Free Press | Issue 2 | December 2022

Top G No More

“Why would you be with a woman who’s not a virgin anyway? She is used goods. Second hand.” —Andrew Tate, in a interview from Love 2 Fight Magazine

You could argue that people like Andrew Tate are just voicing their opinions on social media and have the right to free speech. You might also argue that he empowers men to be proactive in their lives. But at what cost?

We idolized internet personalities and give them colossal platforms on the internet to voice their opinions, spread information (true and false), and act as the voice for different groups of people. In the right hands, we empower people to make the world better. In the wrong hands, we empower harm. And the beloved Andrew Tate is the wrong hands.

Tate is an internet personality and former kickboxer, infamous for making derailed statements about women while encouraging young men to fulfill the traditionalist role of a man. He calls it “male targeted self help.” The ‘Top G’ influencer makes nonsensical statements on the internet comparing women to used vehicles and degrading men for experiencing emotions. Tate’s actions have resulted in various temporary and permanent bans from social media platforms, but he continues to find ways to spread hate on the internet.

OK, we get it. Andrew Tate has controversial opinions. How is this different from another internet troll saying irrational things online?

The typical internet troll didn’t have 4.7 million Instagram followers, 1.5 million Twitter followers, or own a Bugatti. When Tate spews toxic ideas, millions are listening. This has tremendous impacts on consumers of social media. Impressionable people are empowered to hate. Young men — who might be concerned about losing status — are empowered to navigate their lives with hate and an inflated sense of self.

#MeToo, My Body, My choice, Love Not Hate, LGBTQ+ social movements, and more. These are among the many advocacy

movements that have forced us to reevaluate an often discriminatory culture. Not everyone is going to agree on these topics, and people have the right to free speech. But should private companies (like Instagram and Twitter) give people a platform to spread hateful agendas?

Say your opinion and I’ll say mine. Free speech, it’s our First Amendment right, written by James Madison in 1791. But the First Amendment only protects us from the government infringing on our rights — not private companies like Twitter. And that’s important to keep in mind during an age when global forms of communications allow anyone to quickly spread hate to disaffected people with easy access to weapons. Our ability to cause damage with our words

has never been greater.

It’s clear the stakes are high. According to CivilRights.org and NYU researchers, online hate speech is often linked to offline acts of violence. Think of Elliot Rodgers, 22-year-old gunman who murdered six women and injured seven from the USCB sorority in Santa Barbara, California. Rodgers was part of an online women hate group and wrote a 140-page manifesto before his rampage.

For many fans, Andrew Tate is a source of entertainment. Funny. And he’s not alone. He’s just one of many people who have used social media to harm people with ludicrous statements that empower hate.

But hateful speech comes at cost. It costs someone something, whether it’s someone’s self image or life. Andrew Tate should remain banned on all social media platforms, along with anyone else who is spreading hate speech to masses online.

The editorial board voted unanimously in favor of this opinion.

If you need to talk about a decision made in the journalism program, start with one of the editors. These publications are a public forum and created by students for students, and they are protected by the Kansas Student Publications Act.

If you need to talk with the journalism program, please get in touch via email: fshsjournalism@usd497.org

Editorial by Natasha Torkzaban

Internet personality Andrew Tate and others who spread hate should be permanently banned from social media due to the harmful impact they hold

Art by Dru White

GIVING BACK WITH THE HOLIDAYS

Local groups in the community give back to the community by decorating holiday items at Festival of Trees

This year was the 35th Festival of Trees, an annual tradition in Lawrence that raises money for the O’Connell Youth Shelter here in town. The festival lets local communities and groups put together homemade trees, wreaths and quilts to be bidded on.

The event is held downtown at Liberty Hall and accepts a suggested five dollar donation at the entrance. It features two walls of wreaths leading into the trees, rows of trees before the stage, and more on the stage where Santa waits for pictures.

School groups such as the Theater Department, Kiwanis Empowering Youth [KEY] club, and Interpersonal skills [IPS] decorated trees for the festival this year.

According to junior theater student Clara Beyer, transporting the tree from the school to downtown was difficult, but the experience of the festival was worth it. Theater has participated in the festival in previous years, but this year they had a specific goal in mind.

community outreach,” Beyer said. “[and to] make

more known.”

For Patricia Mayhew, the Festival of Trees isn’t just a one time activity, it’s an annual tradition. Mayhew has been to the event for the past 15 years.

Story by Allison Mayhew and Maura Langland

“We worked on bringing the tree to life,” KEY club co-president Lady Ortega-Perez said. “I was really satisfied with the outcome.”

“We wanted more

ourselves

“It’s always beautiful and I enjoy the creativity,” Mayhew said. “It’s a great way to bring the community together.”

THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF TREES is a time of festivities where businesses and local groups contribute decorated trees to be auctioned off. This event is the primary fundraising event for The O’Connell Children’s Shelter. Photo by Eleanor Roust

FAMILIES ACROSS LAWRENCE come to the Festival of Trees, not only to admire the beautiful trees and snack on cookies, but to get their photo taken with Santa. Photo by Eleanor Roust

FAMILIES POSE with Santa Clause during the festival of trees. Photo by Eleanor Roust

GROWING SMILES DENTAL LIGHTS

The Growing Smiles Dental office off Sixth street and Folks road lined their building exterior with Christmas-themed lights that are synchronized to the rhythm of varying festive Christmas melodies. A few of the songs included classics such as “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” by Jim Carrey and “Sleigh Ride” performed by the Ronettes. The music adds an extra component that makes the lighting more engaging. On the down side, the radio signal was not the strongest, and we experienced static with the tunes. Overall, we highly recommend you stop by, tune into 92.1 FM, and experience the light show.

QUAIL RUN NEIGHBORHOOD LIGHTS

The Quail Run neighborhood is connected with gold lights stringing from house to house through the winter months. The lights span across the streets of Woodridge, Grove, and Wildwood. Additionally, many families will add onto the spirit with their own personal decorations, building a more colorful impression. In previous years, it seemed that the quantity of lights was larger and the setup spanned further from street to street. The lights were still impressive and are an annual classic, nonetheless we had higher expectations.

DOWNTOWN LIGHTS

Trees and buildings covered in various vibrant colors created a warm, cozy feeling to accompany annual Christmas shopping with friends and family on Massachusetts street. The Parks and Recreation Department strung up approximately 12,000 lights around the downtown area to amplify festivity in town. Most importantly, we were excited about the timeliness of stringing up the fixtures, as friends and family gathered on Massachusetts street the day after Thanksgiving to see Santa rescued atop the Weaver’s roof before the countdown to turning on the holiday ls. Overall, we were extremely impressed with the lighting coverage, and loved the happy feeling the lights brought.

CHRISTMAS LIGHT REVIEW

Review by Allison Mayhew and Lilly Wall

THE LIGHTS on corner of Sixth and Folks Road lights up the Growing Smiles office building with a display in sync with music played by a local radio station. Photo by Raelynn Keefer

ON HARVARD ROAD, neighbors all around string lights through their trees and lawns. This created an essentially eye-catching zig zag design that brightened the streets, bringing up the Christmas mood. Photo by Keat Hockenbury

EVERY YEAR, downtown Lawrence strings a beautiful array of Christmas lights, they go along Massachusetts Street, “I always love going downtown on my mom’s birthday to see all the pretty lights and enjoy the atmosphere,” junior Becky Coston said. Photo by Keat Hockenbury

Design by Sarah Masterson | Photos by Keat Hockenbury, Eleanor Roust, Raelynn Keefer

STUDENT ATHLETE COMMITS

2023 athletes taking further steps towards collegiate levels

BRADY KERN

Story by Elizabeth Hare

ELLA MCCLEARY

Baseball

Senior Brady Kern is committed to Abilene Christian University for baseball. Kern expressed excitement to see what it’s like to play D1 baseball and to experience a new culture.

“I loved the atmosphere, the academics, and they had a really good major in nutrition,” Kern said. “It’s [also] a good place where I can develop as a player and most importantly as a person and my faith.”

Ella McCleary, a senior student athlete, committed to Truman University for womens soccer. McCleary spoke to how passionate she is about playing soccer at the next level soccer and how the Division II college expe rience is ideal for her.

“I ultimately decided that Division II would give me a better chance to focus on other things too,” McCleary said. “I definitely want the social aspect of college as well. I really want to be able to start on Division II teams, that's kind of my goal.”

MARRAH SPRIGGS BRADIE WARD

Track

and Field Swim

Soccer Truman University Abilene Christian University Washburn University University of Kansas

Senior Marrah Spriggs committed to Washburn University for track. Spriggs plans to major in biology and is excited about the new facilities and being able to grow.

“They just got all new facilities and their coaches are just insanely good.” Spriggs said. “They’re so nice, and I really feel like I can grow”.

stroke events.

“I’ve known the coach since I was eight. I started with his daughter so I’m really close to the people,” Ward said. “I really liked the team atmosphere and everything about it”.

Senior Bradie Ward

WORLD CUP WINTER 2022

How students and staff prepare for the FIFA World Cup

Due to the overwhelming heat in Qatar this summer, this year the Federation of International Football Association [FIFA] World Cup will take place in November opposed to June when the competition is usually held.

This year, soccer fans all around the world will experience a World Cup during the winter for the first time ever. While this prospect excites some fans at the school, others are upset that it’s during the school year, which will make it more difficult to watch games.

“I like to be able to go to ‘watch parties’ in the sun and celebrate outside with friends. It will be different [this year],” senior Holly Covington said.

Covington explained she felt disappointed that the World Cup will be in the winter versus the summer because it wouldn’t have the same feel as past years. While some students are disappointed about the timing of this year’s world cup, others are excited.

Even though this year might not be ideal for some soccer fans, it’s almost certain that fans all throughout the school and the world will tune in to watch the best teams compete at the highest level.

“Sports have always been something that unites people,” Mangold said. “There’s something beautiful about coming together around a game.”

Rosenthal expressed his excitement to watch games over Thanksgiving Break with friends and family.

Despite the abnormalities of this year’s World Cup, geography teacher and soccer fan Nathan Mangold is taking full advantage of the timing by creating a World Cup unit.

Design by Sarah Masterson| Photos by Isabelle Prô, Amelia Wiles, Raelynn Keefer,

“I kind of like it, it’s different in a good way,” junior Drew Rosenthal said. “I think the timing will be right.”

“Any global event like this is a good indicator of student awareness and connectivity to what’s going on,” Mangold said. “It’s a great, easy, entertaining way to bring more students into conversations about global matters.”

Story by Greyson Heimen

Junior Greyson Heiman, watches a world cup game during class. On Tuesday Nov. 29, the United States played Iran during school. Photo by Isabelle Prô

WHY SKIP?

IN THE HALLS The halls are often full of students who use hall as a way to avoid class, while students do use these flex spaces for educational purposes these spaces are also a prime spot to hang out when advoiding class.

Story by Alicia Narum

Lots of students know skipping is a problem, so why do they do it?

STUDENTS

Photo by Dru White

THE BATHROOM STALL Students hideout in the bathroom as a way to advoid class, even with surveillance measure taken this year Photo by Lady Ortega-Perez

While many students realize that skipping class isn’t always in their best interest, a poll from @fsjournalism’s Instagram story displayed 61% of 492 students have skipped. Skipping school can set students behind on lectures, assignments and even get them in trouble with the school and parents. Despite this, students still continue to skip which leaves the question, why?

TROUBLE IN CLASS

One of the most obvious reasons that students skip is that they simply don’t want to go to that class. While nearly every student has taken a

course they lack interest in, senior Maxwell Collmeyer found it harder to attend class where the teacher had a negative attitude or where he was not interested in the topic.

However, skipping classes can quickly become a slippery slope according to English teacher Kylie Johnston.

“I’ve had a couple students in the past say ‘ yeah but everyone in my group knows that I’ve been gone for a couple of weeks. So they’re probably going to be mad at me that I didn’t [come to class],’” Johnston said. “I know it does feel embarrassing, but once you come back, you just get that over with and it gets better from day to day.”

MENTAL HEALTH

Additionally, many students find themselves skipping class for their own mental health. During the school year, many students work hard juggling academics, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities and work.

HAVE OTHER WORK

Though the majority of students take six to seven courses a semester, not every class has active lectures or assignments each day, resulting in workdays. Some students decide to skip these class days in order to prioritize work in another class.

“We were doing a review for math, so it wasn’t going to be an active lecture,” Malin said. “I had an English assignment that I really needed to get done and so I decided to stay in the choir room for that hour.”

HOW TO HELP

Though students skip, many wouldn’t recommend doing it unless necessary. After skipping at least one class a day last year, Collmeyer noticed that his grades significantly dropped.

“I had garbage grades last year,” Collmeyer said. “[I] just barely passed all of my classes, but now that I’m in school and kind of always doing my work and always in class, I have straight A’s and B’s.”

Many say the most effective way to eliminate skipping is through communication. For Johnston, opening up a line of communication with the student can help create a mutual understanding and work to help eliminate obstacles that are preventing the student from attending class. These obstacles often include assignment misunderstandings, stress, or other life pressures.

“Having an open conversation makes both parties feel better in the end because they feel like they understand each other,” Johnston said.

“If you are kinda a jerk, then I don’t really want to be in your class,” Collmeyer said. “Or if you don’t have a good attitude towards what you are teaching. There’s some classes that I really didn’t like last year, and some teachers I didn’t really like last year, so I would just generally skip their class.”

“Sometimes you’re just not having a great day, and sometimes you just

need a few minutes to not be talked at or

working or needing to think, and you just need a break,” senior Grace Malin said.

DRESS CODE ISSUE

Junior Maizee Wopsock was dress coded for wearing ‘distracting’ clothing

Like any other October day, junior Maizee Wopsock picked out her outfit for school. She chose to wear a corset top and black jeans, expecting anything but another ordinary day to follow. The next day however, a dress code regulation disrupted that narrative.

That morning, Wopsock was pulled out of class and escorted to the office for a dress code violation. She was asked to meet with principal Amy McAnarney and assistant principal Amanda Faunce about her outfit. Upset and embarrassed, she was presented with a warning.

“She said that if it happened again, then I’d be sent home,” Wopsock recalled. “[At] the moment, I just wanted to cry.”

Maizee reports that the following pieces are similar to what she was wearing on the day she was dress coded at school

According to Wopsock, she was told by McAnarney that her outfit was sparking complaints from staff.

“She was like ‘we’ve gotten a lot of complaints about the tops that you’re wearing—it’s just too revealing, and staff are reporting you saying it makes them uncomfortable,’” Wopsock recalls.

it’s more noticeable when I do it because I have curves… They were making me feel ashamed about what I looked like, I can’t do anything about the way that my body is built.”

However, McAnarney felt that policing is in the best interest of the student, and hoped for the warnings to teach students about professionalism.

Wopsock says that her peers dress the same way, but she feels targeted for her skin color and body type.

“I’m wearing what everyone else is wearing,” Wopsock said. “I’m not really skinny and I’m not white, I

“There’s a saying that you’re always applying for your next job at your current job,” Mcanarney said. “We just want to make sure students are aware of that because we don’t want them showing up over there for a job interview [in] you know, a sports bra and shorts.”

Despite the disciplinary warning that took place for Wopsock, the

“I’m wearing what everyone else is wearing” -Maizee Wopstock

Story by Gabriella Kellison

for managing their own personal distractions without regulating another student’s clothing/ self-expression,” USD 497 dress code cites. “Students shall not be disciplined or removed from class as a consequence for wearing attire in violation of this policy unless the attire creates a substantial disruption to the educational environment, poses a hazard to the health or safety of the student or others, or factors into a student behavior rule violation.”

Due to the relaxed nature of the school’s dress code, confusion has sparked among students. Some students who have been spoken to about their clothing feel that their incidents have been targeted and discriminatory.

“[I’ve been] treated differently based on how I dress from the staff,” an anonymous student reported, via social media poll. McAnarney explains the reason behind this enforcement.

“We don’t want any student or staff member to feel uncomfortable with a student in their class, [if] whatever they’re wearing is just a little beyond what should be accepted,” McAnarney said.

When asked about dress code concerns, Mcanarney expressed that the administration’s most common concern is girls wearing revealing clothing.

“The biggest concern our teachers report to us is probably girl’s tops that are pretty skimpy, and sometimes that makes some of the teachers uncomfortable,” McAnarney said. Or maybe shorts that are very, very short.”

“Students and staff are responsible for managing their own personal distractions without regulating another students clothing/ self-expression”

“Students shall not be diciplined or removed from class as a consequence for wearing attire in violation of this policy”

Students have been spoken to about their clothing choices by school staff

MID-TERMS

Semester finals are fast approaching and the end of year finals won’t be far behind. The average student will take three through four finals in the first semester and six through eight in the second semester finals can account for up to 20% of a student’s grade in a class. While finals are supposed to be a summation of your knowledge, they can also be a major source of stress for some students.

“[Students] are definitely more stressed because if you’re in harder classes, or if you have a lot on your plate, it can be really hard to study and review for [finals] which leaves you at a loss kind of,“ senior Tyler Callagy said.

Some students have tried coping with anxiety by studying for the upcoming exams. Tutoring for math, english and science is offered by respective teachers after school in the library.

“It’s very helpful for the people who want to go,” senior Gus Cordova said. “If someone really wants to better themselves academically, they will take that extra step for themselves to do after school extracurricular.”

The school year is full of activities, however it’s important to take the time to prepare for midterms, and to regulate your own stress and anxiety.

“Finals are stressful for students,” math teacher Alyssa Barrett said. “There’s also a side of it that they can be proud of themselves and kind of give them confidence that they’ve learned so much over the course of semester.”

76% YES 24% NO

If you are experiencing stress related to school or seasonal depression reach out to a teacher or one of the mental health counselors.

Options for student body to combat midterm stress with studying

of Free State students when asked if they have or are experiencing seasonal depression responded of students who responded to the Instagram poll replied

Story by Tommy Taylor

HEAD BURIED IN THEIR HANDS, junior Brynn Cordova stresses over assignments. With finals fast approaching, Cordova has begun to set aside time to study. “My hardest final is math, but I’m very confident I will pass it because of the hours I will dedicate to studying,” Cordova said. Photo by Gracie Coleman

TIS’ THE SEASON(AL) DEPRESSION

As the days get shorter, the number of students suffering from seasonal depression increases. Unlike other forms of depression, seasonal depression only occurs for a limited amount of time each year, typically during the winter months when there are less hours of sunlight. Seasonal depression can affect a student’s performance in school and in their extracurricular activities.

“Generally, it comes up most going into the winter and the fall because [of] time changes, and so it gets dark early,” said social worker Katie Coldham. “We can’t do as much outside [because of] the weather. It’s cold and people tend to be inside and isolate themselves.”

According to Coldham, symptoms of seasonal depression typically include; isolation, withdraw from activities, less involvement in social activities and feelings of suicidal ideation severe cases. For students wondering if they have seasonal depression, Coldham recommends considering the circumstances that symptoms occur.

“If students are feeling any type of symptom, you can reflect, if possible, and say ‘oh, you know what, I kind of felt like this last year, and it started in maybe October and…by May, I felt

better That’s probably going to be seasonal depression,” Coldham said.

Students can fall behind on their school work and in their grades because they lack the motivation to do simple tasks such as waking up in the morning or taking care of themselves, let alone the struggle of school work. The winter months where seasonal depression is the most active happens to line up with midterm finals. Due to of this, important finals can be overlooked.

“I’ve not been doing well on tests because I just don’t have motivation to study or motivation to get out of bed and do other things,” freshman Laura Turner said.

While seasonal depression can be bleak and difficult, for some opening up and talking to someone they trust or a therapist can be helpful. For people who struggle with mental health, opening up about it can be tough but sophomore Zoe Milburn notes that it has helped her.

“Talk to someone that you feel comfortable talking to,” Milburn said, “If they think it’s something more, maybe go get a therapist or

find more help”.

go

During the winter months, some students face challenges with seasonal depression and its impact on their mental health during finals

“I had a really low point in my life last year, and I had gone to a facility to work on that. I had gotten a therapist around that time as well, which I think was really good. It’s really good for people to have like an outreach support group and things to work on personally with someone.”

- Laura Turner

Story by Ember Klein

Design by Raelynn Keefer | Photos by Gracie Coleman

SOPHOMORE ANWEN WILLIAMS says in calc class, they’re [test grades] weighted as 10% of your grade. So it can increase or decrease your grade by about anywhere from two to five points depending on what your srade is,” Williams said. “That’s kind of scary because if you have like a 90% in the class and you don’t get an A, then it tanks your grade.”

Photo by Eleanor Roust

HONOR MOON MAKING PROGRESS

Story by Elizabeth Hare

If you are a woman or someone who menstruates, chances are you have heard of Honor Moon, a non-profit organization that stocks pantries across the community with menstrual products. What makes Honor Moon so special is that it’s run by some of our own students. While they have been doing work for the community since Honor Moon’s start in 2021, they have come very far as an organization since then.

“I had no idea we would get this far and we would become a registered nonprofit,” sophomore Director of Pantry Management Hazel Powers said. “We’ve come really far and I’m so proud of all the girls that I do this with because we have dedicated so much time and effort into this.”

Since Honor Moon’s started, they have quickly gained popularity and support from the community. Both local businesses and large corporations, such as Tampax and Urban Outfitters, have acknowledged Honor Moon’s work, which has been a great accomplishment for members.

“It’s really cool seeing big chains getting involved, and then smaller businesses as well,” Powers said.

Sophomore Treasurer Olivia Hazlett also spoke to how beneficial the community outreach has been as Honor moon has been gaining popularity.

“My favorite thing is watching all the good that we do,” Hazlett said. “It’s really awesome to go to an event and talk to people and hear things like ‘this is really cool’ from people you don’t know, It’s great to hear feedback from the community about all the good we’re doing and that kind of makes everything work.”

Honor Moon is a expanding non-profit run by students that stocks pantries across the community with menstrual products

Honor Moon members went and filled up all the girls and gender neutral restrooms with baskets of products for other students to take if needed. Photo by Ashanti Riccardo HONOR

CREATING COMMUNITY

After moving to the United States from Columbia over a year ago, junior Felipe Reina-Salas’ mother had been encouraging him to start a Spanish club, hoping it would allow him to connect with other Spanish speaking students. However, after being disappointed with another barely recognized Hispanic Heritage month, and continuously seeing Latino culture and communities misrepresented, Reina-Salas decided that a Spanish club is not quite what the school needs. It needs a Latin American Student Association.

Officially starting up late Oct., the Latin American Student Association [LASA] is an organization of students who aim to create an inclusive environment for Latino students, spread awareness and work to help break cultural and language barriers within the community. While the association includes students who speak spanish and/or are latino, neither are a requirement to join the association.

LASA aims to create this community by offering students a space where they can speak to others in Spanish, discuss their own cultures and heritage and address issues that Latino communities face.

With big plans, LASA is also currently talking with University of Kansas officials to help spanish speaking families with Free Application for Federal Student Aid [FAFSA] and scholarships, aiming to have a copy of Free State’s weekly emails sent out in Spanish, and hoping to create fun events for both English and Spanish speakers.

LASA’s next meeting is Dec. 15 where they will combine with the South Asian Student Association [SASA] for a hot chocolate and potluck night.

“[LASA] is not about being Latin American, It’s about supporting the Latin American people within the community,” Reina-Salas said.

“It’s about making it a niche for people that don’t feel represented.”

The student lead Latin American Student Association aims to create a safe space for Latino students to feel represented

Story by

Alicia Narum

Design by Richard Li | Photos by Ashanti Riccardo and Gracie Coleman

Felipe Reina-Salas, the founder of the Latin American Student Association. Photo by Gracie Coleman

Senior Gracia Greenhoot poses on stage as she performs for the Lawrence Arts Center.

KEEPING THE BALANCE

How student dancers manage their dance schedules with school and rigorous practices

Story by Maura Langland

Freshman Jacie Butler competes at Lawrence Dance Gallery as well as being on the dance team. This is her first year being a part of dance team as well as competing creaing a busy schedule.

“There wasn’t a dance team in middle school so I only focused my time on competition dance,” Butler said. “There’s more responsibility with high school dance.”

In Lawrence middle schools, only cheer is offered so high school is the first opportunity for many dancers to join a school dance team. For Butler, being on the dance team has opened the opportunity to seek out college dance teams.

“I hope to dance on a college dance team to combine my competition and dance team experiences,” Butler said. “Our coach, Claire, has really helped me start to prepare myself for that.”

While after school activities can be fun and provide students with many opportunities, they can also add stress to students academic and personal schedules. For senior Gracia Greenhoot, dance takes up the majority of her time.

Greenhoot competes and performs ballet at the Lawrence Arts Center. Her dance schedule takes up most of her time outside of school, keeping her from school events.

“I don’t have time to do any other sports for fun,”Greenhoot said. “A lot of the time I’d have to miss school spirit activities just because I have rehearsals.”

These types of restrictions are true for a lot of student athletes, keeping them from enjoying their free time.

Dance separates itself from other sports by being not just athletic but also artistic.

“It’s really based on, how you look and the whole thing is, watching how you’re dancing and so it’s definitely a perfectionist sport,”

Greenhoot said.

College dance teams are one of the few ways that teenage dancers can continue dancing after they graduate high school. However, they first have to make it through four years of balancing their schedules first.

“Keeping my social life and school life balanced will probably be the hardest part,” Butler said.

Senior Angel Waller performes her solo onstage at a dance competition

Freshman Jacie Butler performs at the Kansas State High School Activities Association [KSHSAA] Dance State competition with fellow Free State Dance Team members.

FROM THE HALLWAY TO THE RUNWAY

Teachers fight for students’ attention while social media increases its strain on students’ education

Modeling is a great way to find inner confidence and help local artists create beautiful work. Multiple students are on the road to successful modeling careers.

Junior Ava Gray began modeling around a year ago.

Junior Ava Gray said.

Former student, and senior Claire Cunningham has left Free State and joined Lawrence Virtual School to better pursue her modeling career. It can be difficult to balance being a high school student with a rigorous modeling schedule, but Cunningham claims it is more than worth it.

Story by Stella Mosier

“This summer I’m going to New York to meet with the top agencies in the world and from there I’ll pick which agency I want out of those who want me, and I’ll start doing fashion weeks and bigger shoots and campaigns,” Cunningham said.

Modeling is a career that teaches numerous valuable life skills that can help set up a more successful future.

“Modeling has impacted my life because it has taught me how to present and represent myself well, especially in professional environments,” Grays said.

Senior Stella Holland also plans to pursue modeling after high school.

“I really enjoy being able to collaborate with different creators to bring their vision to life and portraying an image of something that isn’t always necessarily in my comfort zone,”

“Next semester, I plan on taking trips to New York for open calls with agencies and to get my foot in the door. Then I’m going to take a gap year to really pursue modeling and see if it’s successful,” Holland said.

Ava Gray

Claire Cunningham

FS FILM MAKERS

Film is a form of media that begins with a piece of writing that’s translated into a visual piece of art. The art of film is most commonly enjoyed by the audience; however, the process of filmmaking is the passion of many students.

“Watching movies as a kid really inspired me,” senior Angel Tamayo said. “Film was something I clung onto as a child.”

Film is versatile which allows for inspiration to be gained in many different ways. Some students enjoy the creative freedom it provides.

Story by Stella Mosier

While Stone specializes in horror, he has also created the school’s homecoming and prom promotion videos. These videos are widely appreciated by students throughout the school.

The versatility of film provides some filmmakers the ability to fulfill their passions in different ways. Some students create many different genres of film.

“I have worked in journalistic filmmaking, documentary and short film, as well as a stop motion animated film,” senior Caroline Börk said.

The passion has turned into a potential career for these students. Tamayo, Stone and Börk all plan to continue creating film after high school.

“It is one of the most powerful mediums to tell stories, incite emotion and relate to an audience,” Börk said.

“I’ve always loved film, especially horror,” junior Cooper Stone said. “That’s what I specialize in, it’s just always sparked my imagination.”

Many students have a passion for filmmaking, which can vary from making school dance promotion videos, creating documentaries, and producing horror films

Caroline B Börk

Cooper Stone

Angel Tam ayo

STARDOM

Showcasing students professional acting

by Becky Coston

Julia Ruddy

For senior Julia Ruddy, acting played a role in her life early on. She started doing theatrical acting in second grade, then signed to an agency in seventh grade. Her career thus far has taken several different routes.

When Ruddy was seven she was in a feature length film called “Kick Me”, which premiered on Dec. 6 at the San Francisco Film Festival. Additionally, Ruddy has been involved with numerous commercials including Microsoft and Intel. Currently, film acting is “not a very prominent part” of her life, but theatrical acting continues to be a commitment for Ruddy.

Moving Forward

Jasmine Clock

Movie stars walking around a high school in Kansas seems like something out of a dream, but it isn’t so far from the truth. With a passion for acting, some students are on the path to live out their Hollywood dreams.

For junior Jasmine Clock, she first felt the pull to professional acting when she watched “Jessie”, a popular Disney sitcom.

“That was the first awakening [for me] of the process with how films are being made… I just felt really drawn to it,” Clock said.

After watching the show, Clock began going to sets with her parents who work in the film industry. Later, Clock began as an extra in various shows, which eventually led to significant mentorship opportunities.

“I’ve been trained by Rod [Rodney] Rowland and I’m also working with an actress right now,” Clock said.

Currently, Clock’s passion for acting can make balancing school life difficult while involved in other activities such as the girls basketball team. However, the actress doesn’t allow that to withhold her from her dreams.

Acting consumes a considerable amount of time in these students’ lives, but this process doesn’t take away from passion in Clock and Ruddy that sparked at a young age.

“Only do it if it makes you happy… you have to enjoy the process,” Clock said.

Design by Sarah Masterson | Photos by Ashanti Riccardo

Story

Senior Julia Ruddy flips her hair enthusiastically while acting in a scene. Ruddy performed as Evil Tina in the 2021-2022 school year spring production of She Kills Monsters. “Being a villain takes more effort because you have to empathize with them as a character and truly believe you are justified in being an awful person,” Ruddy said.

Photo Sumbitted by Julia Ruddy

Junior Jasmine Clock smiles behind the scenes of filming her first demo reel in 2019. Clock used the reel to build her acting portfolio before acting as an extra in her first film, Renovation of the Heart/It’s a Fixer Upper directed by Sandra L. Martin. Photo submitted by Jasmine Clock

TRENDING TUESDAY: CAREER PATHS

Story by: Ember Klein

All throughout the month of November, the school hosted a community member every Tuesday to talk about their career and share insight into the proffesion during a presentations, dubbed ‘Trending Tuesday.”

THE FIRST speakers were firefighters’ from the Wakarusa fire station. During their presentation, they walked students through the fire truck and shared their favorite parts of being a firefighter.

The firefighters’ presentation inspired students like senior Jonathan McEathron.

THE SECOND Trending Tuesday featured veterinarian Megan Gleeson. She showed students all of the sides of veterinary medicine andspoke about the process of becoming a veterinarian and the schooling required.

Gleeson introduced students to the wonderful, yet gorey side of her profession, showing pictures of her work and the animals she has helped to heal.

Although the pictures she shared made some stomachs churl, she shared the miracle stories and the darker ones as well. To students like sophomore Daisy HernandezMarrufo, veterinarians are true miracle workers.

Students learn about different careers through presentations offered during extedned class time [ECT] time by professionals

“The surgeries that you have to do, even though they’re big, they’re really helpful,” said sophomore Daisy HernandewzMarrufo.

“They’re rewarding.”

“It’s pretty cheesy but you hear it from everybody, [my favorite part is] just helping out the community,” McEathron said.

THE THIRD Trending Tuesday was led by an officer from the Lawrence Police Department to display the canine [K9] unit and the hardships and benefits of being a K9 officer. They shared examples of training the dogs and what their handlers go through.

Every Tuesday, the officer and his canine partner go to a state-wide training assembly to keep the dogs in shape and their skills sharp. The officer discussed the pros and cons of being a K9 officer.

While some students who attended like freshman Kaitlynn Sumowski are undecided on their career path, she contemplated doing the canine unit with the military.

THE FINAL Trending Tuesday showcased the world of personal training. The event was led by Eric Wells, a trainer who runs his own business.

Through the presentation, he explained the differences between working for a corporation, like Crunch Fitness or Genesis, and running your own practice. He also spoke about the certifications that help to make you a better trainer.

While Wells is a personal trainer, he also talked about the various types of training, like athletic training.

NOV.

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NOV. 29,

Design by Rylee Miller and Raelynn Keefer | Photos by

“I never thought of personal training as a career,” sophomore Cayman Barnes said. “It’s definitely something I could do.”

NOV. 1, 2022

Wakarusa Fire Station spent the morning with students teaching the ins and outs of fire fighting and being a first responder

8, 2022 Dr. Megan Gleeson Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine [DVM] talks to students interested in becoming a veterinarian.

15, 2022 Lawrence Police Department canine [K9] unit demonstated working as a pair in law enforcment.

2022 Eric Wells, a personal trainer, discussed fitness as a career.

SPIKEBALL SURFACING

Students form spikeball club

After playing his first game of spikeball this summer, sophomore co-founder Marvin Kapfer was hooked. Spikeball is a game played in teams of two in which the pair has three contacts to hit the 12 inch ball onto a circular net in hopes to prevent the other team from returning the ball.

Transitioning into the school year, Kapfer and co-founder sophomore Connor MacFarland settled on forming a spikeball club. Both founders were looking to create a place to get peers involved and to be a part of something.

“I’ve met really cool people through spikeball club that I probably wouldn’t have found through just not involving myself,” sophomore Nick Sprecker said.

Additionally for MacFarland, it was a matter of building pre-established friendships.

“A lot of my friends are in Spikeball club but our relationships have been strengthened because of it,” MacFarland said. “People that I never would have said ‘hi’ to in the halls are becoming people who I can count on.”

The first meeting was hosted Nov. 2 after school on the soccer field. It consisted of six people, but since then, the club has grown significantly in numbers- reaching a number of 22 members at Spikeball’s debut tournament hosted on Nov. 9.

The tournament consisted of teams of two playing through a winners and consolation bracket organized by Kapfer.

Story by Lilly Wall

said.

Moving forward, Kapfer hopes to consistently host tournaments, grow a positive environment and to expand the club as a whole.

“Come see if you like it and stay for a game,” Sprecker said. “You don’t have to be good at Spikeball. You don’t even have to know how to play, we’ll teach you. It’s really open and you’re gonna have a fun time.”

If you are interested in joining Spikeball club, reach out to matthew.hill@usd497.org or Marvin Kapfer and Connor MacFarland for more information.

“It makes me happy because [the rise in numbers] shows that people are interested, getting out of their comfort zone, doing something after school and meeting new people, MacFarland

Sophomore Steve Krise hits the ball during spikeball club on Dec. 7. The club meets every Wednesday at 1:30 on the Free State soccer field. Photo by Mallory Thompson

Design by Lola Cloud | Photos by Mallory Thompson

Shaking hands Sophomore Ami Bhattachan and Freshman Brian Lin celebrate after scoring. Photo by Mallory Thompson

With his hand in the air, Freshman Brian Lin anticipates the return of the ball. Photo by Mallory Thompson

ALL WRAPPED UP

Students share their Spotify Wrapped stats

To wrap up the year, the streaming service, Spotify, shows users their top artists, songs and genres of the year with an interactive slideshow. Listeners enjoy seeing their top categories and sharing them with their friends.

“It’s really fun to look back over the past year and see what you’ve listened to and also just compare music vibes with your friends,” sophomore Simon Williams said.

Some users believe that their Wrapped is not the best present though. Users have criticized the way that Spotify makes playlists.

Spotify comes with three different versions:

Spotify premium, a five dollar per month service with no ads, freedom to choose what songs to listen to when you want, and the ability to make short playlists without Spotify adding songs automatically.

A free version on computers that has ads, but the ability to choose the songs you want to listen to now, and adds songs naturally to short playlists.

A free version on mobile phones with ads, limited song choice, and Thompson’s biggest concern, limited song choice on small playlists.

Although the day that Spotify Wrapped drops is joyous for its users, some are frustrated by the problems that the musical summary has in its algorithm. Students like sophomore Mallory Thompson, have posed problems with the way that Spotify’s free version makes playlists.

“When you have playlists, they put other songs that they think you’ll like at the end of it and then that becomes your most played song,” Thompson said.

Because of the way that Spotify adds songs to short playlists, music that users may have not chosen can become some of their top songs. This can be frustrating to users with the free mobile version, they have much less freedom to choose the music they want to listen to and can be stuck with what the algorithm picks for them.

Story by Ember Klein

Design by Vivi Riffel | Photos by Lady

SPOTLIGHTING ARTISTRY

Story by Lilly Wall

After hours of drawing and designing, sophomore Neylana Haque used artistic creativity to bring to life the cover of the Free Press, emphasizing creative careers passionately pursued by students such as acting, modeling, and filmmaking.

Haque has enjoyed art classes since elementary school, but first discovered digital design when creating Christmas and birthday gifts for her friends and family. Eventually, she enrolled in the Graphic Design I course.

Through the class, the creative control and guidance received by graphic design teacher Shelby Miller is what she enjoys most about the class.

Artwork by Neylana Haque

“[The class] has really opened my eyes and made me realize that I may want to pursue a future in graphic design, ” Haque said.

BOOK REVIEW

Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”

is an exciting, fast-paced novel that brings the 21st century and coming-of-age world’s together. The novel follows high school students Marianne Sheridan and Conell Waldron, both with very different walks of life yet find themselves in an unexpected relationship. Their relationship is followed through their senior year in high school all the way through college, and the highs and lows between. “Normal People” investigates the insecurities of social hierarchies within relationships, and shows the raw lives and struggles of teenage and early adult relationships. I highly recommend this book.

5/5

ALBUM REVIEW

Mariah Carey’s Christmas Album

As the air becomes colder, iconic pop star Mariah Carey’s notorious holiday album “Merry Christmas” is a recognizable staple album to this time of year. Carey’s fourth studio album consists of 10 songs that fall under the pop, soul, contemporary R&B, and gospel genres. The variety moving through the album keeps it enjoyable to a larger listening audience. Her most popular song “All I Want For Christmas” is a seasonal favorite among many across all platforms of media, making the tune extremely enjoyable to listen to while celebrating the holidays with loved ones. The public’s love for her Christmas music makes the album undeniably a staple for the winter season. The overall effect of the album never fails to annually bring christmas cheer during the holiday season.

Review by Olivia Nagel

Review by Jake Hedges

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” has over one billion streams on Spotify