Free Press, Iss 6 Ed 16

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issue six edition sixteen january 31, 2013

students’ opinions on school dances versus private parties

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the future of technology in school and out: the evolution of teaching with tech

pages 6-7

academics

FP

january 31, 2013

page by sam boatright

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the afterlife of school dances >students choosing parties over school dances by rosemary newsome

In the hours leading up to Winter Formal, many students’ schedules involved grooming, photo taking, dining out and spending time on a party bus. The party bus’ destination, however, was not actually Winter Formal.

Oddly, the party bus was headed, instead, to the Cave--the Oread’s basement bar that occasionally hosts parties directed for high school students. “The Cave” is the location of dances that actually seems to bring excitement and pleasure to students. It is also the buzzword that has become the ruination of school dances.

Junior Molly McCord followed a similar schedule, one that revolved around a party at the Cave rather than Winter Formal.

“Nobody that I was with wanted to go [to Winter Formal],” she said.

However, McCord’s friends do not keep her from frequenting other school dances; she individually chooses not to attend those.

“There is nothing about [school dances] that I enjoy,” she said, “and nobody. It’s not very fun.”

While the school dances don’t offer anything for McCord, the Cave supplies a better experience for some students.

“More people go [to the Cave] and it’s a more fun atmosphere,” McCord said. “People are excited to be there; they aren’t excited to be at the school dances.”

Sophomore Geoff Peard, who organized a Winter Formal after party at the Cave last year, provided a party for students like McCord, who

sought a more lively atmosphere.

“I just kind of wanted everybody to experience just a tight party, just wanted to throw something cool just for everybody to enjoy,” Peard said.

Peard also speculates that the Cave may appeal to more students because it doesn’t confine students the way school dances do.

“I feel like students don’t feel as trapped because they’re not at school,” he said. “[They are] not around the school environment, they

“People are excited to be [at the Cave]; they aren’t excited to be at the school dances.” >molly mccord, 11

have more freedom.”

The Cave also doesn’t inflict constraints that any school-sponsored dance does.

At the Cave, there is no uncomfortableness of having teacher-chaperones watch students get their groove on, there is no frantic search for a partner during the ever-awkward slow song, there are no limitations of who can attend and there are no breathalyzers.

Although he may be responsible for igniting a trend of high school-thrown parties at the Cave that rally students’ genuine enthusiasm for dancing, Peard still attends the more eventful school dances. He insists he doesn’t attend every single school dances because he’s busy.

Despite being required to attend Student Council sponsored dances as a StuCo representative, junior Bailey Sullivan sympathizes with students like McCord who don’t enjoy school dances.

“They probably hate dancing . . . [and] don’t want to hang out at the school for additional time,” she said.

The Cave proves that students who don’t attend school dances don’t necessarily abhor dancing. Rather, students just want an environment other than a school cafeteria in which to let loose.

With rumors of Lawrence High’s supposedly highly-attended dances, Sullivan insists that, ultimately, students themselves decide whether the dance is gratifying or not.

“Everyone should come to dances,” she said, “because if everyone came, they would be a lot more fun. That’s probably why LHS’s are more fun, because people go. If everyone just developed a good attitude and got excited to go, it would be more fun.”

Perhaps the secret to success is not eliminating the competition or ridding protective measures, but adjusting the attitude in which students regard school dances in order for them to enjoy the iconic social event for high schoolers.

2012-13

free press staff sam boatright- co-editorin-chief katie guyot- co-editor-inchief hannah moran- copy editor sarah whipple- design editor kimberly messineo-sports manager logan brown- ad manager jacob hood- cartoonist maria carrasco- reporter sean chilicoat- reporter kyra haas- reporter kerrie leinmiller-renickreporter sarah lieberman- reporter

ryan liston- reporter maria mckee- reporter becca moran- reporter rosemary newsome- reporter morgan noll- reporter catherine prestoy- reporter hannah reussner- reporter ciara sayler- reporter gavin spence- reporter jake stegall- reporter riley buller- designer kristina foster- designer darian koenig- designer john mccain- designer

our mission

The Free Press is an open forum that accepts letters to the editor and guest writings. They must include the writer’s name and telephone numbers. Articles may be edited due to space limitations, libel or inappropriate content. Letters may be submitted to Room 115 or sent in care of Free Press to Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66049.

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Free Press staff, the high school administration, nor that of the USD 497 Board of Education.

on the cover

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freshman Dalma Olvera shows off her dance moves at winter formal as seniors look on, showing that this school-sponsored dance lives on. photo by megan haasedevine

ESPN

issue six edition sixteen january 31, 2013

students’ opinions on school dances versus private parties

page 2

the future of technology in school and out: the evolution of teaching with tech

pages 6-7

cover by sarah whipple students’ technology overload is through the roof these days with thousands of apps available at their fingertips

january 31, 2013

page by riley buller

>gun rights, control advocates clash after year of high-profile shootings by maria mckee

The Second Amendment to the Constitution, which gives a U.S. citizen the right to bear arms, is always a heated topic.

In recent months, there have been pleads for action on gun violence after a series of horrific mass shootings, like the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin, the Aurora, Co. theater shooting, and the Sandy Hook school shooting.

As the country absorbs the news of these mass shootings, Americans have begun speaking up, voicing their opinions, in hopes that change will come. Gun rights and gun control advocates alike have been trying to influence the actions of Congress for years to craft legislation in their separate interests.

Our culture of violence right now seems overwhelming to many. In 2012 alone, the country suffered from 16 mass shootings that left at least 88 dead.

Readjusting and configuring gun control measures--everything from banning assault weapons and strengthening background checks to improving the measure of our mental health system--causes controversy among many Americans, largely because citizens can’t agree on the central cause of the violence.

“I don’t think that you can [prevent future mass shootings],” teacher Kim Grinnell said.

Grinnell grew up in a gun-friendly home of hunters and acquired her first weapon from her father.

Like many Americans, she questions whether politicians’ current suggestions about redirecting our mental health system, providing gun education or regulating assault

magazines and weapons will prevent future mass shootings.

“There is no foolproof way,” Grinnell said. “Criminals are going to do criminal acts and they will find a way to do so.

It may not necessarily be with a gun, but people who are determined to do evil will find a way.”

The current method of dealing with these crimes is to lock up the criminals after they commit acts of violence.

Using mental health resources to try to predict such crimes before they occur may be more complicated than it sounds on the nightly news.

“If no one has gone in for treatment, there’s no way they will show up on a background mental health check either,” Grinnell said.

Gun owners should be taking precautions with their children. Any child who grows up in a gun-owning family could be in danger without proper knowledge about the works of weaponry.

Junior Thomas Muiller is a routine hunter as well as a competitive shooter. He spends a lot of his time around guns, as his hobbies would suffer without them.

“I definitely learned at a young age about guns and what they can do to people and how to be safe with them,” Muiller said. “It’s helped my life, just to be safe around them.”

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) has implemented gun safety programs for kids that aim to teach children what to do if they were to come across a weapon, without teaching how to use one.

“While [children] should be aware of what guns are and the consequences of using them, I don’t think that they

387

school shootings in the United States since 1992 the ages of victims of school shootings shows high numbers for students between 10-19

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in the crosshairs

should be taught early on how they work or how to operate them,” senior Deena Rodecap said.

Rodecap is immersed in gun-related topics regularly, as her father is a police officer. She believes that it should be more difficult to obtain weapons, while also believing that handguns are needed in many ways.

Concealed carry is the practice of carrying an unseen weapon in public. Many pro-gun advocates believe that this may be the solution to high crime rates.

“There are certain situations where someone who has a weapon needs to protect themselves; [this way] they can,” Muiller said.

Fighting fire with fire is dangerous, according to Grinnell. Many gun control advocates believe that allowing concealed carry may do the exact opposite and instead increase the amount of crime that occurs in society as it is.

“I’m not so sure that [concealed carry] really is as reliable as they’d like you to think,” Grinnell said.

School protection has become a major concern since recent devastating tragedies have involved students.

“The lockdown drill is good in theory, but at the same time having us sit in a pile in the corner of a room is basically making it easier to strike someone,” Rodecap said. “I would suggest higher security in schools.”

Many communities across the country have pushed to put armed guards in their children’s schools for protection.

As viewpoints clash, Americans can agree that the safety of citizens is of the utmost importance. All sides of the debate can at least share the hope that the nation will soon be on the road to improvement.

global gab >know what everyone is talking about

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Isreal- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party wins narrow majority in national election

years old:

299 deaths

statistics from stoptheshooting.org

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Algeria- At least 37 multinational hostages are dead after being abducted from a BP gas plant by armed militants Syria- Russian citizens exit war-torn Syria in masses. Russia, a Syrian ally, declines to call it an evacuation United States- Obama is re-inaugurated, highlighting equality, the environment, gun control, political gridlock in his address

hometown hub

FP

january 31, 2013

page by sam boatright

hometown hub

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showing off what Lawrence does best by becca moran and kerrie leinmiller-renick

“the hobbit: an unexpected journey”

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talib kweli photo credit to didy b

f the film world consisted of desserts, “The Hobbit” would be an ice cream sundae. Sprinkles, cherry, whipped cream, hot fudge and ice cream; fantasy buff or not, the film has something for everyone. Even if you are not versed in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, then never fear, you can still enjoy this unexpected journey.

The viewer follows the main character--a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins--13 other dwarves and Gandalf the Wizard, all who battle goblins, monster giants and other mythological characters.

If the viewer takes anything from Tolkien’s stories, it should be the underlying devotion to friendship. Off of the two other films in production, director Peter Jackson was able to embellish the friendship factor by illustrating the characters’ struggles.

Jackson does this by giving good film time to each of the dwarves and fully expanding a challenge of riddles between Bilbo and the ring-obsessed Gollum.

Each rising action has its own twist of fantasy, yet still challenges the efforts of the different dynamics of the dwarf company. Enjoy the flow of visual, well-constructed cinema techniques. And around you, full in surround sound, is the marvelous music flowing with the mood of the story that ends up being your sprinkles on top.

Jackson has something up his sleeve for the next two films in “The Hobbit” series, but that will just leave moviegoers and “Hobbit” fans alike screaming for the future success of Bilbo and his friends.

B

rooklyn native Talib Kweli is one of the most consistent forces in underground hip-hop. After starting his career by collaborating with Mos Def to form criticallyacclaimed Black Star in 1998, he continues to grow and improve.

Kweli breaks the mold of most rap artists today with his powerful lyrics about modern social and political issues, great beats and lack of egotripping. Kweli makes you want to tap your feet, question the world and ponder life, all at once.

The Granada is not nicknamed the “Granasty” for nothing. However, beyond the stickiness and grime, the Granada hosts a wide variety of well-known, high quality musical acts.

>$22 advanced >feb.22; doors @ 8:30

“hubsessions” flaunting the hall’s latest fads >what is your latest app addiction?

“Snapchat” >emily vanschmus, 12

“I don’t allow a lot of apps on my phone because I don’t want anybody to access my information without my permission”

“Probably Twitter or Skyward”

>carolyn berry, teacher

>trevor hillis, 11

“I normally use Twitter and Instagram” > geoff peard, 10

mod sun and cisco adler

O

photo credit to jessika brandt

n February 17th, Mod Sun and Cisco Adler take the stage. Cisco Adler is purely feel-good island vibes.

He combines beach music, reggae and a bit of hip-hop to produce highly clap-able and danceable songs. His music is the equivalent of a somewhat poorlywritten beach read: light, easy and fun, but nothing to inspire revelations.

Mod Sun describes his genre as “hippy hop” and “an audible smile;” he injects absolute joy into almost all of his songs. His pants hang low, his hair stays wild and his smile never leaves. Mod Sun’s demeanor and philosophy are obvious in the title of one of his most popular songs, “Be F-ing Happy.” This show is guaranteed to make you just that: happy.

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WE DON’T JUST FOLLOW TRENDS.

WE SET THEM. NOW ENROLLING

“Twitter” >abigale williams, 9

877.216.0692 Lawrence Campus 1601 West 23rd Street, Suite 204 Defining Beauty Education Since 1905

www.marinello.com

t e g

fr

january 31, 2013

page by darian koenig

g u

scam

catching consumers

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>personal ads online pose problems for the consumer

network

by catherine prestoy

Say a person just sent an email to their friend talking about a new book they enjoy.

Once they receive a response from the friend, can be nerve-wracking. It’s hard to tell if some- a bunch of ads may pop up about the book. one who lives across the country, or the world, Information regarding bookstores that carry will actually pay or sell what they said they the book and additional information will flash would. across the screen. Personal advertising strikes One can also be scammed beyond the again. buyer-seller interaction.

Personal ads are made in the hopes for a Scams of all different types are all over the higher probability that users will click on them Internet. If a site says, “YOU ARE THE ARE THE and are used by finding keywords in mes1,000,000th, VISITOR CLAIM YOUR FREE IPAD!!!”, sages. This is how freshman girls get their ads this doesn’t mean you actually won a free iPad. for makeup and adults get their ads for auto Anyone with a little common sense can recoginsurance. Google gets most of its money from nize an internet scam. If it seems too good to be advertising, so it understandably pours a lot of true, it probably is. money into advertising research.

“It’s unrealistic, too lucky,” Sophomore The result: advertisements tailored speMackinzie Urish said. cifically to a person’s preferred pastimes and Matt Gudenkauf, a computer programming hobbies. teacher, says these websites won’t necessarHowever, it’s doubtful that there are little ily harm your computer, or steal credit card hobbit people behind computers keeping surinformation. veillance on your inbox deep in the catacombs “They try to get your information, in a legal of Google. way,” Guedenkauf said. “...[T]hey will try to get Personal ads are filtered through programyour email address or your home address and ming, not people. Although the programcreate a database out of it, which they sell to ming is made by the people, it’s improbable marketers. It’s worth a lot of money.”

These Internet ad companies aren’t too harmful to computers or users, but some might argue that they are invading privacy. (See “Catching Consumers” to the right.)

Stealing has been a problem since the first humans walked the Earth, but with modern technological innovations, it’s becoming more and more difficult to recognize truth from scam.

>the dangers of online marketing

by sean chilcoat

FP money

’s

let

al

Money is what makes the world go round-the World Wide Web, that is. In the age of eBay, Craigslist and Amazon, anyone can sell their most prized possessions with just a click of a mouse.

Buying and selling online is easier than ever, and being able to sell and buy from thousands of miles away makes stealing easier than ever. Scams and fake money are very common in the process of online shopping.

Senior Connor Thellman sold his iPad on Craigslist for around $600. At first he was not suspicious.

“I didn’t even think twice about whether or not the money was real after the sale. Why would I?” Thellman said.

Later he noticed something abnormal about about his newly acquired cash.

“After I recounted the money at home, I noticed something weird: a lot of the bills had the same serial numbers.” Thellman said. “I then checked for the watermarks. None.”

The buyer was never caught.

“I decided to go to the Lawrence Police Department the next day. Once there, they sent me to the Lenexa Police--the city where I had made the sale.” He says the police were very helpful but didn’t find him.

Scamming comes from both sides of the bargain. While the buyer scammed Thellman, sellers can scam too.

Sending a check thousands of miles away

company workers sneak a peek into your email from time to time.

Companies find key words in emails and tell advertisers that the person might be a potential customer. This is where the invasion of privacy issues come into play. “This customer” might change into “Catherine Prestoy” the next day. Companies will do almost anything to find a customer and will keep advertising to that customer if it means business.

The truth about personalized ads is that they’re just made for an easier and quicker way for a person to access information. On the ad settings page on Google, they use the example of someone searching up the words “New York”, “Travel”, and “Hotels”. Google would take these keywords and show ads like “Hotels in New York” or “Travel to New York.”

Personal ads aren’t meant as an invasion of privacy but rather a quicker way for a person who uses Google to receive information or a quicker way for businesses to receive money.

To eliminate personal ads, go to your email and in the upper right-hand corner click “Why this ad?”, go to ad settings and opt out any unwanted ads to prevent them from coming back.

want to read more of this story? check out fsfreepressonline.com

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technical overload

january 31, 2013

6

>statistics provided by education.com and takepart.com

>school district working to upgrade technology, teaching methods for 21st-century learning by ciara sayler and katie guyot

When math teacher Danira Flores sees cell phones glowing on her classroom desks, she doesn’t confiscate them. In fact, she encourages them. That’s because she knows her Algebra and Pre-Calculus students aren’t zoning out on Pinterest or Ruzzle: instead, they’re using their apps to check their homework, answer her questions and brush up on the angles of the unit circle.

Flores is one of seven teachers in the Lawrence Public Schools who have volunteered to pilot an innovative system of teaching called “blended learning,” which combines traditional methods of instruction with new methods that incorporate modern technology, tailoring teaching methods to individual students’ learning styles.

“The kids like it,” Flores said after her second week of the program. “My Algebra I students feel it’s easier. My PreCalculus students feel like they like the sense of independence they have.”

Modern Methods The math department isn’t the only area of the school accelerating into the 21st century. Using fancy iPads, techy laptops and Kindles, and even their iPhones and smartphones, students across many subjects are learning their curriculums in much the r e v o same way there are that they entertain themselves online and N rd ESP conSkywa nect with

3,40d 0

n-base educatio nes iTu apps on

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january 31, 2013

page by sarah whipple

start your day off right with the alarm clock app

friends over social

map out your day with google maps app

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media.

In the English department, teacher Carol Spring and program leader Kim Young have worked together to utilize the iLit server, a contemporary iPad app that allows students to read novels and document notes in a virtual journal to boost literacy. Spring uses the tool for her Literacy Workshop class, where students can enhance their literary skills by reading everything from basic passages to complex novels. “[iLit] is engaging and has over 300 titles to choose from, so everyone can participate,” Spring said.

While the iLit program is rather new, Spring says students are getting used to the learning tool.

“For Lit Workshop, we use the iPads daily, so students are used to the drill and know what to do,” Spring said. “I think the newness has worn off.”

As more and more novels—some of which were originally written on typewriters or papyrus—appear in digital form, the possibility exists that paper and pencil may soon become obsolete.

However, in Flores’ math classes, students still take their own handwritten notes over every chapter using the Cornell note-taking system, which makes room for notes, key points, questions and summaries. But after that, almost everything they need to know is stored electronically on Flores’ website and other online resources. “[My website is] interactive,” Flores said. “If you click on that date, it brings up your lesson. This is what we’re covering. These videos teach you how to do it. These are the questions that are essential. These are the problems you should work on.”

Cooperation and Independence When students come to class, they can choose whether they want to work on their notes, complete homework, do group work, watch videos (such as Khan Academy’s) or listen to Flores lecture.

Her classroom is set up to accommodate all of blended learning’s varied activities: a traditional lecturestyle desk arrangement faces a wall that’s half whiteboard and half Smartboard (a touch-screen device that acts as both a computer and a whiteboard); roundtables dot the center of the room, perfect for students who want to work independently with laptops; and kidney-

shaped desks that seat five students at a time surround big-screen televisions, where students can gather to work in groups.

“They get to choose how their class goes,” Flores said.

“They can decide to go home [and] read, take notes, watch videos and take notes, and come to class to do the practice problems, or they can choose to read and watch videos in class and go home to do the practice problems. That’s their choice.”

in 2010, the U.S. Department of

$7 million

Education gave to programs furthering technology-based programs

South Korea

Students can also choose when they want to listen to Flores lecture and when they want to teach themselves independently.

A few times a week, Flores tells her students, “I will lecture today. If you want to listen to my lecture, join me over there. If you don’t want to listen to my lecture, because you’re a little ahead or your learning mode is better plugged in and watching videos, then you choose.”

Senior Addison McCauley, one of Flores’ Pre-Calculus students, says that, though he wasn’t too keen on the program when it was first introduced at the beginning of this semester, it has made his notes more neat and organized.

“Initially I was pretty upset about it, honestly,” he said, “because I’m a senior, so I’ve been taking notes the same way for years.”

Now, though, McCauley could be called a convert. He has four apps on his phone that he uses exclusively for his math class. The one he uses most often, called Canvas, is the software Flores uses to make her website interactive.

1 million

in , all methods of technology are left with the teacher at the classroom door; test scores are much higher than those in the United States

12 order some grub with the jimmy john’s mobile app

“That is the app he’s constantly going through on his phone to see, ‘Okay, what am I doing today?’” Flores said.

Another important app is Socrative, which allows students to enter answers to questions Flores asks in class into their phones or computers. These answers then appear automatically on the Smartboard.

Thanks to Socrative, Flores has seen a rise in classroom participation.

“I remember teaching in the traditional way and asking a question, and no one answering—or the exact same person answering over and over again,” she said. “…[Now,] if I have a question and they won’t answer, then I’ll say, ‘Let’s log into Socrative,’ and when I ask my questions, they’re all typing into their cell phones or laptops.”

A Spreading System Blended learning is one of many technological initiatives that will appear on the April 2 ballot for the 2013 school board elections, included in a $92.5 million bond issue that combines improvements for school facilities ($80.5 million), career and technical education ($5.7 million), and technology ($6.5 million).

School board member Shannon Kimball explains that funding for technology comes from multiple sources. With the school now possessing 30 iPads, the iLit app is one of many changes the district wants.

“These varied resources include student funds (paid by students during enrollment) and district funds (general fund dollars to support staff and students, which come to the district from the state),” Kimball said in an email.

“Capital outlay funds (local property tax dollars collected through a mill levy set by the board of education each year) are among the sources as well.”

The bond will not require a tax hike: when current bonds expire this year, the district hopes to use that money toward the new $92.5 million bond instead of lowering taxes, thus maintaining the financial status quo.

According to Kimball, the district aims to use this money “to meet the

in 2007, high school students in the United States took online classes of some sort

States admit they’ve texted answers to someone else in class put all your flashcards for school on your phone with the flashcard app

2

5

get fueled up after your workout with the snack app

6

get quick answers for infinite topics with the wikipedia app

curl up with a good book, only on your phone, with the kindle app

8

10

plug into your favorite TV show or catch a movie with the netflix app

if you don’t want to go outside, try the nasa app to get your fix of the celestial bodies

12

7

Nikon

22% of students in the United

get short, efficient workouts with the nike training club app

4

demands of a 21st century learning environment.”

If blended learning ends up spreading from Lawrence’s seven trial classrooms, Flores predicts the technological transformation will be gradual.

“I believe that the education system is moving in that direction,” she said. “However, as the change starts going I think individual teachers are going to have to decide what kind of changes they can do at this time. It’s a huge learning curve…[B]ut I think it deserves a fair trial.”

2013 and Beyond Senior Meg Russell transferred to Free State this semester from a paperless school in Charlottesville, Va. that had already taken its own 21st-century learning plan far past the “fair trial” stage.

“We had tablets, and they were loaded with software where you could only go to where the teacher wanted you to go,” Russell said. “It took up a lot of time, and every class had to find some way to use to them. Even the band teacher had to use them.”

Of course, the school had to deal with its fair share of technological glitches. Many students brought their own laptops to school if they could afford to do so.

“The tablets were pretty bad, and kids who didn’t have money had to use them,” Russell said. “They were slow and didn’t work a lot of the time.”

Unlike the school in Virginia, the future of band class here at Free State will not revolve around tablets. On the other hand, methods of taking a math quiz and turning in homework may change in coming years.

Flores’ Pre-Calculus classes took their first quiz on Canvas on Jan. 22. The program automatically calculated the number of students who came up with a particular answer, and Flores began class on Jan. 23 by going over the automated bar graphs to work through widespread mistakes with the class.

Though taking the plunge into the district’s test drive of blended learning has taken a tremendous amount of her time, Flores says it will be worth it in the long run.

“From a teacher’s perspective, I love it,” she said. “I have watched my students do more work than they have in the past, collaborate, ask questions—they seem more engaged in the lessons.”

The school district will be watching these developments closely to determine its next step in the ever-evolving Information Age.

FP feature

feature

page by sarah whipple

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>how does technology help or hurt you with your school work? >ashlyn evans, 12

>nick jacobs, 9

“Well, it hurts because having the phone around you is always kind of distracting. But, in a way, it helps because...with using the computer you can do research way easier and way quicker.”

“I think it helps your school work if you get stuck on something, because whenever I am stuck on a math problem and my teacher’s not around, I always go on the computer to look up formulas.”

>haileigh whitman, 11

>chaska rocha, 10

“I think it helps just because [students] have so many different [technological] opportunities that [they] can use to help with school work.”

“I think [technology] helps just because we need more technology to help us work out more solutions... [to] problems.”

your day in apps and they’re all free >some apps designed by teanna totten

FP graphics

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2012

this year’s biggest events according to the free state student body 115 students polled

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the U.S. presidential election

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london olympic games

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under the hood

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your year in review

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election sandy hook olympics hurricane sandy other

january 31, 2013

page by john mccain

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the year’s biggest events according to free state students; 115 students polled

sandy hook school shooting

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hurricane sandy

january 31, 2013

page by darian koenig

profile

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noah’s kenn-istry

>student takes science to a whole other level by gavin spence

Junior Noah Kenn sees science everywhere.

“Science produces all kinds of crazy stuff that’s interesting,” Kenn said as he pointed out a window. “Those cars deal with science, these windows deal with science, and it is a never-ending process.”

However, Kenn has not always had a love for science. Up to the tenth grade he considered the subject boring, but his Advanced Chemistry teacher, Jordan Rose, changed the way he thought about science.

“Chemistry is a conceptual, challenging content area that can push students to a different level in their cognitive development,” Rose said.

“Noah’s intuitive nature and quietly engaged personality are what sets him apart from his classmates,” she said. “He tries things on his own but has a willingness to ask questions when he needs to.”

Kenn thrives in AP Chemistry.

“Science never really seems difficult to Noah,” fellow Science Olympiad member Colin Dietz said.

“He is in AP Chemistry, which pretty much gives him a pure understanding,” Dietz said.

As Kenn became increasingly passionate about science, he joined the Science Olympiad, which is an extracurricular opportunity for students to engage in scientific competitions. In total, he has competed nine times and won three medals and a ribbon.

“Noah is very helpful to the team in that he is always willing to not only take the knowledge tests, but also construct the machines for the building events, such as Gravity Vehicle,” Science Olympiad sponsor Mike Colvin said.

A gravity vehicle is a car that is actually just a box with wheels attached that contains an amount of wound-up string. The vehicle has to make it to a certain mark and the string helps slow it down. To win, a group needs to make their vehicle stop the closest to a marked point.

“He cares about the science and cares about performing well and winning,” Colvin said. “He medalled last year at regionals. He’s been in Science Olympiad for two years now. He is one of the very few people who has never missed a competition.”

Fellow members of Science Olympiad recognize Kenn’s talents.

“Science Olympiad practices every month, November through February,” fellow member John Ross said.

“Noah never misses a practice or competition. He will definitely be at State this February.”

Science only becomes difficult to Kenn if he is dealing with unfamiliar science.

“At St. James Academy, where, for example, we competed on Jan. 19, he had to step up and cover events for people who could not attend,” Colvin said. “So he competed in Thermodynamics for the first time and, of course, it was difficult to quickly prepare.”

Kenn would like to be a chemical engineer who solves problems using chemistry, biology and physics.

“It’s a good job with good pay and it deals with my big interest in doing stuff like that,” he said.

Kenn said he could never give up his love for science.

“It’s like asking someone to not breathe oxygen.”

9

FP

january 31, 2013

opinion

page by sarah whipple

10

selfie-absorbed

>you love yourself. we get it. by hannah moran

I am me and you are you.

I don’t know your life.

But I can come pretty close.

Thanks to Facebook, I know your friends from Space camp miss you. According to your Tweets, I know “High School Musical” is your guilty pleasure. But, if I were just following your Instagram, I’d think you spent every weekend enveloped in a red-solo-cup-induced delirium.

And you’re just this one kid I brushed past in the hall the other day.

The crumbs, fragments and giant chunks of our lives that hide in the crevices of social media are no mistake. We spend too much time creating photos in attempt to prove that our lives are more fabulous and fast-paced than those of our peers.

There’s a little too much emphasis on hitting all the bases on Winter Formal Bingo and not enough on appreciating the time with fellow Formal go-ers.

But that’s natural. We’ve failed if we haven’t stockpiled enough photos from this one evening to create an entire Facebook album for all to see.

It’s the human condition--we inherently want to show that we’re better than those around us, whether it’s proving to be beer

pong champion or baritone section-leader.

To apply a little AP Euro knowledge, our new sense of, ahem...self awareness is similar to the cultural phenomenon of the 14th-century Renaissance.

We’re really no different from our ancestors 700 hundred years ago, except we exalt ourselves by utilizing the iPhone’s front camera instead of by patronizing artists to build sculptures in our honor.

I am me, you are you, and we both think we’re pretty darn awesome.

As a culture, we are obsessed with ourselves.

This calls for a new chapter in the book of social etiquette. I do love to crash a good bathroom selfie between passing periods. I am also fairly certain I’ve unintentionally photobombed more than one of the girls basketball team’s “game day outfits” pictures.

However, I am not above this obsession.

On the days I actually bother to flatiron my hair, expect more Snapchats from me. I admit, if I put the effort into my appearance, I absolutely want it documented.

If only everyone cared about my outfit of the day (#ootd) as much as I did.

We are also obsessed with trying to make everyone else obsessed with us as well.

I continue to post photos, in fragile hope that one day, people will think my trip to Montana was cool or find my obsession with button downs attractive.

Let me know if you approve, folks, by simply clicking “like” on Facebook or doubletapping the photo on Instagram. Every time someone performs this action, I get far more excited than I should.

People are addicted to social media because it’s a way of seeing how people rate others’ lives. Five different Chipotle runs on Halloween=15 likes. A new puppy=31 likes.

I have devised a test to see if you’re one of the unlucky ones whose self-esteem is derived from the number of Instagram likes or Twitter followers.

If you look at food and think “Is this dish Instagram worthy?” before, “I wonder if this is delicious?” then you’re in dire need of a wakeup call. Do not spend parties or dinner with your friends thinking of how others would view your evening. It’s ok to eat Chinese food without broadcasting to the world, “Hey! This lo mein is fabulous!”

Separate real life from social media. Recently, a photo of cupcakes I posted received more “likes” than did a photo of the debate team winning the regional debate champion-

ship. Well folks, the “likes” have it. Cupcakes are officially more important than debate.

You don’t want to end up like the middleaged ladies who share the same conversations that we do around the lunch table.

At a seafood restaurant in Kansas City, I overheard a group of women chat for approximately two hours about their social media woes.

“Why did he friend me? We haven’t spoken since college!”

“I’m up to six likes on this photo.”

“I can’t believe she unfollowed me!”

If it weren’t for the wine glasses and $50 lobster, the same conversation could have occurred in the cafeteria.

This is why we obsess--we plant snippets of ourselves in the virtual world and they grow into Twitter pages, Instagram accounts, Facebook profiles.

So, kid in the hall, whose friends from Space camp miss you, I think I like Facebook you. However, I am worried that I will never get to meet you in actual human form.

People could like Twitter Hannah better than they like Facebook Hannah, or Instagram Hannah rather than Snapchat Hannah. But I quite appreciate those who like Actual Human Hannah. They are rarities these days.

seniors Emily VanSchmus and Dante Colombo parody the idealized “selfies” to show just how ridiculous people can get with their photo-taking

respect the tech

>social media has its place in modern society by morgan noll

Our generation revolves around technology. Social media is all the talk with a billion people on Facebook, over 500 million Twitter users and four billion views on YouTube per day.

A certain resentment is put towards our generation for being so highly privileged with resources. Kids are drilled with the, “When I was a kid...” speech as parents attempt to shift their children’s focus away from Twitter and towards the dinner table.

What the older generation isn’t considering, is the idea that social media is helping us and bringing us together.

Social media brings about opportunities and conveniences that our grandparents could have never even imagined. Social media gives more of the dreamers a chance at their desired reality.

Without the aid of YouTube, “Bieber Fever” would just be two words that rhyme. Although I am not personally a Belieber, and would get by just fine without Justin Bieber’s hair flips and excessive use of the word “swaggie,” I find his rise to stardom inspiring. Everything began when a few people watched his videos, those few showed their friends, and soon enough, R&B/pop sensation Usher was signing the boy with the multi-million views.

YouTube turned a boy from Canada into a pop sensation and the universally desired boyfriend across the world. Not to mention, Bieber has made history with accomplishments like selling out two concert dates for Madison Square Garden in 30 seconds.

Not only can individuals promote themselves via social media, but businesses and organizations can use social media to their advantage as well. Numerous websites and blogs

are dedicated to helping companies optimize their social media marketing. These include tips on how to interact with their audience and the best time in the day for maximum retweets.

To all the kids like myself who can never find motivation to watch the eight o’clock news, social media helps keep us in the loop.

According to ProCon.org, social networking sites are the top news source for 27.8% of Americans. Certain events like Hurricane Sandy and the Sandy Hook tragedy were first brought to my attention by scrolling down my Twitter timeline.

Through my Twitter timeline, I also heard about Zay Boldridge, a senior on the LHS basketball team who had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

A name I had never heard before was filling my phone screen, and #PrayForZay was the new trending topic.This hashtag, along with

tweets informing students to wear the color purple in honor of Zay, turned the biggest rivalry game of the season into a night of mutual respect.

In this web of social media, we don’t have to worry about being out of touch with those who are far away. The college kids living far from home can Skype with their parents whenever they begin to get homesick. The proud moms and dads can share pictures of their children with all their relatives on Facebook.

The star-struck teenagers can check Twitter to keep updates on their favorite celebrities’ daily activities.

As social media continues to become more interactive, kids will struggle to avoid being consumed. However, with a little self-discipline and some enforcement from mom and dad if need be, an occasional Twitter update or Snapchat to a friend will remain harmless.

january 31, 2013

dear free state

katie’s guide to finding four other commonly misplaced objects

to: teenage techies re: another use for cell phones

The first task I accomplished over winter break was to misplace my cell phone.

At least, I assume I lost it on the first day of break.

It could have been the day before, or the day before the day before, or the day before the day before the day before—though it couldn’t have been the day before the day before the day before the day before, because I actually sent out a text that day.

The text was to my mother. It read, “We’re out of Yoplait.” (That unlimited texting plan is really paying off—for the phone company.)

Given the bulk of yogurt-related texts that drip from my phone about as quickly as FroYo from a clotted dispenser, I estimate that I wouldn’t have noticed the phone’s absence until the morning of Jan. 3 if I hadn’t received an email from a friend wondering why I hadn’t replied to her text.

I emailed back that she would have earned a quicker response if she had tried to reach me via email, snail mail or carrier pigeon. She told me to go find my #@!$ phone.

So I picked up the home phone and dialed the phone company to report a missing cell phone, and it was recovered in minutes.

If only.

I actually dialed my own number and got ready to play a game of Marco Polo, perking my ears for the low buzz-buzz-buzz that would answer my ring-ring-ring.

I listened to the ring-ring-ring for a long time without the corresponding buzz-buzz-buzz. Polo never picked up.

After holding a brief funeral for my dead phone, I went off in search of its corpse, following the exact path I had taken when I had arrived home from finals: I walked through the side door, pantomimed throwI follow 664 people on Twitter and I’ve tweeted over 1,400 times. I have 234 contacts in my phone, most of whom I’ve never called, texted or talked to more than a couple of times. I activated my Twitter account my sophomore year; I’ve had my phone contacts since seventh grade.

In an attempt to expand our social networks, to “meet” as many friends as possible and to gain as many “likes,” “favorites” and “retweets,” our social attentions have turned from building intimate, immediate relationships in real life to creating and valuing artificial and superficial relationships from behind the barrier of a few millimeters of expensive glass.

I mention my Twitter stats not to brag-even though they aren’t that impressive--but to give you an example of how I--and probably most of you--cultivate your social media presence: through clicking a button. If you have a crush on someone, it’s much easier to follow them on Twitter, to request their Facebook friendship, than to muster up the courage to create small talk, let alone ask them for their number.

My “Followees-to-Contacts ratio” (patented) is a perfect example of this modern-day enigma. We hide behind screens to tell people how we really feel. We covet Twitter interactions and we often talk to most people we

ing my backpack across the room, leaned down to pet the air where my cat had been sitting the day before, grabbed some yogurt from the fridge, ate it, walked upstairs and tossed myself head-first onto my bed.

I didn’t find my phone, but my hunger and sleepiness were cured.

Upon awakening, I stumbled out of the mountainous piles of clothes in my bedroom to continue my topbottom investigation downstairs, where walking is less perilous. My phone was not in the cookie jar (and soon, neither were any cookies). I then stuffed my head under couches and picked up every cat, rabbit and Guinea pig in the house to feel for phone-like rectangular objects in their digestive systems. iPod: The cat stole it. Earbuds proSeveral squeals and two cat scratches later, I was vide endless feline entertainment. ready for another break. I collapsed into a chair and picked up the book I had begun reading the previous afternoon, which felt oddly heavy for a Hemingway novel. It was as if the deceased author had filled out his beautifully sparse prose in my absence.

But, thankfully for the literary community, this was not so: some bulky object serving as a bookmark was giving the book the illusion of dry density. I shook the pages over my lap and watched my phone fall right out of 1920s Spain and into the 21st century, where it rightly belonged.

At least, that’s where it would have rightly belonged if I hadn’t also misplaced its charger.

Thirty pages of Hemingwayan bullfighting later, I stuck the dead phone back into the binding to hold my place. If nothing else, uncharged cell phones make for unfailingly reliable bookmarks.

Thanks for reading, Free State.

Katie

know over Facebook and Twitter instead of in face-to-face communication. Will we soon prefer “retweets” and “favorites” to a smile and friendly “What’s up?” in the hallway? Do we already?

According to a brilliantly insightful Forbes article written by Margie Warrell, recent studies have shown that those who use social media the most--those under the age of 35--are suffering from feeling alone more than any other age group.

This correlation seems contradictory to the aim of social networking, to connect people as opposed to isolating them. My number of Twitter followees can also correlate to the lack of time that I am participating in day-to-day life--interacting with friends and family--and to the unnecessary amount of time that I am shutting myself off from the world, most of the time on purpose.

In the previously stated article, Warrell writes that “social networking provides a means of escaping [from our “regular” lives]...”

Although social networking started out as a way to keep in contact with our friends on a more “live” basis, it seems that it has, for me at least, become a distractor for everyday life, an upgrade to the mundane.

And, as if this column isn’t filled with enough irony already, this social media distrac-

read the full story at fsfreepressonline.com

FP columns

page by katie guyot

11

Graphing Calculator: Ended up in the fridge when I grabbed my midmath-homework snack.

Glasses: They’re usually on my face. Car Keys: Still in the car. Too bad I I find them when I look in the mirror. don’t have a spare set. tor only makes my life more mundane. It makes me wish I could constantly keep in contact with my friends in real life as I see people doing on Twitter and Facebook; it raises my expectations about daily life as I am spoonfed silly stories and anecdotes in the Twitterverse of what I wished happened more often in my life.

For people who already suffer from loneliness or depression, Twitter is an easy access into a world of bright-faced emoticons and superficial stories about crazy weekend fun, the fun that you may have missed out on. However, despite social media’s enthralling inclusive vibe that it puts off, it can actually have the reverse effect.

By regularly checking status updates and feeds, we parade constant reminders in front of ourselves of how we aren’t actually involved in those events, those friends’ parties, etc.

This annoying and somewhat self-destructive reminder can cause people to dive into deeper bouts of loneliness and persist a feeling of rejection, even if it is unintentional.

I know this because I’ve been experiencing it first-hand.

This winter has been a particularly rough time for me--I’m saving you the details so I

looking through the glass don’t sound like a soapbox. And as November and December progressed, I noticed myself relying on my smartphone apps to keep me company. I noticed my more-than-regular checking of Twitter and Facebook. This was all a way for me to escape from the emotional stress and drama that I didn’t want to or know how to confront.

Secretly, I was hoping that these social media sites could help me feel more linked in (pun intended) to a world I so desperately wanted to be a part of; in reality, I was shutting myself off from it.

Since then, I’ve been able to start confronting and defeating some of the emotional stresses I’ve been dealing with. This column is a step in a forward direction for me, a direction that relishes time spent with friends even more than before; a direction that encourages changes to our daily routines that may be more malignant than we realize. I hope that with this column, I can continue to sustain the positive outlook on my life that I want to build upon.

uncovering sam boatright

FP

january 31, 2013

sports

page by john mccain

12

doubling up

>free state students get involved in multiple sports by sarah lieberman

Sports require amazing amounts of dedication, commitment and unfavorable sleep schedules.

Senior Ben Sloan is in the pool practicing for swimming eight to nine times a week for approximately two and a half hours each time.

“It’s taught me so much about myself and about self-discipline,” he said.

No matter an individual’s dedication to a sport, hearing that alarm clock go off won’t always be easy. But staying devoted to practicing allows the athlete to reap many positive benefits.

“Getting up for practices in the morning before school, it’s a lot of self-discipline to do that, so it’s made me who I am today.”

Countless homework assignments, clubs, jobs and parties leave most teenagers sleep deprived and emotionally drained. Adding daily sports practices to the mix can be unbearable.

Senior Logan Hassig is involved in both volleyball and track.

“I’ve invested a lot more time into volleyball...But I do like to run a lot as well,” Hassig said.

Even though track and volleyball fall in different seasons, Hassig found her sports schedule stacking up and causing her anxiety.

“Last year when I was playing club volleyball and running track it was really stressful, and I felt like I wanted to pick one or the other,” Hassig said. “...But I was kind of stuck doing both so I just had to invest as much into

senior chelsea casady defends at a recent home basketball game. once the season is over, casady will trade her tennis shoes for cleats to play soccer photo by jody willmott

upcoming games

both of them at the same time that I could.”

Injuries from one sport, while usually minor, can sometimes put students on the bench for extended periods of time. Sophomore Laura Corliss knows this well.

“I played soccer, basketball, a little bit of tennis, and I injured myself in track,” Corliss said.

A track injury kept Corliss from continuing to participate in soccer, basketball, and tennis, affecting all teams.

“In the seventh grade I had dislocated my knee, it flipped over and went to the back of my leg,” Corliss said. “After they popped it back in they kinda just told me to go, but it kept happening.”

As her knee injury worsened, Corliss was forced to eliminate sports that strained her knee.

She has not been able to participate in sports for three years.

“I’m still in physical therapy, and I will be there for a while,” Corliss said.

While sports may cause anxiety and injury, many students see sports as their identity. The more time invested, the more person’s life becomes immersed in athletics.

“Growing up it’s all I’ve known,” senior Chelsea Casady said. “...I see myself being athletic my whole life.”

Sports teams at Free State act like families.

“I just feel like I belong there,” Freshman Mika Schrader said. Schrader plays both soccer and basketball.

Relationships formed through sports prove to be incredibly strong. The time spent together brings them closer, but not as much as the pain, sweat, and joy shared. The time spent as teammates is what changes people from friends to family with inseparable bonds.

“Most of the time I was always really fortunate to be on teams with people that I really got along with, and so those relationships really formed who I am,” Hassig said.

Often coaches are a key element to the success of the athlete. Free State is extremely lucky to have so many involved ones.

“Barah, he gets to know each one of us personally, and I think that we grow as a

2/5 varsity FS vs. Leavenworth girls @ 5:30 p.m. boys @ 7 p.m. @FSHS

2/7 boys varsity swim meet 4 p.m. @FSHS

senior chelsea casady makes a pass to a fellow teammate at a home soccer game last season. photo by amanda schaller

team because of that and individually,” Casady said. senior abbey casady dribbles Having a coach past the competition at an away game last season. casady that sincerely wants an will suit back up for soccer this individual to not only year...once she’s finished with basketball. succeed, but be happy photo by catherine norwood and proud of what they’ve done, is extremely helpful in making the most of an athletic career.

“The coaches here have really helped me not only through sports but in life as well,” Casady said.

The effects of playing any amount of sports is demonstrated to be in most cases a very positive aspect of a person’s life.

Athletes make new friendships, learn from adults and teammates amazing lessons, discover more about themselves, and make memories that they’ll carry far beyond high school. Playing on multiple teams doubles these opportunities.

to put it in

perspective...

The Free State boys basketball junior varsity and varsity teams practice about 2 1/2 hours a day. Since there are about 64 days of practice in one season, the teams practice approximately

160 hours

and that’s not even including the time for games... source: free state boys basketball website

2/8 varsity FS vs. Olathe South 7 p.m. @FS

sports t cker