THE FREE PRESS
Issue 8 | May 20 2025 | Edition 28
*Content warning: discussion of eating disorders on pgs 10-11. Reader discretion is advised.
Pg. 4-5 | “Lady” Firebird
Flip to page four to read more about the term “Lady Firebird”
NEWS STAFF CONTENTS
FEATURE
Pg. 8- Walking Club
Pg. 10-11- When Thin is Trending
Pg. 14-15- Education Interlude
Pg. 15- Farewell Firebirds
Pg. 16- Scouts to Counselors
Pg. 18- Chilly Challenge
NEWS
Pg. 6-7- Medicaid Cuts Impact
Local Family
Pg. 7- Weekly Sunday Protesters
Share Their Purpose
Pg. 20- Six Tournaments of Success
OPINION
Pg. 3- Letter from the Editors
Pg. 4-5- The “Lady” Firebird
Pg. 21- Glam or Gimmick?
A&E
Pg. 12-13- Photo Gallery
Pg. 17- Freddy Maze
Pg. 19- Great Green Gallery
Pg. 22-23- Ads
SPORTS
Pg. 8- Girls Grit
Pg. 9- Birds at KU Relays
ABOUT THE COVER
Junior Sophia Halton goes in for the catch, junior Mars Pierson celebrates their wrestling victory and sophomore Allie Gates kicks a soccer ball. These are just a snapshot of the girl’s sports at Free State that end up with the “Lady Firebirds” label. Flip to page four to begin reading. Photos by Nathan Friedman, Nathan Kramer and Sydney Brozik.
SOCIALS MISSION STATEMENT
Curious Free State journalists will amplify voices, gather superior sources and tell pivotal stories of our community in a visually creative way in order to serve our audience and foster quality scholastic journalism in Lawrence, Kansas.
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Evie Chancy
Maria Mosconi
MANAGING EDITORS
Phoebe Morris
Rakshan Ossen
DESIGN EDITOR
Lucas Smith
PHOTO EDITORS
Julia Velasco
Nathan Kramer
CAPTIONS
EDITOR
Cecilia Bennett
COPY EDITORS
Lauren Jackson
Meredith Shryock
ONLINE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Baila Love
ONLINE
MANAGING
EDITORS
Kinley Gigous
Odelia Colvin
SOCIAL MEDIA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Katie Campbell
BUSINESS EDITOR
Piper Northrop
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Elinor Russo
Eli Roust
Eden Weber
Liam Butler
Phoebe Morris
Mallory Thompson
Nate Willems
Nathan Friedman
Sydney Brozik
REPORTERS
Aleia Kemp
Ari Waller
Baila Love
Claire Heinritz
Dylan Tenbrink
Ebi Hegeman
Elinor Bisby
Griffin McDonnell
Jonah Frye
Odelia Colvin
Penny Coleman
DESIGNERS
Abbie Veeder
Allison McCall
Amanda McCall
Bella Lylo
Harper Finck
Katie Campbell
Willow Marable
Zoe Kaul
BUSINESS
Ainsley Linhos
TEAM
Amanda McCall
LETTER FROM THE NEWS EDITORS
Hey Firebirds!
We are writing to you for the first time as the 2025-2026 editorial staff. While the seniors have been working diligently to publish the senior issue, we have been stepping into our new roles and working together to create our final issue for the year
As we collaborated on this issue, it became evident that while we all share a passion for journalism, each of us had unique opinions on what we wanted to cover in the paper. In the end, we worked to put together a paper where we hope the student body feels seen.
As you flip through these pages, we hope you will find content that appeals to you, whether that be national news, local stories or a Free State feature. We value your voice too, and we encourage you to share your stories and ideas with us.
Standing together, the 2025-2026 news editor staff, Nathan Kramer, Maria Mosconi, Phoebe Morris, Rakshan Ossen, Evie Chancy, Lauren Jackson, Cecilia Bennett, Lucas Smith, Julia Velasco and Meredith Shryock, welcome you to their first issue. Photo by Mallory Thompson
THE THE
We’re All Firebirds
Opinion by Lauren Jackson
W““ ““
LADY LADY
hile listening to the announcer list the roster of the boys’ soccer team, none of us can recall a time when the boys’ team was referred to as the “Gentleman Firebirds.” The same cannot be said for our girls teams. Have any of us taken the time to consider the implications of the term “Lady Firebirds?”
In recent years, announcers have started to refrain from referring to female athletes as the Lady Firebirds. However, scattered use of the term persists. While announcers becoming more conscientious of the language they use reduces immediate stigma, it’s not enough to just limit the use. Instead, we should eliminate the term altogether.
The distinction of female athletes validates the idea that men’s sports are the norm while women’s sports reside in a subcategory. This notion has no real validity as the teams are coached by the
same staff, play on the same field and put in the same effort; yet we still feel the need to differentiate one and not the other.
Ultimately, this seemingly insignificant distinction makes it harder for female athletes who are already on an uphill climb as a result of misogyny.
This trend extends past just high school athletics — professional sports leagues such as the WNBA have names borrowed from the preexisting men’s league with “women’s” tacked on to the front. Leagues favor this over creating a new acronym or modifying the men’s league name to specify that the athletes are men.
An even more egregious example of this is the Women’s Tennis Association, an international professional women’s tennis league and its male counterpart: the Association of Tennis Professionals. Rather than naming the leagues, Women’s Tennis Association and the Men’s Tennis Association, the real names imply that women aren’t professionals, which ultimately downplays their athletic value.
While some don’t care about the underlying message of these names and acronyms, it fails to recognize that we don’t feel the need to specify within the names of the men’s leagues that it’s men who are playing. We just assume.
This assumption derives directly from century-old gender roles and misogyny; however, we as a society have revised countless previously formed ideas even within the issue of gender equality. It’s about time we revise this one too.
FIREBIRD FIREBIRD
It’s hard to argue that women’s sports is still so revolutionary that we should always assume it’s men’s sports as the Title IX law — which prohibited sex-based discrimination in athletic settings of schools has surpassed 50 years of age.
Specification of the athletes’ gender isn’t inherently the problem, as differences in the athletes’ physical attributes can lead to different styles and tactics of the game. According to the National Library of Medicine, in a study on the statistical differences between male and female soccer teams, data suggests that physical differences in athletes lead to a difference in technical characteristics and playing styles. For example, men generally perform longer passes and shoot from longer distances; while women show a better capability of ball recovery.
While there are some physical differences, it does not reflect a difference in the athletes’ value, skill or dominance in relation to their
counterpart that is implied when sports jurisdiction includes “women’s” or “lady” in the name and not “men’s” or “boy’s.’”
Despite these setbacks within the names, it is clear that women’s sports are already just as entertaining as men’s sports when given the same opportunities. According to ESPN Press Room, NCAA women’s basketball viewership has seen an overall 89% increase since the 2022 season.
Despite this shift in viewership and societal
approval, women’s sports continue to be denied proper recognition. This only continues in the name “Lady Firebirds” or professional leagues that differentiate female athletes and not male athletes.
These names project a level of condescension onto the players and the league when one gender is specified while the other is not. More importantly, this affects the players’ views of themselves, particularly young female athletes.
One of the first steps we can take to a more equal and deserving representation of both genders is eliminating the term “Lady Firebirds” altogether.
If we’re going to differentiate one, we have to differentiate the other.
MEDICAID CUTS IMPACT LOCAL FAMILY
Federal funding cuts to Medicaid creates a life or death circumstance for sophomore
student
Student Frankie Fergus, age 15, and his family have relied on the Home and Community Based Technology Assisted Waiver to qualify for Medicaid; however, a recently passed house budget resolution targets $880 billion of federal Medicaid spending over a decade.
Without Medicaid, mother Jane Fergus said Frankie would not be able to survive. At four months old, Frankie was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 1, and Jane was told he would never be able to talk, walk or live to see his first birthday. Today, Frankie attends the Kansas State School for Blind through Free State High School.
Though the family does not financially qualify for Medicaid, Jane said Home and Community Based Service allows them to receive financial support for Frankie’s everyday necessities such as food, feeding tubes and briefs; funding cuts to Medicaid could potentially cause optional programs such as HCBS to be abolished. According to KFF, 94,000 children will be affected by Medicaid cuts.
“Cuts to Medicaid are life and death for our family. It keeps this population of people from falling through the cracks,” Jane said.
The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act enabled certain individuals to temporarily reduce their taxes; however, this is scheduled to expire in 2025. In reaction, some members of the Republican party have published a budget reconciliation to reduce taxes in future years. In doing so, however, they would take funding away from federal programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and Society Security.
Story by Phoebe Morris
Because of the TA waiver, Frankie’s full time nurse, Julie Govier, has been able to work side by side with him since he was six months old. Since Govier is paid through Medicaid, the potential cut in funding would end Govier’s work with Frankie.
“Medicaid is just this big umbrella word, but they have all these little things and all different kinds of waivers … It’s not only financial stress, but emotional stress,” Govier said. “Frankie’s my best friend. I don’t think I could mentally, emotionally, go through life without him.”
Jane said that without the HCBS waiver to financially help, Frankie and many other children across the country would likely need to be institutionalized in a hospital. Jane said that one night at Children’s Mercy would cost around $10,000 for Frankie’s treatment and care.
“When we start institutionalizing these kids, which will become some people’s only choice, then the costs are going to go up so dramatically. It’s hard to see the savings that are already there,” Jane said.
As a registered republican, Govier said she doesn’t agree with the choices the administration has made regarding cuts to Medicaid. Instead of blaming a political party though, Govier said she focuses
on what impact the cut would mean for Frankie.
“This isn’t a right or left, republican, democrat thing. This is just humanity and how we want to run our country. No matter which way you vote. People don’t want to take services away from the most vulnerable populations,” Govier said.
Since President Donald Trump’s reelection, though, Jane said that she is fearful of what the administration’s second term may mean for her family. Even if it means quitting her job to qualify for financial aid, Jane said she will do anything to save her child’s life; she said focusing her attention on spreading awareness and education has made a huge impact.
“The Trump administration was throwing plan after plan, and that’s when we started getting into advocacy. Honest to goodness, I do not have time and I don’t have energy. But we realized that telling our story had massive impacts, so we actually teamed up with some friends of ours,” Jane said.
Long time family friend Lucinda Crenshaw said that witnessing the Fergus family overcome such struggles throughout Frankie’s life has shown her just how many people will be affected by the funding cut.
“He is just an example of how indiscriminate cuts can affect people in ways that are not even known, and how that all affects everybody, and not only for the research in medicine advancements for him, but for other kids and people too,” Crenshaw said.
Looking toward the future, Crenshaw said she strongly believes that education is the key factor in resolving the Medicaid financial crisis. Crenshaw said that calling Kansas senators, educating peers and recognizing what impacts this decision would create is all vital.
“I hope that people will find out that by using their voice, their pen or their email, they can make a difference,” Crenshaw said. “...I hope that people realize that right now, what we're used to in our democracy, is under threat, and people just need to speak up so it not only helps as a nation, but our neighbors and our friends.”
WEEKLY SUNDAY PROTESTERS SHARE THEIR PURPOSE
Protesters gather downtown to continue weekly demonstrations against the Trump Administration
Since President Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, Robin Gingerich has been organizing weekly Sunday protests at noon on 9th and Mass Street. We asked protesters what issues kept bringing them out to protest every Sunday.
Robin Gingerich
We are out here for our democracy. I think there are a lot of different issues where we all feel like our democracy is being eroded.
I’m concerned primarily about climate change and the proposed decimation of public lands and National Parks, which belong to the people.
Kelly Barth Gary Henry
The actions of Donald Trump precisely mirror the actions of Adolf Hitler in 1938 … it is our sacred, solemn duty as United States citizens to get out here and call attention to it.
Collected by Jonah Frye
Photo by Jonah Frye
Sitting together, Frankie and his full time nurse, Julie Govier, smile for the camera. Photo by Phoebe Morris
WALKING CLUB
Q&A with Walking Club
Founder Taryn Jones and Sponsor Alyssa Barratt
Collected by Aleia Kemp
How would you describe Walking Club?
“The atmosphere is to talk and walk with your friends and make new ones. I would totally recommend [it] to someone who wants to make new friends,” Jones said.
How do you think the walking club will benefit students?
“I see it being a stress reliever, as we plan to walk outside… I’ve even heard a few other adults around the building mention interest in participating, so forging more student and staff connections,” Barratt said.
GIRLS GRIT
Girls flag football team to start in the fall of 2025
Story by Griffin McDonnell
While football is typically thought of as a male dominated sport, flag football is quickly becoming a sanctioned high school sport for female athletics across the nation; Free State will join the trend with its inaugural season in the fall of 2025.
The National Football League Flag Organization sponsors over 1,800 youth leagues with their goal of making flag football globally accessible. So far, 14 states — including Kansas — offer it as a sanctioned sport with 18 others starting their test seasons.
Kansas State High School Activities Association administrator Mark Lentz deals with football operations in the state of Kansas. Lentz said what the sport of football can teach student athletes who are new to the game.
“Flag Football will teach athletes the value of teamwork, dealing with adversity, humility, provide confidence, teach the importance of communication and help studentathletes with learning how to compete, which are all important aspects of athletics,” Lentz said.
Although flag football is in the early stages of
being implemented into schools, students like freshman Gwenyth McDow said they are excited to get started. She said that she’s looking forward to being a part of another wave of women in sports.
“By having this new team, we get to be part of a big movement of girls getting to play sports that are mostly dominated by guys,”
McDow said.
The NFL Flag organization said that it is trying to create more pathways for female athletes to play college athletics. With the sport being newly introduced in high schools, it continues to provide students with more opportunities to do so.
“As someone who’s actively involved in sports, it’s inspiring to see women gaining more opportunities and recognition in areas where they were once overlooked, “ Halton said. “This progress not only empowers female athletes, but also encourages greater support and inclusivity in the sports world as a whole.”
A football rests atop a pile of belts and flags, provided by the KC Chiefs for the flag football clinic on April 9, 2025.
Photo by Nathan Kramer
Photos by Liam Butler
WHEN THIN IS TRENDING
*Content warning: discussion of eating disorders
Young perspectives on societal body norms and coping with chronic eating disorders
Story by Penny Coleman
With summer around the corner, many students are relieved of stresses such as long papers, test prepping and nightly homework. However, a season full of tight clothes and pool days can promote a new stress: body expectations.
According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, roughly 9% or 28.8 million Americans will experience an eating disorder in their life. The article later said on average, girls begin worrying about their weight around ages six to eight, with that concern increasing as they get older.
“A survey found that 77% of children and adolescents as young as 12 dislike their bodies, and 45% say they are regularly bullied about how they look,” ANAND said.
Guidance counselor Katie Coldham said that the upcoming summer brings an increase in body negativity and image. She also said that the pressure students feel to reach a certain body standard is rising.
“With summer wardrobes, pool parties and warmer weather, people naturally want to look ‘good.’ The issue arises when ‘good’ leads to unhealthy habits to get thin as quickly as possible,” Coldham said.
“I feel pressure to be skinny for the summer, especially the pool. However, I feel that as I get older, I have definitely come to accept who I am and what I look like doesn’t really matter,” Anonymous 1 said.
While it’s difficult to predict how young kids are affected by societal expectations, according to Mental Health America, negative body image and some eating disorders are prevalent in teenagers as young as 12 and 13 years old.
“I was around 13, in middle school [when my ED began] … I was hospitalized for a week because my heart rate was extremely low and really dangerous,” Anonymous 2 said.
With exposure to social media at a young age, middle school students can be filled with pressure to change themselves and conform to perceived expectations. According to CBS, on the social media platform X, a group titled “edtwt” advertises ways to get skinnier regardless of ages on the app.
“When you feel like you can’t pick and choose parts of your life, [avoiding food] is something that you can usually default back to,” Anonymous 2 said. “Obviously body image is a part of it, but the physiological aspect is wanting to feel like you’re in control.”
As the internet and trend cycles move rapidly, some students, like Anonymous 2, said that body norms and pressure to be extremely skinny will not only increase significantly, but change to be normalized.
Anonymous 1 said there can be a lot of pressure from society to be thin during the summer, but as life goes on, the stress begins to decay.
“It probably was around whenever sixth grade started [when my ED began], because that’s when you kind of get introduced to all the social norms and middle school is a very different environment,” Anonymous 3 said.
While body image is a large part of disordered eating, Anonymous 1 said control of food can be a bigger aspect. They said the idea that when everything else in life is chaotic or imperfect, food is one thing that can be restricted and controlled.
“[Eating disorders] are becoming a lot more normalized and unseen because that’s the way social media has set up a lot of things,” Anonymous 3 said. “I’ve noticed on my TikTok account, people are always romanticizing super skinny bodies and it puts everyone under the impression that it’s a healthy body image when it’s really quite the opposite.”
With ED content becoming more accessible due to social media. According to Forbes, there are significantly more resources for recovery and normality for body positivity compared to 20 years ago.
“Since the hashtag #BodyPostivity gained traction around 2012, the idea of promoting
acceptance of all body types has earned more than 43 billion views on TikTok and over 12 million posts on Instagram,” Forbes contributer Catherine Erdly said in the article.
According to The National Eating Disorder Association, recovery can take months and even years. Anonymous 2 said that finding someone who underwent a similar experience to talk to or simply just one who can listen can be a helpful aspect of a person’s recovery.
“For me, it was good to go to someone who I chose, even if it’s just someone small, one person can help a lot. Just reaching out and talking about it… over time it became easier to talk and try to become better about it,” Anonymous 3 said.
Without treatment or communication, ED’s can be dangerous and even deadly. According to the ANAD, 10,200 deaths occur per year due to a decline in seeking help or treatment.
“Our
mental health team and school nurse are available to speak with students who are struggling with body image. If there is a serious concern and outside resources are needed, we can also make referrals to ensure the students’ needs are being met and they are being monitored by the appropriate professionals,” Coldham said.
For further help with eating disorders or to reach and talk, Free State’s mental health team and nurse are available to speak with or recommend students to appropriate professionals to help with the prevention or treatment of eating disorders.
REACH OUT
Breaking down on the statistics of eating disorders
1 5 1 7 in in women and men experience an eating disorder before 40 years old
According to Harvard Health Publishing
20%
only about of individuals with eating disorders receive treatment of children and adolescents worldwide show disordered eating
According to Psychiatry Online
22%
52 every minutes person dies as a direct consequence of an eating disorder 1
According to National Eating Disorders association
The Free Press Design by Bella Lylo
Illustration by Kouri Demelash
Collected by Aleia Kemp
PHOTO GALLERY
Posing together, senior Simon Williams and guest Annika Chun use the 360 photo booth at Prom. Photo by Addison Powers
Tilting their mics, the West Middle School Chorale performs the song “Barbara Ann” by the Beach Boys on April 30. Photo by Eli Roust
Clapping her hands, senior Delaney Bruhns celebrates during a softball game against Shawnee Mission North. Photo by Nathan Friedman
Coming up for air, sophomore Helena Mattes swims the freestyle at the meet on April 17.
Photo by Elinor Russo
In preparation for his steeplechase race, junior Jonah Frye practices jumping hurdles at track practice. Photo by Nathan Friedman
Walking together, seniors Amelia Wiles and Greta Barnett enter the gym together at the prom assembly. Photo by Eli Roust
Fighting for the ball, junior Sophia Christie dribbles down the field to make a goal. Photo by Elinor Russo
Holding signs, sophomores Signe Hoke and Alice Lang participate in the Sunday protests on Massachusetts Street. Photo by Cecilia Bennett
EDUCATION INTERLUDE
Every Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., special education students leave their classroom to achieve academic and personal goals through musical therapy interaction.
Music therapy is an educational service offered to special education students to assist them in achieving nonmusical goals through vocal and instrumental practice. USD 497 musical therapist Tonya Wahl has been splitting her time between nine different schools for the past 11 years.
Wahl said that working in schools throughout the district is stressful but rewarding when she is able to watch students around the district develop their skills.
Music therapy program helps special education students
Story by Maria Mosconi and Phoebe Morris
“Music can help structure our minds. We can use music as a tool to plug in information that they can learn, like mnemonics,” Wahl said. “That’s why you see a lot of kids learning through music or memorizing lyrics; if it’s tied to a melody, it can be used as a tool.”
Before meeting with Wahl, the special education team works with each student to create Individualized Education Program goals.
Wahl personalizes each 30-minute session for the student’s benefit. Wahl said that repeats the same routine for each session
to establish a comfortable environment for her students.
From the outside, special education teacher Beth Shirley said that she has watched her students grow and obtain their IEP goals through music therapy. Shirley said that another professional perspective has been beneficial for her students’ social and academic learning.
“They may have been really challenged and frustrated with communication. Now they’re much more able to communicate and manage any frustration and do some communication repair. It’s extraordinarily helpful and benefits the students,” Shirley said.
As someone who plans to study music therapy in college, senior Eli Roust said they felt disappointed to know very little about the program. Roust said they often feel that special education services are overlooked, including music therapy.
Strumming along,
Photo by Evie Chancy
music therapist Tonya Wahl and sophomore Lilly Rule smile during their Individual Goals class time together. Editor’s note: Following Kansas Department of Education protocol, we were unable to interview a student currently in music therapy.
“It feels like [IEP students] are tucked away in the tiny hallway in the back. If they don’t try and make friends, you’ll never know they’re there,” Roust said.
Wahl said that music creates a supportive and comfortable environment for all her students.
“Music is important for students, whether it’s band, orchestra, choir or whatnot. Music reaches all students,” Wahl said. “It even happens that most students enjoy some type of music or rhyme. It can bring together students who normally, maybe outside of the classroom, wouldn’t come together.”
FAREWELL FIREBIRDS
Seven staff members conclude their time at Free State
Brad Greenwood - 20 years at Free State, (Physics and Astronomy/Geology, Algebra II and Math 101)
Graphic by Lucas Smith
Tina Mitchell - 14 years at Free State (Administrator)
Jeff Morrison - Seven years at Free State (gifted facilitator and the district chair for gifted education)
Josie Clark - Five years at Free State (Advanced English 9, English 9 and English 101/102)
Julia Johnson - Two years at Free State (Counselor A-E)
Charles Dorssom - One year at Free State (Algebra 2 and Earth/Space Science)
by Amanda McCall
Collected by Arianna Waller
SCOUTS TO COUNSELORS
Story by Odelia Colvin
Girl Scout Camp helps senior scouts pass experience on to new campers
After growing out of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Girl Scout camp’s younger camper program, junior Megan Green decided to return to work with the younger girls. Responsibilities as an aide at Girl Scout camp involve helping the younger campers cook over a fire, getting campers to programmed activities on time and supervising them during the week of camp.
“I’ve been going [to Girl Scout Camp] since I physically possibly could,” Green said. “I’ve grown up doing it. What’s kept me coming back to work are the children, because they’re really sweet. I really enjoy working with children all the time.”
After spending four years aiding, junior Laura Turner said that getting to pass on the Girl Scout Camp experience to younger girls makes the tradition even more rewarding. Turner said she enjoys playing games with her campers that she played when she was a camper herself.
“Now that I get to be on the other end of that, it’s so much more special. Knowing that I get to help with those kids’ experiences and that they want to come back next year, I think that’s
really special,” Turner said.
Junior Katherine Stancil said that camp activities are one of the reasons that girls continue to return to camp. Stancil said her favorite activity is ziplining.
“What I like about ziplining is the rush of adrenaline at the beginning when you jump off the tower, and for a minute you’re free falling before the line catches you and you go down the line,” Stancil said.
In addition to spending time with younger campers, sophomore Charlotte Dunn said that becoming an aide has helped improve her outdoors skills.
“It definitely also helps with cooking skills, especially outside, for in the future when we go camping on our own,” Dunn said. “I know how to start my own fires and things like that, even without having matches.”
Despite having never met a majority of the girls at camp, Green said that it is easy to connect with the girls. Green said that she’s made loads of friends at Girl Scout Camp and looks forward to going back this summer.
“The culture of Girl Scout Camp is really welcoming,” Green said. “Everyone’s very different, but everyone’s able to overcome that and [create] a community.”
Although working at Girl Scout Camp can be tiring and difficult, Green said that she wants to continue the Girl Scout Camp tradition for as long as possible. Green said she plans to work at the camp this summer and next summer.
“There can be times when I want to throw in the towel, but I’m so passionate about it, and I’ve loved it since I was a kid,” Green said.
“Everyone has this understanding that it’s something that is very special and dear to us, and we want to preserve that for as long as we can.”
GO, FREDDY, GO!
Help Freddy escape the ghost
Start
CHILLY CHALLENGE
Participants take on viral ice bucket challenge in support of mental health awareness
Story by Claire Heinritz
As many have seen on social media platforms, people around the country are reviving the ice bucket challenge, renamed the University of South Carolina’s #SpeakYourMIND Challenge. In the trend, people dump ice water on themselves and then nominate three others to do the same.
The 2025 challenge started in March at USC’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion Club and gained popularity when people outside of the university continued it through viral social media videos.
Originating in 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge similarly involved people dumping ice water on themselves, but to bring awareness to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, a nervous system disease that leads to loss of muscle control. According to The ALS Association, the challenge ultimately raised $115 million for ALS research.
This time, the challenge focuses on raising awareness about mental health issues and reducing the stigma surrounding them, particularly for young adults.
Similar to the original initiative, they are also fundraising, but for the organization Active Minds. According to CBC, the organization has already generated over $300,000.
44% of voters have
67% of voters have been nominated for the
Illustration by Ava Talbott
Working with kids, juniors volunteer at Deerfield Elementary to help the students during Great Green Help.
Photo by Nathan Kramer
of an Instagram poll of 151 votes
participated in the ice bucket challenge
ice bucket challenge
junior Annah Steele helps clean the LINK kitchen for her time at Great Green Help. Photo by Julia Velasco
Scrubbing the walls,
Shoveling, juniors Baila Love and Laura Turner participate in Great Green Help at Family Promise. Photo by Nathan Kramer
GREAT GREEN GALLERY
Taking out trash, juniors Annika Lintecum and Taryn Jones help clean out the storage closet at Theater Lawrence. “Great Green Help was super fun and motivating,” Jones said. “I would totally recommend it to any incoming junior to get involved in.”
Photo by Elinor Russo
Helping a student, junior Abby Cothern volunteers in the school classroom during Great Green Help.
Photo by Nathan Kramer
Holding a weed wacker, junior Violet Nelson volunteers at Family Promise for the annual Great Green Help.
Photo by Nathan Kramer
Story by Evie Chancy
SIX WIN STREAK
Forensics wins state, continues their legacy
For the past six state competitions, forensics placed first in sweepstakes each year, predating all members of the state team and new speech and debate coach Parker Hopkins.
Sweepstakes is a ranking system where schools or individuals earn points based on the amount of entries that make it to finals and the placements those entries achieve, with higher placements earning more points. Because it can come down to a small margin of points between schools, junior Olive Minor said there can be a lot of pressure for each individual to perform well at state.
“We didn’t start the legacy, but we get to continue it,” Minor said. “Our coaches make it clear that it’s not our responsibility to do this, but it’s something that we get to do.”
Despite the expectations for the team, junior Breahna Randall said everyone
Moreover, Randall said this is especially important since there are many outside factors in forensics, like judges’ opinions and competitors’ pieces.
“The thing the coaches keep telling us is that state is for you and not for the team,” Randall said. “The coaches have been really good in that aspect, focusing on your [individual] improvement and not pressuring yourself too much.”
This year, senior Anwen Williams said there has been more anxiety surrounding state than usual because of the loss of
Story by Evie Chancy
competing schools. Because it’s following so much concern, Williams said she hopes winning will give the program a deserved confidence booster.
“A lot less people thought we would win state this year, but then we managed to pull it together, which was really important, because it left people feeling a lot better about our team than they were feeling,” Williams said.
After competing in Informative Speaking at state for the last four years, Williams won gold for the first time in that event this year. Williams said she’s happy where she’s ending her forensics career and the legacy of the program.
“This year, I really, really wanted to win because that’s what I would have wanted when I was a freshman,” Williams said. “So when I won, I felt like it was really bittersweet, because it was like, ‘Imagine if I was 14, and you told me I was gonna
Photo collected by Eli Roust
GLAM OR GIMMICK?
Two differing opinions on the value of the Met Gala
STYLE’S
SPOTLIGHT
Opinion by Evie Chancy
Every May, my feed along with many others’ is flooded with photos from celebrities’ Met Gala red carpet looks. The Met Gala has been a time-honored tradition since its founding in 1948 to fundraise for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Many people have criticized the famously high $75,000 ticket prices, but the price tag is high to fund the museum. Because of the event’s exclusivity, it has become fashion’s biggest stage to create statements or call societal issues to attention.
For many years, the Met Gala has been theming the event based on its yearly fashion exhibits and a chance to bring attention to old archival pieces once again. By basing the event off its exhibits, the Metropolitan Museum is able to spotlight important topics, like they have this year with the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which is based upon Black dandyism.
Since the Met Gala is so high profile, it gives celebrities, designers and the fashion world the opportunity to acknowledge important messages and bring them to the feeds of millions of people. While many people disregard the Met Gala as vain, those same people wouldn’t know anything about the theme without the event. Fashion is inherently political and the Met Gala serves as an entryway for many people. Ultimately, the fact that the Met Gala’s red carpet is able to spark so much interest indicates a sign of its continued relevance.
FAULTY FASHION
Opinion by Baila Love
In times like these, the Met Gala is a little too “The Hunger Games”-esque to be appropriate. Rich people dress up in extravagant outfits with little to no acknowledgment of real world problems. The 2022 Met Gala is a great example of this because of how distasteful the theme, “The Gilded Age,” was; it was an era characterized by the corruption of the rich and their gross displays of wealth. The theme reads as tone-deaf considering many people’s everyday struggle to afford basic necessities. Glorifying wealthy people in such a theatrical way at a time like that is unsympathetic.
Another issue is celebrities dressing in outlandish outfits just to get attention on social media. In 2021, Kim Petras dressed as a horse to “represent horse girls.” Then in 2023, Doja Cat and Jared Leto dressed as cats instead of honoring anything worthwhile. Additionally, when the men aren’t wearing fursuits, they’re all wearing the same clean-cut, black suit with a tie. This eliminates the aspect of creativity and unique fashion, which is the entire point of the event. With the way the Met Gala is presented, it only comes off as a performative way for the wealthy to get attention on social media and stay in the spotlight.
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Collected by Evie Chancy
NATIVE FLOWERS OF KANSAS
Over
2,200
plant species are native to Kansas, and
1,600
produce some kind of flower.
Sunflowers, Kansas’ state flower, are often used to absorb metals polluting the soil, like lead, arsenic and uranium.
Ratubida
Native flowers help support local pollinators like:
HUMMINGBIRDS BUTTERFLIES
BEES
MOTHS
Information and statistics collected from Kansas Wildflower and Grasses, Kansas Department of Transportation, Down to Earth Kansas Services and Kansas Biological Survey Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.
Illustration by Lucas Smith
Wild violets
Prairie coneflower
Plains coreopsis
Hedge bindweed
Wild strawberry
False indigo
Baptisia australis
Coreopsis tinctoria
Fragaria vesca
Calystegia sepium
Viola sororia