We cheered and we jeered. We lead the team onto the field and we danced and we stepped. We won awards, we celebrated our classmates. We kicked, we threw, we caught. We rode the Crimson Express and we breathed in smoke. We buried the bulldog, we were the most dynamic duos while we waited for people to name more dynamic ones.

For some of us it was our first encounter with the beast that is Red/White Week, for some of us it was our last. But for one week, we put aside all of our little differences and we were united as a school, as a family, behind our ram, our team, our Crimson and White. Even through defeat, one thing could not be taken away from us, our pride of being students at duPont Manual, our pride of always bleeding crimson.    

Every year Red/White week affects different people in and around the Manual community. From teachers to students the week can affect class plans and sports practices.

Teachers on Red/White Week

Red/White Week has been a long tradition for Manual. Students dress up in costumes all week leading up to the Male/Manual football game on Friday. The week is usually considered more relaxed, with teachers giving less homework and no major tests or projects in an effort to allow students to enjoy the festivities.

Four Manual teachers have shared how they celebrate Red/White Week and how their classroom is affected.

David Richards, Math

Mr. Richards explained that his classroom isn’t affected by Red/White Week other than the shortened schedule on Friday because of the pep rally.

“I treat it like any other week. Students take quizzes and tests,” Richards said. “Whatever costumes they want to wear, we will still take notes, and I’ll be in costume.”

Mr. Richards explained that while his students are excited about Red/White Week, he doesn’t really see a change in work ethic.

“Everybody’s a little more amped up and ready to go, but half the time [the class] isn’t focused anyways so Red/White Week doesn’t change that,” Richards said.

He went on to say that Red/White Week is important for the relationship between the student body and the staff.

“I didn’t go to Manual or Male, so I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Richards said. “Tradition, in my opinion, is one of those things you have to keep up, something that you can hold onto and believe in. It’s something you can look forward to doing and base your future and past on.”

“It’s a football game, but it’s something that brings the student body together and brings students and teachers closer,” Richards said. “I like seeing my class as a whole hodgepodge of characters.”

Mr. Richards considers himself to be a pretty laid-back teacher normally, but he still likes to surprise his students.

“One year I wore a hula-skirt with a coconut bra, and the class wasn’t expecting that,” Richards said. “I think it’s just a time to have fun and show students that teachers are people too.”

Doug DeWeese, Visual Art (VA)

Mr. DeWeese is preparing for Red/White Week by helping students make posters and making adjustments in his class schedule to encourage students to have more fun.

“It’s totally important, it’s a tradition. It brings the school together so it’s totally worth making adjustments for,” DeWeese said.

Mr. DeWeese’s only complaint about Red/White Week is losing a lot of class time, especially with his all-junior classes.

“My schedule is affected because you can’t have a whole lot of homework due during the week because there are so many events. As always, you lose class time and last week was already a three-day week. It makes it tough to stay on schedule, but it’s worth it,” DeWeese said.

Though the schedule is different this week, Mr. DeWeese believes that is it important for students to be able to experience Red/White Week to the fullest and participate in the events.

“I think the students would rather go to Ramstock than work on their stuff in my classroom after school,” DeWeese said.

Andrea Nacionales, Science

Ms. Nacionales explained that she enjoys student participation and incorporates the different themes into the classroom flow, but doesn’t let the fun-filled week affect her schedule.

“My classroom schedule doesn’t really change. [The students] get a little hyped up with the costumes and the dress-up, but otherwise they come in and we do a little five-minute talk about it and then we get back to work,” Nacionales said.

Ms. Nacionales is hosting a canoe field trip on Oct. 20th for her sophomore biology students — the day of the pep rally and football game.

“I think my field trip will be fine because students are more comfortable with the field trip because their classes will be shortened. It will be a great day because [the students] get to go canoeing and get back just in time for the pep rally,” Nacionales said.

Ms. Nacionales is ready for Red/White Week and encourages students to take part.

“I think it’s a fun aspect of Manual High School and I would encourage students to take part in it, but understand that we are still in school,” said Nacionales. “It is part of what makes the student body glued together.”

Nicole Finley, English

Ms. Finley explained that while her class has a test, she also has lots of fun activities planned throughout the week.

“There’s not as much homework,” Finley said. “We do have a test but we scheduled that weeks ago.”

Ms. Finley said that her classes usually have trouble focusing during Red/White Week but it’s not a big deal because she understands.

“Red/White week really shows the rivalry between Male and Manual. I think it really goes back to the historical background of the Manual vs. Male game.”

Ms. Finley explained that she plans to dress up for Red/White Week in conjunction with her two daughters who both attend Manual.

“I don’t know what we’re going to be,” Finley said. “My girls want to do thing one, two, and three, but I think that’s kind of boring. I was thinking some kind of Motown theme since we all have natural hair with the big ‘fros and big heels, or do a soul train theme.”

Ms. Finley is also a graduate of Manual. She says that Red/White Week has “toned down” since when she experienced it as a student.

“We had so much fun. We covered all of the windows, and it would be dark in the building. We didn’t have to be in dress code compliance. It was just amazing,” Finley said. “All the teachers dressed up. We had competitions for the best costumes and all kinds of things like that.”

“We didn’t have themes per se, so groups created their own themes. You might get 15 kids who would dress up and do stuff on their own, and it was a lot more spontaneous,” Finley said.

Interview with Rammy

Ahead of the annual Old Rivalry game, Maya Joshi caught up with the student who dons the Ram mascot suit at each home football game.

Q. How long have you been The Ram?

A. Since sophomore year, but I began to develop interest in the second semester of freshman year. Sophomore year they let me be Rammy officially.

Q. What are some downsides to being the Ram?

A. Everyone asks who I am, to the point where it gets aggressive, usually at games people try to pull my head off, that happened at the Ballard game, these kids were tackling me and I felt really scared. And then towards the end of the game over there on the field everyone goes over there underneath the scoreboard and there were a lot of people grabbing me, and grabbing me from under my mask, asking me ‘Who are you, who are you.’

Q. How do you get them to back off?

A. They say ‘Tell me who you are, who are you?’ and I’ll just shake my head and go like, ‘No,’ and I’ll walk away. But the kids got really aggressive on my way to the house to change in and out of my Ram suit. I had to ask a police officer to go with me because I was scared and they wouldn’t let me in. So the police officer was like “Okay guys, give him some room, he has to go change.” It was just scary. But I think the adults, the police officers, they knew what was going on so they just helped me. I haven’t really talked to Mr. Zuberer about it because there’s not much he can do.

Q. What are you going to do if that or something like it happens again?

A. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again, I’ll talk to Mr. Zuberer, maybe he can keep an eye on me. But if it gets aggressive I’m going to stop. It usually happens towards the end of the game for some reason, so I’m not going to go to the end of the field anymore. It’s too crowded and too aggressive, it’s like a sea of people and I can’t get through and what scares me is that… There’s a helmet, inside of the ram head, and when people jerk on it it hurts my neck and I’m scared that someone’s going to pull it too hard and seriously hurt me, I’m scared of getting hurt. So I guess if that happens again I’m going to stop going out to the end of the field, I’m just going to change early and avoid that crowd. I don’t want to do that.

Q. Why do you bother, when you face such aggression and don’t really get much appreciation?

A. Because it makes people happy, people like seeing the ram and I think it’s just all about school spirit. I feel kind of bad because I feel like I’m not a very good mascot. Around that time, 7 to 9, this always happens, I just get so exhausted, and it’s hot, and I get a headache, and then I get dehydrated, and after a while I just stop being happy about it. But I do it because people like it. That’s about it. Sometimes I don’t really want to because I have so much homework, or I’m like, “Will people even notice me if I’m there?” It just seems like nobody really gets excited when I do it. I like supporting the school, it’s just like, is it worth it if people don’t seem excited? Everyone says ‘It’s the mascot’s job to get everyone hyped,’ but, we have a student section with at least 10 seniors in the front, and they’re already kind of doing it for me, I feel like I can’t do much.

Q. What do you hope for, going forward as Rammy?

A. I hope senior year is more lax, so maybe I can actually go to more games. This year’s been so busy… I definitely want to keep being Rammy, but I’d like to make room for other activities. I quit something I really enjoyed this year because I was so busy as Rammy, I’d really like to get back into that and maybe try new things.

Q. Why don’t you want people knowing who you are?

A. I feel like I’ve already told a lot of people, a lot of  people know at this point just because I get so excited, I’m really happy to do it but I just don’t really like to tell people because it’s tradition for people to not know. I also don’t want people to say , ‘Oh my god, they’re such a bad mascot, I want to replace them.’ I just don’t want people talking about me. I think I’d get annoyed with it.

Q. How can students show their ‘Ram spirit’?

A. Maybe make posters, or Ram jerseys? I think they’re fine, there’s really nothing more they can do.

Q. Anything more you’d like to say to the readers?

A. I just want to let them know that I appreciate every one of you and I’m so glad that you give the effort to come to the football games and cheer at the pep rallies. I think Rammy will start to attend, or start trying to attend, non-football and basketball games. So volleyball, or swim meets, or even track meets… So if you would like me to come to one of your events, just have your coach contact Mr. Zuberer, and let me know that you actually care about me being there… But most of all I want to say that, if you try to high five me or something and I don’t high five you back, it’s nothing personal; I just can’t see you.

Rivalries with other schools

The Male/Manual rivalry is one that rules the school during Red/White Week. However, Male isn’t Manual’s only rival in sports.

Manual’s swim team considers Sacred Heart Academy, Saint Xavier and the Christian Academy of Louisville to be their biggest rivals because they are the top girls’ and boys’ teams in the state.

“We’re always trying to be competitive and beat them,” Kristin Adams (12, HSU), a Manual swimmer, said. “There isn’t a lot of pressure during dual meets against teams like St. X, but at regional and state meets, there’s a lot because we want to do well and score points for Manual,” Adams said.  

While rivalries can bring out the best in players, playing sports is all about having fun in the long run for the athletes.

“Although we’re ‘rivals,’ most of the swimmers from both teams are very friendly with each other. It’s pretty fun,” Jake Burd, a swimmer for CAL, said.

Being part of a team is what makes rivalries so enjoyable, the swimmers said.

“I really just love the team atmosphere. We all have so much fun at meets and team dinners and it’s really nice to have something that lets me experience the fun part of swimming because I’m so used to the competitiveness of club swimming,” Adams said.

Zorry Mason (12, HSU) is also a swimmer on the team and this will be her fourth year swimming for Manual.

Along with swimming, the Lady Crimsons field hockey team also considers Sacred Heart to be among their top rivals along with Assumption and Ballard High Schools.

“They always bring so much competitiveness and intensity to the field. We have had our runs with each of these teams in previous state tournaments and the games are always close,” India Reed (11, VA), varsity field hockey player, said.

Competitiveness of rivalries brings even more action to the field than a regular game would.

“I love the speed and fast pace of the game. When you have an amazing team like I do, it makes the games fun. [Field hockey] is a game that never gets boring, especially when it’s played between two extremely competitive teams,” Reed said.

The Lady Crimsons soccer team also considers Assumption to be one of their biggest rivals.

“We have had bad run-ins with them in the past so our team always tries their best to beat them,” Camille Chandler (12, HSU), varsity soccer player, said.

Just like the Male/Manual football game, a lot of training and practice go into the weeks leading up to a big rivalry game.

“Our coach runs marathons so she likes to make us run,” Chandler said. “We do sprints and sometimes run two miles before practices. We do train harder for [rival] games for sure. We also have Fitness Fridays where we do more fitness because it motivates us. One practice we did 300 burpees,” Chandler said.

The boys’ soccer team also trains very hard during the weeks leading up to their game against Oldham County High School.

“High intensity, close until the end, very aggressive, good crowd turnout and great goal celebrations make our rivalries great,” Meyer Mercker (12, MST), varsity soccer player, said.

Crimsons’ costumes through social media

Prior to Red/White Week, RedEye asked students to use hashtags when posting their costumes on platforms of social media. Here are some of their costumes.

What are the costs?

As the 125th anniversary of the annual Red/White Week closes in, the cost of the week is one matter both faculty and students are preparing for.

Tyler Morris, a math teacher at Manual who plans and executes events for Red/White Week with Laura Spiegelhalter and the Executive Council officers, said that most of the cost comes from ordering roughly 15,000 balloons. To get a significant discount, they order them wholesale.

Other costs include paint and paper for all of the posters, and the actual amount of money spent varies depending on the year.

Executive Council pays these expenses using money from school dance admissions.

“Since the dances have grown in popularity, we have been able to plan more for the week, especially the carnival on Wednesday,” Morris said.

The students, however, pay their own price.

Some students, such as Netra Rastogi (12, MST) are concerned about incurring high expenses for their spirit week outfits.

“I’ve definitely been concerned about the costs of outfits, mainly because I want my outfit to look good and I want to feel good,” Rastogi said.

Students will often put in several hours of preparation into carefully planning and designing what they want to wear. Adding a unique style can be difficult for students who do not want to spend a large amount of money.

“It’s often hard to make a realistic mermaid costume, for example, with five dollars versus 20 dollars,” Rastogi explained.

Because of these concerns, it is not uncommon for students to decide to forego the expenses of Red/White Week and use clothes and accessories they already own.

Aliza Brown (12, HSU) said that she is “not concerned” about spending money on costumes.

“I’m just going to make do with what I have,” Brown said. “I’ve always worn a handmade costume or a Halloween costume that I already had.”

Rastogi also usually spends very little money on costumes.

“For any costume-requiring event, I usually make my own costumes, and I’ll buy simple materials. I never buy a full costume because that’s just way too expensive. But for the whole week, I hopefully will spend less than 30 dollars,” Rastogi said.

Brown says that she chooses to not buy anything because she does not believe that Red/White Week is something that should be expensive.

“It’s more about the creativity rather than how much money you spend,” Brown said.

Crimsons prepare for Red/White week 2017

On October 13, Manual’s Executive Council (EC)—along with students from various clubs—stayed after school to set-up for this year’s Red/White Week.

Red/White Week is completely coordinated by students. The first step is transforming Manual’s hallways into a gallery of spirit; this is no easy task and requires months of planning and a single day to execute everything to perfection.

Alaina Ratanapool (12, HSU), the president of Executive Council, has been planning to make this year’s Red/White Week the most impactful.

“It’s busy and chaotic. It’s stressful and tiring, but it’s worth every hour. Setup is my favorite EC event,” Ratanapool said.

The most time-consuming part of setting up for Red/White Week was the process of blowing up 3,000 balloons. Students started early in their study skills classes and worked into the night to cover the entire main school building and YPAS.

Mansi Amin (10, MST) has helped set-up for Red-White week two years in a row.

“It was a lot of work but a lot of fun. Everyone in EC worked really hard and we are all really proud of the end results,” Amin said.

Red/White week begins on Monday, October 16 with the theme Scholars vs. Ballers.

Rocking out at Ramstock

Ramstock, an annual battle-of-the-bands, took place on Monday in Manual’s courtyard, serving as the kick off to Red/White Week.

This year, there were three bands that participated: Amor, Bad Racket and Middle Management.

Amor, an R&B/cover band, includes Kevon Baker (12, YPAS) on keys, Eve Williams (12, YPAS) with lead vocals, Quincy Robinson (12, YPAS) on saxophone and Fons Cervera (12, J&C) on drums.

Bad Racket, a classic rock band, is comprised of Steele Whitney (12, YPAS), Connor Davis (12, HSU), Drew Harris (12, HSU) and Zach Watson.

Middle Management, an alternative-based band, is made up by Xavier Hawpe (11, YPAS), Luke Reeves (12, MST), Scarlett Hawpe (10, YPAS) and Ethan York (12, MST).

Trevor Harry (11, HSU) talked about how Ramstock provides a sense of community.

”I like the sense of community you get by listening to school bands and hanging out with your friends and eating free popcorn,” Harry said.

The band that wins Ramstock will perform in Friday’s pep rally.

Seniors surpass the juniors in powderpuff

Tonight, the senior powderpuff team won the annual game with a final score of 30-18.

First half

During the first half of the game, the juniors had a lead of 12-0 following two touchdown by Meryck Hardley (#24, 11) within the first five minutes.

Shortly after, senior running back Maddison Ellis (#7, 12) scored two touchdowns, which kept the score tied 12-12 until half-time.

Half time

The roles in powderpuff are reversed, in that girls play football and boys cheerlead, some junior and senior boys were coached by members of the Dazzlers to create a half-time performance.

“The best part about powderpuff cheerleading is that you can just do whatever, be really weird and no one cares,” Meyer Mercker, (12, MST) senior powderpuff cheerleader, said.

The juniors are already talking about being on the cheerleading squad again for their senior year.

“It was a blast. Every practice we had was so much fun with all the boys hanging out and dancing,” Andrew Baker, (11, HSU) junior powderpuff cheerleader, said. “Manual has been doing [powderpuff] for so long so it’s a great thing to keep doing over and over again just like our parents did when they were our age. I will definitely be doing it again next year.”

The junior and senior powderpuff cheerleaders will perform at the R/W Week pep rally Friday afternoon.

Second half

After performances by both the junior and senior powderpuff cheerleaders, seniors had possession of the ball. Ellis showed continuous aggressive play during the second half, bringing the seniors back for redemption.

Within the first five minutes of the second half, Keely Boldin (#6, 12) scored a touchdown for the seniors.

The score being 18-12, seniors leading, the juniors made a first down and followed it with a touchdown making the score a tied at 18.

The game continued with serious defense from both teams, until Grace Tatro (#30, 12) carried the ball into the end zone, making the score 24-18, seniors.

With only 15 minutes left in the game, the seniors played with intense offense until Ellis was able to get past the juniors to score another touchdown for the seniors, making the score 30-18, seniors.

The last 10 minutes of the game was full of incomplete plays and passes by both junior and senior teams. Both teams played up until the clock, trying different plays and switching in and out their players. No points were gained by either team, leaving the remaining score 30-18, seniors.

The players and the coaches

Through weeks of preparation, coaching and repetition, both teams’ coaches were proud of how their teams played.

“The junior girls were phenomenal, they’re a really great group of girls,” Regis Wilson, (11, HSU) junior powderpuff coach, said. “They worked hard everyday and always came to practice ready to go.”

While the senior coaches focused more on their defensive line and passing the ball, the junior coaches practiced the same plays over and over again.

“We really focused on repetition and making sure everyone knew what they were doing so when it came to game time, we could be confident,” Million Greenlee, (11, MST) junior powderpuff coach, said.

The intensity of the senior team gave them an advantage in the game and pulled them to a win in the second half.

“We got to the second half and we gave even more than we did in the first and we really blew them out of the water,” Nate Barber, (12, HSU) senior powderpuff coach, said. “The juniors were talking smack all week on the football team so we really had to show them who’s boss, and we did,” Barber said.

Everyone involved in the annual powderpuff game believes that the tradition is really good for the school and allows girls to participate in a game of football during the week of festivities.

“It’s important because it gives the girls a chance to show that they can play a sport that guys play. It is important for tradition to show the spirit of Male/Manual and it’s very fun for girls to play powder puff,” Ellis said.

Powderpuff not only brought together people in each grade but it brought Manual students together as a whole because of the competitive nature of the game.

“I was able to be competitive and have fun all at the same time and I loved it,” Gracie Pounders, (#20, 12) the senior quarterback powderpuff player, said.

Overall, the powderpuff game, just like most Red/White Week festivities, was all about fun and being school spirited.

“It was more fun than I expected because we came in not knowing any plays and we just went for it,” Karrington Jackson, (#15, 11) junior powderpuff player, said.

Students and staff come together for the burial of the bulldog

The Manual student body gathered in the auditorium on Thursday morning to “bury” the Bulldog. The annual tradition takes place on the Thursday of Red/White Week each year.

In 2016, administrators moved the Dooms Day burial from center hall to the auditorium in order to accommodate for more students.

“I definitely think that’s the best move. In the [center] hall, it’s very crowded, and not everyone could see. It was kind of on a first-come, first-serve basis. In the auditorium, everyone has a seat, and we can all see,” Jackson Medley (12, HSU) said.

Sam Green (12, YPAS) delivered a passionate eulogy for the late bulldog. Green energized the packed auditorium with his fiery words.

“We will not miss this bulldog, for he is 100 percent replaceable. This bulldog was envious–envious of our success, envious of our ACT scores,” Green said.

Green then led the crowd in the perennial chant, “All my life, I’ve wanted to kill a bulldog!”

Students said they enjoyed the fact that a fellow classmate played a bigger part in the ceremony this year.

“I thought it was really good. It was cool to see a student do it instead of [Assistant Principal Mr.] Kuhn; it brought a new and interesting perspective. He [Green] did a good job of having a good balance of funny and serious,” Alexis Embry (12, HSU) said.

Alumni celebrate the 125th anniversary of Manual

The Crimson Mission’s Open House Anniversary Celebration was an attempt to bring alumni together and expand the alumni program.

“We want to build the network of alumni,” Assistant Principal Greg Kuhn said. “We needed a reason to make [alumni] come back, so we could celebrate them. To make it as fun as possible, we asked the marching band to come and give a performance, we had food in the senior cafeteria and each of the magnets had something to present,” Kuhn said.

The Crimson Mission is a board comprised of alumni and people in the community that sponsor things that the school board cannot afford. At the Male/Manual game, they pledged $20,000 to the field house.

“We are here to support the students and the school, and the purpose of this is to reach out to the alumni and bring them back home. Because it is the spirit week and the Male/Manual rivalry, there wasn’t a better time to have a big party for the alumni,” President of the Crimson Mission Diana Tufaro said.

Comprised of administration, teachers, alumni and their family, the festival showed the current Manual to the community.

Bobby Thompson, graduating class of 1992, said he likes to keep up with the people who he graduated with.

“There’s probably 10-15 that I am in regular contact with,” Thompson said. “I like how the Crimson Mission works, I get a nice letter from them every three months. I’d like to see it grow.”

The festival had small refreshments and games for the alumni and their families.

Gene Everson, class of 1959, said Manual is the best school there is still to this day.

“If you want to know what I think of Male, I can’t use that kind of language,” Everson said. “I’m just a loyal alumni who goes to all of the football games, and quick recall matches.”

Student ambassadors lead alumni on tours of the Manual basement as well as through open classrooms and magnet showcases.

There was also a glorified Manual history museum in the lobby of the auditorium. The Visual Arts magnet showcased some of their art in the museum.

The Crimson Mission’s current fundraiser is founder’s day plaques.

“With it being the 125th year of the high school, we did the founder’s day plaques. We are still selling those,” Tufaro said.

The event wrapped up with a shuttle to the Old Rivalry game at Manual Stadium later that evening.

Crimsons show out in their creative costumes

Each year, students and staff clamor to attend all of the Red/White Week festivities like Ramstock, the school-wide carnival and the burial of the bulldog that are scheduled for each day leading up to the Male/Manual rivalry football game. However, some of the most anticipated aspects of Red/White week are not just the activities that the students participate in, but also the outfits and makeup that students design themselves. Often seen as an outlet for artistic expression, the costume component of Red/White Week is a means by which students fulfill the daily themes of the week and are able to demonstrate to the rest of the student body their personality through what they dress up as and how much effort they put into their costumes. The student body and staff voted on the top costume themes for the week by bringing in coins to donate to the Executive Council’s Penny Wars collection. The themes with the most pennies were chosen for Red/White Week.

In preparation for the themes and costumes, some students spend months or weeks planning out the specifics of their ensembles, and others use the internet as a resource for tutorials, online shopping and general inspiration for what they can wear for spirit week.

Scholars vs. Ballers Day

The Scholars vs. Ballers theme encouraged students to dress up either in traditional sports and athletic wear or in professional academic attire. Many in the student body came to school with sports jerseys, sweatbands and tennis shoes or business suits and stacks of books. The theme represents the dichotomy of being either sporty or intelligent; however, students tend to overlap in having multiple athletic and academic interests. While it seemed very clear as to what students could dress as for this theme, many sought creative routes in developing their costumes.

Caroline Foshee (12, J&C) came to school dressed as a football goalpost in light of the Male/Manual football rivalry game.“I thought Scholars vs. Ballers didn’t give much opportunity for unique costumes since everyone mainly wore jerseys or glasses, but I didn’t want that to inhibit my creativity,” Foshee said.

The RamStock band Amor took creative license by designing their own jerseys to go along with their RamStock performance on Scholars vs. Ballers Day.

Dynamic Duo Day

As the idiom goes, “it takes two to tango.” It took two for this theme as well. On Dynamic Duo Day, students were supposed to pair up with a friend and dress as two people or things that work well together. As many students throughout the week wore costumes with a partner or group, Dynamic Duo Day inspired people to dress in costumes that go together like peanut butter and jelly, or, at least, like Troy and Gabriella or Sia and a chandelier.

Ysabella Leon (10, J&C) and Jason Prather (10, HSU) came to school dressed as Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez from the fictional High School Musical movie trilogy.

“We [Leon and Prather] both love High School Musical, and we both look a lot like them–at least I think so,” Leon said. “It was just really fun, and you could recognize who we were immediately.”

Leon said that her mother owns a vinyl and embroidery business that allowed them to self-design the lettering on their outfits.

“Well, the both of us play sports, and we’re naturally competitive,” Prather said. “I think part of [why we dressed up] was we wanted to have a great costume that blew people away. Also, I think just the fact that it’s Red/White Week and all the excitement around it really made us want to go above and beyond.”

Other costumes reflected on the music industry, like the Sia and chandelier costumes of Maddie Goldstein (11, YPAS) and Cindy Wan (11, MST).

“We looked on Pinterest and Buzzfeed for days, gathering 20 or 30 ideas,” Goldstein said. “It took us hours to narrow [the list] down, but when we saw the Sia and the chandelier picture, it was just so funny and so original. We had never seen it done before, and we knew we could pull it off well.”

“Maddie’s [Goldstein] costume for Maddie Ziegler was pretty easy since all she had to do was buy an all nude outfit and the infamous Sia wig,” Wan said. “However, my costume was the challenge: I made the chandelier from scratch. It took about two hours because we had to tie over 100 feet of fake pearl beading onto two hoops of aluminum wire.”

Some students preferred darker costume ideas, focusing on the Halloween vibe that comes with Red/White Week’s late October timing. Jill Gries (12, VA) and Bree Ashley (12, VA) dressed up as the villain and superhero duo Venom and Spiderman.

Costume Day

From Nemo and Dory to a clown costume, the most general theme of the week allowed creativity to flourish. After school during the carnival, students played games and ate food in their costumes. Students could dress as almost anything they wished, and most of them did.

“My three older siblings went to Manual, so I’ve had some experience with Red/White Week. All of them had said that the only thing they regretted was not going all out freshman year. I didn’t want to have that regret,” Evelyn Overstreet (9, HSU) said about her Dory costume.

Kenya Tovar (11, YPAS) said that she knew she wanted to do something creative for Red/White Week this year, so she did her own clown makeup and went to a Halloween store to get her costume in advance.

“I am really full of school spirit, and I love having the opportunity for people to see me dressed up in a cool costume,” Tovar said. “It was like my chance to shine even if I was like really scary.”

“Walking down the hallway and seeing everybody’s costumes is really interesting,” Emma Wilkie (10, VA), who dressed up as book heroine Madeline, said. “It kind of makes the school day a little bit more fun and exciting. You don’t know what you’re going to see.”

Even the administration coordinated group costumes, like a box of crayons, to show their school spirit and participation.

Doomsday

In the morning, Sam Green (12, YPAS) led the eulogy for the bulldog. Students wore dark clothes in gothic styles to mourn the future death of their rival during the Male/Manual game the next day. Students used undead imagery to interpret the theme. Black makeup or face paint adorned many, which allowed for the artistically inclined to use their skills for this theme.

Gries said that she wanted to create a very intricate demon face paint look because she enjoys art, and it was her last Red/White Week. She made her own unique take on a makeup look that she found in a reference image.

“I think being average is boring. I’m an art major anyways, and it fits with my personality to do something crazy for Red/White Week. It’s my last [Red/White Week] ever, so there’s that,” Gries said.

“I guess what encouraged me is that I love putting my all into everything that I do, and I love showing school spirit and doing makeup and art. Honestly, it’s so much fun, and as a visual arts student, it’s really a form of expression,” Ashley said.

Students who dressed up said that the students who are unsure about costumes and makeup for Red/White Week should put in that effort because it can be fun and a source of creative expression.

“DIY [do-it-yourself] costumes always look the best because you can see all of the detail and work that was put in,” Goldstein said. “Also, when you’ve made the costume yourself, you feel so proud of your work, and it makes you feel that much better wearing it. Going all out is how you make the most out of Red/White Week!”

“Never worry about going over the top; everyone does,” Leon said. “Be creative, and do something fun with your friends. Having fun is the most important thing. If you’re confident and you feel good, nothing else matters, and people will see that.”

Many stressed the collaborative nature of Red/White Week costume ideas and suggested dressing up in groups can make the process easier and more enjoyable.

“I would say talking to other people about what they’re doing [for costumes] really helped me get ideas just because it inspired me to think outside of the box too,” Foshee said.

“Get a group of friends who are willing to do [a costume idea] with you,” Overstreet said. “If you all do it together, it’s not as scary as doing it by yourself. Also, my advice would be to not be too worried about other students’ opinions or judgments because there are so many other people who go all out too!”

Visual arts students Gries and Ashley said that patience and practice are pertinent to creating good face paint makeup designs.

“Make sure you take your time, and really make sure you blend and shade. You don’t want everything to look blotchy and cut off,” Gries said.

“It’s so cool to see people’s reactions, and practice always makes perfect with things like art and makeup,” Ashley said. “I think people would be surprised by how much they can accomplish with practice. Some advice I’d give is to just have an open mind and research things like tutorials–they’re super helpful.”

Hype Video

CSPN High School Gameday

Student section leader, Jackson Medley, discusses his predictions for the game alongside a panel of Manual’s most spirited.

Who runs the world? Girls

Through the hot and muggy summers to the cold and breezy nights of autumn, they are there for it all. Through the joyous victories and high spirits to the brutal losses and the all time lows, they are there for it all. Through the salty attitudes and little to no recognition for the work and time commitment, they are there for it all. But who are they?

They are the group of girls who have dedicated themselves to be there for every moment of the football season. They are the group of girls who care about others and want to help others succeed. They are the duPont Manual Football Athletic Trainers. They are Seryn Bentley (12, HSU), Rodijett Jones (12, YPAS), Marisa Blakey (12, HSU), Rachel Morgan (12, HSU), Dana Luu (10, VA), Koda Coleman (10, HSU), Aubrey Stevenson (10, HSU) and Madison Bush (10, HSU). While their jobs of getting water and taping ankles might not be glamorous or high profile as catching a pass or tackling an opposing player, that doesn’t mean they aren’t important.

Dealing with teenage boys and intense coaches on a daily basis can be very stressful for the trainers. Not only do they have to adapt to being yelled at and handling the every need of the players, but they also have to be aware of their attitudes. In a sport as intense as football, it is very easy for players and coaches alike to lose their cool; in no way is Manual football an exception. These girls have to maintain a level of maturity that would be difficult for most. Instead of snapping back with a rude remark, they have to brush the comments off and continue with their job.

“The hardest part is dealing with them being smart and rude. Just having the pressure to get everything done as soon as they want it. Like, if they tell us to get them water and you’re not on your game and getting them water then they’re going to yell at you,” Stevenson said.

What drives someone to give up their afternoons after school, their Friday nights and many Saturday mornings? For a few of the young ladies, they already know they want to do something within the medical field or athletic training when they go off to college and life beyond Manual. Having an opportunity like this early on allows for them to build the early skills needed to be successful down this path in the future.

“I’m applying to be a trainer at UK and I want to major in kinesiology and go into physical therapy,” Morgan said. Something many people do not know is that colleges actually offer scholarships for people to come into their athletic training departments. So just as high school football helps the boys get recruited, it helps the girls get scholarship offers as well.

Each trainer was inspired to join the athletic training staff for a variety of reasons. However, for a few, it was simply for the love of the game.

“My freshman year at Crimson Day when I met Nila White (Class of 2015) and she told me that she was a football trainer and all the stuff she did, it got me so interested. I waited for spring ball and that’s when I fell in love with the job,” Bentley said.

Bentley has been a constant in the football training program throughout her four years at Manual. She is also a three year girls basketball and first year track and field trainer as well. For her, this transformed from an after school activity to something she is deeply passionate about.

“It has become basically the only thing I do five days a week and sometimes more. I love the boys and they really made me stick with it, even when I was fed up with the job. Training was the only thing there for me when I went through rough patches in my life, it gave me something to look forward to,” Bentley said. Without athletic training she would not have the opportunity to receive some of the scholarships she has her eyes set on.

Unfortunately for Morgan, she was forced to walk away from her beloved sport of volleyball due to severe knee injuries. Like most natural-born athletes, she couldn’t be kept away from sports for long.

“Since I can’t play volleyball anymore, I’ve wanted to [be a trainer] because I want to do it in college so it was the perfect opportunity to do it and to get a head start for college,” Morgan said.

After years of watching her older brother Jakob Morgan (Class of 2016) take on the field every Friday night, and now watching him as an athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky, Morgan found football training as her sports fix. When her time as a trainer at Manual comes to an end in the near future she will be deeply saddened to end this chapter of her life.

For Stevenson, Luu and Coleman, the story is a bit different. They all joined the training program on a whim. Both Stevenson and Luu were encouraged by a friend to step out of their comfort zone and venture into the world of athletic training.

“If you want to become a trainer, become a trainer for the sole purpose of helping the players out. Not because you want to get into the games for free or because you want to be around the players and you just want to flirt with them. You actually have to do work during practices and the games and you have to learn how to wrap and learn how to treat wounds,” Luu said.

Coleman got into the training sphere because her mother simply wanted her to become more involved at the school and participate in extracurriculars.

Bush dreams of going into sports medicine in her future and she knew that training with Manual football was an opportunity to gain valuable experience she couldn’t pass up.

“I enjoy doing it because of the bonds I’ve made with players, coaches and other trainers. I aspire to do this when I’m older,” Bush said.

Bush has been a fan of football for as long as she can recall, and she is also an athlete on the Manual Girls’ Basketball team. By training she was able to have a fun way to get more involved with the sport she loves.

“Training has given me the opportunity to see what part of my future would have in store and it has been a deciding point on what I want to pursue,” Bush said.

Jones decided to become involved in athletic training because she plans on minoring in physical therapy in college. She knew it was crucial to get in some experience before she went off to college in just a few short months. Despite the challenges she has faced throughout her career as a trainer she is determined to take another step into the athletic training world as part of her future.

Most people go to football games on Friday nights with only one group of people in mind, the boys on the team giving it their all under those timeless Friday night lights. Of course they are the main focus, they are the reason for the sport. However, they aren’t there on their own. They are nothing without their support system backing them. They are nothing without the girls who are there on the sidelines ready to tape them up, run out and hydrate them, or even be their own personal verbal punching bags during stressful and frustrating moments.

While the boys take the field, the girls take the sidelines anticipating every need of their boys, yes, their boys. Because as long as those boys are on the field, practice or a game, this group of girls is right there supporting the boys. As the saying goes, “behind every strong man is a stronger woman.”

How much do you know about the Old Rivalry?

Get to know your Manual Crimsons

The duPont Manual Crimson football team will fight in the annual Male/Manual football game this Friday night. Heres whats the players have to say about the big game:

Bulldogs beat Crimsons in Old Rivalry game

The Male Bulldogs defeated the Manual Crimsons in the one hundred and twenty-fifth Old Rivalry game last night, with a score of 27-20. While the Crimsons had a rough start, they came back strong in the end, only losing by one touchdown.

The First Quarter

The Crimsons did not start off the game strong. In the first eight minutes, Male managed to score a field goal after a period of steady back and forth. When Manual’s Nick Kopp (#9, 12) attempted to kick a field goal for the Crimsons, the kick came up short.

Soon after gaining possession of the ball, the Bulldogs pushed up to Manual’s first yard line. There, Male’s Cameron Chesher (#2, 12) managed to run the ball in for a Bulldogs touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 10-0, Male.

The Second Quarter

Male regained possession of the ball quickly in the second quarter, and soon it was first and goal for Male again. While the Crimsons were able to keep them from making a touchdown, the Bulldogs put more points on the board with another field goal, making the score 13-0, Male.

However, that did not deter the Crimsons. Advancing steadily like a band of fierce warriors, the Crimsons scored a touchdown. Not long after, Manual’s Marcis Floyd (#2, 12) caught a 23-yard pass to put the Crimsons on Male’s first yard line.

In the next play, the Crimsons scored, although they did not earn the extra point. Newly invigorated, the student section cheered on loud and proud as, the Crimsons’ Ian Long (#3, 12) sacked the Male quarterback, pushing the bulldogs back 13 yards.

This play only held the Bulldogs off until Male’s Rasean McCauley (#9, 12) managed to score another touchdown. After successfully earning the extra point, the Bulldogs had a score of 20 points, while the Crimsons only had six.

The Third Quarter

The Bulldogs started the third quarter with a series of runs from their fifth yard line all the way to the end zone, advancing slowly as our Crimsons played their best defense.

Male’s Henry Vestal (#6, 11) made another touchdown, and after another successful kick by the Bulldogs, the score was 27-6, Male.

Once they returned the ball to the Crimsons, however, the momentum of the game began to shift. After a series of rapid advances by the Crimson offense, helped along by flags and penalties towards Male, Floyd was able to run in another Manual touchdown. When it came time for Kopp to kick for the extra point, the ball hit the hand of a Male defender, but still managed to fly between the goalposts.

At the end of the quarter, the score was 27-13, Male.

The Fourth Quarter

The Crimsons started the fourth quarter with a newfound optimism and determination.

When Male attempted to punt the ball, Manual’s Kameron Kiesel (#30, 11) swatted it out of the air, letting the Crimsons start at the Bulldog’s seven yard line.

Shortly after, the Crimsons scored a touchdown about three minutes into the quarter. After a successful extra kick for the Crimsons, the score became 27-20, Male.

“The turning point of the game was when we got that punt blocked,” Floyd said.

However the remainder of the game was a race against time. In the end, Male was able to prevent Manual from making that score, and the game ended with a score of 27-20, Male.

After the game, The Great American Rivalry awarded Chesher the title of most valuable player.

“It’s a really cool honor, but it’s really a team game, and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Chesher said.

Despite the loss, Floyd was proud of the way that he and his team played.

“I don’t feel like we could’ve done anything better, they were just a better team today,” he said. “It was a tough loss, we played great though.”

Manual’s head coach Scott Carmony felt similarly about the outcome of this game.

“Male’s just better than us right now, but i just love the way our kids just keep fighting and battling, especially in the second half of the game,” he said.

Even Male Head Coach Chris Wolfe agreed, saying, “I give credit to Manual. They never gave up and they fought hard in the fourth quarter, and almost had a chance to tie it or take the lead.”

Be sure to show up and cheer on the Crimsons at their away game at Eastern High School on Friday, Oct. 27.

Letter from the editors:

This year the RedEye staff is an incredibly dynamic, diverse group of students. This year we were committed to covering Red/White Week in a completely original way. We focused our efforts on creating new content and looking at the sides of Red/White Week that we had never explored before. We wanted once again to create something that captured the essence of of what makes our school the best in the state of Kentucky, and in our opinion the best in the world.

This is all of our work and we hope that it has surpassed our work from the previous years. Thank you to all of the teachers, students, parents, and administrators who made Red/White Week happen. We would also like to thank our wonderful advisor and everyone who helped in our endeavour.

Sincerely,

The Manual RedEye Staff