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15th Street Rivalry
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Written by allison harwood
“You’re just jealous money can’t buy tradition.”
At the most recent LHS vs. Free State basketball game LHS proudly displayed a large banner reading those exact words. A saying such as this is typical of the cross town rivalry. Founded in 1857, LHS seems to enjoy pointing out how much longer they have been in Lawrence and how much more tradition they have. Free State students enjoy dishing it right back.
An obvious explanation for the conflict is that there are only two high schools in town, therefore with no one else to rival the animosity between these two schools is strengthened. Still, there is an even deeper reason for the rivalry.
When LHS was the only high school in Lawrence, they were a super power in the state of Kansas. In fact, LHS holds the record for the most state championships won in football.
“There were years when we (LHS) would win 4, 5, 6 state championships in a single year,” Free State teacher Sam Rabiola said. “And it was just a mindset that that would happen.”
Even though LHS was doing so well in not only athletics, but academics as well, the need for change was becoming very apparent.
“You can’t even imagine what it was like to be at Lawrence High with 1,900 kids there,” Rabiola said. “Literally, you could not move through the halls without touching people all around. It was like swimming upstream in a river of bodies.”
A bond issue in the early ’90s proposed that a second high school would be built and that ninth graders would be moved up to the high schools. This was rejected.
“It was asking the community to accept too much change,” Board of Education member Mary Loveland said.
Even though the community would not accept this proposal, the board tried out other ideas. Ideas of adding a third floor to LHS and putting freshmen and sophomores in one building and juniors and seniors in another were both discussed. However, adding on a third floor was not structurally possible and having two separate buildings would complicate things like advanced classes so both ideas were rejected.
In the end, a second proposal was made that kept the ninth graders at the junior high, but built a second high school. The boundary line was 15th Street.
“There was a lot of concern of creating a rich school and a poor school,” Loveland said. “We had this theory that if you had a boundary line that went down 15th Street, you would have a good mix.”
While this bond issue was more popular than the first, it still faced some opposition.
“There were a few die hard LHS people that fought it,” LHS football coach Dirk Wedd said.
When Free State first opened, it had a senior class of about 100. Because of the small class size, Free State did not pose as a rival to LHS at first.
“We were so small that we would just get pounded,” Rabiola said. “So it’s not like we were a threat athletically from the get go.”
Once Free State started getting larger, athletics and every other program at Free State started to become a real threat to LHS. The result is what people see as the rivalry today.
“The best way I’ve heard the split described is like it was a divorce,” Rabiola said. “LHS was the half of the couple who was left behind. They got stuck with the house and the old furniture. Free State was the member of the couple who moved on and got a new house and new furniture, and LHS is still bitter about it.”
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"Teachers started making us print our own worksheets""
Budget Breakdown
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Written by miranda davis and amani safadi
The student body and faculty can all agree that this year has not been easy. You can see the stress of the budget situation reflected in teachers faces. Most everyone has had to make sacrifices, and do things they would not have done because of the budget craziness. The sad thing is the worst is yet to come.
“I know in photo class we had less film to work with and when the paper was gone, we were out of paper,” senior Megan Bracciano said. “Teachers started making us print our own worksheets [at home].
Teachers and students have had to be budget conscious, but with decisions from the school board to not close schools it is clear that the worst is yet to come.
Teachers won’t have it any easier than students in the coming years. The district has to cut 20 teachers to make up the budget deficit, and while some of these will be accounted for with retirements, non-tenured teachers (new teachers, or teachers new to the district) can easily be released and, therefore, have a lot to worry about.
Social Studies teacher Philip Mitchell is a member of this group.
“I’m still here,” Mitchell said. “I like it [at Free State], and I think they like me. It’s all just numbers.”
Teachers are not the only ones at risk. Other staff members, such as librarians Betty Kiline and Diane Toplikar will be directly affected by the cuts. One liberian will be moved to another school, but school board officials have not decided which librarian will move yet.
“I think we are all aware of the budget situation,” Toplikar said. “I think this has been a very difficult year as that has loomed over the school.”
“We really don’t know what’s going to happen,” Kline said.
Fewer teachers also means fewer classes and a higher student to teacher ratio. This also means the classes that don’t have enough students enrolled will not be offered next year.
“We are just going to have to figure out how to do our job the best we can,” Mitchell said. “I think we will notice a difference next year.”
Next year certainly won’t be easier by any means. It will take several years before the budget situation calms down. Tough choices were made by the school board and changes are going to be clear in the coming years because of these choices.
“Education has been around for a long time and people have done it with a lot less,” Mitchell said.
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Studen Voice: Why Is This Time of Year So Stressful
This time of year isn’t that stressful for me. I’m not a senior so it’s not like I’m getting ready to graduate. -Sam Orth, sophomore
I find it stressful because I realize it’s the end of the year and I try and rush to make up grades. I lose sleep because of it and it stresses me out more.-Emma Bader, junior
I’m sittin’ on the fence with that one. I think it’s stressful at times and at other times it’s great with the coming of spring, you know! -Tyler Cambell, senior
I’d say not so stressful. Everything is pretty low key after spring break. That also might be because at this point I’ve just given up. -Hayley Francis, junior
For me it’s kind of stressful because we’re about to graduate and I have to finalize all of my college plans. Outside of that I don’t think my classes in school are too stressful. -Kayleigh Sellens, senior
[It] is stressful because I have to figure out where I am going to college, which has a big impact on my future. Also I have to worry about all the assignments I am too lazy to do -Alan Hornbaker, senior
This time of the year is so stressful for everyone probably because of the excitement for summer and the rush to raise possibly low grades. Personally, this time of year is stressful because of Encore. -Austin Fisher, junior
I think it’s stressful for some seniors trying to have straight A’s and not miss a day. Then there’s others that just can’t wait to graduate. – Chris Senecal, senior
This time of the year is so stressful because everyone’s just ready for summer, it’s the last quarter of the school year and everybody’s ready. Everyone is anxious for the school year to end. Finals are almost here again. -Brianna Spence, sophomore
This time of the year maybe stressful for me because I’m trying to meet deadlines for summer plans, and keep school and college things organized. -Kara Evans, senior
Right now, I’m stressed because of how torn I am between worrying about college and trying to enjoy my last quarter of school. Also, the weather doesn’t help. -Alek Joyce, senior
This time of the year is so stressful because of the NCAA tournament. People stress about Kansas choking, like this year. -Logan Sloan, junior
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Wayward Students Dread Skyward
Written by Bailey Schaumburg
There was a time when I would sit anxiously in front of the window and wait for the mailman to deliver the most formidable of all adversaries: my report card.
My efforts to avoid its wrath were pointless because my parents always seemed to find it somewhere. Whether they dug it from the trash can or taped the shredded pieces back together, the report card inevitably ended up in their hands. Even though I was never successful in destroying it, at least in the good old days report cards only came once or twice a quarter, and the fact that they were made of paper made destruction of this burden a possibility.
However, a sharp increase in technology in the past few years brought a new enemy into our lives called Skyward. Now, with just the click of a button parents are able to see every detail of their kids’ grades whenever they want to.
The immediate response to the introduction of this program was pretty predictable; parents thought it was wonderful while students despised the idea. In a letter that science teacher David Reber sent to parents over Skyward he called the program a “mixed blessing,” and I couldn’t agree more.
Although Skyward provides easy access to student information which allows parents to be more informed, it can cause confusion and unnecessary outrage. Teachers often put assignments in the grade book before they have been graded, which causes some parents to believe that their student is receiving an “F” on that particular assignment. Skyward shows details about each assignment such as the amount of points it is worth and the percentage the student received. However, it doesn’t show details about make-up work and pending assignments. Factors such as these can greatly effect what a student’s grade is for the time being, and all teachers work at a different pace to get scores into the grade book.
“Grading is a dynamic process, and these phenomena have always existed,” Reber explains in his letter.
To put it simply, grades aren’t final until the very end of the semester. The commotion that Skyward can cause is often frustrating and downright annoying, and ignorance is bliss until the final report card is sent home. The only way for parents to avoid Skyward chaos is to forget that it exists and just wait for the report card to arrive home the old fashioned way.
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Students Become the Teachers
Written by allison morte
In a few short weeks the student teachers will be leaving classrooms for good; some students are looking forward to that day and will be grateful to have regular teachers back while others will dearly miss student teachers. Whatever the case, student teachers have a huge impact on students’ education. Many students have several student teachers every year.
The level of involvement in the classroom for a student teacher depends on the teacher and the class. Sometimes, the teacher seems to disappear for the few months the student teacher is present. The majority of the resposibility is left in the hands of someone who is still learning, just like the students of the class. This causes students and faculty to question the qualification of student teachers to take over a large chunk of classes every semester.
”It’s just managing the classroom,” art teacher Carolyn Berry said. “They just haven’t had a lot of experience. They’re just a little bit older than our students.”
General complaints about student teachers are they are very nervous, easily flustered, or do not fully understand the subject matter.
“I’d rather have the regular teacher,” sophomore Reina McCoy said. And when asked about teachers leaving the class altogether she said, “I don’t think that’s quite a good idea cause sometimes they [student teachers] get confused and tell us false information.”
But there are also many students who believe student teachers provide excitement and enthusiasm for subject matter their actual teachers might already be burnt out on.
”[Student teachers] have been beneficial because they provide a fresh prospective,” sophomore Michelle Stockwell said.
Despite the difference of opinions, it is unusual for anyone to recommend eliminating student teaching all together. Student teachers and faculty alike believe student teaching is a tremendously important learning experience and essential for molding future teachers.
”I think they gain an enormous amount,” Berry said. “They get to imagine what it would be like if this was their classroom. They have to set up, they have to clean up, in my case they have to prep for it. They have to learn to interact with all the students and the faculty, and they have to learn to work within a schedule again because they’ve been in college where it’s not as scheduled.”
Laura Draxler, a student teacher for Oather Strawderman, agrees.
”Starting out in undergrad they teach you all these different things about classroom management and how to teach and how to be a good teacher but you really don’t get a feel for what its like until they actually put you in front of the classroom,” Draxler said. “And that way you have somebody to fall back on if you’re not sure if things are working out or you want to try new things.”
Student teachers will be the first to tell you that they don’t get paid for their jobs. In fact, they actually pay to work here. Their money provides a small stipend for the faculty member whose class they oversee. This is because, although it may not be obvious to most students, teachers like Berry say guiding a student teacher through teaching their class is actually a lot of extra work.
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No More Nasty
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Written by amani safadi
Aside from the exceptional academic, musical, athletic and theatrical success, this is a high school and there are inevitably some pretty disgusting things that go on in a building full of teenagers. Though most students hold their noses or avert their eyes to avoid these unpleasant things, in the spirit of freedom of the press and hard-hitting investigative journalism, our staff decided to bring these nasty things out in the open. We took a vote on the grossest things we see going on throughout the school. Here are our top ten picks:
Butt cracks
“Keep it in your pants.”-Bailey
PDA
“It’s gross, and if you’re gross it’s gross.” -Jessica
Picking noses
“I throw up a little bit every time I see someone digging for gold.”-Katherine
Fountain Gum
“The school water tastes bad enough without your nasty spit gum.”-Emma
Gabe Ballard-Hanson
“Only student at our school more disgusting than Sam Walters.”- Jeff and Jake
Neck beards
“We all know a certain senior who works at a cookie shop with a neck beard, seriously man shave it.”-Anonymous
Bathrooms
“Flush please.”-Kim
Cleavage
“It’s disgusting. Don’t let it hang out.”-Allison Morte
Smelly People
“When I encounter someone smelly in the hallways, I hold my breath for like a minute.”-Emily
Scandalous Clothes
“Keep it classy ladies.”-Miranda
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Brogan Sievers: Focused on Film
Written by ryan loecker
Ever since sophomore Brogan Sievers saw Steven Speilberg’s E.T., he knew he wanted to make movies.
“I was in sixth grade when I started making movies with just a home camcorder,” Sievers said.
Since then, he has made around 15 films and plans to submit one of his most recent projects, Tapeworm, an X-Files inspired horror short, to the Focus Film Festival hosted by Lawrence High on April 29. This is the fifth year for this festival, which includes films from high schools all over northeast Kansas.
Sievers makes movies for Film Media II and also in his free time. Next year he plans to be in Firebird Productions. He someday hopes to turn this hobby into a career by becoming a director.
Last year, Sievers shadowed Kevin Willmott, a local film director who recently directed The Only Good Indian.
“He gave me some inspiration and drive to keep working at what I like doing,” Sievers said.
Besides Willmott, some of his biggest influences are Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, David Lynch and the writings of J.D. Salinger.
Although there are many different elements that go into filming, (storyline, outline, actual screenplay, etc.), Sievers said finding a location and keeping the actors under control are the hardest.
“Where we want to shoot it never turns out where we actually shoot it” Sievers said.
When filming, he usually doesn’t use tripods and tries to use interesting angles. One of his movies was filmed with night vision the whole time, and another was filmed in black and white with slow motion.
“I always try to do something weird with my movies,” Sievers said.
Along with filming, one of Sievers’ favorite parts of the filmmaking process is getting to spend time with his friends, whom he turns to for acting help.
“It’s cool because whenever I’m in his movies, I can always have some input in what we do,” sophomore Jon Fitzgerald said. “He values my opinion.”
When he graduates, Sievers plans to go to either NYU or Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
“If anyone could [make a career out of directing], it’d probably be Brogan,” sophomore Kainen Spooner said. “He’s got good ideas, he knows how to cast, he knows how to direct.”
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Prom Candidate Profiles!
Written by Kim Carter, Katherine Corliss
Prom King Candidates:
Jesse Clayton
Involved in soccer, swimming, social awareness, Freddie’s Friends
Favorite Jimmy John’s Sandwhich: “I don’t eat there.”
Why should I be Prom King?: I don’t even know why I was nominated.
Hobbies: Guitar, soccer
Date to Prom: Katie Wheeler
Post High School Plans: Johnson County Community College, major unknown
Everyone needs to know: –
Secret: “I honestly don’t know my locker combination.”
Harrison Scheib
Involved in choir, track, cross country
Favorite Jimmy Johns Sandwhich: the day old bread
Why should I be Prom King?: because I drive a moped with an american flag helmit
hobbies: ultimate frisbee, frisbee golf, ping pong, going to the skate park, watching C-SPAN
Date to Prom: Mckenzie Leibel
Post High School Plans: Going to Indiana Wesleyan University to study photography
Everyone needs to know: Global Warming is a hoax
Secret: I wear white underwear on Sunday to feel pure.
Sam Passig
Involved in: Choir, Soccer, Social Awareness, Indoor Soccer Club,
Fav JJ: Turkey Tom
Reason to be PK: I actually think Rich should be prom king
Hobbies: Soccer, Singing
Date: Myette Simpson
Post High School: I’m going to attend the University of South Carolina, majoring in International Business and sports management
Everyone Needs to Know: Everyone should know how to read
Secret: I don’t like roller coasters
Rich Dibenedetto:
Involved in: Men’s Choir, Chamber Choir, Prison Ball Club,
Fav JJ: #8
Reason to be PK: I’m a pretty likeable guy.
Hobbies: Playing Ultimate Frisbee and tennis, I work on models and jigsaw puzzles a little bit
Date: Gelerah Samandi
Post High School: College at the (Inaudible) institute of Technology, Majoring in Astronomy and metro-physics
Everyone needs to know: 82.7% of statistics are made up
Secret: I hate Ugg Boots
Ben Rosenbloom:
Activities: Choir, Debate, Forensics, Writers Club, Science Olympiad, Theatre,
Fav JJ: Roast beef club
Reason to be PK: I promise wide sweeping reform, change, and universal health care for the poor little peasants
Hobbies: Reading, Drawing, Video games
Date: Sophie Matzen
Post High School: Bowdoin College
Everyone needs to know: Being one minute older does not make you the better twin
Secret: I have robot parts in my shoulders.
Kirk Resseguie
activities: choir and football
hobbies: fishing and lifting weights
JJ: i forgot what it’s called…the italian one
Why PK: I don’t really care if I’m prom king
Date: Caroline Mayhew
Post HS: play football at Missouri Western
Everyone needs to know: I know how to have a good time
Secret: I like to draw
Michael Swank
activities: none
Outside: plays tennis
JJ: The club Lulu, but you gotta get it with cheese
Why Prom King: I try to be a nice guy to a lot of good people all the time
Hobbies: playing tennis, golf, tossing the frisbee
Date: Hannah Carlson
Post HS: University of Iowa, tennis
Everyone needs to know: tennis is a great sport and people need to play it
secret: I have a terrible addiction to fast food
Nate Rosenbloom
activities: president of thespian club, concert choir, philosophy club, latin club, scholars bowl, science olimpiad
JJ: BLT
Why PK: Otherwise the terrorists win
hobbies: video games and dungeons and dragons
Date: Lea Greenburg
Post HS: Planning on going to Brandeis University and studying computer science
Everyone: –
secret: Carry a budha and a D-28 in my pocket wherever i go
Prom Queen Candidates:
Mandy Dray
Involved in: Dance team, LINK Crew, National Honor Society, Choir, Competitive dancer, Shows Horses
Fav JJ: #4, Turkey Tom
Reason to be PQ: I represent the school well.
Hobbies: Dancing, riding my horse, shopping, singing in my car with the windows down, running
Date: Alan O’Neal
Post High School: Going to New York or California for School, Planning on getting a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Performance
Everyone Needs to know:How to drive correctly, I hate bad drivers
Secret: I pop my knuckles when I get nervous.
Jordan Koch
Involved in: Tennis, Orchestra, Choir, Hyphy Club
Fav JJ: Vegetarian #6
Reason to be PQ: I personally think Jenny Loewen should be Prom Queen
Hobbies: Music: writing and playing it, I’m a couple of bands, I like biking with my sister,
Date: Asher O’Connor
Post High School: Going to KU, I don’t know what I’m going to study
Everyone Needs to Know: “You see in the world what you carry in your heart.”
Secret: I hate sno cones
Caroline Mayhew
Activities: Cross Country, basketball, soccer, choir, prison ball club, \
Fav JJ: #9, Italian Night Club
Reason to be PQ: Jordan should be Prom Queen
Hobbies: Drawing, watching TV, I sing with my family
Date: Kirk Ressuigie
Post High School: Going to Bethel College and play soccer and do music there
Everyone needs to know: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Secret: I giggle in my sleep.
Marcella Hangen
Activities: National Honor Society, track, Prison ball,
Fav JJ: I don’t eat at Jimmy Johns
Reason to PQ: I’m not in choir, everyone else is.
Hobbies: Photography
Date:Troy Brookshire
Post High School: Going to KU, becoming a photography
Everyone needs to know: How to add
Secret: I don’t have any secrets.
Jenny Loewen:
Activities: Orchestra, Choir, Tennis, National Honor Society
Fav JJ: The Italian
Reason to be PQ: –
Hobbies: Violin, Singing, Reading, Playing Tennis
Date: Just a group of friends
Post High School: University of Denver or Cornell College, Possibly studying business
Everyone needs to know: How to smile
Secret: I have a huge crush on Brett Farve
Jessica Prather:
Activities: Choir, National Honor Society, Competitive Dance
Fav JJ: #4 Turkey Tom
Reason to be PQ: I think Jenny should be Prom Queen
Hobbies: Singing, Dancing, Reading, Facebook
Date: Ben Markley
Post High School: Oklahoma City University, Majoring in Dance Management
Everyone needs to know: How to read
Secret: I’m in love with J & S Coffee
Liz Walters:
Activities: Tennis, National Honor Society, LINK Crew, Chamber Choir, Chamber Singers
Activities: Tennis, National Honor Society, LINK Crew, Chamber Choir, Chamber Singers
Fav JJ: Club Lulu
Reason to be PQ: I think everyone should be prom queen.
Hobbies: Making friendship bracelets, singing, biking,
Date: Group of friends
Post High School: KU, Majoring in Pharmacy
Everyone needs to know: to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom, EVERYTIME!
Secret: I leave school five minutes early everyday.
Tolu Babalola
activities: choir, fyi, peer education
outsdie: volunteer, Brandon Woods softball team
JJ: The number 2 with roast beef
Why should I be Prom Queen?: I think it should be jenny!
hobbies: i like to talk, watch tv and hang out with my friends
Date: Jevan Bremby
Post HS: Emporia State for nursing
Everyone needs to know: you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit
secret: i’m Irish!
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Goodbye, Great Green Help
Written by alex santos
Seniors will remember that Great Green Help last year as a huge success: fun for students and beneficial for the non-profits and parks involved. It was an educational experience of community service as well as a day full of jokes, laughter and memorable stories. This article was supposed to be about the rumored triumphant return of Great Green Help. This “triumphant return” turned out to be no more than a triumphant rumor, one which sent this reporter following the trail of Great Green Help’s demise.
Background: Great Green Help was started as an Eco-friendly community service day for parks and non-profits in Lawrence several years ago. It was for juniors only, on the same day as Senior Appreciation Day, so more than half the school was usually gone.
Parks were cleaned and other areas were spruced up. Students went to various elementary schools and helped teach, clean up or play with the kids. At the Humane Society, volunteers played with dogs and cats and improved the garden . Students spent the day with residents of local retirement homes. Costumes at local theaters were cleaned and organized. These and numerous other things the juniors of Great Green Help accomplished for the community throughout the years.
But now back to the trail. It starts with Student Council. In previous years, they have successfully organized the event.
“In StuCo [Jason] Springer said we didn’t have time for it because of Homestretch and so we didn’t do it,” StuCo member Erin Ice said. “He told us he would hand it off to [Andrew] Nussbaum, and service learning but apparently Nussbaum never got officially asked.
“There is an assumption that service learning would do it but service learning is like Great Green Help everyday,” Jason Nussbaum said.
Junior Student Council members Kelcy Bowers and Hayley Francis did try to take matters into their own hands and visited principal Ed West in an effort to revive Great Green Help.
“For Student Council to take on new projects, they have to give some things up and Great Green help was one of them,” West said. “My comment to the juniors who wanted to bring it back was if they could find an adult sponsor to work with them and order the buses and do all that kind of stuff they could do it, but I haven’t heard from them since.”
Ice believed Bowers and Francis were going to speak to FYI sponsor Peggy Nelson but according to Nelson, no one officially approached her on the subject. However, she is uncertain if FYI could pull something together by April 30 with the other projects they are involved in.
“It’s in two weeks now and we really haven’t done anything with it lately because we were just waiting for Haley and Kelcy to like start us up on it. They were going to get contacts from Nussbaum, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen now,” Ice said.
The juniors did get contacts and numbers to call but had trouble getting a sponsor for Great Green Help.
“We were going to ask [Peggy] Nelson but she is really hard to get in contact with,” Bowers said. “She was gone for the three days we tried, and we got numbers of businesses and places to call, but it just never got off the ground. We thought we would be able to get it done on our own but we have so much stuff going on we can’t do it just by ourselves.”
StuCo removed Great Green Help from their agenda in an effort to make room for new projects, and the attempt to bring it back with another sponsor failed somewhat miserably. Teachers and students are saddened by the loss of this tradition.
“I feel bad about it ” junior Michele Schieffer said. “It sounded fun”
Amidst all the confusion about what was going to happen, there was still a small hope that Great Green Help would be held this year, at least on a much smaller scale but…
“There will not be a Great Green help this year,” assistant principal Lisa Boyd said in a recent e-mail to teachers.
Here is where the trail goes cold and the story ends- for now. Perhaps the next group of juniors will work hard to bring Great Green Help back from the dead for a day out in the warm sunny weather helping the community…and getting out of school.
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