MHS Courier April 2023

Photo by Cambry Fyllesvold

Hello Mandan High School students and staff and welcome back to another issue of the Courier! Like always, we have a new array of articles for you all to read and enjoy. If you have any thoughts or feedback, please message us through our email. We love to hear your feedback!

This issue’s articles feature a variety of people from the Mandan area, including Cambry’s article on Mandan sophomore Jace Engelstad’s dock dogs and Mya’s article on sophomore Allison Unrath’s heart surgery.

My personal favorite from this issue is Dylan’s “Stay In Your Lane” article, where he details the correct way to walk in the hallway for those who apparently don’t know. Without being too much of a hater, it is a very real problem when I’m trying to get to class and there’s a herd of students in the middle of the hallway. Please read his article and take his advice to heart. I’m begging.

With all that being said, oncemore, I hope you all enjoy this issue of the Courier!

From The Editor... Staff

Ariana González........................Editor-In-Chief

Co-Feature Editor

Lily Giggee................Assistant Editor-In-Chief

News Editor

Cambry Fyllesvold.................Co-Feature Editor

Michael Pfliger...............................Sports Editor

Emmanuel Dolo....................................Reporter

Dylan Campbell....................................Reporter

Andi Nelson..........................................Reporter

Mya Johnson.........................................Reporter

Serenity Clegg-Laporte........................Reporter

The Courier is a news/feature magazine that is published throughout the school year. As an open forum for student expression, all content online and in print is decided and moderated by student editors. The staff welcomes letters, articles, submissions, of any student, faculty, or community interest. Submissions may be turned into the Courier, room 221, and by message to mhscourier@gmail.com. All submissions must be signed by the author if they are to be published and subject to editing if space is restricted. The Courier strives to be objective in its news coverage. Columns and letters reflect only the opinions of the writers, not those of the Courier staff, administration, teachers, or student body. Editorials that are not signed reflect the consensus of the staff.

The Courier is funded entirely through advertising sales. Contact the Courier at mhscourier@gmail.com if interested in advertising.

Ariana González, Editor-In-Chief

Club Spotlight: FFA Plans for the Future

Serenity Clegg-Laporte, Reporter

FFA has been doing many things from a Food Science meeting in Atlanta, GA and an Animal Science convention to a National Convention, yet they’re still prepped for more. With around 13 events and practices, the FFA group has eventful months in front of them.

One of those is the State Convention, happening for four days in June, where students compete in Career Development Events (CDEs) and a Career Fair. They can also earn awards to those who will compete.

“It is always fun to get together with all of the other Chapters to network and see how our students place at the state Contests,” Tanasha Wanner, one of the FFA Advisors, said.

The Chapter Banquet, hosted on April 18th, is where FFA students have an abundance of food and get rewards for their hard work. The Chapter President likes this event because of this.

“The chapter banquet helps highlight members’ achievements and what they have accomplished throughout the year,” Medora Ellingson, senior Chapter President, said.

The Range Camp is where students get to learn about soils,

range plants and ND stream activities through kinesthetic learning.

“I enjoy Range Camp as it is a four day long camp held in the Badlands of North Dakota,” Wanner said. “It includes a day spent hiking in the Petrified Forest near Medora and we travel into town for ice cream and shopping. The students meet a lot of new people and improve for the State Range Contest held in Sept.”

As Chapter Vice President, Emily Voigt, junior, does a lot of things including Range judging, Horse judging, Meats judging, Parliamentary Procedure, Ag sales, and Nursery Landscape. Specifically for Parliamentary Procedures and Ag sales, she says she likes it for being able to talk to people and to say why she likes or dislikes something.

“I get to voice my opinion and I get to speak out and talk to people,” Voigt said. “I enjoy talking to people. It’s good for me because I can talk to someone without getting flustered or nervous.”

To Medora, FFA is for anyone who wants to join, not just farmer’s kids. An example of this is more than half of the officers live in town.

“Contrary to popular belief, not everybody in FFA are farm kids,” Ellingson said. “FFA is for everybody.”

Photo by Serenity Clegg-Laporte

The FFA group at one of their meetings. In the beginning of the meeting, they went through all the things that were in progress or finished.

Kirkwood Mall Prepares to Open New Arcade

— Ariana González, Editor-in-Chief

The Texas-based Tilt Studio franchise is expected to open a new location at the Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck this fall. The entertainment center is expected to have a variety of activities and arcade games. Tilt Studio will open in place of what was formerly Herberger’s and is predicted to make its grand opening sometime in October.

Originally established in Arlington, Texas, in 1972, the company has proceeded to open more locations around the country and continues to expand.

According to their website, www.tiltstudio.com, Tilt Studio has 13 locations around the nation, with the latest one being opened in December at the Dakota Square Mall in Minot.

The Kirkwood Mall’s general manager, Jennifer Wilson, oversees all of the operations in the mall.

“I coordinate parking lot work, events, social media, almost everything,” Wilson said.

While the general public found out about Tilt Studio location’s development rather recently, the establishment has been a work in progress for quite some time.

“It’s been in the works for at least a year and a half,” Wilson said. “Maybe two years already.”

Like other locations, Tilt Studio in the Kirkwood Mall will have around 150+ arcade games and a variety of activities to choose from.

“They’ll have bumper cars, as well as two or more blacklight mini golf courses,” Wilson said. “They’ll also have party rooms, and two-level blacklight laser

tag.”

Along with the activities the entertainment establishment will have to offer, they will also have food and beverages.

“They’ll have a food concept called ‘the Tilted Taco and Margarita Bar,’” Wilson said.

Besides being an arcade for people of all ages to enjoy, Tilt Studio offers job opportunities to high school students looking for employment.

“I believe they hire anyone over the age of 14,” Wilson said.

For more information regarding Tilt Studio and its upcoming opening, visit www.tiltstudio.com.

hiring, come work with

“They’ll have bumper cars, as well as two or more blacklight mini golf courses,”

Local High School Student Lives Normal Life After Heart Surgery

— Mya Johnson, Reporter

Sophomore Allison Unrath was 12 years old when she, along with her family found out she had a large hole in her heart.

“I didn’t really know what it was at first,” Allison said.

The hole had been present since birth. Allison’s parents decided on open heart surgery for their daughter as their best option. Now Allison lives a normal life as any other teenager would, she goes to school at Mandan High School and dances for the Varsity Mandan Dance Team.

According to the article, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) found on Mayoclinic.org, is a hole in the wall that divides the upper chambers of the heart. A large hole in the right atrium causes extra blood to fill the lungs and overwork the right side of the heart. Allison had this large hole and doctors were surprised she was not able to feel any side effects.

“I didn’t think much of it until the day before surgery,” Allison said. “It didn’t feel real.”

Allison got a test done on her heart called an echocardiogram and her mother, Beverley, got the call the next day and was told that Allison has a large hole in her heart.

“I had to take her to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota,”

said Beverley Unrath. “I researched a lot to find the best pediatric heart surgeon for Alli.”

Dr. Joseph Dearani did the surgery on Allison at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Dearani is a thoracic surgeon with over 26 years of experience. He is the cardiac surgery chair at Mayo clinic. His specialties include thoracic surgery, and adult and pediatric cardiovascular surgery.

Allison’s father, Monte Unrath, was shocked when he found out about Allison’s heart condition. He was worried for her before and after the surgery, and during recovery.

“I started to appreciate life a little bit more,” said Monte

Beverley and Monte did all that they could to help Allison and get the surgery she needed to fix the hole. Allison’s friends and family were always supportive in the best ways they could.

“My sister Jamie was a nurse,” said Beverley. “So she helped me understand that lots of things with the heart are fixable.”

Allison’s parents were very busy leading up to her surgery in Minnesota.

“We always took care of her and getting her to doctor visits and planning,” said Monte.

According to her parents, the hole was about the size of a quarter at the time.

“There was no immediate threat,” Monte said. “But as she got older it would have resulted in health complications.”

Allison had the surgery in the summer of 2019 and missed out on some of her favorite things due to her recovery from the surgery.

“That was my first year joining dance so I had to miss all of the summer practices.” Allison said, “I also couldn’t go swimming the whole summer.”

Allison continues to live a normal life now after recovering from the surgery, doing her favorite things with her family and friends like traveling, swimming, snowboarding and spending quality time with her loved ones.

“I have a scar now,” Allison said. “At least I have a funny story to tell people now.”

This diagram shows where the hole was located in Allison’s heart and the irregular blood flow through the hole.

Graphic by Mya Johnson

Mandan Students Join The Military

The military is a kaleidoscope of opportunities, and many young adults in today’s world are taking said opportunities for a chance at a better, and more absolute future.

For some, the military is a dangerous leap of bravery, that seems almost impossible for them to take.

Yet when presented with the opportunities, bravery is registered and individuals find the grit and courage to be up for the duty.

There are several individuals at Mandan high that embody this brave demeanor today. Multiple students have already been initiated and begun doing their part to serve and protect America.

The benefits of joining the military range from a new sense of identity and patriotism, to school liaison support and better chances to explore one’s passions throughout their future.

Junior Alex Arnegard shares her experience when she decided to enlist in the military in December of 2022, as well as what sort of guidance she received to help her make the right choices.

“The military gave me direction after high school and everyone is there to help” Arnegard said.

The first step a brave individual can take to begin serving our country is taking the ASVAB test.

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test is a standardized test that exercises and reveals the strength and weaknesses an enlistee has regarding math, science, and language.

Scott Piper shares some of the benefits in store for him, due to his ASVAB score

“I received a 20K sign on bonus because of my ASVAB score, it definitely made me more focused on my future,” Piper said.

There are several helping hands in the military, from the Army National Guard to the Army Reserve and a plethora of other branches within the military that carry the sense of a tight-knit family.

“The Military represents a strong backbone” Piper said.

With support that reaches beyond one’s typical expectations, there is no denying the caliber of discipline and respect an enlistee masters during training their and overall service.

Not only do military benefits cover the individuals schooling expenses, it also covers the education of their children, and their children to come.

Depending on person’s natural skills, the military can help them develop skills.

An MOS is a Military Occupational Specialty Code which decides what sort of occupation a person will have in the military.

A person’s MOS is their prescribed duty and overall job, every individual’s MOS is what keeps the military in coordination.

Regardless of the kind of job, each individual’s mos is crucial to the structure of the military, and they take it extremely seriously. This form of responsibility is highly implemented in the cadet during their AIT training.

AIT training is Advanced Individual Training, where the privates go once they complete basic training.

There they learn the skills they need to perform their Army job. The training ranges from Artillery to Healthcare.

There are several reasons an individual may join the Guard. While many teens join for college assistance, several individuals enlist in search of a different job experiences as well as improving their own ability in certain jobs and skills.

Mandan student wears National Guard backpack with pride, utilizing it in school as a symbol of their patriotism.

Photo by Emmanuel Dolo

— Emmanuel Dolo, Reporter

Sid Phillips

Professer Julius F. Kelp

Favorite Disney Villian? Absent Minded Professor. It introduced Flubber to the world.

Favorite Disney character?

What is your favorite Disney movie?

Peterson

Teachers Of The Month

“Definitely Dr. Facilier.”

“Tamatoa, the giant crab from Moana.”

“Rapunzel, because I always wanted to have long hair like her”

“Princess and the frog. Definitely because of the music I vibe with it.”

Favorite Disney Villian? Scar from the Lion King

Favorite Disney character? Mulan, her story is amazing.

What is your favorite Disney movie? Mine is Toy Story because it was the first pixar animated movie, and the premise was genius

“Tamatoa.”

“Same as my favorite character, Maleficent.”

Who is your favorite Disney Villian?

— Andi Nelson, Reporter

“Pascal because he is sassy and can change colors.”

Kimball

Noemmie

“Mine is Tangled, because me and my grandpa would always watch it when I had sleepovers at his house.”

Maggie Frohlich

“Maui.”

“Probably Maleficent.”

“Moana, because The Rock plays in it.”

Blaine Hoff

“Maleficent 2 is my favorite because it is very creative.”

What is your favorite Disney movie? Who is your favorite Disney character?

Lola Petrick

English- Seth

History- Steven Lau

Photos by Andi Nelson

Games With Giggee

— Lily Giggee, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

A game that has been taking YouTube by storm recently is “Best Fiends”. You may see ads on videos or even some YouTubers promoting it throughout their videos.

I downloaded the game in spring of 2022 just to see what it is all about. I played it throughout the summer and surpassed many levels, but I am now stuck on level 720.

The game is almost like Candy Crush, but it has its own characteristics. The game has Fiends in which you can upgrade to get stronger power ups to help defeat the slugs. The slugs are creatures that are the main antagonist in the game that you are trying to defeat.

Every level has different slugs to defeat to pass or some just have different quests to complete to win the level. The variety of ways to beat different levels makes it interesting and holds my attention longer.

The game is different from most matching games where you have to connect them through a line rather than matching three in a row. This adds a different feel to the game than most matching games.

Best Fiends also has different seasons which will win you different prizes or power-ups. There are also special events like, slugs and ladders.

Some levels may be harder than others but if I happen to fail a level I could use gold. The gold I can either buy or get through the different events throughout the game.

All the features make the game unique but also kind of similar to most matching games. I enjoy the game sometimes. The only time I do not is when I get bored or stuck on a super hard level.

Overall I would give this game a three out of five hearts. The game itself is fun, but can get discouraging after a while. The game does not require Wi-Fi so if somewhere happens to not have any service, the game will still work, so it will work for gamers on the go.

Level 720 which shows a look at the different features Best Fiends has to offer.

Photo By Lily Giggee

This edition I discuss a game with some new updates and a game that was recommended by a fellow staff member.

The Sims game as we know it has been around since the 2000s. The creator of the game, Will Wright, had been working on the game since 1989, but when his family home burned down it changed his perspective on things.

The game changed by letting the user control a household of sims and design their own houses. This gave the opportunity for the Sims to have needs, reproduce, emotions, and die.

Personally I have played the game for about 3 years and have watched it for many years before that. I enjoy the game immensely and play it a lot.

The Sims also has plenty of different packs to buy to add different features to the game like dogs or seasons. Even adds many different ways to customize the Sims themselves.

The game is going to release a new update where they are going to expand on the babies and give them more characteristics. This update happened on March 14, 2023 this is a big update brought to the game, but they do update the game periodically for little fixes.

The new infant update has some glitches and has weird affects like, long legs or white eyes. Overall the infant update is rather cute and adds different ways to interact with the new baby.

For example, I enjoy getting to feed the babies different types of baby food, and baby proofing different doors or stairs. The babies can even interact with your animals, like sleeping next to the dogs or cats.

This update gave even more features to add to the game to make it more versatile and fun to play.

I like the ability to have complete control of my Sims and their families. I feel like a God, I can either be merciful and nice or cruel and mean.

This game I would give a five out of five hearts. I love this game and all the features it has. Unfortunately this version of the game is only available on computers. I would definitely give this a try if you have a computer and some extra cash you could buy the game with.

Photo by Lily Giggee

Two Sims parents enjoying the love of their new baby with a Scout walking towards them.

Local Band on the Cusp of Stardom

– Dylan Campbell, Reporter

The state of North Dakota has an absence from popular culture, but a band composed of two North Dakotan girls is on the rise as they play their homegrown music across the country. Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh make up the North Dakota native band: Tigirlily Gold, and hope to spark inspiration and joy by trailblazing their own path to success.

Krista and Kendra have been playing music together before they established themselves as Tigirlily Gold.

“We started playing together at a young age. So, at age ten, when Krista started writing songs, she started accompanying me,” Kendra said. “Then, we started writing songs together. Krista started playing guitar, and started harmonizing with me.”

After building their musical foundation, the sisters would confine themselves underneath a singular name: Tigerlily.

“One time, probably at about thirteen and fifteen years old, we got a text to play a show for one hundred dollars. As soon as we knew that we could make a living or get paid to play live music, we never wanted to do anything else in our lives,” Krista said. “We thought, ‘why don’t we make a band out of this?’ So, at fourteen and sixteen years old, we started Tigerlily in high school.”

The Slaubaugh sisters would go on to play their original music across the Midwest as they gained momentum in the music industry.

“Since we were two young girls going for something that was a little off the beaten path. We really felt support from North Dakota to be like, ‘you can do it girls!’ Krista said. “We released a song called, ‘North Dakota,’ and that kind of went viral statewide. After we had released that song, everyone was looking to us for openers or county fairs. They really wanted to jump on the train to support us through our journey.”

Throughout the years, the band has evolved and this is emulated through the growth of their band name.

“We even changed the spelling of Tigerlily to include girl in the middle of it, Ti-girl-lily. We’ve always been about female empowerment,” Kendra said. “Now, we’re Tigirlily Gold. Gold does point back to North Dakota roots as well, like the sunrise, sunset, and wheat fields. Our whole name is reflecting back on North Dakota.”

Prospering in the music industry takes hard work and dedication.

“You have to work really hard to get where you want to be. So much about achieving any sort of dream you have is perseverance and practice. Krista had to learn many different cover songs on her guitar, and that only expanded her ability to write,” Kendra said. “Same with me, vocally, just putting in practice and hours and learning different music. Trying different things to expand your vocabulary as an artist.”

Tigirlily Gold has the tremendous support of North Dakota behind them.

“Whether we fly into Bismarck or Fargo, there’s always people on the plane or at the airport, like ‘welcome home girls!’ It’s really fun that people say hi and welcome us back to the home state,” Krista said. “I think every show, in the first couple of sentences that we say, they will know that we’re from North Dakota. It’s our personality trait, at this point. It’s pretty hard for someone not to know we’re from North Dakota.”

Tigirlily Gold has made a name for themselves in Nashville, Tennessee.

“That was always our dream one day, to move out to Nashville and the big city. Eventually, about a year in Nashville, we started playing down at the honky tonks on Broadway in Nashville. During the pandemic, we found a record deal with Monument Records through selling music,” Kendra said. “They say Nashville is a ten-year town, and we have been doing this for ten years. So, we are finally seeing everything kind of take off.”

After releasing “Shoot Tequila,” amassing over fifteen million streams. Tigirlily Gold is on the verge of a breakout year.

“We do have a full record coming this year. We never had that under the label we’re with, so that’s really exciting,” Krista said. “Any year where we get to release our original music is a good year for us.”

Photo submitted by Tigirlily Gold

Tigirlily Gold pose for a promotional photo.

Students Balance School and Activities

Student job rates at Mandan High

Don’t have a job

37.3%

Have a job

62.7%

In a poll of 107 students, a clear majority of students that responded have jobs.

Many students at Mandan High School have the responsibility of balancing work, and school. Could the effects of having “too much to handle” be hurting students instead of helping?

Lots of American students around the country work everyday to support their families or even to support themselves.

Working toward saving for college, buying a car, paying for gas, or having money to spend freely allows students their own freedom and teaches them how to be financially stable.

“I have a job due to the fact that I have to pay for college in a year, and I have bills to pay such as a car bill, insurance, my phone, gas, a dog, and any extra food and clothing I purchase.” Adriana Johnson, junior, at Mandan High School, said.

Waking up early in the morning, going to school then to work for many hours after may become a strenuous activity for some students.

TJ Seibel, a junior at Mandan High School spoke on her day after school “I usually work for 6-7 hours after I get out after 6th period.”

According to the article “What Is the Average Number of Work Hours Per Week?” by Alison Doyle, the average work day is seven hours a day.

— Andi Nelson, Reporter

Under those conditions, If a student went to school for eight hours then worked for seven more each day, they are “working” on average 75 hours a business week.

Not all students work though, many participate in sports. Playing sports can also be considered a major responsibility in teens’ lives. Competing takes a lot of effort and time.

A junior at Mandan, Wyatt Piehl participates in Football, Basketball, and Track.

In his interview he said the hardest parts are the training all year round, the long practices, all while trying to balance school.

“I have weights in the early mornings even during the offseason. Then practice after school for about 2-3 hours, after I go home and I strictly work on homework so I don’t fall behind.” Piehl said.

Having many responsibilities can be tiring, and overall stressful at times, especially while trying to stay caught up in school and keeping good grades so you are eligible to do school activities.

Tj Seibel talks about how she deals with stress and said “When I am stressed out, I try and spend time alone and hangout with people who make me happy, it really helps me feel more relaxed.”

Student job and sports at Mandan High

38.7% have a job and participate in sports

61.3% don’t participate in sports and have a job

In a poll of 107 students, not very many students balance work and sports.

Mandan Student takes Training Dogs to the Next Level

Throughout Mandan High School there are many students who participate in extracurricular activities, but this sophomore at Mandan High School is not dribbling a ball or passing a puck. Jace Engelstad and his dogs Lyra and Sasha compete in Dock Dogs competitions where they have won many awards including taking third in high jump at the world championships in 2022.

Dock Dogs competitions is a sport that includes a dog jumping off a platform for either distance or height into a body of water. Lyra, who is only one year old, and Sasha, who is ten years old, are both Belgian Malinois dogs that Engelstad competes with throughout the country.

“I enjoy going to competitions with the dogs because of the friends you make along the way and the opportunities it gives you,” Engelstad said.

Engelstad sees a future in training dogs and is looking to either train working dogs for the military, police, or just pet dogs. Police and Military dogs are trained for similar purposes like detecting explosives and criminal apprehension, but all dogs are trained for different scenarios.

“I like training new dogs because of the problem solving that comes with each dog,” Engelstad said.

Engelstad feels competitions help draw a stronger connection between him and his dogs. He believes people can learn from their dogs just like dogs can learn from their handler.

“You can never stop learning, and no dog is alike in the way they learn either, each dog takes a different amount of time to train. Some dogs take 5 to 10 minutes, some take 5-10 months plus,” Engelstad said.

Competing in Dock Dogs sends Engelstad and his dogs across the country including Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Engelstad hopes to compete with Lyra and Sasha in more competitions across the country. He thinks students should learn more about dock dog competitions because of the benefits they bring.

“People should learn more about dock dogs because of the bonds you create with the dogs, and the scholarships you can earn along the way,” Engelstad said.

Competing with his dogs has become one of Engelstads passions that has stuck with him for several years. He hopes in his future he can work with dogs because of the fun challenge training each dog entails.

Photo submitted by Jace Engelstad Jace and his dog Lyra after a competition.

— Cambry Fyllesvold, Feature Editor

Photo by Cambry Fyllesvold Jace trains Lyra on a water treadmill weekly to build her muscle and help her form.

Family: When To Let Go

Family; a theme as old as time itself, rooted in the human need for connection with those around them, and for many, the very first people to shoot you down. This is a rather pessimistic view, there’s no denying it, but something relatable to nearly everyone.

Being stuck in a toxic situation with a family member can bring about very hard and complex feelings. You love them with your entire being, they’re your family; people that are supposed to stick by your side no matter what, who you’ve known for years and are supposed to know you better than anyone.

But when that idea isn’t met, it can be really hurtful, especially when you’re constantly let down and feel that you can’t stand up for yourself because they’re your family.

The truth is, you don’t need that person in your life. That may sound harsh and as hard as it is to say outloud or come to terms with that fact, there comes a point where you have to realize that you deserve so much more than the treatment you receive. You don’t need someone that is constantly hurting you and subtracts from your peace and happiness.

Even if you’re at that point where you’ve come to the realization that you don’t need that family member in your life, it can feel like you’re stabbing your family in the back. They’re the people who raised you, who’ve known you since the first moments you were on this planet. There’s no way that you could stop seeking their approval after they’ve done so much for you, right? Well, not necessarily.

You don’t owe anyone anything, not even family members. Regardless of certain instances of them providing for you and

Toxic behavior from family members can make many people feel excluded in their own home.

helping you, those specific instances do not cancel out the amount of toxicity they spewed at you, the humiliation and disappointment that has constantly followed your relationship with that person. You deserve way better than that.

Absolutely no one, no matter how closely related you are, has any right to bring you down or is entitled to being your life, especially if they are not beneficial to you in any way. Family or not, toxic behavior and humiliation is not something you should put up with from anyone.

Instead, you should focus on people who actively help you grow as a person, people who continue to show you support and love without constantly dragging you down. Those are the people that matter and deserve to be lucky enough to be in your life.

— Ariana González, Editor-in-Chief

Illustration by Ariana González

Family or not, toxic behavior and humiliation is not something you should put up with from anyone.

— Lily Giggee, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

I Feel SAD In Winter Months I Feel SAD In Winter Months

The antidepressants I take everyday to combat the everyday struggle of depression.Photo by Mya

I would like to start this article by saying that I am not a licensed physician and I am discussing my experience with this disorder. If you feel the need to talk please reach out to a counselor or a medical professional.

Cold. Dark. Lonely. Exactly how I see the winter months, starting from late November all the way to late March.

I thought it was just normal depression because I was diagnosed with severe depression in 7th grade. The funny thing with this though is it only really got worse in the winter months.

I would have mental breakdowns every couple weeks and I did not understand what was going on and neither did my parents.

Finally, enough was enough and my parents took me to my doctor and that was my first time hearing about Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is when your body has a total freak out when the season changes. Sometimes it has to do with the seasons changing and the days getting shorter and it being darker.

There are tons of different symptoms that some experience and others do not. The symptoms I deal with quite a bit are suicidal thoughts, lack of motivation, and oversleeping.

These symptoms affect my everyday life. At this age, suicide is something that many teens face. Right now, as teenagers, suicide is an impulsive decision since that part of the brain is not as fully

Opinion 14

developed. The lack of motivation and the oversleeping play apart in to my suicidal thoughts.

To help combat these symptoms I do light therapy and normal talk therapy. I also take medication to help combat it.

Light therapy is this little box that produces this light that makes you feel better. And no tanning lights, and other lights will not work. You have to do it in the morning for 10 to 15 minutes. So during that time you can brush your teeth or do your make up.

Talk therapy is sitting down and talking to a therapist or someone in that field. I do enjoy talk therapy. It helps me a lot to just be able to sit down and talk to someone that understands and can provide resources.

Another route to take is medication. Currently, I take 150 mg of Sertraline every morning, every month. During the winter months, my psychiatrist has also talked about adding Wellbutrin during the winter months that will give me an extra shot of dopamine aka the happy chemical.

These are all solutions to help combat the issue at hand. A lot of the time the symptoms seem like too much, but there are always options to combat it.

If after reading this article you feel you may have this disorder, please reach out to a counselor or a doctor. Again, I am not a licensed physician, I am just sharing what the disorder is and my struggles with it.

Johnson

Stay in Your Lane

– Dylan Campbell, Reporter

Mandan High School allows space in its building for hallways serving as the walkway in which students navigate the school. Through these halls, students are expected to arrive from class to class within five minutes. However, if students fail to meet the five minute deadline, they are consequently marked as tardy for class. I have been a victim of this rule, not as a result of lacking effort, but students’ inability to walk sensibly.

As I race to class in an attempt to erase a potential tardy on my attendance record, I am met with all types of dysfunction in the hallway.

The line of students who crowd the hallway as they line up for the breakfast cart, the clusters of students that stand still in spaces of heavy foot traffic, and the students who trudge at the pace of a whale’s resting heart rate. Additionally, the students who walk in a horizontal line, which requires a game of red rover in order to move past. The students who I slam into while making a right turn, because they could not stay on the right side of the hallway, or better yet, the stampede I’m met with when I climb up the stairs after the lunch bell rings.

Is this problem that big of a deal? No. However, it’s infuriating to know these problems have such a simple solution.

Majority of high school students have a driver license, and their driving knowledge should be applicable to the hallway. Well, except the people who park in the no-parking zone in front of the yellow fencing adjacent to the brave center.

Also, the car that clearly protrudes out of the other no-parking zone next to the corner of the brave center’s lot. Then, there’s everyone who has ever been featured on the Instagram account, @mandan_high_parking.

Come to think of it, most high school students have been in a car accident. Maybe this hallway concept is not so simple to grasp after all.

Do not worry, I will preach this process to you. First, when you are walking in the hallway, maintain the flow of traffic. Next, make sure to keep to the right, especially when turning. After that, make sure you’re not idle in the passing lane. When you go through the drive-thru, steer the line towards the exit of the school. Finally, when going up or downhill make sure you are not drifting into other people.

Additionally, park between the lines. This is not correlated to the hallway, but I figured I would get it in while I have your attention.

Photo by Dylan Campbell

Photo by Dylan Campbell

The right way to walk in the hallway (to an extreme extent).

The incorrect way to stand in the hallway.

Every Run Matters

— Michael Pfliger, Sports Editor

I like running. When people hear this they usually ask, “Why? Why would you want to do that for fun?”

The answer I usually give is, ‘I don’t know, it’s fun.’ The real answer is running gives me a way to explore who I am as a person and it gives me uninterrupted time to think and problem solve. Now, when it’s an easy run, I look at my pace and I think back to 7th grade me and how excited I would be to run at a 7:00 mile pace in a race, let alone an easy run and to get to this place.

It wasn’t easy. Getting to this place took years of hard work, where I thought about giving up. But it takes consistency to see improvement. Years and years of consistency every day and asking myself how badly I want to achieve my goals. Because if I want it bad enough and put in the work to get there I will achieve my goals.

I know that if I skip a run because I don’t feel like it then there are at least 5 other guys who didn’t skip their run that day and those 5 guys could take my spot in a race. Them taking my spot could make that runner be looked at by colleges. Now those colleges won’t look at me anymore and it would all be because I skipped that run.

That’s what keeps me motivated to run for sometimes hours at a time. It keeps me motivated to run when it’s 100 outside or when it’s -15 and windy because it doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing or windy.

I’m gonna put in that work. It’s like they say, if you ain’t going to put in the work, someone else will.

In high school sports, where everything is so highly contested, every rep on a workout matters. Every run matters because that run could be the difference between me making or not making state. Just running doesn’t make a great runner, it’s the little things that matter too. Stretching, nutrition, recovery, sleep, and weights; these all come together to improve athletes outside of just their sport practice.

Sometimes it gets hard and I consider stopping, but then I have a run where I feel amazing and get to remember why I do this everyday for fun. I do it because I want to and I told myself that if I ever went on a streak of a couple months where I truly didn’t enjoy running, I would stop and hang up my shoes.

But that day hasn’t come yet and I hope it doesn’t come for a

while because I truly love what I do. The best part is I get to do it everyday with some of my best friends. I’ve made some lifelong friends that I will never forget because of running.

This is a graph of how many miles I ran a week for the last 12 weeks.

Photo by Michael Pfliger.

Photo by Ariana González Often times after school I can be found running around the high school or other parts of Mandan.

Mandan Athletes Take Their Skills to College

Athletes with dedication towards their sport grow immensely when they choose to pursue an athletic career beyond high school.

Dominick Giggee has been committed to the South Dakota School of Mines for track since January 2023, he shares his decision to pursue track beyond high school,

“I decided to continue sports into college after my junior year, I wanted to keep running track after high school and not just give up,” Giggee said.

Many athletes approaching college like Dominick chose to continue with their sport through the commitment process.

The commitment process takes place when a college-bound athlete verbally agrees to play sports for a college, and later signs a National Letter of Intent.

This process can set student-athletes on a path of expansion, helping them gain better opportunities through their exceptional ability in sports.

Senior Karsyn Jablonski committed to Umary on February 1st as a Wide Receiver, he describes the commitment process as simple.

“After every game I post highlights from that game and post it on a film app hudl and then take those highlights and post it on twitter where coaches can see,” Jablonski said.

Athletes use film apps like Hudl, a hub for athletes, coaches, and fans; to post their highlights and establish a sort of social media presence for scouters.

— Emmanuel Dolo, Reporter

Athletes can also do recruiting questionnaires if available to present themselves to colleges.

When finding a place to continue their sports career, an athlete must be realistic. It is important to practice perseverance and use resources such as high school coaches to contact college coaches with their information.

Dominick Giggee shares his experience with the commitment process and how helpful his coaches were.

“I kept working on improving my times, the coaches made it more easy for me to understand what the commitment process better, I got advice from Mr. Sheldon and parents,” Giggee said.

High school coaches are a very good resource for athletes looking to compete in college, once college coaches reach out to them they provide information on the athlete that’s wishing to commit to a college.

Coach and History teacher Mr. Sheldon shares how the commitment process works for the high school coaches.

“The commitment process usually takes 1 and a half years, Coaches contact me and I tell when which sort of division each college bound athlete would fit into,” Sheldon said.

High school coaches are a valuable asset for athletes in terms of providing consistent training and conditioning.

“College bound athletes need to stay in weights and practice their sport every day, coaches and personal trainers are important because nobody else will devote more time towards your betterment than they will,” Sheldon says.

Another aspect an aspiring athlete has to consider is their commitment to the sport they want to pursue post high school, between the stress and academics of college it may be hard to stay on top.

College bound athletes expect nothing short of a hustle between their sport and academics once they graduate high school.

“Its gonna be a grind, you gotta stick through and you really gotta love the sport,” Jablonski said.

Athletes rely on strength, training, and passion for their sport to help grow their athletic ability. When an athlete decides to commit, they must trust in their ability to continue growing.

College bound athlete signs National Letter of Intent to officially finalize the recruiting process.

Photo by Emmanuel Dolo

SPORTS

ROUND UP

“I think that our team will be strong competitors and do very well this season.”

- Freshman Tayah Myhre

GIRLS’ TENNIS

“I think we will do pretty good compared to others across the state, we work hard and have a great attitude during practice.”

BOYS’ TRACK BASEBALL

“I think Mandan this year in many aspects will be hard competition for teams across the state. I think we will be pretty good especially with the many new people added to track this year.”

- Junior Isaac Peterchuk

- Senior Ivy Staudinger

“I think we will be a top contender this year, we have the arms and the bats to do it.”

- Junior Tukker Horner

BOYS’ GOLF

“I believe that we only need to work on short game as a team. Last season our top golfers were hitting the ball far, which is good, however we need to make putts for that to be helpful. That being said, I’m confident that if we start off the season hot we can be one of the top teams in North Dakota.”

- Junior Alex Moch

GIRLS’ TRACK SOFTBALL Sports 18

“I think we have a real shot at a state title this year. Last season was very senior-heavy for teams all around the state, so everyone is gonna be starting over. We‘re a strong team all-around, so I’m excited to see how our season goes.”

- Senior Tahrynn Nybakken

“I think we are really going to work on and develop different hitting skills this year and get better. Whether it be hitting higher speeds or putting balls in different spots just doing it more and getting back in the groove.”

- Junior Savannah Gustavsson

Senior Owen Gress up to bat. Mandan Baseball ended last season with a overall record of 9-6 and is rated sixth in the WDA baseball poll for the upcoming season ahead.

Senior Acey Elkins dominated the track last season with 12 individual top five finishes in distances ranging from the 200 meter dash up to the 3200 meter run.

Junior Savannah Gustavsson awaits a pitch. Mandan Softball ended the season last year with a 12-12 record and went 8-8 in the WDA.

Photo by Cambry Fyllesvold

Photo by Lily Giggee

Photo by Cambry Fyllesvold

BSC Track Returns after Long Break

— Michael Pfliger, Sports Editor

Bismarck State College has started their track and field program after 38 years without a track and field program. The program has finished their indoor campaign and will begin their outdoor campaign shortly.

With any first year program the worry for many athletes is will the coaches and athletes get along.

“Having coaches that truly care. Yes, all of my coaches in the past have cared about me. But my current coaches there’s something different about them. It’s like they have the same spark as me and they want to be here and a part of this team just as much as I do, if not more. They have a drive and determination just like the athletes and I believe that helps a lot as an athlete knowing your coaches are always there for you and support you through everything,” Bismarck State College freshman Amy Stringer said.

For many athletes this is their first year in college athletics and their experiences have been positive compared to high school.

“I did not have the best access to a weight room or an athletic trainer when I was in high school,” Bismarck State College freshman Brynn Hyttinen said.

Along with different athletics in college there is an entirely different school system that athletes have to adapt to as well. A large piece of the new school system is all of the free time that new college students have compared to high school.

“College is way more chill than high school. Compared to high school you have way more free time and you’re more open to things where in high school you had a set schedule everyday and

stuck to it. College you pick your schedule and do what you want to do. If your teacher says you don’t have class you quite literally don’t have class,” Stringer said.

The team is already beginning to see improvement from its short indoor season and many athletes are looking forward to the outdoor season.

“I believe our outdoor season is going to look really well, being most of our team has only ever competed on outdoor tracks it won’t be too different for them to adapt like they had to for indoor,” Stringer said.

Even though it is only the program’s first year many athletes are looking forward to next year and the many years to follow.

“I just wish that this program could be four years instead of two. I love it so much and I am so sad that I’m more than halfway done with my time here,” Stringer said.

Many athletes have found new friendships on the team much like their old high school friends.

“This team is one of the best teams I’ve had throughout any team I’ve been a part of. Not only the friendships but the work ethic from everyone is like no other. This team is a dream team that every athlete or coach could ever want,” Stringer said

“I just wish that this program could be four years instead of two. I love it so much and I am so sad that I’m more than halfway done with my time here.”

Girls’ Track Has High Hopes for the Outdoor Season

Girls’ Track started towards the end of February and has been practicing ever since then. The indoor season starts first, but some are still looking forward to the outdoor season, along with the rest of the season.

“Just to look forward to building together and being one as a team and then the outdoor season is definitely something to look forward to,” senior Anna Bendish said.

Every year this team has the main goal to qualify as many girls as they can for state.

“This year our goal is always to try to get as many state qualifiers as possible and be doing our best. Running the fastest, throwing the farthest. Jumping the best at the end of the season,” Bendish said.

Despite many athletes graduating last year, the team is hoping to build a strong foundation off the younger kids.

“I think this season will be strong for us, we did lose a couple strong seniors, but we have a lot of returners and hope to make the best of it,” Bendish said.

The head coach Gregory Brown has been with the team for three years so now the older girls have been with him just as long as he’s been at Mandan.

“It’s my third year with the program so they have been with me for three years now so we have great leadership within the senior core,” Brown said.

— Lily Giggee, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

The team still has high expectations for this season coming off a 5th place finish at state last year.

“I think we can do really well. Girls last year took fifth at state and if we put in the work now and then grow to the end of the season I think we will have a very successful season,” Bendish said.

With losing some seniors last year, Brown is looking for someone to step up for later on in the season.

“We do have a great senior crew coming back this year with our juniors from last year so the expectations are still extremely high but we still need somebody else to enter beast mode at the state meet,” Brown said. There are countless leaders on the team which allows them to help the younger kids reach their goals and to help them through anything.

“The team has a lot of experience and are able to just kind of take them under our wings and help them through everything,” Bendish said.

The great leadership and with the younger athletes Brown still believes the team will do well in both the region and the state meets.

“We do have that great leadership and some young pups that are coming so I still have us very high in the region and in the state,” Brown said.

Senior Mya Sheldon, senior Sydney Heinert, junior Alex Arnegard, junior Ellie Landeis, senior Anna Bendish, senior Acey Elkins, senior Whitney McGee, junior Teya Barrios, junior Hailey Markel, and senior Breannn Radke prepare to lift before their track practice.

Photo by Lily Giggee