Manhattan, KS 66505-1102 PO Box 1102 MHS Alumni Association The Alumni Mentor Volume 4 Summer 00 Number 1 2008 Wall of Fame January 2009 Annual Dinner, Reception, Induction Ceremony Meeting Sept 14 Election of offi cers for 2010-2012 articipation is the key to fullest success! PMembers are encouraged to come and enjoy free hotdogs, brats and tacos at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Manhattan High School Alumni Association, Monday, Above: Mike Silva. MHS ‘74 , center, and classmates Sept. 14th at the American Legion Hall in Manhattan. A social hour starts at 6:00pm, with the Annual Business meeting gavelled to order at 7:00pm. This is an election year for MHSAA. Charlie Hostetler ‘56, chairman of the Nominating Committee, will present a suggested Slate of Offi cers and Directors (who jointly make up the MHSAA Board all of Fame 2008 Honorees of Directors) to the membership for the WGen. Michael J. Silva, MHS 2010/2012 term. Nominations may also be 1974, Dean Thomas Romig ‘66, Earl entered from the fl oor. Woods, MHS 1949 and Clementine The current Board will be available Paddleford, MHS 1917 were to report and talk with everyone. The business celebrated by families, friends, and meeting will also include reports to the classmates who all enjoyed multiple membership by each Committee Chair. Tom Romig ‘66 , MHSAA Pres. Dave Fiser ‘57 and continued on page 4 MHS Principal Terry McCarty , at Induction Ceremony Manhattan with MHSAA providing the Topeka High. We will be furnishing hotdogs, President’s hamburgers and hotdogs grilled by our cookies and refreshments at the south end of own Events Chairman Keith Eyestone. Bishop Stadium next to the football locker Message We had activities for the children and room starting at 5:00pm until game time. hy wait for your year grandchildren and all those who attended MHSAA members and their families will be Wreunion to roll around? enjoyed the evening. admitted free if you enter the south gate by Let MHSAA spark an interim The Annual General Membership the football locker room. Bring your family, reunion for you. Call some meeting will be held on Monday put on your Indian hat, tee shirt or sweatshirt of your classmates and get a September 14th at the American Legion and enjoy an evening with at Bishop Stadium. group together to discuss old times at one of Hall 114 McCall Road. The social hour I hope you will take the time to our events. featuring tacos, nachos, hotdogs and attend one or all three of these MHSAA Please mark your calendars for the soft drinks will be from 6:00pm until events and invite other Manhattan High next important MHS Alumni Association 7:00pm with the MHSAA General School grads to join you. Get together with events this summer and fall. The fi rst Membership Meeting starting at 7:00pm. your classmates now before it is too late. summer event was our Family Potluck Picnic Our third event is the MHSAA tailgate Friday, August 7th at the Keats Park west of party prior to the MHS home football Dave Fiser ‘57 game Friday night October 16th against President, MHSAA Contents page 5 Dougherty: Old Places & Old Faces page 10 Supt.’s Adv. Comm., MHS update page 2 From the Editor, MHS ranking page 6 & 7, History of MHS: Band, low ball Page 11 MHS Today, Museum Thank You page 3 Golden Alum Ernie Marshall page 8, Reunions, Membership Page 12 Wall of Fame remarks: transcript page 4 Events, Wall of Fame, Letters page 9, Contributor’s Corner, Chappell: Ahearn page The Alumni Mentor Vol. 4 No 1 Manhattan High School Alumni Association From MHS Newsweek “Enhancing Manhattan High School and its graduates through life-long involvement.” ranking the In top 6% in this ranking Board of Directors Editor anhattan High School was ranked in President David Fiser ‘57 Mthe top 1500 high schools in the U.S. Vice Pres. Carita (Clark) Otts ‘55 t the end of the 2009 school year, by Newsweek Magazine, one of six Kansas Secretary Sally (Baril) Lansdowne ‘65 ASuperintendent Shannon suggested schools to make their list. Treasurer Brenda (Gregory) Hoefler ‘77 we look back over the many achievements As explained on the website www. Events Officer Keith Eyestone ‘80 of MHS students. “Talk to a student who’s newsweek.com, for the Newsweek Challenge Communications Officer just finished the year,” he suggested, Index, “Public schools are ranked according to Janet (Krider) Duncan ‘58 ask how the year went, the challenges, a ratio devised by Jay Matthews as follows: the Directors: the lessons learned, and so on. So I did. number of Advanced Placement, International Mike Buchanan ‘81 My student had just graduated, so I Baccalaureate (IB) and/or Cambridge tests Ned Seaton ‘86 expanded my brief to his four years of MHS. taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided Pete Paukstelis ‘89 “They were good,” he smiled, but he was not by the number of graduating seniors. All of the Don Slater ‘57 wrapped in nostalgia. The next level of his life schools on their list have an index of at least Marlene (Glascock) Moyer ‘65 was calling and he was ready. The variety and 1.000….” In other words, at least as many depth of classes available at MHS had given him took the tests as graduated. Newsweek said: MHSAA Committee Chairmen the opportunity to decide upon the direction for “We do not include any magnet or charter high the next stage. It wasn’t always easy at MHS, school that draws such a high concentration Public Relations: Mike Motley ‘74 however. He felt his biggest challenge had of top students that its average SAT or ACT Membership: Carita (Clark) Otts‘55 been finding his place within the large school. scored significantly exceeds the highest Wall of Fame: Mike Buchanan‘78 Being thrown into the huge student body of average for any normal-enrollment school in Events: Keith Eyestone ‘80 MHS West was a shock. He tried different the country. The Challenge Index is designed Reunions: Dean Taylor ‘52 sports, participated in music as his academic to honor schools that have done the best job Cam (Smith) Feltner ‘71 schedule allowed, and he found did well. in persuading average students to take college Alumni Center: Don Slater‘57 When I asked what lessons he level courses and tests. It does not work with The Alumni Mentor: could take away with his accomplishments, schools that have no, or almost no, average Janet (Krider) Duncan ‘58 he thought, smiled again, and had a good students. This year that meant... schools had to Pat Dougherty ‘57 answer: “Relaxing is more pleasurable have an average SAT score below 1950 or an Barbara (MacFarlane) Howe ‘58 AFTER homework is done.” One of the many average ACT score below 29 to be included on Craig Chappell ‘57 difficulties in high school, with homework, the list.” (There were 16 public schools with Kathleen (Bryson) Pizar ‘58 grades and friends, is time management: he’d scores too high to make the list.) Pat Duncan ‘59 suddenly realized he was responsible for his Two other statistics were noted for Webmaster: Mike Duncan ‘62 own discipline in getting his work done on time. each school on the list: the percent of students Stuart Parsons ‘70 It seemed a cruel intrusion that this had come at with subsidized meals and the average “Equity MHSAA Web site: the same time he’d finally gotten his own car. and Excellence” (E&E) rate. The E&E rate www.mhsalumniassociation.org Favorite teachers while at MHS? represents the “percentage of graduating Many good ones, he thought. The classes seniors who had at least one passing grade on Membership and Wall of Fame Nomination he disliked were those where he felt the at least one AP or IB test.” The average E&E forms are available on the MHSAA web site teacher was unwilling to see if a student’s rate in 2008 was 15.2; MHS scored an E&E of or write to our Postal Mailing Address: novel solution might not be “wrong” but 25. The Subsidized Lunch rate for MHS was MHSAA just different from the expected answer. 23. P.O. Box 1102 My friend had taken class work through Newsweek agreed on its website that Manhattan, KS 66502 -1102 the MHS online program, IQ Academy. While “High School is more than just AP or IB tests,” he found aspects of this a struggle in his but they offer this measure as a quantifiable and situation, it allowed him to complete work he an “easily understood qualitative measure.” would not have been able to schedule otherwise. As they concluded: “These are all exceptional Change of Information? As a final question, I asked, “What schools, the top 6% of American high schools If you’ve had a change of: would you change?” With no hesitation he measured this way.” Mailing Address answered, “I’d make the lunch period longer!” The six schools in Kansas with their Phone number A note about “Amen First Extra” in the Challenge Index rankings, are: Email address title of this issue’s Golden Alum story. The meals Last Name at the IOOF Home were always Blessed. And Blue Valley Northwest, Overland Park, 364 Please send this information to Pat the kids would claim a right to a second helping Wichita East, Wichita, 565 Duncan ‘59 at the above address among themselves by calling ‘first extra’ right Blue Valley, Stilwell, 704 or to: [email protected]. before they ate. This became seamlessly attached Blue Valley North, Overland Park, 760 to the Amen at the end of the blessing.