NEWS STAFF CONTENTS
sports
12-Summer Miles
13-Weighing Options
feature
Pg 3- Letter From the Editors
Pg 8- (Re)Connecting
Pg 10- Debating in Des Moines
opinion
Pg 16- Review: Brat
a&e
Pg 6-7- Summer Stats
Pg 17- The Penguin Project
Pg 18-19- Senior’s Advice
news
Pg 9- Effects of the 4th
Pg 11- Lewis Resigns
Pg 14-15- The Race Begins
about the cover
Performing a ball-carrying drill, senior running back Collins Mwithiga cuts and turns up the field. Football will kick off their season at home against Shawnee Mission East on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The team will look to carry momentum from last year‘s winning record, and thrive with an all-time high number of 32 seniors. Photo by Mallory Thompson.
SOCIALS MISSION STATEMENT
Curious Free State journalists will amplify voices, gather superior sources and tell pivotal stories of our community in a visually creative way in order to serve our audience and foster quality scholastic journalism in Lawrence, Kansas.
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
By Phoebe Morris, Nick Sprecker and Lilly Wall
Dear Firebirds,
Happy first week of school! We hope you enjoyed a relaxing, refreshing summer — but we’re ready to be back in the J-room. For the first time in history, the Free Press created a summer issue, entailing notable moments from the past three months. Our team took this as an opportunity not only to develop staff culture over the summer, but also to provide a capsule for the student body of the summer of 2024. From Theatre Lawrence’s Penguin Project to summer sports conditioning, we hope you can find something in the pages that resonates with you. To the freshman class, we hope this issue and our publication can serve well to you as one of your first forming images of what it means to be a Firebird.
Moving forward, we pledge to cater most to the student body, fighting to advocate for all beliefs, emotions and interests. As we are the primary news outlet for Free State High School, we set a standard to consider the voices of the entire student body and faculty staff. These newspapers are meant for you; if you’re eager to read more about a subject, we encourage you to make your voice heard.
Sincerely,
Your 2024-2025 Free Press Editors-in-Chief
Nick Sprecker
Phoebe Morris
Lilly Wall
SUMMER RECAP
Hands in the air, alumnus Daniel Saripalli sings at Theatre Lawrence’s performance of Frozen, Jr. Photo by Nathan Kramer.
Throwing the ball into the air, senior Noah Simpson prepares to return the ball to the other team at the University of Kansas’s sand volleyball courts on June 27. Photo by Nathan Friedman.
Practicing, a Muscatine County student uses a cattle prod to lead his hog around a fenced in area before showing on July 17. Photo by Mallory Thompson.
Design by Phoebe Morris
Resting, juniors Ian Holsclaw and Gage Fahrenkamp and senior Nick Sprecker sit on the ground in between sets of sprints. Throughout the summer, the soccer program practiced to prepare for its upcoming fall season. Photo by Lilly Wall.
Celebrating July Fourth, Son Venezuela performs at the annual July 3 Summerfest at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Photo by Anders Benson.
Holding the ball, sophomore AJ Kimzey runs the ball down the field during football practice on July 10. Photo by Mallory Thompson.
Laughing, senior Richard Li deals playing cards to journalism staff members during a game of poker at the University of Kansas’s Jayhawk Media Workshop on June 10. Photo by Nathan Friedman.
SUMMER STATS
A look at what students did over summer break
Students with a job
Students
Students who spent too much
Collected by Delaney
Bayliss
How many times did students watch the sunset at Clinton Lake?
from 163 votes
1-5 34%
Have
you watched
5+ 27%
these summer movies?
48% Of responses were yes
In the 83 days of summer break... The average high was 88.4°F. June 15 was the hottest day, hitting 101°F. There were 15 days above 95°F.
Q: Did you leave the country this summer? If so, where did you go and what was your favorite part of your trip?
A: “I went to Greece on a school trip that had both people from LHS and Free State, and my favorite part would be that I got to share this moment and bond with a lot of people who I may have never really gotten to know otherwise.”
-senior Dylan Mackie
Q: Do you have a summer tradition with family or friends?
A: “I try to go to the dam and watch the sunset or hang out on the lake with friends as much as I can.”
-senior Cayman Barnes
Q: Did you participate in any sports activities? If so, what were they?
A: “I went to a cheer camp for four days and it was an awesome experience. My favorite part was getting to cheer at camp for my last year as a senior and getting closer with my girls and making bonds with all of my teammates.”
-senior Sami Zangeneh
Information collected from Instagram polls on @FSJournalism
(RE)CONNECTING
City of Lawrence’s drone show never takes off
For the past three years, Lawrence’s Parks and Recreation Department held a fireworks show for the public on the Fourth of July by the Kaw River. However, when it was moved to the fairgrounds last year, many community members were worried about the proximity to the Lawrence Humane Society.
Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Arts and Culture Porter Arneill said that this was a concern for them as well and worked to explore other options. Based on the city’s strategic plan and efforts to be respectful to Lawrence citizens, they decided to experiment with a drone show this year. Arneill worked with Lightyear Drones, a company based in Fort Lauderdale, and 200 drones were
programmed to perform a light show.
“We went with 200 drones so you can see the image a little more clearly,” Arneill said. “[The company] actually came up with imagery that was relevant to Lawrence, which was kind of fun, and [we] found a local company that did the music score for the drone show.”
With a significant amount of rain on July 2, the original launch site was soaked and could no longer be used. To combat the rain, the event was moved closer to the fairgrounds.
On July 3, the City of Lawrence’s Parks and Recreation Arts and Culture department held Summerfest 24, an event open to the public celebrating
Story By Eli Roust
Independence Day. Starting at 3 p.m., the Douglas County fairgrounds were filled with live music, food trucks, a kid’s playscape and a crafts fair.
“It’s [been] a tradition to come here with our family and I’m continuing it with my daughter today,” parent Cait Losson said. “She enjoyed the playscape area, we had some food from the taco truck, checked out the vendor show and she got a cool 3D printed dragon.”
That evening, community members gathered to watch the show. As anticipation built, the connection to the internet and the GPS satellite system stopped working. After over an hour of trial and error, a storm came through, ultimately ending the night.
“The drone show getting canceled was really disappointing. My family and I waited around for an hour before we decided to go home,” junior Landry Koester said.
Despite the outcome, there are plans to have a drone show next year. The City of Lawrence received a $30K credit from Lightyear Drones for next year’s show.
“My intention would be to do the drone show next year to redeem ourselves and get back in good integrity with our community,” Arneill said. “We’re all going to take a look at this carefully. [The] highest on our list of objectives is to get the best testing possible and make sure that whatever connections to the Internet that are necessary are going to be there.”
Dancing together, Lawrence community members enjoy the live music. Throughout the day, seven bands performed at Summerfest. Photo by Eli Roust
EFFECTS OF THE 4TH
Exploring environmental impact of fireworks
Carbon
A study in Minneapolis, Minnesota concluded that atmospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide increased by 32% and 17%, respectively.
Perchlorate
Perchlorate, a chemical found in fireworks, has drastic effects on soil and water qualities, notoriously damaging wetland plants and ecosystems, also impacting species who consume plants.
Health
Additionally, perchlorate can cause disruptions in the thyroid’s ability to produce necessary hormones for human growth and development.
Microplastics
The plastic remnants of fireworks break down into microplastics, which affect our groundwater and drinking water.
Collected by Jonah Frye
Toxic Haze
A main negative effect caused by fireworks is toxic haze, a miniscule substance found in the air that poses environmental and health threats.
Wildlife
Fireworks can negatively impact animals and the natural cycle of the environment. Many studies have found that animals and birds are often scared away from their nests, and explosions frequently scatter dangerous debris that animals could accidentally ingest.
Particle Pollution
Particle pollution, carrying harmful and detrimental impacts to the human heart and lungs, becomes an issue around the world when fireworks are shot off.
Fire Risk
Fireworks put wooded areas at higher risk for wildfires, especially those that are already dry. Yearly, fireworks start thousands of accidental fires, destroying ecosystems and damaging property. More fires are reported on Fourth of July than any other day of the year.
DEBATING IN DES MOINES
Students compete at annual National Debate and Forensics Association tournament
On June 16-21, the debate team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete against the best high school debate programs across the country at the annual National Debate and Forensics Association tournament.
After a semester of cutting, editing and revising pieces, the students got an opportunity to perform their work for the last time. Eleven students qualified for the national tournament, all competing in their respective categories from policy debate to poetry.
At the end of the event, Free State was named a 2024 School of Excellence in Debate, recognizing it as one of the country’s top 20 schools for debate.
“All of the people on the squad and our coaches worked super hard to make this accomplishment happen, and it’s a testament to everyone’s hard work that we get to be one of the only schools in Kansas with this recognition this year,” alumnus Connor Brown said.
Moreover, senior Gillian Sellet said the event can be used as a way to absorb information, taking the week to take notes from other performances.
“It’s always inspiring to see such high-level performances and be able to attend such a prestigious event as a team,” Sellet said.
Story by Lilly Wall
Ending seven years of coaching and teaching, head coach Kelly Thompson waved goodbye to an era of cultivating numerous state and national championships. Thompson’s accolades include being a 2x ‘Kansas Speech Communication Association’s Educator of the Year’ and 5x ‘Kansas Debate Coaches’ Invitational’ Coach of the Year.
“He really fostered such a particular environment in the squad room so it’s going to be very different not having him there,” junior
Lena Hasiuk said.
The new coach, Parker Hopkins, will begin in August to kick off the debate season.
Despite the coaching change, students like senior Cooper Hefty plan to continue their speech and debate careers and return to nationals next year.
“What kept me [in debate and forensics] was the community that is at Free State,” Hefty said. “We have a very good debate team, and we have a history of success, which makes me want to help to continue and contribute to that success.”
Alumna Ava Ayala finished in eighth place in original spoken word poetry.
Senior Anwen Williams reached the octofinals in international extemp.
Senior Gillian Sellet reached the octofinals in original spoken word poetry.
Junior Lena Hasiuk reached the semifinals in senate congressional debate.
NATIONALS PLACEMENTS
LEWIS RESIGNS
Dr. Anthony Lewis steps down from position as superintendent
After six years of managing budgets, monitoring student success and envisioning goals, Dr. Anthony Lewis has resigned as the USD 497 superintendent to take on a job in Durham, North Carolina. Lewis’s last day in office was August 9.
Through overseeing a global pandemic and bridging a budget gap of $9.6 million, Lewis said he stepped down to be closer to family.
Lewis will have the opportunity to be significantly closer to family than before, as they are from Birmingham, Alabama. After losing a relative this spring, Lewis said he knew it was time to move closer to home.
“I’ve always said that eventually, we’ll have to get back close to home, but I didn’t want to wait until I had to move home to take care of my mom. I wanted to move home or be closer to home so that we have an opportunity to enjoy some type of quality of life for her,” Lewis said.
Furthermore, he expressed his wish to allow his kids to grow up in a similar environment as his own.
“When I told him [my son] that his uncle passed away, he looked at me and said, ‘I don’t remember him.’ That was a reality check for me and a gut punch. My kids need to be around their family more,” Lewis said.
Lewis began his journey as the Superintendent of Durham Public Schools in North Carolina on August 12.
The district has over 31,000 students and 56 campuses, nearly tripling in size from Lawrence’s enrollment numbers.
Because one of Lewis’s biggest goals as a mentor is to visit schools and to truly interact with the children on a dayto-day basis, he said that with bigger numbers come new responsibilities.
Story by Lilly Wall
“Going to a larger district presents different challenges in terms of just getting to know the district, so that’s going to take a little bit more time just to really, truly understand the full picture,” Lewis said.
The interim superintendent will act throughout the 2024–25 school year before a permanent one steps in. To all the students in Lawrence, Lewis expressed a strong parting message.
“You are amazing; you are bright; you are brilliant. You can do anything and everything that you set your mind to, and know that you have a school system and a community that supports you,” Lewis said.
Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis speaks at the 2023 Free State Graduation ceremony.
Photo by Geneva Sabatini.
SUMMER MILES
Story by Rakshan Ossen
Free State runners take advantage of free time to prepare for the fall cross country season
With the end of the spring semester, high school students in Lawrence began their summer break on May 24. While many students have an array of extracurricular activities during their summer, cross country athletes make sure to carve out time for early morning runs in preparation for their upcoming season.
Summer sports conditioning schedules amongst Free State’s athletic programs have become a yearly tradition. Athletes participating in fall sports take advantage of the break to hone their skills and bond with their teammates.
FINISH FINISH
Junior Crosby King, a returning runner for the program, is excited and ready to participate for the upcoming cross country season. Like many other athletes, King commented on how essential it is for him to condition during the summer for a successful fall season.
King emphasized that summer conditioning gives a cross country athlete a head-start towards their athletic pursuit since it can be harder to improve on during the season.
“Summer is really just to help you build a base,” King said. “When you’re in cross country season, it is so hard to build mileage because you’re just so focused on working out, long runs, pool days, meets [and] pre-meets…there’s so much more going on.”
One of the school’s oldest summer conditioning programs led by cross country Coach Steve Heffernan continued with their annual Summer Running. His program dates back to the summer of 1998 and invites athletes around the Lawrence area to participate
in early morning runs at 7 a.m. starting at Munchers Bakery.
Boasting a number of over 120 athletes attending his project throughout the summer, Heffernan’s program gives an opportunity to rising middle school runners, high school athletes and alumni who want to improve their endurance by running their miles with a group of athletes who have been running for a really long time and even students who want to try out a new sport without having to worry about racing right away.
FINISH
“We’re fortunate because we have enough runners at every level, whether they’re a beginner…or maybe at the top end of trying to run quite a bit. We have people for folks to run with,” Heffernan
said. “That’s
really
our
big benefit. Our numbers help provide a community at each kind of level of running for people to experience and enjoy.”
While summer conditioning does offer a plethora of benefits to athletes, over exercising in the summer heat may also take its toll. As cross country and many other summer conditioning programs are primarily outdoors, both King and Heffernan pointed out the importance of conditioning and taking care of your
body, especially for athletes wanting to have a healthy fall season.
“[It] is a lot more of an attack of adapting to the heat…because not everyone’s around a water bottle as much as they are during the school year…[so] to a lot of people, the main concern is just getting enough sleep and getting enough water to be able to run well and get your mileage up properly,” King said.
FINISH
FINISH
Regardless of the obstacle, King and many other athletes are keen for a successful season. These Firebird runners will officially hit the trails on August 19 for the start of the KSHSAA’s fall season.
The girls and boys soccer program went to St. Louis, Missouri in July to play a round of friendly matches and build chemistry with each other.
Football head coach Kevin Stewart and his program attended a showcase camp at Northwest Missouri State University.
The girls volleyball program partnered with the girls basketball team to organize their first joint leadership workshop.
Design by Mallory Thompson
WEIGHING OPTIONS
Senior Parker Moore works toward a decision amid busy recruiting summer
Linebacker Parker Moore, entering his senior season, has gained the interest of college football coaches around the country and narrowed his options down, landing on a verbal commitment to the University of Wyoming.
Moore, standing six-foot-three and 220 lbs, held a handful of FCS offers including schools such as South Dakota State University, the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Pennsylvania. His first few experiences as a recruit began during his sophomore season.
“I got some invites to go to some games — I went to The University of Nebraska, The University of Kansas and Iowa State University for a game day visit… I missed my sophomore summer going into junior year with an ankle injury so I didn’t get to go to any camps, but camps are probably the best way to get exposure because film can only do so much,” Moore said.
With Moore taking the reins at linebacker his junior year, his recruitment heated up at the conclusion of the season when his film was released. Flashforward to this summer, Moore said he wanted to handle the bulk of his recruiting process to make way for his senior season.
“I picked up some more offers from camps and such which is huge,” Moore said. “I wanted to make a decision soon with everything coming up — it’s good to have a commitment, and because the way it goes right now
is that kids are committing and spots are going away.”
During his junior season, Moore had to adjust to recruiting efforts thrown at him amidst the full swing season.
“It was definitely something to get used to, and it’s a lot, especially worrying about where you go to college. Up to this point
Story by Nick Sprecker
in our lives as high schoolers, it’s probably the biggest decision we’ll make for a while.”
Moore said that having a good support system in place allows him to be more at ease with his recruiting process.
“Coach Stewart does a great job during the offseason,” Moore said. “Having him in my corner telling me to trust the process and that God will lead me in the right direction is a very helpful and insightful thing to me.”
While considering his decision, Moore fell back on a handful of important decision-making factors.
“The coaching staff, especially my positional coach, is important,” Moore said. “Having a linebackers coach who knows what he is talking about and is a good human [is important].
The feel of the town of the city [the school is] in is super important. You don’t want to be somewhere for four years where you just hate where you’re at.”
THE RACE
Current vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump will face off in this years Presidential Election. Take a look at each of their policy overviews.
Immigration Law
- Proposed a federal sentencing review unit with ability to authorize early release for certain inmates after 10 years
- Has stated support for potential future use of force laws for law enforcement
- Proposed new federal board with the ability to review police shootings
- Prior advocacy for legal & work pathways for children of undocumented immigrants
- Worked as Vice-President to address the root cause of immigration from Central America & allocated $950 million to address
SocialIssues
- Protect access to abortion care
- Expand healthcare coverage
- Advocate to extend Medicaid & protect Affordable Care Act
- Supports banning fracking and offshore drilling
- Backed Green New Deal in 2019
Economy
- Bring down oil & cost of living prices
- Supports American Rescue Plan & the Inflation Reduction Act
- Opposed across-the-board tariffs
- Called for no benefit cuts and raises on upper earners to fund long-term shortfall
BEGINS
See the full list of policies on our website!
- Terminates work permits for undocumented immigrants
- Terminates automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants
- Plans to utilize the National Guard and law enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants
- Improve efficiency of Social Security & Medicare while maintaining benefits
- Potential restrictions on birth control
- Advocates state control over abortion access or restriction
- Pushing to withdraw from major international climate treaty
- Eliminate bailouts
- Reduces regulation on energy production
- Reduces high taxes to decrease inflation
- Adds funding for infrastructure
- Supports across-the-board tariffs
- Bans federal restrictions on lawful speech
- Reviews online speech policies
- Increases police funding and protection
- Proposes national concealed carry laws
Collected by Simon Williams Graphics by Willow Marable
REVIEW: “BRAT”
Review by Baila Love and Evie Chancy
Although previously having a large cult following, the release of “brat” has boosted Charli XCX’s popularity greatly. Resembling a mix of her previous two albums “Crash” and “how I’m feeling now,” this album has something for everyone.
The main thing this album succeeds with is the incredible, unique production. For the previous album, “Crash,” Charli XCX’s main idea for it was “What would it sound like if I really did ‘sell out?’”
For “brat,” she has that same mainstream pop influence to make it palatable to new fans while keeping her recognizable sound that she has in most of her recent works previous to “Crash.” Songs like “Talk talk” and “Apple” are the best examples of this mainstream pop sound.
“Brat” even has something for people who are more interested in existential dread instead of partying; “So I” and “I might say something stupid” are slower and more lyric based.
Although Charli XCX isn’t very well known for her lyrics, “brat” has some really hard-hitting themes in her songs such as grief, generational trauma and the complexities of being a woman.
However, what makes these songs so special is that Charli XCX is subverting expectations and not pairing it with slow production.
Instead, a majority of these serious songs are loud and poppy, making them able to listen to even if you aren’t sad. My favorite example of this is “Rewind;” this song has such a fun sound that’s easy to dance to with lyrics that discuss how being in the public eye has made her very insecure.
Something Charli XCX did really well with the release of “brat” was making it as
BY CHARLI XCX
iconic as possible.
A lot of pop artists do a similar thing where they make the entire marketing for an album one color, but no one has done this quite as well with the bright, neon, almost revolting green of “brat.”
I’m sure if you see something even resembling this color, you could hear someone from afar saying “OMG that is so brat summer.” Even the opening track of the album, “360,” has an iconic, repeating melody that’s easy to recognize.
This level of recognition is what makes it so good; it’s already familiar which is something that doesn’t apply to her previous albums.
Overall, this album is incredible. It’s introspective and experimental which is everything I expected from Charli XCX. I give this album a 9.6/10, it’s so fun, so pop and not like any other major release this year.
75.4
MILLION
streams on Spotify within the first week of the album's release
THE PENGUIN
Theatre Lawrence creates a unique opportunity with the Penguin Project
Story by Jonah Frye
The Penguin Project started five years ago in Lawrence and is a part of over 50 chapters nationwide. The project allows kids with neurodiversities to participate in theatre and express themselves within a community. It also pairs the artists with neurotypical actors called mentors to help them learn their lines and guide them throughout the shows.
Both artists and mentors say the Penguin Project is a valuable place in Lawrence and has been a great sense of joy for them throughout the summer. An artist named Autumn has been acting in the penguin project for three years and is currently playing Hans of the Southern Isles in the production of “Frozen Jr.” She said that she has a blast in every show and loves getting to express herself.
“My favorite thing is that everybody here will not judge me. Because wherever I go, I feel like I’m being judged always, and here is a safe place,” Autumn said.
For the mentors, the Penguin Project is about more than just putting on a show. Mentor, Adelaide Rischar, who is going into 7th grade, said the project is about being inclusive and forming connections with people. She said that the coolest part of the show was getting to bond with other people and having something good to do during the summer.
Mentor Sean Ruddy, an incoming senior at Free State, said he has been participating in the Penguin Project since about 6th grade and has loved it each time. He said the best part of the project was getting to hang out with new friends and meet a variety of people.
“[The Penguin Project] is awesome. I’ve met lots
PROJECT
of cool people. It has definitely broadened my horizons quite a bit. I’ve learned like lots of lessons and how to communicate better with people and how to be more patient,” Ruddy said.
Mentor
Abby Cothern has been part of the program for nearly six years. She said that the Penguin Project is a lot of fun and she loves working with her partner. She said the coolest part of the show is getting to see the kids light up and really shine when they get their moment. Watching them grow and express themselves is one of the most rewarding things for her.
For Director Emily Giles, the best part of the show is getting to see how proud kids are after the show. She said that sometimes the big picture doesn’t register with kids until they have an audience. Once the show starts she said that everyone seems to have an extra pep in their step
“The joy on the artists’ faces and the smiles on the mentors’ faces when they walk onto the stage with the lights on, and they realize that everyone in the audience is there to see them. That moment takes my breath away,” Giles said.
In addition, Giles said that due to popular demand, the Penguin Project added a third show to the schedule after selling out two shows of “Frozen Jr.”
SENIORS’ ADVICE
“Don’t overwhelm yourself, only do advanced classes if you’re genuinely
“Above
all else, rock on.”
“Tired mornings are forgotten, but fun nights and school activities become
“Don’t let your school work pile up; it’ll just make you get behind.”
“The rest of high school is easier if you have good grades in the beginning.”
Seniors give words of wisdom to underclassmen to kick off the year
GET INVOLVED!
From art to sports, involve yourself as a Firebird!
Sports
Contact Jered Shaw for information on how to sign up for fall, spring and winter sports!
StuCo
Freshmen can still run for Student Council representative! Contact Steve Heffernan for more information.
Clubs
There are so many clubs to join including Hacky Sack Club, Spikeball Club, Math Club and Students Demand Action!
Journalism
Enroll in a prerequisite course and apply for staff in November!
Theatre
This year’s productions are “Footloose,” “You Can’t Take it with You” and “The Tempest.” Reach out to Bryce Jones for more information!
Band & Orchestra
Enroll in a class to get involved. Contact your counselor for more information!
Art
Passionate about art and want opportunities? Reach out to Rachel Downs for more information!
Choir
Enroll in a class to get started. Reach out to Joshua East for information!more
Speech
Join fifth consecutive year state champions in forensics! Reach out to your counselor for more information.