When The Free Press and The Budget came together last year to create our first joint issue, both staff and publications were doing something unconventional, considering our publications had never worked together to create a joint project.

No one knew what a paper including both schools would look like, and there was some uncertainty about the idea of collaborating with a group of people that we had never worked with for such an involved project.

However, from the first planning meeting to virtual check-ins, collaborating with fellow student journalists became a highlight of the joint issue. By the time the paper was complete and sent off to print, we knew we wanted this to be a yearly tradition.

This year, keeping in mind that our audience wouldn’t just consist of the people who flip through the Free Press every month, we wanted to put our best foot forward and display what Free State is most proud of: our biggest wins and the diverse perspectives that make wins on and off the field possible.

We can already tell that working on the joint issue will once again be a highlight of the year for the Free Press staff. Working with the Budget, we’ve been able to share our ideas and experiences while learning how to improve our program.

So, we hope that as you flip through the pages before kick off, you don’t only feel school pride, but also a shared spirit with all high school students in Lawrence.

That being said,

Sko’ Birds!