we’re not in kansas anymore:

mapping regional

stereotypes

kansas anymore: 11

breaking from the norm: students defy

social labels norm: students defy norm: students defy norm: students defy norm: students defy norm: students defy norm: students defy

6-7living the

lawrence dream: being blue in a sea

of red

living

lawrence 4

january 30, 2014volume 6. edition 17.

by fi ona mcallisterTwenty years ago on Nov. 4, 1994, the citizens

of Lawrence voted on whether or not the city needed a second high school. The majority of the city voted yes.

In 1994, Lawrence High School was the only high school in Lawrence, and at 2,000 students, it was bursting at its seams.

“It was just wall-to-wall people in the halls; you couldn’t see the fl oor,” science teacher David Reber said.

After the 1994 election, a committee was formed to select a location for the new school.

The construction began in June, 1995. The $26 million building took over two years to build and was completed in August, shortly before the fi rst day of school on Aug. 21, 1997.

While construction was under way, so was the process of picking a name and a mascot.

“The school board chose the name Free State,” said Steve Grant, former athletic director. “They solicited people in the community to come up with names.”

The name “Free State” possesses historical signifi cance. In the 1850s, pre-civil war era, Kansas was referred to as “Bleeding Kansas” because of its internal confl icts with slavery. The Kansans who opposed slavery were called Free-Staters.

After choosing the name, the school board created a committee of around 30 individuals to select a mascot. The committee was composed of 7th, 8th and 9th-graders who would be attending Free State. Parents, school board members and future Free State faculty members also contributed to the discussion.

Initially, A member of the committee suggested a Firebird after discussing the idea of a phoenix for a mascot.

“The phoenix is a mythical bird that grew out of the ashes,” Grant said, “so that goes back to the pre civil war days when the city was burned down and Lawrence rose out of the ashes.”

Among the many mascot contenders, the Firebird, phoenix and panther were the top three. Ultimately, the Firebird, based off the phoenix, was chosen to accompany the school’s historical name.

The Firebird design has only been changed once since the school opened. After fi nding out that the artist who created the design, Michael Ur-ish, had copied Temple University’s owl, the school district was forced to change the design to avoid a lawsuit.

“Initially, the wings were shorter and the body was smaller,” Grant said. “The head has always been the same.”

The mascot name, Freddie, has its own history. The fi rst year, student Jody Frederickson was the mascot. Her nickname was “Freddie”, and people began to refer to the mascot as Freddie. Thus, the school mascot became Freddie the Firebird.

On the fi rst day of school, Aug. 21, 1997, 920

students and 100 faculty members fi lled the hall-ways. The fi rst month presented some challenges. Some textbooks had yet to arrive and there was ongoing construction to fi nish minor details. Traffi c was also an issue on the fi rst day.

At the time, the school only had one entrance because Wakarusa Drive had yet to be extended. There was also no stop light at Folks Road and Sixth Street.

A new school meant new traditions. Previous-ly, Lawrence High school had over 2000 students, which limited the number of opportunities for students.

“Whether it be athletic teams, music or foren-sics, when you have that large of a school, you are going to have cuts because they just can’t accom-modate that number of students,” pre med teacher Jane Rock said.

Rock has been at Free State since it opened.“Even in student activities, by adding another

school we added so many more opportunities for students,” Rock said.

Free State borrowed and shared many of Lawrence High’s traditions the fi rst year. Prom and the annual mud volleyball tournament were done in conjunction with Lawrence High. However, the homecoming bonfi re was a Free State original.

The most important tradition made was Free State’s standard of excellence in athletics, academ-ics, music and clubs.

“Our excellence has been around forever,” Rock said.

story behind the ‘state hannah moran- editor in chiefkyra haas- co-online editor in chiefryan liston- co-online editor in chiefsarah whipple- design editorlogan brown- business editorrosemary newsome- copy editorsarah lieberman- copy editormaria carrasco- copy editorkristina foster- photo editorcatherine prestoy-social media editor

darian koenig- assistant design editor

kaitlyn foster- designercierra campbell- designer rebecca moran- reportermorgan noll- reporterfi ona mcallister-reporter sam goodwin- reporterhala hamid- reporterkenneth palmer- reportergavin spence- reporterevan frook- reporterbridget brown- photographernick popiel- photographerpenny zheng- photographermary brady- photographerjacob hood- cartoonistconner aldridge- SIC

free press staff:

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 or that of the USD 497 Board of Education.

ACADEMICSpage by kaitlyn foster

january 30, 2014

cover by jacob hood

more than fi fteen years of fi rebirds

Mon-Sat: 7 am - 6 pm4821 W. 6th St.

785-841-0386

facebook.com/ScratchBakeryLawrencewww.scratchbakerylawrence.com

A common myth about the construction of Free State is that the ar-chitecture fi rm that designed it also designs jails. Treanor Architects, the fi rm in charge of Free State, have designed just one jail: Anderson Co. sheriff’s offi ce and jail (above).

Text your lunch order to (785)393-6225.One texter wins a free lunch everyday!

3january 30, 2014NEWSpage by cierra campbell

students face challenges with winter weather drivingthe slippery slope by sarah lieberman

On Monday Jan. 7, junior Maddie Hill celebrated her extra day of freedom. But her excitement was accompanied by relief. Because her house sits on a hill, the winter weather makes it nearly impossible to leave.

Frigid temperatures and winter storms present new ob-stacles to driving in the already dangerous parking lot. A string of car crashes immediately pre-ceding winter break served as a wake up call to many students to become more vigilant drivers.

Accidents are common in the parking lot due to the abun-dance of new drivers, but even experienced drivers are fazed by the snow. Although sophomore Garrett Hodge has been driving since eighth grade, he hasn’t yet mastered winter driving.

“I’m terrible at it,” Hodge said. “My car always slides around and stuff.”

However, living in the Mid-west, everyone has advice for tackling the slick roads.

“You gotta stop early and use the brakes early,” Hodge said.

Maddie Hill’s dad, realizing the potential danger, taught her to drive in the snow.

While practice can increase one’s snow driving abilities, caution does not always prevent mishaps.

Senior Rachel Miller experi-enced the risks of winter driving fi rst-hand.

“I fi shtailed and I was headed towards a car,” Miller said, “I missed the car and I ended up going on someone’s yard.”

The accident luckily resulted in no damage. When her parents came to handle the ordeal, Miller and her friends left to go sled-ding, but some complications arose.

“The woman threatened to call the police because it was a hit and run, or whatever, for her grass,” Miller said.

Junior Mersadees Sampson has also had her fair share of winter driving debacles.

“My car doesn’t do very

well in the snow,” Sampson said. “‘Cause it sits really low, so I get stuck a lot. And it’s very tragic for me.”

Her distaste stems from an unpleasant fi rst experience with winter driving. While sitting at a stoplight, she was rear-ended by a car whose driver lost control.

But some drivers can be surprisingly polite during these winter months.

“I was coming around the corner, and I got stuck,” Samp-son said. “And there was just like people outside all over the road shoveling each other out.”

Student Resource offi cer Lar-ry Lindsay notes teen’s distracted driving as the most common mistake.

“So, you just need to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on,” Lindsay said. “That’s really it.”

In Kansas, unpredictable weather is inevitable, but reckless driving doesn’t have to be. Let’s be careful out there.

noteworthy news: information to keep updated today

4 january 30, 2014EDITORIALpage by darian koenig

by becca moranBad or good news depending on your

gender: the teenage relationship paradigm still favors guys.

“Despite seeing themselves a much more liberated in their expression of relationships and sexuality, I think girls still want to see some sense of connectedness in their relationships,” said Dr. Wes Cren-shaw, local psychologist. “Guys want to have companionship, sexual contact and intimacy, but they don’t necessarily want to ‘pay’ for it in terms of affi liation or obliga-tion.”

This is part of the reason why it is often the boy who avoids a committed, serious relationship, while the girl wants just that. This statement was corroborated by the six students interviewed for this article: three out of the three boys interviewed said that the relationship would at least start out casual, while three out of the three girls interviewed immediately said they wanted serious relationships.

“I would never date someone where I didn’t see it going anywhere,” junior Bri Martin said. “What’s the point of that?”

Dr. Crenshaw said that now, most teens are labeling their relationships as “casual.” But this often puts the girls in asynchro-nous relationships, which means one person is more into the other person than that person is into them.

“You have to remember that the least motivated person in a relationship is always the most powerful, because he or she has the power to care less,” Crenshaw said, “And that defi nes a lot of today’s teen relationships. One person is ‘up’ and the

other ‘down.’” Since it is often the boy who cares less

in high school relationships, he is in the position of power. Most fi ghts between couples are, at their root, power struggles. But ideally, both partners would want to please each other and work with each other to reach a compromise that satisfi es both of them.

Senior Maddie Woodard recognizes this need for similar visions in relationships.

“I look for someone who’s on the same page as me as far as what we’re looking for,” she said.

Keep in mind that Crenshaw is basing all of his statements off what is “normal,” meaning falling within the majority of the bell curve. Girls are not at all always at the disadvantage of caring more. In fact, Martin said she avoids “boys who just love you too much.”

One thing both sexes tend to agree on is a desire for sex, companionship and support.

According to a 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth, Vital and Health Statistics, teenage sex is increasingly more likely to be voluntary. In 2006–2010, fi rst sex was described as “unwanted” by 11 percent of young women aged 18–24 who had had sex before age 20, compared with 13 percent in 2002. For young men in the same age-group, unwanted fi rst sex decreased from 10 to 5 percent between those years.

“I would say we are at an all time high on [sexual intimacy],” Crenshaw said. “Young people are typically sexually active by the end of high school and those

who are not tend to be outside the dating pool. In other words, if one is in the dating pool, one is likely to be sexually active, or as I’ve said it in the paper before, there are a small number of kids who are abstinent by choice. The rest are already having sex or would like to be if given the opportu-nity.”

He cautions against getting into a relationship solely to have a sexual partner, because those relationships often end up empty and disconnected.

Outside of sex, every person inter-viewed said at least once that what they wanted most in a signifi cant other was a

best friend. A best friend encompasses a companion, supporter and confi dant.

“If I’m in a relationship with somebody, I want them to be a really good friend who I can tell anything to,” freshman Lauren Britain said. “And I want them to know what to say and to be there for me.”

Over and over, students echoed her sentiment.

“Be there for me, support me and what I do,” Junior June Brooks said, “I’d do the same for her.”

Teens want someone to rely on, who will validate and encourage and love them.

by jacob hood

students describe the perfect partnerwhat a girl wants

5january 30, 2014 OPINION january 30, 2014 page by kaitlyn foster

Q: how did lawrence become the only blue in a red state?

reporter searches for county’s blue originsliberal lawrence

by morgan nollWith a “honk for hemp” sign wav-

ing back and forth, an unpaid musician strumming a guitar in the park gazebo and the smell of fresh pizza wafting from the local family owned restaurant, small-town liberalism permeates Lawrence. However, the roots of the liberalism are less obvious.

Like a minuscule blueberry at the bot-tom of a bowl of big red apples, Lawrence is the hopeful yet hopeless group of liber-als surrounded by the conservatives fi lling Kansas’s border.

The bleachers at Allen Fieldhouse are more often fi lled with blue t-shirts rather than crimson, illustrating the fact that we are not only the town of the Jayhawks, but also one of the only politically blue areas in Kansas. Some believe that the two char-acteristics go hand-in-hand.

History and government teacher Kim-berly Grinnell believes Lawrence is liberal because it’s a college town.

Grinnell explained the trend for people in education, especially higher educa-tion like the University of Kansas, is to be liberal.

“I think that when you’re educated you get to see both sides,” photography teacher Marsha Poholsky said, “… and I think that because Lawrence has a large emphasis on education, people are always gathering new information and looking at all sides of an issue.”

Of course, the trend is by majority not unanimity. Just as there are conservative families in Lawrence, there are conserva-tive professors and other employees of the university.

Of the near 90 thousand people resid-ing in Lawrence, a little over 30 thousand are enrolled at KU. If KU is the root of lib-eralism in Lawrence, the numbers support the extent of the university’s effect on the democratic-leaning election results.

If the numbers aren’t enough to prove the university’s impact on the community, Massachusetts street after a big win might be. The street is packed with fans shoul-der to shoulder, some friends and some strangers, all sharing a mutual love for the Jayhawks.

Lawrence is different, and that isn’t just a cliche statement coming from a biased

Lawrencian.“I think we also have a large infl ux of

people from both coasts because of the University,” Poholsky said, “and we also have a lot of free-thinking [people] and Lawrence is kind of accepting of that. It always has been.”

The hole in this theory is the conser-vatism of other college towns. If “college” and “liberalism” are synonymous, then there must be a difference between KU and other college towns, especially Divi-sion 1 college towns like Manhattan, that are primarily conservative.

“Obviously K-State … is more conser-vative and that might have more to do with the students that are attracted to K-State versus KU,” Grinnell said.

If more “liberal” students or a more diverse overall group of students are attracted to KU then that would sensibly contribute to Lawrence being more liberal.

K-state is the more agriculturally-fo-cused institution, typically attracting students from smaller towns in Western Kansas where more conservative families reside.

55

Check out morgan noll’s online story, clothing in the halls, at fsfreepress.com under ‘opinions’

Check out morgan

online

january 30, 2014FEATURESpage by sarah whipple 7january 30, 2014FEATURES

page by sarah whipple

>students break out of high school stereotypes and show images are just a perception

��i�� s����� ��� ��� y��?

by kenneth palmer and rosemary newsomeWith his swooped black hair and red plaid pants, sopho-

more Caleb Woodard admits he is often judged. However, the pot-smoking, scene-affi liated, hooky-playing punk stereotype begins and ends with his eccentric outfi t.

As with many students, there is more than meets the eye.Woodard’s outward appearance lends itself to fi tting the

typical “scene/emo punk” faction of the high school hierarchy, but he insists that each person is too unique to fi t into a certain preconceived mold. In fact, some of Woodard’s habits directly contradict his label, reinforcing his belief that no person fi ts a category perfectly.

“I actually do my work in school,” Woodard said. “I actually listen to pop sometimes and rap and people don’t actually see me as doing that.”

While Woodard takes pride in defying his stereotype, senior Tom Muiller embraces his given label.

“I’m the country boy of the school,” Muiller said. “I don’t mind it. I defi nitely wear jeans and boots and come from a country family. I live on a farm, [and] I hunt [and] fi sh.”

Muiller believes stereotypes don’t have to have a negative connotation.

“Stereotypes are what you like and what you do,” Muiller said. “It’s not supposed to be a bad thing, but people see it as a bad thing and target people for that.”

For students with the right attitude who face minimal judgement, dismissing labels comes easily. However, once categories become so restrictive as to isolate and ostracize stu-dents, stereotypes cross the line from harmless classifi cations to methods of discrimination.

One won’t see the classic scenario of the brawny football player stealing lunch money from the weak and unassum-ing mathematics champion. In fact, we are more likely to see groups like the chorus and band fi lled with a diverse collection

of people, from the most athletic to the most academic and everything in between.

According to new student and junior Lindsay Rapp, this is not the case in all high schools. At her last school, a private institution out of state, being different was perceived as taboo.

“[At my old school], if you’re not following the same path of everyone else, you are considered an outcast,” Rapp said.

Free State operates a little differently. “Here there are people following their own path. It is a lot

more open,” Rapp said.Despite the laudable aspects of the school, the issue of

negative stereotyping is far from vanquished. When Rapp fi rst began navigating the social scene at Free State, some warned her against associating herself with certain groups of people.

“No, don’t talk to them,” Rapp would hear. “They are really crazy.”

Even though the school is an improvement over some

places, the fact that the cafeteria is still segregated to some de-gree--one can walk into the commons during any given lunch period and fi nd one table fi lled with only disheveled, spectacle equipped, awkward kids in one corner; a table fi lled solely with black kids and other minorities in the next; and kids dressed in expensive clothes and wielding the newest cell phones in another side--illustrates how far we still have to come.

These kids insulate themselves in groups all on the basis of appearances in order to avoid facing something new. But if students sought out new people, they may learn something that challenges their worldview. Muiller insightfully points out the crux of the issue.

“People go for people that are just like them [because] that’s what they know, [and] that’s what they are comfortable with,” Muiller said. “They don’t branch out because… that might be weird or different.”

take this quiz to see what your personality refl ects

1. when picking an outfi t for school, you choose:

a. a Slipknot t-shirt and torn black jeans

b. my sports jersey and basketball shorts

c. a sweet new blazer from Arizona Trading Company

d. sweatpants one day, a button-down the next

2. your iPod consists of:

a. all Metallica, plus some from your own band

b. Drake and Kanye West

c. Vampire Weekend and Portugal the Man

d. Red Hot Chili Peppers, G-Eazy and Bon Iver

3. your teacher assigns a paper due Friday. you:

a. turn it in covered with anime doodles

b. work on it last minute after going to the game

c. write it all in haiku

d. turn it in with no excuses

4. what are your plans for the weekend?

a. going to some concerts...maybe hanging out with

college kids

b. basketball saturday, NFL football games Sunday

c. taking a trip to the local art museum to sketch,

and then heading to a professor’s talk on philosophy

d. homework, hanging with friends and watching T.V.

mostly a’s: Going down dark territories, staying out of the social

norm and living in a bubble of screamo music and black apparel,

you would be considered a goth.

mostly b’s: Jerseys, fantasy teams and sport posters litter your

life as a jock. From passing the ball at a soccer game to hitting a

home run, your letter jacket is full.

mostly c’s: The traditional hipster, but you hate being called

that. From thrift shops to vintage records, life’s full of undis-

covered treasures you’re dying to make the next fad...and then

alerting everyone you liked it fi rst.

jockprep

hipstergothnerdband geekcheerleader

stairwall kidcomputer whiz

artsy kid farmer future businessmanteacher’s pethippie

bully social outcast druggie white trash

gangstersocial butterfl ysocial elite

frat boy class clown juvenile delinquent

slackerskater

valley girl punkthespianemo wannabes

housewife jock hipstergoth

band geekcheerleadersocial butterfl y

social elite frat boyavoiding the status quo

to see the rest of the interviews, go to fsfreepressonline.com

“Because of how involved I am with the music department, people may assume I’m kind of stuffy or more free-fl owing. I don’t mean to be either of those things”>david glauner, 12

“I actually do try in school, I try to get good grades, I actually care about where I go to college.”>tye carter, 11

“I know how to program on a computer, savvy with stuff like that, but, I guess, you can’t really just tell stuff like that about a person from looking at them.”>elijiah houk, 11

“I’ve been called a hippie, an emo kid, a scene kid, punk rock. Everyone’s like, ‘You’re obviously not normal.’”>indigo bahn, 10

“I don’t believe in the word ‘stereotype.’ I don’t use it. I believe that every individual human is, in fact, different...there’s no certain people that are exactly the same, so you can’t group them into a category.”>caleb woodard, 10

“I just kind of ‘do me’ and people perceive that as being a hipster.”>cale kobler, 12

mostly d’s: Avoiding the typical stereotypes, you are a mix

of all the above. Just like many students, you defy the labels

and stick to yourself.

4. You follow on Twitter:

a. @marilynmanson

b. @totalfratmove

c. @HistoricalPics and @WorldConspiracy

d. @miilkkk and @CuteEmergency

photos by nick popiel

“I just kind of ‘do me’ “I just kind of ‘do me’ and people perceive that and people perceive that as being a hipster.”as being a hipster.”>>cale

I’m on the cheer team, I wear my uniform to school, I’m blond. My car is nice and I think a lot of people get the wrong idea because my parents bought the car for me, but I also helped pay for it...I feel like people tend to see, and think what they want to think.”>maddie williams, 12

“There are defi nitely stereotypes; it is a natural thing that people do. They classify people how they want to classify people. I think that’s fi ne as long as you don’t treat people differently because of it.”>tom muiller, 12

january 30, 2014FEATURESpage by sarah whipple 7january 30, 2014FEATURES

page by sarah whipple

>students break out of high school stereotypes and show images are just a perception

��i�� s����� ��� ��� y��?

by kenneth palmer and rosemary newsomeWith his swooped black hair and red plaid pants, sopho-

more Caleb Woodard admits he is often judged. However, the pot-smoking, scene-affi liated, hooky-playing punk stereotype begins and ends with his eccentric outfi t.

As with many students, there is more than meets the eye.Woodard’s outward appearance lends itself to fi tting the

typical “scene/emo punk” faction of the high school hierarchy, but he insists that each person is too unique to fi t into a certain preconceived mold. In fact, some of Woodard’s habits directly contradict his label, reinforcing his belief that no person fi ts a category perfectly.

“I actually do my work in school,” Woodard said. “I actually listen to pop sometimes and rap and people don’t actually see me as doing that.”

While Woodard takes pride in defying his stereotype, senior Tom Muiller embraces his given label.

“I’m the country boy of the school,” Muiller said. “I don’t mind it. I defi nitely wear jeans and boots and come from a country family. I live on a farm, [and] I hunt [and] fi sh.”

Muiller believes stereotypes don’t have to have a negative connotation.

“Stereotypes are what you like and what you do,” Muiller said. “It’s not supposed to be a bad thing, but people see it as a bad thing and target people for that.”

For students with the right attitude who face minimal judgement, dismissing labels comes easily. However, once categories become so restrictive as to isolate and ostracize stu-dents, stereotypes cross the line from harmless classifi cations to methods of discrimination.

One won’t see the classic scenario of the brawny football player stealing lunch money from the weak and unassum-ing mathematics champion. In fact, we are more likely to see groups like the chorus and band fi lled with a diverse collection

of people, from the most athletic to the most academic and everything in between.

According to new student and junior Lindsay Rapp, this is not the case in all high schools. At her last school, a private institution out of state, being different was perceived as taboo.

“[At my old school], if you’re not following the same path of everyone else, you are considered an outcast,” Rapp said.

Free State operates a little differently. “Here there are people following their own path. It is a lot

more open,” Rapp said.Despite the laudable aspects of the school, the issue of

negative stereotyping is far from vanquished. When Rapp fi rst began navigating the social scene at Free State, some warned her against associating herself with certain groups of people.

“No, don’t talk to them,” Rapp would hear. “They are really crazy.”

Even though the school is an improvement over some

places, the fact that the cafeteria is still segregated to some de-gree--one can walk into the commons during any given lunch period and fi nd one table fi lled with only disheveled, spectacle equipped, awkward kids in one corner; a table fi lled solely with black kids and other minorities in the next; and kids dressed in expensive clothes and wielding the newest cell phones in another side--illustrates how far we still have to come.

These kids insulate themselves in groups all on the basis of appearances in order to avoid facing something new. But if students sought out new people, they may learn something that challenges their worldview. Muiller insightfully points out the crux of the issue.

“People go for people that are just like them [because] that’s what they know, [and] that’s what they are comfortable with,” Muiller said. “They don’t branch out because… that might be weird or different.”

take this quiz to see what your personality refl ects

1. when picking an outfi t for school, you choose:

a. a Slipknot t-shirt and torn black jeans

b. my sports jersey and basketball shorts

c. a sweet new blazer from Arizona Trading Company

d. sweatpants one day, a button-down the next

2. your iPod consists of:

a. all Metallica, plus some from your own band

b. Drake and Kanye West

c. Vampire Weekend and Portugal the Man

d. Red Hot Chili Peppers, G-Eazy and Bon Iver

3. your teacher assigns a paper due Friday. you:

a. turn it in covered with anime doodles

b. work on it last minute after going to the game

c. write it all in haiku

d. turn it in with no excuses

4. what are your plans for the weekend?

a. going to some concerts...maybe hanging out with

college kids

b. basketball saturday, NFL football games Sunday

c. taking a trip to the local art museum to sketch,

and then heading to a professor’s talk on philosophy

d. homework, hanging with friends and watching T.V.

mostly a’s: Going down dark territories, staying out of the social

norm and living in a bubble of screamo music and black apparel,

you would be considered a goth.

mostly b’s: Jerseys, fantasy teams and sport posters litter your

life as a jock. From passing the ball at a soccer game to hitting a

home run, your letter jacket is full.

mostly c’s: The traditional hipster, but you hate being called

that. From thrift shops to vintage records, life’s full of undis-

covered treasures you’re dying to make the next fad...and then

alerting everyone you liked it fi rst.

jockprep

hipstergothnerdband geekcheerleader

stairwall kidcomputer whiz

artsy kid farmer future businessmanteacher’s pethippie

bully social outcast druggie white trash

gangstersocial butterfl ysocial elite

frat boy class clown juvenile delinquent

slackerskater

valley girl punkthespianemo wannabes

housewife jock hipstergoth

band geekcheerleadersocial butterfl y

social elite frat boyavoiding the status quo

to see the rest of the interviews, go to fsfreepressonline.com

“Because of how involved I am with the music department, people may assume I’m kind of stuffy or more free-fl owing. I don’t mean to be either of those things”>david glauner, 12

“I actually do try in school, I try to get good grades, I actually care about where I go to college.”>tye carter, 11

“I know how to program on a computer, savvy with stuff like that, but, I guess, you can’t really just tell stuff like that about a person from looking at them.”>elijiah houk, 11

“I’ve been called a hippie, an emo kid, a scene kid, punk rock. Everyone’s like, ‘You’re obviously not normal.’”>indigo bahn, 10

“I don’t believe in the word ‘stereotype.’ I don’t use it. I believe that every individual human is, in fact, different...there’s no certain people that are exactly the same, so you can’t group them into a category.”>caleb woodard, 10

“I just kind of ‘do me’ and people perceive that as being a hipster.”>cale kobler, 12

mostly d’s: Avoiding the typical stereotypes, you are a mix

of all the above. Just like many students, you defy the labels

and stick to yourself.

4. You follow on Twitter:

a. @marilynmanson

b. @totalfratmove

c. @HistoricalPics and @WorldConspiracy

d. @miilkkk and @CuteEmergency

photos by nick popiel

“I just kind of ‘do me’ “I just kind of ‘do me’ and people perceive that and people perceive that as being a hipster.”as being a hipster.”>>cale

I’m on the cheer team, I wear my uniform to school, I’m blond. My car is nice and I think a lot of people get the wrong idea because my parents bought the car for me, but I also helped pay for it...I feel like people tend to see, and think what they want to think.”>maddie williams, 12

“There are defi nitely stereotypes; it is a natural thing that people do. They classify people how they want to classify people. I think that’s fi ne as long as you don’t treat people differently because of it.”>tom muiller, 12

*sophomore raegan koenig adapts quickly to Lawrence’s culturethe new kid in town8 january 30, 2014 PROFILE

page by cierra campbell

by ryan liston Although it’s not sophomore Raegan Koe-

nig’s fi rst time visiting Lawrence, it is her fi rst time attending school here.

During winter break, Raegan moved from Seneca, Kan., where she attended Nemaha Valley High School. On Jan. 7, she made the transition from attending a school of about 200 people to a school of about 1500 people.

Instead of having block schedule everyday like Nemaha Valley, Free State only has block twice a week, which has been an adjustment for Koenig. Here, she has to fi nish all of her homework for the next day.

Along with having block schedule every-day, Nemaha Valley had a 30 minute break after the fi rst class of the day.

“There would be a short little period where we could eat snacks or just collect our stuff,” Raegan said, “Make sure we had everything, know where we were going and just chat with friends or get on our phones before we had to go to the next [class].”

But even with the break, Raegan wasn’t entirely happy at Nemaha Valley.

She felt that she didn’t fi t into the school’s closely-knit community, since she had only

lived there for about two years after moving from Baileyville, Kan.

“It was more intimate because everybody knows everybody,” Raegan said, “But for me, I didn’t really know as many people, so it kind of put me as an outcast.”

Here, Raegan feels not knowing every-body doesn’t set her apart since no one knows everybody.

Along with fi tting in better at Free State, Raegan says that Lawrence is the place for her.

“... ‘My kind of town’ really is the best way to describe it,” she said.

Raegan feels Lawrence’s pace suits her better than Seneca’s. Her love of art is another reason she feels at home in Lawrence.

“There’s a lot more in the city that I can look at to inspire myself,” Raegan said. “See, the graffi ti [and] the things that have been drawn out and around, things like that that really catch my eye.”

Jewelry teacher Don Stevanov marveled over Raegan’s artistic talent.

“From her fi rst design, I see that she has excellent potential,” Stevanov said. “I see that she has a natural gift and skill ... [Her fi rst design] is probably one of the better ones I’ve

seen so far.”In Seneca, Raegan lived with her dad and

younger brother. Now that she is in Lawrence, she lives with her mom and her older sister Darian.

Darian agrees that Lawrence is a good environment for Raegan.

“She’s very artsy, very outgoing, very crazy, and that’s basically what I feel Lawrence is,” Darian said. “It’s an artsy town ... it’s just outgo-ing and full of life and full of energy, and that’s what Raegan is.”

Darian has also noticed that Lawrence has changed Raegan.

“I can just see her coming out of her shell and becoming who she is and who she will be,” Darian said. “... It’s gonna be really cool to see how she’s gonna grow and who she’s gonna become.”

Raegan says Lawrence has helped her express herself in a way that wasn’t possible in Seneca.

“I can be my own person better here,” Rae-gan said. “... At Seneca, there wasn’t a whole lot of variety, like I say ‘cookie cutter,’ so being different really separated you and made you feel bad.”

Sophomore Raegan Koenig moved to Law-rence from Seneca, Kan. this winter break. She enjoys drawing anime characters in her free time. Lawrence is “my kind of town,” she said. (art courtesy of Koenig) photo by penny zheng

fsfreepressonline.com. check it out.

january 30, 2013 HOMETOWN HUBpage by kaitlyn foster

by gavin spence and hala hamid

3504 E. Avenue GHutchinson, Kan.The tour begins upstairs,

where visitors are given a quick salt mine safety lecture before entering a descending elevator. The mine resembles a 67 mile long parking garage made of 400 feet salt blocks.

En route to the museum, rem-nants from the mine’s operation days pepper the journey--broken down vehicles and trash deposit areas remind visitors of the mine’s original purpose. There is also a cardboard cutout of Mike Rowe, who fi lmed an episode of Dirty Jobs in the mine.

Due to its ideal temperature, the mine houses a variety of mov-ie memorabilia, such as costumes from Gone with the Wind and master prints of The Wizard of Oz. Admission prices for adults is $14.00.

567 E Cedar St Liberal, Kan.In 1981, the Kansas

Historical Commission hauled a small, ramshackle farm house to the edge of Liberal, Kan., and christened it “Dorothy’s House.” A yellow brick road leads visitors up its small porch and into its “Wiz-ard of Oz”-themed rooms.

The house is only a small aspect of a “Wizard of Oz” walk-through, created by a Kansas native, Linda Windler. The exhibit was located in a shopping mall for 10 years before expanding to its own location in a storage building near Dorothy’s house.

The walk features familiar faces like the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, and tour guides are clad in blue gingham dresses and sparkling red slippers. The wizard has a throne room, featuring his angry expression from the movie projected onto a lava-lamp-sur-rounded-screen. Take a trip down memory lane for $7.00 for adults, $4.50 for children and $5.50 for seniors.

Wisconsin StCawker City, Kan.

In 1953, farmer Frank Stoeber began to roll spare bits of sisal twine into a small ball in his barn. Four years later, the ball weighed 2.5 tons and stood 8 feet tall. By 1961, when he turned it over to the town, Stoeber had over 1.6 million feet of twine rolled into a sphere, which was 11 feet in di-ameter. To keep the ball growing, the citizens in the town created a “Twine-A-Thon.” In which any-one could step up and add more twine. In 2003, Twine-A-Thon’s total length was recorded at a whopping 7,049,191 feet of twine.

5home”state” hub

celebrating kansas’s best since 1854

3

21

4

200 SE 4th StAbilene, Kan.Gallery space is fi lled

with antique tables, old tele-phones and military coats, all from Eisenhower’s time as World War II hero and as President. The exhibit includes his childhood home, museum and the Place of Meditation--the location of his grave. Complete with details about his life and hobbies as well as his presidency, the museum provides a closer look at the pub-lic and private life of Eisenhower. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $2 for children ages 6-15.

Eisenhower presidential library

701 Amidon StWichita, Kan.The Botanica Gardens

are nine acres of garden, which contain over 4,000 plant species, 26 different themed display gardens and a multitude of water fountains. Located two and a half hours from Lawrence, the gardens include an aquatic collection, rock garden, butterfl y garden, greenhouse for tropical plants and a fi sh-stocked pond. Needless to say, the gardens are popular for weddings and family photos and offer various classes, such as “Family Nature Crafts” and “Garden Sprouts.” Admission is $6 for seniors, $7 for adults and $5 for children under 12.

botanica gardenskansas underground salt museum

world’s largest ball of twine

While most of the nation sees

Kansas as 82,277 fl at square miles

of “fl y over state”, this stretch of

land is more than just the setting

for “The Wizard of Oz.” Not much

more, but it works in a pinch.

If tropical beaches and snowy

mountains are not fi nancially fea-

sible, the “fi ve wonders of Kansas”

just might suffi ce.

photo by One Day Closer on fl ickr

photo by nathan borror

photo by alan levine

photo by bob jagendorf

Dorothy’s house & land of oz

photo by ethan prater

>check out Dish on 207 N Cedar St. for burritos and sandwiches after the tour

>Wichita also has a zoo and the Kan. Sports Hall of Fame. You could have a mini-vacation only 3 hours away! >like the great

outdoors? Cawker City is also home to Waconda Lake

>try the best lasagna in Kan. at Jillian’s Italian Grill while you’re there

>there’s also the International Pancake Day Hall of Fame in Liberal

10HEALTHpage by sarah whipple

january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014january 30, 2014

1010

We’ve all seen the magazines, the motivational posters on Pinterest and the emails from various gyms, claiming with the new year you can come a new person. It seems that ev-eryone this time of year wants to lose 10 pounds, exercise more or get super-organized.

However, come February, resolutions are usually shattered, along with any hopes of revising them until next year. That chocolate cake was just too delicious to pass

up and watching “Skins” on Netfl ix instead of working out is just so much easier.

This year, though, can be the year of change. By taking baby steps and creating realistic goals, anyone can make a personal

change that will have positive effects on their overall lifestyle. Here are some tips on how to create a

healthy mantra and stick to it until 2015 rolls around.

T��ng� t� d�

by sarah whipplenew year, new you

One of the most common resolutions set by Americans, but also the one that usually ends up broken by the Super Bowl party full of chips and wings. Instead of fretting over one bad meal decision or cutting back on calories dramatically, start small. By eliminating one can of soda per day or choosing a salad instead of a burger at lunch,

the desire to shed pounds will become easier as you start to see more ways to realistically stick to this goal. For more dramatic results, try counting calories with an app like “MyFitnessPal” and purge your pantry of any processed foods that could lead to a bad calorie choice. Of course, exercising and sleeping more foster further success.

lose weight

Want to see the rest of the resolutions? check out fsfreepressonline.com

Instead of relying on your twitter feed or mother for remembering your schedule, try using a planner, a calendar or a desk to keep things in order. Smartphones are great resources for keeping organized,

from iPhone calendars to task lists that can be seen with a click of a button. Also, it might help to declutter your room and locker so everything needed for the day can be found easily.

get organized

spend less, save more

get organized lose weight

fulfi ll life

exercise learn more

volunteer take risks

fall in loveutillize family

learn more The school and public library are both

teeming with books that can help satiate your learning pleasures. From the Black Plague epidemic in the Middle Ages to Steve Jobs’ career, there are plenty of new sub-

jects to learn about and are super easy to research. Who knows? Maybe you’ll fi nd your next big obsession through a little wisdom found in new places.

fall in loveUnfortunately, this resolution requires

something to fall in love with, but it doesn’t have to be a person. Maybe you can fall in love with a new hobby, a sports team or even your future college. Look at things in your life that you really enjoy and consider spending more time and effort in those opportunities. And if

fi nding that special someone is your main priori-ty, just remember to keep your options open. In February, FYI provides a “Matchmaker” com-patibility test that students can take to see who they should date within their grade as well as in other grades. Who knows? Maybe one of those matches will be your next date.

true division of the great state of kansas

WHERE’S DOROTHY AND TOTO?

Koch Brother$

KU

Amelia Earheart

aggie villealmost Colorado!

we

st

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n K

an

sa

s

liberal paradise

the Capitol

wanna-be orange county

we

st

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n K

an

sa

s

LARGEST ball of twine

check out fsfreepressonline.com for additional stories on...

• The Pajama Game • Building Extensions• Lawrence Study

Locations

If you’ve heard any of the common questions or have any to add, give us a shout out at @fsfreepress.

Fred Phelps

braum’swasteland, USA

check it out!1) Do you ride a cow to school?

2) Do you live on a farm?

3) Have you ever seen a tornado?

4) Do you eat a lot of bread?

>common questions from out-of-staters

11january 30, 2014 GRAPHICSpage by darian koenig

**locations are approximate

by kyra haas Out of the approximately 1,558 Free State students, the

Free Press found only four who play hockey. According to The United States of Hockey website,

Kansas had only 314 players registered with USA Hockey during the 1990-91 season. In 2010-11, that number was up 404.3 percent to 1,934 players. In comparison, Minne-sota’s registered player count for the 2010-11 season was 54,325.

“I know that Kansas is a big football and basketball state, and so it’s kinda hard not being the center of at-tention for a sports team,” said junior Anthony Hummell, hockey player. “If I was in Minnesota, everyone would be talking about hockey … it’s always hockey instead of foot-ball or basketball.”

Because ice rinks are not as common in the Midwest as basketball courts and football fi elds, hockey players often must travel an hour or two to get to practice.

Junior Trent Reinardy travels to Kansas City twice a week and St. Louis twice a month for hour or hour-and-a-half long practices.

Others’ practice schedules require even more travel time. Junior Travis Treanor practices for three hours in north Kansas City three times week and senior Matt Main goes to Shawnee four times a week for two hour practices.

Games require even further travel. Because not many hockey teams are based in Kansas, local

teams often travel to Iowa, Chicago, Minnesota and St. Louis just to play

a game. “State” takes place every year in Ames, Iowa, and teams from Kansas and the rest of the Midwest High School Hockey

League participate. “We

have a

charter bus,” Hummell said. “…We travel basically every weekend.”

Three Free State hockey players started skating at around three or four years old, and then joined teams during their early elementary years.

“I was born in Canada, and I had an outdoor rink down the street from me so that was defi nitely a big factor in [why I started playing hockey early],” Main said.

While most began young, the hockey players’ reasons for picking up their stick vary greatly. Reinardy started playing because his dad grew up in Minnesota and wanted him to follow in his footsteps. Treanor, on the other hand, discovered his passion after watching a hockey-centered cartoon.

“I started watching the Anaheim Ducks animated cartoon series, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna do that,’” Treanor said.

Hummell, who didn’t start playing until his eighth grade year, was inspired to begin by fellow hockey player, Treanor.

“Travis [Treanor] actually got me started in hockey,” Hummell said. “… He used to have a barn, and we’d always play roller hockey, and it sparked my interest to start play-ing ice hockey.”

Even though hockey is not as popular as other sports in the Midwest, Treanor believes the effort and passion re-quired to participate are similar to that of any other sport.

“It’s the most beautiful game in the world,” Treanor said. “... It’s just like any other sport … You practice; you get good at it.”

High school hockey’s rules and regulations are nearly identical to those of the National Hockey League (NHL), but with steeper penalties for fi ghting and shorter periods of play.

“We aren’t allowed to fi ght, which is unfortunate,” Tre-anor said. “I mean, like you can, but you get suspended … We get suspended for fi ve games if we fi ght. [NHL players] get fi ve minutes.”

While fi ghting is technically prohibited, the players all agree it permeates the game. Fights are common, and a

couple players said they had participated.“I think it was the third period with like a couple

minutes left, and there was this kid who was chirpin’ me all game, and I was just like, ‘Alright. Whatever. I’ll settle it,’” Main said. “… and that’s how I got a 30 day suspension.”

Trash-talking, referred to by hockey players as “chirp-ing,” is also rampant.

“If you’re insulting someone, you’re ‘chirping,’” Hum-mell said. “There’s a lot of chirping in the hockey commu-nity. It’s hard to go a game without getting called some-thing. I mean, I even chirp. Everyone chirps.”

In addition to fi ghts and “chirping,” the game is extremely physical in general. In order to protect them-selves, players wear shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, shin guards, a helmet and “breezers,” protective pads that protect the lower-half of the torso.

Not only do the four play a unique sport, but they also have individualized ways of preparing for upcoming games. Some, like Main, eat an apple right before regula-tion. Others, like Treanor, take a shot of honey.

“The semi-pro player that a teammate of mine lived with would take shots of honey before the game, and he was the best player on the team, so now we always do it,” Treanor said.

While they are are not on the same team, each ex-pressed a desire to continue playing after high school.

“I mean, I’m always going to play hockey,” Treanor said. “I’m gonna play hockey ‘til I die.”

12 january 30, 2014SPORTSpage by darian koenig

* students look beyond midwestern norms for athletic pursuits four in 1,500

25252525252525252525252525252525basketball vs. Shawnee Mission West7:00 p.m.

7 jv basketball vs. Shawnee Mission NW5:30 p.m.1 wrestling @

Osawatomie9:00 a.m. 14girls basketball

5:30 p.m. @ Olathe South

febr

uary

how we STACK up

minnesota

registered hockey players from 2010-11

kansas

represents 7,000 players registered

http://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2011/06/03/raw-numbers-hockeys-growth-in-non-nhl-states-1990-2010/