page 2: Kony, Miller Vs. Alabama

page 3: Spring fashion, Fashion week Spring play, crossword

page 4: Spring break playlist, Spring break trips, Sarah

Mortenson, Cullinary Compition

Spring Sports Preview: Baseball, Girls swim & dive, Softball,

Boys golf, Boys Tennis, Girls soccer, Track & Field

the Mentor

NEW

SMarch 16, 2012 Manhattan High volume 99 issue 19

ANIME

THESPIANS

The highlight of the last Anime club meeting was a guest speaker with an expertise on Cosplay, an anime practice of dressing up as anime characters. Though they normally meet weekly to discuss/watch anime and socialize, there will be no meetings for the next two weeks due to Spring Break. Within the next month, Anime Club will be holding a bake sale dur-ing both lunches, the funds from which will be used for things such as more guest speakers.

what $800,000 buys An opportunity for MHS faculty for the exchange of infor-mation about re-quirements in meet-ing local, state, and federal mandates.

15 additional teachers to cover MHS’s courses of-fered, due to faculty teaching five out of seven hours in a school day.

A place for fac-ulty collaboration which allows teach-ers to work togeth-er more effectively for the betterment of all students.

graphic by Cole Anneberg

Cole Anneberg

news editor

An annual review of the Manhattan High School’s Professional Learning Time was discussed at the Board of Educations retreat on Feb. 22. PLT was generally discussed at the retreat with talks about the structure and frequency of the program.

PLT began 12 years ago after a negotiated agreement was passed between faculty and the board which contracted teach-ers of MHS to teach five out of seven hours a day, allowing small groups of faculty to meet.

PLT was structured to meet goals of school improvements in staff and students, and new to this year, personal professional development.

PLT is a unique benefit to the faculty at MHS because teach-ers are given time for PLT dur-ing the school day rather than after school.

“Most districts don’t have this opportunity like we do here at MHS,” PLT Coordinator Dawn Lindsley said. “We’ve got some-thing that other districts envy.”

With each teacher only teaching five hours, additional teachers are needed to offer enough courses. The cost for

the PLT program is approximated at $800,000 for the 15 additional teachers employed, according to the Board of Education.

Concerns have been raised on the cost of program as well as the number of times PLT meets, and the Board has recently discussed switching the schedule to having teachers teach six out of seven hours a day.

“Each year the Board and the teachers association review and discuss the negotiated agreement for our faculty at Manhattan High,” USD 383 Superintendent Bob Shannon said. “The main question I’ve heard from the board is whether the frequency

of scheduling PLT on a daily basis is necessary or not.”

Shannon went on to state, “In any profession, it’s im-portant for the individual to improve their skills in their work, and with education it’s as important as it ever is. Manhattan High has an advantage over other high schools because they have a time to collaborate and im-prove their skills.”

English teacher Mary Kris Roberson agreed with Shan-non’s statement.

“I think PLT is beneficial to the faculty at MHS because it allows time to collaborate

cross curricular, provides a small setting for dealing with build-ing wide issues and provides stakeholders the place to have a voice,” Roberson said.

Losing PLT would mean faculty would no longer have the opportunity to meet daily during school, and potentially 15 teach-ers would lose their jobs as well.

“If we were to lose PLT then everybody here would realize that we are missing out on this great opportunity for our staff that allows out staff to collabo-rate and improve,” Lindsley said.

The next Board of Education meeting is on April 4.

Board discusses structure of PLT

Students ‘broadcast’ their talentsLindsey Goff

editor in chief

For the past 27 years Mr. MHS has pushed the bound-aries of administration and participants.

The event takes quite a bit of preparation and creativity for the boys and gets them to step out of their comfort zones. All of the boys that participated are seniors this year. The list includ-ed Cole Anneberg, Ben Bol-ton, Daniel St. Amand, Vamsi Bhadriraju, Konner Cool, Jimmy

Risberg, Josh Parker, Jason Lierz, Brian Burton and Ethan Pauls.

The theme was Broadcast Yourself and the boys were ready to do just that.

Each contestant prepared in their own way. St. Amand had to find a way to gather eight treadmills for his version of the popular OK GO, “Here it Goes Again”, music video.

“I had to go through five different people to borrow six treadmills from the school. I think I won Mr. McCarty over with my good looks and charm-

ing personality,” St. Amand said. St. Amand included several of

his friends in his talent portion.“I have Will Honey, Brady

Hendricks and Ben Stegeman on the treadmills with me. It was actually Will Honey’s idea and since he didn’t participate in Mr. MHS competitively I thought I would use it, and I love the video too. We practiced everyday for about a week and a half and finally got it down Wednesday,” St. Amand said.

Other contestants were more worried about their nerves.

“I’m really nervous. I think it’s more of a stagefright kind of thing and being in front of everyone,” Parker said.

Parker did feel confident in his events and was practic-ing weekly. With several of his friends dancing with him to “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice and comedy sketches he felt like he would standout to the judges.

Students like Lierz were excit-ed to do Mr. MHS because they wanted to feel more involved with the school.

“I haven’t really done much except for football, which I love, but I wanted to really do more with the school,” Lierz said.

Lierz had a hard time when it came to procrastinating.

“On Tuesday night I really started to practice my dance. I practiced it for an hour. It really gave me an appreciation for dancers,” Lierz said.

Lierz felt that the boys all had a great chance at winning but Ben Bolton and Josh Parker truly stuck out to him.

“I think they had a really good chance of winning because their skits didn’t include danc-ing when a lot of the others did. Their performances stuck out more especially because we danced in our opening act,” Lierz said.

Pauls was not nervous at all. He’s used to performing.

“I perform onstage all the time and I’m used to making myself look like an idiot. I’m really doing Mr. MHS for the fun of it,” Pauls said.

Pauls ordered some of his gear off of EBAY and rum-maged through his closet as well.

“I dressed up as a Scotsman for evening wear, Jack from the

‘Titanic’ for swim wear, and sung two Johnny Cash songs while accompanied by Phillip Dix on trombone,” Pauls said.

Regardless of how they had prepared all of the boys were excited to show off their talent.

“I went out their to have fun. I just let it all go and don’t get nervous. I’m not afraid to fall on my face because even if I did that’d be hilarious,” St. Amand said.

“”

I haven’t really done much ex-cept for football, which I love, but I wanted toreally do more with the school.

--Lierz

WHY DID YOU TRY OUT FOR MR. MHS?

All of March, Thespians are celebrating Theater for Life Month with numerous performances. The Mr. MHS Pageant was last night in Rezac Auditorium. Thespian technicians assisted with the lighting, sound, sets, and management. Thespians will appear in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Saturday at 12:30. Salute to Broadway, an annual Thespian fundrais-er featuring songs, mono-logues, scenes, dances, and instrumental acts focusing on Broadway selections, will be held March 30 and 31 at 7 p.m. both nights in Rezac Auditorium.

SPRING FLING

The Spring Fling is back in action again this year on Friday, April 6. This event is completely free and open to all students that currently at-tend Manhattan High School. The Spring Fling will not only feature a dance, but will also include pizza, a carnival and a film festival. It is sponsored by Students Against Destruc-tive Decisions and Teens Leading Teens and in the past has been well attended. Spring Fling is a safe Friday night activity that will include free fun and food for all Man-hattan High students.

“Because I love the

public humility mostly.”

-- Daniel St. Amand

“To win it.” -- Josh

Parker

“ I really wanted to take my shirt off.” -- Cole Anneberg

“I didn’t mean to.” -- Ben Bolton

“Because Ben did it and I wanted to hang out with him.” -- Jimmy Risberg

“I wanted to bring honor to my family and home-land.” -- Jason Lierz

“In order to win the eternal glory and all the ladies.” -- Ethan Pauls

“To get all of the eternal glory.” -- Konner Cool

“For the experience.” -- Brian Burton

“To become a vamzdog millionaire.” -- Vamsi Bhadriraju

MR. MHS

Im dui tionsed esseniam

zzriure rostie tiniat ad

modip esto ex eugiamet,

susci tie tismodio od magnit,

qui erosto do od dolenis

iscipsu msandre rcilit, Im

dui tionsed esseniam zzri-

News Briefs

graphic by Cole Anneberg

of opportunities to follow current trends, regardless of what their personal style is.

“I just wear what I like,” senior

Klara Zurek said. “Turns out, a lot of what I like is supposedly ‘in’ this year.”

Senior Joe Ballard agrees. “I don’t even remember ever picking up a fashion magazine,” Ballard

EntertainmentPage 3March 16, 2012 Manhattan High

Practices for spring play begin

Shawn Sheu

entertainment editor

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and, thanks to a question-ably short winter, it’s 65 degrees out. It’s time to pack away last sea-son’s heavy knit sweaters and Uggs and get out the spring clothes. This spring is all about fun and fem, bright and bold.

Girls spring fashion is diverse, with everything from decadent florals to loud zig zags seen on the runways of Spring Fashion Week and in the halls of Manhattan High. Floral prints are perfect for the sweet feel of spring, and people are wearing floral print dresses,

tops and even jeans. Another trend sweep-ing the school is anything and ev-erything neon. Girls are embrac-ing neon alongside other bright colors,

such as tangerine and diamond whites. Of-ten employing this season’s colors, color blocking has been appearing on tote bags, T-shirts and shoes. Crop tops are back for another round, a rainbow of capris pants have been spotted and classic lace is also popular for spring -- not to mention hats, polka dots, art deco graphics and others. Girls have lots

Sophomore Emma Samenus wears a lace top, one of this season’s big trends.

Hot off the runway

Where do trends come from?

The past month, designers debuted

their Spring collections during city

fashion weeks.

Turn to any fashion trend and

you’ll see the spiel holds truth; de-

signs shown on the runway directly

influence what is going to be sold

on shelves that season -- from Saks

to Wet Seal. Turns out all of those

bottles of OPI pastel polish on the

Target shelves came from some-

where.

Neon -- Peter Som debuted his

Spring line in New York during

fashion week, revealing lots of

neon and graphic patterns.

Crop tops -- Oscar de la Renta’s

line was elegant and utilized crop

tops in sophisticated evening wear.

Peplum -- Jason Wu used his sig-

nature feminine shapes and colors,

including the Peplum waist.

Drop waist -- Gucci’s Spring line

was a flashback, putting modern

twists on classic ‘20s silhouettes.

Pastel -- Louis Vuitton’s line was

over-the-top girly, yet managed to

be classy and modern. The line

features florals, lace and lots of

pastel colors.

Spring into this season’s fashion trends

Sophomore Melissa Bohn wears spring staples; a floral dress (left) and sandal (above).

Senior Brooks DeBord wears warm weather boat shoes.

Photo by Shawn Sheu

Junior Morgan Dreiling wears a striped top to school, embracing the nautical trend of the season.

Photo by Kori Bridegam Photo by Kori Bridegam staff photo

“Twelve

Angry Jurors”

cast list

Female swings: Natalie Shank and

Miranda Hairgrove

Male swings: Levi Jones and Danny

Aramouni

Guard: Josh Medicinebird

Forewoman/Juror #1: Audrey Reever

Juror #2: Charlotte Benjamin

Juror #3: Ethan Pauls

Juror #4: Felix Amanor-Baodu

Juror #5: Daniel Dissmore

Juror #6: Hannah Schmidt

Juror #7: Ada Davis-Nouri

Juror #8: Kristina Armstrong

Juror #9: Levi Jones

Juror #10: Ethan Schmidt

Juror #11: Divleen Malhi

Juror #12: Andrew Schulz

Across:

3. What country pulled out of the 1950 World Cup

because they had to wear shoes?

6. The _____ countries have always been in The World

Cup except for the years 1930 and 1950.

7. Which century did swimming start?

11. The longest baseball game was between The _______

and The Robins in 1920.

13. What is it called when pairs of tennis players go

against one another?

14. The fastest tennis serve was dished out by who?

Down:

1. There are 11,000 golf _____ in the world.

Spring Sports

Conner Bliss

staff writer

There have been several conver-sions of children’s books to movies. Some have failed, and some have succeeded. “The Lorax” goes into the latter category because it

beautifully captures the magic of its creator, Dr. Seuss. He probably rolled in his grave after the movie “The Cat in the Hat,” but I think after “The Lorax” he’ll be smiling.

I love Dr. Seuss, and I will con-tinue to until the day I die. “The Lorax” strengthened this affection

even more. The colorful truffula trees and the Lorax’s huge mous-tache all came out in the movie. It brought back fond memories. The cast, which I wasn’t so sure about since it had a bunch of big names in a down to earth story, brought out the incredibleness of this movie. This movie just brings out the kid in everyone and there’s no other way to describe it.

Ted (Zac Efron) lives in a picture-perfect city all made out of plastic run by tycoon Mr. O’Hare (Rob Riggle) who sells bottled air because the regular air is too dirty.

Audrey (Taylor Swift) paints a truf-fula tree, and she says to Ted she’d marry any guy who’d find one for her. Ted goes out of the walled city to talk the Once-ler (Ed Helms) to learn how to find such a tree. The Once-ler tells him the story of how he chopped down the trees and how the Lorax (Danny Devito) tried to stop him. The cast does a great job. Efron’s “High School Mu-sical” voice maybe didn’t fit with a 12-year-old boy’s voice, but besides that everything else was perfect. What stood out most to me was all the messages hidden in the

story. The environmentalism mes-sage probably stood out the most, warning us not to deplete our re-sources. After all the truffula trees were cut down they couldn’t make anymore thneeds. It shows the cons of big business and capitalism. It felt incredible how many messages were in a children’s movie. “The Lorax” is a movie for chil-dren of all ages from five to 105. It stands out in a year full of action flicks and for that receives five stars out of five.

Dr. Seuss movie charms kids of all ages

Above: Senior Ethan Pauls, Juror #3, presses a line Wednesday after Senior Kristina Armstrong gets the jurors fired up. Armstrong will be Juror #8.Below: Linda Uthoff gives Pauls advice on how he should deliver his lines. She is a very hands-on director who makes sure her ac-tors know how to go through every scene. The cast was rehearsing in the drama room due to Mr. MHS practicing for the very last time.

Photos by Lindsey Goff

said. “I’ve been wearing the same thing for years. Apparently I’m a fashionista.”

Men also have opportunities to embrace the new styles spring has

to offer. Guys have been seen wear-ing neon, as well as color blocked sneakers. Bold patterns such as Chevron stripes and the still-at-it tribal prints are also considered “in.” However, many still prefer classic menswear. Men have been turning to gingham button downs,

boat shoes and aviator sunglasses for many springs past.

This season’s trends are as diverse as the students at MHS, but what is “trendy” doesn’t even begin to cover all of the things students are wearing.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re wear-ing what is considered ‘in’ for right now as long as you’re comfortable in your own clothes and wear them with confidence,” Zurek said. “Trends last one season, a couple of years at best. Personal style is what sticks.”

2. Golf was actually invented where?

4. These help swimmers when they are trying to

work on their time. They are not skin tight.

5. What historic Olympic figure was stripped of

their track and field medals after it was discov-

ered that he played professional baseball.

7. First baseball stadium.

8. What vegetable leaf would Babe Ruth wear

under his hat during a game for good luck?

9. 50% of swimmers suffer from this pain.

10. Where track was born.

12. A typical soccer player runs about ____

miles in a game.

Taylor Weisman

staff writer

The Manhattan High girls bas-ketball team ended with a loss to Olathe South in the State tourna-ment ending their season with a 20-3 record overall, a19-2 regular season record and an undefeated record in league play.

The Lady Indians worked hard all season putting themselves in the State spotlight.

“We had a really good sea-son,” junior Darby Price said. “I thought we did really well this

Basketball girls finish strongseason.”

After a good season the Indi-ans will have to begin work on next season in hopes to produce the same success without seniors Jenna Crusinberry, Mari Jo Mas-sanet and Onyeka Ehie.

“As a team we need to go undefeated in league play again,” Price said.

Both Tribe basketball teams’ seasons have ended. The boys ended the season 9-11 and a Sub State loss to Topeka High in To-peka and the girls losing at state.

Help Wanted:2012-2013 Editor in Chief positions are open for The Mentor student newspa-per and the Blue M student yearbook.

Information and forms are available from the Jour-nalism classroom, C107.

Applications must be turned in to Mrs. Nyp by Monday, April 2.

Opinion

Page

2Everyone has seen or at least

heard of the recently released “KONY 2012” video by Invisible Children. But not many have actu-ally done the research as to what exactly is going on and how they can help.

In 1987, a militant group called the Lord’s Resistance Army was formed in the Acholi region of Northern Uganda. Originally, it was a smaller form of the armed resistance movement against the central Ugandan government. Their leader, Joseph Kony, who refers to himself as the “spokesperson of God,” claims to be creating a state based solely on the Ten Commandments and Acholi tradi-tion. The LRA has been accused of murder, abduction, mutilation, cannibalism, child prostitution and forcing children to be child sol-diers. To this, Kony’s only response is “We don’t have any children. We only have combatants.”

The crimes by Joseph Kony and the LRA have been occurring for

Video should prompt actionMarch 16, 2012 Manhattan High

decades, but just last week a video by the non-profit organization Invisible Children was released on-line. “KONY 2012” is narrated by Jason Russel, who visited Uganda and met a young boy named Jacob who had been running from the LRA ever since he watched them kill his brother. For 30 minutes, the video tells of Jacob’s struggles and the brutal details of the LRA’s actions.

Toward the end of the video, Russel begins to explain his plan for “making Joseph Kony famous;” not glorifying him, but making Kony a household name to get help for the children in Uganda. Russel

tells of his plan called “Cover the Night,” where anyone and everyone is invited to cover their town with Joseph Kony’s pictures to influence action.

Last October, President Obama sent 100 soldiers to Uganda to help train the Ugandan army and find Kony.

“Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be

providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense,” Obama said in a letter to Congress.

Several questions have come up about whether or not the Kony 2012 campaign is worth the time and effort. Is it in the U.S.’s best interest to be in Uganda? Will the results be what we hoped for in the first place?

Though it’s true that Kony is no longer in Uganda, he has spread to the regions surrounding, keeping the previously abducted children, and it’s not unlikely for him to go

back. No matter where he is, what he’s doing is wrong and he needs to be stopped.

The video has millions of views, but with its sup-porters come the cynics. It’s been publicized that only 30 percent of the money donated to Invisible Children

goes directly to Uganda. The rest goes into paying for advertisements and employees.

But is this really as big of an issue as people are making it out to be? Is 30 percent not better than absolutely nothing? Sure, more could be done. But Obama could take our soldiers out of Uganda at any moment, and advertising Invisible Children is equally as

important as the money donated if the US shows enough interest in the situation.

This is an upsetting, sick situation and we, as a first-world country, should want to do some-thing about it even if it doesn’t necessarily benefit us. You can’t let cynicism cloud your view of what is really going on.

Thousands of teens agree that someone needs to do something. We’re at the age where we want to disagree with everything we’ve been taught, whether it be by our parents or the government. We have voices that we want heard and we’re easily influenced. We’re young enough to relate to the situa-tion and think about what it would

be like if it were us. But as teenagers, our atten-

tion span is equivalent to that of a goldfish. When we hear about situations like this, we’re inter-ested for about a day and then it becomes a thing of the past. What people don’t realize, though, is that we can’t afford to let this go. There’s too much at stake for these kids and we have the power to do something. If you don’t agree with how Invisible Children handles themselves, there are plenty of other organizations that deal with the same things. Our voices need to be heard. Whether you donate or advertise, the smallest thing can help.

Life sentenceChris Melgares

guest writer

One hundred and fifty years ago execution by firing squad and burning alive were legalized forms of execution under the eighth amendment. Citizens of all ages, even children, could legally be sentenced to death depending on the severity of their crimes. Cruel execution and death penalty for minors has been ruled unconstitu-tional; as many Americans believe should be the case. Now people are questioning if life sentence with-out parole for minors involved in murders should be in violation of the eighth amendment as well. The many reforms made to the amend-ment by the U.S. Supreme Court have all been fair and just, but we have now approached a line of leni-ency that should not be crossed by

lawmakers.In a recent case, Miller vs.

Alabama, a threat to cross this line has been made. Evan Miller, a 14-year-old boy, unintentionally killed his neighbor by starting a fire while in a drunken rage. Miller was sentenced to life in prison without parole, a punishment that fits the magnitude of this crime. How-ever, now Miller’s representatives have claimed that it is a cruel and unusual punishment (a violation of the eighth amendment) to stamp minors with this penalty. If the court rules that this is an uncon-stitutional practice, convicted murderers like Evan Miller could walk our streets again.

In a country where everyone depends upon having a second chance, lawmakers need to look at the big picture. They must realize that these felons deserve an equal

We here at the Mentor know we’re not perfect, so we’re opening ourselves up to corrections. E-mail us at mhsmen-tor@gmail.com or stop by E108 with name, spelling and fac-tual errors. Please understand, we follow AP style guidelines, which means we have to say things like “cactuses” and always “more than 900,” instead of “over...”

Corrections welcome

Hits and

Misses

Hit: Spring break is just one more hour away.

Hit: It’s been at least 80 degrees and sunny all week.

Hit: Just seven more days until The Hunger Games premiere.

Hit: Only eight more school weeks until the se-niors are gone.

Miss: How many steps are we supposed to take on each step when using the new stairs between E hall and C hall? Two? One? Awkward.

Tweet us!

See that barcode? Scan it with your smartphone and it will take you directly to our website!

Story ideas? Comments? Tips? Updates?

Send us a tweet @mhsmentor. #cu@theinter-

webz

editor in chief -- Lindsey Goff

news editor -- Cole Anneberg

opinions editor -- Carly Tracz

entertainment editor -- Shawn Sheusports editor --

Kassidy Scroggsfeatures editor --

Cat Bridegamphoto editor --

Kori Bridegamcopy editor --

Jimmy Risbergcirculation manager --

Taylor Weismanadviser --

Kristy Nyp

the Mentor staff

The Mentor is published each Friday that school is in session at Manhattan High School, 2100 Poyntz Ave. Manhattan, Kan. Tele-phone (785) 587-2114. More than 1,800 Mentors are printed each week and distributed free of charge to all faculty members and students. MHS journalists are members of the Scholastic Press Association. The Mentor is an open forum that accepts con-

tributions from the public. E-mail us at mhsmentor@gmail.com.

staff writers -- Sarah Shi Kori Bridegam Ben Shields Kaitlin Wichmannphotographers -- Melissa Birdwell Kori Bridegamcartoonist -- Kori Bridegamcontributing writers -- Alaina Schroeder Chris Melgares

circulation -- Stephan Shimkus Kristyn Baker Pixie Khan Austin Tatum Andrew Klimek

What’s your favorite spring break memory?

The editorial covers a topic that is discussed by the entire staff and is written by one writer. It forms our overall opinion on the subject.

“

“

Chilling with the ladies.

Chris Martin, freshman

“

“

Getting out of Manhat-tan for a while to spend time with family.

Caroline Sager, sophomore

Question Question

punishment for their crimes. If the laws continue to grow softer, we will lose the effectiveness of our legal system, the very backbone of what makes this country great. Yes, it is a very harsh sentence, but we must focus on the fact that these adolescents committed the ultimate crime, a crime that can never be reversed. Short of the death penalty, life without parole is consequence that will hash out a strong, fair response to this com-pletely selfish action.

Life without parole for juvenile murderers a sentence that should remain firm in our legal system. We have met the line of leniency and are in a good position to enforce justice for adolescent murderers. It is difficult to look at these young felons and say that they deserve it, but the fact is that the murder victims deserve justice.

“ “ I was a freshman in college. Me and three friends drove to Florida. The second day I was so sunburnt I couldn’t do anything.

Joyce Allen, teacher

Parole shouldn’t be option

Alaina Schroeder

guest writer

Life in jail and death are very similar. To be sent to jail without parole is like being given no hope for the future. This is what Evan Miller experienced when his sentence included life in prison without parole. In 2008 he was convicted of murder at the young age of fourteen. To this day he is spending his nights in prison and preparing to remain behind bars until he dies. His only chance at a return to normal life would be if the Supreme Court rules that the sentence of life without parole of juveniles involved in homicides is cruel and unusual.

The saying “learn from your mis-takes” has lost much of its meaning

in today’s society. As a country, we are not allowing these juveniles to do so. According to an article written by Andrew Gumbel, the U.S. is the only country to punish juveniles so severely. Across the country, or the “land of the free,” there are approximately 2,225 child offenders placed behind bars for life. These children have no future ahead of them, nor do they have any way of redeeming themselves. Yes, they have made a mistake, however the human brain is not fully developed until the age of twenty-five. During the teenage years is when humans should be able to make mistakes and find themselves, which is why sending a juvenile to prison for life without parole is unjust.

The Supreme Court has a heavy

issue at hand. Many cruel and unusual punishments have been banned in the U.S. throughout history, and this situation should be treated no differently. Over the span of the last century, the Supreme Court has made strides in the right direction involving cruel punishments. In 2005 the death penalty was ruled unconstitu-tional for minors under the age of eighteen. Then, in 2008, the Court restricted the death penalty to only crimes when the victim is killed. The Court should continue these humane changes. Give the accused a chance, if parole is denied then that is that. Everyone deserves a second chance; who knows, some may surprise us.

“Kirstyn Norris, junior

“ When I was in fifth grade, I got my ears pierced three times.

Keith Naranjo, senior“

“

Partying with Nick Bandy.

Teen offenders deserve second chance

of the of the Week Week

Features

Page

4March 16, 2012 Manhattan High

Spring break trips highly anticipatedCat Bridegam

features editor

With spring break this week, everyone is catching spring fever. With some students taking big trips, the excitement is evident in their lack of attention in class. For those students who are staying in town for break, there is plenty to do that will still keep you enter-tained when you get sick of laying around enjoying your week off of school.

Seniors Blake Woborny and Ashley Hageman are both leaving

@billingsly_:“Apparently caitlin heldt needs to be in class. Mrs

nyp sa id so”

@a_bucholtz94:“Personally, I’m not a big fan of pi.. So I’m not cele-

brating. #screwmathterms“

@_lmuller:“Whoever stole my hand sanitizer off of my back-pack, watch your back.

#iwillfindyou“

@cballard_3:“Just had a flash back of

seventh grade when all the older people called us “sev-ies” and we used To get so

mad #memories“

@PBandJanae:“c’mon school. my mind is

already on spring break. go away.“

@PegasaurousRex:“In honor of pi day, I actu-ally showed up to Calculus today. #worststudentever“

@PZazz27:“I’m always way more ex-cited for new tennis shoes,

than any other type of shoes. :)“

@Bengriese:“I love it when big people

drive tiny cars.“

@whosyomaddie:“If I see a trash bag I au-tomatically assume it’s a

body. I know it’s stupid but. Yeah.“

@SlowJoeB:“These test taking condi-

tions are unhealthy for the stress level.”

@errdayisfryday:“Does anyone have a

golden calculator. I can bor-row? #needone“

@_RAUL_5:“Her eyes are as big as her

bubbly toes.“

@samrozell:“13 hours of sleep sure feels

nice #stillinbed #yayforbe-ingsick“

Photo by Allison Kinsley Photo by Shawn Sheu

travelers’

play-list

springbreak “high”

--Big Sean feat. Nicki Minaj

“Sorry for party rock-in’”--LMFAO

“6 foot 7 foot”--Lil wayne feat. cory guns

“boyz”--m.i.a.

“Give me all your luvin’”--Madonna feat. nicki minaj & m.i.a.

“we are young”--Fun.

Whether you’re driving on the roads, flying high in the sky or sailing the seas, these party-ready songs are a must for your spring break play-list. graphic by Cole Anneberg

tomorrow for their trips.“I’m going to Cabo with my fam-

ily and the Snyders,” Woborny said.The trip was a gift from her

parents.“It’s like my big spring break

trip and senior trip rolled into one, I’m really excited,” Woborny said.

Hageman is headed in another direction.

“We’re going on a Caribbean cruise. It’s my senior trip from my parents, but I’m going with them and my sister and Sarah Tatarko, Raquel Borck and Annissa Durar,” Hageman said.

Both agree it’s the biggest trip they’ve ever taken for spring break.

“I’m really excited to be on the beach with all of my friends,” Hage-man said.

Junior Kylie Smith is taking a cruise, too, but with some friends from out of town.

“We’re going on a cruise with two girls I play softball with from Salina,” Smith said.

Smith had to help pay for some of her trip, but “most of the money I’m using I got for Christmas.”

Senior Hayden Anderson is driving to Winter Park, Colorado

with seniors Matt Wille and Colt Skidmore.

“We’re going to stay at my sis-ter’s house and go skiing,” Ander-son said.

The boys all had to pay for their trip on their own, so they made some economic decisions.

“We’re bringing our own food so we don’t have to go out and spend money every day,” Anderson said.

For the students who are staying in town, there are many different places to visit that are entertain-ing, like Pillsbury Crossing, any of

the Tuttle Lake walking trails and Top of the World, along with the availability of the mall, bowling and shopping on Poyntz or in Ag-gieville. And if Manhattan doesn’t cut it, you can always take a trip to Topeka, Lawrence, Kansas City, Salina or Wichita to get in some better shopping and eat at restau-rants that aren’t local.

Regardless of the location, spring break is a highly anticipated week away from school.

Culinary class receives four stars

Jimmy Risberg

copy editor

The members of Manhattan High School’s culinary class have been busy cooking up a storm.

The four person team, consist-ing of seniors Michael Jardine and Alex Heger and juniors Kristie Kutei and Grant Baublitz and joined by alternate Kace Chandler, placed fourth in Wichita with their menu featuring lamb.

“I cooked the lamb and the aioli sauce,” Jardine said, stating that he chose his cooking assignment because “it sounded good.”

The teams were required to develop a menu beforehand and prepare all of their dishes by hand, without the assistance of any elec-tric tools or appliances.

Judges then tried the different spreads and determined a winner. Seventeen teams from all across Kansas competed, with Olathe coming out on top and moving up to Nationals.

The team has been preparing for competition all year under the tu-telage of culinary arts teacher and club sponsor Lorena Ingmire and the head chef and owner of Four Olives, Scott Benjamin. Benjamin came to MHS during class times to help the students develop their culinary skills and prepare for the

competition.“He’s been very generous with

his time,” Ingmire said.The class began the year learn-

ing culinary essentials and impor-tant practices for aspiring restau-rateurs, but quickly moved into a more hand-on culinary experience.

“[Culinary Arts is] more of a lab class,” Ingmire said, detailing the many delicious assignments the members have been whipping up in class, many of which they get to enjoy themselves. “They’re always ready to eat.”

In addition to in-class cuisine, the Culinary students cater numer-ous events throughout the year. In the fall, the cooking classes provide food for tailgating events and cook for the School Board. The schedule becomes even busier in the spring.

Now that competition season has ended, requests for the class to cater dinners and receptions pour in from the school and community. The students will be responsible for all preparations for these events.

“They have to plan it, they have to put it away, they have to orga-nize and fix it,” Ingmire said.

All members of this year’s Culi-nary Team look toward the culi-nary arts as a career and hope their experience on the team will help them realize their goals.

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Student receives ballet scholarshipBen Shields

staff writer

Virtuosic ballet and point dancer Sarah Mortenson, a junior at Man-hattan High School, was recently awarded a hefty scholarship to Joffery Ballet School in New York City, an honor given to only a select and very talented few.

Mortenson auditioned in Kansas City in January, as well as submit-ted a video of her dancing. She will be attending JBS for one month this summer.

Mortenson has danced since kindergarten. She currently studies at Washington Dance Studio with Sharon Washington and Jenny Stout. In an interview, she cited Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Na-reyer, both of whom rank among the greatest ballet dancers of all time, as major influences on her

technique.“They are both so graceful,”

she said. “I try and emulate their form.”

Mortenson spoke of her feelings toward dance and its singularity as an art form.

“It’s different because even though it’s visual, it’s recreational because you dance with your body,” she said.

Clearly, dance is a large part of Mortenson’s life. However, it was not until the past year or so that she began to seriously consider it as a career.

“I’m still not sure,” she said. “But [dance] is becoming bigger and bigger for me.”

Mortenson comes from a very artistic family, and in addition to dancing, she spends a lot of time playing the violin. Her mother, Kristen, is a concert violinist who

has performed here at MHS in Rezac Auditorium and teaches at Kansas State University. Her father, Gary, is head of the K-State music department. She described her fam-ily as “very musical” and displayed deep appreciation for all the arts.

“[I don’t believe] that dance is superior to any other art forms,” she said. “You have to learn to ap-preciate them all. Wherever I go, I want to be in an orchestra.”

Mortenson hopes to return from the conference in July an even stronger dancer and performance artist. Despite all that was at stake in her efforts to obtain the Joffrey Ballet School Scholarship, Morten-son appeared quite relaxed.

“I’m not competitive when it comes to dance,” she said. “Audi-tions are competitive, but I’m not.”