Free Press | Issue 3 | Dec. 2023

THE FREE PRESS Issue 3 | Dec. 14 2023 | Edition 27 Design by Allison Mayhew

Pg. 6-7 Power Politics

02

The Free Press

NEWS MAGAZINE STAFF.

As 2023 comes to an end, there have been over 40,000 deaths from gun violence.

Losing lives to bullets has become a common theme in America, upheld by those working in the White House. The lack of change in gun policy can be connected to the interest group, the National Rifle Association. By working in connection with Congress members and the electoral process, the NRA has been able to uphold the unwavering protection of the Second Amendment. Cover by Allison Mayhew.

NEWS EDITORS EDITORS-INCHIEF Allison Mayhew Lilly Wall MANAGING EDITORS Ember Klein Jayne Landers DESIGN EDITOR Sarah Masterson COPY EDITOR Stella Mosier PHOTO EDITOR Mallory Thompson SPORTS EDITOR Nick Sprecker

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Maile Hickman ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA Elizabeth Hare REPORTERS Amelia Wiles Claire Heinritz Elizabeth Hare Elliot Skillman Evie Chancy Maria Mosconi Phoebe Morris Simon Williams PHOTOGRAPHERS Amelia Wiles Baila Love Lady Ortega-Perez DESIGNERS Ainsley Linhos Allison Mayhew Geneva Sabatini Katie Campbell Mylie Brillhart Luna Hu

4700 Overland Dr, Lawrence KS, 66049

contents.

3 4 10

feature

3 - Interview with Santa Claus 5- Formal Cost

photo gallery

4/5- Winter Formal

6

opinion

6/7- Power Politics 14- Beeline Solution? Not Quite

8 12

sports

8/9- Pay to Play 8/9- Introducing Winter Sports

a&e

10- Review: The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Movie 11- Oreo Peppermint Truffles Recipe 16- Fortnite Character Bracket

news

12- Wartime Doom Scrolling 13- A Look at Election Season 15- Wacky Weather

FSFREEPRESSONLINE.COM FOR BREAKING NEWS AND MORE CONTENT VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

socials.

@fsjournalism

mission statement.

Curious Free State journalists will amplify voices, gather superior sources and tell pivotal stories of our community in a visually creative way in order to serve our audience and foster quality scholastic journalism in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Free Press

Sarah Masterson

03

INTERVIEW ith SANTA CLAUS Interview held with the Weaver’s Santa Claus

Collected by Phoebe Morris

How do you seeing avoid kids istmas r h C n o u o y Eve?

A

Q

Q

First, Christmas magic! Se cond, children may be seeing Santa all the time. He isn’t always in his red suit and smiles with a lon g beard. I can change into wh at I need to be to help people in need

Who gives you presents?

Everyone does! I get smiles and hugs and letters and calls. And it is just a wonderful present to hear their stories and receive their appreciation. That’s all I really need.

A

Q

Favorite spot in Lawrence to celebrate Christmas?

I love anywh ere in Lawre nce that I get to talk to folks.

If you’ve nev er been to th e Festival of T rees, then yo u ’re missing out on a wonderf ul Christmas ev ent!

u What are yo d for most excite as? this Christm

A

A

Q

Rewarding good boys and girls of all ages for wonderful behavior!

04

The Free Press

WINTER

On Dec. 2, the KU Burge Union hosted a night of music and dancing

FORMAL

Photo collected from Cayman Barnes

Photo by Baila Love

m Sophie Racy

Photo collected fro

Fiona VanDyke (12) Cayman Barnes (11) (12) Madeline Nuckolls Sophie Racy (12) ior (12) Josephine Warr

(10) Lillian Hethcoat Megan Green (10)

d from Annika

Photo collecte

Photo collected

from Lia Wilson

um (10) Annika Lintec (10) Cara Jeffries Claire Hull (10) 0) Sara Kumar (1ski (10) Annie Pilakow(10) Libby Easter (10) Taryn Jones

Lintecum

Ryan Morga Lia Wilson (1n2) (12) Kate Foust Regan Knapp(12)(12) Lola Martin (12)

The Free Press

Design by Geneva Sabatini

05

FORMAL

Photo collected fro

m Lawson Garc

ia

CO TS Collected by Elizabeth Hare

Formal price breakdown

Lawson Garcia (1 Ellie De La Rosa 2)

Dress $90 avg.

Rented Tuxedo or Suit $200 avg.

1) Steve Krise (1 1) Sean Ruddy (1 (11) Elliot Skillman JJ Zheng (11) an (11) Somjai Sengch (11) Nick Sprecker

Photo collecte

d from Nick Sp

recker

(12)

This year, many students raised concerns for the cost of tickets: $20 each. While paying $40 for you and your date might seem a bit steep at first, how big of a price is that in the grand scheme of winter formal?

Accessories (ties, shoes, jewelry) Connor Brown (12) Jake Loos (12) Cooper Stone (12) Everett Essman (11) Jake Klingler (12) Richard Li (11)

$50 avg.

Ticket $20

Dinner

$30 avg. per person Photo collected from Richard Li

Photos by Amelia Wiles, Geneva Sabatini and Mallory Thompson

06

The Free Press

National Rifle Association’s hidden spending prevents needed gun control legislation Opinion by Allison Mayhew

W

hen I was in kindergarten, the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place in Newtown, Connecticut. In six months, I plan on walking across the stage with my cap and gown, and receiving my diploma — a moment that was stripped from those children with the pull of a trigger.

A few weeks ago, I watched my cross-town school go into lockdown because of a potential threat in the building.

While writing this editorial, I was interrupted to practice an active shooter drill. In a never-ending loop, our country still faces the unrelenting endangerment of gun violence.

In the past 10 years, there have been over 4,283 mass shootings and 54 active shooter school shootings. Repeatedly, places designed for education and family fun are being massacred, overtaken by violence and death.

Countless shootings in schools, shopping malls, bowling alleys and clubs — yet nothing happens, all in the name of so-called “constitutional freedom.”

extremists. To do so, they have politicized gun control by framing it as a battle of freedoms that falls between party lines.

However, there should be nothing political about simply stopping the mass murders of our communities — the country can largely agree on this. An astounding 83% of the American population believes that gun violence is a moderately to very big problem, according to Pew Research.

With such a large U.S. population all agreeing on the same thing, it raises the question — “Why hasn’t there been change?”

The lack of movement and policy can be attributed to the NRA’s big bucks and tampering with the law-making progress. By writing checks and hosting fancy dinner parties, democracy has been overrun by the influence of money in politics.

Gun-motivated traumatic events are often followed by many civilians protesting for the right to their lives.

Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, special-interest group The National Rifle Association continues fighting tirelessly against any sort of gun control.

The group has established so much power that it was able to successfully inhibit Congress from passing any major gun reform for decades. Meanwhile, these shootings continue, as 21 victims tragically died just this past year in the Uvalde Elementary School shooting.

Amidst an era of extreme division in our country, the NRA has effectively found a cause to rally with gun

Despite the NRA’s efforts, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed on June 25, 2022.

BIPARTISAN SAFER COMMUNITIES ACT Works on red flag laws, mental health and violence prevention groups, enhances background checks for gun purchasers under 21 and prohibits domestic violence offenders from legally obtaining guns.

CITIZENS UNITED V. FEC

Supreme court case that allows corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to elections through non profits.

The Free Press

Design by Allison Mayhew

07

The bill makes important strides, though there was no movement made to nationally require background checks, waiting periods or outlaw the weapons at the forefront of mass shootings.

The bill was largely seen as a first step towards gun reform in America, though it is evidently not enough. As of Oct. 26, there were 421 mass shootings and 35,000 deaths from gun violence so far in 2023, according to ABC. In 2021, the NRA spent $4.2 million on lobbying, the act of influencing Congress members. They focus on giving gifts and money to Congress members who refuse to compromise when it comes to even moderate gun safety measures that would save lives. For those who don’t comply, the NRA has the threat of funneling funds into opposing candidates’ campaigns. Thus, the candidate could either risk their reelection, or conform to the NRA and its agenda.

Politics should be about compromise, meeting in the middle and representing the majority of Americans, not bowing down to the few gun extremists with money. The NRA reported $329 million in total revenue in 2020 alone; with this money and its affiliate “non-profits,” the group uses its extensive resources to influence politics in a way even the government cannot.

In 2010, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of Citizens United, changing American democratic elections forever. Corporations and organizations can now spend unlimited amounts of money to

influence elections. Tens of millions of dollars are being spent to dominate the political atmosphere of gun control, all behind closed doors.

This is done by funneling money through the NRA’s affiliate non-profits; essentially a corrupt form of political money laundering. Unmonitored, presumably large amounts of money are being spent to uphold an unpopular political agenda.

While the NRA preaches freedom, it is restricting the public from seeing its true effect on our elections. Its influence over the political sphere is an unbalance of power, killing thousands of Americans.

As citizens the most powerful tool we have is to vote for the change we want to see. By registering to vote, providing electoral funds to smaller donors and voting for enhanced disclosure laws when it comes to political campaigns, we can begin to put an end to the NRA’s heavy hold on the second amendment.

of the American population believes that gun violence is moderately to very big problem. (According to Pew Research)

NRA members account for less than 1% of Americans.

08

PAY TO The Free Press

Does lack of cost efficient sports participation create an uneven playing field? Story by Lilly Wall

PLAY Hair Supplies- $20 Performance Makeup- $50

Leotard- $70

Travel Costs$2000+ Tights- $25

1

semester of classes$1440

Pointe Shoes- $120 (New pair every Month)

O

n average, a family spends $883 on their child’s youth sport every year, according to Aspen Institute. That’s roughly $73 a month, leveling out at around $20 a week. That’s enough to cover meals, health needs or weekly transportation.

But nowadays, many families set aside these big numbers for their child’s athletic career; following questions of price relating to performance have arisen among many athletes.

Nearly one in five lower-income parents report that costs forced their children to cut back on sports, according to a national poll from the University of Michigan.

To be successful, an athlete needs reps, training and live competition. All of these opportunities, which most high-level athletes have access to, fall back on one factor: money. With the rise of elevated competition levels at a young age, access to reps have become more important than ever.

According to Statista, the youth sports industry produced an estimated $37.5 billion in the U.S. in 2022. Now more than ever, these numbers are skyrocketing because of high competition demands. Due to these rising prices, many athletes are being outran and shown up financially by other peers whose families have more money to finance their child’s sport.

Depending on the sport, thousands of dollars are spent annually on equipment alone; this factor, which inevitably varies based on the athlete, already creates an uneven playing field before the performance starts.

Photo by Lady Ortega-Perez

INTRODUCING GIRLS WRESTLING WINTER SPORTS What are team goals for this season?

Collected by Jayne Landers Photos by Amelia Wiles

“To build off of last season’s success and grow a stronger and more united team.”

Daijah Preston, junior

BOWLING

BOYS WRESTLING

“I look forward to seeing my teammates everyday at practice as we all get better.”

Olivia Hemker, junior

“To Win.” Grayson Hagen, junior

The Free Press Dance, which requires numerous accessories to participate in the sport alone. Freshman Isla Gnojek, a dancer for Lawrence Ballet Theatre and at the Lawrence Arts Center, began their dancing career following their first footsteps.

Gnojek and their family are expected to pay for numerous items: dance classes, which renew by semester; pointe shoes, which get worn down and need replaced within weeks; numerous leotards, around $80 each; and makeup as well as hair supplies to go along with it. And this does not even include initial rates, travel expenses and other miscellaneous purchases.

Quickly, the fees pile up, creating a budget burden for many families. In 2022, CNBC reported that 59% of families have found youth sports financially straining. Consequently, the statistic will continue to increase. Gnojek described the high prices as inequitable and said that to invest in the sport as an athlete, economic investments are required.

“You are going to be spending a lot of money.

It’s a full investment in the sport so it does narrow down opportunities for people that can’t afford it,” Gnojek said.

Additionally, the increased competitiveness and professionalization at a young age for many athletes have forced year-round training habits to reach success. On top of the school season, many competitive athletes spend the remaining months of the year competing on traveling teams.

To see premiere levels, many athletes in town migrate to the Kansas City Metro area for a more competitive level. High levels of sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer and basketball are commonly seen outside of Lawrence; for athletes in town, the pressure to travel for a more competitive environment increases.

Design by Katie Campbell

Softball player Senior Elsa Carrillo, Johnson County Community College commit, has traveled to a club team in Kansas City for around eight years. Carrillo described the correlation as less population, less talent; she said going to Kansas City was a move in her career that opened a door to new opportunities.

“There was more of a variety of talent out there than in Lawrence… I got better coaching, I had better resources and better fields and facilities,” Carrillo said.

With the commute, prices intensify quickly. Take an estimated 45 miles, there and back, then multiply it by how many times a week an athlete practices – it adds up.

Then, add up travel expenses for competitions on the weekends; suddenly, thousands of dollars annually are reserved for a youth sport.

However, these financial commitments are ones that several families cannot make, leading to an uneven, inequitable situation. Low-income kids ages 6–18 are six times more likely to quit sports due to costs, according to a study from the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative in 2020.

Cheer team member sophomore Taylor Andrews expressed the setbacks money requirements come with, as she has seen members not able to participate in cheer because of the high costs.

“It obviously decreases the people that can participate and makes a barrier for some people because some people can afford everything and they can participate at the most, but some who have the talent to be where they should be but they can’t afford it because they’re not in the same place as others,” Andrews said.

BOYS SWIM & DIVE BOYS BASKETBALL UNIFIED SPORTS “We hope to set lots of new best times and build a great swimming community.”

Levi Bates, senior

“To me, a successful season would mean improving from last year and going to state.”

Dash Johnson, senior

09

“I like unified bowling. I like to cheer for my friends.”

Maverick Iron Whiteman, junior

GIRLS BASKETBALL “We are working more on communication this year and team bonding.”

Chloe Clossen, junior

10

The Free Press

THE ECHOES OF PANEM: A SYMPHONY OF HUNGER AND REBELLION The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Movie Review by Elliot Skillman

I

n Suzanne Collins’ teen dystopian novel series, “The Hunger Games,” the character Coriolanus Snow, a main antagonist, has a dynamic personality that leaves an unforgettable impression on the audience.

Through vivid details like the perfume he wears to mask the blood scent of his breath, Collins illustrates his immorality and corruptness as the president of Panem.

While Snow is a wealthy horrific dictator in the original trilogy, he was not always this way. The 2020 prequel “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” goes back in time 64 years before the first book was set to tell the story of the 10th game and the events surrounding it by following 18-year-old Coriolanus’ perspective.

This November, the movie adaptation of the novel was finally released, with Francis Lawrence as the returning director.

In the film we gain more insight on the political themes of Panem, and see an impoverished Coriolanus, portrayed

by Tom Blyth, as he attempts to rise up the ranks in the capital. Tasked with mentoring the enthralling Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Ziegler, for the games,

Snow is faced with several events that are enticing and at some points sorrowsome for the viewers, while his mindset develops throughout the captivating narrative.

The two co-stars and other members of the cast put on remarkable performances for most parts of the movie, making the 2 hour and 38 minute runtime feel less dragged out.

With its striking storytelling, the film is an excellent adaptation of the book; however, when comparing both portrayals, there are some aspects that are lost from the original narrative and at points there are forced references that dilute the rest of the plot.

While the film does have some barely significant flaws, its cinematography and cast leaves audience goers with a memorable watch. After witnessing the motion picture in the theater, I would say it is well worth seeing for almost anyone, even if they have not had any exposure to the series before, as the movie can stand alone and invites the audience to experience a variety of emotions.

TIKTOK TAKEOVER

Collected by Allison Mayhew and Sarah Masterson

Senior Evan Sanger

Gail Lewis is an inspiration to all. She showed us that through hard work and determination, anyone can be a top level Walmart employee.

Truly a legend.

Senior Fiona VanDyke

I think I’m about to watch an interesting video but then right in the middle of the video it cuts to Josh Hutcherson while playing ‘Whistle’ by Flo Rida. It’s honestly giving me trust issues.

The Free Press

Design by Mylie Brillhart

11

OREO PEPPERMINT TRUFFLES Collected By Amelia Wiles

Recipe by Amelia Wiles

These truffles are the perfect, easy, no-bake treat for holiday loving bakers. The combination of a crunchy chocolatey coating and the refreshing hint of peppermint makes for a chilled wintry delight. By using these ingredients and measuring with your heart, all can enjoy this recipe during the holiday season! Photo by Amelia Wiles

INGREDIENTS

• 36 Oreo cookies • 8 oz softened cream cheese • 12 oz of your favorite chocolate chips • ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil • Crushed peppermint

DIRECTIONS - Make Oreo truffle filling 1. Crush Oreos into fine crumbs 2. Mix crumbs with softened cream cheese until combined 3. Scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 4. Refrigerate for around 30 minutes

- Melt chocolate 1. Combine chocolate chips and oil 2. Melt chocolate in 20 second intervals, stirring between each one - Coat and decorate truffles 1. Use your desired dipping tool (spoon, fork) and fully coat the truffles in the melted chocolate 2. Place truffles back on parchment paper 3. Sprinkle crushed peppermint onto truffles while chocolate is still wet 4. Refrigerate truffles for your desired length of time, or until solidified

14

The Free Press

WARTIME DOOM SCRO C How do students handle media consumption during Israel-Palestine conflict?

Story by Allison Mayhew, Evie Chancy & Maria Mosconi

G

raphic videos of bombings, dead bodies and victims of painful fighting have appeared on social media feeds amid the Israel-Palestine conflict. Despite the accessible televised and online news networks, students have now more than ever substituted these forms of traditional media with social media coverage on apps like Instagram and TikTok. According to a poll sent out via the FSJournalism Instagram account with 103 responses, approximately 92% of students at Free State get their news from social media sources rather than traditional media forms. Since people across the globe can post on social media without going through any sort of verification process, the likelihood of potential deception and misinformation increases. History and government teacher Jeffrey Haas said that he warns younger generations of falling into the trap of misinformation.

“I do get a sense as I circulate around my classes that the social media consumption that I see is generally not along the lines of what I would consider hard reputable news and analysis,” Haas said.

Since October, Israel and Palestine have been engaged in a series of bombings and violent attacks across the Gaza territory, with over 16,000 casualties as of Nov. 21. These events followed an initial attack from the Hamas militant group, on Oct. 7..

Before the attack, Palestinians have been confined to the densely populated Gaza strip for the past several decades.

“It’s a very high stakes conflict and it is very scary,” senior Yael Gillath said.

“There’s propaganda from both sides, obviously, and it’s really easy to get sucked into it.”

A LOOK INTO ELECTION Dec. 5

Jan. 8

2 School Board Term Begins

1 City Commission Term Begins

START

City Commissioners Brad Finkeldi, Amber Sellers and Mike Dever will begin their terms and start progressing their plans, focusing on the issue of homelessness.

1

Elected Lawrence Board of Education members begin their terms with the pressure of dealing with continuing budget cuts and school closures.

2

Jan. 15

3 Iowa Caucus

Being the traditional first caucus, all eyes will be on Iowa to see the first vote for the Republican candidate.

3

The Free Press

LLING

Social media platforms present viewers with content they are more likely to engage with creating an echo chamber of bias, leading to a pipeline towards more extremist videos and opinions the more viewers interact. Extremist hate crimes against Muslim and Jewish people have increased in the past two months by 7% according to ABC.

15

Although the videos can be informative, the content can be jarring especially for younger viewers, which apps like TikTok and Snapchat are targeted for.

For example, when looking at Snap Map in the Gaza strip viewers are met with images of wreckage from bombings.

Some students, like sophomore Kennedy McDonnell, said they find the violence juxtaposed with normal content on their feeds upsetting.

Like most trends on social media, the conflict has become a regular feature in feeds that quickly gains attention because of controversy, with hashtags like #Palestine and #Israel receiving tens of billions of views.

“It has desensitized us to violence because with social media you’re seeing that regularly,” sophomore Olive Minor said. “Sometimes at a certain point, you just stop caring when it’s mixed in with your regular algorithm.”

Design by Geneva Sabatini

“It is really disorienting, The large-scale trend has made its to where you’re really way to Lawrence; many students have sad and you just watch been using their social media accounts to spread awareness and share their something horrible, and opinions in regards to the conflict. Being then there’s just someone Israeli, Gillath has a personal connection — her brother, a Free State alumnus, is making jokes and having currently fighting in Israel. a good time,” McDonnell “Social media can help rally people; it said. can help people be informed,” Gillath said. “There are a lot of pros to it in this modern day and age.”

With videos that appeal to emotions, it can become easier to neglect the facts.

After hearing discussions about current Having easy access to social media can events from his students, Haas said he allow for people to share firsthand the recommends students be mindful of “The algorithm gives things that it events they are experiencing. With an where they get their news from, to check knows I will like and the sources I’m increased usage of citizen journalism, their sources and to consider using getting from may be kind of biased,” Kai viewers are able to get a broader societal traditional mediums in conjunction with Roller said. view of world events. social media.

SEASON February

4 NV, MI, SC Primaries In 2020, Nevada and Michigan were both swing states, where Biden won over Trump by less than three points.

4

Story by Allison Mayhew

Mar. 5

5 Super Tuesday 16 States will hold their primaries and caucasus, presenting which candidates are leading in the primary election. Many will drop out after this date.

5

Mar. 19

6 Kansas Primary

Kansas will hold its presidential primary.

Register to vote with the QR code above.

6

14

The Free Press

BEELINE SOLUTION? NOT QUITE.

Pear tree on school grounds removed as quick fix to multi-faceted topic

W

Story by Simon Williams

hat do you notice when you arrive at or leave campus? If you are a student, perhaps you are moving fast because you are tardy for the first hour, or perhaps you cannot wait to reach the confines of a car to escape the weather. However, on occasion during a lunch period or on a slower paced morning, certain features of the grounds might catch your attention.

A notable one due to its proximity to the northern entrance to the school was a well-established and mature fruit-bearing pear tree.

latter consisting of solitary bee species’ according the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

This creates an even greater concern when mismanagement occurs on a local level that consists largely of solitary bees.

In early October, this tree was removed due to concerns and instances surrounding a bee presence relative to the fruit tree. Consultation occurred between administration and grounds management, and removal was selected as the optimal solution to the situation at hand, despite the fact that maintenance work on the tree had not occurred in recent years.

While natural areas are beneficial at large, bees make up 80% of pollinators according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and destruction to their environment can cause detriment overall. Therefore, it is important to focus on management practices and real solutions, as Schwarting notes that fruit trees are rather trashy when ill-kept, which contributes to the larger problem.

“Every late summer, we have the horrible problem of the fruit getting ripe and falling and there are just swarms of bees out there, all over the seating area where people like to sit. This year, it seemed like they were even worse,” Principal Amy McAnarney said.

Although certain concerns surrounding bee safety are quite valid, a larger issue comes down to mismanagement of habitat and misunderstanding of pollinator species’. Environmental Science teacher Julie Schwarting associates the latter with the fact that the majority of bees present at Free State are solitary pollinators that are not inclined to swarm. They are focused on gathering pollen and in turn pollinating our natural environment, unconcerned with people.

“In that way, they should not be disturbing, it’s not in their nature to go attack somebody,” Schwarting said.

Solitary bee species’ are varying bee types that are not a part of a larger colony. Additionally, the U.S. Geological Survey cites that the U.S. is home to over 4,000 bee species’, and over 25% of those are International Union for Conservation Nature designated endangered species, with 95% of the

“The nice thing about Free State is that we have a lot of prairie area, all the trees along the soccer field and the football stadium. There are a lot of other areas for nature to thrive,” McAnarney said.

Junior Kaitlynn Sedich believes that the issue involves misunderstanding of bees, as well as a lack of student responsibility when it comes to promoting unnatural bee habitat in the north seating area by a heavy presence of litter.

“The main thing in my opinion is that bees aren’t really an issue, they won’t mess with you if you don’t mess with them, so teach students not to litter, and not to antagonize bees,” Sedich said.

Natural features play a significant role in school communities, providing resources and opportunities for students and pollinators alike. Quick solutions such as removal can become a detriment to the environment, especially as better practices and approaches to pollinators are available.

Going forward, the school and community should place emphasis on preventative measures to reduce concern, and assume further responsibility in upkeep of the tree and surrounding seating area.

The Free Press

Design by Luna Hu

WACKY WEATHER I

15

El Niño current brings unusual winter weather and precipitation to Kansas Story by Lilly Wall and Emi Stone

According to NOAA, the climate pattern consists of the increased sea surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific ocean near the equator. This phenomenon occurs every 2-7 years, with this year marking a moderate-to-strong El Niño.

In 2022, Kansas experienced one of the 28th warmest winter recorded since 1888 according to the National Weather Service.

Though this year, the weather pattern will be particularly noticeable. With the combined effects of climate change causing intense weather patterns and an abnormally strong El Niño, the change in weather may be more distinct than in past years.

The state of Kansas will most likely hit above a moderately warm 50 degrees Fahrenheit as the daily temperature all throughout the winter season.

“I am not okay with this because then it won’t be able to snow enough so I can’t get that winter aesthetic with hot chocolate and blankets if it’s 50 degrees,” junior Lindsay Hayes said.

Wetter conditions are expected to be seen locally in the Midwest. Despite the high chances of precipitation, there may not be much snow this season due to the high temperatures that are expected.

However, on Nov. 25, Lawrence was met with six inches of snow.

For student Abbie Veeder, the snow was excited after having no big snows in the previous year.

“I was able to sled with all my friends and drink hot chocolate,” freshman Abbie Veeder said. “I hope it snows again so I can do it all again.”

38

Senior Will Six

“Happy for higher temperature, but sad about climate change.”

Expected rainfall for December:

1.42 inches

SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION

Already, many students have seen first-hand warmth.

Throughout the first weeks of November, weather stayed sunny in the warm 50s, allowing students to stay in shorts and less layering.

Average predicted temp for December: In 2023

n the months ahead, the El Niño is driving the outlook for warming temperatures for the northern tier of the continental United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] U.S. Winter Outlook.

FORTNITE CHARACTER BRACKET Fill out your bracket with your favorite Fortnite skins to see the ultimate Fortnite alpha. Who are you choosing for the Battle Royale?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1. MEOWSCLES 2. THE BRAT 3. VENOM 4. TENDER DEFENDER 5. OMEGA 6. FISHSTICK 7. PEELY 8. DESDEMONA Design by Sarah Masterson and Ainsley Linhos