Free Press Issue 2

the

Free Press edition 13 issue 2 september 23, 2009

Page 8 - Lawrence Guide (Yes Young Buck is Coming)

Page 2 - Swine Flu is No Big Deal

4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66049

(785) 832-6050

Page 4 - Swapping Spirit FS and LHS Trade Reporters for a Day Note: Just as Entertaining as Wife Swap

"I Feel Like We're Making Our Own School Tradition" Football - Page 7

fsfreepressonline.com

Swine Flu...

It's Not a Big Deal

Free Press Staff

Jeff Carmody

cartoon by nik brill

Editor-in-Chief

by bailey schaumburg

off as no big deal, because H1N1 does have dangerous symptoms. Body aches, fever, chills and fatigue are just a few of the signs. However, most kids are not spending time taking precautions to prevent it.

Gossip about "swine flu" is spreading faster than the actual disease, and barely anyone knows the real facts about the virus. In any given day, We hear stories about at least ten cases of H1N1 that miraculously passed within one day. Trust us in this: ten cases of "swine flu"

sweeping thourgh the same school passing in one day is highly unlikely.

Sure, the entertainment factor is there. We have all known those kids who decide to limp around to receive a little bit of attention and sympathy from their peers. Well, gossip about the H1N1 virus, like a fake limp, is starting to become tiresome.

Mullets and shoulder pads had their time in the spotlight and the H1N1 virus is not far behind. It is time to move on.

Gossip about

Staff Vote:

"swine flu" is spreading faster than the actual disease

Disagree: 0

people who contract H1N1 get well without seeking medical treatment, and the fear of the disease is dwindling.

However, the overall hype of "swine flu" is not slowing down. In fact, many people seem to be obsessed with it. Every day the halls are swarmed with students claiming they know someone with a cousin who had a friend who happened to have swine flu. Somehow, being associated with the disease has become cool.

It should not be written

Reporter

Agree : 15

People reading this article should know one thing: you don't have "swine flu."

When the H1N1 virus was first discovered in the U.S., it was treated like any other new disease. Serious precautions were taken to protect people, and it was carefully studied to find the severity and side effects.

Out of these observations came a conclusion that many people were already suspecting: this so called "swine flu" is basically just an unknown version of the seasonal influenza. Most

Nik Brill

Allison Harwood

Bailey Schaumburg Managing Editor

Emily Johnson Copy Editor

Katherine Corliss

Kim Carter Webmaster

Jake Frydman

Reporter

Miranda Davis Reporter

Designer

Reporter

Justin Saathoff

Emma Machell Jessica Jacobs

Reporter

Reporter

Harrison Scheib

Sydney Sims

Designer

Photographer

Reporter

Alex Santos

Photographer

Bird's Word: "Are you worried about Swine Flu?" "No, I don't believe in the Swine Flu." Sydney McBride Sophomore

Opinion

" Yeah, I'm trying not to get sick, I've been washing my hands a lot."

"No, because it's just like the common cold."

"Not really, I think I had at the start of the year, and I pulled through."

Aaron Ousdahl Junior

Daniel Chance Senior

Phil Mitchell History Teacher

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

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 t space limitations, libel or inappropriate content. Letters may be submitted to Room 115, sent in care of Free Press to Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66049 or submit online at fsfreepressonline.com.The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Free Press staff, the high school administration, nor that of the USD 497 Board of Education

Sept. 23, 2009

Culture

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

Sept. 23, 2009

"The Beast" Arrives

Not the Typical Truck Purchase Inspires Student to Make Radical Changes by justin saathoff

Strolling through the parking lot of any high school you see quite a variety of vehicles. Parked beside the rusted car bought for the amount of change found in some people's wallets are a few cars worth looking at. However, some cars have deeper meaning to their owners than the average Honda Accord.

One of these owners is senior Josiah Smith, who has worked on vehicles since he was very young and is now the proud owner of a 1983 Jeep J10 truck.

While his previous vehicle meant a lot to him, wasn't nearly as special as this one.Although he has only owned his new truck just over a month, he has become so attached to it that he nicknamed it "The Beast." He has even ordered a tailgate with "Beast" painted on it.

"I like this one much better because it has four wheel drive," Smith said.

In the future, Smith plans on making some radical changes to his truck. He plans to put in a new motor and add several assets including a brush guard, roll bar, winch and a second gas tank. He may also put a bench seat in the bed of his truck. Smith plans to make these changes in his spare time, with little

help from certified mechanics.

Smith's J10 came from a private owner in Missouri. Smith works an average of 28 hours per week at a local grocery store to earn the funds to buy and improve his vehicle.

When Smith bought the truck, he wanted an allpurpose vehicle. One that could get him to school and work, but could also withstand heavy terrain. He used to struggle with his old truck during much of the year. It would often get stuck in the mud, and he had to rely on friends to pick him up. However, now Smith's friends are calling him to come get THEM unstuck.

"The purpose of this truck is to go where no other truck has gone before," Smith said.

Just like most older vehicles, Smith's truck has a few problems.These minor problems include an exhaust leak and an undiagnosed problem with the ignition. Even with these flaws, "The Beast" continues to run strong.

Many cars in a parking lot you see from now on will still look just like a peice of equiptment. However, whenever you see or hear "The Beast" you will know that it is much more than just a truck. It is the heart and soul of a young man earning his truck piece-by-piece.

Josiah Smith “I like this one much better because it has four wheel drive!”

SUNDAY BRUNCH

Cool Cars at Free State:

Wren Wiebe

1969 Ford Mustang



  



1983 Jeep J10

"Nobodywww.tellerslawrence.com else has one like it... I've wanted one since I was a little kid"

"...to go where no other truck has gone before."

SUNDAY BRUNCH





9

$ .95

Only



Josiah Smith

1971 Volkswagen Bug

with Student ID

"It was my grandfather's before I got it.... I just drive it everywhere."

      

9

$ .95

Only

Eric Studley

 

One recent weekend senior Josiah Smith pulls one of his good friend's truck out of the mud. Smith bought his J10 Jeep truck as an all purpose off-road vehicle. photo by justin saathoff

with Student ID

www.tellerslawrence.com

SUNDAY BRUNCH

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

Feature

Sept. 23, 2009

Another Take

Rising Above: a Free State Tradition

by Jake Frydman 8:00 My heart sinks as I take my first steps into LHS. This is fear.

8:10 After being unable to find the student I am following for the day, Cait Belt, I am led to Student Services. Everyone is exceptionally nice.

8:15 My first class of the day is Creative Writing. There are only 10 students in the class. Music is quietly played out of the overhead speaker and the teacher talks over this background noise the entire class period.

9:05 The bell rings, and I am feeling more confident about the day after a laid back creative writing class.

9:05:02 I am trampled in the hallway. It is no joke when people say the hall ways at LHS are crowded. If anything this is an understatement.

It is hard to get any where, much less follow someone through the sea of people.

9:10 Government class begins. For some inexplicable reason the teacher is angry. I am there. The class is packed, every seat is filled. The class partners up and works on diagramming the branches of government using the program Inspiration.

10:10 The class ends and the teacher is clearly happy to see me go.

10:15 I make it to my next class for the day: Algebra II. ...Not without a few bumps and bruises from the hallways.

10:30 I get the opportunity to interview a few of the sophomores in the class about their opinions on Lawrence High.

11:20 Class ends and Cait is a teacher aid for the hour. I decide to go sit in on the Engineering class, which is not offered at Free State.

The class is meeting in the shop room to work on Rube Goldberg Machines.

12:00 I decide to take third lunch.

I forgot to bring money thinking I could use my lunch number, but this is not the case. Luckily, one of my good friends Regan Keller offers to spot me. The food is better than at Free State. Well, it is actually all the same stuff but the portions are much better. The salad is also notably greener.

12:30 I decide to take fourth lunch as well. All of their lunches overlap which means that the teachers are much more likely to be lenient on when you return from lunch.

12:45 Two people begin to yell at each other, and I can’t believe I am going to actually see an LHS fight.

12:46 A gigantic security guard comes over and picks up one of the kids and throws him over his shoulder sack-o-potatoes style.The lunch room erupts in laughter watching the kid trying to free himself from the security guard’s grasp.

1:05 I head to Newspaper class.

This class is much more intense than the Free State version.

2:00 I don’t go to sixth hour because I have to go all the way across town for soccer practice. On my way across town I think about my day at Lawrence High School. Overall it really is not much different than Free State. On one side it is much more crowded, but on the flip the lunch schedule is much more lenient. The students at LHS are in general the same as the students at Free State. Nobody was anything other than extremely nice and welcoming, and I felt the whole day that everyone was proud of their school and wanted me to feel the same way.

FS Reporters Walk a Mile in LHS’s TraditionFilled Shoes

by Katherine Corliss 7:50 I arrive at LHS and get the last visitor parking space. Parking seems to be a problem here. Unlike Free State there are not assigned parking spaces.

7:55 I meet my escort for the day, junior Jake Mather. Already the faculty and students of LHS seem kind and welcoming.

The Rotunda doesn’t seem as crowded as the Commons before school.

7:58 Jake introduces me to his fourth hour AP US History teacher. She’s very nice and gives me permission to take two of LHS’s four lunches.

7:59 I meet some of Jake’s friends, who fill me in on the various cliques of their school. Like West Junior High, LHS is diverse, but people of similar socioeconomic backgrounds stick together.

8:00 Off to first hour Computer Applications. The hallways are more crowded here. If I wasn’t following Jake, I would be lost at this point.

8:15 Bored in Computer Apps class, I log on to a computer. Unlike at Free State, the announcements do not appear immediately on screen. It seems as though everyone in this class is wearing red.

8:45 The teacher informs me that Fridays are spirit days, which explains the red.The girl at the computer next me, Marissa Eisenhower, explains she thinks LHS has more foundation for tradition, thus they have more school spirit. It may have something to do with the fact that LHS has been around since the dawn of time.

9:09 Second Hour Advanced American Literature: This teacher needs to come to Free State, seriously, this is one of the best English Class experiences I’ve had since junior high. The teacher is a very patient woman, but her class is still intellectually stimulating.

9:35 I’m having to rely on my watch to give me an accurate time, all the clocks at LHS are off. Everything at LHS seems more laid back: the teachers are not as uptight and students don’t seem to be as dressed up.

10:16 Instead of following Jake to AP Calculus I opt to go to Junior/Senior Women’s Choir with one of his friends.

10:21 Ms. Crispino, the choir director, is very welcoming. She gives me a place to stand with the altos and hands me a folder of music. Along with every place else at this school, the atmosphere is chill.

These women also seem to be much better at not talking during rehearsal than the Women’s Choir at Free State.

11:18 No offense LHS, but Free State has better Latin diction, but guess what? LHS has more school spirit. I think it evens out. As a two-year member of Free State’s Women’s choir, I’ve come to appreciate good Latin diction.

11:20 I go to first lunch to take pictures. The lunchroom is more crowded and noisy. It’s hard to get around the tables. Where are the tater tots?

11:45 Apparently, LHS does not have tater tots.

11:49 According to my observations there are fewer people who dress strangely. However, I see several pairs of cowboy boots.

12:30 The AP US History teacher should also transfer to Free State. Quality teacher, I would sign up for her class. She makes something as boring as Washington crossing the Delaware River seem fascinating.

Much like Free State, LHS contains both focused and bored students, has a mascot sculpture near the entry and supports the fine arts. photos/ Katherine Corliss & Jessica Jacobs 1.00 I join the Lawrence High School Budget. I can see why they sell more ads than us, that’s what the staff works on during class.

1.30 So far it’s been a good day. Other than the unsynchronized clocks and Latin word pronunciation, LHS is a great school. But, there’s no place like home.

2.03 Jake is a teacher’s aid 6th hour, so I decide to leave early. As I leave the building, I see a teacher whose kids I babysit occasionally.

I’m not sure if I should call him by his first or last name, so I just “Hey” and leave him in a confused state as I go to the office to check out.



2 Schools Side-by-Side Free State

LHS  More History Courses

 Three Lunches

Both

 Strong Fine Arts  Four Lunches  Engineering Class Offered

 New Principals  Animal Mascots  New Athletic Facilities

 a Service Learning Class  Digital Clocks

 Newer Facilities

Feature

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

Sept. 23, 2009

The best places to find a fashionable deal in Lawrence:

Smart Senior Styles

1. Arizona Trading Company

This vintage shop has something for everyone. For those who are brand-conscious there is an entire rack devoted to designer jeans.

Originally costing anywhere from a hundred to a couple of hundred dollars, they are sold here in the $20-30 range.You can find shirts for as little as $2, dresses for$5, etc.You'll find clothing from stores like Gap, Abercrombie and American Eagle sold for a dramatically lower price, as well as more original, funky items for those more willing to go out on a limb.

2. Wild Man Vintage Skirt:

Shirt:

$11.00 Arizona Trading Company

$4 .00 Arizona Trading Company

SUNDAY BRUNCH

9

$ .95

Only

with Student ID

www.tellerslawrence.com

The clothing here is guaranteed to be vintage.This is a second-hand store for the funkier at heart. Quirky t-shirts, dresses, blazers, and a fantastic boot collection make Wild Man worthwhile. With that signature musty smell, you really feel like your clothing has a history, and coming out of there you know what you’ve purchased is original and nobody is going to show up at school wearing the same thing.

3. Plato’s Closet

Plate's Closet is much like Arizona Trading Company in that it sells extremely cheap clothing both for the brand conscious and the more eccentric dressers. It is also really well organized.

JUICE FOR THE JOURNEY Go Firebirds!! Bring in this coupon for 20% off any size smoothie and pretzel combo.

STOP BY FOR LUNCH!!

3 Locations to serve you:

The Great Recession Brings out the Bargain Hunter in Local Shoppers SUNDAY BRUNCH

SUNDAY BRUNCH Online Exclusives:

9

$ .95

Only

812 Mass.

6th & Wakarusa 23rd & Kasold

Smart Shopping Sense

Service Learning Feature Increased Minimum Wage with Student ID www.tellerslawrence.com Blackbox Theater Update

by Emily Johnson

Feature

Pants:

The economy is in the tank, but we haven’t resorted to wearing potato sacks yet. The fact that money is scarce lately hasn’t crushed the fashion-conscious spirits of high school students, nor should it. However, most are more willing to search for a deal these days.

Seniors Jordan Koch and Sofie Matzen are regulars at local vintage shops. No matter the state of the economy, they look for deals and they prefer the styles at second hand stores.

"I've always had the desire to shop vintage," Koch said.

"I take my old clothes to ATC and use the credit to buy new ones.

I don't actually buy new things; it's just recycling." Matzen said.

Both point out the environmental benefits of shopping second hand.

"The less the demand for new clothes, the less the demand for sweat shops," Koch said.

Buying clothing second hand can save a ton of money; still it isn’t free.

$12.50 Arizona Trading Company.

Swap Parties

Throughout our public school careers we’ve been told to recycle: recycle cans, bottles, school work, newspapers, magazines, but what about our clothing? Sure, it’s common to donate old clothes to the Good Will or the Salvation Army, but currently a new recycling trend is popping up amongst fashion and money conscious groups.

It’s called the swap party.

Groups of women are getting together, bringing the clothes they don’t want anymore, and swapping. The swapping isn't strictly business; it's an excuse to get together with friends. Luckily, the Free Press is providing you with instructions to throw the perfect swap party.

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

Shirt: $10.00 Arizona Trading Company

Sept. 23, 2009

Sports

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

Friday Night Football Fun at Free State Football leaders look ahead at upcoming season by sydney sims

defenders attempt to catch senior Camren Torneden as he sprints down the field

expires October 9, 2009

Make sure to buy your yearbook soon: On Sept. 30, the price will increase from $50 to $55.

F r i d a y is gameday.

As the school day progresses, the excitement is palpable throughout the school. Everyone is anticipating the Friday night lights and the start of the game. As seven o'clock approaches the intensity rises.

As we enter the stands preparing to cheer our team on, the football players are in the locker room getting ready to battle on the field.

"The locker rooms are perfectly quiet, you can't say nothing.We're thinking about our assignment and what we're going to that day.

It's quiet all the way up 'til game time," senior wide receiver Stephan Jordan said.

The Firebird football team starts their season hoping to return to the State finals.

"I want to go to State and win it this year," junior wide receiver Devante Green said.

It is obvious that the Firebird squad has everything they need to have a winning regular season.

They have the talent to be State bound again but it's will won't be a easy getting there.

They have a tough schedule against rivals such as Lawrence High and Olathe North.

"It's about to be a tough one," Jordan said about the Olathe North game.

The most anticipated game of the Free State football season is against the big rival, Lawrence High School.

"There are so many people there watching ... and tradition between the two teams. It's awesome!" senior Linebacker Kirk Ressegule said about the Lawrence High game.

With these challenges ahead, veteran

leadership is going to be vital. Free State has only three returning starters on offense, so the team is young and lacking experience. The Seniors are going to have to step up and lead.

"You have to grow up real quick, you have to learn real fast and step up and be a leader real fast otherwise your team is going to suffer for it." Ressegule said.

With emerging leadership and athleticism the Firebird Football squad is headed to success.With the hard work the players put into the sport, they just want to see their peers come and support them at the games.

"I feel like we are making our own school tradition." senior Wide Reciever Keene Niemack said.

Photos top to bottom: coach Lisher discusses the game with a referee; the ball is kicked with impressive power by senior Kirk Resseguie; using speed and agility, senior Camren Torneden flies past defenders; opponents fall to the ground as senior Chandler Schmidt runs into the end zone.

Sept. 23, 2009

2.

1.

Guide: Sept 23-Oct 9

Wilco October 6, 9pm Crossroads KC $31.50. All Ages Though not technically in Lawrence, this incredible show is worth the short drive out

XY - June 27 – October 4, 2009.

Spencer Museum of Art. Free

From the Organizers: Male sexuality is determined by the x and y chromosomes, yet what does it mean to be a man? Rather than attempting to come to a single conclusion, the exhibition strives to excavate hidden meanings, unravel assumptions and fully provide some new insights into masculinity. The first part of the exhibition explores the immediacy of certain markers or visual cues of maleness, namely age, body, and clothes.The second section brings the male body into dialogue with an internalized realm of emotion, feeling, and self consciousness. The final section of the exhibition, “Man Enough,” is a nuanced openended pairing of the “muscular” tough side of being a man and the tender, unspoken realm of emotions. By pondering the socio-cultural dimensions of male identity, whether through representations of male space, the body, or idealized archetypes, the exhibition questions the modes and methods of male behavior as realized and represented visually by artists.

3.

y X 2009 Lawrence Artwalk

WiLCO

of town. As anyone who saw their open-air downtown performance in May of 2008 will tell you, Wilco, a two-time emmy winner, is well worth the price of admission. The band has grown to become probably the biggest indie outfit in the business.

Their music has seen major shifts from progressive folk country, to the west coast pop-utopia sound popular in indie music at the moment (only Wilco did in 1999), to slower, more moody Velvet Underground-esque ballads and even orchestral pop. Thus, it’s no surprise their music has reached a wide audience. Even the older NPR crowd shows strong at most venues, and fans of folk have supported Wilco ever since their 1998 and 2000 Mermaid Sessions Vol. 1 and 2 which featured lyrics written by folk hero Woody Guthrie and music

by Wilco. If there is one thing on this list you choose, choose this show. It won’t disappoint.

More online at fsfreepressonline.com

Sept. 23, 2009

Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) - October 6, 8pm. Liberty Hall. $25. All Ages.

Imagine if Phish and the 1980’s had a baby. Then that baby fathered the illegitimate child of the Goldeneye video game soundtrack. Besides pure awesome, the result of this hypothetical family tree would be Sound Tribe Sector. This next wave quintet from Athens produces live improvised jam music consisting of all ranges and tones of electronica. The music is broad enough to fit the tone of an ‘80s futuristic crime movie, sonic the hedgehog computer games, or to sit back and listen to when on a drive. Everyone gets a different vibe from the jam sessions, almost always a good one.

Young Buck - September 30, 9pm. Granada. $18-20. All ages While many rappers brag about their body count or the tattoo tears that cover their face, Young Buck has real street cred. At the 2004 Vibe awards Young Buck stabbed a man who punched the good Doctor Dre, and all of this happened on national television. Considering this, it is surprising this is an all-ages show. Perplexing as it may be, this is an opportunity for everyone, including minors, to see the rapper of G- Unit fame.

Young Buck was discovered by Brian Williams, AKA Birdman, AKA Baby. He was part of the Cashmoney Millionaires group with Lil’ Wayne and Juvenile (remember Back That Ass Up?). Since then he’s been a part of G-Unit and had “feuds” with basically every rapper in the business. Most of the hip hop drama is just for show, though, so despite all the feuds Young Buck has prevailed as a constant force in the genre. A must-see for Lawrence hip-hop fans.

4.

The 15th annual Artwalk allows the public to tour the private studios of local artists in an open house format. Patrons embark on a self-guided tour of over 50 artists’ work.

The artwalk caters to a variety of tastes and is sure to please both art admirers and aspiring artists. Mediums include jewelry, photography, sculpture, mixed media, drawing, painting, ceramics and more.

Get out, take a walk, enjoy the weather before it cools down, and experience the unique culture Lawrence has to offer.

October 10-11, 12pm to 6 pm.

Free. www.lawrenceartwalk.org

5.