Archives 2020-2021

Substitute teachers adapt to distance learning

Jack Bellemere, Reporter • October 17, 2020

COVID-19 has brought with it a new approach to education, and every teacher and student has had to adapt. For substitute teachers working in several districts and lacking the personal connection to...

Debate prepares Firebirds for Tournament of Champions

Emma Holsclaw, Talon Co-Editor in Chief • October 12, 2020

For the first time in school history, a Free State debate team is headed to the Tournament of Champions in April. Juniors Serena Rupp and John Marshall will join other top debate teams in the nation...

Student activists take to social media

Zanna Ingram, Online Copy Editor • October 9, 2020

The gay and trans panic defense is used in courtrooms to defend those accused of violent crimes against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Junior Hays Hummel wants to put an end to that practice. Hummel...

NEWS BRIEF: USD 497 releases official hybrid learning plan

Jack Bellemere, Reporter • October 8, 2020

USD 497 released their official hybrid learning outline Thursday night. The plan lays out how high school administrators hope to keep students and teachers safe and maintain a high quality education...

NEWS BRIEF: USD 497 negotiation team meets to discuss hybrid learning

Jack Bellemere, Reporter • October 8, 2020

The USD 497 negotiation team met Thursday night to lay out plans for a new hybrid learning model. The discussion spanned a range of topics from teacher sick days to tornado drills. One of the biggest...

Photo Gallery: Boys Soccer

Elana Ho, Addison Driscoll, Elijah Ditto and Baya Burgess • October 8, 2020

Protest for hybrid learning held outside district offices

Isis Norris, Ethan Wood, and Jack Bellemere • October 5, 2020

The Paraeducators Association of Lawrence, PAL-CWA, hosted a teach-in outside of the USD 497 District Office on Monday, Oct. 5, as a form of protest against the Board of Education’s recent decision to...

Lawrence schools to begin hybrid learning

Isis Norris, Print Editor in Chief • September 29, 2020

Lawrence Public Schools students will soon have the option to attend in-person classes through a hybrid learning model — returning to the classroom for the first time since March. After an intense...

Opinion: Team photo sparks anger

Isis Norris, Print Editor in Chief • August 18, 2020

On Sunday, Aug. 16 the Free State football team posted a photo through the @freestatefootball Instagram account. The photo featured 29 players standing shoulder-to-shoulder without masks or social distancing...

School board discusses reopening precautions, met with protests

Isis Norris, Print Editor in Chief • July 14, 2020

On Monday night, the USD 497 School Board held a meeting to discuss how the district will adapt the 2020-21 school year to the current COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the newly-established Kansas for a...

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