the

fsfreepressonline.com @fsfreepress on Twitter 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, Kansas, 66049 edition 14 issue 7 february 11, 2011

Free Press

BEND AND SNAP

86-7

5

3FUNDRAISING FOR FITNESS

IF I KNEW THEN...

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL!

HEAVY LOAD

Coach Nancy Hopkins

gets creative so

students can get fit

Get ready for a day filled with candy and cards, and take the Free

Press Love Quiz

Is your homework weighing you down? Wearing your backpack properly can help. Read more on ...

Seniors share high school

experiences and

advice

Coach Nancy Hopkins leads a class on the spinning bikes in her new fi tness room. See pg3 for more info.

Cover ph

oto

by m

egan

eng

lem

an

Exploring The Unconscious

The Dream by zach hill

A look at a staff member's dream and it's possible meanings

SymbolicInterpretation by kim carter

I’m walking into the school following Cale Neider. He is insistent upon showing me something and I continue to follow. We go to the elevator on the fi rst fl oor and enter it. Instead of going up, a strange button is pressed and the elevator begins its decent to a lower level. When the doors open we are greeted with the sight of red velvet walls and ceilings higher than a cathedral’s with glistening gold and diamond chandeliers dangling. Could it be? Nieder has led me to the secret football jock lounge. We are immediately served with beverages by a waiter who meanders over to us between the darkly polished, red topped pool tables.

“Don’t tell anyone, man” Neider said. “This is the jock

lounge.” I look around and also

notice multiple escape ladders twisting up through the ceiling, each labeled with the name of a football or basketball player. One wall is entirely windows and looks out onto a setting sun and white sand beach. For some reason I’m not even surprised by all this, as if I knew deep down all along that this secret lounge existed beneath the school. I walk over to test out one of the escape ladders when suddenly.... I wake up. The whole thing was just a dream.

To interpret this dream, I called upon the knowledge of The Classic 1000 Dreams, a book that takes specifi c elements of dreams and interprets what they imply about life. Now, Zach was at school in his dream, which implies that he is ashamed of his ignorance in his schoolwork and should begin working earnestly. The fact that he is descending into a secret jock lounge has no interpretation, but the red velvet walls symbolize that Zach will have a personal gain soon. The setting sun is a good omen for Zach, but only if he chooses to go into law later in life, and the ladders signify a journey in Zach’s life.These interpretations may have something to do with Zach’s life, but it’s probably not true.

While these elements individually symbol-ize different things, combined together their meanings change.

I personally think that this dream symbolizes a signifi cant journey in Zach’s life; his journey to manhood. The descent to the basement is his recognition of boyhood, Neider being his guardian and guide. As he enters the basement and lounge he sees the other boys, who are about to make the ascent into manhood with Zach. What we don’t see in the dream is Zach’s actual ascent to manhood, where he climbs the ladder and emerges as a new and changed man.

2 February 11, 2011

Dreamer'sInterpretationby zach hill

Pretty much, I think my imagination and stereotypical ideas of sports in high school took a hold of me. It is a simple refl ection of the silly idea that athletes get further in school while doing less. As most know, this is not true and everyone has to put forth the same effort in school. I was with Neider that day before I had this dream and since he is a football player it makes sense for him to show me into the top secret jock lounge. In my opinion this dream is straightforward.

Feature

Teacher and volleyball coach Nancy Hopkins is building Free State a cardio fi tness center that is quickly packing on the pounds in exercise equipment.

“When the school was built, we had a weight room facility, but no cardio fi tness equipment,” Hopkins said. “I felt like there was a need for that because so many kids are overweight and out of shape, and if it’s a facility that can be used by kids like a membership at a gym, except without a fee, then it would be something that would be benefi cial to every kid in the building rather than just the athletes or the PE kids.”

The room, located next to the weights room on the second fl oor, already holds several pieces of equipment, and Hopkins hopes to add 12 to 15 more after raising funds with a silent auction boasting hundreds of items donated by celebrities.

“Sometimes during practice we’ll go up there and work on the bikes,” said junior volleyball player Mariah Dickson. “It’s really good for us, and it’s a lot of fun.“

Junior Jordan Platt, who is enrolled in Hopkins’s Individual Fitness and Wellness course, said that students frequently use treadmills in addition to bikes.

“They get tired every once in a while, but I think the more they do it, the more they like it,” Platt said.

In 2010, Hopkins won a silver medal from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for her efforts in developing this program. She has so far collected about $45,000 worth of equipment and is working to raise another $50,000 to $70,000 to complete the room.

She began raising money by asking parents of her former volleyball players for small contributions, and she sought out as many donations as possible. Soon, however, a past experience inspired her to experiment with a new fundraiser.

“About 25 years ago, when I was at West Junior High, I did a project in which I wrote to celebrities and asked them to send me autographed pictures and

letters about their views on drugs and steroids,” she explained.

Hopkins decided to use this same strategy for the cardiovascular fi tness program, but this time “on a bigger scale.” She plans to hold a silent auction featuring the hundreds of items she has received from celebrities all over the world.

“The very fi rst thing I got back came about a month after I started sending letters,” she said. She could barely contain her excitement when she opened the package to discover a photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, autographed by Ono, along with an engraved iPod.

Soon an almost continuous stream of packages was arriving at the school--an autographed drum head from Bruce Springsteen, a signed die-cast car from Clint Bowyer, four VIP tickets to the taping of Dr. Phil, and nearly an entire library of books, to name a few.

“I have over 400 autographed books,” she said. “And it’s all for my auction.”

Hopkins hopes to schedule the auction sometime in late April, but she is currently in need of a volunteer.

“I really need somebody who knows something about [auctions] to try to help me fi gure out how to market what I’m doing, because I have so much stuff I’m kind of overwhelmed.”

Her hard work does not go unappreciated.“I know she keeps sending letters to people, asking

them to donate money and stuff to it,” said Dickson. “We’re really lucky to have ‘Hops’ doing that for us.”

3Feature

February 11, 2011

by katie guyot

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o by

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an E

ngle

man

Coach and teacher Nancy Hopkins raises money for high quality exercise equipment to help students and teachers get fi t

Nancy Hopkins works it out on a stationary bike.

4Sports

February 11, 2011

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“I have always enjoyed bowling just for fun and so I thought it would be fun to try competitive bowling,” Senior Mckenzie Dever said.

Often times, bowling is thought of as a recreational sport. However, for the bowling team it is about working together as a team and is competitive.

Dever says that she started competitively bowling after a friend of hers suggested it. She thinks that bowling is more laid back and social than soccer and volleyball, the other sports she has played. Dever believes that bowling athletes are no different than athletes from any other sport at Free State.

“Bowlers are different from other athletes in some ways and similar in other ways. Bowlers do not require quite the endurance aspect that many other sports require; however, endurance does play big role in ball speed and accuracy,” bowling coach Anita Carlson said.

Carlson went on to talk about how bowling is different than any other sport because of the work it consists of . She says how with other sports, there is a time in your life when you have to stop playing because you just physically cannot do it, but with bowling, you can continue playing for your whole lifetime.

Coach Carlson is proof of this as she was a bowler in college at the University of Kansas.

“We do not [for] run hours on end or lift weights hours on end but we do practice target shooting and releasing the ball the same way with every delivery along with footwork, arm-swings, and balance,” Carlson says.

“I don’t really think we actually are different. We are a lot like everyone else who do other sports at Free State,” Dever said. “Our sport just requires different and more unusual skills than your typical high school sports.”

Senior Alyson Butler explains that bowling is no different than any other sport or activity because “it was more competitive than [she] thought it would be.” Butler also

thinks too many people do not consider bowling a sport, but she points out, the bowlers spend at least an hour and a half a day at the bowling alley.

When most people think of high school sports, they think of football basketball or baseball. Although bowling is a more uncommon competitive sport, it proves to be just as competitive.

Right

The Lane

by jacob caldwell

Bowlers turn weekend fun into competitive sport

phot

o by

dan

te c

olom

bo

Coach Anita Carlson talks to senior Sarah Perala about her last frame at a recent bowling tournament at Royal Crest Lanes.

5February 11, 2011

Feature

If I Only Knew Then...

What is your funniest or craziest memory from your

time at Free State?

Seniors and faculty give advice to 2012 freshmen and sophomores

From learning how to open a locker to sneaking away to take a quick dip in the pool the lessons learned at school are not all learned from textbooks and teachers. Seniors planning to graduate in a few short months reflect on what they wish they had known when they had first walked through the doors of Free State.

by bailey schaumburg and emma machell

Chris Muetz

Chris MuetzJessica Devlin

Jessica DevlinRachel Williams

Felix SommervilleFelix Sommerville

Preston Newsome

Preston Newsome

Emma Cormack

Alec Fitzgerald

Keenan McCauley

Keenan McCauley

Advice from science teacher Kyle Ellis on investing in your future

“I wish I would have known that you really don’t have to work that hard to get good grades, because at this school it’s mainly just task completion instead of knowledge retention.”

“Don’t be afraid to take up teachers when they offer to help you before or after class, especially right before a test. Go in during seminar or before or after school. It’s a lot more helpful to talk to them one on one because you can really pinpoint where you’re struggling.”

“How to open my locker.”

“I wish I would have known that if you are clever enough you can go swim in the pool during semi-nar if you don’t get caught.”

“Be as involved as possible, because you get to know people and you’re more involved in the school. I think more comes out of being involved in a wide variety of things and the whole high school experience is just better.”

“I wish I would have known I could take photo classes over and over again.”

“I wish I would have known who the best teachers are so I could have chosen my classes accordingly.”

“I probably would have had more fun in classes as opposed to taking harder classes; I would have taken more art classes.”

What do you know now that you wish you would have known as a sophomore?

“Wearing the same shirt as Bailey Schaumburg at lunch. That was beautiful.”

“I was on a field trip with orchestra and the orchestra teacher forgot to excuse us all from the trip so the entire orchestra was called down to the office at the same time and questioned about what we were doing during that hour.”

“On the last day of school sophomore year I was called into the police officer’s room and interrogated because apparently I was the main suspect in wallet thefts that had been occuring. Their evidence was that they saw me on video going to the bathroom because my friend was choking. That was all their evidence but I was interrogated and missed my finals.”

“The lip dub. The swimming scene was pretty tight, and the fact that we got out of class for something the whole school would participate in was sweet.”

“During my sophomore year my brother and I were at a home basketball game and we found this comb in the top row of the student section. We were throwing it at one of the students in front of us and it bounced off of his shoulder and flew onto the court. Everybody stopped and looked at us which was kind of crazy and embarrassing at the same time. I’ve also fallen down the stairs a couple times.”

“Properly invest so you can get your money immediately and start earning something right when you’re out of high school. I was 24 or 25 before I figured out how to properly invest and get a bigger return so I could retire earlier; if I would have known that in high school I would be much better off right now.”

76Feature Feature

February 11, 2011February 11, 2011

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by allison harwood and amani safadi

Cupid’s Quiz of Love

YES NO

YES NOYES NO

YES NO

YESNO

YES NO YES NO

YES NO

Are they one of your good friends?

Do you talk at school?Do they text you on a regular basis?

Do they treat you differently than other guys/girls?

Do they talk about other guys/girls in front of you?

Do they comment on your Facebook posts more than

average?

Do they try to fi nd you in the hallways?

Have you ever talked to this person?

Yes Maybe NO

Have a certain someone in mind? Answer these questions to fi nd out if they love you too!

My DOs and DON'Ts of valentine's day. Listen to my wisdom of love...

Guys DO... Guys DON'T...

Ladies DO... Ladies DON'T...

have fl owers delivered to your girl's house.

use cheesy lines you found on the internet.

ask her friends for advice when choosing

a gift.

get any jewelry that is too fl ashy.

give your boy gift ideas IF he asks.

let your boyfriend do all the work.

remember, it really is the thought that

counts.

set any expectations, just enjoy the day

together.

give some attention to your all your single

friends.

be bossy or demanding, it is a total

turn off.

take her out to a nice restaurant.

buy the cheapest chocolate you can fi nd.

Single? Here are some tips to help you through your day of lovelessness.

1

3

2

4

5

Go out to eat with a group of your other single friends.

Throw an ‘Anti-Valentine’s Day Party’ and watch scary movies with your friends.

Buy candy for your friends (and some for you too!)

Listen to songs like Single Ladies and Ridin’ Solo.

Most importantly, remember that being single keeps you stress free this Valentine’s day.

Free Press Staff Vote

What is the worst thing that can happen to you on Valentine's Day?

Being cheated on...

Being dumped...

Being the only single person in your group of friends...

11

0

4

Note: quiz results not guaranteed

School, homework, relationships, sports, after school jobs and extracurriculars are all things that cause stress during the teenage years. Mental illness can also become visible during these years and in the early twen-ties. After the recent shooting in Arizona, a new awareness of mental health issues has become a focus.

“Mental health is as important as physical health,” WRAP specialist April Ramos said. “Mental health can have a significant impact on physical health including how we eat, sleep and play.”

Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily function-ing, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness. Most mental illnesses are also known to start showing symptoms during the teenage years.

“[Symptoms include] a lack of energy, disrupted sleeping patterns (which can be too little or too much sleep), irritability, isolating oneself, feelings of worthlessness, changes in eating habits, physical symptom... and a gen-eral feeling of hopelessness,” Ramos said.

Mental illnesses fall into five categories: ADHD, anxiety/panic, bipolar disorder, de-pression and schizophrenia.

“For the majority of Americans and students in particular, stress, depression and anxiety are the most common disorders,” Ramos said.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a disorder where the person affected has a hard time concentrating on a certain activity or can’t sit still for long periods of time. It is fairly common in adolescent males. Anxiety, is a normal emotion that can escalate into a disorder when anxiety becomes extreme. Disorders include generalized anxiety disor-der, social anxiety, and panic disorder. Bipolar disorder is when a patient has extreme mood swings that can last from days to months. Clinical depression or major depression are different then feeling depressed. The differ-ence is how long the depression lasts.

Fortunately there are resources is some-one is feeling affected by mental illness. School resources are available for students, like WRAP specialists. there is also the Bert Nash center for mental illness, where they offer programs to educate and inform on mental illness, such was Mental Health First Aid for those 18 and older.

“Unfortunately when someone is diag-nosed with a mental illness, like depression, it is often viewed as a personal or moral failing when in reality it is a biological process that impacts the chemical and neurotransmitters processes of our brains,” Ramos said.

Mental illness is as much of an issue as cancer, so if you, or someone you know may show signs of depression or suicidal thoughts it is important to get help as soon as possible.

The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center is located at 200 Maine Street Lawrence, KS 66044, (785) 843-9192.

Each school year hundreds of students walk to, from and around school carrying backpacks laden with books and materials, some weighing as much as five pounds a piece Wearing a backpack correctly now can keep students from dealing with bad back, neck and shoulder pains later in life.

“The amount of homework teachers give sometimes weigh your backpack down and weigh you down, literally,” sophomore Sam Boatright said. “I think wearing your backpack correctly definitely makes a difference on your back.”

Wearing backpacks over one shoulder strains muscles to compensate for the uneven weight. The spine leans to the opposite side, stressing the middle back, ribs and lower back more on one side than the other. Muscle imbalance like this can lead to muscle strain, muscle spasm and back pain in the short term, and speed the development of back problems later in life. The weight can also pull on the neck muscles, causing headaches, neck pain and arm pain.

Junior Meixi Wang is aware of the stress a backpack can do to your future self and chooses to carry her books around in a rolling backpack.

“Backpack etiquette is really

important to your health, and I think that if you are carrying around 50 pounds a day its really gonna hurt your posture,” said Wang.

For those who have one, use your backpack’s hip strap.

“You want to transfer as much of that weight pack off of your shoulders, on to your hips,” Sunflower Outdoor and Bike employee Marc Clausen said. “When you put it on your hips your using larger muscles, you’re using your gluts, your quads, you’re using all of your leg muscles to carry your weight, rather than your shoulders.”

Keeping shoulder straps tight is also important. The shoulder straps should be tight enough to get the most contact between the backpack and the curve of your back and shoulders. “The more contact you have, the more friction you have keeping the pack on your back. Again you’re using more muscles and not having to stress one out more than the other,” Clausen said.

When searching for a new backpack, the best choice is whatever fits you best. It’s not about bells and whistles. Look for what fits your back and gets the most contact. Avoid future pain, be fit enough to have fun.

8Health

February 11, 2011

by miranda davis

by chris allmon

Causes rounding of the shoulders

Distorts the natural curves in the middle and lower backs, causing muscle strain and irritation to the spine joints and the rib cage

Causes a person to lean forward, reducing balance and making it easier to fall

Pain in the Back

Dangers of mis-using backpacks

More than 23,000 backpack-related injuries are reported and treated annually

Approximately 55% of students carry a backpack that is heavier than the recommended guideline

Helpful backpack tipsTry to carry no more than 10-15% of your body weight in your back pack at one time

Back packs with individual compartments will help most efficiently distribute weight

Choose a backpack with padded shoulder straps which are adjustable, and use both of them

How to avoid a life of agony

Mental illnesses and population of Americans a ectedType

of disorderPercentage of

population a ectedMedian age

of onset

Anxiety Disorders 28.8%11 years old

Impulse-Control Disorders

24.8%

4-13 years old

Mood Disorders 9.8%

10-13 years old

ADHD (Attention de�cit hyperactivity disorder)

4.1%

7 years old

9.1%Personality disorders

10-18 years old

Schizophrenia1.1%

18-30 years old

Includes: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias

Includes: intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania, patho-logical gambliing, pyromania

Includes: major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, bipolar disorder

Includes: antisocial personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, borderline personality disorder

Knowing Your HeadSpotting mental health issues can be beneficial

Making the Cut for Encore Auditions:

She is “looking for upbeat songs, of great variety.”

And obviously she’s “looking for rocking vocals.”

“Display creativity in the concept of the song,” yet have “an accurate portrayal of the song’s meaning and original interpretation.”

Also groups with “people from all choirs, all ability levels, and mixed juniors and seniors.”

Create “groups comprised of different people,” not all from one friend group or clique.

Tips for a successful audition provided by choir director Hilary Morton

Avoid “sad ballads, it can be a downer in the three hour show.”

9Feature

February 11, 2011

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From the choir member who participates in several Encore groups to those non-vocal students who just attend Encore or hear about it constantly from their choir friends, Encore is a big part of the Free State school experience.

The annual performance is the most exciting and anticipated musical event of the year and is almost entirely put together by the students themselves. A lot of work goes into each and every performance, and students often devote a great amount of time and effort to create or perform in Encore groups.

“We basically put it together. It’s our songs. It’s our baby,” junior Jevan Bremby said.

However Free State students not in choir or sophomores who have not yet had the opportunity to have first-hand experience with Encore often don’t know exactly what is involved in putting on this event. Long hours go into choosing a song with available (and legal) sheet music, putting together groups, rehearsing and auditioning.

“It’s pretty much insane,” choir director Hilary Morton said. “They choose their music, they choose their groups, they purchase their music, rehearse on their own, and then bring what they have to auditions on February 6 and 7.”

In addition to preparing the music for the

performance, students choreograph their songs, which some consider the most difficult aspect.

“It’s easy to learn stuff but it’s really hard to think of stuff to match the music and make it mean something without it becoming cheesy,” senior Alan O’Neal said.

Before auditions, groups practice almost feverishly, and students who choose to participate in multiple groups make a huge time commitment. Some students quit their jobs for Encore and for others it can be a very overwhelming experience. Students audition anywhere from one to 24 numbers. But far fewer make the cut than audition. This year 126 songs are vying for 35 slots in the show, according to Morton.

After the auditions, the selected groups continue

rehearsing on their own and begin rehearsing with directors and choreographers, who may scratch all of the original choreography or merely tweak it. They also participate in tech rehearsals, the first of which typically lasts eight hours, eventually running the entire show and adding costumes and finishing touches.

“What most people don't realize is that Encore happens outside of choir rehearsals,” said Morton. “Only the week of the show do we use class time for Encore.”

However all the hard work is generally worth it for the amazing results and response from huge audiences.

“I love watching how happy and exhausted they are after a show, when being greeted by their fans,” Morton said. “I love the beginning stages, when they're furiously assembling groups and rehearsing on their own. I love sitting and watching what they came up with on their own. I love the breakthroughs they make.

SingingOut

L UDby allison morte

Encore rehearsals keep students busy

""

We basically put it together. It’s our songs. It’s our baby.

phot

o by

sar

ah h

anso

n

As a junior Reilly Moore gets into character at a dress rehearsal from last year's Encore.

10Opinion

February 11, 2011

11000

One in One Thousand Free State is not just a building. It is a community of unique people. Each issue the Free Press will highlight one person and HIS or HER unique story.

Haylo Pierciey

by katherine corliss

Learn to make friendships fresh again

[For me] you can be as crazy as you want and people won't give a ... because they know you're crazy.

"

"

"

Check out fsfreepressonline.com for extracontent, and tell us what you think about Issue 7

Yes, we are now on Twitter! Follow us at @fsfreepress for news updates

by bailey schaumburg

That is exactly what happens when

friendships start to grow old. They get

crusty.

Social Senioritis Forget about...

“I don’t really see myself as a beautiful and unique snowflake,” laughed Senior Haylo Pierciey, referencing a favorite novel Fight Club.

Although her flamboyant outfits and sometimes actions may cause a second glance, Haylo Pierciey is fully confident in her identity. She feels that life isn't about how other people view you, but how you view yourself.

“[For me] you can be as crazy as you want and people won’t give a crap because they know you’re crazy,” she said.

Her wardrobe includes some interesting pieces including a skirt with bells, but mainly consists of edgier clothes.

“My mom was really into the goth scene, I guess it’s hereditary.”

However, she doesn’t classify herself as the stereotypical “stairwell kid.”

“I’m not that much of a goth, I don’t do drugs at all, which a lot of people assume about me. I’m a pretty good kid.”

Growing up, Haylo moved around a lot, but prior to living here she encountered an adverse, not-so-accepting experience at a high school in Missouri.

“I was bullied so much, just for the way I looked.”

But life took a positive turn when she and her family moved to

Lawrence.

“My life used to suck, it doesn’t suck as much anymore which is nice.”

Haylo finds both the Free State and Lawrence communities to be very accepting.

“They just think, ‘alright, go ahead.’” Throughout her time at Free State

she has become an active member of several clubs and can be seen singing her heart out in the front row of sophomore women’s choir.

“Music is a passion. I knit a lot. I’m into writing. Very artsy-fartsy.”

Everyday is a new adventure, and an opportunity to be yourself.

“Here I am.”

"

Sophomores and juniors and seniors, oh my! What do they all have in common? Senioritis. Admit it teachers: even you have it. Sure, maybe seniors have it the worst but everyone is ready to stay up late and sleep in for a few solid months.

However, I’ve noticed something strange about the senioritis disease. It affects us not only at school but in our friendships as well. I’ll call it...’social senioritis.’

As we grow increasingly ir-ritated with homework and waking up early, it seems like we’re growing more and more irritated with each other. The stress is piling on and it’s easy for us to take it out on our friends; but why is it so easy?

Hmm. I don’t think there’s any scientific reasoning behind it, but I have a few ideas. Maybe it’s because friends are often the most honest people in our lives, and honesty isn’t always easy to handle during stressful times. It could be because it’s simpler to be angry with people we trust; we know that in the end they will always be around, even if we wronged them a few times.

Or, maybe we (especially se-niors) are realizing that a lot of us don’t have much time left together and feel like it would just be easier to slowly pull apart than have to wait for a more dramatic goodbye.

But the truth is, we ARE going to have to say goodbye, and it’s go-ing to be difficult no matter what. Why not spend this time strength-ening our friendships? I mean, we’re going to be here during the summer and over holidays...wouldn’t it be nice to have extraordinary friends to come back to instead of just decent ones?

In order for that to happen, so-cial senioritis needs to die! When a

friendship is "new," it's easy to find the truly admirable characteristics in each other. It tastes good, like hot and cheesy nachos.

However, you know when you leave the nachos out on the counter for too long, and they start to taste a little funky? The cheese becomes crusty and you begin to think the chicken tastes wrong.

That is exactly what happens when friendships start to grow old. They get crusty. Instead of noticing the wonderful personality traits in each other we start to notice the not-so-good ones, and for some reason, they seem to annoy us a whole lot more than they should. Soon enough, our best friends be-come the people we tend to avoid the most.

It's time to start reminiscing. We need to recall the important reasons why we became friends in the first place and bring them back, like...glasses. Glasses were cool when they were invented because the practically-blind people could suddenly see. Then, people thought they were lame for a little while and made fun of people for wearing them. Well, all of a sudden glasses have become all sexy chic or some-thing, and people are even buying fake ones.

So, we need to rediscover our awesome-ness, just like we did with glasses. There's a reason why we are friends with the people we're friends with, just like there's a reason that people who can't see very well wear glasses: it just makes sense.

Senior feels like moving to Lawrence improved her life

11Staff Editorial

February 11, 2011

2010-2011 Free Press Staff

allison morte chris allmon katie guyot

The Free Press is an open forum that encourages letters to the editor and guest writings.

They must include the writer's name and telephone numbers. Submissions may be edited due to space limitations, libel or inappropriate content.

Submissions may be turned to Room 115, sent in care of Free Press to Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66049 or submitted online at fsfreepressonline.com.

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.

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austin fi sher ryan loecker amani safadi jacob caldwellemma machellzach hilltrevor bird megan engleman

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staff members voted in favor of a school's right to punish kids over online posts

"Some rivalry is healthy, but we are all from the same town and we should all support everybody."

"People get a little too caught up in it and go overboard."

"The physical fi ghting is not neccessary."

"It just degrades what it means to have some pride."

Share your opinion. Vote on the Bird's Word at fsfreepressonoline.com.

Grace Oliver Kennedey Pate

Eric Studley Carolyn Berry art teachersenior

juniorsophomore

Free State FirebirdsLawrence High Lionsvs

In regards to sports rivalries, the behavior of high school students in Lawrence is an utter disgrace. No individual or group of individuals is entirely to blame; every person involved with sports and every sports fan who allows this to become anything more than a school rivalry is responsible.

Conversations following Free State vs. Lawrence High sports events are almost always pathetic clashes between students who otherwise would be the best of friends. In the heat of the moment, students resort to outrageous accusations and assumptions. Students also regurgitate meaningless sports statistics in the hopes that their argument will prove their team is better.

The division at 15th Street is the only reason for

the slanderous and hateful comments surrounding high school sports in Lawrence. An arbitrary line turns intelligent, forward-thinking people into pretentious fool with a mindset derived not from their own thoughts, but from the thoughts of their group.

The administrations on both sides of 15th Street need to openly campaign against the behavior that has plagued Lawrence sports apparently since the construction of Free State. There is only a 13 percent difference between economically disadvantaged students from Free State and Lawrence High. This had led to many students calling Free State the "rich” school and Lawrence High the "poor” school.

While the students’ behavior is their responsibility,

swift and decisive action is needed from those overseeing the sports programs. Instead of proactively preventing this rivalry from reaching a boiling point, the administration must now react to the strain in our gyms. It is the administration’s responsibility to educate athletes and fans how to behave at sporting events. If they aren’t the ones to raise the issue, then no one will.

It may not seem to be the best time for the district to deal with student behavior at athletic events, but focus on the issue is needed to protect the safety of everyone involved. School is a place where students are supposed to feel safe to receive a proper education. We can’t let socioeconomic division turn into violence and hatred in our schools.

What do you think is wrong with the rivalry between the LHS and Free State?

Question:

by austin fi sher Is the rivalry between schools too intense?

Members of the student section sing the Alma Mater before the Free State vs. LHS game at LHS.

Attendees of Wakarusa Fest are probably familiar with this rock, psychedelic and house duo. Although they refuse to call their music anything besides rock n’ roll, the concept behind this group is completely original. This group combines multiple different types of music that are not commonly mixed. Zion Godchaux plays guitar and sings, and DJ Russ Randolph runs the sequencers and turn tables. Randolph and Godchaux are headed to the Granada to play songs from Boombox’s sopho-more album Downriverelectric. Although Godchaux is a tal-ented songwriter and Randolph a popular DJ, it is the combina-tion of these two talents which make Boombox great.

When you fi rst come to StumbleUpon you’re given the chance to list some of your interests, or you can immedi-ately start “stumbling”. When you stumble, you’re taken to websites that fi t your interests. You can give pages a thumbs up or a thumbs down,

telling StumbleUpon what you like and don’t like. The site works in

a similar fashion to Pandora Ra-dio. By rating pages you come across, StumbleUpon gets better and better at guess-ing what sort of content you

like to see. Topics ranging from animals to action movies, from

gadgets to gospel. Everything the web has to offer is waiting for you.

12Lawrence Guide

February 11, 2011

FSFreePressAds@gmail.com

Does advertising in a high school newspaper work? It just did.

Jim Carey is gay. At least in I Love You Phillip Morris. In the movie, the newly outed Steven Russell (Carey) claims that being homosexual is expensive and be-comes a con-man to fi nance his new life style. Russell is soon sent to jail where he meets a Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) who seems to be perfect for him. Russell then puts his con-man skills to use and

becomes devoted to freeing Morris from jail so they can live happily ever after. The crazy thing about this movie is that it is (somewhat) based on fact. The real-life Steven Russell has escaped jail multiple times and is currently serving a 144 year sentence. “It's one crazy love story, but Carrey and McGregor make it work,” ac-cording to Rolling Stone magazine.

Lawrence Guide

I Love You Phillip Morris - Coming soon to Liberty Hall

StumbleUpon

Here is garage-rock at its best. Thee Oh Sees blew me away at last year’s Scion Garage Fest, and will probably do it again this time at the Granada. They are on tour performing songs from their latest album, Warm Slime released on In The Red Records. NME magazine gave this album a 7 out of 10 and said that “MGMT could take a few lessons” from these guys. The combination of San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees and Lawrence’s own Spook Lights will be a great concert for any fan of rock music.

Thee Oh Sees2/18/11 @ The Granada (alternative / garage rock)

Come sail away with Tennis and Holiday Shores! Although their name doesn’t refl ect it, Tennis’s music is inspired by their eight months spent sailing the Eastern Seabord. This husband and wife duo are headed to Lawrence to promote their debut album Cape Dory. The concept behind this band is so incredibly simple, but it seems to work. Tennis earned a 4.5 out of 5 for their debut album by music website Consequence of Sound. They write songs about the time they spend sailing. That’s it. If that weren’t enough the opening band, Holiday Shores sound like a combination of Surfer Blood and Vampire Weekend.

Tennis / Holiday Shores2/17/11 @ The Jackpot (indie / alternative)

BOOMBOX2/16/11 @ The

by ryan loecker