back from a year that saw a schoolrecord 18 wins, victories over every team in the league and a league championship is no easy job. Topping it, on the other hand, is an even tougher assignment. But it is one the Manhattan High boys basketball team is tasked with in 2015. Make no mistake, however -- the Indians are well-equipped to tackle the challenge. Four starters return to this year’s roster, which includes seven seniors. Head coach Benji George, who enters his second full season at the helm of the program, said the consistency will pay dividends down the stretch. “We have a great core group of guys coming back,” George said. “Especially with our guards, with Trevor [Hudgins], and Gabe [Awbrey], Robbie [Ostermann] and Tommy [Ekart] in the mix there.” The list of seven seniors includes guards Awbrey and Ostermann, as well as forwards Christian Carmichael, Cole Gritton, Darryl Mallett, Grant Munsen and guard Zach Francis. Francis, however, is a newcomer to the Varsity squad after playing on the J.V. team the last two years. George explained that Francis’ style of play
will be especially beneficial in half-court sets. “He shot lights out this summer,” George said. “He’s taken steps forward defensively; that was the area he needed to improve. And he has a really good feel for our offense. He’s going to fit in, I think, really well in games where it’s more of a halfcourt game.” Junior Ian Trapp is another newcomer. Fresh off playing quarterback for the football team, George said Trapp’s strengths reside in his abilities as an athlete. “Ian provides us a whole other level of athleticism,” George said. “When we’re getting up and down and pressing, with his length, and just general athleticism, I could see him fitting really well into our press and full-court game.” The frontcourt of Carmichael, Gritton and Munsen saw action in 2014-15, but their minutes were relatively limited with then-senior Pierson McAtee, who stands sixfoot-six, taking up space underneath. Without McAtee’s towering presence this year, George expects the trio to see extended playing time and make an impact accordingly. “Our bigs, the more we talk, are going to be ready to step up and answer the challenge,” George said. “Every team is going to talk about our guards.
Our bigs aren’t going to be talked about a whole lot. And I think our bigs have a really good opportunity to step up and surprise some people.” He said Munsen will be a crucial factor, a player who has a chance for a season the likes of which the senior has not yet seen. “I think Grant Munsen is going to be phenomenal,” George said. “I don’t think anybody knows how good he can be. He’s so athletic and has a good feel, and his footwork’s great. I think he’s ready to step up and have a big year.” Munse himself agreed, saying he has worked on expanding his abilities under the basket. “Definitely worked on the post,” Munsen said. “I’m going to have to play a lot of big men this year, so getting stronger, working on my moves, little bit of shooting.” Another big-man George said will see time on the court is junior Cade Roberts. “He is a guy that has worked incredibly hard,” George said. “He’s kind of a guy that could be a poor man’s Pierson. And we would take a poor man’s Pierson. Very similar player; kind of taken a similar route to Varsity. He’s worked so hard. On the defensive end of the court, he’s working real hard. He’s got a great feel and a great touch, and he’s
Junior Cade Roberts and senior Ian Trapp listen to coach Benji George explain a drill in the North Gym on Monday afternoon. Trapp replaces his quarterback position on the football field with small forward on the court. PHOTO BY DAVID FLITER
going to get on the court some. He’ll definitely be on the floor.” Aside from McAtee, the frontcourt of Awbrey, Hudgins, Ostermann and Ekart provided much of the scoring last year, but Hudgins dished out a good dosage of assists. George said the coaching staff will rely on the junior to score a bit more this year. “We’re going to be on him to score a little bit more,” George said. “I don’t worry too much about where we’re going to replace some of the scoring from, but I think he’s going to have to have a large role in terms of scoring.” Awbrey gave the Indi-
ans 15 points per game last season, but he explained that the biggest development of his game he made over the summer did not involve a ball in his hands. “I’m just trying to be more of a leader, coming in here as a senior,” Awbrey said. “It starts on the defensive end of the floor, and then, after that, everything just comes.” For Manhattan, the season starts Dec. 3 at the Hays Shootout tournament, where the Indians will first take on Thomas More Prep-Marian. Without starting the season with a standard game, Awbrey said the unique outset to the year
will pose a challenge for his team. “Obviously it’s a little bit different,” he said. “Three games in three days, so we have to be ready to go. We can’t just play one game then practice and play another.” As debilitating as last year’s short postseason run could have been, Hudgins said it didn’t take long for the disappointment to translate to motivation for this year. “No,” Hudgins said of whether it took long for the feeling to change. “The next day.”
Wrestling prepares for first meet of season ERICK ECHEGARAY
Sports Editor
Coming off a successful season that almost included a State Title, the Manhattan High Wrestling team comes back this season with 10 returning starters that are determined to beat the odds this year and win the coveted state title. “We have one goal and that one goal is to win State championship. And everything else will fall under the place, if we win a state championship then the regional title will fall the league title will fall, individual titles will follow. From the sixtysixth person to the number one person on the program, we have to be on the same page.” Head wrestling coach Robert Gonzalez said. Gonzales and the Indians last won a State title in 2012. “This year’s team although young, we have more returning starters with wrestling experience, I think that’s important. We have ten returning starters and they’ll all be able to filter to the weight classes of the 14 weight classes that they want. We also have great
depth and a great Junior class.” Only four starters did not come back from last years team. “I’m excited and happy about our team, ecstatic. They’ve been wonderful to work with. The freshman are interesting, they have to become accustomed to practicing with the Varsity, but that’s how you A learn in Wrestling. We have 65 boys and 1 girl out. “ There are a total of 66 wrestlers on the team, including freshman Adrian Gift who is the only female wrestler on the team. Among the returning starters are senior Blake Wewer, juniors Joe Braun, Zephry Killham, Devin Norris, Mason Wallace and Eldon Picou. “We’re getting a bunch of guys back, so we’re going a lot of Varsity experience.“ Picou said. He finished sixth at State last year. “It helps that we have 15 lettermen back and so the leadership from the 10 starters and the 15 lettermen has been great” Gonzalez said. The Indians have their first meet on Dec. 3 against Washburn Rural. “The KWCA [Kansas
Coach Shawn Bammes demonstrates a move along with sophomore Jalin Harper on Monday, Nov. 23.
Wrestling Coaches Association], so they do a ranking and it’s all preseason and it’s hype and the people who are excited about it are the moms and dads and the wrestling fans. Coaches they look at that and say ‘well
I don’t want to be ranked that high now everyone is going to be trying to beat us’ and other coaches might say ‘We got no respect they didn’t rank us’ so they’ll tell their team certain things but it’s all part of coaching,” Gonza-
lez said. The Indians are ranked third and Washburn is ranked 10th. “I’m very proud to coach here and I’m very proud of what our kids do and I try to keep the tradition going of what
Girls b-ball seeks to improve this year GREG WOODS
Online Editor-in-Chief By nature, high school basketball teams lose players to graduation. That much is to be expected. Losing six, however, goes far beyond what most teams endure. But that is what the Manhattan High girls basketball faces heading into its 2015-16 campaign. Head coach Scott Mall, who enters his 23rd year at the reigns of the program, said the loss is largely unprecedented. “It’s been awhile. We’ve had big groups before, but it seems like it’s been awhile since we had a group this big,” Mall said. “Losing six seniors, all of whom were key players, is quite a bit to lose.” Instead, the team looks to its smaller
group of three seniors in Tarrah Bammes, Maddie Mittie and Mackenzie Gwinner this year, as well as two juniors in Gigi McAtee and Kennedy Wilson, to lead the squad that advanced to its second-straight State tournament last year. Mall said he expects the scoring to come from a variety those players, as well as others. “For Gigi and Madison Mittie, there’ll be more scoring opportunities, I think, for them this year, because we have less experience out there,” he said. “Hopefully those two can kind of lead the way there. And then I think our other girls are all capable of chipping in and doing some things. I could see us having different high scorers at different times. We have a lot of girls with different abilities; it just kind of depends on what the other team is like.”
On the short list of returning experience sits Wilson, one of Mall’s first options off the bench last season. Mall said he expects the junior to continue to eat up minutes for the Lady Indians. “I’d expect her to step up. She’s our most experienced inside presence,” Mall said. “She’s worked really hard; come a long ways from when she was a freshman, so I’d expect good things out of her.” Over the summer, the team attended camps Wichita State and Kansas State held. Mall said the experiences will pay off on the court. “Those kinds of experiences are always big for building [chemistry],” Mall said. “Especially this year, graduating so much experience. It really gave them a chance to integrate together and see how their games fit together.” Bammes agreed, say-
ing the camps offered a chance to see what each other brought to the table. “It showed us how everyone played, and their different styles, and actually coming together and seeing how each other worked,” Bammes said. “We made good passes out for threes; we made good passes in for the post. I think if we continue that same teamwork together, then we should be really good this year.” Apart from the three seniors and two juniors that return to this year’s roster, Mall expects juniors Chelsey Henry and Aubrey Downie, sophomore Josie Hilgers and even freshman Kia Wilson to compete for playing time. He said all are viable options. “We have some young girls,” Mall said. “We have some sophomores and even some freshmen that I think are capable
of getting some Varsity minutes.” The Lady Indians kick off their season at the Hays Shootout tournament, where their first opponent lies in Thomas More PrepMarian. Mall said there are both positives and negatives to beginning a season away from home. “There’s good and bad,” he said. “It’s tough to start off in a tournament atmosphere, especially this year like this, where we have a lot of new pieces to put together. But it’s also nice to start off together like that. They stay together a couple of nights, so they get more used to one another. We do get to fit in some practice time after the first game, which is huge.” Manhattan tips off against TMP Thursday, Dec. 3.
PHOTO BY JONAH KERMER
Mr. [Lee] Woodford built you know 30 years ago here at Manhattan High” Gonzalez said. The Indians start their season against Washburn Rural.
Swimming and Diving readies for season JORDAN LUTZ
Staff Writer
Despite the cold weather, the Boys Swimming and Diving team has been dedicated to learning and practicing the fundamentals in preparation for the new season. “Many of us haven’t been in the water, myself included,” junior swimmer Trey Hafen said, “We are just getting back in shape just working on the fundamentals.” The team has many newcomers on both Swim and Dive so the team as a whole has been working on learning how to swim the right way. “We have a lot of really new people,” Hafen said. “The majority of the team are underclassmen who are new. They are just working on learning how to swim and do it right, like the rest of the team.” The boys will have their first meet on Dec 2 at Topeka.
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Features
Grad transitions into unfamiliar role at K-State GREG WOODS
Online Editor-in-Chief Transitions are inevitable. They happen to everyone at some point in their lives, whether or not they arrive with the consent of the people they affect. Some are inconsequential. Some are drastic. Pierson McAtee is experiencing the latter. Outfitted with the diploma he earned from Manhattan High in May and the background of four years of high school basketball, the freshman forward walked on to the Kansas State basketball team earlier the same month. His role under head coach Bruce Weber has been a transition the likes of which McAtee has never undergone. The freshman is redshirting this year, meaning that he cannot play in any of K-State’s non-exhibition games this season. Rather, he has opted to sit out a year and unearth what it means to be a collegiate student-athlete. He said the metamorphosis from high school starter to college understudy has been unique. “I haven’t been in this role in a while. It’s definitely a humbling experience,” McAtee said. “It’s
a different role, but it’s definitely one I’m willing to accept.” The challenge of shifting duties has extended beyond the confines of Bramlage Coliseum, he explained. It has found a home in his studies. “It’s definitely a lot more difficult than high school was,” he said. “It’s a lot of out-of-class work. In high school, you can get a lot of work done in class. But when you’ve got to go straight to practice and you’re tired at the end of the day, you don’t want to start on that essay early, so you end up cramming at the end; different things like that. I’m definitely learning as I go.” Climbing the ranks to Division-I student-athlete status has offered learning opportunities. That has meant keeping his shoulder to the wheel. “I’ve learned that it’s a grind,” McAtee said. “Whether it’s getting in an extra lift, an extra workout, going in to watch film, the schoolwork, it ends up biting you in the butt sometimes.” Majoring in Business Administration, McAtee faces classes, then it’s back to practice, where the team watches film together and prepares for
a schedule against both non-conference and Big 12 opponents. Through it all, McAtee said the nexus between he and his teammates remains unwavering. “The bond has grown further over this preseason so far,” he said. “Everyone’s pretty close. It’s a pretty tightknit group all the way around.” In K-State’s two exhibition games of the season, drubbings of Emporia State and Fort Hays State, McAtee shed the purple-and-white warm up suit and stepped onto the court in the final minutes. Donning a bold No. 24, McAtee clocked six minutes and tallied four points combined in the only two games he plans to see action in this season, barring a situation in which McAtee has his redshirt pulled. Despite the unfamiliar lack of playing time, he said he approached the playing time with a garden-variety attitude. “It’s just like any other game,” McAtee said. Though he may be in uncharted waters, aboard a ship on which he has yet to learn the ropes -- one on which he finds himself low on the totem pole of experience
Then-senior Pierson McAtee fights for control of a ball last season at the MHS North Gym. McAtee is currently redshirting for Kansas State this year, a stark contrast from his starter role at MHS last season. Photo by Cora Astin
-- McAtee said he is eager to get the 2015-16 campaign underway. “I’m extremely excited for these guys,” he said. “Practice every day, [I’m] willing to push them, willing to anything I can to help us win. That’s a special role. It’s a self-motivating role. There’s no
Student scouted by modeling agency Dakota Santiago
Staff Writer
Imagine graduating a year early packing up your belongings and moving to New York for a modeling job. While this may seem like a far-fetched day-dream, for Junior Hannah Phillips it’s a reality. The Red Model Management modeling agency reached out to her on social media. “The agency scouted me on Instagram,” Phillips said. “They contacted me and basically said, ‘hey, we like your look, could we see some more pictures?’ So I sent them more pictures and they said they wanted to contract me.” This is the third modeling contract Phillips has been offered but the first she’s accepted. “In the past I wasn’t really ready to get up and change my entire life for it. A big reason I feel ready now is that I have all my credits lined up to graduate in May.” The contract will last for two years and the official signing with both parties was last Friday. Along with the agency, Phillips plans to have
her own personal modeling agent to assist her in finding more work. “Since the modeling agency only does work in NYC, I’ll have a personal agent to help me find markets in Paris, London and Milan,” Phillips said. “I’ll be doing a lot of travelling.” Moving across the country in the middle of the school year is an overwhelming task for anyone but Phillips has been preparing. “I’ll be gone a lot but I still want to be able to finish school, so I’m doing second semester online through Manhattan Virtual Academy. Other than that I’ve just been packing up.” Phillips said. Modeling isn’t her only ambition. Her other goals include attending college and following a passion for acting. “Acting is my passion but modeling is a really good way into that world because I can also find an acting agent through my modeling agency,” Phillips said. “I’m also probably going to go to college at the same time so I have to start applying soon.” Overall Phillips is excited for her future. “I’m pretty excited,”
Photo Courtesy of Hannah Phillips
Phillips said. “Modeling is something I’ve been looking into and wanting to
do for a while so it’s crazy that it’s finally happening.”
one there to kind of say ‘hey, pick it up today.’ It’s kind of all on your shoulders to do that.” He said he appreciates the strains of past mentors who have helped him along the way. “I think I’ve had good coaches in the past -I know I’ve had good
coaches in the past,” he said. “Coach George, coach Sieben, coach Ingram; all those guys from last year and years before with my dad, growing up. “You’ve got to work hard. Or you’re going to get your butt handed to you.”
TLAB makes library more popular David fliteR
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Public Library has a wide assortment of groups that seek to bring more community involvement to the library itself. One of these groups is known as the Teen Library Advisory Board, and their goal is to bring more teenage involvement in the library’s activities. Members get the chance to be the first to read new young adult novels and make a major difference in the community. TLAB meets on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Friends meeting room. TLAB has a large group of Manhattan High students working to get other teens more aware of what goes on in the community and in the library. “We try to get people interested in going and doing things at the library,” sophomore Christina Price said. TLAB’s opinions have weight in almost everything the library does. A majority of the people who frequent the library are children and young adults, so it makes sense that a board composed of hard working and involved teenagers is need-
ed in order to truly make changes that will benefit the community and the library as a whole. “If we get a new space or if we are decorating that space, they get a say in that too,” TLAB advisor Rachael Schmidtlein said. “Book displays, programs especially. This year we are trying to get a selection that reflects what local teenagers want, and do more programming that people actually want to do instead of just what we think we are supposed to do.” A great thing about TLAB is that there is no need to be committed at all if you have many preoccupations that take up your time. “It’s pretty open. There is no commitment if you don’t want to,” Schmidtlein said. Those needing volunteer hours for school, Key Club or looking to be in National Honors Society should be especially interested in TLAB at the start of second semester. “Starting at the beginning of next semester we will be offering volunteer hours if you come to TLAB,” Schmidtlein said. “Meetings are 30 minutes long. If you need volunteer hours for school, it would be a good thing to come to.”
Student journalists gain knowledge at national convention Ale Flores
Staff Writer
Lots of people think of a trip to Orlando, Fla., as going to Disney World, getting on roller coasters, buying candy and having a full dose of fun. But for journalism adviser Kristy Nyp, senior Tara Magaña and junior Elizabeth Underwood the focus was to attend the National High School Journalism Convention at the Dolphin Resort in Orlando.
FROM UN PAGE 1 nization that we’re going to send letters through,” junior Angelica Lang said. “I got an email about their letter writing campaign. So then I thought it’d be cool for our group to do since we talk about other countries and human rights.” Lang is representing Senegal. She followed her interest in politics and learning about other countries and joined to
The event was so big that they had to stay in one of three overflow hotels. “I have been to a JEA/ NSPA [Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association] before, several times, so I knew what it was like, but this is the first time I got to take students on a flight to a convention,” Nyp said. At the convention students could enter in different types of writing
and multimedia competitions, and go to sessions to hear different guest speakers. For the competition, there were 48 different categories. For the yearbook competition, according to Magaña, participants received a fact sheet with photos and they had to write a story with a sub-headline, headline and captions for the photos. Awards are ranked Superior, Excellent and
Honorable mention. “Out of 2,003 entries 712 got awards and Tara was one of them,” Nyp said. Magaña received an Excellent award in Yearbook Copy and Captions: Student Life. Magaña and Underwood also gave a presentation titled “Let’s get real: The weekly newspaper process,” which told about the ways to make a weekly broadsheet newspaper.
“It was a huge learning experience,” Underwood said, “The entire thing was just incredible.” There were a lot of things to discover that they now can share with the staff. “I learned that, as journalists we have different ways we can help people other than news, like, with criminal justice we can dig deeper into cases to see if someone was wrongly convicted and help get them a retrial,”
Underwood said. Everything that they experienced has helped them gain more knowledge about journalism and how to work with their publication staff. “[I think one of the most important things I learned is to] care about your work,” Magaña said. “When you care about your work, if you make it fun and be creative, your publication becomes better.”
hopefully gain a little insight on how countries interact with each others on different issues. “I know that a lot of the students are interested in current events and just global affairs subject. This also gives experience for speech, so you’re gaining a lot of interpersonal skills there,” club sponsor Sam Lehrman said. “It’s a professional take at world politics environment.”
FROM DEBATE PAGE 1
ment, and will continue competing up until the end of the season. “We had some really good discussions, I thought, prepping kids out to be more successful in the future,” Sutherland said. “Hayden is our next ... J.V. tournament, and we’ll see what happens.”
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a block schedule. We just want to make sure that we come up with the best for our Manhattan High students.” A decision will be made once the feedback is evaluated. From there the MHS schedule proposal will be sent to the district committee for approval for next school year.
Wilson said. “The Resolution is basically the topic given to debaters over the year to collect information over and then process the information into speeches.” Both teams showed great success and improvement at this tourna-
ber Heidi Rippert said. “Those possibilities are going to be evaluated by teachers and administrators to evaluate the pros and cons of each in the coming weeks. Right now everything is on the table from a schedule similar to what we have now to
SENIOR PHOTOS DUE DEC. 14
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Trending
Casualties and injuries due to terrorist attacks within the last two weeks
America increases security after terrorist attacks The threat is real. All America has heard about for the last week is the Islamic State and the atrocities that occurred all over Europe Nov. 13. These events have led Americans to a sort of panic and has developed the question: is ISIS coming for America next? Earlier last week, ISIS released two videos that implied an attack against the U.S. may not be too far away. The first video showed a member
of ISIS making a bomb as well as shots of Times Square. As if that wasn’t already chilling enough, the second video showed a jihadi soldier talking into the camera describing what ISIS is going to do to America. While the government isn’t sure that these are a credible threat, America has still increased the security tremendously. "At this time, we know of no specific or credible threats of an attack on the U.S. homeland of
boko haram
grace woods 21st Century Journalism Student
ISIL isn’t the only terror group that we need to worry about. Yet another group seeking to create an Islamic State has been harassing Nigeria for years and has already taken control over the northeast corner of Africa. Here are some facts that we’ve compiled to show just how much of an impact this terror group has made on Africa and its citizens.
the type that occurred in Paris tonight," Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said to NBC Nov. 13. Since the Paris attack happened outside of a soccer stadium, the NBA and NFL are increasing security at their games as well. Security has also been increased around government buildings and French sites in Boston, according to NBC.
Lebanon attack jordan lutz
Staff Writer
Although the attack in Paris was substantial and caused over 100 casualties, it wasn’t the only place attacked by ISIS the weekend of Nov. 13. The attack hit a shopping district called Burj al-Barajneh. According to a wouldbe bomber, him and some others arrived from Syria a few days prior
>> Responsible for 6,644 deaths in 2014 compared to 6,073 due to ISIL >> Suspected to be responsible for the terrorist attacks in Nigeria that led to over 30 deaths >> Killed over 1,500 civilians in the early months of 2015 >> Murdered over 4,000 people in 2014 alone >>100 men were executed in one day for refusing to join Boko Haram >> 46 bomb attacks between January 2014 to March 2015 >> 29 percent of women kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters were raped, according to Amnesty interviews
We are all
Paris
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bombs set off, five minutes apart
people dead
9
dakota santiago
suspects arrested
Staff Writer
clared and France closed its borders. French President Francois Hollande also declared Nov. 15, 16 and 17 national days of mourning. The French Air Force launched their largest airstrike of Operation Chammal, a bombing campaign against ISIL, on Nov. 15. Hollande convened a meeting on Nov. 17 to address the attacks and discuss legislative and diplomatic responses to them. The proposals included an extension of the state of emergency to three months, changes to the French constitution to allow France to protect itself from dual citizens and increases in military attacks against ISIL.
5
minutes apart
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people injured
GRAPHICS BY ANDREA LU
A series of organized terrorist attacks, consisting of mass shootings, suicide bombings and hostage-taking occurred in Paris, France, on the evening of Nov. 13. Three teams launched six distinct attacks: three suicide bombings in one attack, a fourth suicide bombing in another attack and shootings at four locations in four separate attacks. 130 people were killed and 352-368 people were injured with 80-100 in critical condition. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attacks on the morning of Nov. 14. In response to the attacks, a national state of emergency was de-
and then m e x i c o j a p a n there’s m oth e r n at u r e TRACY LE
News Editor
Friday morning, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck Baja California, Mexico. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, however, Category 5 storm Hurricane Patricia hit Mexico’s Pacific coast Oct. 23, becoming the strongest storm ever recorded. Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, with populations of over 250,000 and 150,000, respectively, were told to prepare for the worst. The U.S. National Hurricane Center had warned the storm could be “potentially catastrophic” and warnings compared the possible impact to Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which killed more than 6,000 people. According to USA Today tens of thousands of people were evacuated before the hurricane hit. In the end, Patricia’s path changed and hit a relatively unpopulated part of the coast. The strongest hurricane on record did not have a direct effect on a single death.
On Nov. 13, a magnitude 7.0 (according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency; 6.5 according to the U.S. Geological Survey) earthquake stuck off Japan’s Ryuku Islands. Though The Japan Meteorological Agency declared a 30 cm tsunami was registered, there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and the tsunami warning issued for Kagaoshima and Satsunan islands were lifted. However, in March of 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a 30-foot tsunami followed by more than 50 aftershocks. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was the largest ever recorded in Japan and the fourth-largest ever recorded in the world. It led to fires such as the one in Miyagi where a town of 70,000 burned to the ground and that left material damage estimated at about 25 trillion yen ($300 billion) and more than 15,500 people dead and 2,500 missing.