Twenty years ago on Nov. 4, 1994, the citizens of Lawrence voted on whether or not the city needed a second high school. The majority of the city voted yes.

In 1994, Lawrence High School was the only high school in Lawrence, and at 2,000 students, it was bursting at its seams.

“It was just wall-to-wall people in the halls; you couldn’t see the floor,” science teacher David Reber said.

After the 1994 election, a committee was formed to select a location for the new school.

The construction began in June, 1995. The $26 million building took over two years to build and was completed in August, shortly before the first day of school on Aug. 21, 1997.

While construction was under way, so was the process of picking a name and a mascot.

“The school board chose the name Free State,” said Steve Grant, former athletic director. “They solicited people in the community to come up with names.”

The name “Free State” possesses historical significance. In the 1850s, pre-civil war era, Kansas was referred to as “Bleeding Kansas” because of its internal conflicts with slavery. The Kansans who opposed slavery were called Free-Staters.

After choosing the name, the school board created a committee of around 30 individuals to select a mascot. The committee was composed of 7th, 8th and 9th-graders who would be attending Free State. Parents, school board members and future Free State faculty members also contributed to the discussion.

Initially, A member of the committee suggested a Firebird after discussing the idea of a phoenix for a mascot.

“The phoenix is a mythical bird that grew out of the ashes,” Grant said, “so that goes back to the pre civil war days when the city was burned down and Lawrence rose out of the ashes.”

Among the many mascot contenders, the Firebird, phoenix and panther were the top three. Ultimately, the Firebird, based off the phoenix, was chosen to accompany the school’s historical name.

The Firebird design has only been changed once since Free State opened. After finding out that the artist who made the design, Michael Urish, had copied Temple University’s owl, the school district was forced to change the design to avoid a lawsuit.

“Initially, the wings were shorter and the body was smaller,” Grant said.  “The head has always been the same.”

The mascot name, Freddie, has its own history. The first year, student Jody Frederickson was the mascot. Her nickname was “Freddie”, and people began to refer to the mascot as Freddie. Thus, the school mascot became Freddie the Firebird.

On the first day of school, Aug. 21,1997, 920 students and 100 faculty members filled the Free State hallways. The first month presented some challenges. Some textbooks had yet to arrive and there was ongoing construction to finish minor details. Traffic was also an issue on the first day.

At the time, Free State only had one entrance because Wakarusa Drive had yet to be extended. There was also no stop light at Folks Road and Sixth Street.

A new school meant new traditions. Previously, Lawrence High school had over 2000 students, which limited the number of opportunities for students.

“Whether it be athletic teams, music or forensics, when you have that large of a school, you are going to have cuts because they just can’t accommodate that number of students,” pre med teacher Jane Rock said.

Rock has been at Free State since it opened.

“Even in student activities, by adding another school we added so many more opportunities for students,” Rock said.

Free State borrowed and shared many of Lawrence High’s traditions the first year. Prom and the annual mud volleyball tournament were done in conjunction with Lawrence High. However, the homecoming bonfire was a Free State original.

The most important tradition made was Free State’s standard of excellence in athletics, academics, music and clubs.

“Our excellence has been around forever,” Rock said.