the
Free Press Press Issue 8 • 21 May 2018 • Edition 21
Free staff editorial
Proposition One
seniors say
Goodbye
faculty members
Signoff
Table of Contents* Issue 8 • 21 May 2018 • Edition 21
Profiles
News Staff Signoff...............................4-5
Passing Laws and Classes.......8-9
Feature
Senior Goodbyes........ 12-13
Editorial Jail Expansion........................14
Art Featured Art........................15
Walkout on Gun Control.......6-7
Entertainment What Should You do Over Summer Break............................16
This Issue...
Print Editor in Chief Erin Liston.....................
Design Editor Greta Hayden................
Copy Editor Erin Liston..........................
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Photo Editor Nick Burket...............
Sports Editor Hayden Robinson.....
Business Editor Abby Stancliffe...........
Designers
Reporters
Photographers
Adam Gharaibeh............ Juna Murao........................ Alexis McKown.................. Evan Cornell...................... Will Cook........................... Madison Goeser.................. Goldie Schmeideler........... Maya Hodison.................... Tatum Clopton................ Will Davis........................... Mackenzie Bickling............. Ahmed Jakmouj..................
Issue 7 Critiques
Anonymous students respond to issue 7 I liked the page about Tinder. I just wished it had more of a story. I loved the colors of this issue, I think it’s nice how you’ve been using a progression of colors throughout the issues. I like the cover. I personally think it’s the best one yet.
The
Free Press
Issue 7 • 26 April 2018 • Edition 21
YO U R FAC E HERE
Picking apart
Clique Politics
YOUR FACE HERE
Swiping right to
Water Wars JOCK
REBEL
R YO U FAC E E HER
R YO U FAC E E HER
An update on
On the back cover, I wish the pictures taken were a little bit more clear.
YOUR FACE HERE
Students on Tinder GEEK
POPULAR
OUTCAST
Pages by GRETA HAYDEN
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Staff sign off Faquilty members say their goodbyes to the school as they move on past Story by Will Davis
E
very school year a new incoming class of freshman join the Firebird family. Each year we also welcome new teachers to fill in the spots left by our beloved teachers. With only a legacy left behind, the teachers who left go on to new beginnings in new places. For Janice Fullerton, a new beginning is retirement. Fullerton prepares to return to her hometown in Superior, Nebraska.
Pages by ADAM GHARAIBEH Photos by ALEXIS MCKOWN
With many memories made during her time spent at Free State, her favorite involves moments with her students. “I always loved when students would come in smiling to tell me they got accepted to the college they wanted,” Fullerton said. Even though much of her time spent here was joyful, there are a few bad moments that Fullerton can point out. “Gifted resource has so many IEP’s and paperwork that it takes away from teaching,” Fullerton said. Fullerton hopes to leave a legacy that is memorable and positive. “The legacy that I hope I am leaving is gifted students creating a better future for all of us. Some of my former students are doctors, lawyers, engineers, politicians, scientists, musicians. I hope I had a little something to do with that.” Another teacher that is preparing for her departure is history teacher, Jordan Boyd. Boyd’s reason for leaving is because she is accepting a new job teaching at Olathe West High School. “I am leaving Free State to accept a position at Olathe West High School. It is closer to where I live, and I will get to help them build their APUSH program,” Boyd said.
As students test, history teacher Jordan Boyd flips through papers on her podium. Boyd has been teaching at Free State for four years and has been delighted to work with her fellow teachers. “To this graduating class, you are entering a world that is both beautiful and imperfect, Boyd said. “You have a responsibility to improve upon this world. Leave it better than it was when you got here, a responsibility born of your access to education. I can’t wait to see how this generation expresses that responsibility.”
Showing a student a picture on her smartphone, gifted teacher Janice Fullerton has a conversation with Annie Rosak. Fullerton wanted the graduating class of 2018 to know that they should take risks entering the world, as she will leave with them after 30 years of teaching (six at Free State). Some of her best memories here are “Students coming in to tell me where they got accepted or that they got a scholarship,” Fullerton said. “It’s kind of like Christmas morning to me.”
Holding a sign, junior Lydia Wood stands in silence at the walkout. Wood had participated in the two walkouts prior. “I think it’s a really important issue,” Wood said. “I felt like being quiet for 17 minutes was the least to support reform for gun violence.”
Walkout on Gun Control
Pages by GOLDIE SCHMIEDELER Photos by CHEYENNE FISHER Story by JUNA MURAO
Junior Adeline Unekis stands in silence along with junior Liam Hoey-Kummerow. Unekis had walked out to South Park. “I think that there needs to be policy changes and policy changes can start with people standing up and saying that there needs to be a change,” Unekis said.
Students across district rally at South Park
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n April 20, students walked out of class to protest against gun violence and to advocate for gun reform for 17 minutes. Those who participated in the 17 minute walkout returned to class with an excused absence, but those who left school to attend the rally in South park had to be excused by either a parent or guardian. An estimated 450 students were given an excused absence, not including seniors, since it also happens to fall with Senior Appreciation day. Students and teachers gathered at a rally that was hosted by Lawrence High’s Students Advocating Firearm Education and Reform club. LHS English teacher, Abby Hoffman helped organize the event along with the students from the SAFeR club believes that the event was an opportunity to show support through action. “This walkout focused on a call to action about gun legislation for Kansas especially. It brought awareness to students on what they could do in terms of voting and being involved,” Hoffman said. Along with student speakers from both Lawrence High and Free State, the rally had musical guests, tables for different organizations, a photo registration booth and food. Senior Grace Porter was invited to speak from Free
State at the rally. “I don’t think of myself as a perfect speech[maker], but I think I have things to say that not everybody does,” Porter said. “I find that it’s my responsibility as a person and an activist to do those kinds of things, especially if I’m asked to.” Unlike the rally that was held on March 24, Porter describes how this rally was mainly for people looking to be active and searching for actions they can do. “The speeches people did gave attention to not only issues but also what people can do about it,” Porter said. “The event was good for informing people and giving resources to be active and just gathering together to do something that everyone is passionate about.” Junior Seth Williams also spoke at the rally, he spoke of empowering young students to speak their minds and express discontent. “The message I wanted to send to the audience is one of empowerment. We may just be kids but we're the future of our country and we need to start bringing light to the issues we want to fix now,” Williams said. “I urged the crowd to get registered to vote and be informed voters.”
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Passing LAWS While Passing CLASSES D
rafting and enacting a law is not something high schoolers typically contribute to. Yet, last year sophomore Elliot Whisenaut read about making a change in a law that could make signing up to be an organ donor easier and acted on it. Currently the organ donation system in the United States has a sign up process where even if you say you want to be an organ donor on your license, you are not automatically registered. “In the United States we use a system of organ donation that we could describe as encouraged volunteerism or explicit consent,” Whisenaut said. “That’s where you go to the state and you say ‘I want to be an organ donor’ and then you’re signed up. But, whenever you turn 18 you’re not automatically registered, so there’s some people who don’t end up donating.” Right now in the United States, almost half of people that support organ donation are not actually properly signed up. “Even though lots of people support organ donation, I think it’s like 95% of people, only about 45-50% of people actually register and that’s a really large portion of the population [that’s not registered],” Whisenaut said. The change in the law is requiring that the question
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be asked whenever you get a new driver’s license or renew it. “All those things you can ask the question ‘Do you want to be an organ donor’. And previously there was also a form you had to sign and you had to sign it in the presence of two witnesses, you don’t have to do that anymore, you just have to check the box on your license [to be registered],” Whisenaut said. Upon reading a book titled Nudge, Whisenaut realized that such a small change could lead to an expansion of organ donors and benefit many people. “In that book there was a section about health care and
Elliot Whisenant in an interview with the KLWN radio station, where they discussed the bill proposal
Student testifies and reforms organ donor registration organ donation and...how if we just change the law a little bit from what it is right now to a system where we just ask the question a lot, then we see very large increases in organ donation,” Whisenaut said. After reading the book, Whisenaut contacted Kansas Representative, Tom Sloan, through an email and shared his idea and has contributed to the law by testifying to the Senate and House Committees in Topeka. “He said that it was too late for the bill to be introduced to the 2017 session, so he would see about drafting a bill for 2018,” Whisenaut said. “Over the summer we met and discussed some more and then it was drafted.”
Whisenaut did countless hours of research on organ donation systems in other states, countries and continents, and found that European health care systems handle organ donation more straightforward than the United States does. “If we do small changes in the United States system, we can get closer to what Europe has, without doing the drastic overhauls that are needed for European systems,” Whisenaut said. A lot of determination and responsibility went into drafting and passing this law. “If I hadn’t had thought of this then it probably wouldn’t have happened today,” Whisenaut said. “So I had to tell myself, ‘we’re doing this for the long term, just think of what will happen if this passes’.” After a years work, Whisenaut wishes that the new law will benefit health care systems across Kansas. “I don’t know what the impact will be yet, but it can’t do any harm,” Whisenaut said. “I’m hoping it will do some good.”
Story by ERIN LISTON Photos submitted by ELLIOT WHISENAUT Pages by EVAN CORNELL
Whisenant interviewing with the other advocate for the bill. The bill finally passed after being debated for a year.
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Senior Goodbyes Senior year coming to a close means making senior boards, planning parties and stressing out about applications and graduation. But, it also means taking time to reminisce on all of the memories made
Destiny Downing and Molly Murray Seniors Destiny Downing and Molly Murray have known each other since elementary school, but have recently reconnected. “My favorite part of high school was being reunited with old friends and then meeting new friends also,” Murray said. Prom is a time for seniors to get fancy, take photos and dance the night away together before the end of the year. “[My favorite memory from this year was] definitely prom because I had a lot of fun with my friends, and I really liked my dress and makeup,” Downing said. Murray agrees that school dances were a highlight. “The formal dances were just things people always look forward to and I always had fun. But you had to make your own fun,” Murray said. A chance to get out of class and see friends is always a fun time for students. “Freshmen year there was a day that
we had a fire drill and then the fire alarm just kept going off and each time we’d have to go outside, and eventually we just got to go home,” Downing said. “That was the best day ever.” As the end of an era draws near, everything seems to be happening all at once. “It’s definitely gone by fast,” Downing said. “People always say it goes by fast, but when you’re a 9th grader you don’t really think about it. It seems like just yesterday we were starting high school. It’s a little stressful but I’m excited to get a fresh start.” Downing plans on going to Kansas University in the Fall of 2018 and studying to be a child life specialist. Murray plans to attend Wichita State University to go to Physician’s Assistant (PA) school. “I’ll be living in the dorms and I’m really excited about college,” Murray said.
Charlie Newsome
For senior Charlie Newsome, being student body president this year was a highlight. “It was an honor being student-body president,” Newsome said. “Having such a rad group of people around me in Stuco made my and Will’s job easier.” His favorite moments happened in the Fall of last year. Being on homecoming court and varsity boys’ soccer were some of the best memories for him. “[I enjoyed] all of homecoming week in general and just getting to be a part of that,” Newsome said. “Also the home soccer game when we beat De Soto 5-4 was such a fun game.” One of the great things about high school is that students can be a part of
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Pages by GOLDIE SCHMIEDELER Photos by respective owners
multiple activities at once, and throughout the year they get to meet a variety of people through those activities. “I love it here,” Newsome said. “I’ll miss being able to be involved in so many different things that Free State offers and all the opportunities to hang out with my friends. I mean I don’t want to be in high school forever, but it was definitely a good four years.” Newsome said he will come back for everything he can next year. “I’ll be back for choir concerts, soccer games, maybe even as a teacher one day,” Newsome said. Newsome will be attending Texas Christian University to study education in the Fall of 2018.
Story by MAYA HODISON
Jake Morris
Throughout high school, Morris was involved in NHS, the Renaissance Committee and LINK Crew. His favorite memory from this year is when he led a group on freshmen orientation day. “My LINK group was really fun and they had the fastest time doing the square challenge so that was pretty great,” Morris said. Since Morris was a National Merit Scholar semifinalist, he was able to go down on the football field during one of the games to be recognized. He gives some credit to
the staff for his academic success. “I think I’ll miss how helpful and personal teachers can be because once you get into college it’s kind of detached,” Morris said. “In high school you can talk to teachers and they’re very kind and understanding.” Morris says he is ready to move on even though these were some pretty great years. When he is gone, he wants to be remembered as a good person. “I want people to remember me as being kind and honest,” Morris said.
Keegan Schwartz Fine arts are a huge part of the atmosphere here at Free State. ManyAbout (how many) students are involved in the choral program, and senior Keegan Schwartz is one of many positively affected by choir. “When I look back at my time here, I’ll immediately think of choir,” Schwartz said. “Making music every day made me happy.” Her favorite memory from this year is when Chamber Choir went on a five-day trip to Minnesota in March. They worked with renowned choral directors, toured Paisley Park, visited the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minneapolis Art Institute, and sang almost everywhere they went. “I had a lot of fun singing and I made closer friends with people in the choir,” Schwartz said. “I liked the bus rides when we watched movies and messed around and I liked the science museum.”
Auditioning for Chamber Choir and making it her senior year was a feeling she will not forget because it was a goal she wanted to achieve and had been working hard on. “Choir was a big part of high school for me,” Schwartz said. “It was my only real elective. Everything else was just following the core class requirements.” Schwartz will attend KU and most likely go into biology. She is interested in being aquarist and would like to go into marine biology. She plans to stay involved in choir while in college. With being involved with a large group of people in choir, she wanted to make some kind of impact in her high school classmates’ lives and make her mark at Free State. “I want to be remembered as someone who was nice and always there to help when people needed me,” Schwartz said.
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Staff Editorial:
Jail
Expansion
Page by ADAM GHARAIBEH
Douglas County debates over Proposition One
D
ouglas County is currently voting on whether to raise to the sales tax a half-cent. The benefits of the tax would fund a jail expansion worth $44 million, a mental health facility worth $11 million, and $5.1 million in additional mental health services per the LJ World. Jail Expansion: The county should focus on decreasing the incarceration of citizens rather than expanding the jail. However, the jail expansion is necessary because the crime rate of Lawrence will rise with the increasing population size. Consequentially, there needs to be enough space to hold all convicts. More effort should exhorted on discerning whether a convict should be placed in jail or a mental health facility. If the convict has a known mental condition, that person should have the opportunity to be treated at a proper facility. There should also be a focus on the decriminalization of minor drug crimes. This means possession of marijuana in certain amounts should not result in an arrest. Nevertheless, since the jail is filled with a higher population of felons than non-violent crime offenders such as people convicted of possession, the county needs to build a new jail. Mental Health Facility: The mental health facility needs to be built. If a
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sales tax is required to build a facility that will help those who suffer from mental health issues, then a sales tax is needed. It seems logical to assume some criminals commit crimes due to mental impairments. Helping criminals with possible mental health issues may help reduce the crime rate. A new facility might be helpful for common citizens in Lawrence since there is not many options for help currently. A mental health facility would be very beneficial to the city of Lawrence. Sales Tax: In 2013, there did not seem to be much debate whether Lawrence should raise the property tax to fund the building of Rock Chalk Park, which was estimated at $25 million to build. Rock Chalk Park was a nonessential establishment that Lawrence funded, and it does not make sense that there is controversy as to why an essential prison and mental health facility should be funded through tax. Raising the sales tax a half-cent to help those who suffer from mental health issues is worth it; however, it does not seem fair to make all of Douglas County pay a increase in the sales tax so soon after the property tax enforced to fund Rock Chalk Park.
ARTISTOF THE MONTH senior Angelica Mabitazan
featuredART
senior ELIZABETH MULLINS
Page by EVAN CORNELL
senior PARKER GAY
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what should you do during
Summer
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Break?
During your have free time, what you usually want to do? A. Hobbies like reading, painting etc B. Discover something new C. Work
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What clubs are you involved in? A. Art Club B. Language Club C. Community Service, like Key Club or National Honors Society
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What is your future dream job? A. Performer B. Travel show host C. Lawyer
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How would you describe yourself? A. Socail butterfly B. Adventurous C. Focused
*Mostly As You should go to camp. You like to spend time with your friends and other people, try to find new people in summer camp. There’s all sorts of different camps, like writing, sports and art camp that you can go to.
*Mostly Bs You should go on a trip. You like adventure and new things. Try to expand your horizon and travel this summer. If you’re on a budget, you don’t have to go abroad; try discovering places around Kansas.
*Mostly Cs Get a Jump Start on your Career. You know exactly what you want to do with your future. Summer vacation is the perfect time to apply for a job or internship that interests you.