Free Press: Issue 5, Edition 19 by FSJournalism

THE FREE PRESS ISSUE 5

Photo by Christina Craig Cover design by Atticus vonHolten and Adelaide Wendel

28 January 2016

EDITION 19

CONTENTS

Page by Adelaide Wendel

STAFF print editors in chief online editors in chief design editor photo editors

assistant photo editor copy editors

multimedia editor managing editor assistant managing editor social media editor business editor senior ad design editor designers

Sydney Gard student info clerk Trenna Soderling photographers Maame Britwum Libby Stanford Adelaide Wendel Christina Craig Morgan Edman Sam Goodwin Ali Dodd Madi Engnehl-Thomas Hala Hamid Kaya Shafer reporters Jake Clark Haley Van Vleck Lacey Windholz Elizabeth Patton Sydney Vogelsang Julia Pfannenstiel Caroline Kelton Simon Larspers Qvist multimedia Drake Riner Atticus vonHolten Juliana Wilches

Will Cook Sophia Bone Rebecca Calderon Anna-Maya Hachmeister Kylie Hawkins Alexis Luinstra Nicola Santangelo Klaire Sarver Tierney Thompson Margaret Uhler Gabrielle Wheeler Chloe Board Lauren Brittain Evan Frook Darby Gilliland Maya Hodison Mariah Houston Juna Murao Reagan Sullivan Jackson Barton Jordan Hauber Aubin Murphy Samantha Spencer

Superintendent Search 3 College and Career Center 6 Increased Graduation Rates 8 Editor’s Columns 12 Bird’s Word 19 Profiles 20 Reviews 22 Social Media Infographic 24 Style Column 26 Artists of the Month 28 Photo Essay 30

OUR MISSION The Free Press is an open forum that accepts letters to the editor and guest writings. They must include the writer’s name and telephone numbers. Articles may be edited due to space limitations, libel or inappropriate content. Letters may be submitted to Room 201 or sent in care of Free Press to Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, Kan. 66049.

Staying Close to Home

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Free Press staff, the high school administration or that of the USD 497 Board of Education.

Written by Hala Hamid

Students discuss college decisions, pros and cons of leaving town for school

Off to the Shrine Bowl Senior chosen to play in Kansas all-star Game

4 10

Written by Jackson Barton

SOCIAL MEDIA MANIA

Constant communication affects students, teachers in different ways Written by Madi Engnehl-Thomas, Sydney Gard and Hala Hamid

Letter to the Editor Cover: The Free State community is composed of students with no interest in social media, teachers with informative Twitter accounts and students with more than 25,000 Instagram followers. At school, social media apps such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are frequently used.

Debate in government class sparks social project Written by Cadence Learned

28 January 2016 Page by Atticus vonHolten

News

Photo by Anna-Maya Hachmeister

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH

Retired Kansas superintendents Howard Shuler and Von Lauer speak to Lawrence community members about their search for a new superintendent. Shuler and Lauer work for McPherson and Jacobsen, L.L.C, a company that is hired to do searches for boards of education nationally. Both Shuler and Lauer have worked for the company for over 10 years fi s er e e s

School district looks for new superintendent Written by Chloe Board, Juna Murao and Trenna Soderling

awrence Public Schools is undergoing a search for a replacement for current superintendent Dr. Rick Doll. Doll resigned in November to take a new position in The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI), a mentoring program that teaches superintendents and principals at Kansas State University. His resignation is effective at the end of the school year. According to board president Vanessa Sanburn, there’s more than one major quality to look for during the hiring process. “[I’m looking for] someone who will dedicate his or herself to the continued achievement of all students, someone committed to promoting a culture of equity throughout the district,” Sanburn said. Sanburn believes continued growth should always be a goal. “[Public education is] never resolved, but rather continuously honed to respond to change and deliver the best possible programs to continuously improve student outcomes,” Sanburn said. Students also have expectations for the new superintendent. “I would like to see more consideration for students,” junior Abena Peasah said. “I’d like to see people thinking more about what the students have to say, and then using that to find new policies.” Additionally, problem solving and listening skills are important

qualities of a superintendent according to Peasah. “As superintendent you’re in charge of a lot of things and so you need to understand where everyone is coming from and how to find the solution to everyone’s problem,” she said. While some may push for change, counselor Bryan Duncan says he doesn’t have any issues he wants to see dealt with. “Things are going very well, so I don’t really think there’s anything that needs to be resolved,” Duncan said. “Just making a good educated decision in who we hire will be beneficial.” Although Duncan doesn’t see any problems within the school district, he hopes to see someone who can continue making Lawrence schools better. “This is a great district,” Duncan said. “We have a lot of great pieces here. Nothing needs to come in and be fixed as long as we maintain and keep looking for ways to improve.” Doll’s replacement is expected to be announced before spring break. Duncan is hopeful the search will yield good results. “Lawrence is a very desirable place to work and certainly a superintendent is a very important job in a district that values education so much,” he said. “The talent pool should be very strong.”

28 January 2016 Page by Drake Riner

News

STAYING CLOSE TO HOME Students discuss college decisions, pros and cons of leaving town for school Written by Hala Hamid

‘L

awrence is so depressing; don’t you want to get out of “Before I took a tour of KU I was thinking I was definitely going here?’ to go out of state because I was just tired of living in Kansas and As senior Sean Jesse tells his peers he’s staying in everything that goes along with that,” Jesse said. “But then I took a Lawrence and going to the University of Kansas next year, he often tour of KU and realized it’s so much different than what you’d expect receives a nonchalant response or is asked why he’s not leaving town it to be.” for a new adventure. Burenheide says that K-State gives her the chance to start fresh Despite being born and raised in Lawrence, Jesse is excited for while also staying close to her family. the new experiences he will have in college. “I wanted to get out of here but I didn’t wanna go far, so that “I’ve lived here all my life, yet I haven’t really experienced KU,” Jes- hour and a half drive to Manhattan is not bad at all,” Burenheide se said. “It feels close to home and there’s a lot of great opportunities.” said. “And something new is always a good thing to try.” Last year, according to counselor Joel Frederick, 97 students out Hoping to go out of state, senior Peyton Brown has applied to of a senior class of 301 ended up at KU. Those who schools in California and Texas, with a top choice of UCLA. I’ve lived here “I’ve lived here for 18 years and I just want a change of chose to stay in town chose the school due to benefits all my life, yet scenery, a change of pace,” Brown said. such as cost and familiarity. I haven’t really “Quite a few are happy to remain in Lawrence, While KU is a good school, however, Brown said that experienced KU. especially if they have Jayhawk alumni in their famiis not enough to keep her in Lawrence. - senior Sean Jesse ly,” Frederick said. “But there is a good number who “I would definitely say KU would be my last resort but are ready to broaden their horizons, particularly if they haven’t had not in a negative way,” Brown said. “If I didn’t get in anywhere else I much opportunity for experiences outside of Lawrence.” would go to KU but I have other top choices.” For senior Israel Lumpkins, he hopes to continue his education While many stay close to home, Frederick says the idea of leaving and study engineering nearby at Kansas State. is appealing for those who want something new. “I went there and compared the engineering programs across “[Students that leave] want to experience other parts of the counWichita State, KU and K-State and I just thought K-State is a better try and assert their independence,” Frederick said. “Others feel that fit for me,” Lumpkins said. they must attend a top 25 school, most of which are located on the Like Lumpkins, senior Brianna Burenheide will attend K-State. coasts or in major cities.” She chose the school not only because her family members had Since KU has many out-of-state students, Jesse feels it will be attended, but also because she enjoys how social the student body is. similar to attending a school in a brand new town. “They have a really good family atmosphere and I find that I fit “I think that my biggest fear was if I go to KU, I’m just going to be really well with that because I’m very family oriented,” Burenheide hanging out with the same people and doing the same things,” Jesse said. “Going to school with all those people will be really awesome.” said. “But KU has a really great out-of-state student body and so it’ll While Jesse considered various in and out-of-state colleges, he be like going to an out-of-state school. I think I’ll have a good sense finally decided going to KU was more cost efficient and convenient. of pride especially with basketball and stuff like that.”

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28 January 2016 Page by Drake Riner

News

Photo illustration by Gabrielle Wheeler Senior Sean Jesse stands in KU gear while seniors Israel Lumpkins and Samantha Travis scowl at the rival university’s logo. Jesse decided that KU was e es fi or e oos s ool o e e ll es e so e preconceived notions that may make local students apprehensive about staying in town and attending KU, Jesse said “You’re not just going to be stuck in Kansas your entire life if you go to KU. You can have opportunities and go places.”

28 January 2016 Page by Caroline Kelton

News

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS College and Career Center introduces principles, projects, pig heads to upperclassmen Written by Jackson Barton Something’s different in senior David Parscale’s route to school: Parscale is headed for the southeast side of town, closer to Haskell University, instead of the northwest. Like all students there, Parscale spends three hours of each weekday at the Lawrence College and Career Center. Parscale took the Forensics Science course at LCCC, just one of the eight courses the Center offered for the fall 2015 semester. “We’re learning about why a body decomposes, how long it takes,” Parscale said. “We have pig heads out there, and we’ve been studying them for the entire semester. Some in buckets, some in Saran wrap, a couple were in trash bags. Those were evil.” LCCC Director Patrick Kelly has been overseeing the center’s ambitious first semester with the goal of providing unique learning environments. The school doesn’t operate off a singular mission, but instead with three “learning design principles” in mind, Kelly expressed. “[The first principle] is student personalized learning,” Kelly said. “The second … is project based learning, it needs to be hands on. It needs to be real world. The third … is authentic relationships—genuine mentorship relationships—with adults.” Every course at the school, from robotics to certified nursing aides, employs these three principles. “We want to teach a curriculum students are interested in, they are engaged in, that they are excited about,” Kelly said. For students like Parscale, it was a seminar last year about the LCCC that caught his attention. “What pulled me in at first was the statement: ‘forensic science, dead bodies and bullet science,’” Parscale said. “I just thought that sounded swell.” Parscale enjoyed the class and sees himself continuing in forensic science after he graduates. The second principle, project based learning, means most school activities are part of a larger project. However, there’s one catch: the projects are student-driven.

When students propose a project, they work directly with their teacher and the school to make it fit within the budget. On a busy Friday at the LCCC, Lawrence High School senior Jacob Parnell is working on his Computer and Network Technology project. His goal is to program the holiday lights hanging around LCCC’s commons area to flash in certain patterns. Meanwhile, the Design/Build class is tasked with designing a community library for a nearby neighborhood. The student with the best design will get to help construct the building. Because most students are off doing their own projects the entire class period, at first glance it could be said the teachers at the LCCC are very hands-off. “It looks like on the outside that they’re sort of not teaching or maybe not giving the student the answers that they are looking for,” Kelly said. “Part of that is encouraging the student to be their own advocate. To struggle a little bit as they discover what the right answer may be… The skill we are trying to teach students is how to be good learners; how to learn how to learn.” The idea of student-driven learning is very prominent in the building. The design of the building resembles a college lounge more than a high school. The commons space is occupied with comfortable chairs, while the walls are lined with private meeting rooms for students to talk with groups and draw ideas on the walls. There is even a foosball table for time in between classes. “They put a lot more responsibility on you to get you prepared for the real world,” LHS senior Zach Bowie said. “You get to do a lot more hands-on stuff here.” Bowie is a current Practical Law and U.S. Government student. Despite the specific course subjects and student-driven learning style of the LCCC, the center is for any student. “[Society likes] to put people into categories,” said Kelly. “[But] anyone out there that is looking to prepare or discover what’s going to be next for them is the right student to be going to the College and Career Center.”

28 January 2016 Page by Caroline Kelton

News

Photos by Rose Arachtingi and Anna-Maya Hachmeister

Far left top: During a robotics class at Lawrence College and Career Center, junior Cody Payne works to program the class's robot with teacher Wendy Haas. The College and Career Center opened for classes last semester for juniors and seniors at Free State and Lawrence High School. Left: Using one of the Lawrence College and Career Center’s computers, senior Israel Lumpkins prepares himself for college engineering classes. Lumpkins plans to study electrical or mechanical engineering in college, topics covered in the college and career center’s ro o s l ss l o s e beginning stages and there were some s s o er ll oo experience,” Lumpkins said. Far left bottom: At the Lawrence College and Career Center, junior Bahij Chahine works during his robotics class. Chahine is interested in learning skills to become a builder and programmer. llo s o o le fiel s of education that can help you with the decision of making a career path that you would enjoy,” Chahine said. Below: During her forensic science class, junior Landon Prideaux relaxes on one of the Lawrence College and Career Center’s couches. Prideaux is interested in studying going into the forensic s e e fiel er s ool had ‘professional skills’ which taught you things you’d actually need, like accounting and interviews and which colleges are right for you,” Prideaux said.

28 January 2016 Page by Adelaide Wendel

News

GLAD-UATE TO GRADUATE Lawrence schools and district hope to raise graduation rates Written by Trenna Soderling and Reagan Sullivan

utting the organizational tools she has learned to the test, Junior Victoria Atkinson leans over her binder in her Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class. The skills learned in these classes help to equip students for college. “We do tutorials and we stay organized by keeping our binders together and having binder checks,” Atkinson said. “We do learning logs which further organize our classes and our homework.” The skills students learn in AVID contribute to overall success according to AVID adviser Ron Swall, “As more and more students learn and use the skills and strategies taught in AVID, they can become more successful in school,” Swall said. “The overall effect likely impacts the school graduation rate in a positive manner.” Both the district and the high schools have been working toward higher graduation rates. “I think the district and the schools, both Free State and Lawrence High, made a concerted effort to increase graduation rates,” principal Myron Graber said. “That’s been a big push by the district… finding out why students aren’t graduating.” A critical step was pinpointing who would need the push, according to Graber. “[The first step is] identifying the students and trying to support them and work together closely with the students and their families,” he said. “Typically the research says that students make that choice [not to graduate] during their ninth or tenth grade year, so the big-

gest issue would be to identify and support students early on in their high school career.” Once identified, students are consistently contacted to make sure they’re headed down the path to graduation. This is done through tutoring, credit recovery programs and engaging students. Additionally, Swall believes encouraging students will impact graduation rates positively. “We know that most students have a difficult time saying openly that they want to get better,” Swall said. “But every time we can teach a skill that improves how a student learns, or help a student practice a strategy that leads to better test performance, we know we are sending positive ripples out into the world through each one of those students.” In the past three years graduation rates have decreased a percentage point. The total graduation rate went from 94.2 in 2013 to 93.8 in 2014 and 93.7 in 2015. Although there has been a slight fall, Graber is still optimistic for the future and hopes he can help motivate students. “Sometimes... for whatever reason, some student’s life gets in the way and it’s pretty hard to see a need for something,” Graber said. “In today’s world…[a diploma] opens doors and [it’s] a basic minimum requirement. I have tried to figure out how to say that over, over and over again. When I talk with students it breaks my heart when someone comes in and says ‘I’m gonna drop out.’ I try to convince them that a diploma is critical in today’s world.”

Photo Illustration by Nicola Santangelo In 2006, Free State had graduation rates in the 80s. Now that number reaches the mid-90s. Programs such as AVID and Can We Talk have been credited with increasing this number.

28 January 2016 Page by Sydney Vogelsang

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28 January 2016 Page by Drake Riner

Sports

OFF TO THE SHRINE BOWL

Senior selected to play in Kansas all-star game Written by Jackson Barton and Sydney Gard

fter his strong final season as quarterback, senior Bryce Torneden has been invited to play in the annual Kansas Shrine Bowl. The Kansas Shrine Bowl is a game with team rosters of the best high schoolers, selected by coaches and the Bowl committee, in the state of Kansas. “The Kansas Shrine Bowl is known because we are the biggest all-star game in the state of Kansas,” Kansas Shrine Bowl executive director Sarah Van Petten said. “Our game is designed to not only showcase local talent, but to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children.” Acknowledging both the charitable aspect and the fame of the game, Torneden said he was honored for many reasons. “It was definitely a humbling feeling when I found out I was chosen just because of the importance of the game and all that the game stands for,” Torneden said. “[It’s] for the children that don’t get the opportunity to do everyday things like we do.” The selection process includes coaches nominations, which take into account how players represent their communities. Other requirements include an athlete playing in at least four games during their senior year and graduating on time. “Next, all nominations are sent to Kansas media, who will vote on their top team,” Van Petten said. “Ballots are sent back to the Shrine Bowl office where we document votes.” A final selection committee then reviews votes, and the top player

for each position for each team is selected. Several current and past NFL players have competed in the Shrine Bowl, including Barry Sanders, Jordy Nelson and Terrace Newman. The Firebirds had a rough start to their season, going 0-3. After their third loss playing against LHS, the team came together stronger than ever. “Everyone counted us out after that rough start [to the season],” Torneden said. “After that game we kinda came together more instead of clashing one another and being individuals.” Torneden plans on playing football at North Dakota State next year and majoring in sports management. “I think I’m most looking forward to just being in a new environment,” he said. “I feel like my time in high school was a lot of the same routine, which is no one’s fault but my own, so I’m hoping college will be different.” Head football coach Robert Lisher noted Torneden’s work ethic and determination through high school. The team’s star quarterback, Torneden helped the Firebirds finish 8-4 and to reach the state semi-finals. “I expect him to have nothing but success not only athletically but in life,” Lisher said. “He has the drive and work ethic that will enable him to succeed. I look forward to following him not only in college, but after college as well.” Right: After the Firebirds score a touchdown, senior Bryce Torneden ele r es fis or e e s ore o o s s s season. “I’ll miss the bond that we all created,” Torneden said.

Below: Senior Bryce Torneden makes a pass to a teammate during the homecoming game on October 9 against Shawnee Mission South. e re r s o o r o er re or or e se so

Below: Senior Bryce Torneden dodges the opposing team during the November 6 game against Wichita West. Torneden was selected to be one of the 44 players to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl. Players in the Shrine Bowl are nominated based on their performance the prior season, as well as how the player represents his school.

Photos by Caitlin Dodd

28 January 2016 Page by Drake Riner

Editorial

TECHNOLOGY TIMEOUT Editors discuss complications with online presence

ocial media is a big part of my life. I can’t help it; we’re told everyone around us is on social media too, and if we’re not we’re bound to be missing something exciting. This has created a fear of missing out (FOMO) that plagues teens. I’ve been on both sides of the FOMO coin, as I’m sure many others have as well. It’s hard to watch people you consider your friends hang out without you, returning to school the next day with inside jokes that you aren’t a part of. It’s also hard to hear of someone feeling left out when you’re just trying to have fun. Basically, FOMO sucks. Social media has created a generation of kids who can’t survive without constant communication, and I’m one of them. I find that if I’m sitting and doing nothing, my finger will sometimes stray to the Twitter app on my phone without my realizing it. I’ll scroll through Instagram, close it, and open it a few seconds later, forgetting I had literally just seen my friends’ photos. It’s a little disconcerting. I don’t spend too many hours of my day on social media, but I admit that it’s more than it should be. I keep trying to convince myself that I don’t have an issue with social media. I mean, I could just delete my social media apps without a second thought, right? Students walk through the hall with phones in hand, scroll through their feeds instead of talking at lunch and argue with peers on Twitter instead of communicating face to face. I’ve even seen people argue with teachers, which I doubt many would do without social media. Since all these sites are so new, we probably won’t know their full effects for years, but I don’t think they’ll be good. So while it’s pretty hypocritical of me to say this, try to live in the moment, not worrying about what your friends are doing every second. Maybe even take a break from social media. I think I’ll do the same. And if you don’t take my advice, at least follow me on Twitter or Instagram instead.

SYDNEY GARD Co-Editor in Chief

ypical students are tired of hearing that social media will be the downfall of our society. I get it. Social media is entertaining. I can’t count the number of times I’ve reached for my phone when I need a break for homework, when I feel disconnected, or when I want to see what others are doing. Unfortunately, so many people see social media as a tool to use when they want to make others feel jealous or they want to feel better about themselves. For these types of people, life is no longer about living to be happy, but living to make others unhappy, or at least dissatisfied. Want to prove to everyone you have a social life? Make sure to add that blurry selfie to your Snapchat story. Want to make your “bae’s” ex jealous? Post a picture on Instagram with him. Don’t like someone and disagree with their tweet? Start a fight. It’s not that any of these actions themselves are bad. You should feel comfortable posting a cute selfie. You should be free to share a cute picture with the world. You should feel entitled to your opinion and be willing to stand up for it. But when these actions stem from malicious intent, the person you harm the most is yourself. Sure, it sucks to feel isolated or out of the loop. But does keeping yourself trapped in your virtual world really rescue you from obscurity? When you trade the time you spend with friends and family in so you can make virtual connections, is it really fostering any of the real life relationships you brag about on your accounts? You may be surrounded by friends, but you’re still alone. I’m not saying all of this to preach. I’m as guilty as everyone else when it comes getting lost in the virtual world. But when I do this I miss parts of stories people are excited about and I lose the personal connections people are making. Moments like this are the reason why we should challenge ourselves to be present in the moment, at least for a larger portion of the day.

TRENNA SODERLING Co-Editor in Chief

1 3 LETTER TO THE EDITORS 28 January 2016 Page by Drake Riner

News

Debate in government class sparks social project Written by Cadence Learned

ast semester I was in Government class. One day we were discussing political and social views when feminism was introduced. I cannot recall how the discussion came to this, but at one point a male student announced he does not believe women (this includes transgender women and genderfluid people whose gender expression is judged as female by others) are at a higher risk for sexual harassment and violence, and men are not the main cause of it. He went on to say feminism is unneeded, and men experience sexual violence just as often. Statistically, one in two women and one in five men report sexual violence. When men report sexual violence it is often ignored and considered illegitimate, or they are mocked for it, but the reason for this is usually misinterpreted that women are the attackers. However, out of all the men in the USA who have been raped, 93% of the time it was by another man. For women, 98% of the time it was committed by a man according to One in Four. Wait a minute, men can be just as heavily affected by the patriarchy as women? Yes, they can, and they are. When a man is raped, he can often be very scared to tell anyone, out of the fear of being “not manly enough to prevent it.” This is not perpetrated by women, it is by men, because in a patriarchal society being a woman means you are less, and if you are a man that is associated with feminine traits or experiences then you are less. So I’m sittin’ in Government, pretty mad at the patriarchy, but I’m keepin’ my cool, trying to explain to this kid everything I’ve just explained to you now. Of course he’s not havin’ it. Then I ask him, “Hey, have YOU ever had to experience that kind of trauma?” He said “yes,’’ with a smirk on his face. I left it at that. After class he started trying to talk to me again, and I asked him the same question. This time, I received the same smirk, a slight chuckle and a “no.” He walked away, and that’s why I’m writing.

Cadence Learned is a gender non-conforming individual in 12th grade. They are in theater and choir, with their main passion residing in visual art. They’re strongly thinking about going into Art Education or Art Therapy, but sometimes they just want to crawl up to the mountains and make soap on a goat farm for the rest of their life. Next to their love for art, they also hand make clothes, journals and write music. No matter what they do with their life, they want o s re e e l s e r fi for artwork and people. Their biggest fear is becoming too comfortable with life.

He used the trauma of a rape victim as a disguise to try and make his argument seem more valid, but when he left the classroom he didn’t need the mask anymore and threw it away. Rape victims are not allowed this luxury. You can’t take off the trauma, the memories or the bruises. After school, I went to Facebook and posted a status asking anyone and everyone who has experienced sexual assault, violence or harassment to send me their stories. All too often a victim’s experience is defined by statistics, but I wanted to show how much more it is. I wanted people to understand. I was worried about the response I would get. Within an hour I received emails, text messages, DMs, all of them with stories. Some from close friends, family, people I’d barely ever talked to. People from Missouri, Connecticut and even Washington told me their tales. I read every story; some were three line poems, others were three page essays. I cried while reading many of them, especially when thinking about the remarks made in class. I can’t believe someone would have the audacity to tell any of these people, male, female or genderfluid, that what they were forced to go through was some kind of feminist propaganda. I can’t believe someone would be able to lie about being raped. They would never be able to even conceive some of the things I read, from being kidnapped on your 16th birthday to having your arm cut open with a wire clothes hanger. As I write this now I shed tears. In total I received 17 stories, which I created a packet of and is available to anyone. Every story is completely anonymous, and I consider this one of my most important projects. Through this we see through the statistics, we see the pain in every percent. But there is beauty in this. To have so many people come together and willingly share a piece of their lives, it’s something very special. If you cannot see why, this is for you.

Photo by Tierney Thompson

28 January 2016 Page by Atticus vonHolten and Adelaide Wendel

Feature

SOCIAL MEDIA MANIA Constant communication affects students, teachers in different ways Written by Madi Engnehl-Thomas, Sydney Gard and Hala Hamid

ropping, editing and adding filters to her mirror selfies and singing videos, senior Marcya Floyd takes pride in her Instagram with over 25,000 followers. While social media, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and even Vine has seemingly devoured the lives of teenagers, but students use it for very different reasons, and some don’t use it at all. It has birthed social movements, scandals and memes, meanwhile connecting people of all ages who live all over the world. Floyd said she got a follower count of over 15 times the school’s student body by “shouting out” other accounts. “Sometimes I’ll just be going through my timeline or on the explore page . . . and if you shout this person out they’ll shout you out,” Floyd said. “So I did that and then got followers.” While freshman Nicole Knapp has over 1,000 followers, to her the number of followers doesn’t matter. “I follow who I know and what I’m interested in,” Knapp said. “I don’t try to make sure that I have this many followers.” Agreeing with Knapp, freshman Jack Kallenberger is not concerned with how many followers he has, but how many likes his posts receive. “I like to have a large number [of followers],” Kallenberger said. “It’s not too important but I guess the more followers you have the more favorites or likes you’ll get whenever you tweet or post anything, so I like that.” Despite spending an average of five hours a day on social media, Floyd says she doesn’t let it play a huge role in her life. “I’m just a picture person, so I love Instagram, but I don’t think it really takes over my life,” Floyd said. After growing from 400 to 2,000 Vine followers in a mere matter of days, senior Nixi Swedlund realized that having a large number of fans meant having people who didn’t like her posts. Photo illustration by Christina Craig r ss er o e lls fill s e so er o l ss most texting on their phones or checking their social media feeds. e s se so l e o s o er e r eres s o e re s oos e r ollo ers o ollo r o o e er o ll o the student body choose to devote their lives to the Internet.

“I got a lot of haters,” Swedlund said. “I kept growing steadily because once you get more popular, more people notice you.” According to Swedlund her Vine is popular because it features videos of her daily life. “I don’t put off a fake persona,” she said. “My vines are dumb, a lot of them are just me laying in my bed and saying stupid things and dancing. Theyre just me being an idiot . . . People think I’m stinkin’ cute and I’m funny, and that’s fun.” However, Swedlund says even if she didn’t have a large number of followers, she would still keep her presence on Vine. “I don’t do it for other people because when you start creating art for other people then you need to be inspired by yourself, so I try to make things that I like,” Swedlund said.

Antisocial Media Some students haven’t fallen into the traps of social media and don’t spend their time refreshing Twitter or Instagram. It may seen that students who do not have social media are few and far between, but those who choose to stay off social media find it beneficial. While junior Harrison Heeb sees upsides to having social media, he chooses not to partake in it. “I think it’s a good way to express yourself and it’s a good place to store memories and thoughts that you want to share with other people,” Heeb said. “But I also think it’s very distracting and it’s a place for arguments and negative thoughts as well, which are not good.” Because social media has become such an important part of modern life, English teacher Sam Rabiola said he’s seen how distracting social media can be for both teens and adults. “They are more concerned with checking on and wondering about and thinking about what their peers are doing than the task at hand,” Rabiola said. “And I’m not saying even just at school. They’re not experiencing life. They’re always somewhere else, and I think it’s

Continued from page 15 troublesome for individuals and a culture as well.” As teens grow and discover what they’re interested in, social media will become less of a factor in their lives senior Jessica Vanahill said. “Since social media is so expansive, as people find their niche in the world they will start using social media less,” she said. Vanahill used to have several social media accounts but deleted them several years ago. “It’s definitely overused,” Vanahill said. “I think it’s very valuable to step away from social media.” Having deleted his social media as well, Heeb feels it was distracting from other aspects of his life. “I’ve been trying to eliminate all distractions from my life lately,” he said. “I used to use social media. I just didn’t find it very fun or useful.” Students who have never used any of the more common social media sites-Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat--also see the downsides. “For example, for some people it might become too big of a part of their life to the point where it overpowers communicating with people in real life,” freshman Ethan Carroll said. “Also, it provides that anonymity in certain cases that some people could take advantage of.” Carroll currently only uses Tumblr, but he may consider trying some of the more popular sites in the future. According to Vanahill the main reason for deleting her social media accounts was the permanence of everything she posted. “I’m very intimidated by that and I don’t want to try to put things about myself online, even my opinions or something, because I feel like they’ll change,” she said. Social media repels some because it is so time consuming, distracting and permanent. Rabiola described the large-scale effects it may have on society. “People oftentimes put their best selves forward,” Rabiola said. “That’s part of their lives, but it’s not all of their lives, so people start trying to live up to that and they can’t. Then, they start thinking, ‘I need to be doing this,’ ‘I need to be perfect at everything’ and I think it leads to some of the anxiety we have, is trying to live up to that.”

Teachers React Though teenagers are most often associated with social media, the number of active teachers on social media has grown. CTE teacher Nolan Henderson uses Twitter to communicate with his students and post assignments. “I’m human, just because I’m a teacher doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t get to use social media and express myself like others,” Henderson said. “It’s very easy to post assignments and links to other things for my students.” Other teachers, like English teacher Elaine Elliott, use Twitter to post pictures of dogs and micro pigs, and the occasional selfie. “I share my Twitter account with students because it was started to communicate practice times with softball players,” Elliott said. “I treat Twitter very much as an extension for work.” Social studies teacher Adam Leitel tweets about his dog, the Lakers basketball team and happenings within the school. Because students and teachers are now able to see more about each other through social media than ever before, awkward situations may arise. “It’s not my job to [see] something negative or foolish a student says and bring it up in class and let that affect our relationship, I’m not about that,” Henderson said. “However, as a person/parent who has a child and I’m trying to raise a child in this world effectively, you bet I’m judging you, and no matter

Photo illustration by Christina Craig Students can communicate online using a variety of devices. Whether they use phones, computers or tablets, students access social media throughout the school day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seems to take up a lot of time, in my opinion,â&#x20AC;? senior Jessica Vanahill said.

28 January 2016 Page by Atticus vonHolten and Adelaide Wendel

Feature

Photo by Christina Craig

Continued from page 16 what somebody tells you they are judging these things too.” Elliott said she tries to keep her social media positive and avoid Twitter drama. “I try to not get into arguments or debates online because so much is lost in text,” Elliott said. “Having discussions in person are far more valuable, personal interaction is a dying art. I would much rather engage someone in person.” Some students believe they can’t get in trouble for what they post on social media. For teachers, that’s not so true. “I think [getting in trouble for a tweet] is always a concern,” Leitel said. “You’ve got to be careful of what you’re tweeting, especially from a professional account.” Teachers should be well aware of online boundaries according

During class, senior Holly Hummel scrolls through her Instagram feed. Hummel has 1440 followers on Instagram and usually posts new photos every two or three weeks. “My number of followers isn’t that important, I don’t really care... everyone has more followers than they’re following,” Hummel said.

to Rabiola, who has a Twitter account he set up during a class and a Facebook account his daughter made for him. “We all think we know what those [boundaries] are, but that doesn’t mean that all individuals remember that, and that’s been a problem before electronic devices,” he said. While he feels that social media has affected students’ conversational abilities, Henderson said he still sees some positives. “I do believe it has affected many young people’s ability to have a conversation with people,” Henderson said. “However, I don’t see social media as a negative thing for young people. They get to use it for good, social movements and stuff. That can be very powerful and be a great instrument for change. Us older folks probably just need to get with the times a little bit and stop complaining.”

28 January 2016 Page by Adelaide Wendel

Profiles

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28 January 2016 Page by Caroline Kelton

Profiles

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RENAISSANCE COMMITTEE CLUB AIMS TO CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY Written by Allie Knapp and Trenna Soderling

ophomore Haley Glover arrives to her zero hour class, hoping to unite the school. Glover, an active participant in Renaissance Committee, is dedicated to making her school the best it can be through multiple strategies. “We do a lot of things,” Glover said. “We recognize outstanding staff members within the building, we put on drives and fundraisers and do other things to give love to those around us.” Adviser Jason Springer promotes the philosophy of creating a sense of community in the building and strengthening the relationships between students and staff. For example, the group made snowflakes for the holidays to hang in the hallways. “Although it is a small gesture, I have gotten a lot of comments on how people enjoy them and numerous teachers have came up to me and complimented them,” Springer said. Giving back to teachers and staff is important to Springer and the members. “Our philosophy as a committee is to create a greater sense of community within the building and strengthening the relationships between the staff and students,” Springer said. The spotlight wall near the middle stairwell was created by the club to foster connections between the students and staff. “It is a great way for students to learn more things about their teachers they don’t know,” sophomore Malyiah Finch said. In addition to projects like the spotlight wall, staff member of the month and staff button sales, the committee works to benefit the community as well.

“We did a fundraiser called Hygiene Hype, we brought products to the homeless shelter,” Glover said. “We did an Alzheimer’s week and volunteered. We had sign up sheets to anyone could come. We like to get a lot of people involved. The more the merrier.” The committee accepts students from all grades and meets during zero hour. “I like that it is a set class, which makes it consistent so we are able to get things accomplished,” freshman Tylee Harrell said. Although members of the committee meet every morning to work, Finch feels a large part of the student population is unaware of their goals. “I don’t think a lot of people know what Renaissance Committee does, and when people think about it, they think medieval times,” Finch said. “It’s not a group that’s known as well as StuCo. It doesn’t get as much recognition as other clubs, and I don’t really know why.” The committee lacks numbers, but Finch feels it’s still a strong community. “I think it’s a special group because it’s a small group of people who just do things for other people,” she said. Above: Pre or e r le e s rrell s l e r re e l fi s e o os r es s o l e e s ro e s e ss e o s ool rrell s Opposite page: le er o or e se s so e er s l e

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28 January 2016 Page by Caroline Kelton

Profiles

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hile most seniors’ adventures will begin after graduation, Abigale Williams’ started January 6. The December graduate departed for Germany, where she will live with friends of her family for the next four months. “I have all my credits done, I have straight As, I just want to go out and really push myself past my comfort zone… like way, way past,” she said. Inspired in part by the adventures of other 2016 graduates, Abigale knew she was ready to experience life outside of Lawrence. Abigale won’t be a foreign exchange student. Rather, she will sit in on classrooms to act as an aide for teachers, while having the freedom to do her own thing. “Everyone else [seems to] have left and studied abroad, but I didn’t want to necessarily commit to the studying part,” Abigale said. “I just want to be free.” A native English speaker, Abigale will be a helpful resource to the students attempting to learn English as a second language. The students will in turn be helping her achieve one of her ultimate goals for the trip. “I’m just hoping to learn the language and really understand the culture,” Abigale said. Her host family’s 8-year-old son will be learning English while Abigale learns German, so she’s confident they will be able to help one another. “I don’t know German very well, but I can understand it, so it’ll be fun that we’ll be able to be the reciprocal of each other,” Abigale

said. Her father, Billy Williams, is her inspiration for her travels. Born in Germany, Billy has always held strong ties to his birthplace and his family there. “He was really close with his mom, so he keeps close ties with Germany,” Abigale said. “He really wanted me and my brother to understand and know our heritage and where we come from.” Billy’s ties to Germany extend beyond educating his children about German heritage. He serves as the Secretary for the Sister Cities Advisory Board for Lawrence, in which one of the three sister cities is Eutin, Germany. Eutin is where Abigale will be staying for the next five months. The Williams family travels to Germany as often as possible, typically every two to three years. This offers some comfort for Abigale’s parents, since she will be travelling 4,657 miles away on her own. “We have many hopes and wishes for Abby on this trip,” Billy said. “Of course we want her to learn more of the language and experience the culture, but more importantly we want her to experience life from a new perspective.” Abigale will return May 9, in time to walk with the 2016 graduating class and attend the University of Kansas soon after. Her future travelling endeavours are to be determined. “We’ll see if this is something I fall even more in love with,” Abigale said. “I know there’s a piece of me that will always be there and that will always call me back, so I don’t know how strong that will get after staying there four months, but I am really, really excited.”

28 January 2016 Page by Caroline Kelton

Reviews

GOTTA CATCH THIS 5TH WAVE Reporter reviews “The 5th Wave” book before the release of the movie

hen I first saw the movie trailer for “The 5th Wave,” I thought it looked like an interesting plot and set of characters. Also, the amount of action in the trailer made my heart start to pound. The main character’s voice calmly explains the situation even though it looks like an epidemic. Intrigued by the movie, I decided to grab the book to compare. The book, written by Rick Yancey, is the first of the science fiction trilogy. Its spectacular plot is about aliens that take over the world and how they organize epidemics, or “waves,” to try to wipe out the human population. Each wave contains new horrors that affect the world such as knocking out electricity, a huge tsunami that wipes out all the major cities, a major virus and silencers who are there to finish off the population. At the time the story begins, the fifth wave has not occurred yet, so they have to wait in dread. The main protagonist, a young girl named Cassie, survives the wave and begins a journey through the ruined Earth to try to rescue her little brother. This book is filled with plot twists and captivating Photo by Nicola Santangelo Sitting silently in the library, sophomore Reagan Sullivan reads “The 5th Wave.” Sullivan enjoys reading and constantly has a book in her hand. “Reading relaxes me and takes me away from all the stress in my life,” Sullivan said.

Written by Reagan Sullivan characters that made the story and also offers a comparison and background for before and after their world changed. I highly recommend this book even if someone has seen the movie. It was the perfect length and the author didn’t drag out the story. It also gave the characters problems that made my heart start to beat fast, like when Cassie goes head to head with a silencer. Even though it is a 497 page book, it only took me a couple of days to read. I read it all during my second hour, journalism, and since I love to read, I often made time so I could read after school. It was really hard to do, but since the book was that good it was worth it to put off my homework and other after school activities. “The Infinite Sea,” which is the second book to the series, is already out and the third book, “The Last Star” is set to come out in May 2016. I will most likely be adding the second book to my gift list. I hope the second book will be as exciting as the first one. My favorite part about the book is despite the chaos, Cassie stays strong and fights through all the extra terrestrials to rescue her little brother and make sure her family doesn’t fall completely apart.

28 January 2016 Page by Caroline Kelton

Reviews

PORT FONDA, MEXICAN FOR THE HIP Editor reviews Lawrence’s newest Mexican restaurant Written by Elizabeth Patton

uch to my surprise, Port Fonda is not Spanish for of the day), served with hot-ranch fried potatoes,” and my date’s ‘hipster.’ Located on the corner of 9th and New as, “roasted chicken, chihuahua cheese, salsa ranchera (ranchera Hampshire, Port Fonda is Lawrence’s newest Mexican sauce), crema (sour cream), radish salad.” Why didn’t Port Fonda restaurant. either use Spanish completely, or not at all? The menu sounded I walked in at 1:45 on a Saturday afternoon and was immedilike a know-it-all in Spanish 2 who knows his vegetables and just ately seated. The restaurant decor was chic and clean. A stainless intermixes his limited vocabulary with English to prove it. steel bar went down the middle of the room, with alternating When the food came around about 15 minutes later, it was very orange and brown bar chairs. Large open bar seating was to the aesthetically pleasing. The enchiladas came in a nicely portioned left, and tables to the right. Everything was shiny and clean, with pan, and the breakfast tacos were adorned with brightly colored a lingering scent of fresh paint. While it’s always nice to eat in a vegetables. The doughnuts sat in a bowl of a tres leches (a Spanish clean restaurant, it was weird coming into a Mexican restaurant milk concoction) with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries with no correlating decor or aroma. floating around them. When we were seated, we were given the The best word I can use to describe the meal The menu sounded is unique. It was by no means bad, but it offered ‘Desayuno’ menu. Although that is Spanish for like a know-it-all in breakfast, ‘brunch’ was parenthesized beside a blend of different flavors I wouldn’t typicalSpanish 2 who knows ly encounter, or put together. For example, the it. Underneath the title was the specifications. his vegetables and “Served Saturday and Sunday from 9 am - 3 chihuahua sauce that is included on most meals just intermixes his pm.” Typically, I am not looking for breakfast or is made from cow’s milk, but tangier and sharper limited vocabulary with even brunch food at two in the afternoon, so than cheddar cheese. Unique! The doughnuts English to prove it. I was surprised this was the menu run for the were the only part of the meal I think could - senior Elizabeth Patton please anyone’s preference. The tres leches and majority of the day. After a little research, I found they offered another menu dubbed “Almuerzo & Cena.” With 28 fruit combination was delicious, definitely the most enjoyed part different options, I think I would’ve found something to eat easier for both my date and me. from this lunch and dinner menu, especially given the options on At restaurants, my stomach is always my guide, never my wallet. the ‘brunch’ menu. This came back to haunt me when the check was placed on our After 15 minutes of looking over the menu, our KU t-shirt table, however. For the three dishes (no drinks, no extras) it was clad waitress got up from eating at a back table to take our orders. $36.30. With tip, $41.74. That is five Chipotle burritos… SomeI ordered the double decker breakfast tacos, and my date, pollo thing I would’ve enjoyed far more. (chicken) enchiladas. In a last minute impulse I also ordered orOverall, the atmosphere of Port Fonda is very chic. Although I dered dona de requeson (ricotta doughnuts), to share. would never guess it to be a Mexican restaurant, it’s clean, shiny As we waited for our food to arrive, we puzzled over the fact and aesthetically pleasing. The food wasn’t fantastic, but could be that only some of the menu is in Spanish. My dish was described up for debate based on individual preferences. If you’re a curious as “fresh corn tortillas, chihuahua cheese, eggs scrambled with foodie and your parents are paying, Port Fonda may be the lunch nopales (Opuntia cacti) and frijoles (beans), salsa del dia (salsa destination for you.

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28 January 2016 Page by Adelaide Wendel

Graphics

SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKDOWN Students share their favorite social media platforms