Free Press | Issue 5 | Feb. 28, 2024

THE FREE PRESS

Design by Allison Mayhew

Is Free State Recognizing its History? Lack of education regarding local Black history (Pg. 7)

Photo by Gregory Mayhew

In 1861, Kansas was established as a Free State. Now the school carries the namesake, however many feel the history is left unrecognized. Cover by Allison Mayhew.

3

opinion

Pg. 3 - Sex Mis-education

Pg. 7 - Is Free State Recognizing its History?

Pg. 14 - Back on the Ballot

Pg. 18 - Taylor Swift vs. NFL

4

news

Pg. 4 - Business Battle

Pg. 5 - TikTok Goes Silent

Pg. 10-11 (Pen)demic

Pg. 14 - A Fault in FAFSA

Pg. 18 - Shooting During Chiefs Parade

news staff.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Allison Mayhew

Lilly Wall

MANAGING EDITORS

Ember Klein

Jayne Landers

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Simon Williams

DESIGN EDITOR

Sarah Masterson

ASST. DESIGN EDITOR

Geneva Sabatini

6

feature 8

Pg. 6 - Curls For The Gurls

Pg. 15 - Encore Backstage

Pg. 19 - From Love To Loss

Pg. 19 - Band Prepares For All-State

Pg. 20 - Love Your Pets Day

sports

Pg. 8-9 - Hometown Heroes

Pg. 16-17 - Jayhawks Leave the Nest

12

photo gallery

Pg. 12 - Ovation

Pg. 13 - Chinese New Year

CAPTIONS EDITOR

Elinor Russo

SPORTS EDITOR

Nick Sprecker

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Maile Hickman

COPY EDITOR

Stella Mosier

ASST. COPY EDITOR

Elliot Skillman

ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Katie Campbell

PHOTO EDITORS

Mallory Thompson

Chloe Cook

NEWS PLANNING TEAM

Evie Chancy

Phoebe Morris

Maria Mosconi

REPORTERS

Arianna Waller

Corinne Kingsley

Emi Stone

Delaney Bayliss

Jonah Frye

Meredith Shryock

Rakshan Ossen

Simon Williams

socials. mission statement.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Amelia Wiles

Anders Benson

Gregory Mayhew

Kinsey Lake

Nathan Friedman

Nathan Kramer

Rachel Bruffett

DESIGNERS

Abbie Veeder

Ainsley Linhos

Allison Mayhew

Katie Campbell

Kouri Demelash

Luna Hu

Mylie Brillhart

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.

SEXUAL MIS-EDUCATION

Editorial by Ember Klein

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Sexual education unit of school health class does not provide comprehensive Sex Ed

In a poll by @FSJournalism on Instagram, 92% of students believe that the sexual education program at school is insufficient. This statistic is shockingly high due to the importance of comprehensive sex education to prevent teen pregnancy, reduce STIs and help students understand gender and sexuality.

If so many students believe that they are being taught the bare minimum, then why has action not been taken?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost half of teenagers ages 15 through 19 have had sex. With so many students being sexually active, a comprehensive education will allow students to engage safely.

The district’s curriculum must cover eight topics to reach state standards, but the unit lasts only four class periods. From barely giving resources on pregnancy or contraceptives to glossing over consensual sex, the Sex Ed program does not provide students with a nearly adequate education.

Particularly, LGBTQ+ students are left without any sexual education at all. The current curriculum only talks about heterosexual sex and doesn’t cover any topics of sexuality or gender.

Throughout my freshman year health class, we dragged on units about nutrition and drugs. However, when it came time for the Sex Ed unit, it only scratched the surface of information that could be learned from a quick Google search.

According to the World Health Organization, a comprehensive sex education program should prepare young people for their lives and empower them to take control and make informed decisions about their sexuality and relationships freely. The current curriculum fails to provide any empowerment or information for them to make decisions.

Instead of encouragement, the curriculum attempts to scare teens out of having sex rather than give resources and harm-reductive care, such as explaining abortion laws in Kansas, the various types of termination care and the importance of healthy relationships. Alternatively, they shame students by sharing statistics on the dropout rate of teen moms.

But, the honest truth is that no matter how little you teach about ways to have safe sex and provide options for people who are pregnant, teenagers are still going to have sex. All the district’s curriculum is doing is creating a breeding ground for STDs, teen pregnancy, unhealthy ideas about sex and unhealthy sexual relationships.

As students, we deserve a sexual education that is beneficial, not shameful. Instead of making the sex education unit rushed and one week long, students could benefit by making it more extensive. Bring in people from domestic violence services to teach about healthy relationships, have the health department talk more about the services they provide or bring in someone to teach about sexuality and gender. Sexual education is in the state standards for a reason, and depriving students of a comprehensive education is only hurting them in the long run.

BUSINESSES BATTLE

Story by Evie Chancy

Johnny’s Tavern and 25 businesses sue city

Amidst the visible crisis of homelessness in Lawrence, frustrations are brewing behind the scenes as Johnny’s Tavern and 25 other businesses have convened to sue the city for the disruptiveness of the homelessness city-managed camp, New Beginnings, which has bled into their private properties and the public right of way.

“The amount of visible homelessness has continued to demonstrate to folks that this is a crisis and the fact that we have people visibly living on the streets in Lawrence, Kansas, for 99% of the people that I speak with, we all are in agreement that’s unacceptable,” Director of City Communications Cori Wallace said.

As public camping is only allowed in approved areas, the New Beginnings camp was set up to temporarily consolidate resources for the unhoused before creating a more permanent solution. However some residents, like the owner of restaurant chain Johnny’s Tavern Rick Renfro, do not feel like they were adequately warned before the camp was established behind their properties.

“The city is allowing dozens of people to camp illegally on city-owned land. The city is trespassing by setting up a trailer, fencing and tents on land the city does not own,” according to Renfro’s statement regarding the lawsuit.

After the “temporary camp” remained for over 14 months, Renfro said he felt pushed to sue. Ultimately the lawsuit was filed with the 25 other business and property owners in December 2023. The camp put new pressures on Renfro and

his employees were not prepared to deal with Johnny’s Tavern suddenly averaging five emergency calls per day according to him.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no end in sight until you get some pressure on this whole homeless issue as a worldwide, statewide, city-wide issue,” Renfro said.

While the 26 suers and the city are in the litigation phase, the City of Lawrence still works to manage the camp and lower the occupancy down from 145 to just 45 tents by redirecting individuals to Lawrence Community Shelter and other temporary housing options.

“It is important for the community to also understand that homelessness is a downstream result of other issues. Homelessness is a symptom or result of other social and cultural issues that we are not addressing,” Bert Nash Center Housing Director Mathew Faulk said.

As a long-term solution for the unhoused crisis, Douglas County and organizations like Bert Nash worked to form an action plan called “A Place For Everyone.” The goal is to organize within the community and other Kansas governing bodies to increase supportive and affordable housing by 2028.

“This plan represents the community’s initial attempts at identifying primary needs and creating a comprehensive strategy to address those needs with the intention of achieving the outcome of significantly reducing the incidence of homelessness within the community,” Faulk said.

Illustrations by Allison Mayhew

TIKTOK GOES

SILENT

OStory by Corinne Kingsley

Major artists’ music have been removed from TikTok

n Feb. 1, the Universal Music Group failed to reach their licensing agreement with TikTok. Content creators on TikTok can no longer create videos using music made by artists in UMG, and many TikTokers’ videos have gone silent due to the removal of hundreds of songs.

UMG is the world’s leading music group, including around 570 artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, Lana Del Rey and Olivia Rodrigo.

The group released a public letter stating that TikTok wasn’t compensating artists fairly and allowed AIgenerated recordings to spread throughout the app. This created a lot of controversy among TikTok users as they defended artists affected by this.

“They should pay these big artists because that’s why people use TikTok,” sophomore Brynn Pfannenstiel said.

TikToker’s videos and drafts are now silent, and popular songs are gone, which has made it hard for creators to find music for their content. Videos have flooded social media of people sharing their opinions and frustrations about the missing music.

There has been debate over how many users will continue using the app with major artists being taken off, and whether the artists will be brought back.

“People will continue to complain about it until they bring it back, because I’m sure they will,” Pfannenstiel said.

Out of the 570 artists who were removed from the social media platform, there are many up-andcoming artists who were largely impacted.

Although there are other social media platforms small UMG artists are still a part of, TikTok has become a platform for discovering new artists and music as seen in 2021 with Olivia Rodrigo’s hit single “Drivers License” and “Heather” by Conan Gray. These artists no longer have TikTok as a platform and cannot grow their fanbase through promoting their music on the app.

“It’s unfair to smaller creators because it’s a big platform that people would use,” sophomore Jules Clasen said.

Multiple musicians have spoken out on the subject such as Noah Kahan and Conan Gray. Kahan originally blew up on TikTok because of his song “Stick Season.” He recently announced the release of his new song “Forever,” which he no longer can promote on the app. Kahan said in a TikTok video that this will be a struggle for him because it’s how he’s always promoted his music.

“I’ll probably be okay, right? I’ll land on my feet, right?” Kahan said in the video.

Although UMG music is no longer on TikTok, fans still appear supportive of their favorite artists by leaving supportive comments on their social media posts. There are alternative social media platforms to watch videos like Instagram Reels and YouTube, so fans can still support artists despite them no longer being on TikTok.

CURLS FOR THE GURLS

Black girl hairstyles and how they came to be

Hair has been used as a symbol of identity in many African cultures around the globe, rooted in the

Column by Arianna Waller

With the rise of social media, including the imagesharing app, Pinterest, many Black girls have taken the opportunity to share their hairstyles. Here are three popular Black girl hairstyles and their origin.

CORNROWS

During slavery, cornrows helped enslaved Africans have a bit of rebellion while still undergoing this harsh time in history. Not only did it keep their heritage close, but cornrows also became a way for slaves to communicate with each other. Although it originated from a Black man named Benkos Biohó, it is mostly seen on women today.

BRAIDS

The origin of braids can be traced back 5,000 years in African culture, including a popular braiding style called box braids. Box braids can take up to eight hours to finish, and usually hurt for the first day. Although many other cultures, including white people, have tried to claim box braids as their own, box braids should only be used with Black hair since it is so thick and can cause damage to thinner hair.

NATURAL

Natural hair has become a common style for Black women all around the world, including myself. The Black Panther Party popularized the afro along with many celebrities including the group TLC, followed by Destiny’s Child and other Black-representing bands.

All three of these hairstyles hold a symbol of freedom and identity to many Black women who choose to have them. Hair means something different to every culture, but ours has a meaningful history of survival, resistance and celebration.

IS FREE STATE RECOGNIZING ITS HISTORY?

Opinion by Maria Mosconi

Lack of education regarding local Black history

Free State High School opened in 1997, approximately a century and a half after Kansas joined America as a “free state,” or a state where slavery was illegal. At the heart of this movement was Lawrence, Kansas. Founded by abolitionists, Lawrence was on the border of Kansas and Missouri, but was resilient to violent attempts to stop the abolitionist movement that eventually won the Civil War.

Despite its namesake, the school has lacked recognition and celebration of Black History Month. Principal Amy McAnarney acknowledged the information on the school televisions, the display in the library and counselor Brianna Jackson’s lesson plans on black history, but attributed the absence of a larger celebration, recognition or education to the lack of anybody coming forward with ideas. The most visible recognition is librarian Marissa Hegeman’s display focusing on black authors, which she also does year-round.

“Black history is everyone’s history,” Hegeman said. “It should be celebrated and wrapped in throughout the year.”

Other than this, Jackson has been working on plans with significant figures in Black history specific to a school subject and sending them to teachers to help educate students, a task no one before her had been willing to take on.

Even though McAnarney credited the shortfall of acknowledgment of Black History Month to no one making

a plan, Jackson made resources easily accessible for staff. Still, according to a poll on @fsjournalism on Instagram, only 16% of students have seen the information she shared.

“The biggest thing is how many contributions the black community has made to American society,” Jackson said. “I’m privileged to be here and Free State is lucky to have someone who is willing to take on this project.”

The responsibility to educate students about Black history has fallen onto one of the few staff members of color and has been limited to February. Outside of the month, Free State offers a course on African American history, but other than that, history books often dedicate a chapter to Black history and then move on. Security officer Demetrius Kemp collaborated with Jackson on her lesson plans, but thinks the education has to go beyond the classroom.

“There has to be conversations about [Black history],” Kemp said. “That’s what people are learning from.”

Kemp has seen significant improvement in the past years in terms of Black history education, but the lack of appreciation for both Black history and Black History Month is nonetheless obvious throughout the school. With the history surrounding the school and the school’s name, there is a lot to live up to, and the education and recognition is a necessity.

“Free State has room to grow,” Jackson said. “We could always be doing better.”

The Free State firebird statue stands tall against an evening sky. Archive

Photo by Ali Dodd

HEROES

A look into football athletes choosing to stay local for athletics

Story by Lilly Wall and Nick Sprecker

For many football athletes, their hard work and aspirations are driven by the hunger to ultimately compete at a higher level. While there are plenty of Division I football schools throughout the country that could serve as a pipeline to the NFL, there is an undeniable sense of pride that comes with being a hometown athlete competing at their local universities. In this case, athletes are showing out in the University of Kansas’s very own Memorial Stadium.

Three years ago, the Kansas Jayhawks finished 0-9 under previous head coach Les Miles. After the hiring of head coach Lance Leipold, the Jayhawks put a much-improved season on display in the 2023 season, finishing 9-4 overall and securing a win in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against the UNLV Rebels.

While Kansas’s roster is filled with athletes from all over the country, the Jayhawks have seen several impact players from the Sunflower State emerge, specifically Lawrence’s very own Devin Neal, a projected NFL draft pick.

The stats suggest Lawrence has always been spoiled with talent, especially before the addition of Free State. Lawrence High won five straight state championships from 1989 to 1993 and claimed 31 undefeated football seasons, the most in the country to this day. The success of Lawrence athletes shows currently in Chiefs cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe or former Vikings defensive tackle Christian Ballard.

Living in Lawrence, fans are fortunate enough to watch top local athletes grow. Senior Wesley Edison, a 6-foot-3, 215lb quarterback, announced his commitment as an outside linebacker to KU in December. Despite other offers from schools such as Northern Arizona University and Pitt State University, the athlete decided to stay home.

“A lot of times, coaches don’t realize how good athletes are here because they base them versus Texas or Georgia or athletes from other states. A lot of times kids from Lawrence can play… recruiting local athletes should be more focused and prioritized,” Edison said.

Graphic

by

Mallory Thompson

Photos Courtesy of Megan Bowers and Missy Minear

In the community, there is a special sense of pride that comes with watching Lawrence kids compete in Memorial Stadium. Moreso, watching old teammates that you played little league with in elementary school or the kids dominating Friday Night Lights now competing in the Crimson and Blue is a fulfilling feeling as a fan. They are invested, and rightfully so.

“The fans, they love it. You feel like you’re really a part of something,” former Kansas running back and now Kansas football sideline reporter Brandon McAnderson said. “There’s just a different type of ownership about watching a person develop from when they’re 13, 14 15 years old all the way up until they’re in college, and they’re rooting for your alma mater, your hometown team, your favorite team. I would say there’s an ownership element to it, and it makes you feel more connected.”

When Leipold began coaching at Kansas, a drought of losing records deviated to winning records, relighting a fire within fans. The winning culture, among many other aspects taken into consideration, becomes appealing for athletes balancing the big college decision. Freshman offensive line and Free State alumnus Calvin Clements said the program has begun to stand out among others, thanks to Leipold.

“Coach Leipold has influenced my time at KU a lot. They are very intentional with each and every player on the team, they really emphasize overall improvement each day. The staff makes sure you are giving your best each day and it has really taught me to be consistent in everything I do to elevate the program,” Clements said.

Ultimately, McAnderson stressed that local athletes provide a source for fans to feel excitement and offer a unique, profound pride and love for their city that makes growing up in Lawrence special.

“When you have a Calvin Clements, a Devin Neal, a guy like Wesley Edison — these guys that are great athletes that have this big time potential, they care

about it just a little bit more, they have pride in it just a little bit more. When they flourish, it feels good to everyone,” McAnderson said. ”It doesn’t take all of them. It just takes the right ones. The important part is making sure we get the right ones, especially the ones that are from Lawrence.”

LOCAL PLAYERS 2023

DEVIN NEAL (JR.)

COLE MONDI (SO.)

JAYDON BRITTINGHAM (FR.)

CALVIN CLEMENTS (FR.)

LANCE BASSETT (FR.)

TYLER SOUKHOT (SO.)

(PEN)DEMIC

Underage use of vapeable marijuana sparks conversation

Story by Allison Mayhew

With just the click of a button and a few hits, weed pens can be used to get high at any time or place. Different from traditional forms of marijuana, they are portable, rechargeable and produce only a muted smell. With the legality in neighboring states and loopholes regarding specific compounds, these devices have become widely accessible from a drive to Mass St. or a walk to the bathroom.

Over a third of high schoolers report using marijuana in their lifetime according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Amidst these numbers, it is challenging to graduate high school without exposure to marijuana.

School Resource Officer Kacey Wiltz said she works with a small percentage of students who have been caught with pens or vapes on school campus. She said that the peer pressure to perform to standards can change a student’s life.

“It’s hard for some students who may succumb to

According to anonymous students “Bill Christopher” and “Sally Williams,” using vapeable marijuana pens is common throughout the student body and the faint smell is even recognizable in the school bathrooms.

For underage students, pens are easily obtainable from peers and many find known places in town where purchases can be completed.

“There’s such a wide population of students at the school who do it,” Christopher said. “It’s really easy for someone just to ask their friend and get a pen.”

Over the summer, Williams purchased their first pen and now relies on using it daily, blaming convenience as part of the reason for their dependency. They said heavy usage of the pen has caused effects like feeling fuzzy and forgetful. Despite feeling the negative effects, the student said a culture controlled by weed would be hard to resist post-graduation in college, leaving them

increased their exposure to party culture and drug usage at a young age. In contempt of the effects and regulations, they said using marijuana has alternately given them and their peers an outlet that isn’t as harmful as alcohol.

“All my friends who do smoke have a way of doing it casually and constructively and use it as a nice outlet to have fun and relax a little bit,” Christopher said. “They use pens without being insanely destructive to themselves or anything like that.”

For some students, dealing with the many stressors of school and outside life has led them to rely on the drug as a coping mechanism. Even with the harmful longterm effects, Christopher and Williams both believe that the use of the drug is useful to cope with short-term stressors.

“School is stressful and with the pen, you can just not be as stressed and it’s so convenient,” Williams said. “If I have a hard day, I’m excited to hit my pen.”

However, according to Wiltz, students should be wary of the long-lasting effects that pens can have, not only on their physical health but also on their mental health. The use of marijuana has been linked to depression, social anxiety and suicidal thoughts, per the CDC.

“Students say that the pen stops their mind from thinking about [stress]. However, there are legal ways to do that,” Wiltz said.

Wiltz stresses the need for a comprehensive approach when dealing with students who have been using marijuana, which includes education, counseling support and addressing the underlying issues that lead to drug use.

“You can go buy drugs on that street. You can go buy drugs from your friends. It’s an easy outlet,” Wiltz said. “Other outlets might be a little bit harder, but they are safer, healthier and keep you learning and on track.”

27% of students have used a pen. (According to a poll on @fsjournalism on Instagram)

CO legal

KS illegal MO legal

21+ to legally purchase a pen (if identification requested.)

$35 average purchase price for 3.5 gram pen.

THC Cartridge

Contains concentrate of cannabinoids that causes the effects of being high. When attached to a battery, the substance vaporizes.

Battery Gives the energy to heat the THC concentrate, through the use of an atomizer.

OVATION!

USD 497 talent show photo gallery

Standing center stage, Allanah, Amelia, and Aleisha Lohfeld perform their Irish step dance routine. Originally from the western coast of Ireland, the sisters have performed in multiple annual Ovation talent shows. Photo by Nathan Friedman

Seated at a grand piano, senior Lucas Sola performs “Fantasia Sopra L’infinito” one of many pieces he has written. Sola, an accomplished musician, aspires to become a professional composer.

Photo by Anders Benson

Gracefully suspended above the stage, 7th grader Ellie Earl performs an aerial silks routine. Earl discovered an enjoyment for aerial silks 2 years ago after starting lessons at Inspired Aerial Arts.

Photo by Anders Benson

Singing their heart out, Senior KJ Jones performs “Monsters” by James Blunt. Jones dedicated the performance to their mother who recently passed away. Photo by Anders Benson

Dancing in unison, senior Jaeda Fletcher, sophomore Amora Sprague and junior Kira Shepard of Dance Hues Studio perform a dance routine in the 2024 Ovation Talent Show. Photo by Anders Benson

Member dancers of the Lawrence Ballet Theatre company strike a pose during their performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin Opera Waltz” choreographed by Melissa Hayle-Coyle. The piece will be performed at the RDA (Regional Dance America) national festival this April in Daytona Beach, Florida. “[The dance] showcases free movement and having a good time. It’s supposed to make the audience feel really good,” LHS Junior Zana Kennedy said. Photo by Nathan Kramer

CHINESE NEW YEAR POP-UP ART MARKET

Local art community hosts pop-up market

POP-UP ART MARKET

By Phoebe Morris

On Feb. 9, Art Emergency hosted a pre-Valentines/ Chinese New Year popup art market to kick off the Year of the Dragon. Seventeen artists were featured in the gallery. Art Emergency is a building of artist studios that opens its doors to the public to attend and participate in Lawrence’s art community.

One of the many mannequins is wearing an elegant handmade hat. Jewelry and clothing were among the most common items for sale. Photo by Anders Benson

Artistic prints lay on an artists booth ready to be sold. Photo by Anders Benson

In a corner of the market, some black and white paintings of planes are displayed. Photo by Anders Benson

A colorful array of painted stones is displayed for sale at the market. Photo by Anders Benson

Perusing some jewelry on display, a potential customer considers purchasing a new set of earrings. Photo by Anders Benson

Artist Sarah Schau stands proudly in front of one of her paintings in Art Emergency Lawrence. Schau is a visual arts teacher at Tonganoxie High School. Photo by Anders Benson

For many students, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, takes a large financial burden off their shoulders throughout the college application process. Often, FAFSA can decide if a student can attend their top choice college, but this year, the process is being tempered due to national delayed releases.

Typically, FAFSA letters are sent out with college admission letters; however, the process is being halted for up to months due to a later-than-expected rollout of a new FAFSA form.

Originally, the Education Department claimed the new and improved form would be easier for families to fill out. However, the form wasn’t ready to publish in October, when the forms for the coming school year are usually released. As a result, the program did not start accepting applications until January — three months later than in previous years.

BACK ON THE BALLOT

A FAULT IN FAFSA

Delayed student aid creates college admissions tension

Story by Lilly Wall

As a result, many have expressed a domino effect on their admissions. Many families have slowed down their college decision process, left waiting an unknown amount of time, unsure if the university costs can even be covered without aid.

Furthermore, colleges have expressed concern about admissions levels. Without students’ access to aid, admissions boards are left waiting anxiously to know if numerous students will commit to the college without certified support of affordability.

Despite the delays, officials say the new application form is simpler and has resulted in more people from low-income backgrounds having higher eligibility for FAFSA.

Simon Williams

Editorial Excerpt

“For me, it felt like I was watching the progress women had fought for and made crumble before my eyes.”

What is House Bill 2492?

A bill proposed in Kansas that would prohibit abortion procedures except when necessary to save the life of the pregnant person

Scan to read more about this story on our website!

ENCORE BACKSTAGE

Behind the scenes of the fan favorite Encore, Free State singers put in numerous hours of work leading up to the final performance. The first time-consuming stressor is prepping for a weekend long of auditions.

Singers must include pre-rehearsed songs, extra sheet music and choreography in each 10 minute audition. Since most singers participate in as many groups as possible, senior Natalie Riley finds it harder to manage stress levels from increased responsibility and time-commitment.

“I’m getting burnt out because I’ll do six rehearsals a day. I go from not dancing

Singers put an overwhelming amount of effort into preparing for Encore

Story by Phoebe Morris

to dancing every single hour,” Riley said. “My body hurts. And especially for leading [rehearsals], it’s just mentally exhausting.”

While other students were out enjoying winter break, these singers packed rehearsals into their schedules left and right. The rigorous rehearsal schedule gave singers little time for outside-ofschool activities, senior Alex Godinez said.

“I couldn’t work as much as I’d hoped to because of random rehearsals,” Godinez said. “At a certain point, you need to prioritize Encore over your own personal things if you want to be committed to a group.”

Choir teachers Joshua East and Olivia Henning realize how overwhelming this process may get. In reaction, they said they try to create a balance of enjoyable experiences for students while managing the baseline responsibility it takes.

“We try to walk that line between high expectations and realistic healthy boundaries as best we can. It can be stressful for folks, but we try. You can be as involved as you’d like to be, and we personally try really hard to emphasize that,” East said.

Even with this said, more pressure is piled up since many of the singers have fond memories of watching siblings perform.

For example, Riley remembers dyeing Easter eggs in the ticket line while waiting to see her older sister perform.

“This is a family tradition. We have students that maybe they had parents, cousins, siblings that did this. It’s important to them to feel like they’re part of that legacy,“ Henning said.

Encore is more than just a show to these singers; it’s a tradition they’ve looked forward to for years. With only junior and senior year to audition, seniors like Riley said they feel pressured to get any song ideas covered.

“It’s your final picture of high school, so it’s just emotional. It closes my whole choir career, which is such a big thing in my life,” Riley said.

Despite how stressful preparing for Encore might get, singers feel the hard work is worth it, Riley said. Encore creates the opportunity for singers to express themselves through their passion for music.

“Encore is just such a big word to me. It’s the last time you’re singing with people that you love and care about for who knows when,” Riley said. “I want to go out with a bang, since I’ll never get this experience again.”

Seniors Molly Nuckolls, Sophie Racy, and junior Kinsey Lake rehearse their Encore featured act, “Ex-Factor,” for the performances to come at the end of this next month. As this is an exciting, anticipatory time for these Free State Choir participants, it also invites a great deal of stress into the lives of these busy students. Photo by Amelia Wiles

JAYHAWKS LEAVE

Story by Rakshan Ossen and Jonah Frye

In the midst of rebuilding the David Booth Memorial Stadium, the University of Kansas football team moved home matches of the 2024-2025 season to Kansas City. The team’s home-field advantage will now be playing at the Kansas City Chief’s Arrowhead stadium and Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park.

On Jan. 30, KU announced the big headline that it will move home games to Kansas City. The move to the big city is impactful for the team, but could potentially cause more consequences closer to home. While this change is only temporary, local Jayhawk fans and businesses are likely to feel an impact because of it.

BUSINESS OBSTACLES

Along with concerns from KU fans, many local businesses who count on the influx of customers from the KU games anticipate being negatively impacted next year. Among these other local businesses, both Black Stag Brewery and Uplift Coffee anticipate a profit loss due to the loss of local traffic brought by games.

Trey Huslig, Uplift’s operations manager, said that Uplift will lose 200-300 customers per game. According to an

interview from KCTV5, Black Stag Brewery anticipates up to $10,000 worth of loss for every game KU plays in Kansas City.

“Hopefully we don’t see an impact at all, but we are more excited for when games come back in Lawrence,” Huslig said.

The lack of KU games will also impact smaller familyrun businesses. Many locals who live around the stadium sell parking for the football games, bringing money into Lawrence and supporting their family. Senior Molly Flynn said that her family sells parking for KU football games, and next season they will lose the opportunity to make money off of parking cars.

Free State business teacher Kimberly Hawks said the transition could have a negative impact on the Lawrence economy since local businesses may lose profits.

“In Lawrence, we are just kind of known for having a lot of eating choices and bar choices. Many of them are small businesses, single or double locations,” Hawks said. “Their margin of profit is very slim, so losing the traffic that they automatically get during any athletic season is going to hit their bottom line. They are going to suffer.”

Trey Huslig, Uplift’s operations manager

THE NEST

STUDENT CONCERNS

Despite the possible negative impacts that may come with KU playing its games in Kansas City next year, Jayhawk fans are universally excited about the much-needed renovations.

Senior Jackson Lickert, an incoming freshman at the University of Kansas, said he is excited by the renovations that are happening right now for the stadium.

“It’s a needed expansion on the seating,” Lickert said. “We’re getting better and better every year. More fans means more seating and it’s just really exciting.”

One rising concern for fans is whether or not students will get to watch football games in person because of the commute they have to make. With fewer students attending the games, KU football may not have the usual home-field support. According to a poll sent out by @FSJournalism on Instagram, 46% of Free State students said they will not attend the games in Kansas City, possibly due to the timeconsuming commute.

“It is pretty disappointing to know that I’ll have to make my way out there to the game,” Lickert said. “But at the same time, I know [the renovation] is needed because we’re getting better and Jayhawks are on the come up.”

With KU football’s move to Kansas City for the 2024-2025 season, local Jayhawk fans and businesses feel impacts

FROM A PLAYER’S EYE

University of Kansas football commit and Free State senior Wesley Edison said he is not worried by a change in home crowd energy despite the drive fans have to make.

“KU might have the best fan base out of any college school in the country. So I’m sure that won’t be a problem. I’m sure that they’ll figure it out,” Edison said. “I’m sure it will still be alive and still have a great atmosphere and energy.”

Edison said one of the many reasons he committed to the university was largely because of the renovations that were happening to its facilities. Next year, however, one thing he said he’ll miss about the David Booth Memorial Stadium is the conventional college football experience.

“I’ll miss the traditional college game day feeling mostly more than anything but other than that, I’m sure the energy and atmosphere will still be there,” Edison said.

KU football will play its first pre-season home game in Children’s Mercy Park on Aug. 29 against Lindenwood University.

Jackson Lickert, 12

Wesley Edison, 12

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Images of the Chiefs Parade, show fans celebrating the Super Bowl win. Moments later, there day was interrupted by several shooting. Photo by Kinsey Lake

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce celebrating together after the chiefs become back-toback World Champions. Design by Kouri Demelash

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NEWS: FROM LOVE TO LOSS

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NEWS: BAND MEMBERS PREPARE FOR ALL-STATE

Band members prepare for KMEA 5/6A All-State coming up this February

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Saddened by the death of her son and husband, Olive Allison, played by senior Cella Allison, grieves them with a candle, and remembers all of the other lives that were lost in the plane crash. Photo by Gregory Mayhew

Free State band members who auditioned and made district band along with the freshmen who were nominated for the freshman band pose for a photo. Elliot Kastens, Toby Kwan, Julia Kwan, Amy Lock, Luke Rogers, Anwen Williams, and alternate Mallory Rogers all made the 2024 KMEA 5/6A All State Band. Photo Collected by Free State Band

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PETS DAY

Here

are some of our school pets!

Design by Abbie Veeder

Photos by Anders Benson

MISO

You can find Miso chilling out with Sara Abeita in room 527.

GORB

Hang out with Gorb in room 427 with Julie Schwarting and

FEB. 20

WAYNE

Wayne can be found hanging out at the front security desk.

JANE

Jane can be found slithering around in room 427 with Julie Schwarting.

ALEX

Alex was adopted by Julie Schwarting. You can see her in room 427.