M
ENTOR
The
Manhattan High School Volume 101 Issue 10 Nov. 12, 2013
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Science Olympiad competes in first meet of the season Tracy Le Graphic Designer Last Friday, Manhattan High’s Science Olympiad team drove to Shawnee Mission South for their first competition of the year. The 11 members that went were up against 21 other teams and results will be delivered later this week.
“I would like to see us do well, but ultimately, it’s for the kids to really enjoy themselves, learn a bunch, and be excited about the whole process,” Science Olympiad sponsor Dick Nelson said. “Our goal for this was to have the younger members have a chance to see what it’s all about, have a chance to compete and hopefully motivate
them in terms of getting even more excited about science olympiad.” Sophomore Morgan Martin competed in the Rocks and Minerals, Experimental Design and Entomology events. “I was kind of nervous but it was fine because it’s only a practice meet and all the other teams are kind of in the
same boat,” Martin said. Though this was only a practice competition, members agree that it was very helpful. “Without these you just have the PowerPoints and stuff and you aren’t really sure what you need to know for competition. [The practice competition] gave you an idea about what compe-
tition was going to be like, what questions were going to be like,” junior Danny Aramouni said. This is Martin’s first year on the team so she appreciated the practice. “I like the idea of going in there and being able to prepare before we actually have to do the real one,” Martin said.
Unless they decide to go on more practice competitions, the team’s next competition is the regional competition in Salina in February. “I’m really looking forward to regionals,” Martin said. “I think our team is really good.”
Dissecting Season Anatomy students gain hands-on experience
Sophomores Andrea Lu and Amanda Mack work on skinning their cat during Accelerated Anatomy and Physiology class. The classes have been dissecting cats for the past month.
Alan Brown Multimedia Editor It’s dissecting season. Since last month, the Accelerated Anatomy and Physiology classes have been dissecting cats as a part of their muscle unit. The Marine Science class also took part in a dissection while studying sharks. “It is really interesting because you get to see what is inside and how
things work,” sophomore Krista Burton said. Led by teachers Craig Ackerman and Pat Lamb, the anatomy students have seen and memorized over eighty cat muscles. A cat’s muscle anatomy is very similar to a human’s, which makes it ideal to study for students preparing for a career in the medical field. Senior Liz Lo finds the class to be very useful in preparing for her future. “I want to go into nurs-
ing school and knowing the body is helpful,” Lo said. Unlike previous years, the cats were delivered to the school with their skin still attached. A large group of students volunteered to skin the cats by hand during their Friday off from school. True to the popular idiom, students discovered there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat. “It was fun,” Lo said. “I thought it was weird how
Business class opens online store Kennedy Felice Copy Editor Guided by their knowledge of business principles and understanding of marketing, the Applied Business Development Class at Manhattan High has taken on the challenge of creating an online store. After establishing a plan business teacher Paige McCarthy, alongside her students, sought venues to turn their idea into something tangible. “Mr. [Mike] Marsh was the one who got me going with this, because I had approached him saying that this class was thinking that they wanted to start an online store or some sort of school store,” McCarthy said. “And he said a good place to begin might be this GTM site because he had been approached by a retailer here in Manhattan about ordering their products online.” Students involved are being tasked with creating a business that is both functional and profitable. “We work on it basically
everyday, just the everyday operations. We practically do everything involved. We set up the store, all the products that go along with it, the pricing, the distribution and the marketing of it all,” senior Jake Carlson said. The steps needed to successfully create this store have required the continued effort and commitment from those involved. “This process is a lot slower than we had been anticipating. We started working on this in August and we thought that we would have something going in just a few weeks, but now we’re finally ready,” McCarthy said. With each item sold, a small profit is earned which will be returned to Business Professionals of America club. “We have to take about 1020 people every year to state in Wichita, where we have to pay for traveling expenses and hotel rooms,” senior Jerry Sextro said. “There is a little bit of expense and that is what we are trying to make up for.”
Though the store is only currently available to teachers and other faculty members, expansion is a likely possibility in the future. “Right now we are having a staff store, that is the one we have running right now. And then we are partnering with wrestling, for a wrestling team spirit store,” Sextro said. “Then we want to establish a store for just regular MHS apparel available to students and the community and find other clubs and organizations interested in working with us as well. “ With the establishment of a school store students involved are now being presented with the opportunity to explore the business field beyond the traditional classroom setting. “These kids are learning how important planning is and how long it really takes to really get an idea off of the ground. They are able to analyze financial records because on the site we can see how many people have been See Business page 3
the skin just peeled right off.” At first, being in contact with dead animals was a very awkward situation for many students, especially for those who were dissecting for the first time. Burton presented a colorful description of the scene. “It smelled like death and formaldehyde,” Burton said. “I felt like a serial killer.” Sophomore Maddie Taylor also felt a bit un-
comfortable with the dead cats at first, but she has come to enjoy the process. “I like getting my fingers under their skin,” Taylor said. “It was gross at first, but now I am used to it.” The anatomy class has a pin test over the cat muscles scheduled this week. The test will consist of several timed stations where students will need to be able to name particular muscles on the body of the
Alan Brown, Photographer
cats and be able to spell them correctly in order to receive full points. The test setup is very similar to the bone pin test that the students took in early October. With study time available after school and throughout the weekend, there are several students that feel confident about the upcoming test. “Life in this class is much easier if you study,” senior Amanda Buckwalter said.
GSA starts up again Tracy Le Graphic Designer After not having a chapter for two years, students at Manhattan High have decided to reorganize Gay Straight Alliance. The club is being sponsored by MHS art teacher Sara Remple. “Right now we’re just setting the club up again so we really haven’t had time to do anything yet,” Remple said. Junior Rebekah Carter joined GSA her freshman
year. "I was really glad [the club is active again]," Carter said. "It's the only club I'm really in and I love it so much." Carter is the vice president of the club, junior Mary Romig is president, senior Akira Porter is secretary and senior Caleb Deines is treasurer. So far GSA has held a couple of meetings where members have been filling out paperwork, picking officers and planning out what they
want to do this year. They are thinking about holding multiple fundraisers and having speakers come in to talk to them. "I feel like the school definitely needs a GSA club," Porter said. Remple agreed. “Because it helps people feel like they're accepted," she said. “It’s a safe place for different people to meet and talk with each other and just be able to relate to people without feeling different.”
Foreign language clubs available Adelle Sloan Guest Writer Students join clubs because they want to get involved. If they want to learn about the culture of another country, there are three clubs available to join -- the German, French and Spanish Clubs. German Club celebrates
the German culture. Each year, they celebrate Oktober Fest with a Bratwurst Fest fundraiser. Three of the German Club officers are seniors -- vice president Chasity Smith, secretary Joe Haug and treasurer Taylor Smith. “Right now, we’re helping with parking at one of the K-State games, and we’ll be going to Eisenhower, Lucky
and Anthony to recruit for next year,” German Club president junior Reshan Fadul said. Anybody can join the Spanish Club even if they don’t speak the language or attend the class. Spanish Club is one of the largest clubs at Manhattan High, See Foreign Language page 3
Opinion The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com Page 2
Tweets taint Question of the Week: reputations What m ovie character b est d es crib es yo u? Why?
The editorial is a compilation from a discussion held by the Editorial board. Manhattan High soccer’s victory at Dodge City last week brought out a new level of school spirit. Twitter blew up. First, timelines were littered with excitement and congratulations, but soon the claws came out. Tweets were sent back and forth between Dodge City and Manhattan, getting more and more vicious the longer the “fights” went on. Members of each school were tagged in the tweets against each other, making Manhattan’s win on the field look less and less deserved. The students who engaged in bashing Dodge City
and its students on Twitter gave a bad impression of MHS. Those few students shone a bad light on ALL of the students at Manhattan High. It’s good to be excited for your team and share that spirit on Twitter, but there is no need to publicly represent MHS with negative actions towards the opposing team. Now, when other schools think of MHS, instead of knowing us for our successful athletics, they will remember us for our rude fans. The students who engaged in the immature behavior on Twitter may have unintentionally created a rival team. Dodge City High’s view of us isn’t going to be a positive one after the reaction they saw on Twitter.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and Twitter is often an outlet to share opinions, but there is no need to tag others in opinionated tweets. When others are tagged in tweets they are brought into the situation and that’s when things get ugly. If administration were to get involved from either school they might consider the attacks cyberbullying. The soccer team accomplished an amazing feat. Unfortunately that win has been overlooked because of Manhattan’s rude reaction on Twitter. Whether the tweets were funny or not, they made MHS look bad and they the students of this school an unsportsmanlike reputation.
“Voldemort because my name is taboo.” - Israel Wheatley, sophomore
“Batman because he is batman.” - Alex Cardenas, sophomore
Next edition’s Question of the Week: What is yo ur b est birthd ay m e m ory? Submit answers to mhsmentor. com
Water keeps body healthy Respect the golden rule Danielle Danielle Cook Cook
Teachers. They think they know everything. So do you, though. You’re always so busy with homework. So are they. You spend almost all day, every day, at school. They do, too. Sometimes, you’re pretty sure they come from a whole different planet. Sometimes, they’re pretty sure you do, as well. You have a lot more in common with your teachers than you think you do. And if that weirds you out, that’s ok. It’s a weird concept. But when you really think about it, having something in common with your teachers can only have a good outcome; usually common ground leads to mutual and equal respect between individuals. From an early age, we’re
taught about how to treat people. We’re taught not only how to treat our peers, but even how to treat adults (including our teachers). It seems that, over time, however, high school students become forgetful that, even though some of us are legally adults too, teachers still have the right to be respected by students as authority figures. Yeah, some of them might drive you absolutely insane with their harsh grading, excessive assignments, or just with their crazy antics, but that doesn’t mean that you should just lash out at them, especially in the middle of a class. I’m not saying you have to just deal with teachers you think are being unfair. If you have a serious problem with a teacher, don’t go to someone higher up than them to complain or talk back to them during classtime; go directly to said teacher and confront them calmly about the problem. They’ll respect your courage and maturity in doing so. That goes into the parallel. On the other hand, as
you are expected to respect your teachers, they are also expected to respect you. And I think the key to achieving respect from anyone -- especially adults -- is to respect them first. It’s not a mystery or a secret that respect can lack when people feel they have irreconcilable differences with one another, but it’s also not a mystery or secret that having respect for someone doesn’t mean you have to be like them, or even like them. You just have to regard their feelings and their dignity as a human being. So, even if your a teacher of yours drives you absolutely mad, just remember to show them the respect they most likely show you. Remember their dignity as a person, just as you’d have them remember yours. Most likely, even though it may not be completely apparent to you at times, your teachers are here to help you achieve your goals and succeed. You share a common goal with them, so show them you appreciate their efforts by putting forth an effort of your own to respect them.
Retta Lazaris
Water is everywhere --literally. It’s in the food you eat, the air you breathe, the pools you swim in during the summer. Water is key to living and growing, yet so many high school students do not receive the adequate amount of water their bodies need to be at full health. It can be argued by some that a person can obtain the necessary amount of water by the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), like soft drinks. However, SSBs are the biggest source of added sugar to the diets of young people in America. According to Livepositively.com, a regular 12 oz. can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar. Even though you’re getting some water from the soft drink, your body is now holding 39 more grams of sugar. Sugar is great for a
quick energy boost, but pretty soon, that energy burns off, and you’re left feeling even more tired than you were before. Zombies don’t function well in school. So instead of drinking that can of Coke, why not pour some milk or 100 percent fruit juice? Both are good sources of water, as well as calcium and vitamin C. Plus the sugar in these beverages is minimal and natural so you arn’t left feeling like a zombie. According to the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS), male students are more likely to drink SSBs than women. So gentleman, go prove those statistics wrong and drink a little more water. Think about is: Your body is made up of 70 percent water and our bodies are constantly releasing that water. We lose about one to two pints of water just by breathing. It just makes sense to replenish your body’s supply daily. An inactive person weighing under 160 pounds needs 10 8-oz. glasses of water a day. Active people need
13 to 14 8-oz. glasses of water a day. Water helps energize muscles. According to the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, you should drink about 17 oz. of water two hours before a workout. Make sure that you drink water regularly through the workout so your body can replace the water you lost during the exercise. Water helps regulate your body’s fluid balance. Your bodily fluids help systems like digestion, salivation, circulation, transportation of nutrients and maintenance of body temperature. When you’re fully hydrated, your skin and hair look better. Also, your kidneys function better and your muscles are stronger. How to drink more water: Drink a beverage with every snack and meal. Keep filled, easy-to-grab water bottles stocked and ready to go. Try to substitute water for that second cup of coffee. Taking in a little more water everyday will keep you energized, heathy and hydrated.
Pet Day may prove beneficial Matt Bandy
We all have our “Fluffy” and “Spot” waiting for us to come home each day. Hopefully you know they are not welcome at school. But imagine just for one day if your cat, dog or other smallto-medium domestic animal could go to all your classes with you. The idea of a pet day at Manhattan High may seem far-fetched, but then again the Chiefs are undefeated this season. Despite allergies, school regulations, student safety and feces disposal, a pet day at MHS could prove beneficial. The companionship of
EDITORS:
animals in classes would be a positive experience. The productivity of students all over the school would be boosted. The pets would keep you motivated and optimistic on your daily work and could not give you answers for a test. Even if you do not own a pet you could still enjoy the presence of other peoples pets. The comfort of an animal is an unexplainable phenomenon that has left generations puzzled. Creating this experience at MHS would be incredible. A pet day would not only keep you motivated but would also provide a unique experience for your pet. Animals could meet other animals and form new relationships. The new smells and the friendly environment of MHS could be a way for your pet to get out of his or her everyday life. This is a once in a lifetime experience for them to meet your friends
The Mentor
Liz Logback, Editor-in-Chief/Trending
Maddie Ross, News Editor Sarah Shi, Opinions/Content Editor Dheepthi Perumal, Entertainment Editor Nick Bandy, Sports Editor Michael Melgares, Assistant Sports Editor Connor Bliss, Features Editor Kennedy Felice; Danielle Cook, Copy Editors Alan Brown, Multimedia Editor Tracy Le, Graphic Designer Allison Olsen, Photo Editor
STAFF WRITERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS: Matt Bandy Kristen Batson Rachel Beach Gage Benne Taeolor Jones Chris Klug Retta Lazaris Madeline Marshall Madison Newman Adelle Sloan
and their pets. There is one more benefit to a pet day. The entire school gets to come together and bond like any other spirit day. A sense of school pride and a friendly atmosphere comes out of the everyday student. Enemies suddenly become friends. Students with the same breed of cat or dog can form relationships in a friendly way. MHS could turn a spirit days into something more than just dressing in a fun way. The presence of the students’ pets for one day would be one of the greatest spirit days ever. A pet day at MHS would be a groundbreaking experience. Your pet could meet your teachers and provide companionship throughout the day. An animal’s bond with its owner is unexplainable but bringing that to school would provide a fresh twist on student life.
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:
Jerry Sextro, Business Manager Kristy Nyp, Adviser Eric and Lisa Ross, Caterers Pam Stokes, Photographer
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.
Halsey Camera, Cartoonist The Mentor is an open forum and accepts signed letters and guest columns from students, faculty members and parents. Letters and columns are distinct from each other. • Letters are in response to content in this publication and are recommended to be no longer than 350 words. • Columns are a new topic, a call to action or a clear statement of an opinion regarding a school or national issue and are required to be within 300-600 words in length. Anyone interested in contributing a guest column is advised to clear the topic with the editorial staff prior to writing it in order to save time and effort. The editorial staff reserved the right to edit for length, grammar and clarity while preserving the original intent. All letters, columns and other guest content must be signed and must be free of copyright violations. E-mail ideas and submissions to Editor-in-Chief Liz Logback at mhsmentor@gmail.com. Staff meetings take place every five-day school week on Tuesdays during fifth hour and editorial discussions are Wednesdays during second lunch. Anyone is invited to come pitch ideas.
Impressive run Sports The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com Page 4
Soccer finishes second at State Michael Melgares Assistant Sports Editor
Rain poured Saturday afternoon as the Cinderella story came to an end for the Manhattan boys soccer in Junction City. The Indians’ season was one of ups and downs, filled with injuries and heartbreak, but also hat-tricks and success, as their season would culminate in a regional championship and runner-up finish at State. The team met up with Blue Valley Northwest in the championship game, after putting a loss on Olathe East’s undefeated record at Friday night’s semi-finals. The game started out scoreless for much of the first half, until Blue Valley Northwest scored shortly before halftime. The Indians would enter the locker room down 1-0. The second half would not be much different, as Blue Valley Northwest scored once more to make the final score 2-0. While the Indians were outmatched on Saturday, sophomore Brandon Religa sees the season as a success. “Nobody expected us to get this far,” Religa said. “We were talking just to talk before the season saying ‘Hey, we’re going to go to State,’ and nobody really thought much of it until things started
to actually turn out to be what we wanted, and eventually it got to the point where we were like ‘We can do this.’ So, we acted upon that and did the best we could.” Looking back at the season, Religa said the team’s victory over Washburn Rural in the Regional championship game was paramount to any other victory. “We wanted to get as far as we could,” Religa said “In the process we ended up beating Washburn; that was big. And we used up a lot of our intensity at Washburn. The other games felt good, but in my opinion, beating Washburn felt the greatest.” The Indians’ runner-up finish on Saturday marked not only the best finish in the State tournament for boys’ soccer in school history, but also the first time a boys’ soccer team at MHS has ever made it to State. As the Indians did come up short of the ultimate goal, they did so without the help of sophomore Kirk Lambert. Lambert, a key contributor to the varsity team, scored a hat-trick earlier this season before being sidelined due to a high ankle sprain at the beginning of the post-season. The Indians will look to upand-coming underclassmen like Lambert next year, as they will lose 11 solid seniors from the varsity team.
Senior Kodi Minocha fights to steal the ball from a Blue Valley Northwest player. The Indians beat the one-seed Olathe East in the semifinals but lost in the finals to Blue Valley to take second. Jared Gebhardt, photographer
Cross Country members Football wins in 5 OT compete at Nike Regional meet Chris Klug Blue M Sports Editor New records for longest game in Manhattan High history and most combined points in a single game were set Friday when the MHS varsity football team topped Maize 60-59 in a five-overtime thriller in the first round of the playoffs. The game shattered the previous record of most combined points in a single game of 84, with 119. The Indians only put up seven points in the first three and a half quarters and were down 24-7 with just 6:25. The Indians began the comeback with a touchdown from Kellen Myers. Senior tailback Ethan Fabrizius scored shortly after. Joe Trujillo then tied the game on a 27-yard field goal with 1:48 remaining in the game. “We just kept playing and we didn’t give up. We executed when we had to,” Myers said. After trading touchdowns in the first four overtimes, the Indians were looking to win the game in the fifth. Following a Maize touchdown and extra point in the fifth overtime, the Indians were down 59-52. Then, Fabrizius scored on a third and three. The Indians faked the extra
point and went for two, putting the game on the line. Henry Bieber converted on the 2-point attempt, winning the game for the Indians. “It was going back and fourth and we just wanted to get out of there with a win,” Myers said. Although the offense struggled in the first three quarters and half of the fourth quarter, they were able to put up 17 points in the last six minutes of the game, as well as score a touchdown in every overtime that was played. Fabrizius found the end zone three times, Myers scored twice on the ground and once through the air, and Winston Dimel had a touchdown reception. Although the five overtimes made for a long and tiring game, the Indians would have done anything to win. “We were all pretty tired, but it wouldn’t have mattered if it went to 10 overtimes. We would’ve still played hard and put it all on the line,” Myers said. The Indians continue their playoff run this Friday night against the No. 1 seed Derby. The game will be played at 7 p.m. at Bishop Stadium and the theme is camo-out.
Athlete of the week Jonathan Turnley Turnley nailed a penalty kick to give the Indians a 2-0 lead over Olathe East. It was the third game in a row Turnley scored the final goal.
Gage Benne Staff Writer
After a perfect season, the Manhattan High School Cross Country team took first at State. What’s next? Although it is not officially recognized as the “next step” for high schools by the Kansas State High Schools Activity Assocation, members from many top high schools in Kansas, Missouri and other states in Nike’s Heartland region participated in Nike Regionals. Nike Regionals sevenstate Heartland consisted of elite high schools in midAmerica. Over 270 runners, the boy included, competed in the fastest heat, the 5k Championship Race. The Varsity team all ran on Sunday, as Manhattan Cross Country Club. “We definitely thought we had a chance, especially after our State win,” senior Chris Melgares said. The boys were seeded third and ended up placing
fourth as a team among 28 of the top high schools in the “Heartland,” 70 points away from the Nike National’s qualifying position of second. Manhattan knocked off state championship teams from Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. “It was a little bit slower than our average race. If anything the competition should’ve pulled us along. The cold weather, and windy conditions were a factor, but it doesn’t excuse the extreme competition.” Melgares said. Chris Melgares was 32nd overall for Manhattan, clocking 16:06 in the 5k race. He was followed by teammates Jackson Schroeder (46th, 16:15), Jack Keeley (57th, 16:20), Josue Alvarado (84th, 16:35), Michael Melgares (87th, 16:36), Isaiah Koppes (98th, 16:44) and Nick Bandy (153rd, 17:11). Manhattan also beat the state runner-up teams from Iowa and Nebraska, as well as the state champion from
Minnesota’s lower division. Jackson Schroeder was the second-highest finishing freshman in the race. But three teams from Minnesota got the better of Manhattan at the Nike Regionals. Edina won the meet with 106 points, followed by Wayzata at 135 and Stillwater at 204. Manhattan just missed the awards stand with 205 points. Four members of the girls varsity team also traveled to Sioux Fall, as well as sophomores and freshmen who participated in a second race. Senior Alaina Schroeder led the girls team, placing 29th overall, running 18:37 for 5 kilometers. Megan Ochoa was 115th in 19:54, while Molly Bollman (21:48) and Katherine Culbertson (22:04) placed 229th and 239th, respectively. Manhattan was not able to field a full team in the girls championship division. Also Sunday, the Manhattan Cross Country Club’s freshman/sophomore team
placed third, led by Peter Gruenbacher’s fifth place finish in 17:13. The team scored 114 points behind scores of 52 and 87 by separate teams fielded by Wayzata. Also scoring for the frosh/ soph crew were Sam Morgan (21st, 18:00), Ethan Levin (36th, 18:49), Nolan Blankenau (43rd, 19:06) and Andy Fitch (51st, 19:31). Lane Richards placed 382nd (24:45) was 229th (20:55) in the boys open race, and Amber Hayen in the girls open race. In the Community Open race, 13-year-old Cooper Schroeder was 44th overall and second in his age group with a time of 20:09; and Susan Melgares was the female master’s champion with a time of 21:40. “We ran a great race, and did nothing wrong before, or during the race,” Melgares said. “It’s just Nike Regionals has tough, insane competition.”
Rowing finishes season in Lawrence Nick Bandy Sports Editor Although the 23 rowers who form the Manhattan Junior Crew are four months into their rowing season, many people at Manhattan High School don’t even know that rowing is a sport here. They practice three to four times a week, sharing equipment and transportation to meets with the Kansas State Men’s rowing team. The KSU men’s team is not school-sponsered, unlike like the KSU women’s team, which is a NCAA team. After training all summer their official season began in August. The rowers trained until their first meet, called a regatta, which was in Oklahoma City in October. “We were still figuring our boats out and we had new novice rowers,” senior captain Welsey Garibay said. That race was a 5k, but their next regatta on the weekend of Nov. 2 and 3 in Wichita was a 2k. Their men’s team was only 30 sec-
The mens’ eight-person boat competes in a 2k race in Wichita. They finished only 30 seconds slower than the KSU mens’ boat. Bryce Rincon, photographer onds slower than the KSU men’s team, and their senior boat was only five seconds off. The races are staggered starts so the boats don’t race head to head but instead compare times. They have eight and fourperson boats, not including the coxswain position. The
team’s coxsawin has a special job that differs from the rowers. “They’re job is to sit there and steer and yell, and to coach us down the course. Their job is basically to get everyone hyped up,” Garibay said. Last weekend was their
final meet of the season in Lawrence, competing against teams from Wichita, Topeka and Lawrence. “The best part of the season was probably bonding with the team,” senior Bryce Rincon said.
Features The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com Page 5
Making a new home Kristen Batson Staff Writer “[In Iraq] explosions happen every day, I mean like two blocks from your house -that’s why I’m afraid because my dad is still there and my brother,” junior Fawaaz Naeem said. “If you want to succeed you have to take the chance of dying, anyone could just get killed, then everything ends. It’s a dream for everyone -- coming to America.” Naeem was able to come to America from Babylon, Iraq, with his mother and his 12-year-old brother on a four-year visa because of a scholarship to Kansas State University she received after two years of applying and waiting. “My mom is very good, she is smart. But in my country everything is corrupt, and how it is with women; she was very oppressed and depressed. In my country if you aren’t smart they don’t want you; if you want to do good things, they don’t want you because they do bad things,” he said. Naeem feels some places in Iraq are greatly influenced by American ideas and trends. Many people in the country are outraged by this. It’s very new and some show a lot of resentment towards Americans for influencing these ideas. “Women are starting
to wear short skirts in the capital, Baghdad. They call it civilization in my country but it’s not,” Naeem said. “The people in America are very nice, but sometimes I feel awkward moments. I get very upset because of how some people treat Muslims. It’s because of Bin Laden, that’s the problem. He didn’t represent Muslim, but that’s what happened. He just said he was Muslim. It’d be like if one American went and exploded something in Iraq then we all hated Americans. It’s not right.” He feels the tension between Americans and Iraqis has all been caused by misconceptions and assumptions that could easily be fixed if they both made the attempt to understand one another. Naeem is noticing several differences between his culture and the one he is now living in. In Iraq, classes are chosen for students and they spend seventh through twelfth grade studying the same basic courses. After six years of taking the same 12 classes, they are given a test that determines their fate. The grade they get determines whether they become doctors or go to college at all. They have two chances to retake it and if a high enough score isn’t achieved they will become the laborers and common workers of society. In Iraq he was usually
at the top of his class and although he hasn’t been in America a full year yet he’s taking advanced and AP classes still achieving straight A’s. In Iraq the only sport really offered or acknowledged is soccer, so he became curious about football. “I went to the Bishop Stadium to see the football game last week. My mom came with me because she wanted to see what’s football so I said, ‘okay let’s go and see what’s football’. It was really weird. It was just a bunch of people running with a ball and the other people trying to hit them,” Naeem said. “I want to play tennis next semester.” Though his mom is busy with her research and studies she comes home every night to make dinner for him and his brother before returning to the lab. “I don’t think American food exists. For us we don’t consider that food. We have rice and meat all the time, the wife always cooks and the table should be filled for a meal and it’s very elaborate. But not everyone in my country has that. Poverty is an issue.” Though his mother has to go back to Iraq when her visa expires, Naeem plans on staying in the United States and going to medical school to be a doctor.
Liebe jumping into MHS activities Maddie Ross News Editor Many here don’t consider Manhattan to be a large city, but for foreign exchange student Oliver Liebe, it is exactly that. “For me it was nice to come to a city much bigger than what I’m used to,” Liebe said. Liebe is a native of Mukebo, Denmark, a town home to just around 5,000 people. “We have maybe three
places that you can buy things at, mostly food,” Liebe said. “We don’t really have much to do, and it’s an hour away from the nearest city.” This exchange is not the first time for Liebe in the United States and it was his other visits that drew him here for his exchange. “I have been to the United States before and loved it,” Liebe said. “ I first came in 2006 with my family we started in Oregon and roadtripped down the west coast
all the way to Utah and Arizo- are all the musical things. na. I have also been to Flori- There are more opprotunida twice since then.” ties to get involved,” Liebe Here said. at ManHe also hattan enjoys the H i g h proximity School to activities Liebe is and stores Munkebo involved without the in AmerDenmark one hour i c a n commute Field he is used Service club, choir, jazz band to. and the musical. A difference Liebe is not “My favorite things here so keen on howerver, is the
reign parents exert on their children. “The freedom of young people is a huge difference,” Liebe said. “Here you have to tell your parents who you’re with, where you’re going and when you’re going to be home. At home I just have to let my mother know if I will be home for dinner or not.” Another difference here is the food. Used to a diet primarily of meat and always home made, Liebe has easily made the adjustment but no-
tices it’s unfamiliarity. “The food is very different, you have a lot of fast food, and you eat out a lot,” Liebe said. “So far my favorite food is chili.” Overall Liebe is enjoying his time here in Manhattan and his sights are set on having the American experience, especially in the coming months. “I am definitely looking forward to Thanksgiving,” he said.
Andrews competes in national wool competition Rachel Beach Staff Writer Many students have uncommon talents at Manhattan High School, but senior Emily Andrews’ “seams” particularly unique. Andrews ihas an interest in fashion design and recently she competed in Make it with Wool. The competition has been held for over 50 years and Andrews has participated for the past five years. Locals compete and the winner represents Kansas at the national competition. This year the national competition will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Andrews competed at nationals last year, but this year she placed as the first alternate. “It’s so hard to get to na-
tionals,” Andrews said, “but the girl that won is incredible.” Competitors are to create one to two outfits made out of wool. Andrews made a full length tailored coat that is double breasted and hand embroidered, a pair of lined blue slacks, a hand knitted sweater with bubble sleeves, and a blue scarf to match the slacks. It took Andrews from January to October to create the oufit. This year Andrews created only one outfit due to a busy schedule. The senior age group was full of imaginative competitors and only one person from each state and age group is eligible to continue to Nationals. The first thing competitors do is model the clothing
they made in front of a panel of judges and present what they made. Next the judges take the clothing from the competitors for construction judging. On Sunday, Nov. 3, the group of competitors displayed their work at the Manhattan Towns Center. The judges announced the winner as spectators applauded then Andrews and the other competitors got their feedback from the judges. The winner of the Kansas Make it with Wool competition made a four piece outfit consisting of a full length coat with a faux fur collar, a dress suit, and a unique top. “The quantity and the quality she had was impressive,” Andrews said. The winners not only get
the priviledge of going to nationals, but they also receive a scholarship to Kansas State University. As an the alternate, Andrews received a $100 scholarship. Last year, for being the Kansas winner and going to Nationals, Andrews was given a $200 scholarship. The competition challenges competitors like Andrews to try new techniques, work on projects for a long period of time, and most of all, create articles of clothing that are marketable. “It’s super fun,” Andrews said, “It really fosters creativity and I’m not sure anyone else sews at MHS, but I’d really encourage them to.”
AP Studio Art works to create portfolios for college applications, scholarships Allison Olsen Photo Editor
Fourth hour art students focus intently on their work. Meticulous brushstrokes across canvas express each individual artist’s style. The smooth hum of pottery wheels can be heard while the ceramists work on their three dimensional pieces. AP Studio Art is an advanced placement class that is the most advanced art class and challanges students to use their knowledge of art and design to create a portfolio that they submit to the College Board at the end of the year. Their portfolio is expected to be developed to focus on their individual talents and interests while demonstrating mastery of drawing principles. Instead of taking a written exam, this class specifically focuses on developing student portfolios and judging artwork.
There are two different parts to the portfolios: Breadth and Concentration. In the Breadth portion students use the first semester to create 12 pieces of art that shows their talents, styles and growth in their artwork. For Concentration, students work during the second sememster to create 12 more pieces of art that specifically focus on elements or styles that they want to portray in their art. The students have the option of submitting their portfolios in either the 2D, 3D or Drawing and Painting category. The students’ portfolios can portray elements such as line quality, light and shade, rendering of form, composition or surface manipulation through means such as painting, printmaking or mixed media. Senior Christine Shiau is currently working on her 3D portfolio, focusing on cer-
maics and already has multiple pieces in her concentration. “It’s more challenging than normal art classes because we are expected to always be working on two pieces at once,” Shiau said. The students are expected to work on their pieces in class and also spend around six hours a week working on pieces at home.Senior Emily Andrews is also working on her 3D portfolio. “I’m working with metal and glass to mainly make jewelry,” Andrews said, “I’m doing a concentration of how jewelry and the body interact, especially with joints and hinged pieces. I want to focus on how jewelry can be an extension of the body.” The artwork that the students work to create is displayed at the top of the main stairs and in the library gallery. “It’s fun to have people
come up to you and say that they like your art,” Andrews said. The art students are pushed to develop their skills and to think like professional artists. Displaying their work is one way to ensure that they do their best because the entire school is able to view it. “The best part about this class is getting to work on art in a relaxing environment,” senior Zoey Botkin said. The class is focused on getting their work done and making enough pieces to have a strong portfolio by the end of the year. “The amount of art we get to do is really cool and everyone is really in to it. It’s not just another credit.” senior Tori Matta said. A lot of the AP art students aspire to get a degree in art and hopefully turn their talents into a career.
MHS students awarded in programming contest Five Manhattan High students earned medals at the the 22nd Annual High School programming Contest at Kansas State University on Nov. 6. According to KSU’s Division of Communications and Marketing, competition was offered in beginning and advanced divisions. Senior Ian Miller competed in the advanced category and placed first, and Reid Erdwien placed third in the advanced category. Nolan Blankenau, Eric Higgs and Tony Liu competed in the beginning category and medaled in third place. MHS was one of 28 schools that participated in The College of Engineering’s comput-
ing and information sciences department sponsored the contest, which drew 240 students from across the state. Teams of up to four high school students competed to write computer programs that would solve problems presented during the contest. Teams used computer programming languages to solve six problems presented during five rounds. Teams earned points based on how quickly and accurately they were able to solve the problem within a set amount of time. Medals for first, second and third places were awarded to the teams with the highest scores.
The Mentor staff would like to congratulate Opinions editor Sarah Shi on her first place editorial story in the kspa story of the month competition!
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Veterans Day affects MHS students Liz Logback Editor-in-Chief Sarah Shi Opinions Editor Veterans Day is more than a parade and soldier appreciation for senior Macy Lanceta. It’s a way to show support for her dad. “It’s not something we ask for but when people come to you with appreciation like ‘Thank you for your service,’ it’s really nice,” Lanceta said. She and her family have felt the blessings and hardships that come with having an immediate family member in the military. Lanceta’s dad has been deployed twice and is currently working in Washington D.C. “We’ve always understood the consequences of what his job requires. We don’t get family dinners and sometimes he misses moments so we tell him over the phone. But when he comes back, it’s like nothing has changed,” she said. Similarly, senior Kendra Chandler understands the struggles of having a dad in the military. “My dad had a ruptured disk in his back and since I was 10 I had to take care of him. Like help him get out of bed and walk places. We have to deal with the injuries of being in the military,” Chandler said. Chandler’s family also has to cope with her father’s deployment. “I feel bad that my mom has to take care of the four of us on her own. It’s a lot of work,” Chandler said. Still, with the changes it has brought to her life, Chandler says she is thankful for the opportunities being in a military family brings. “I get to travel and see really cool places like Paris and Rome. I lived in Italy and in Belgium. I had real Belgium waffles. They’re amazing,” she said. “You get to make really good friends all over the world. If I have a problem here I can be like, ‘Can I come live with you?’” It’s no secret military families are uprooted a lot, and in senior Hannah Nelson’s eyes, moving is just a new adventure. Nelson’s father is in the coast guard and in the past he has worked along the coastline and in the waters, but moved his family to Manhattan a few years ago when he took a position in Pay and Personnel in Topeka. “We move and transfer a lot. I’ve gotten to live on both sides of the coast. I’ve been on some cool adventures,” Nelson said. “We were in Virginia and [my dad] went to Alaska without us. He was on some ships in Alaska and he got to film ‘Deadliest Catch.’” Lanceta can relate to Nelson’s adventures. “You get to meet a new group of people everywhere you go. See the world. You get a new start,” Lanceta said. “And there’s always support in the [military] community if you live on base.”
The Manhattan High Marching band performs in the Veterans Day parade yesterday, on Veterans Day. Shaley Fischer, photographer
rs. I actuthe stupid supervisoo of them. ally yelled back at tw .” ea It wasn’t the best id d with an ine tra s wa Howard dy Lee English teacher Wen .38 re- M-16, M-9, a .38 revolver, was r he d Howard put down her grad- in charge of the armory an up d ke rt. pic co volver and was also an armed es training ing pen. “I had more weapon a and Howard served four y and than some. We used to do this ilitar e half years in the m being a Se- thing called ‘war games’ wher of drill nk a do y all sic ba got up to the ra we would t 16 hours nior Airman. that would last abou to go to nt wa . id sa “I didn’t really rd was in the or so,” Howa mother was a college and my dad t that this Howard’s r gh Air Force. So I thou to go and teacher, which influenced he y of wa th od pa down the would be a go of it,” How- into going get something out g. hin ac te d to put ard said. “I thought that if I ha ight as d in ne tio sta s wa m I rd Howa maturity of her time up with im go somewhere it Britain during some ll at least we d [in a high school] in the military. traveling was expecte influence people e th ed lik I s es gu “I t to have,” and maybe experience that I go e cold in along with teaching them that th she said. “I hated rainy and high school doesn’t last forevs Britain, it was alway didn’t like er.” I . ble ra ise m kind of
Madison Newman Staff Writer
Hall of Fame
Wendy Howard
Danielle Cook Copy Editor
in common, and we kin d of “It was rea watched out for each oth er ally. For my lly good, actuall the family, it was tim e. It tau gh t me the good for For Manhattan High us to have to depend value of that.” social studies teach er, Chandler’s military ex on each other. We had a lot of veteran Ed Chandle - good friends the r, pe rie nce began in 19 re, as well,” Veterans Day means a lot prior to the end of 72, just he said. more than just celeb the VietDuring times of de rations and parades. Fo nam War (1975). ment from Berlin, Ch ployr “M y da d andler was very mil- wa Chandler, it’s is a day s sen honor, not only those whto itary-oriented. My fam- country t from country to have served out countryo ily was always that way. My out his , travelling throughcareer, to places such but also to honor the va , brothers served, and when as southw lest Asia and it cam e my turn, I just went ues of family and inten America, for security South se an d did it. If intelliyo u’r “camaraderie” that come e called gence wo rk in the Cold War. upon, you go. You along with the job of ke do n’t Desp ep ing the nation safe an - question it; you just go. You hardsh ite, of course, some ips and very dif d do yo ur duty,” Chandler helping bring light an experiences, Chandler ficult d sai d. looks peace to any place in the After much training at his time in the army as world where these qu , one po ali- Chandler and his company life’s jousitive chapter of his ties may be lacking. rney, from we re sta “The camaraderie, German tioned in Berlin, learned more abou which he t the world y. He stayed at a the friends -- that’s wh and abou I think was the importa at Berlin base for three years, cluded, t people, himself inthing at that time,” Ch nt during which time, he be- thought than he ever would’ve an possible. dler said. “You know - gan a family of his own. For “I learned who I was,” Ch , I Chandler and his fam anmade a lot of friends [in on base was only a ily, life dler said. “And I also learned chance to what pe the army]. We had a lot grow closer to each ople are capable of, other. myself included.”
Ed Chandler Graphics by Tracy Le and Liz Logback