The mentor Vol. 102 Issue 21 | Manhattan High School | April 7, 2015
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MHS Orchestra claims encore perfomance in Chicago Madeline Marshall News Editor
MHS Orchestra students listen intently to “string guru” Robert Gillespie during their clinic at the WorldStride Heritage Music Festival in Chicago. COURTESY PHOTO
Everything from Giordiano’s pizza to the Chicago skyline was dwarfed in comparison to the musical experience the Manhattan High’s orchestra gained at the WorldStrides Heritage Music Festival. After their exquisite success at the regional festival in Dallas, both the Chamber and Symphonic Orchestra trekked to Chicago to perform with the best high school orchestras in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. In the end, the MHS Chamber orchestra continued their previous success, taking part in the encore performance. “WorldStrides Heritage Music Festival has a festival system in which they do regional competitions and then the winners of those regional competitions are invited to participate in the national competitions,” director Nate McClendon said. “If you go to a regional competition and you earn a gold rating -- that means you earn a certain score -- then you have a two-year
window in which to go to a Festival of Gold. So everyone that was there for Chicago had earned a Gold Rating within the past two years.” The students took part in honors groups, clinics and performances. The MHS Chamber group reigned supreme, performing in the encore. The students were amazed by the news and the performance was electric. “It was incredible on a lot of levels,” McClendon said. “Since it was the encore performance and we knew we weren’t being judged, I got them a little more emotionally prepared; I got them to a place where they would play more passionately. When we played for the encore performance, we might have been a little more sloppy compared to the first performance, but we were a whole lot more aggressive and a whole lot more passionate. It really was profound.”
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‘Mr.MHS’ shows off individuality of Manhattan High students Danielle Cook Entertainment Editor The audience that nearly filled Rezac Auditorium Thursday night witnessed a wide range of entertainment from the candidates up for the coveted title of “Mr. MHS.” Along with an array of colorful costumes to be observed, the auditorium played host to magic, serenading, pop-princess-impersonating, singlehanded acting, a “promposal” and much more, as Mr. MHS contestants took the stage that evening. After much preparation over the course of a couple of short weeks, which included not only the design and construction of costumes and rehearsing of talents, but also the learning of group dance numbers, contestants were finally ready to perform in the “Safari Allure”-themed pageant, each with the intention of impressing a panel of judges, some members of the community with animal-related professions. “A lot of it [the preparation] was mainly costume-related. A lot of it was just figuring out what I had to do. My friends helped me out a lot. I asked around for what would be a good idea, but overall, I think you just have to have a plan, and it’ll all come together in the end,” senior Trevor Bashaw,
this year’s Mr. MHS, said. “My favorite part to do was probably the dances in the end. They were just kind of fun because I don’t dance that often, so that was kind of interesting to do.” For senior Levi Jones, who was awarded the “crowd favorite” of the pageant, working hard to prepare for the show was made enjoyable by spending time with fellow contestants. “You get to work together with all of these guys. I mean, you get to work together with both people you’re friends with, and people you don’t really know that well, so you get to meet some cool people,” Jones said. As far as how the pageant events were evaluated, there were a number of opportunities for the contestants to impress their judges and audience, earning points in categories such as talent, evening wear, swimwear and opening number costume. And while the pageant was, in fact, a competition, according to Jones, the it was all more about showing off each individual’s unique sense of unique sense of self through personal performances and creative ideas. “The audience is so super supportive of you. They’re not going to judge you for being weird or crazy. They’re just going to accept you for however you present yourself because
that’s who you are. They’re not really looking for a fake version of you; they’re looking for the real you,” Jones said. According to Bashaw, he didn’t expect to be awarded the title Mr. MHS, but it was good to know that his and everyone’s hard work paid off to make the show a success. “I didn’t really expect it, to be honest, so that was cool. It was a surprise. I didn’t think it was this big of a deal at first, but then I won and people were like, ‘Good job,’ and now I feel good about myself,” Bashaw said. “I would just like to give thanks to all of the contestants, Molly [Bollman, senior] for choreographing, Dalton [Juneman, junior] for actually putting on Mr. MHS as the stage manager. Otherwise, thanks to everyone for coming to the show and supporting it.” Mr. MHS was a successful event this year, and Jones hopes the traditional success of the pageant will be carried on in years to come. “I recommend that people do it next year. It is lots of fun. It is also lots of hard work, but don’t be intimidated by the hard work, but it is a really fun time. It’s just a good thing to do in high school to get yourself out there. It can be kind of embarrassing for some guys, but it could be something unexpected to do to shake things up,” Jones said.
Senior Trevor Bashaw performs his Humorous Interpretation “Bubble Boy” for the talent section of “Mr. MHS.” At the end of the night, Bashaw won the crown. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH UNDERWOOD
Science Olympiad successful, takes second place at state competition Tracy Le Trending Editor After months upon months of practicing and studying and hoping, Manhattan High’s Science Olympiad team reclaimed second place at the state competition last Saturday in Wichita. “The students get so into it. The excitement… They were going up to get their medals, hugging each other, highfiving eachother…” coach and sponsor Richard Nelson said. “I’m really proud of the students. They performed very, very well. They worked very, very hard. Many of them spent late nights, gave up their weekends… They deserved their
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.
success. I could easily say that this is the best finish we’ve ever had.” Senior Danny Aramouni has been a part of the Science Olympiad for three years. “I know I’m biased, but I really do think we were the strongest team there,” Aramouni said. “It was the best we’ve ever done, the closest we’ve ever come to winning state. We were 11 points from winning so it was really, really close. We were 19 points away last year and we were even closer this year.” For the longest time, Aramouni has wanted to help get the team to the national competition. “Not getting to Nationals by
11 points [was disappointing]. “We had a bit of bad luck in one of the events. A lot of bad luck. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong… It’s really not anyone’s fault, it’s just bad luck. We’ve always felt like a team, but I think this year we’ve felt the most cohesive. It has a great feel to it and I think that helps with how we did,” Aramouni said. “I was surprised by my performance because I got a silver medal in Astronomy, which I’ve never medaled in before. Out of my four events, that was the one I medaled in and the other three, which I was more confident in, I didn’t medal in. So that was a disappointment but I’m still really glad.”
The team’s finish can be partly credited to the the new class, Honors Science Investigations. “It [the class] really helped us but also presented some new challenges we didn’t anticipate. The communication between those who are in the class and those who aren’t made it a little more challenging to know where everyone was at because it is a team thing and you have to communicate with your partners,” Nelson said. “I think it, in one way, was responsible for our success. We were successful without it but I do think we went to a little higher level this time. If it weren’t for that want fluke accident, we would have
had an unbelievable score. We ended up at 116 but if it weren’t for that accident we’d have been under 100, which is unheard of.” Nelson believes Manhattan High is a great place. “You can be into journalism or science or athletics or music or drama… Manhattan High, I’m sure, doesn’t fill every niche for every person and there’s room for improvement, but for a student who wants to be passionate, there’s plenty here to be passionate about,” Nelson said. Though there were some disappointments and surprises, the team is passionate about what they do and are looking forward to the upcoming year.
“It was a blast performing. It was the best day and it was fun and we did really well and I love that team. I started sophomore year and now I’m done. It’s kind of bittersweet,” Aramouni said. “It has definitely helped me learn things. I’ve learned things that I wouldn’t have otherwise and learned a lot of astronomy, anatomy, chemistry…all the sciences. It’s just a lot of learning. And all the people are great. It’s been really great making friends and connecting to other people who love science, too. I’m hoping the team continues to do well and win state next year.”
America experiences slowdown in hiring
ing in the energy market and held back consumer spending and construction, for the economic slowdown. Still, many economists say they expected the economy to regain momentum later in the year.
limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities for the next 15 years. Under the accord, Iran agreed to cut the number of operating centrifuges it has by twothirds, to 5,060, all of them first-generation, and to cut its current stockpile of low-enriched uranium from around 10,000 kilograms to 300 for 15 years. They have less than three months to turn Thursday’s framework plan into a comprehensive deal. Many important issues have yet to be resolved. If Congress moves forward with new sanctions on Iran, they could still poten-
tially avoid the deal. However, Iran’s government was allowed to promote the deal at Friday Prayer, a sign that the plan is supported by Iran’s establishment.
there were four gunmen who stormed the university. They moved from dorm to dorm, and tricked students into coming out and lying down in rows and then shooting them in the head. One of the gunmen was identified as Abdirahim Abdullahi, the son of a local chief near the Somali border. The community is deeply saddened at this point in time as they mourn the loss of nearly 150 young, bright individuals.
Employers added 126,000 workers in March, according to Labor Department data released last Friday. This number is only about half of what economists were expecting. Likewise, average hourly earnings rose only 0.3 percent for private-sector workers in March according to the data. Analysts blame the drop in oil prices as well as harsh winter across the Northeast and Midwest, which decreased spend-
New nuclear framework deal with Iran announced This past Thursday Iran, the United States and five other countries announced a comprehensive understanding on
Terrorists kill Kenyan students Last Thursday, Somali militants killed at least 147 people at Garissa University College in eastern Kenya. There is now a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the area. Kenyan officials believe
Opinions
The Mentor • April 7, 2015
Concealed carry without permit harmful to Kansas
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
As of July 1, 2015, Kansas gun owners will no longer be required to have a permit for concealed carry. They will still be required to go through the previous measures to obtain the weapon, but will no longer need any type of certification or training to carry concealed firearms. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback claimed that gun owners have proven that they’re responsible, therefore no longer needing to take the eight hour course before being allowed to concealed carry. With the signing of this law The Mentor editorial board met to discuss
possible repercussions and whether or not the law is justified. The first concern raised was that the new law may increase the number of homicides and just lead to less public safety in general, which is the opposite of the reasoning given as to why guns should be carried in the first place. When you make weapons more available, in a sense of there and ready, you increase the chance that someone is going to act impulsively or out of anger and harm another person. In a society where people are running around armed, and with nobody knowing who’s packing and who isn’t, you create two things -- paranoia and opportunity. In an instance where the average citizen would usually be satisfied to flip someone the bird or scream into their steering wheel, we now have the possibility that they’ll pull
the handgun out from under their seat and fire. Plus, if people feel that more individuals are armed in public they may feel the need to purchase a gun to make them feel secure, even if they don’t know how to properly use it. Another issue is that if we’re no longer requiring permits it’s just going to become more difficult to keep track of who should and shouldn’t be carrying concealed weapons. While it’s understandable that we have the right to bare arms and should be allowed to exercise this right, there still needs to be some control and regulations to protect Kansans from themselves and each other. Officers will probably become less and less likely to those carrying weapons when there is no longer a permit gun owners carrying concealed weapons are required to have.
Question of the Week:
If you could make a Spring Fling game what would it be?
“Pin the tail on Sam Brownback. Aim for the face,” senior Connor Bliss, @connorblissful
“Answering Mentor questions -speed round,” junior Rebekah Hennessy, @beccachat
What’s the best promposal you’ve seen/heard of? Tweet your answer @mhsmentoronline or answer at our website, mhsmentor.com for a chance to be featured in the next edition.
Stop dismissing mental illnesses
The other day, as I scrolled through my Twitter (something I do much too often), I came across a tweet that startled me. I read it twice. Three times. Okay, much more than that. It was from Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins), and it read, “To be diagnosed as depressed is the holy grail of illnesses for many. The ultimate passport to self obsession. Get a grip people.” I’ve seen a lot of tweets in my time on the social network, but this particular one made me feel… well, a certain way. First off, does this lady realize that depression is not exactly desirable? In fact, depression is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) reports stories like “I thought things simply could not get better, that
Flowing gowns, suits and ties, loud music and a long night full of memories that will last a lifetime. Prom is almost here, and what do I see as I walk down
fly solo. There are several options for those of you who don’t have a date. You can go in a group, with a friend, whatever you want. My favorite part of Prom is getting ready with my friends. We get into a huge group and help each other with our makeup and hair, take pictures, and go out to eat. It’s so much fun! You have so much more
Last week, news about a mom in Birmingham, Ala., who apologizes to a woman for her children’s rude behavior, went viral. The day of the premiere of “Cinderella,” Kyesh Smith dropped her daughter, granddaughter and son off at the movie theater. When she came back to pick them up, her son explained to her that her daughter and granddaughter’s behaviour at the movie theater was extremely rude and disrespectful. Her son also told her about a woman who addressed the girls regarding their bad behavior and asked them to be quiet, but they refused. The woman who addressed the girls had just gotten bad news; her husband had just been laid off the day before, and she went to the movie theater with her little daughter, this being the last movie she
freedom to dance with whoever and go wherever you want. Also, there is so much less stress involved when you’re flying solo for prom. You don’t have to worry about matching his tie with your dress, flowers, etc. All you have to do is worry about you. Prom is supposed to be one of the most memorable nights from High School, make the most of it, whether you have a date or not.
FCCLA prepares for State, isn’t going to compete Kristen Batson Print Editor-in-Chief During this time Family, Career and Community Leaders of America adviser Heide Rippert is usually preparing her club members to compete in State competition. However due to many setbacks this year only five students are going to State, none of which are competing. “This year we haven’t had as much involvement -- part of that is because everyone is so busy in so many things, the other part is November and December my father-in-law was in the hospital so it made it hard to have meetings and
hard to keep students motivated who weren’t self motivated,” Rippert said. On top of having her father hospitalized for two months, Rippert was also gone on maternity leave for six weeks, creating further conflict in trying to ready her crew for districts -- which nobody ended up competing in. The girls who are going will take part in leadership events and also help with judging STAR events and work as timers and runners. “While I was on maternity leave all I had to keep up with students was text messaging and I set up a day to meet with my long term sub, so I arranged for them to come in the
same day to get their permission slips done,” Rippert said. She didn’t try to hide her disappointment about not having any students competing this year but she hopes to increase participation in the upcoming year. “It’s tough for me [not having anyone competing]. Last year we had just one compete at districts and this year we haven’t had as many and it’s just trying to figure out why and how to rebuild FCCLA,” Rippert said. “We have [had a lot of members quit] but it was because of some unfortunate happenings with a couple of members that were leaders in the organiza-
tion so we have to rebuild the leadership of our chapter next year,” Rippert said. Despite all setbacks Rippert remains optimistic about the future of FCCLA. “I’m hoping students will gain leadership skills that they can use. The freshman and sophomores will hopefully be some of our chapter officers next year and they will bring back experience and information they can use next year and hopefully help recruit and be excited about things they can offer in the future,” Rippert said.
Baking and Pastry learns art of chocolate-making in Wichita Elassia Cunningham Staff Writer Chocolate-making is a skill that most people do not typically learn; however, the Baking and Pastry 2 class had the opportunity to travel to Wichita’s Cocoa Dolce Artisan Chocolate restaurant and production on April 2 to learn the art of making chocolate. After the three hour drive, the class stopped by the Cocoa Dolce store around 10 a.m. to sample some of the chocolate that the company produced. The restaurant is set up differently from most chocolate stores with more of a cafe atmosphere.
“[The restaurant] was kind of like a coffee house setting, very cool, calm, collected,” sophomore Kinsey Levendofsky said. “The smells were fantastic in there. They also sold coffee and coffee beans, and they also had a variety of different shapes and different flavors and textures. ” The class then traveled to the company’s chocolate production site where they learned the company’s history from Beth Tully, the founder of the company. “They started off by introducing themselves and telling us where all their chocolate came from” Levendofsky said. After that, the class par-
ticipated in a level one chocolate making class where they tempered chocolate, made ganache and truffles and then coated the deserts and boxed them up. “I think the kids enjoyed it,” applied technology teacher Lorena Ingmire said. “I think they had a good time, and maybe some of them already knew [how to make chocolate].” The class tried more samples of chocolates from a variety of countries including Colombia, Ghana, Hawaii and Peru. Compared to the store, Cocoa Dolce’s productions site is more comfortable and has a
I’d be forever feel imprisoned in a dark room.” Ones like “I felt as if I was drowning in a pool of self-hatred and selfharm.” Stories that describe “[U]ncontrollable crying, not wanting to get out of bed and go to school, and feelings of worthlessness.” Now, I don’t suffer from the disease myself, but there is absolutely nothing from those stories that makes depression sound like a holy grail. While Hopkins’ tweet is, in the very essence of the word, ignorant, that isn’t my main concern. My main concern is that she has garnered 547,000 followers, some of them highly impressionable. Do we really want 500,000 people believing that depression only serves to make people self-obsessed? Surely people diagnosed with depression should be concerned with themselves and with trying to overcome the personal hell that stories report depression to be. That very same day, Hopkins tweeted, “... If you are suicidal, for goodness sake top yourself in private. Attention seeking b*stards.”
Again, what if 500,000 people are influenced by this tweet? Even a small fraction of that would be horrific. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recommends people with suicidal thoughts speak with a mental health professional, who “are trained to offer an objective, independent viewpoint,” can prescribe medicine and have specialized training to identify and understand problems that may be causing discomfort or putting people with suicidal thoughts at risk. The last thing these people need is to keep their problems to themselves, and if they are indeed suicidal, the first thing they need is attention. Hopkins isn’t going to be banned from Twitter any time soon, but it’s time to stop giving her the attention she begs for with these tweets. Unfortunately, some people will inevitably believe the lies Hopkins spews, but she will be less inclined to tweet them if she doesn’t get what she’s after: attention -- positive or negative. Don’t be convinced by her. Get help.
Disciplined children will become respectful
Prom dates not required to have a good time the halls of MHS or scroll through my Facebook and Twitter feed? Promposals. Sure, they are adorable and I commend the guys that take the time to ask a girl to prom in a cute and creative way. The thing is, you should never feel bad or get upset if you are one of the people that don’t have a date. Going to Prom should be great experience for most people, whether you have a date or
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different energy. “It feels like it’s more family friendly there whereas at the store it felt like it was still very welcoming. It just had a different tone, more like a poetry slam tone,” Levendofsky said. The students returned to Manhattan with not only a box of truffles but also a new knowledge of chocolate making. “I had no prior knowledge in making anything related to chocolate, so now that I have knowledge in chocolate making I can now better prepare myself for parties and it’s a cool thing to know,” Levendofsky said.
would be taking her daughter to for a while. Smith was not happy about these events. Her reaction was to look for the woman and write an apology to her via Facebook. She also made her girls write an apology and offered to pay their next movie’s snacks out of the girls’ allowance. Eventually she was able to contact the woman, Rebecca Boyd. Boyd thanked Smith for teaching the girls a good lesson. After she posted the apology on Facebook, it got more than 200,000 views, and most of the people that commented supported Smith’s attitude towards her daughter and granddaughter’s bad behavior. Some of us [teenagers] like to have fun all time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we should disrespect other people for our own satisfaction. I think this story is a cry for us to realize that we don’t know what kind of worry, problem or difficulty the people around us are going through, and we need to consider that before we act disrespectful or rude to people. I believe we should respect others’ space.
This mom’s actions toward her daughter and granddaughter does not seem unfair to me. I think parents are a very influential variable in a teenager’s attitude, while living with them and when we become adults. The environment that we live in when we are kids shapes our personality. If our parents teach us good values and encourage us to be good, most of the time we will and eventually we’ll get used to being respectful. Then when we grow up being respectful is not something you need to learn to do, but rather something you already know, and the only people who can teach you that since little are your parents. No parent is perfect, all parents have flaws, but at the end of the day the only thing they want is for us to be good and honorable when we grow up. Some parents don’t do this because they think that is better stopping an argument or a fight/an uncomfortable moment than giving us a lesson about what is right or wrong, but I believe a little uncomfort is worth an honorable life and with a good behavior.
Would you like to see your words in print?
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 Kristen Batson 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.
EDITORS: Kristen Batson -- Print Editor-In-Chief/Opinions Joseph Sell -- Online Editor -In-Chief Danielle Cook -- Entertainment/Content Editor Madeline Marshall -- News Editor Alan Brown -- Features Editor Greg Woods -- Sports Editor Tracy Le -- Trending Editor Anna Hupp -- Photo Editor Senior Staff Writers/Photographers -- Madison Newman, John Rockey Staff Writers/Photographers -- Elassia Cunningham, Darian Foga-Frehn, Erick Echegaray, Ale Flores, Brent Morrill, Elizabeth Underwood OTHER: Angie Moss -- Business Manager 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 1,000 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is an open forum that accepts contributions from the public. E-mail us at mhsmentor@ gmail.com.
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The Mentor • April 7, 2015
Sports
Tennis beats JC, tops all at Salina Central Invite
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Senior Fawwaz Naeem returns the ball last Tuesday against Junction City in Manhattan while senior Yujiene Andrada prepares to help. Naeem took second in his bracket while Manhattan beat Junction City. PHOTO BY TRACY LE Tracy Le Trending Editor Manhattan High’s varsity boys tennis team left early Tuesday morning for the first meet of the season. The Indians went on to win against Junction City on Thursday and take first place out of six teams at the Salina Central Invitation on Saturday. “I was just so proud today [last Tuesday]. It’s the first match of the season and it’s a long match,” coach Joyce Allen said. “There were actually
three brackets -- there were a ton of kids. It was tough on the boys. It’s one thing to play four matches when it’s 55/65 degrees but wow, when it’s close to 80 you’re dragging. But it was fun. They were ready to play and I thought they did really, really well. The three teams that came in second? The first match they lost was in the finals. All three of them were tired and it was just a matter of who was going to pull through in the final match, but they did a great job.” No. 1 doubles was played by
seniors Ben Gorman and Justin Gittle, who placed eleventh and No. 2 doubles was played by juniors Kevin Harper and Jacob Richards, who took second place. Junior Bryan Armbrust took second in his bracket playing No. 1 singles while seniors Conner Stanley, who played No. 2 singles, and Fawwaz Naeem, who played No. 3 singles, took 13th and second, respectively. “I heard a rumor that for the first match, if you lose you won’t play at all and so I was like ‘I have to win the first
one’,” Naeem said. “It was very tough. It was amazing, [I felt] proud. I felt like the other team also deserved to win because they were really good too but I was happy and exhausted.” Naeem has been playing tennis for almost two years. “I love tennis,” Naeem said. “I’ve been in America for two years and I remember second semester of sophomore year... the bus was taking us home and I saw the tennis courts and I was like ‘I have to play tennis.’ So I took my brother and we went and played.”
The teams also came out of their first home meet strong, winning nine out of twelve matches. “The meet was great. I played doubles at first with Yujiene (Andrada, senior), my friend. We lost tiebreaker and then after doubles I played singles and after a long match I won tiebreaker,” Naeem said. “It was great, I was very happy [and] exhausted. I was like ‘I’ll just finish this’ and lucky enough, I got a pretty good serve and I won the last point.” The team is hopeful, look-
ing to its next meet at Washburn today. “I had to narrow down the varsity team to 15 and we’ve got a good J.V. team. I’m really excited. I think I have a strong team and the J.V. team is strong too,” Allen said. “I have high hopes. We placed fourth at League last year -- I would like to place higher than that this year. I would like to take six kids back to State and I would like to do better at State as well.”
Softball wins one, drops one Friday at Topeka High John Rockey Senior Staff Writer
Senior Lindsey Hageman prepares to hit a ball Friday at Topeka High. PHOTO BY JOHN ROCKEY
J.V. golf takes home first place at tournament at Cypress Ridge Joseph Sell Online Editor-in-Chief On Thursday, the Manhattan High J.V. golf team won its tournament at the Cypress Ridge golf course. “[Thursday’s] tournament was great,” J.V. golf coach Craig Ackerman said. “A lot of the guys felt they could have shot better but that’s always how you feel after a round and there were definitely ways we could have shot lower; obviously that’s always the case but overall a lot of the guys were able to shoot in the 80s.” Sophomore Dustin Wichmann took fifth with an 89. “[My round] was alright, it could’ve been a lot better,” Wichmann said. “I was doing pretty good when we finished the front nine but then I played the back nine pretty bad.” The team edged out Washburn Rural’s team by one stroke. “It came down to one of the last players,” Ackerman said. “Well out of four guys scores when you win by one
stroke, obviously every single putt counts, and I saw some guys make some key putts that would have been the difference of winning the tournament.” Wichmann felt that he could prepare more for the next tournament. “My putting wasn’t amazing, I missed a lot of greens, so that was kind of rough. I put myself in some bad spots but overall it wasn’t bad just a few mistakes,” Wichmann said. This tournament was a show of how the team’s preparation paid off. This also will help the team to move forward. “One great thing about golf is we have 16 guys who are on golf competing for spots,” Ackerman said. “Next week we’ll have qualification rounds, the guys will play against each other to determine who goes where, which always brings about a little pressure on the players which makes them more focused and serious. So after that we’ll go back to working on our shots.”
No runs were chalked up by the middle innings of Manhattan High’s first game against Topeka High, but after three runs put up all in one play, MHS got into the swing of their first doubleheader of the season to win 9-2. “It feels great and we did it with two outs,” senior Savannah Thaemert said. “These two games make me very excited because we found out that we can battle and we have a team that won’t give up.” Several runs followed to finish out the first game before time at the seventh inning. As the team got over their nerves of the first game, coach Monty Enright noted how the team
Girls soccer shuts out Trinity Academy on Thursday, 3-0 Erick Echegaray Staff Writer After its last home match ended in an overtime loss to Blue Valley West, the Manhattan High girls soccer team went into its next game better prepared and with more confidence. The Lady Indians defeated Trinity Academy by a score of 3-0 last Thursday. Manhattan didn’t find the back of the net until late in the first half. With 10 minutes left in the half, junior Brooke Henry put MHS up 1-0 before halftime. The second half started with back and forth attacks between the two teams. Trinity Academy had a few chances, but with five minutes after the beginning of the second half, a shot from freshman Cailey Perkins put the Indians up by two and gave Perkins her fourth goal of the season. Four minutes later, the Lady Indians sealed the deal with junior Ashley Stuckwisch’s
first goal of the season. The game would end 3-0 giving senior goalkeeper Molly Fiser her third clean-sheet performance of the year. “I think we really picked it up the second half, we played a lot better,” sophomore defender Molly Smith said. “Towards the end we started switching it a lot better and we started getting up on the attack a lot more.” The win puts Manhattan High at 3-1 for the season. The Lady Indians return to action on Thursday when they travel to Topeka to face off against Washburn Rural.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE Thursday Washburn Rural
Tuesday, April 14 Emporia *Home games in bold
settled in and started hitting better and fielding the ball. “Sometimes you get complacent when you get ahead and you think you’ve got them when you’re up by a certain score,” Enright said. “I thought that we finished strong in that ballgame to finish them out where there was no really chance of a comeback by [Topeka High].” As soon as the second game started, Manhattan faced difficulty as it transitioned between both games to get relaxed and settled in to the games. T-High started out the game with three runs up on the board by the end of the first inning and several more would pass before MHS put up another run on the board. Despite a late rally by fresh-
man Ayanna Gamble who put two runs up on the board, the game later ended with THS taking the second game of the night with four runs to the Lady Indians’ three. “We’re going to realize that these teams can put up a fight and we can come back being down so many points,” Gamble said. The team now works to assess the first two games’ mistakes as they prepare to face Shawnee Heights this Friday and to go into next week with Rossville at home. “We’re going to improve our defense,” senior Lindsey Hageman said. “We’re going to take a lot of reps and make sure we cut out the errors.”
Track brings home several individual finishes from Topeka on Friday Erick Echegaray Staff Writer The Manhattan High track team traveled once again to Topeka this week, this time for the Washburn Invitational on Friday -- the second Varsity meet of the season. While there were no team finishes, many individuals won events. Junior Austin Telck competed in the 4x4 competition where he ran with a different team because of an injury to senior runner Chris Martin “We did really good, we won the first couple of events,” Telck said. “We ran really well, we did good at the throwing events too.” The conditions at the meet were more favorable compared to last Thursday's conditions at the Topeka West Invitational. “I was supposed to run with another team, not with the team I was supposed to run because Chris [Martin] hurt his knee,” Telck said. In his role as a replacement, Telck took third and medaled in the 4x4 competition.
On the girls side, they also won events at the competition. “We performed very well, especially us distance runners and sprinters,” sophomore Mikela Robinson said. Injuries were also a problem for the girls. “I think we will do good next meet especially if the two people on our 4x1 team come back,” Robinson said. In other events, sophomore runner Temetris Johnson finished second in the 100-yard and the 200-yard dash competitions. “I finished second behind a girl from Topeka High [in both events],” Johnson said. The conditions at the meet were also favorable following last Thursday's conditions at the Topeka West Invitational. “It was a little windy but not at all as bad last time,” Telck said. The Indians will travel to Topeka for the third time this year to compete in the Topeka High Invitational on Friday, a Varsity meet only.
Baseball season-opener rescheduled Swimming finishes second behind Lawrence Free State on Wednesday Greg Woods Sports Editor The Manhattan High baseball team’s 2015 season-opener against Topeka High, scheduled for last Friday, was canceled due to wet fields from the previous night’s rain. The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 5.
Instead, the Indians are scheduled to travel south to take on Wichita East today, an opponent MHS beat last year. Manhattan’s home-opener is now this Friday against Shawnee Heights. Last season, the Indians split the doubleheader with the Thunderbirds with a 5-4 loss and a 7-6 win in Topeka.
John Rockey Senior Staff Writer The focus that netted the Manhattan High swim team 388 team points to score second overall across the team last Wednesday came down to what coach Jerry Carpenter tells them about their competition.
“I always tell them, ‘we can only control what’s in our lane lines,’” Carpenter said. “‘What’s going on in your lane. That’s the only thing you can control.’” Finishing second only to Lawrence Free State, MHS took sixth and eighth place in the 200 medley relay, third and eighth in the 200 freestyle re-
lay, and fourth, sixth and ninth in the 400 freestyle relay to finish off the meet. Coming off from the first two meets of the season and into their only meet last week, several swimmers showed time improvements across the board as both young and experienced swimmers made faster times and put points on the
board. “We’re in a lot better shape and we’re all trying to work harder,” junior Tammie Melton said. “We want our times to get faster. Now we’re actually trying to push ourselves to improve.” Manhattan competes at Salina South Thursday and Olathe this Friday.
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Features
The Mentor • April 7, 2015
Page 4
10 new tracks from March Alan Brown Features Editor
“Dead Inside” by Muse (Alternative) The popular British alternative band Muse returns with new dark single “Dead Inside.” As lead singer Matt Bellamy describes, it’s about a “a relationship ending and a person becoming dead inside themselves.” Quite intense, eh? That intensity resonates throughout the track and at times literally screams at the listener. The song certainly does not fall short on passion. For Bellamy, who is recovering from a divorce, it’s a very personal song indeed. *** “Can’t Deny My Love” by Brandon Flowers (Alternative) The lead singer of The Killers paves his own path with his powerful single “Can’t Deny My Love.” A poppy and high octane song with a bit of an ‘80s touch, it’s arguably the finest Flowers penned track since “Human” in 2008. After rumored tensions with his main band, Flowers himself admits that the solo project has given him new life. It’s even gotten pop star Lorde, who tweeted about the track, excited. *** “B**** Better Have My Money” by Rihanna (Pop) Please excuse the lan-
guage, but it’s impossible to hold off one of pop’s biggest names off the list. After teaming up on a tranquil, nostalgic track with Kanye West and Paul McCartney, Rihanna went in a completely different direction with her next single. With full attitude on display, she goes straight to business on “B**** Better Have My Money.” Despite its aggressiveness, it only peaked at #23 on The Billboard Top 100. *** “Hotel Ceiling” by Rixton (Pop) Manchester pop group Rixton released their debut album, “Let The Road,” last month. Often compared to a younger Maroon 5, the boy band looks primed to make a splash in the modern music scene in the near future. “Hotel Ceiling,” a sweetly melancholic track written by Ed Sheeran for the group, is the album’s newest single. *** “Let It Happen” by Tame Impala (Alternative) Tame Impala’s lengthy lead single to their new album, “Currents,” is a storm. “Let It Happen” is a whirlwind of sounds, moods, and genres. From the ravishing guitar, disco beats and synchronized energy, to lead singer Kevin Parker’s Lennon-like vocals, “Let It Happen” is truly a psychedelic dream. The single comes conveniently before the
band’s appearance at Coachella. *** “Let It Go” by James Bay (Alternative) English musician James Bay creates a relaxing, easy listen with track “Let It Go.” It’s an emotional journey for Bay, who describes letting go and moving on with life. Bay’s vocals are impressive throughout, and his lyrics have meaning. Bay’s debut album, “Chaos In The Calm,” is the first step in what looks to be a very successful career. *** “Love You Like That” by Canaan Smith (Country) In an era of country music where most artists tend to sound the same, Canaan Smith tries his best to stand out with “Love You Like That.” The former The Amazing Race participant shows off fresh vocals and combines them with rock and traditional country elements. The potential is certainly there for Smith to become a star in the genre. *** “u” by Kendrick Lamar (Hip Hop) Is “u” the best track on Kendrick Lamar’s new album? Probably not. Does it have the best track title on the album though? Quite possibly (it’s in a close race with “i”). Anyways, the hip hop star’s new album is turning heads in the music industry. The confident,
high flying LP quickly has become a favorite among music critics and rap fans alike. To those rappers who take pride in calling their material “fire,” Lamar puts the heat on full blast with this release. *** “Ghosttown” by Madonna (Pop) The aging ‘80s pop star tries her best to outrun time in her 13th studio album “Rebel Heart.” Even though the album fell victim to mixed reviews and disappointing reception, standout track “Ghosttown” managed to scratch the surface of success by placing #21 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. The single, describing a post-armageddon survivor, finds a home in today’s pop golden age. *** “Postcards From Paradise” by Ringo Starr (Rock) It wouldn’t be a list without a legend from the mightiest band of the ages making an appearance, would it? Ringo silently released his whopping 18th studio album, “Postcards From Paradise” to cap off the month. Sharing the same name of the album, the spacey, mellow single cheesily builds itself off of Beatles song titles. At times, it becomes absolutely cringeworthy. However, when a legend speaks...you’ve no choice but to listen. Right?
Singer Brandon Flowers poses for the album cover of his new CD, “The Desired Effect.” He is currently on a hiatus from his main band, The Killers. According to Flowers, he isn’t holding back on the new album, which includes guest star Danielle Haim. “The Desired Effect” is set to be released on May 15. brandonflowersmusic.com
LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST, INCLUDING FOUR BONUS TRACKS, ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.MHSMENTOR.COM.
Gillespie qualifies for Constitution Bee Ale Flores Staff Writer Freshman Ashlynn Gillespie was among Kansas students to participate in the fourth annual Youth Educational Scholarship Constitution Bee on March 1. Gillespie was able to qualify and take the test that contained questions about the constitution. “When I signed up I re-
ceived a packet with websites that I can use to study,” Gillispie said The purpose of YES For Liberty program is to encourage kids to learn more about the constitution and founding principles by establishing insensitive with a scholarship for further education, that is accomplished by an annual Constitution Bee. Just 20 kids around Kansas were able to get
to take the test. “It was really nice and interesting meeting all the other contestants from all around Kansas,” Gillespie said. She found out about the program from one of her dad’s co-workers. The event was a big challenge for all the kids who were able to take the test. Those who got to round three were given a “key question” and had to give a speech about
it.
“I was a little nervous watching the students that were giving the speeches; the test was a big challenge but i was good to learn more about the constitution,” Gillespie said. The award amount for the 2015 Constitution Bee hasn’t been sent yet.
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