The mentor Vol. 102 Issue 24 | Manhattan High School | May 5, 2015
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Forensics takes state Angie Moss Business Manager
Last weekend, 11 members of Manhattan High School’s forensics team competed at the state competition and took first place. This was the team’s last time competing under the guidance of head coach Shawn Rafferty. Junior Nathan McClendon placed second in
Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and fifth in Original Oration. “To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I got second in my main event instead of first and it was a tie and I lost the tiebreaker so I was really close to being state champion but then I wasn’t,” McClendon said. The forensics team has been working all semester to prepare for the state competition.
BPA heads to California Tracy Le Trending Editor
This year, 15 Manhattan High students will be a part of the thousands of students who make their way to Anaheim, Calif. for the Business Professionals of America’s National Leadership Conference. “I’m pretty excited. It’ll be my first plane ride,” junior John Benfer said. “It’s a national event for Business Professionals of America so we’ll be competing at the national level.”
From Tuesday to Sunday, the students will compete to showcase and develop business and leadership skills. “I’m doing Entrepreneurship so I’ll present a business to a panel of judges and then they’ll see if it’s worth investing in or not,” junior Sakif Hossain said. “I wanted to apply my business skills more so by going to this national conference, that’ll help… If I do well, my parents might give
“We’ve been competing since January so it as been a process all the way up to this point of them practicing and preparing,” Rafferty said. “Sometimes totally reconstructing their performances or their speeches so it has been a fourmonth process up to this.” This is Rafferty’s final year at MHS. He is moving to Tulsa, Okla., and will be the head coach of the debate and forensics team at a high
school there. He hopes to see the debate and forensics teams at Manhattan High continue to thrive despite his absence. “I don’t know if it’s really set in yet. With competing at state and stuff I haven’t really had a lot of time to think about it,” Rafferty said. “I’m probably just most concerned that they find somebody who can run this program effectively. That’s where my thoughts are right now.”
Speaker presents at freshman FCA celebration Dillon Wilson shares his message about faith with the freshman FCA group. Wilson made a few mistakes early on while in college, but bounced back from them. COURTESY PHOTO
See BPA page 3
Journalism students compete state-wide Danielle Cook Entertainment Editor Saturday, student journalists from Manhattan High publication staffs competed in this year’s Kansas Scholastic Press Association Contest. Two participating in carry-in a yearbook competition, and four attending the contest at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Sophomore Angie Moss, a participant in a yearbook design competition, feels that though no MHS competitors placed at State, the KSPA Contest is a chance to show the publication staff members’ constantly-growing journalistic skills. “I think the best thing about going to State Contest See Journalism page 3
NHS prepares for next year Madeline Marshall News Editor After holding officer elections and subsequently inducting new members, National Honors Society is making major strides in preparing for the
next school year. NHS sponsor Robin Smith hopes that next year’s members will be an active part of the community. “Every year I hope to improve the activities and the See NHS page 3
AP testing benefits students Danielle Cook Entertainment Editor Each year, over 300 Manhattan High students enroll in Advanced Placement courses. This year, according to coordinator Beverly Fink, 645 exam packets were ordered for a total of 317 students (some signed up to take multiple AP exams.) Manhattan High offers 16 AP classes and Fink, explaining that the process by which AP tests are administered through the College Board is precise and requires quite a bit of organization on her part, feels that it is satisfying to see so many students participate in the “excellent” AP program Manhattan High has to offer. She finds being able to help students through the process of AP testing a satisfying task, in the end, as her work and the work of AP students at MHS has helped shape a prestigious reputation for the school as a whole and for themselves as future college students. “I have had students stop me in the hall and tell me, ‘Thank you,’ and that has to make you feel good. Some of them are even around enough to know how hard I’m working
Global News Madeline Marshall News Editor 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.
to stay up with College Board regulations and standards,” Fink said. “There’s just no alternative; you can’t shorten the process because everything comes on a timeline, and you just can’t make it up, but I think it’s rewarding, and I’m so glad that at our school, the kids have done well enough that we’ve been designated as one of the top 2,000 high schools in the United States. That has to make everybody feel good whether you take the classes or not.” Fink’s belief in Manhattan High students’ hard work is proven in their test scores each year, and senior Lisa Zhu, who has taken a number of AP classes and tests throughout high school, feels that working hard to score well on AP tests is worth even more than the way students’ good scores make the school look. “I think it’s a great opportunity to challenge yourself, as well as gain college credit if you do well,” Zhu said. “The material is a lot tougher subject material that you have to learn and keep memorized for the AP tests, and it’s also hard trying to balance studying for See AP page 3
Ethiopian police brutality protests met with police brutality Police in Israel have fired tear gas and stun grenades at ethnic Ethiopians protesting police brutality and racism. Thousands of Israeli Jews of Ethiopian origin had taken part in a rally in Tel Aviv, but the protests turned violent and some demonstrators tried to storm the city’s municipality building. Israeli police on horseback charged demonstrators in an effort to bring the situation under control. The protests came after a video emerged last week of an Israeli
Joseph Sell Online Editor-in-Chief The audience is silent as one speaker shares his story to those gathered in celebration. Dillon Wilson, a member of the Kansas State football program, spoke to the Freshman Fellowship of Christian Athletes during the FCA celebration Wednesday night. “He’s giving this message to freshmen that it’s okay to make mistakes it’s okay to mess up but we have to bounce back from this,”
FCA adviser Robert Gonzalez said, “and he talked about a sponge and the sponge is your heart and what you soak up is in your heart, so if you curse and you talk negative... That’s what’s in your heart. I’m blown over, as an educator I’m like ‘oh my god this kid is only 20 and he should be on TV preaching.’” The celebration reinforced the core principles of the organization. “Most of the kids that come to my Wednesday morning prayer group are believers and what we try
to instill and send in kids is we want to be able to come to a place where nobody will laugh at us and make fun of us because we want to pray,” Gonzalez said. “We believe in the power of prayer and the second thing we believe in is the power of positive reinforcement. It helps me every Wednesday that I’m with kids that are telling me it’s okay I’m human I can make an error. That’s basically what our program is about.” The event was a way to celebrate the students. “It was basically a cel-
ebration at the end of the year because in May there’s too many things going on that we don’t get to meet as often as we do,” Gonzalez said. “Though the 17, 16 core group of freshmen that meet every week with Mrs. [Erika] Hart, Mr. Umes and I, we just wanted to have a way of celebrating a year long of thank you Jesus. It was about the kids that planned the program, invited the speakers and it’s about them.”
Budget uncertainties escalate Madeline Marshall News Editor As the school year comes to an end the district’s budgetary uncertainties are only rising. Now that the district’s Budget Advisory Steering Committee has concluded their meetings, budget plans will be discussed at Board of Education meetings starting this Wednesday. The passing of the block grant funding in the State Legislature has led to a loss of funding for the district. “With the block grant that was passed and signed we lose $592,128 in what’s known as LOB equalization aid and that was part of the law that was passed in the state legislation last spring and we built a budget on it in good faith and, of course, now they’ve changed it and we’re short that amount,” USD 383 Director of Business Services Lew Faust said. The block grant funding system will be in place for the next two years. “It freezes our funding for two years, in spite of the fact that costs go up each year, so I am not in favor of the block grant,” BOE president Leah soldier of Ethiopian descent being beaten by police. Two police officers have since been suspended on suspicion of using excessive force.
234 more women, children rescued from Boko Haram Nigeria’s military rescued 234 more women and children from a forested area of northeastern Nigeria controlled by Boko Haram extremists who have kidnapped hundreds of girls in recent years. The latest rescue, announced by the Nigeria Defense Headquarters on
Fliter said. “The block grant also takes away funding for increased enrollment and for additional numbers of military students.” Additionally, to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, the district will have to pay another $1 million in health care costs. “We also know that as a district we have to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act for certain employee groups starting on Oct. 1 next year,” Faust said. “That’s primarily for our paraprofessionals who average more than 30 hours a week. We have to provide them health insurance.” The district’s contingency reserve fund, which has been available for withdrawal for the past four years, is yet another source of capital that will soon be unavailable. “This year we added $250,000 from what’s known as the contingency reserve funds which is added to the general fund to supplement the budget,” Faust said. “We’re not going to be able to continue to do that and rely on that.” Likewise, increase in operating costs and a further in-
crease in the State’s tax deficit continue to add to the district’s budget woes. “If you just look at a basic 1 percent increase in operating cost, just for gas, electricity, insurance, things that are required just to do business that’s probably another 480,000,” Faust said. “So you put all those things together and that’s 2.3 million in negative numbers. We don’t know what to expect and that’s what’s difficult.” The budget uncertainty led to a need for a three-tier budget cut plan. Each tier cuts a different amount from the budget and the tier of cuts needed will be chosen once final decisions are made by the state legislature. Tier one is roughly $2 million in cuts, tier two is $3 million and tier three is $4 million. “These cuts include everything from office supplies to athletics and activities to laying off teachers, including at MHS,” Fliter said. In an attempt to lessen the impact of the cuts the BOE is asking registered voters in the district to vote to allow the district to raise the Local Op-
tion Budget (LOB) by increasing property taxes. A LOB is a way that residents can help fund their local school district. Kansas law allows residents to supplement the budget the school district receives from the state of Kansas through LOBs. Registered voters will receive a ballot in their mailboxes around May 13. They need to mark their vote and mail it back to the county clerk in the postage-paid envelope by noon on June 2. This is the district’s last chance to do this for at least another two years. If approved, the LOB will be maximized to 33 percent. The current budget situation is, overall, very trying for educators. “I mean, you’re talking people’s jobs and people’s livelihoods and things we do to try to provide a quality education for students in the district,” Faust said. “To have to make decisions that aren’t going to benefit our students strictly based on budgetary limitations or reductions is frustrating for everybody.”
Twitter, brings the total for the week to more than 677 females the Nigerian military claims to have rescued. Boko Haram has kidnapped over 2,000 women and girls since last year. The Nigerian military operation is continuing on various fronts and efforts are concentrated on the rescue of civilian hostages and the destruction of Boko Haram camps, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, information director for the Nigerian military, said in a statement. The women and children who were rescued Thursday have been evacuated to join other former hostages to take part in the screening process. Boko Haram has said its aim is to
impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. The newly rescued women and children have begun to release their stories and experiences.
protesters and, concurrently, much protest from the police union. Gray’s death was ruled a homicide and the officers face charges such as seconddegree assault and involuntary manslaughter that could bring more than 10 years in prison. After a night of relatively peaceful protests, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake lifted Baltimore’s curfew, the National Guard is preparing its exit and a mall that had been a climax in the riots has been reopened.
Baltimore police officers face charges; curfew lifted Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced that six Baltimore police officers will face charges in the death of Freddie Gray. The unexpected announcement led to celebration among
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Opinions
The Mentor • May 5, 2015
Educate against stereotypes 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 Last week members of a fraternity at University of Kansas were discovered to have taken part in a video posted to social media that mocked Muslims. The day after the video was posted the president of their fraternity expelled the members who took part in it and, while the problem was quickly and appropriately addressed, The Mentor editorial board had a discussion about the general conflicts created by religion and other recent incidents. The first thing the incident led us to question was why members of a traditionally Jewish fraternity would ridicule another religion when they themselves are often persecuted. Anti-Semitism definitely still exists, so it would seem that they should be able to use their experiences to realize how harmful and degrading it is to shame another group because of their faith
and beliefs. Aside from the sense of empathy they should have for other groups frequently discriminated against, the basis of most religions is that you should love one another and be understanding and accepting of all people -- so it’s kind of counteractive to mock another group when you yourself are representing a religious group. These circumstance should be used to unite and identify with one another. Also, leaving out any religious aspects of the issue, being a member of a fraternity is also supposed to symbolize brotherhood and leadership. At this time frats already have a bad rap, so they should strive to present themselves the best they can and erase stereotypes existing for themselves. The individual members should be constantly aware they’re representing something bigger than themselves. This incident depicts a larger problem in both religious and nonreligious communities -- we’re able to see Muslims being attacked more than almost any other group because they’re somehow different and thought of as lesser than other people. It’s unfortunate
that our society isn’t educated enough to be able to differentiate between the extremists from groups and what the actual group stands for and represents. People have the tendency to fear things they don’t know and we need to end the ignorance. The media should be taking action to educate the population on the common misconceptions nobody else is taking the time to correct. America is supposed to be a safe haven from persecution, yet what are we becoming? If we’re trying to be an ultimate democratic power we need to educate and stand against the prejudice that’s happening. If the president of a fraternity understands that the rest of our society should be able to as well. We need to end the system of oppression we currently thrive from and we never will until we make the push. Our government doesn’t change conditions until they feel the pressure to. We need to educate ourselves as well as other people and the media should be doing so also. Every voice needs to be heard.
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California drought:
Water crisis not simply a California issue
This year, the state of California is experiencing the worst water crisis of its history. Many reasons -- including global warming, overconsumption by farmers, inefficient engineering plans in the major cities and a rapid growth in population -- are to blame for the issues. But contrary to popular belief, the water crisis is not merely just a California issue. In fact, California may simply be the first domino to fall in what could be a future nationwide water catastrophe. According the United States Accountability Office, 40 of the 50 states in the country will be affected with a water shortage in the next 10 years. Kansas is included in these states. In fact, our state has already begun to see severe symptoms of a problem. Last year, the U.S. Drought Monitor indi-
Question of the Week: “‘Miss Independent’ by our greatest pop star, Kelly Clarkson,” senior Reid Beer, @rbeer17
“Anything by chief keef #songburd,” senior Maddy Fox, @maddyfofoxy
“‘Heartbreak Hotel’ by Elvis Presley,” senior Madeline Wilson, @LadyMadeline17
“‘Radioactive’ by imagine dragons,” sophomore Camille Fellers, @camilleonn
“‘Walk the dog’ by Laurie Anderson,” senior Trevor Bashaw, @flirtydad
“blank space,” junior Maya Minocha, @maya_papaya12
“‘Old McDonald’ --children’s folk song,” junior Israel Wheatley, @a_nu_matt
“‘Troublemaker’ by Olly Murs,” junior Charlie Harris, @chachacharlie97
cated that 93 percent of Kansas was threatened with severe drought. The Ogallala Aquifer, which is leaned on heavily by farmers and suburban citizens alike, is unable to replenish itself fast enough to counter its consumption. The threat of a water disaster was even enough to prompt Governor Sam Brownback to sign drought reducing bills into law. As the summer grows ever closer, water issues will only continue to escalate here. In California, the water crisis has caused unpleasant strain. It has come to the point where water consumption is required to be reduced by as much as 25 percent in many areas. It’s a stunning requirement, especially for the southern counties who only contribute 25 percent of the state’s water to begin with. Local water agencies will be threatened with $10,000 fines if they fail to oblige. Even outside of the government, tensions have risen. Extremists, nicknamed “water vigilantes,” have even begun “water shaming” individuals
What song best describes your current love life? “‘Zaxby’s Song’ by Willie and Aidan ft. Brian on ukulele,” junior Aidan Rosenow, @snitzor
“Sad Beautiful Tragic -Taylor Swift,” freshman Christina Price, @xtina3377
“‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ or J’esus Take the Wheel,’” junior Robyn Burton, @redrobyn_yuum
who are caught wasting water, confronting them or posting their images on social media. It’s a ridiculous situation. As residents of a state which is particularly susceptible to similar water issues in the future, Kansans need to work to reduce the problems before they get as severe as those in the golden state. Even doing little things to limit unnecessary water use, such as replacing inefficient showerheads (which, the Environmental Protection Agency claims, would save America 260 billion gallons of water every year if every American did it), would make a big difference. The plea to save water is admittedly a recurring message, but it’s one that needs to continue to be said. Those who might find it difficult to comprehend future water problems can better understand the unpleasant reality by looking no further than California or Kansas. The sad truth is that water crises are happening, and pose a threat to the entire nation. The sooner this is widely recognized, the quicker we can avoid its nasty effects.
“‘That’s how I beat Shaq’ - Aaron Carter,” senior Katie Bussman, @kickitwith_kate
“‘Agony’ from ‘Into the Woods,’” senior Justin Gittle, @Stop_Justin_
“All 33 parts of the soap opera song ‘trapped in the closet’ by R. Kelly.” junior Collin Beauregard, @collinbeuaregard
“‘We Have Never Met As Yet’ -Debbie Reynolds,” freshman Emma Landsowne, @epicemma55
SENIORS: What’s the one thing you wish you could go back and tell your freshman self ? Tweet your answer @mhsmentoronline or answer at our website, mhsmentor.com for a chance to be featured in the next edition.
Accept others, embrace differences I was at Wal-Mart last Friday running an errand for my father and while I was standing in line, a transgender woman stood behind me talking on the phone. A few minutes later, the lady in front of me turned around and took a picture of
the transgender woman and told another customer that the transgender woman qualified as a “people of Wal-Mart” post. I thought we were past the whole “I’m going to judge someone else because they are different than me” phase? It is human nature to form thoughts about a person as soon as you see them, but making the conscious decision to not judge someone before you get to know them is what defines the kind of person you are. You can choose to moti-
vate others or tear them down but what you choose to do leaves a mark. It decides what other people are going to think of you and what those people are going to think of themselves. We have the luxury of free speech in this country and we take advantage of it. The great thing about individuality is that everyone has the freedom to be different. No one should have to worry about whether or not their hair is styled the right way or if the feelings they have for someone
are wrong. There aren’t laws against changing genders to be comfortable in your own skin or for defending your right as a human being on this planet. Why is it that we set all these standards based on how people look or seem but we get upset when we are judged by the same standards? Unless the way someone is living their life is somehow impacting yours, you do not get to criticize them. It does not help anything or anyone and it makes you a bad person.
Family is one of the most important things is life, but what is family exactly? The Cambridge Dictionary says family is “a social group of parents, children, and sometimes grandparents uncles, aunts and others who are related,” but is that really all that family is about? I believe that we have a family for a reason. Even though school teaches us a lot while we’re growing up, parents make a really big difference on what you learn. When we’re babies and we say our
first words, we do it because our parents have been repeating those words, over and over again, until we are able to say them -- we mimic them. Family is a guide, but when we are teenagers, we no longer need them to teach us all of those basic things, we need them to support us, to advise us; we need dependence, affection, safety and all those things that your parents give you while you’re growing up. Unfortunately, that’s not the same story for all of people; some teenagers went through situations that they shouldn’t have when they were little because they didn’t have any family or a family with good values and in a good environment. There are also teenagers that feel like they are alone. They don’t know what the con-
cept of having a family is other than people who are related to each other, but for those people what I have to say is, family is not only people who share our same blood. Family is those people that when they see us in need, help us, people we can ask for advice, people that love us just as much as we love them, people that make us feel safe, people to have a good time, and people that, even when we’re our worst, are able to get a smile in our face. Nobody is alone in this world and if you think that having a family just means having people that share our same blood, you're wrong because sometimes your closest friends can become your siblings, your step-father can become your father, anybody that feels like family can be
part of our family. They will have to earn it, but I think family is so much more than being related, it’s being united by love and care for each other. Now, for those of us who are lucky enough to have a family we can depend on, I’ll say hang on to these people, because it is a real blessing that we have. Even if you have a family that supports you and they are also your blood family, don’t be afraid of calling anyone else your family. If they have earned it, then why not? Be sure to be grateful for what you have and realize that you are not alone and look for those people who have earned the right to be called family.
Family more than blood, has special bond
Send your letters to the editor to mhsmentor@gmail.com EDITORS: Kristen Batson -- Print Editor-In-Chief/Opinions Joseph Sell -- Online Editor -In-Chief Danielle Cook -- Entertainment/Content Editor Savannah Cherms -- 2015-2016 Entertainment Editor Madeline Marshall -- News Editor; 2015-2016 Editor-in Chief/Opinions Alan Brown -- Features Editor; 2015-2016 Copy Editor Elizabeth Underwood -- 2015-2016 Features Editor Greg Woods -- Sports Editor; 2015-2016 Online Editor-inChief Erick Echegaray -- 2015-2016 Sports Editor Tracy Le -- Trending Editor; 2015-2016 News Editor Anna Hupp -- Photo Editor Cora Astin -- 2015-2016 Photo Editor Senior Staff Writer/Photographer -- John Rockey Staff Writers/Photographers -- Elassia Cunningham, Darian Foga-Frehn OTHER: Angie Moss -- Business Manager; 2015-2016 Trending Editor Kristy Nyp -- Adviser Circulation -- Kristyn Baker, David Clinkinbeard, Charlie Dickey, Karl Drown, Rachel Efken, Jordan Hatley, Colten Kirk, Joshua Kohls, Kendall Oatney, Megan Ritthisorn, Zane Smith, Darnel Stewart, Austin Tatum 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 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 • May 5, 2015
Features
Advanced Photography captures Mass Street
John Rockey Senior Staff Writer Traversing Massachusetts Street armed and taking shots, teacher Robert Allman’s photography three journeyed to Lawrence with a variety of lenses and set out for anything
and everything that interested them most in Lawrence’s cultural center. “We didn’t have a specific assignment, so we were shooting around for what would look good to us,” senior Alliyah Strickland said. “I took a picture of a couple really old
buildings and I took a couple closeups of chairs in front of restaurants.” Mass. Street features several historic buildings that harbor numerous venues offering several photo opportunities for the students to create. While on their own, the
students exchanged between telephoto lens, 250mm lens or short ‘pancake’ lens that provide them with different ways to capture and present shots based on the goals they had. “Some buildings looked more interesting or if there was an interesting shot no-
body saw that we could find,” junior Caitlin Rusk said. “You get to practice a little bit more with the different lens and see the different kinds of images you could get.”
Seniors Siera Haug and Taylor Schalles practice their camera skills, photographing buildings in the backways of Massachusetts Street in Lawrence. photo by Danielle Cook
Manhattan Basketball plays against K-State Blue Light ends with 30+ submissions Erick Echegaray Staff Writer
The past met the present last Saturday as Rodney McGruder, Nino Williams and other past Kansas State Basketball players got together and revived their glory days in an exhibition game against some local Manhattan, Wamego and Junction City high school basketball players. The game took place in City Auditorium where many fans, young and old, came to watch old KSU idols such as McGruder take on a variety of
young talent. Among the high schoolers was Manhattan High senior and K-State commit Pierson McAtee, who played alongside Manhattan seniors Cole Dillon and Garrett Francis. “It was a great experience,” McAtee said. He scored 30 of the points on the high school team in the 102-103 loss. The team of high schoolers was coach by MHS boys basketball coach Benji George in the losing effort. “We wanted some guys from the surrounding areas to play and we were able to do that so I think it was a fun
time for the guys involved and hopefully for all the kids that came too,” George said. The game went down to the wire as the KSU alums almost lost a three-point lead in the final seconds thanks to a shooting foul committed with 0.7 seconds to go in the game. They held on to the win by a point and thanked the fans for coming. Highlights during the game included seeing ex-KSU center Jordan Henriquez-Roberts almost destroy the rim like he did countless times in the Wildcat uniform and McGruder drive and finish at
the rim, just like he used to at Bramlage Coliseum. “It was good to give back to the community that I played college in,” McGruder said. He, along with Nino Williams, Martavious Irving, Thomas Gipson and Henriquez-Roberts made up the squad for last Saturday’s game. “All these guys had great careers at K-State. You know it’s great that they were willing to do it and get the kids out and get some autographs, and supports KSU basketball too,” George said. At this time it is unclear if this was only a one-time event.
Sculpture 2 creates natural art Tracy Le Trending Editor Seven Manhattan High Sculpture 2 students looked at artists like sculptor Andy Goldsworthy to get ideas for their Art Installation project, which was put up and taken down last week. “I think it’s pretty cool and something I have not done with my students since working here… it was a neat chance for the kids to think outside the Journalism from page 1 is just getting to compete in something that you’re good at. It’s an opportunity for us to show our skill,” Moss said. Sophomore Elizabeth Underwood and freshman Savannah Cherms, who competed in a yearbook copy contest in which there was a mixup and contestants were not provided sufficient information to write a mock yearbook story, explained that, though it was difficult to not have placed due to a disadvantage, participating in a statewide journalism contest can benefit them in positive ways. “I think I benefitted from going because it gave me experience on writing in contests and how to deal with stressful situations and problem solving when things get messed up,”
box,” art teacher Rachel Fontenot said. “I chose this project for something different. We could be outside and use materials we normally wouldn’t.” “The project was to show that we could use nature to create things and combine different parts of nature to create something beautiful or symbolic,” junior Jacob Richards said. Although she was sick and didn’t get to complete her project, which was going to be
sticks woven together, senior Hannah Silva agrees about the purpose of the installation. “The point was to show how humans and nature interact,” Silva said. “I thought it was interesting. I think it’s a good idea because I feel like it brings awareness to human and nature interaction… I like the three dimensional art.” Each student had the task of using supplies found in nature to develop a piece of art in the courtyard by the art rooms.
“As a group, we decided that [artists do things like this] for the sake of nature; to draw attention to a place people may normally ignore,” Fontenot said. The students enjoyed the uniqueness of the project. “I thought it was interesting. It was really unique; I’d never done anything like it before,” Richards said.
Underwood said. “It’s beneficial to go to Contest because I don’t feel like I know what I’m doing half the time, so going to competitions makes me feel like, ‘Oh, I’m around all these people who are good at journalism,’ so I feel like I must be good at this, too,” Cherms said, Cherms explained that learning how to compete in contest situations can be stressful, but is ultimately rewarding. “Trying to stay out of my head about everything and not psyching myself out is the most challenging part of competing at State,” Cherms said. “I think you have to go into it telling yourself that you’re there for a reason and that you’re going to do well, and that even if you don’t place, you’re there for a reason.”
NHS from page 1
ion show to give to charity. I also want to continue helping people in the school and community who are less fortunate through the current service projects.” Junior Matt Bandy, next year’s NHS treasurer, has similar hopes. “I hope that involvement in the club will be greater than in years past so we can better the school and the community,” Bandy said. Gwinner hopes to add on to the long list of service projects NHS completes each year. “I want us to collect needed items for the emergency and animal shelters and I would like to do something kind of like collecting for toys for tots,” Gwinner said. “The officers and Mrs. Smith are also going to brainstorm about how we can do more to help the people
service projects that we do for National Honors Society and I hope to have our organization be an important part of assisting needs around the school -needs of other students, other faculty -- to be helpful and to be of service and continue to maintain high grade standards,” Smith said. The newly elected NHS President, junior MacKenzie Gwinner, is looking forward to progressing the organization. “I hope that everyone really gets involved this year and that most of the inductees will volunteer and be involved,” Gwinner said. “My goals would probably be to expand donations -- I want to do collections for the emergency and animal shelters -- and to raise more money through the fash-
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Elassia Cunningham Staff Writer The deadline for the Blue Light Journal has passed, now students wait to see their literary works published in the magazine. There have been over 30 submissions to the magazine. The Blue M yearbook staff will begin production on the literary magazine this week. The magazine is scheduled to be distributed along with the 2015 yearbook at 3:15 on Monday in the
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south courtyard, located next to the library. Junior Corrina Bishop is one of the students who submitted her poetry to the Blue Light Journal. Bishop plans read the poems she has submitted at the poetry reading. “I think it’s awes o m e ,” Bishop said. “I’m actually really excited for it.” A n y one who submitted their literary works is welcomed to participate in a poetry reading of their submitted work.
I think it’s awesome, I’m actually really excited for it.” -- Corrina Bishop
Yearbook distribution will take place Monday, May 11, in the south courtyard by the library. Hosted after school, the distribution will include music, food and readings from the Blue Light Journal. Don’t miss out! Extra yearbooks $75, while supplies last. here at MHS.” “I hope the Christmas toys project that the president [Gwinner] suggested happens,” Bandy said. “We’ll host a toy donation for children whose parents can’t afford gifts.” For next year’s members expectations are high and officers encourage them to be as active as possible. “Members who are the most involved will enjoy and get the most out of the club,” Bandy said. “I’m incredibly excited for the new year and all our new members.” “There are lots of opportunities to be involved with the club,” Gwinner said. “If you don’t think that you have time, check the nurse’s office or talk to someone in charge. Don’t just decide to do nothing. I’m expecting a lot of success next year.”
BPA from page 1 me money to start my business this summer.” Benfer will be competing in PC Servicing and Troubleshooting. “I saw the opportunity to expand my skills with computers [so I joined BPA],” Benfer said. “If I do well enough, I can become certified so that would be pretty cool.” AP from page 1 AP tests if you are taking multiple. It requires a lot of time and effort, but it’s worth it in a lot of ways.” According to Fink, though the process of taking AP classes and tests can be trying, the overall outcome can make a difference in the work ethic of individual students and of a school body as a whole. “We have an excellent school, and that’s just one more indication of the kind of students we have and how well they do,” Fink said.
Interested in multimedia journalism? Join the MHS Mentor Online or Indian Insider staff. Stop by C107 today.
Sports
The Mentor • May 5, 2015
Page 4
Track travels to Salina; both boys and girls take first in competition Erick Echegaray Staff Writer The Manhattan High track team sprinted back into action this weekend with two meets, one at home. The Manhattan Small Schools Invite took place this past Saturday as the J.V. team looked to succeed in
what was only its second home meet of the year. There have only been two meets at Bishop this year, all of them have been J.V. meets. MHS competed with smaller schools around Kansas at Bishop Stadium in many events as mostly freshmen and sophomores competed in
these events. After the cancellation of the only home Varsity meet of the season last weekend, the team was ready to get back to action when it traveled to Seaman to compete in the Seaman Relays last Friday. Both the boys and the girls achieved first place. “It all went really good;
there was about 26 teams there,” sophomore varsity runner Mikela Robinson said. She along other competitors are preparing to give MHS their eighth straight Centennial girls title later this month. “There was a lot of good competition, the team did well, as for myself I jumped 6’2”
and I got third place,” sophomore varsity high-jumper Tom Haug said. He will also look to give MHS another Centennial League title; it would be the 10th title in a row for the boys if this feat is achieved. The J.V. track team will compete again in what will
be their final competition of the season when they travel to Washburn Rural for the Washburn Rural Invitational. Finally, Varsity will also jump back to action this Friday when it travels to Salina for the Salina Relays in preparation for the Centennial meet that will take place next Thursday.
Baseball swept by Junction City, drops third straight contest
Junior Darien Stokes prepares to lay down a bunt Friday afternoon. PHOTO BY CORA ASTIN Greg Woods Sports Editor If the Manhattan High baseball team scored half as many runs it scored in Friday’s nightcap in the first game, it would have split with Junction City. Instead, the Indians (5-7, 3-7) dropped a pair of contests to the Blue Jays, 3-1 and 11-10. The loss marks Manhattan’s third straight, and head coach Don Hess attributed the losses to his team’s execution. “Sadly, we’re just not good enough to be able to afford
some of the mental and physical mistakes we’re making right now,” Hess said. “We’re competing; we’re giving great effort, but we’re just not executing or not executing correctly at times that we need it done correctly.” Senior Jesse Steinbring started the first game on the mound and pitched a complete game to go along with five strikeouts and three earned runs, while junior Grant Munsen tossed 1 2/3 innings in the second game, giving up four earned runs and fanning one. Steinbring said he wasn’t com-
pletely satisfied with his performance. “I could have pitched better,” Steinbring said. “We could have some things on defense to trim the deficit.” Hess said he was pleased with his senior’s play on the mound, but that his team will need to give him run support. “Jesse is throwing very well,” Hess said. “Defensively, in the first game, we made a couple plays that cost us some runs… We’re going to have to figure out how to score when he’s on the mound.” In the first game of Tues-
day’s split with Topeka West, Manhattan didn’t get its first hit until the sixth inning, and it wasn’t until the fourth in the second game that the Indians got a base hit. The trend carried over to Friday, as MHS was no-hit through five innings in game one until senior Garrett Francis reached base with a single in the sixth. By then, the Blue Jays had already grabbed a 3-0 advantage with runs in the second, fifth and sixth innings. Hess said his team was hitting the ball well, but not to the right spots.
Softball sweeps Topeka West, Junction City John Rockey Senior Staff Writer MHS 4, TW 3 MHS 7, TW 4 Softball coach Monty Enright saw opportunities come with the Manhattan High 2-0 start to their first game against Topeka West. As the first inning ended, MHS faced difficulty with scoring runs that they needed. “We struggled to get that hit we needed,” Enright said. “We had runners and we had a lot of hits; we just went through that phase where somebody’s got to get us a big hit.” MHS kept with West’s hitting and no runs were up on the board until the fourth inning. West put up three runs between the fourth and fifth innings to pull ahead of MHS. “We were struggling because they put their outfield so far back and we were just hitting so good off the [pitcher] that they were going to the out-
fielders and we couldn’t get any runs off of that,” sophomore Chelsea Henry said. At the top of the sixth, MHS took back the lead with two more runs that put them ahead 4-3 as they prevented one last run in the seventh to win the game. Transitioning into the second game started with a greater amount of hitting overall among players. “We talked about trying to hit the middle of the ball more,” Enright said. “We were catching a lot of the pitches on the first game below the ball.” The game started with three runs by MHS and the defense kept West from scoring runs till the last two innings. By the seventh inning, MHS had a 7-1 lead and had to finish out the bottom of the inning. West then put up four runs on the board and the Lady Indians faced difficulty getting the last outs of the game.
MHS 10-5 JC MHS 14-4 JC By the fourth inning of the first game on Friday, the Manhattan High softball team was down 4-2 and Junction City had the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, poised to score. “We needed something good to happen at the point it was four to two,” Enright said. “Sydney really battled with the bases loaded, and had a full count and got a strike out. And then we got the next out; so at that point, we were really in trouble. It could’ve been five or six to two.” As soon as the inning ended, the Indians had a runner on base when freshman Ayanna Gamble hit a two-run home run and tie up the game. Two more runs followed the home run before the inning ended. “[Gamble’s] home run really gave us some momentum and we kept going after that and it carried us on through the rest
of the game,” senior Savannah Thaemert said. Four more runs followed for MHS in the last two innings and the 10-5 finish carried over into their second game against JC. In the first three innings, MHS scored their first nine runs in the first two innings after a run of loaded bases in the top of the second inning. MHS’s outfield held off manyadvances from JC’s hitting as they faced errors throughout. “In the second inning, we were able to get down some bunts and [Junction City] had a couple mistakes on bunts,” Enright said. “And at that point, you could feel that the energy had left them. And at that point we got hits and the runs just started adding up.” The second game ended in the fifth inning by a 14-4 run rule to end MHS’s week and continue their winning season. They will face Hayden this Friday at home and will be at home again next Tuesday for senior night.
Tennis wins four out of nine, wins Centennial League Tracy Le Trending Editor Manhattan High’s varsity boys tennis team now has their last home meet behind them. The team hoped to play Olathe in the Olathe Northwest Dual better than they did last year and they did just that, winning four matches out of nine. “It felt pretty good; last year we only won two,” coach Joyce Allen said. “Olathe Northwest just won their Sunflower League. They beat Shawnee Mission East for the first time so we think we did pretty good. There were a couple matches we felt we should have won but didn’t, but that’s okay; at least we know we can do it.” “It’s the first time that we’ve gotten to play any team from Kansas City and see some different teams that are really good,” junior Kirkland Lambert said. “To see that we can hang with those guys is fun so I really enjoyed it.” Taking on No. 3 singles, Lambert beat out Olathe 8-7 and also played No. 1 doubles with junior Collin Queal. “I thought I played well. I
don’t think I played as well as I could have, but that’s asking for a lot from a tennis player,” Lambert said. “I thought I played particularly well in my singles match, better than I did in my doubles match. According to some rankings, they were the second best team in the state and we only lost to them four games to five… Playing good players brings out what you’re not as good at so I’m definitely coming away knowing what I need to work on to improve.” Lambert began playing tennis the summer before his sixth grade year. “My uncle, Ned [Seaton], played tennis in high school and my older cousin Jake, who is a sophomore in college right now, got me started. I just enjoyed tennis from the start,” Lambert said. “I love playing all sports but, tennis, above the others, is just something I really enjoyed, I wanted to go out and hit with people. I wanted to go play all the time. That passion for the game just kind of flowed into it and made it more enjoyable than other sports.”
For singles, sophomore Bryce Easton took on No. 1, dropping a match 5-8. Junior Bryan Armbrust played No. 2 singles and came out 8-5; junior Collin Queal won 8-1 as No. 4 singles; senior No. 5 singles Camden Adams beat out Olathe 8-7 and No. 6 singles senior Benaiah Gorman dropped his match 3-8. Adams and Gorman along with juniors Matt and Ben Turnley played No. 2 and No. 3 doubles respectively. “I was surprised. I thought our doubles would do better and not the singles, but it was the singles that won… I thought they played really well,” Allen said. “Bryce felt like he could have won that. Bryan was happy; most of the singles players were happy. Collin and Kirkland really felt like they should have won… I’m sure that [they] were disappointed. They should have won that and they know it, but just wasn’t their day. Camden and Benaiah weren’t very happy; they wished they played better, but some days just are the best days.” The team’s next meet, Cen-
tennial League, was played Monday at Highland Park in Topeka. “In my opinion, we should win League and we should probably win Regionals,” Lambert said prior to the meet. “I think we’re the best team in both of those tournaments. I obviously have super high expectations for us and I try to impose that on the rest of the team, to have high expectations for each other and for themselves. I think everybody would be disappointed if we don’t win League.” With the dual against Olathe Northwest done, Allen is excited as well. “We got the meet in. It’s a big deal to play a Kansas City school,” Allen said. “They’re the best and one match and we would have tied. I’m proud of the boys. They did a great job. Monday we’re supposed to go to League. I think we’re ready. We all want to win that big time. It’s ours to lose.”
“We weren’t getting fooled; we were hitting the ball on the money,” Hess said. “They weren’t falling, but if they’re not falling, then you have to figure out how to make them fall.” The Indians scratched across a run in the sixth when sophomore Edward Scott scored on a JC passed ball, but the run would prove to be Manhattan’s only score of the contest. Junction City took game one. In the second contest, Manhattan raced out to a 4-0 lead after the first frame when Steinbring launched a grand slam to left field. The homer came off freshman pitcher Ashton Wiegand, and the senior said the four-run shot wasn’t difficult. “It looked like a beach ball,” Steinbring said. “I just tried to put a good swing on it.” The Blue Jays responded to Manhattan’s four-run first inning with a four-spot of their own in the second, getting RBIs from Ian Winchester and Tim Bell’s two-run triple. Francis then came on in relief of Munsen and pitched the next six innings, and Hess said that he was content with the senior’s night pitching. “Garrett’s a competitor and he’s going to continue to work hard for us,” Hess said. “He went longer than we wanted, but we didn’t want to throw another young pitcher out there in a crucial situation… Garrett gave it everything he had; we just didn’t keep scoring and make his job easier.” The Indians added five more runs in the bottom half of the second inning, ballooning their lead to 9-6 heading into the third. Hess said that facing Wiegand helped his
team improve at the plate. “They started a freshman on the mound in the second game, and you should be able to hit a freshman no matter how good he is,” Hess said. “So I think he struggled a little bit, and our confidence was pretty good.” After Manhattan tallied a run in the third, it wouldn’t score again the rest of the way, and the Blue Jays added two runs in both the third and sixth innings to tie the game at 10. The game would go into extra innings. The eighth frame saw Francis on third base, 90 feet away from winning the game. However, senior A.J. Epperson grounded out to first to end the threat. Instead of a walk-off win for the home team, Junction City’s Trae McDaniel scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth, giving the Blue Jays an 11-10 advantage. Senior Grant Urban singled in the bottom half of the inning, but strikeouts from sophomore Nick Wohler and junior Josh Chapman ended the game. Hess said he thought his team had a chance at a win in the eighth and ninth innings. “Yeah, I did [think we had a chance],” Hess said. “We were hoping that somebody would come through with the big hit and be able to help the cause, but it just didn’t happen. And that’s about all we can really do, is just put ourselves in a position and hope that somebody will come through for us.” The Indians return to action today vs. Topeka High at Tointon Family Stadium, home of Kansas State Wildcats.
Soccer ties 1-1 against Great Bend Erick Echegaray Staff Writer Following the postponement of their road game against Great Bend High last Friday, the Manhattan High girls soccer team tied Blue Valley High, 1-1, at Bishop Stadium last Tuesday. MHS (5-2-1) came into the game looking to continue their three game undefeated streak which they achieved by edging Emporia High and Hayden, and pulling out a draw against Seaman. The game started out with some back and forth action with no team having a clear advantage for most of the first half. The second half started off much the same way. The longstanding tie could have been broken 26 minutes after the break when Blue Valley took advantage of a through pass that almost found the tiebreaking goal, but the ball barely hit the crossbar, keeping the scoreless tie. Fourteen minutes into the second part, freshman Cailey Perkins sent a shot from just outside the box right into
the top-left corner to put the Lady Indians up by one. With momentum built, Manhattan would continue to attack but failed to decisively take the game as they could not find the back of the net again. With the game almost over and Manhattan looking like they would pick up their sixth victory of the season, Blue Valley put together a sudden attack with less than a minute left and were able to put the ball past senior goalkeeper Molly Fiser with less than 50 seconds left in the match. The game would go into two halves of scoreless overtime, and the game finished a 1-1 draw. “It’s tough. You kind of feel gutted because there was under a minute, and you would think there only a minute left and we leave the win,” head coach Mike Sanchez said. The Lady Indians have gone to overtime in four of their eight games so far this season. “We have to execute and finish out games,” Sanchez said. MHS will play again today at 6:45 p.m. against Wichita Northwest High at Bishop.
Swimming places third at Great Bend Invitational Angie Moss Business Manager Last Friday Manhattan High School’s girls swim team placed third with 313 points at the Great Bend Invitational. Unlike most swim meets, this invitational was aimed more toward having fun than getting a new PR. “It was fun because that race is only done at that one meet so it’s new and just fun,” senior Alyssa Frey said. MHS placed third in the 200 yard medley relay and fourth in the 400 yard freestyle relay. Individual placers including senior Mariah Scipio placing second in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 26.94 and the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 59.72 as well as freshman Luann Jung placing first in the 200 yard IM with a time of 2:26.74 and the 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:16.27 With the season coming to an end, swimmers are focusing on getting a time that will qualify them for state.
“I wanted to PR in both of my races because I’m one second away from consideration [for the state meet],” freshman Victoria Bedros said. “But my cap fell off in one of my races but it was a really fun meet because you know that so many of your team members are there for you even if you don’t PR so it was a really fun experience.” Although the meet was not supposed to be a fast meet, some of the swimmers are disappointed about not earning a new PR. “I was really happy but both times I didn’t drop time -- they weren’t my best times so I was kind of happy, kind of not at the same time,” Jung said. Manhattan also hosted a diving invitational friday night in which sophomore Elizabeth Underwood placed third at. “When I was told that I placed third, at first I was just shocked,” Underwood said. “I didn’t think I’d ever place in the top three. It was a huge confidence boost.”
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Features The Mentor www.mhsmentor.com The Mentor • May 5, 2015
Entertainment
Avengers: Age of Ultron earns high marks at box office Danielle Cook Entertainment Editor Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” proved to be an action-packed thriller that lived up to the expectation placed on it based on its predeceasing movie, “The Avengers.” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” featured the familiar faces of the all-star cast from “The Avengers,” which helped keep the plot followable for the audience members who may have been unfamiliar with Marvel comics or the unique backstories of individual characters. The film was pleasing visually, with detailed graphics
and special effects and an array of the colorful classic costume designs of each Avenger. Strangely, before seeing “Age of Ultron,” I wasn’t quite as skeptical of this sequel as I have rightly been of superhero sequels in the past (let’s be real: what other superhero sequel has really been as spectacular as its prequel?), as I came across so much hype and excitement over it on the internet (mostly from who seemed to be hardcore Marvel fans). While I do appreciate a good action movie, as someone who is a bigger fan of the romantic comedy or the romantic drama, I was thor-
oughly impressed by the fact that “Age of Ultron” seemed to include a variety genre content, from action to romance to comedy. The witty sense of humor featured in the film was original and refreshing and the half-expected elements of romance and signs of growing friendships between characters flecked throughout gave it emotional depth, which “The Avengers” lacked. This also provided the audience something enthralling to watch when The Avengers weren’t in the middle of a busy battle or high-speed chase. Also filling in quieter gaps between action scenes were revealing
scenes containing interesting elements of character development that made up for the shortage thereof in the first film. And while I found the in-between scenes fascinating and satisfying as far as wrapping up previous character backstory mysteries, the scenes involving action were engaging and suspenseful. The balance of action, humor and both charming and fierce characters, brought to life by a highly witty and energetic cast made the Avengers’ second time around on the big screen incredibly endearing.
Drama club pays tribute to Henly’s play Alejandra Flores Staff Writer This past Wednesday students of Manhattan High’s Advanced Repertory drama class gathered to present a PulitzerPrize-winning tragic comedy play, “Crimes of the Heart” by Beth Henley. “Crimes of the Heart” is the story of three sisters, each attempting to discover her own identity; each sister is forced to face the consequences of the
“crimes of the heart” they have committed, and they come together after one of the sisters gets arrested for shooting her husband. Students had the opportunity to get to know their characters, but had to prepare for the play in a really short amount of the time. However, they were rewarded for their efforts. “It went pretty good. We weren’t as prepared, but it went really good. There weren’t a lot
of people, but we were able to eat some yummy desserts afterward,” junior Austin Grand Pre said. Everyone was welcome to see the performance at no cost, but audience members could bring $2 and get a dessert. “It was a good and fun night. They smashed cake in one of the girl’s face. It was a nice ending to the play; the room was all covered with cake. They all did a really good job,” student intern Sherry
Brown said. Students that came to the event had a really good time and they learned that even with limited time and resources you can get a good product. “It was quite beautiful; I could see glimpses of how the actual play would’ve been with more time, and it kept the audience engaged to the play. There was a small but fun audience,” drama teacher Linda Uthoff said.
Music groups hope to bring high energy to concert Elassia Cunningham Staff Writer It’s time again for the Showcase concert. The Blue Notes Jazz Band, Pops and Varsity choirs will perform in Rezac auditorium tonight at 7. The showcase concert is held every semester to show the community the new music that the jazz band and choirs have worked on throughout the semester. Unlike most concerts, the showcase concert features more light and energetic pieces. “For this concert, pretty much everything we’re doing is high energy -- a lot of uptempo swing,” jazz band director Nate McClendon said. “I think it’s going to be some really fun music, a lot of energy. The group is sounding really good; it’s going to be a high energy show. I think it’ll be something that people will enjoy.” Choir director Chad Pape also said that the music that the choirs will perform is more fun for the audience to watch. Pape described the music as a “mix of pop, jazz and musical theater.” “It’s all fun music; it’s all light music,” Pape said. “There’s no heavy classical literature on it at all.”
CARTOON BY ALLISON CLAUSS
The Varsity Choir performs in Rezac Auditorium at last semester’s showcase concert. The concert was, overall, a success and all groups performing hope to repeat the accomplishment. PHOTO BY JOHN ROCKEY
Are you interested in photography, writing, reporting or contributing to society? If so, consider joining The Mentor’s 2015-2016 Staff! See room C-107 for more information on how to join.
Six summer must-reads
With the end of the school year right around the corner, librarians and book fans alike are gearing up for future book releases over the summer. Manhattan High’s library has seen a good list of books repeatedly checked out, and are looking for books along the same vein to help update the school’s collection. Books like Maximum Ride by James Patterson, and The Olympians by Rick Riordan have been coined as favorites among students, so librarians are on the hunt for more novels from the same genre. The main focus, according to librarian Joanne Hattenbach, are keeping up with the series. “I usually purchase about 300-600 books over the summer,” Hattenbach said. With the new budget cuts, the librarians are unsure of how much MHS will be able to keep up with, “it’s a grey area,” Hattenbach explained, but is confident in offering the best that the staff can for the students.
After the book Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Tiny Cooper finally gets to tell his story. In the novel co-written by John Green, Tiny Cooper tells his fabulous story of his life.
When Laura Jean falls in love with her friend Peter, she doesnt expect it. They were just pretending. And when another boy suddenly falls into her life, the two boys leave Laura Jean even more confused,
Olivia’s best friend Cody commits suicide, leaving her alone as she moves on to college. After meeting a new group of friends, Cody’s cause of death is thrown back into question.
When Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she immediately knows her fate. She will become a Seeker. She will protect the weak and helpless, and she will be with the boy she loves.
Violet and Finch have both have experienced trauma in their lives, the death of Violets brother and the depression following Finch. When the two find each other and help lift each other up.
After her best friend, Oliver, was kidnapped for ten years, Emmy is finally reunited with an old friend. But she soon learns that time can change people. Madison Newman Senior Staff Writer Savannah Cherms 2015-2016 Entertainment Editor
Trending
The Mentor • May 5, 2015
Page 6
May is Mental Health Awareness Month A mental illness makes the things you do in life hard, like work, school and socializing with other people. If you think you or someone you know might have a mental disorder, it is best to consult a professional as soon as possible. Early
identification and effective intervention is the key to successfully treating the disorder and preventing future disability. A healthcare professional will connect the symptoms and experiences the patient is having with recognized diagnostic cri-
teria to help formulate a diagnosis. According to teenmentalhealth.org, anxiety disorders, such as panic disorders and social phobia, are the most common conditions for teens (31.9 percent of teens with a disorder), followed
by behavior disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD (19.1 percent), mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (14.3 percent), and substance use disorders (11.4 percent).
How mental illness impacts your body: Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ocd: Irritability, mood swings, impulsive behavior, inability to concentrate. Anxiety, all eating disorders, bipolar disorder, depression: Dizziness, headaches, chronic fatigue, restlessness.
bulimia: Inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from frequent vomiting.
anxiety: Shortness of breath, rapid breathing.
Depression, anxiety: Increased aches and pains, which occur in about two out of three people with depression.
bulimia: Tooth decay from stomach acids released during frequent vomiting.
all eating disorders, anxiety: Irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, heart failure, heart disease, high cholesterol.
anorexia: Dry skin and hair; hair loss is common.
all eating disorders: Mucle loss and weakness. ocd: Hand-washing until skin becomes raw; avoiding hand shaking.
Depression, anxiety: Decreased appetite, nausea.
anorexia: Possible kidney failure due to extreme dehydration.
all eating disorders: Reduction in bone density.
If you or someone you know has a mental illness and needs help, call these hotlines. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1‑800‑273‑8255
If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline . Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals.
SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline 1‑877‑726‑4727
Get general information on mental health and locate treatment services in your area. Speak to a live person, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.
www.livescience.com www.teenmentalhealth.org www.webmd.com www.timberlineknolls.com
page by Angie Moss