The Eagle's Eye; Issue 4, Volume 22

ISSUE 4 VOL 22

politics or protection?

TikTok'sfatecaughtinpoliticaldebate PAGES 12-13

THAT CONCERNS YOU" THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OFAKINS EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL "EVERYTHING COVER CREDIT: DIEGO RESENDEZ 10701.

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THE EAGLE'S EYE

About

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EDI TORS

SCHOOL EVENTS

EDI TORS-I N -CHEN I EF T ERTA I N M EN T Mark Lomas Roberto Ramirez

Diego Hernandez

I NDEPT H

PH OTO

N EWS

OPI N I ON S

L I FE& ST Y L E

SPORT S Adan Sanchez

Roberto Ramirez

Ashley Caceres-Sanchez Mark Lomas

Kairi Natal

Hannah Patnode

STA FF WRI T ERS Joaquin Arredondo Eduardo Cerda Antonio Cerda-Puente Jake Copeland Veronica Diaz-Reyes Natalee Garcia Will Hale Angel Jorge River Lehnhardt Samantha Limon Alexander Luna Rudy Morales-Alvarez Marcelo Palacios

Us

A PRI L

20 A PRI L

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M AY

COFFEE WI T HT H E PRI N CI PA L A K I N SEAGL ES BA N D SPRI N G CON CERT CI N CODEM AYO SH OW

Jason Ponti Jeremiah Santos-Hernandez Xavier Vargas Vaughn Vega Brennan West Matthew Ybarra

STAA FF RT I ST &PH S OTOGRA PH ERS Zach Allbritton Caleb Combs Hayden Garcia

Ruby Munoz-Alvarez Diego Resendez Ely Rodriguez

PROUM D EM B ERS OF

The Eagle's Eye is t he of f icial st udent new spaper of Ak ins Ear ly College High School. It is published once per six weeks, for the students, staff and community.

The Eagle's Eye is an open f or um f or st udent ex pr ession, not r eview ed by school adm inist r at ion pr ior t o dist r ibut ion, and t he advisor w ill not act as a censor . Content represents the views of t he student staff and not school officials, The Eagle's Eye w ill avoid bias and/ or f avor it ism . We w ill m ak e our cont ent m eaningf ul, t im ely and int er est ing. Our articles will reflect our objective of reporting news and will be held to a high standard of quality.

We w ill m ak e ever y ef f or t t o avoid pr int ing libel, obscenit ies, innuendo and m at er ial t hat t hr eat ens t o disr upt t he lear ning pr ocess or is an invasion of pr ivacy. We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph. All icons used are from flaticon.com.

St af f edit or ials r epr esent t he opinion of t he edit or ial boar d ar r ived at by discussion and w ill not be bylined. Bylined articles are the opinion of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Eagle's Eye staff or administration as a whole.

The Eagle's Eye w elcom es r eader input . Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to akins.journalism@gmail.com or mail them to 10701 South First Street Austin, Texas 78748 or drop them off in room 223 with advisor David Doerr or an editor. Letters must be signed, and emailed letters will require verification before publication. We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve t he right to edit for length and clarity.

THE EAGLE'S EYE

Table of Cont ent s

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NEWS -

4 ReadySetTeachprepares students for teaching 5 Akinsesportsteamtrainsforfuturecompetitions 6 Students expressconcernaboutcondition of restrooms

6

EDITORIAL -

7 Proposed lawwouldtargetpridecelebrations at schoolcampuses

OPINIONS -

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CeciliaGutierrez

ENTERTAINMENTFEATURES

8 TheMetaverse is a multi-billion dollarfailure 9 Fentanyleducation is neededto preventfurther deaths

ENTERTAINMENTREVIEWS -

Rober t oRam ir ez

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14 Orchestra putson winningperformances 15 VASEart allowscompetitors to illustrate with theircreativeminds/ Warhammer 40K:Darktide review

LIFE & STYLE

10 NewMariomovieexceeds expectation withbig namevoiceactors 11 ResidentEvil4 Remakebringswelcome gameplay changes

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16 Studentproduces jewelryoutof animalbones 17 Akinsstudents showcase theircollective memorabilia 20 Swimming programbringsjobsandopportunities

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RobertoRamirez

IN-DEPTH -

12-13TikTokunderfireaspoliticians debatethe socialmediaappsfate

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PHOTOESSAY -

18-19Students performto brightenspiritsduringthe schoolday

SPORTS -

21 Baseballandsoftballplayerssharetheiroutlooks on theirfavoritesport 22 Trackstudents set recordsandanswerquestions 23 Headwrestling coachenjoys20yearstreak

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COMMUNITY BrennanWest

24 Letterfromtheprincipal

THE EAGLE'S EYE

New s

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AvaDruckerReadySet teachseniorinternworkingwith a small groupin her secondgradeclassat Menchacaelementaryschool. PhotobyCeciliaGutierrez

ReadySetTeachprogram mentors Akinsstudents pursuing teaching careers DIEGO HERNANDEZ & ASHLEY CACERES EntertainmentEditor& NewsEditor Even before they graduate from high school, there are Akins students who are planning to make school a long-term part of their life in the Ready Set Teach program.

This career preparation program in the Social Services Academy trains students who want to pursue a teaching career. It?s part of a four-year program that can provide completers with an Austin ISD Teaching Assistant Eligibility Certification, allowing them to work as a teacher's assistant after graduating from high school.

There have been teacher shortages leaving many students without permanent teachers, making programs like Ready Set Teach even more critical to ensuring Austin ISD is fully staffed.

Career and technology teacher Cecilia Gutierrez manages the Ready Set Teach program, which also offers internships to students allowing them to observe and serve as mentors at local middle or elementary schools.

The internships help lead students toward becoming a teacher through a pre-service program called Grow Your Own, which is focused on supporting students who are interested in teaching careers.

They go to their internships at nearby Austin ISD elementary and middle school campuses every Monday and Wednesday for about three hours. ?The thing that is super cool about it is that it gives (the students) that comfort level of like working with kids,?

Gutierrez said. ?There?s no book you can read or anything that you can do that really lets you know what that is and the unpredictability and having to make decisions and all kinds of things.?

Being in the Ready Set Teach program helps students prepare for in-action experiences and showing them what they would see in a classroom setting. Senior Ava Drucker said she loves the program even though teaching has its ups and downs. ?I love getting to work with the kids. I love that part,?

Drucker said. ?There's never a dull moment. Someone?s crying, someone?s screaming. I think that's hard for some teachers and just some people in general.?

Ten students in Ready Set Teach competed in the

readyset t each

STAT EPROJ ECT S TianaGreenand ZylaAlaniz"Showwhat you know", BethanyIsheeand AutumnKaylor"Vendingwith values", MadisonAlbaand AvaDrucker"Dancingwith the celestial body". PhotobyCeciliaGutierrez state-level Texas Association of Future Educators contest, winning various awards, and four of them qualified for nationals, including Drucker, junior Madison Alba, junior Bethany Ishee, and junior Autumn Kaylor.

For the contests, Drucker and Madison Alba created a middle school bulletin board while Bethany Ishee and Autumn Kaylor created an elementary school bulletin board.

Drucker and Madison Alba?s project was based on a lesson for teaching about the planetary system. ?We made a bulletin board about a TEK or lesson, we did it about middle school science,? Drucker said.

Ishee and Kaylor?s interactive bulletin board was about counting coins and money. ?We made a little interactive vending machine where the students could get a prize from counting their money,?

Ishee said.

Being a part of this competition does take time as they have to plan the project and take everything into consideration.

SEN I ORI N T ERNI N ACT I ON BrendaMedel ReadySet Teachseniorintern leadingindoorrecesswith her PreKclassat MenchacaES.PhotobyCeciliaGutierrez ?The most challenging part of the competition was probably just the time because it is a lot of time that you put in it,? Drucker said.

However, the Ready Set Teach program has faced its fair share of challenges, with the major one being funding. ?I think one of the best things about it is having our students get to have the experience now, before you invest time and money in college,? Gutierrez said. ?I think that it's like managing all of the things that make the program great and fun, you know, trying to figure out how how to help fund that because, a lot of our families don't have a lot of extra money, especially right now.?

THE EAGLE'S EYE

New s

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Studentscompetein a new esportsafter schoolclub whileplayingMarioKart and RocketLeague.The programhaslimitedspacenow,but hopesto grow.PhotobyCarlosLopez

Esports comestoAkinsasa newprogram encouraging students toparticipate RUDY MORALES StaffWriter Since late March, a group of students can be found regularly playing video games in Carlos Lopez's classroom after school and no one is shutting it down. In fact, Lopez, an information technology teacher, is helping them.

It?s all a part of a new after-school esports club that Lopez has organized as the first competitive video game team at Akins, which is at least temporarily known as the ?Beak squad Esports of Akins Kinship Syndicate.?

In recent years, esports, short for electronic sports, has grown in popularity and acceptance as a competitive event at high schools and colleges across the country. esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions individually or, as teams. The most common video game genres associated with esports are multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), fighting, card, battle royale, and real-time strategy (RTS) games.

Currently, the Akins esports team, operates more like an after-school club, but it does compete against other schools in Austin and in Texas. The group got started with some financial support through the Prime Time after-school program.

Currently, the Akins teams play in leagues like Generation Esports and PlayVS, which each have regional leagues and groups that they compete in. Other Austin schools include LBJ, North East, Navarro, and Crockett.

However, other schools are interested in getting started, but the Prime Time grant program can only help schools that have certain financial needs.

So far the Akins team has competed in Mario Kart, Splatoon, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Lopez said that until he and the team are able to have more access to equipment, he?s only able to serve about 10 -15 students a day at the most. ?Match days are also kinda crazy and until we get a group of returning leader-type kids to run matches it's impossible to do this by myself,? he said.

Eventually, Lopez said he hopes to have students compete with the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation (TXSef) and "The Network of Academic and Scholastic

Esports Federations". However, the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which is the state?s main rule-making authority for student competitions, is considering adding esports as an official competition that students can compete in.

The Akins Esports team?s current goal is to make it to the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation State tournament in Arlington at their sports arena and compete in person, Lopez said.

The students that participate in the esports team are typically students in Lopez?s computer networking and maintenance classes with a few exceptions. Some learned about the club from the school website or just by word of mouth.

Many say they joined the team for the love of the competitive nature of gaming. ?I mean, sports aren't about getting being athletic or going out and playing games. It is about the competitive nature of it. That's the whole point,? junior Jaden Howerd-Reagen said.

Junior Renzo Montgomery said he enjoys esports because it is more welcoming to those without a lot of specific physical characteristics. ?You don't really need to have the same physical capabilities, but that only makes it like it's not as biased towards, like genetics I mean, it's still like a sport,? he said. ?It still takes a lot of skill and maybe even more skill, since you can't just have like a height advantage or size ?

Just like any other sports team, they have some challenges to overcome other than technical difficulties.

Freshman Justice Ybarra said the team is still working on maintaining their cool in stressful situations and listening to instructions for each game.

The esports team is willing to put in the work, like staying after school and practicing to improve, Montgomery said. ?Trying to compete against these guys in practice. I mean, they're really good. But in trying to go to esports it's really hard to just stay late all the time.?

And as the team grows and expands in the near future Lopez said as the team grows and expands in future years, he hopes the esports team is a character-building experience for Akins students.

?Being a part of a group gives you that experience of being like a good teammate and learning what a teammate is like, and then also gives the opportunity for leaders to rise up and I want those leadership opportunities for students.?

TexasScholastic Esports Federation

The Akinsesportsteam?scurrent goal is to makeit to the Texas ScholasticEsportsFederationState tournamentin Arlingtonat their esportsarenaand competein person.

Currently,the Akinsteamsplayin leagueslike GenerationEsportsand PlayVS,whicheach haveregional leaguesand groupsthat they competein.OtherAustinschools includeLBJ,NorthEast,Navarro,and Crockett.

THE EAGLE'S EYE

New s

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Rest room condit ions af f ect ing st udent s Surveyresultsshowmoststudents avoid usingschoolrestrooms J OAQUIN ARREDONDO & DIEGO HERNANDEZ StaffWriter& EntertainmentEditor The condition of student restrooms has a reputation for not being the most pleasant places on campus.

Student restroom's are notoriously difficult to police because of the need to provide privacy for students to take care of their personal needs. Last year, students took vandalizing to the extreme when students participated in the ?Devious Lick? challenge which involved stealing and damaging items in bathrooms.

At the most basic level, school bathrooms serve to function as a place for students to take care of their personal needs and wash their hands for sanitation.

However, the results of a recent online survey by The Eagle?s Eye showed that almost 94 percent of respondents believed that Akins bathrooms are in "terrible" or "bad" condition. The remaining six percent said they were in ?acceptable? condition.

Assistant Principal Brad Lancaster said he regarded the bathroom conditions at Akins as ?brutal? and was surprised there weren't more students who agreed that the bathrooms were in terrible condition.

Several students commented that they were concerned about broken or missing stall doors. ?So many of them don't even close correctly because they were put on wrong,? said an anonymous student on the survey.

Students also said they don?t believe the condition of the bathrooms is the fault of the campus custodians. ?It?s not the janitors' fault, it?s more so the way the students treat the bathrooms,? junior Charlotte Henley said.

Sophomore McKenna Carpenter said the restrooms are often unwelcoming places for other reasons, as well. ?They smell like weed and they always have people in them that look angry,?

Carpenter wrote in her survey response.

This is why 68% of students polled answered they avoid using the restrooms at school unless it's an emergency and 20% of students answered they would not use the restrooms at all at school. Only 12 percent of students said they are unconcerned with the state of school bathrooms.

This also causes a problem for kids breathing and inhaling the smoke in school bathrooms. ?Girls do inappropriate things or smoke

so I can?t breathe right,? junior Natalie Rodriguez said.

Survey respondents argued that they shouldn?t be exposed to secondhand smoke when they just need to take care of themselves and get back to class.

Even before the Devious Lick challenge left restrooms destroyed and missing soap dispensers and toilets clogged, they were already starting to show their age now that the school has been open for more than 22 years. Several restrooms had broken urinals, sinks and toilets even before the vandalism was at its worst.

Since Spring Break, students have noticed some small upgrades in the fixtures for the sinks, but more improvements are needed to restore them to what students would believe would be an acceptable standard for a public bathroom.

Some students believe that campus bathrooms are now a place of harassment and illegal behavior. Over half of the students surveyed, agreed they have witnessed illegal behaviors in the school restrooms. There have been other accounts of even damaged ceilings. ?Last year, the ceiling above one of the stalls had a hole where water would repeatedly leak out, which I think stayed that way for the rest of the year,? sophomore Katherine Hernandez Luna said. ?This would get the floor slippery and it also fell on you while you were in the stall. I'm not sure about this year, but that hole might still be there.?

The bathrooms are supposed to allow you to have privacy while you go about doing your business, but students have used this privacy to smoke, fight or even do ?intimate? things with one another, according to the survey results.

School administrators are aware of the problems, but do not have many ways to address the conditions without funding for a complete bathroom overhaul.

Lancaster said students should report the issues and conditions that they are experiencing in the restrooms when they see problems. ?We can't be in all the bathrooms at all times watching all students,? Lancaster said. ?So we need the students' help and to let administrators know when students are doing those things in the bathrooms.?

Privacy in the restrooms is also limited because of the broken stall doors. The negative effects and conditions are still present in restrooms, even after a year since the Tik Tok ?Devious Lick Challenge.?

Lancaster said the campus and district

OU T OF ORDERU RI N A L The boysrestroomup stairsgreenhall hasa brokenurinal makingmanystudents unableto use the restroomsdue to the restroomvandalism.PhotobySamantha Limon

B ROK ENSTA L L The girlsrestroomupstairsgreenhall hasa brokenstall with an unhingeddoor makingthe restroomsmorepackedwith an out of orderstall.PhotobySamantha Limon. maintenance staff are doing its best to take care of the graffiti that often cover the walls of the restrooms. ?We've painted them multiple times.

We're on a rotation with the district maintenance office to get them painted as frequently as we can,? he said. ?But they have 120 campuses to serve so it doesn't happen as quickly as we would like, unfortunately.?

Lately, we have been relying on the school to replenish bathroom supplies and repaint vandalism or at least fix the toilets and sinks so that they are operational.

However, with the constant vandalism in the bathrooms, AISD hasn?t been able to properly maintain this level of cleanliness.

What?s to come in the future if our bathrooms continue to be trashed as students walk in and ?half of the toilets are either really dirty or in an unusable condition? an anonymous senior wrote. Or

when they see ?I'm sorry to say this but I've seen it multiple times... they leave pee on the floor... WHO LEAVES PEE ON THE FLOOR,? wrote an anonymous freshman on the survey.

Lancaster said administrators are considering installing doors that can be locked for the entire restroom, if they need to shut them down because of continued abuse and vandalism. ?We're looking at putting doors back on the restrooms, just so we have the ability to lock them,? Lancaster said. ?So in the future, if the restrooms you know, continue to be vandalized in any way, we'll just start locking them up to where there are only a few restrooms open on the entire campus that way we can monitor them a little more closely.?

However this is to be expected as Lancaster says, ?obviously there's consequences for it?

THE EAGLE'S EYE

Opinion

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BillcouldbanPr ideevent sin Tex asschools Teachers couldbefined,losepermits if theyhostcelebration of'sexualpreference' State Rep. Ken King has filed HB 1507 in the Texas House of Representatives that appears to target school districts like Austin ISD that celebrate Pride Week.

The specific wording of the bill says it would be illegal to ?organize or host a program dedicated to celebrating or providing special instruction regarding a sexual preference.? Teachers or school districts that organize and host such events could face a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $10,000 and termination or suspension of a teacher's certification.

The bill does not specifically mention celebrations of the LGBTQIA community, but the bill author said in a committee hearing on the bill he doesn?t want to see any kind of celebrations of sexuality in schools.

State Representatives Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico, who are from Austin area districts and members of the Texas Public Education Committee, expressed concern during the hearing that the bill was targeting Austin ISD, which has celebrated Pride Week every year since 2014 to show support for their lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender staff, students and parents. They pointed out that the vague language about ?sexual preference? could also include celebrations of Valentin?s Day and Prom.

Pride Week doesn?t actually include a lot of discussions of sexuality and instead is more focused on distributing rainbow ally stickers, and hand-held flags and generally celebrating members of the LGBTQIA community in Austin schools and the community at large. There is also an optional event held on a Saturday in which members of PFLAG, an organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families, pass out literature and celebrate.

When questioned by a fellow committee member about the intent of the bill, King said ?My bill stays away from naming any group? and ?If a group feels like they?re being named then the bill would probably include them,? making a vague reference to LGBTQIA Pride Week celebrations. In the hearing, King seemed to have a flawed understanding of what goes on during Pride Week, saying that schools shouldn?t take a week away from regular instruction to educate students about sex and sexuality.

King?s bill was left pending in the committee and hasn?t yet advanced, but he did say at the end of the hearing that he would be revising the language of the bill to address concerns expressed about the wording. However, if his bill passes, it appears that it would end a beloved week-long celebration that many in the district look forward to every year.

We believe this bill will take away a celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, which would negatively impact LGBTQIA+ students and the district as a whole.

It?s no doubt that some students within the Austin ISD community identify themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Support for these people is critical, as the number of Generation Z identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community is growing according to a KXAN article about a nationwide survey.

Of the 10,000 Americans surveyed by phone, the survey found that 19.7% out of those born between 1997 and 2004 self-identified as LGBTQ. It?s unjustified to repress their identities by ending pride celebrations. Some students who identify as LGBTQ+ view Austin ISD as a safe haven for them to be open about their identities, allowing them to feel free of discrimination or danger for just being who they are. This bill would take away their haven.

Representatives who want this bill to pass believe that Pride Week celebrations break state law by circumventing parental choice for how their children are taught about sex. In 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to former superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, accusing the district of breaking the law with these celebrations. He believed that ZachAlbritton districts are forcing students to participate in such celebrations.

Lawmakers say that the district is not only pushing a week of brainwashing students, but they are doing it without the consent of parents. Not only that but they are cutting parents out of it all.

This bill or any other version that would kill Pride Week celebrations should not pass.

Pride Week is an important celebration in Austin ISD and one that both students and teachers have rarely expressed discontent with. It helps students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community feel seen and accepted. Although this bill is aimed at ?protecting? students from controversial celebrations, this bill would only harm students more.

House Bill 1507 will negatively impact students that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and the district itself if it is passed. Prohibiting Austin ISD from celebrating pride would hurt students who feel safe and heard during the week.

Supporting this bill would not be a good idea for the future of AISD because it will make students feel unsafe in an environment they?re usually in, which frequently will not lead to a welcoming and inclusive school environment.

EDITORIALBOARDMEMBERS

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THE EAGLE'S EYE

Opinion

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TheMet averse is a billiondollardisast er Virtualworldshaveturneddefunctwhilepromised features didn'tcometobeor liveuptothehypeofconvenience, innovation & fun Mark Lom as Co-Editor-In-Chief Imagine a virtual world where you don?t need a large monitor or even a computer. You just put on a headset and are instantly transported to anywhere in the world where you can work with your colleagues.

That?s the future that Mark Zuckerberg envisioned when he rebranded Facebook as Meta and dedicated his company to developing the Metaverse. Zuckerberg expressed his belief that the Metaverse was the future of the Internet. Is it really the future though? Let?s take a step back and see where the Metaverse came from and whether it can be saved.

The Metaverse, first coined in 1992 by author Neal Stephenson in the book ?Snow Crash,? has been at the forefront of many people?s minds lately. Companies like Meta (formerly known as Facebook) spent over $36 billion on The Metaverse.

Zuckerberg?s reasoning? The Metaverse is the future of computing. Yeah, I don?t think so. Since 2019, Meta?s VR division, Reality Labs, has lost over 30 billion That money could?ve been used to make Facebook and Instagram appealing to younger generations, take care of it?s employees, and fix it?s reputation as a company.

Even with all the money being used, the Metaverse, right now, is dumb. As a side note, there are two major terms that I?ll be using that need to be explained. Virtual reality (VR) is complete immersion in a virtual world. Augmented Reality (AR) is virtual elements on top of the existing world like what we see in Snapchat filters.

Four months after Facebook renamed itself to Meta, Disney announced that they were creating a next-generation storytelling and consumer experiences division. It was a 50-person team that was supposed to research how Disney could enter the fledgling metaverse. Former CEO Bob Chapek called it ?the next great storytelling frontier.?

That was until former CEO Bob Iger stepped back into his role and announced 7,000 employees would be laid off. He decided to eliminate the entire metaverse division in order to save money. However, it?s not just Disney that is shifting focus away from the Metaverse. Microsoft is no longer focusing on the Metaverse, Walmart shut down its ?Universe of Play?

feature. This feature should?ve been built world on Roblox, and even Meta is laying into the app already. Why did it take so off more people after its first round of long ? and in terrible situations like this layoffs. ? for Meta to protect women online?

The Metaverse has always been around Meta also needs to set its priorities ? just not the way you think. Roblox, straight. For example, Meta wants to add Minecraft, and Horizon Worlds are all legs to avatars. That?s fine and all, but versions of the metaverse. The first two were more successful than Horizon by a Horizon is a buggy mess. No one wants to long shot. Many companies believed that spend more than an hour in Horizon the Metaverse is the future of the internet, because it?s a hassle to deal with. Meta so much so that even Facebook renamed should protect its users online and make itself Meta.

Horizon better before adding in fun These companies promote the features.

Metaverse like it?s the future. However, Another VR app called Decentraland the truth is, it?s not the future. Remember held its second annual Metaverse Fashion 3D TVs? Companies said that those TVs Week on March 28-31. It had all the were the future. We don?t see those big-name fashion brands such as Coach, anymore, because they weren?t very good. The Metaverse will probably die HaydenGarcia the same death as 3D TVs. A slow decline into nothing.

I?ve been pretty harsh on the Metaverse, but it has some hope to live. Meta has some cool ideas, but they just need a lot of work. However, I have some issues with Meta?s version of the Metaverse, the biggest one being the idea that Meta owns the entire Metaverse.

Meta doesn?t have the best track record in regard to data collection. So, I have a problem with Meta tracking my eyes and my facial movements. Also, there?s not enough regulation to protect how our biometric data is used by these companies.

Meta?s version of the metaverse, specifically Horizon Worlds, is also not very good. In February 2022, Meta bragged that Horizon had 300,000 users and 200,000 monthly users. They Adidas, Balenciaga. However, the fashion believed that they could hit 500,000 week was a bust. It was empty, and it monthly users by the end of the year. didn?t take advantage of the digital space.

Meta adjusted its expectations and hoped It was a good idea, but poorly executed. to hit 280,000 monthly users. However, That?s practically what the metaverse is Horizon Worlds will never be popular if it right now. A bunch of good ideas that are continues to be a buggy mess. Even Meta poorly executed. The Wall Street Journal employees aren?t using Horizon Worlds ? found that only 9% of user-created worlds that?s how bad it is. If Mark Zuckerberg are visited by more than 50 people per wants this to be the future, he has to stop month. On top of that, only half of all adding new features and make Horizon a Quest headset users used their headsets stable app that people want to be in. after six months. The Quest Pro was Horizon Worlds had reports of women supposed to be a huge leap forward, but it being sexually harassed, and Meta turned out to be a small step forward. responded by adding a personal boundary

This leads me to my next point. The lastest headset Meta released was the popular Meta Quest 2. Now, that headset is perfectly decent ? it gives you a lot of features for less than $500. It even sold around 15 million units (which is quite low compared to PlayStation 5, which has sold 32 million units with supply constraints and a chip shortage, and even Nintendo Switch has sold 122 million units.)

This let Meta follow up with the Quest Pro, a $1,500 headset that was supposed to showcase the future of VR tech. The headset is able to track your facial expressions, do full color passthrough, (allowing you to see your surroundings in color with the headset on), and has AR capabilities. Sounds pretty cool, doesn?t it? In reality, it sucked.

The headset?s face-tracking capabilities aren?t really the best. The Verge?s Quest Pro review shows the headset in action, and it?s frankly hilarious to see the results.

On top of that, inviting people to a meeting workroom is way too difficult. It takes so much work just to invite people to the workroom. Though the full-color passthrough of the Quest Pro is pretty cool, that?s about the best part of the headset, and that?s not how it?s supposed to be. The battery life on the headset was 1-2 hours, which is way too short. The Quest Pro sold such few units that they had to cut the price of the headset by $500. I?m surprised that Meta hasn?t given up on such a terribly priced headset, and the terrible software.

I had high hopes for the Metaverse. In my opinion, it seemed really cool.

However, with terribly priced headsets, and buggy software, the end of the Metaverse may be in sight. I sincerely hope that Meta enacts changes and does it fast if the Metaverse is to survive. Reports have come out saying that Meta has pivoted to Generative AI technology as being it?s next big thing. So it seems that the Metaverse will remain a disappointment for the foreseeable future.

THE EAGLE'S EYE

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Fent anyl dialogue neededt o preventdeat h Natalee Garcia StaffWriter

Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is stronger than heroin, is killing thousands of teens and young adults in America every year.

The fentanyl overdose epidemic is a serious issue killing the teens in Austin and our surrounding communities. Since the beginning of the school year, there have been at least five students in Hays CISD who have died from fentanyl overdoses.

Why are these teens even thinking of taking this drug? Where did it come from?

How are they getting it? And what's so dangerous about fentanyl?

Lately, in our generation of teens, there has been an up sore of a sick glamorization of taking painkiller pills like Percocet for recreational purposes to get high. This can be heard in songs like ?The Percocet & Stripper Joint? ?Perc & Sex,?

Perc Popper,? ?Perc 10? and so many more within lyrics of their songs from artists like Future, Yn Jay, Migos, Young Thug, Lil Double 0, and so many other famous rappers teens look up to.

These artists are rapping about taking ?percs? and it's leading to teens trying them just to feel cool like their favorite rapper but they get hooked or sadly overdose on these pills. And what has made the problem even worse today is that when young people buy these pills online or via social media, they are often actually taking counterfeit versions that are actually made with fentanyl.

Some teens have heard about Narcan, which is the brand name for a fast-acting medication called naloxone that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

However, it is possible for a person to still experience the effects of an overdose after a dose of naloxone wears off, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Some stronger opioids might require multiple doses of naloxone.

Therefore, one of the most important steps to take is to call 911 so the individual can receive immediate medical attention.

Some teens may get lucky and have Narcan with them or someone by them has Narcan. However, Narcan only lasts over a 30-90 minute time frame and the teen can go back into an overdose if they still have fentanyl in their system and don't get help fast enough.

Sadly, there are some people who are so addicted to opioids or in so much mental distress that they actually want to take fentanyl even knowing that it is effectively 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin or prescription opioids. This often happens when people have already taken

other opioids and are looking for a stronger high or because the pills they used to take just don?t have the same effect as they used to.

At this point, drug users either face one of three outcomes: 1. The user overdoses but gets lucky if a friend, family member or emergency personnel can reverse the overdose.

2. The user dies.

3. The possibility of getting clean and stopping taking these kinds of drugs depends on whether users can avoid overdosing and successfully completing a rehab program. However, this is sadly the least likely outcome because many users will eventually experience a relapse and need to go back into treatment more than once.

Many elected officials in Texas are taking a ?war on drugs? approach by focusing on the smuggling of fentanyl pills into the United States from countries like Mexico. Both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Gov. Greg Abbott are pushing a ?one pill can kill? messaging campaign meant to scare teens away from drugs.

While the idea that a single fentanyl pill can kill is true, it?s naive to think that the problems of teens and drug users in general can be stopped by cracking down on the smuggling and trafficking of drugs that can be made and smuggled easily even within the United States.

If we are ever going to grow and slow down the overdose rates, we need to realize that users of fentanyl pills are not always overdosing as an accident. We need to do more than just scare people by pointing out the alarming potency of these deadly drugs.

I do believe that schools should be hosting mandatory student assemblies and presentations about the dangers of fentanyl; however, we also need to avoid stigmatizing the topic of drug use and why teens might be taking these drugs.

People need to understand why teenagers are using these pills and how we all can recognize warning signs and help people get the mental health treatment they need to avoid becoming a user.

The current fentanyl epidemic can be compared to the crack epidemic in the 1980s. Just like then, adults today aren't educated enough about these fentanyl pills and don't know what to do if they suspect their own kid might be using these drugs.

Sadly, in American society, it's widely believed that if someone takes drugs, they are just a junkie and have no other value.

This can reinforce users' own beliefs about

ZachAlbritton themselves in thinking that they can't get help or are too far gone to get help or treatment. If we as a community break this stigma we can help save teens silently struggling with addiction.

The reality is that many teens turn to drugs and fentanyl as a means to cope by dulling the pain of their everyday lives.

Akins is fortunate to have the Student Support Services (SSS) office that works to spread awareness about substance addiction. SSS Director Meg Kozel works to make sure parents have resources and the support needed for students who are struggling with any kind of substance addiction.

Kozel said that often, seeking out drugs and alcohol comes from something small, including a lack of coping skills or ?not feeling like you have anyone to talk to right about anything that you're going through.?

Kozel said her main goal in spreading awareness is to make sure teens have anything they need and make sure they understand the real dangers that come with taking drugs.

Alana Bejarano, Austin ISD?s Director of Health Services, has helped launch a fentanyl awareness campaign for the school district that includes resources for campuses. Also, the health services team works with the School Health Advisory Council and on social media to provide resources to students and families. The main way Austin ISD has spread awareness is online and by working with other districts. Bejarano said she wants to make the subject of fentanyl use more talked about with families, and help students who don't know when they don't know where to turn for help.

I feel that if we are going to make a

change we need to be public and make time to hear directly from those whose lives have been affected by the fentanyl epidemic. Hays CISD has prioritized fentanyl education among the student body with the help of family members who have lost their children, brothers and sisters to fentanyl overdoses. One of those is Janel Rodriguez, who started the website www.Forever15Project.org after her son Noah Rodriguez died from an overdose last year.

Janel Rodriguez has openly shared the story of how Noah overdosed while staying over a friend?s house in August.

His friend?s mother performed CPR on Noah while waiting for paramedics to arrive, but it wasn?t enough to save him.

Janel Rodriguez has dedicated her life since then to educating parents and students about the dangers of fentanyl. In a YouTube video posted on her website she warns parents to avoid thinking ?not my child? when thinking of the dangers of drug abuse. Janel didn't let the loss of her son break her through.

Janel is today one of loudest advocates for fentanyl and overdose education in our area. She continued to share Noah's story so parents, teens, elected officials, educators, and the community at large can know about the dangers of drug abuse to stop more kids from dying.

To lower death rates we must all have an open and serious conversation in our school communities.We need to stop acting like it's not happening or that it's not a real problem. Thousands of more American teens could die in this fentanyl crisis, if we don?t deal with it properly.

THE EAGLE'S EYE

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SuperMariom ovief ocuses on f ranchise f un Bignameactorsgivevoicetobeloved gamecharacters, pleasing allaudiences FERNANDO SALGADO StaffWriter The recently released Super Mario Bros.

Movie has something to please everyone.

For the youngest fans of Mario, it has the jovial Mario and the skittish Luigi characters set in the magical and colorful Mushroom Kingdom. And for older audiences, there is a cast featuring fan-favorite actors like Chris Pratt, Jack Black and Charlie Day as well as plenty of fan service references dropped throughout for the long-term fans to appreciate.

It was an amazing take on the Super Mario franchise. It's filled with references, funny character interactions, and overall good visuals and music selection.

While some were critical of the casting of Chris Pratt as Mario, who is not known for his Italian heritage to go along with the main character?s traditional background story, he still does a decent job in the role. The casting of Jack Black as Bowser, Mario?s eternal rival in the game franchise, was also a bit controversial, but he played the role well, especially in the surprising singing scenes.

The writers did a good job not writing an overly complicated plot for the movie, which I prefer because players almost never play Mario games for a deep and moving story. Mario games are synonymous with light-hearted fun, which this movie delivers.

The other voice performances are pretty solid, including Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. The rest of the cast works well with Jack Black as Browser being the main highlight.

Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Charlie Day gave good performances, especially their delivery.

Fortunately, the movie exceeded my expectations for what it had to offer.

Based on trailers it looked like another game movie with corny writing and subpar character dialogue, but I'm happy to say I was proven wrong. It feels as if what was shown in the trailers was Chris Pratt's worst takes as Mario. Overall, his performance workied fine, although maybe not his best work.

Some of the more obscure and minor character voices were also surprisingly good, such as Forman Spike as Mario and Luigi?s old boss, Kamek the wizard, and Cranky Kong giving good performances for their short screen time.

The script and story were nothing eye-opening, but it works because Mario is supposed to be fun, not serious. Character development is sprinkled throughout, but the movie doesn't dwell on details a lot and focuses on being fun.

It's filled with easter eggs and references not only from Mario but from

Ely Rodriguez

other Nintendo franchises like Punchout and Kid Icarus. The film does a good choice of not making Peach the damsel in distress, but being the leader that the kingdom needs and standing strong during confrontational moments. The comedy is also done well in parts, especially the moments with Donkey Kong and Mario being executed very well.

The visuals are also one of the film?s greatest strengths, with nothing looking like it was lazily done. The Rainbow Road from Mario Kart games looked amazing as they were driving on it in go-carts. The facial expressions of the characters are conveyed well, and the visual effects are also well executed. The music was a mixed bag, however, being great in some parts

and a bit questionable in others.

In the final big scene, a famous remixed Mario song played and fits well, but at other times the film uses ?80s or ?90s music for some reason even if it didn't fit the vibe. But for the most part, it was pretty well executed. The dialogue was also well put together and character interactions didn't feel forced or unnatural.

The film doesn?t spend too long on character backstories other than Mario?s, and less than a minute on Peach?s. They weren't long, but I think it works in the movie?s favor since it isn't meant to be story-driven, but a fun goofy movie that everyone can have fun watching.

I feel the movie did Mario justice, compared to the train wreck of a Mario

movie from the 1990s. It's something parents going with kids can enjoy and old fans of the series can appreciate.

It feels like it's one big commercial for the Mario series, but I think that adds to the charm of the movie. It's not a masterpiece, but it's not mediocre either, just a really good film. I think this movie had another effect besides just being well put together, as it also opens the door for Nintendo to make other films with their franchises like Zelda, Metroid, or Kirby.

It is a fun movie and that's what you should expect going into it. I recommend giving it a watch, you won't regret it. I give this movie an 8/ 10. A pleasant surprise and a fun movie that both old and new fans of the Mario franchise can enjoy.

THE EAGLE'S EYE

Review s

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Resident Evil4 Rem ak e enlivens gam eplay GABRIEL OJ EDA & RIVER LEHNHARDT StaffWriters The name "Resident Evil" evokes a spectrum of emotions for fans of the long-running franchise. The game title is almost synonymous with the horror genre it inspired with its original release by Capcom in 1996.

When Capcom announced that it would be releasing a remake of Resident Evil 4, which was originally released on the Nintendo Gamecube in 2005, fans were excited and nervous about what it would change.

Thankfully, Capcom is a company players can trust when they release games, and that is true in this case, as well.

Resident Evil 4 is one of the best action shooters in the franchise, known for starting a trend in gaming called ?quick-timed events,? where players must push buttons at specific moments during cut-scenes to complete a goal.

We are both huge fans of Resident Evil 4 and the series as a whole. The jokes, the characters, and the story are very well done, so when we heard a remake of the game was on the way our expectations for the game were very high, but fortunately we can say that Capcom has exceeded those expectations. The game has given us so many new things to improve players? experiences. Resident Evil 4 Remake is what a true remake should be. Everything the original has, but better with so many improvements and quality of life things.

The plot of the story is very simple: Leon Kennedy, after having survived the ?Raccoon City Incident,? was recruited by the government and becomes an agent. On a mission, he?s sent out to rescue Ashley Graham, who is the president's daughter. The game has the two characters go through different areas like a village, a castle, and an island. The inhabitants of these areas are infected with the ?plaga,? a parasitic organism that slowly takes control

Courtesyof Capcom

of its host. The plaga also gives inhuman strength and endurance but numbs the host down quite a bit. Leon and Ashley have to fight through these areas and enemies so Leon can get Ashley home safely.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is a really nice-looking game. The RE game engine never fails to impress. The environment and the character models are beautiful to look at. The lighting adds a layer of mystery and fear to the game, and the sound design is well done, with many songs from previous games being remixed to give a fresh take on them. On top of that, the game runs at 60 frames per second at max settings, and no issues were encountered for either of us.

The gameplay is one of the best in the Resident Evil franchise with the new parry system being one of the best additions to the game. We love every second of the parries, which are so exciting to watch, and the new suplex move Leon does adds some new flair to the combat. The game gives players multiple enemies to face and it never gets old, the knife weapon can now parry and break so it?s wise to choose when and how to use it.

There?s a merchant in the game that gives players weapons, and items, in addition to upgrading players' equipment. The game also offers some easy side quests which reward the player with spinels they can trade for bonus items that are not normally bought with peseta.

Before we dive into our personal reviews, we both wanted to say that this game was amazing and faithful to the original. The changes made were both interesting and entertaining. There are a few road bumps, such as the cutting of U3 and the quality of Ada?s voice actress, but no game is perfect. Adding in side missions is a good way to extend the game time and add some fun challenges while making it feel fresh.

River?s Take Being a huge fan of the Resident Evil games, I love a lot of what Capcom comes up with and this remake is no different. I absolutely love the original RE4 and the remake just reinforces that. In my opinion, the original has been surpassed in nearly every way. The characters have more backstories and interact with each other in a much better way, in addition to the excellently retold story. The graphics are beautiful and the sound design and music are handled very well. I highly recommend newcomers to play this game if they haven?t already. I understand that not everyone will enjoy the new way to play, and some content being cut like U3 is upsetting, but you cannot deny this game is a masterpiece and will definitely remain in my top 5 games of all time for years to come.

Gabe?s Take Resident Evil 4 Remake is the best remake, better than Resident Evil 2 Remake.

Everything done in the original Resident Evil 4 was made better in the remake. I do miss some corny lines by Leon, but I still enjoyed the corny lines of Leon in the remake. The combat was enjoyable, with it being the best part about playing Resident Evil 4 Remake, and the parry system in the game made it so much better, letting you get into more fights and do some badass moves with Leon.

Overall Resident Evil 4 Remake is very worthwhile to play. This is a true remake of a game and I believe everyone should give this game a try, even if they don?t know about the Resident Evil series, they won?t regret it.

THE EAGLE'S EYE

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TikTokCEOShouZi Chewtestifiesat a U.SHousehearing.The mainargumentinto banningTikTokis dueto concernsof nationalsecurity.Photocourtesyof C-SPAN

Electedofficials targetsocialmediaappinsteadofpassing comprehensive law Mark Lomas Co-Editor-In-Chief Good politics or good protection.

Those were the two main arguments in the air when TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before members of Congress in March about the popular social media app?s data security practices. The hearing was purported to be Congress?s attempt to learn how to protect Americans? personal data from data breaches conducted by the Chinese government.

However, the hearings have turned into a political fight over foreign social media influences.

"Welcome to the most bipartisan committee in Congress," Republican Rep. Earl LeRoy Carter said. "I don't speak for everyone, but there are those on this committee, including myself, who believe that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in psychological warfare through TikTok to deliberately influence US children."

Chew's responses to questions were often cut short as members of Congress asked for "yes" or "no" responses or moved on to make their own political points.

To understand the controversy around TikTok, we have to go back to when Trump was President. In July 2018, the Trump Administration announced tariffs on

"

Chinese imports, and the Chinese retaliated by raising tariffs on U.S. imports. This effectively began the U.S.-China Trade War. It worsened when, on May 15th, 2019, Chinese telecom giant Huawei was banned through an executive order signed by then-President, Donald Trump. Huawei was banned citing ?security concerns?.

American regulators did not like Chinese companies having access to American cell towers. So, on May 26th, Huawei was put on an entity list, forcing American companies to cease business with Huawei. This ban would put us in the position we are in today. Which is that Congress wants to ban TikTok. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. It?s used by 150 million Americans, roughly 45% of the U.S. population. However, the big problem that Congress has with TikTok is that the Chinese Government can force Chinese companies to hand over data. The Eagle?s Eye survey has found that 74% of the 100 students surveyed did not know that such a law exists. So Congress and

Biden issued an ultimatum ? sell TikTok to another company or be banned.

TikTok launched in the U.S. in 2018, and within one year, it had over 1 billion combined installs from the Google Play Store and Apple?s App Store. In late 2019, the U.S. Government opened security probes into TikTok because of concerns over data security.

In December 2019, the Pentagon banned U.S. sailors from using TikTok on Navy devices. In Aug. 2020, Trump signed an executive order intended to ban American companies from engaging in business with ByteDance. Following a protracted legal battle between the Trump administration and ByteDance, the order was ultimately overturned by President Joe Biden. To appease U.S. officials, ByteDance created a plan to work with U.S. server company Oracle for it to house all of TikTok?s data for the United States. It?s part of a corporate restructuring plan called ?Project Texas,? which is aimed at instilling American confidence in TikTok?s operations and security.

According to a Texas Monthly article, under Project Texas, TikTok?s American operations would be siloed and

Protecting its users will be TikTok's fir st pr ior ity.

- Shou Zi Chew

"

THE EAGLE'S EYE

I n-Dept h monitored by an in-house committee called TikTok U.S. Data Security? leadership for which would be approved by the U.S. government. Under the new organizational structure, TikTok would also utilize the Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States, an interagency U.S. governmental committee that has handled TikTok negotiations for the last few years, as a third-party security resource.

Additionally, Oracle would be able to review TikTok?s code and software in ?transparency centers,? and monitor global data flows necessary to allow U.S. TikTok users to engage with the app?s international content. The U.S. government will reportedly also be able to access the transparency centers.

The big question now is whether TikTok can still snoop on U.S. citizens.

Today, TikTok is banned on U.S. Government devices and 32 out of 50 states have enforced a ban on TikTok on government devices. The UK also has a similar ban, and NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has banned TikTok on all NATO devices.

When asked about whether TikTok should be banned in the U.S., 79% of Akins students did not support the ban.

This is compared to the entire United States, in which a Pew Research Center survey found that half the U.S. population supports a ban. The answer gets even more complicated when people consider how a ban on TikTok affects how people consume and share news.

Sophomore Nicolas Robedro said a lot of TikTok content is related to local and global news ?to the point I would say it could affect some people who get their news from TikTok.? ?At the same time, it could be beneficial as TikTok is often soaked in inaccurate and biased news,? he wrote in his survey response.

On March 23, 2023, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was called to testify in front of a Congressional Committee about concerns over how TikTok handles user data. Throughout his testimony, Chew repeatedly affirmed that TikTok won?t hand data over to the Chinese government, and that TikTok will protect its younger users. ?Protecting its users will be Tik Tok?s first priority,? Chew said. As of last week, TikTok also got hit with a fine for not protecting children?s data. Many analysts agreed that Chew?s testimony was not enough to assuage the fears of elected officials seeking to ban the app.

The main question on lawmakers minds is, can TikTok protect people?s privacy?

While the answer is inconclusive about whether it can, critics of a ban have said that lawmakers are focusing on the wrong aspect of this whole TikTok debacle. Instead of focusing exclusively on TikTok, critics argue that policymakers and the President should be working on passing a law that would

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provide comprehensive user internet data protections that would cover all companies and not just TikTok. The European Union (EU) has laws that protect what data can be collected and requires companies to be transparent. A major one that was passed was the General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR, which allows users to control how their data is used.

Companies have twisted the GDPR, and made it annoying to use the internet.

This is why we have too many pop up ads asking about cookies. The companies say they are just complying with the GDPR, but they are also making it annoying to use websites.

The U.S. on the other hand, has very few laws like these. California is the only state that directly protects internet users with state laws known as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These laws give consumers the right to know which personal information was collected, the right to delete that information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. They also give users the right to correct inaccurate personal

CalebCombs

information.

Federally, there isn?t one law that protects what data companies can collect. A couple of states such as Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia are set to pass data protection laws this year. In most states, however, it?s legal for companies to use, collect, and share your data without you notifying users.

However, survey results suggest that many people don?t really care about what data companies collect. When asked about whether students were worried about what data the Chinese Government collects through TikTok, The Eagle?s Eye survey found that 50 percent of students responded that they weren?t worried.

The bill that could allow the President to ban apps like TikTok is called the RESTRICT. Act. It would allow the Department of Commerce to ban desktop applications, mobile applications, gaming applications, payment applications if they were linked to an adversary of the United States. This could include countries like China (including Hong Kong), Cuba, Iran, North

Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.

While the RESTRICT act might sound like a good thing, it may be more dangerous than it sounds. The vague wording of this bill could be used against VPN?s, which many people use. If this bill is passed, then those who use a VPN to access TikTok could be prosecuted. The debate stems from the part of the bill that says ?no person may engage in any transaction or take any other action with intent to evade the provisions of this Act.?

Sen. Mark Warner, one of the bill?s authors, has explicitly stated that there are no criminal penalties in this bill that would violate free speech rights. ?You?re even free to drag the RESTRICT Act if you want! I stand firmly with freedom of speech, and my bill doesn?t affect or influence what Americans can say in any way, shape or form,? he wrote in a lengthy Twitter thread to reply to critics of the bill.

In short, the bill could be interpreted in many ways and that?s the problem people have with the bill.

Shortly after this bill was introduced, a viral post claimed that the act would give the government access to your smart home devices. These posts have been debunked. The fourth amendment protects american?s right to privacy, and the company would have to be owned by a foreign adversary for the government to demand information from the company under investigation.

Sadly, the focus on banning TikTok seems like it has stolen the focus on another bill introduced in June 2022 called the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA). The bill would?ve banned data collection only if it was necessary for it to be collected.

However, it does allow data to be collected for targeted advertising.

However, it would ban targeting ads to minors, and prevent ads based on sensitive data. It would also prevent companies like Google and Facebook from putting trackers on you and following you through the internet. The bill would?ve made it easier for users to opt-out of targeted advertising.

Even though this bill passed with unanimous approval in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ADPPA stalled in Congress and did not pass before the 117th U.S. Congress adjourned in December. However, with the renewed calls for data protection rising after the TikTok debacle, the chances of a data protection bill being passed are likely.

President Biden has even been calling on Congress to pass such a bill.

What the future looks like for TikTok and U.S. data protection, is unclear.

What is clear is that we are living in an important era of our nation?s history that could change how our future generations live for decades to come if either the Restrict Act or the ADPPA is passed.

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Local Ar t s

Orchest r a, Guit arshowof f m usicalt alent Membersof the AkinsSynfonettaperformingon KMFA, an AustinClassicalMusicRadioStation,over springbreakfor the cityto hear.PhotobyThomasMann A DA N SA N CH EZ SportsEditor M A RCELO PA L ACI OS StaffWriter Akins musicians have wracked up a streak of accomplisments this year while challenging themselves to do new things.

The Symfonetta and Woodwind band students combined for the Full Orchestra UIL performance. For musical groups, UIL is broken into three sections. PRE-UIL is a test run to see where the group stands as an ensemble. It helps student musicians get an idea of what a judge will think.

UIL occurs next and brings both sections into concert and sightreading contests.

Concert follows a normal performance except during the performance three judges observe and take notes on the group performance as a whole. The scores for this performance range from five to one, five being the worst score, and one being the best.

Sightreading, is a practice that is done when learning a new song or piece of music for the first time. It?s basically like playing a piece of music without knowing anything about the song.

The scores for Sightreading also range from five to one with one being the best. The Akins Full Orchestra achieved Sweepstakes, which is when a performing group receives a majority of ones in both their concert and sightreading category.

Thomas Mann, one of the conductors for the Akins Full orchestra, was asked by The Eagle?s Eye, what sweepstakes meant for Orchestra students at Akins, ?For the students, I think it's a sense of accomplishment,? Mann said. ?It's related similar to a test or an assessment. While also being an evaluation.? he said.

Mann also added that orchestra students feel that it?s an appropriate way for orchestra students to show their accomplishments in front of someone who is qualified to speak on the orchestra's performance. It?s a big challenge for both band and orchestra students to work together when they typically perform separately during the Full Orchestra UIL competition Mann said. ?The most challenging thing for orchestra hands down is the fact that it's two separate programs that have to work together,? Mann said.

Mann also said the challenge for band students is coming out of their marching season, and going into their concert season is the toughest challenge, ?So for bands,

the challenge is they're coming off of marching and moving into concert,? he said Mann also said that it?s two vastly different ways of performing for band and string student musicians ?It's two different ways of thinking two different ways of doing music and two different ways of preparing music,? he said.

Mann said the biggest challenge for string students adjusting to the sound of winds performing with them. ?For String Orchestra, it's the simple fact of all of a sudden having winds behind you having trumpets and clarinets and flutes and all that stuff blasting in the back of your head, which they're not used to at all,? he said Angelina Butryn, a student musician with the symfonetta orchestra was asked about how the orchestra UIL performance went "We got ones. We got the trophy, which was nice. And I really liked being able to play with everyone and it was also my first time playing in full orchestra.? she said Band director Babatunde Onibudo, the Both Akinsand BedicheckMiddleSchoolguitarplayersrehearsean second conductor of the full orchestra, said earlyversionof THEELEMENTStogetheron stage.PhotobyThomas the band students were thrilled with achieving Sweepstakes at UIL. Performing the actual song was the most challenging ?The band students were very excited about the Full part however. The student musicians had to adapt, Orchestra's accomplishments,? he said. ?They are proud of hearing the sounds of professional percussionist Thomas the work they put in and are happy with the results.?

Burritt and the accompanying Cello solo by Grammy Onibudo was also asked what the most challenging part nominee Bion Tseng while rehearsing the full 45 minute about this performance for band students was, which he song. said was the sightreading performance.

Isaac Olivares, a senior with the Akins varsity guitar ?Overall, I think the sightreading process was the most ensemble said that it was a challenge to not lose focus challenging aspect of the UIL process,? Onibudo said.?The during the performance, ?It was pretty hard to not get students had to learn a piece of new music in ten minutes mesmerized by the soloist playing,? he said and then perform it in front of judges.?

Olivares also mentioned another challenge was getting The symfonietta orchestra isn?t the only string group to adjusted to the sound of 60 other guitarist while achieve and perform in a major performance, the Akins performing the music, ?The most challenging thing about varsity guitar ensemble participated in a this performance was staying together and keeping on composer-in-residence project with guitar player, time especially with 60 or so guitarists,? he said composer and song writer Marek Pasieczny.

The Akins varsity guitar ensemble debuted this piece The varsity guitar ensemble filmed videos in which called THE ELEMENTS.back in february with Austin contained them using household items, such as paper, Classical Guitar. rubber bands, and or even personal items, such as Air Pod cases, and lens cloths

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St udentheadedt o st at eVASEcom pet it ion ZACH ALLBRITTON GraphicsEditor VASE, or the Visual Arts Scholastic Event, is a prestigious UIL competition where student artists from all over Texas have their work judged and win awards recognizing their talent and skill.

About 100 Akins students participated with 54 receiving gold medals, and one advancing to the state-level competition. Only 10% of all top-scoring artworks are chosen to attend State Event in May so this is a substantial achievement, art teacher Eric Cannon said.

Junior Madison Flores, whose oil painting advanced to the state competition, said being selected to compete marks an important point in her artistic career journey. ?I?m finally getting out there,? she said.

As for the proceedings of the event, she said they were rather simple, adding that besides the painting she had to write a few paragraphs on the intent of the piece and the process she went through to create it.

Flores said she has a love for horror and animals. ?I've always really liked farm animals, and scary farm animals, and scary things that happen on farms.?

The following students earned at least one gold medal and had an additional distinction.

Ar t 1 Georgia Larson (perfect score), Hannah Patnode-Kummer (2 medals); Dr awing 1 Ryleigh Guthrie (perfect score), Chet Marlow (2 medals); Paint ing 1 Madison Flores (State Qualifier); Sam Limon (2 medals) Paint ing 2 Megan Daus (perfect score); AP St udio Paloma Garcia-Flores (2 medals, 1 perfect score), Nicole Marin (2 medals), Hillary Hernandez (2 medals, 1 perfect (Left)JuniorMadisonFlores,who is advancingto StateVASEcompetition.(Right)Flores'spaintingadvancingto State score), Caleb Rocha (2 medals, 1 perfect score), Ella Event in Mayafter placingin the top 10%of all top-scoringartworks.PhotosbyZachAllbritton Lutz-Carrillo (2 medals)

War ham m er 40Kf eat ures f ant asyf un DESMIN CURRY StaffWriter Video game developing company Fatshark has had a successful run with the Warhammer Fantasy series, especially with the Vermintide series. This series of games take place in Warhammer Fantasy during the End Times.

The game features four heroes facing off against a race of vicious rat-men known as Skaven. Vermintide is mostly melee-based however there are some guns and magic.

Fans of the series were happy when Fatshark announced their newest game, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, available on PC for Steam and Windows.

When you first start the game, you will have four classes to choose from Psykers, Veterans, Ogryns, and Zealots. The Psyker uses sorceries to defeat your enemies. This class is mainly a ranged magic user with little health but powerful abilities. The Veteran is a guardsman soldier who has survived countless battles,with your main weapon being your choice of countless weapons. The Ogryn is a 10 feet tall human with limited intelligence but have overwhelming strength and the ability to shrug off wounds that would kill an Imperial Guardsman. Zealots' focus on

melee combat and become stronger the closer they are to death.

During the game, there will be things players may not know so this will be a short summary of the lore as well as the story of the game. There are many different factions in the Warhammer 40k universe, but for this review, we will be focusing on two of the factions. The Imperium of Man is a massive empire hailing from the world of Terra in the Sol system with the Emperor of Mankind being the de-facto leader of the Imperium.

However, due to his being wounded in a

Courtesyof Fatshark

civil war known as the Horus Heresy, he has been confined to the Golden Throne, where 1,000 Psykers a day sacrifice themselves a day in order to keep him alive. Because of this, Imperial citizens have come to worship him as a god, turning him into the God-Emperor of Mankind. This then became the Imperium?s official religion, known as the Imperial Cult. Worshipping anything else or doubting the Emperor is heresy and will be taken care of accordingly.

The Chaos faction hails from the Warp,

which is basically just hell in the 40k universe. The thoughts and feelings of these characters are sent to the warp, so naturally, there are many horrors there such as demons and the Chaos gods. There are four Chaos gods, each with their own quirk. For example, Nurgle is the Chaos god of disease, decay, despair, destruction, death and rebirth. Nurgle followers often spread pestilence and disease wherever they go.

Darktide is a very repetitive game with a simple plot, however, that?s why people play it. Darktide is a first person shooter with little chance to survive on your own.

It?s similar to Left 4 Dead in that the objective players are combating hordes of corrupted enemies that try to stop you.

Each of the classes is better suited for better tasks like the Ogryn who soaks up damage for your team. Veterans can take out the longer ranged enemies. Teamwork is essential in order to survive enemies as you explore the map as you?re completing you?re objective. Each game has an objective thatt players must complete to beat the level. There are also side objectives to reward adventurous players with extra items.

Ultimately, Darktide encourages players to stick together or die alone.

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Art istm ak esj ew elryout of anim albones SeniorWillowGraham usesanimalbonestomakeunconventional jewelry I think ribs are really cool. If they are on a small animal, they can be turned into earrings really easily. Spine pieces are awesome for necklaces and earrings and possibly even a charm bracelet.

Roberto Ramirez Co-Editor-In-Chief Within the fields of conventional jewelry making and manufacturing, some outliers take advantage of already existing techniques and revolutionize the field by putting their styles. The different styles of accessories continue to evolve, even at a local level.

Senior Willow Graham contributes to this expressive style by creating her own jewelry from animal bones. Her process of making this kind of jewelry strays away from traditional materials and manufacturing, as explained in an interview with her.

Graham?s friends have also followed her jewelry endeavor ever since she first presented them on her social media. Being a close friend of hers for two years, Junior Ken Armstrong provided insight into her thoughts with Graham?s undertaking. ?I think it?s pretty cool,?

Armstrong said. ?I?m glad she?s found something that is kind of unique in its own way. It?s very her."

The rest of the story is an exclusive Q&A with Graham herself.

I really like teeth, I have some cow teeth, some raccoon teeth, and even my own teeth. The cow teeth are great for necklaces, and the raccoon teeth are good for earrings, but they?re also a little too big for what I have planned for them. My own teeth are only for me, that?s not something I would give away to someone else.

EE: And what has t he public r esponse looked like? Have you gott en offer s, compliment s, or even complaint s about your jewelr y?

J EWEL RYSH OWCA SE A sampleof seniorWillow Graham'shandcraftedaccessories, whichincludesearringsand necklace.

PhotosbyRobertoRamirez

skull, and just some other random bones. Sometimes, if something gets hit by a car and I see it, I?ll keep an eye on it everytime I go past it and go back for it when it?s decomposed.

2

EE: What specific kind of jewelr y do you make? What?s your best wor k so far ?

WG: Mostly necklaces, occasionally some earrings. I?ve done rings and stuff, but not out of bones. I think my best work is a necklace I made. I let the bones sit in my backyard and not be nasty. Then I have a dremel, and then I made a little hole, then I threaded wire through it and wrapped the wire up and put it on a chain so that it doesn?t get caught on anything and fall off.

EE: How do you find t hese bones? What ?s your whole pr ocess int o looking for these bones?

WG: My dad is a runner, so he goes on the trails next to our house all the time and he keeps

WG: A lot of my friends compliment the jewelry, so I?ll just offer them to make them stuff. Sometimes people are a little bit grossed out. But it?s already dead, nothing?s gonna happen, it can?t hurt you. A lot of the time it?s just looks, and people have to double-take sometimes. And sometimes people will walk up to me and be like "That?s super weird."

But I do weird stuff all the time. It?s not something that?s a huge deal to me. I get a lot of compliments from my friends and a lot of compliments from strangers with dyed hair. So people who are already expressing themselves really like to see my self-expression.

EE: Coming back to t he coyot e you ment ioned, what was t he state of it s decomposition?

WG: My dad found it when it first died. But within the year, it had been totally bones. There were some fleshy pieces still on there, but I didn?t pick them up. There was still a full foot intact, I left that.

an eye out. If he finds something he?ll tell me about it. A year ago, he texted me a picture of a coyote he found and said ?We need to go back and get this?. We went back a few months ago and

then found it. I was super excited to find a whole bunch of spine and some ribs.

In the same forest, I found some armadillo (bones) and a raccoon

EE: What bones do you specifically look for ?

WG: Mostly small stuff.

Anything that?s not super delicate and pieces that go well with other pieces.

"

Sometimes people are a little bit grossed out - Willow Graham

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Ak insst udentshow s of f t heircollect ions Students sharethestoriesbehindtheircollections andtheirsentimental values Ruby Alvarez StaffWriter Collecting is a deeply personal hobby for many people.

Some Akins students collect toys. Others collect shoes. And others collect photo cards of K -Pop stars. Regardless, the items people collect and the reasons why they collect are all very personal and unique.

The Eagle?s Eye interviewed three students, Senior Adan Sanchez, Senior Zach Albritton, and Freshman Aleya Limon, about the items they collect and to hear the stories behind the collections.

Students like, Freshman, Luis Collins collect Squishmallows. Some like, Ashley Hernandez collect stuffed animals as a hobby. It's clear from our survey, that Akins students like to collect.

Adan Sanchez ProudOwnerof a Transformerscollection Senior Adan Sanchez has a collection of about 60 Transformer action figures.

These toys are known for changing shape by manipulating arms, legs and other humanoid features to resemble cars, jets and even dinosaurs. Sanchez has been collecting them for about seven years, Sanchez said the item that began his collection was a Transformer called Six

Zach Albritton ProudOwnerof a Legocollection Senior Zach Albritton has a collection of Legos. With his collection of Legos, he makes historical builds such as early 1900's vehicles, like planes.

Zach tells the Eagle's Eye that his first ever lego set was a Anakin spaceship from the TV show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

He got it during Christmas, starting his

Aleya Limon ProudOwnerof a ringcollection Freshman, Aleya Limon told the Eagle's Eye that her favorite thing to collect are rings.

She hopes to have a collection to pass off to her grandchildren in the future. She hopes the ring collection starts a tradition in her family. The ring that started her collection was "The Crossing" from James Avery.

The reason Aleya likes to collect rings is because she believes that they are pretty

"

If you're thinking about becoming a collector, I would say definitely do it.

Because it's something r eally fun that you can build up over time ? Adan Sanchez, Senior

"

M ORET H EN M EET ST H E EY E AdanSanchez'sTransformercollection.He'sbeencollectingfor over 7 yearsnow.PhotobyAdanSanchez

Shot, which can change into six different alternative modes, including a car, a jet, and even an artillery sort vehicle. ?That was what really sold me on the brand because I mean, it's a robot that turns into six different things,? Sanchez said. ?I would say that that was the first thing that really kicked it off for me.?

He said he was inspired to collect Transformers by a family friend who had a room in his house dedicated to Transformers. Since then Sanchez has invested any extra money he had into

buying Transformers that he likes.

Sanchez said he enjoys the process of storing and displaying them. However, recently he has had to put many of them into storage boxes because he moved to a different house recently. ?I have this really big box that I use,? he said. ?The way that I store the ones that I can't necessarily put on my display shelf is I have this blue tub in my dad's garage, and it's just full of nothing but

lego collecting hobby, or as he likes to call it, his art form.

Even though buying lego's is an expensive hobby, Zach is able to buy all of his lego's at a discount.

Zach also tends to spend most of his time with his lego collection building custom builds. Sometimes he does follow the instructions when he gets lego sets but he likes to be creative with what type of things he builds.

Zach had some advice for students who

wanted to build a lego collection. He told the Eagles Eye that lego sets, thrift stores and garage sales are best ways to start a lego collection.

and she likes them as an accessory. Aleya likes to display them on her nightstand and to wear her rings.

Aleya tells readers that when starting a collection, to invest in high quality materials so that they last longer.

L EGO M A ST ER Someof Zach Albritton's favoritecustombuildsare shown,includinghis favorite legosci-fi and planebuilds.

Photoby ZachAlbritton

L A DY OF T H E RI N GS FreshmanAleyaLimon,collects ringsto handdownto her grandchildren.

She hopesher collectionstartsa familytradition.

Photoby AleyaLimon

Transformers that I'm either not going to put on display yet or I'm going to sell .?

Hasbro are always been putting out those characters. That's kind of how I started my collection off. I was just collecting who I knew what I knew and then getting into the really complicated characters that they've been introducing.

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Essay

A Midsum m er Night AkinsJourney Theaterperforms a Shakespearean classicforEnglishclasses Kairi Natal PhotoEditor After a difficult and challenging year, the Akins Journey Theater performed its first staged play this year in late March with an abbreviated version of A Midsummer Night?s Dream.

The Shakespearean play about a fairy named Puck who makes two boys fall in love with the same girl, was cut for length to fit the time restraints of the University Interscholastic League?s One-Act play rules, which limit performances to 40 minutes. The theater department performed the play during the school day for English classes and did two evening performances, as well.

In addition to dealing with the loss of multiple theater teachers in the past two years, the theater department also had to overcome the challenge of a last-minute cast change ahead of

their UIL competition performance. Despite the challenges, the cast and crew persevered through it all.

Senior Samadhi Dudich said the show was bittersweet as it was great performing again but she was sad that it was the last time in high school. ?It was bittersweet because it was great being a performer again,? she said. ?But it was just really sad because it was the last time I act as a high schooler.?

Junior Richie Wright, who changed roles just a few days before the UIL performance, said Midsummer was the hardest he's ever worked to memorize lines for a play. ?This was the hardest that I ever had worked to memorize lines,? he said ? since I had six days to learn my new lines,? he said.

A WA K I N GFROM A DREA M JuniorRichieWrightscharacterNickBottomrollsdownthe stairsin confusionafter wakingup in the fairyforest.PhotobyKairiNatal

JoaquinArredondo,RichieWright,AnyaSigler, and JillianZamora'scharactersfromMidsummergatherfor a groupcheer.PhotobyKairiNatal

Phot o Essay

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DY I N GON STAGE JuniorRichieWright'scharacterNickBottomactsout a deathsceneto markthe end of a MidsummerNight'sDream. PhotobyKairiNatal

SCA RI N GT H E CROWD JuniorJillianZamora'scharacterSnugshowsoff their terrifyinglion costumeto the crowd.PhotobyKairiNatal

DI FFERI N GOPI N I ON S SeniorsLex Bentonand SamadhiDudich'scharactersOberonand Titainia argueover possesionfor her child.PhotobyKairiNatal

PL AY FI GH T I N G JuniorJoaquinArredondogivesRichieWrighta noogieas A MidsummerNightsDream opens.PhotobyKairiNatal

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Sw im m ing program of f erssk ills,j obof f ers Akinsstudents gettheopportunity toworkascertified lifeguards atareapools X av i e r Va r g a s StaffWriter Since 2020, Akins students have traveled by bus to Big Stacy Pool in the mornings to take swim lessons and train to become lifeguards.

Physical education teacher Jerry De La Huerta helped set up the program with help from the YMCA and the City of Austin. Besides teaching Akins students how to become strong swimmers, the program has helped teenagers gain employment at Austin area pools that have experienced shortages of lifeguards for years.

There are eight City of Austin lifeguards that help train and teach Akins students how to swim and the basics of lifeguarding. The yearlong class also counts as a full physical education credit. Several Akins students have gone on to work as lifeguards at Austin area pools earning $15 to $20 an hour. The City of Austin has experienced so many shortages of lifeguards in recent years that it hasn?t been able to keep all of its 34 pools open throughout the summer months. To fully staff its 34 pools, Austin Parks and Recreation says it needs at least 860 lifeguards during the summer, according to a KUT article.

To qualify for lifeguard training, students must be at least 15 years old by the last day of class and pass a swimming skills test. Once students are enrolled, they'll receive the latest science-based training from experienced instructors and develop skills they'll use for a lifetime. Flexible training courses are available in person or via blended learning.

Austin area pools and swimmers benefit from the program by having additional lifeguards on staff. Courses are designed and taught by industry-leading professionals who understand how to prevent and manage emergencies in and around the water. This training includes water and land rescue techniques and how to deliver critical care such as CPR, use an AED, and perform first aid when moments matter.

The final section of the lifeguarding course can be challenging for students and some do not complete it. Students are required to do a week of both mental and physical work performing a variety of swimming trials. This is the week of certification this is when most students quit.

However, those that stick with the program and pass their tests are ready to go to work, keeping Austin's pools safe.

L I FEGUA RDSON DU T Y Life guardswith the Cityof Austinmeet with Akinsstudents twicea weekto train studentson their swimmingand life savingskills.PhotobyXavierVargas

PROGRA MCREATOR PhysicaleducationteacherJerryDe La Huertahelpedset up the programwith help fromthe YMCAand the Cityof Austin.

PhotobyXavierVargas

L A P SWI M M I N G FreshmanDylanCaglepracticeshis breaststrokeat Big Stacy pool duringswimmingclass.PhotobyXavierVargas

N EW L EA DERON CA M PU S A Cityof AustinlifeguardwatchesAkinsswimmersat Big StacyPool duringAkins'swimclass.

PhotobyXavierVargas

DRI L L T I M E Lifeguardsat Big Stacytrain a new generationof lifeguards for what is to comeon duringthe certificationweek.Photo byXavierVargas

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Sof t ball, baseball seasonin f ullsw ing Baseball teamsharesoutlook onthecurrentseasonandhowit'sgoing ADAN SANCHEZ & ANTONIO CERDA-PUENTE SportsEditor& Staffwriter The Akins Baseball team has been home to a team of chemistry and strong passion. Led by Coach Gordon Taylor, the team has seen a fair share of heights throughout this year's season, despite the current lows. The team has a fire lit in them for victory and it hasn?t slowed the team's progression.

The Eagle?s Eye asked Taylor about how he?s impacted the team, despite only coaching for two years. ?I can?t speak on what has changed as much as what I?ve tried to instill here at Akins,? he said Taylor said that he wanted to create a culture where athletes persevere and have fun while doing it. ?I know I wanted to have a culture in which kids work hard and have fun along the way,? he said.

Taylor said he works to help improve every players' performance in the sport. ?In regard to sharpening skill there?s no substitute for repetition,? Taylor said. ?In regard to making players stand out, they do that on their own. When one of our players has success in this district, which features the most talented players in high school baseball, it is earned, and as a result gets noticed."

Taylor also said that he wanted to make baseball a positive environment and also be possible for any student.

Taylor also said how the team bonds together, and having all team members getting along, creates a great experience for the sport of baseball. ?The kids at every level seem to enjoy being around each other and playing baseball. We spend a great deal of time together when the kids mostly like each other it is much more enjoyable,? he said David Cisneros, a catcher for the varsity baseball team, was asked about his motivation for playing baseball, and why the sport is important to him. ?For me, it's my aspiration to go play baseball at the next level in college and to continue my education as well.? He said Cisneros said he's been playing baseball for most of his life.

"It's always been fun,? he said Cisneros continued by saying ?Just getting to play with your friends all the time and just doing what you love all the time so you can?t really ask for anything better.?

Cisneros was also asked about his thoughts on the season so far, to which he replied that it has been going as the team wants, but they still have a long season to go. He hopes they can turn it around in the second half.

BAT T ER-U P! JuniorZeusMartinezswingsagainsta baseballduringa JuniorVarsity TournamentagainstRandolphHighschool . PhotobyGabrielOjeda

Softballteamgivesinsightonthesportandgivetheirthoughts oncurrentseason Despite the problems athletics has been facing with coaches, the Akins softball team has managed to start off with a fire in them for victory, even with a newer coach.

Tallie Thrasher, the softball coach, has only been with the softball team for the current season, she has been working hard with the team and makes sure every player receives equal discipline, ?I do my best to find ways to reach each player individually where they can understand what I am asking them to do, skill-wise,? she said Thrasher also said how each student varies in performance, some might need one single pitch, while others may need 40. ?We do what I call, 'feel-good hitting.' They may need 1 pitch or they may need 40, but they will always end on something they feel good about."

She also said the Akins softball team hasn?t only faced issues with keeping coaches but has also suffered from mentality as a team.

Softball is a game that takes a massive amount of focus and mentality from the players. It may seem like baseball, but the preparation for the game is a whole different ball game.

Senior Mia Rubio, who?s played softball for approximately nine years, said ?The game is 90% mental and if you're not in the right mindset, you won?t have a good performance.?

Rubio also mentioned how the team seems to be wrapped up in mentality, and that it?s what affects the players the most. ?It's like we're all in our heads and it's mental. And so

FU L L SWI N G

PI TCH ERPERFECT

SeniorMiaRubiowindsup to swingduringa game againstthe AndersonTrojans.PhotoBrennanWest

SophomoreJulesMartinezpitchesa ball in Akins' gameagainstJohnson.PhotobySeanClaes

we're all not doing as good as we should,? she said.

All other softball players mentioned the same sentiment and outlook with mentality.

Rubio said she is motivated by the frienships she makes. ?I just enjoy being able to make friends out of teammates," she said. "That's like one thing that I've always liked about the game is that you make you meet so many new people,? she said Isabella Santiago, a senior on the softball team, suffered a concussion and was out for the start of the softball season, despite the challenges she faced suffering from a concussion, she said the team has

been at her support all the way, ?The team as a whole has been really supportive. It's been somewhat mentally draining, not being able to help my team on the field,? she said. Santiago said that she feels like the team is doing good, and they still have more to push out as a team.

Coach Thrasher was also asked what she would like the team to accomplish ?I hope that each player has fun and gets better every day,? she said. ?Not only on the field but as a human being. We have had a challenging year, but these tough times are only temporary, and only make you stronger as a student-athlete, but also as a person.?

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Runners, j um pers set newt rackrecords Trackathletes sharewhatmotivates themtoachievetheirpersonalgoals Marc elo Palac ios StaffWriter Track season is a time for athletes to push themselves toward meeting personal goals and that has been true for Akins runners, throwers, and jumpers to show off their abilities.

So far this year, we have seen at least two school records fall as Akins track athletes have set new ones. Sophomore Ava Linnell broke the girls 3200 meter school record by 36 seconds. The record was previously held by Betty Ramos who ran 12:22 in 2016. And sophomore Oriana Perez Pena broke the girls long jump school record by jumping 16' 5."

The record was previously held by Pistel Knox who jumped 16' 1.75" in 2019.

Eagle?s Eye interviewed various track athletes about what motivates them to compete in track.

Sophomor e Ava Linnell, 800, 1600, 3200 EE: Was the record somethinng you were aiming to beat?

AL: ?I actually didn?t even know what the record was, and it was like the first, my first time running the two-mile this year because I usually don?t run it. So it wasn?t even something that was in my head during the race.?

EE: so in terms of running what would you do like run a certain distance? Or was it timed running?

AL: ?So it depends on the day usually. On my long runs, I do distance like seven or eight miles but during the week sometimes, like my coach will tell me go out for 40 or 45 minutes, so then I?ll do that. And then whenever we do speed work, it?s about distance. So we?ll do like 800?s or 400?s. And we have a a certain time that we have to hit so that?s where we really work on speed.?

EE: Okay, What are some difficulties that you face when it comes to track?

AL: ?I get really, really nervous before track meets. And some of the track meets we go to have really good runners, like one that I went to last week had like her time in the Texas Top 50, and she yeah she?s a really good runner. And so knowing that I?m going to go against all of these girls who are so experienced and have, like done all of these things. And sometimes they?re like seniors and juniors and usually older than me. It?s kind of like intimidating. And sometimes I can get in my head but whenever I start my race, I just have to like forget about all that and just run my race. ?

EE: So considering the fact that you are younger than the other ones, how does that make you feel knowing that you?re a sophomore and that you broke a record?

AL: ?I kind of like being younger, I like being kind of an underdog knowing that I still have two more years to keep improving, and I still have a lot more time to just keep running faster.?

EE: What are some motivations that you have? Like what are things that you?re striving to get to?

AL: ?I am just constantly striving to improve. It?s kind of my dream to run in college as well, so I want to try to work towards that and just continue to advance to area and regionals, and eventually, the goals would be state, which I know is going to be really hard. But that?s my goal to eventually make it to state. ?

Senior Aar on Mar t inez, 4x1, 4x4, 300 meter hur dles EE: For your last year of high school, how do you want to finish the season?

AM: For my last season of track I want to place in the district meet and advance to the area meet.

OU T-RU N N I N GT H E COM PET I T I ON SophomoreAvaLinnellsprintsaheadof a herdof runnersduringa trackmeet in Bastropin February.

Linnellbrokethe girls3200meterschoolrecordby 36 seconds!.Therecordof 12:22wasset in 2016.

PhotoCourtesyFranciscoFlores

EE: How is the track season going so far?

AM: My track season has been going alright. There are a lot of ups and downs and room for improvement.

EE: What makes you try your hardest in track? What is your motivation?

AM: I love to compete and push myself to run faster and try harder in all my races.

Freshman Andrew Copeland, 4x1, 100 meter, 200 meter, 4x4 EE: How is the track season going so far?

AC: My track season is going pretty well, loving it.I love the fact that we leave school early and stay at a track meet all day.

EE: What achievements do you want to achieve?

AC: I want to achieve a sub-9 (seconds) in the 100-meter dash.

EE: What makes you try your hardest in track? What is your motivation?

AC: Knowing people that are faster than me motivates me to work harder and get to where I need to be.

Fr eshman Dylan Cagle, 100-meter , 4x1, 4x2 EE: What are your goals before the district meet?

DC: My goals are to not only hit a (personal record) but get everyone prepared properly for it.

EE: How long have you been running track?

DC: For about two years now.

EE: What are your favorite track events?

DC: I would say the 100 meter and the 200 meter.

EE: What do you enjoy about track?

DC: Not only missing school for the day but being able to compete with other people and my teammates.

EE: What are your strengths?

DC: I would say short distance and being able to explode hard.

EE: What are your challenges?

DC: Mid-distance (runs) and my stamina are pretty bad.

EE: How many hours a week do you practice?

DC: Around 6-7.

EE: What are your individual team goals?

DC: Individually, I would say to win in any event that I do. For district team goals is to get everyone ready so we

GU N N I N GI T SophomoreAvaLinnellrunsduringa trackmeet in Bastropin February.PhotoCourtesyFranciscoFlores

FA R FLU N G JuniorVaughnVegaLaunchesa discduringan AISDInvitationalMeet.PhotoBySamanthaLimon can also win all of our relays.

Sophomor e Or iana Per ez, 100 hur dles, Long Jump, 4x100, 4x400 EE: What are your goals by the district meet?

OP: Break my (personal record) EE: How long have you been running track?

OP: I?ve been running track since I was seven.

EE: What are your favorite events?

OP: Long jump and the relays.

EE: What do you enjoy about track?

OP: Spending the days with my teammates EE: What are your strengths?

OP: Everything: long jump and sprints EE: What are your challenges?

OP: My mindset.

EE: How many hours a week do you practice?

OP: 6 EE: What are your individual and team goals?

OP: My individual goals are to break my (personal record) and team goal would be to win the 4x400 relay.

Matthew Ybarra and Jake Copeland contributed to thisstory

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Tam bunga enj oysan 'unbrok en chain' HeadWrestling coachdelivers a 20-yearstreakforsending students tostate Veronic a Diaz CopyEditor Wrestling coach Roy Tambunga has had the rare experience of sending at least one wrestler to the state-level matches every year for the last 20 years. Tamunga started at Akins in 2002, which is just two years after the school opened in 2000. Tambunga has worked as a science teacher and wrestling coach ever since. The most recent student to make it to state was senior Deonne Topete, who placed 5th in February. Topete also made her own unique achievement by making it state every year while a student at Akins. Attending state-level competitions is a very challenging process, and only a few programs consistently send athletes to state tournaments. The Akins wrestling team is one of those programs. Tambunga is very sport-specific and pays very close attention to detail. He knows how to well prepare his students when they face difficult competition.

The Eagle?s Eye asked Coach Tambunga about the steps he takes in getting his wrestlers ready for the year. ?We've already started for next year. As soon as you see the season, it?s already over,?

Tambunga said. ?The next week, we give them a week off, and we were starting already for next year."

Tambunga said it is important to condition students to improve their skill. ?They have to make sure their mental health is strong, and mental toughness is probably the most challenging because they don't understand the things that we improve,? he said. ?They think it's physical, which it is physical, but it's really to improve how mentally tough they are.?

Before he worked in wrestling, Tambunga was a boxer for 14 years. During his time boxing, he realized his enjoyment for the physicality of wrestling. ?I grew up fighting, I enjoy the physicality of it,? he said.

Wrestling wasn't even a class when Tambunga started at Akins.

"We used to have zero hours which was before school. So we weren?t even a real class, so it's a lot more respected now."

The wrestling program

exceeded many expectations not only by making it state-level but also because of the hard work and passion that the students have for the sport of wrestling.

Tambunga believes that after a student graduates, other students step up to take leadership roles in the program. ?I think that it's the expectation.

And when one leaves, I usually end up having another one that usually steps up before they leave,? he said.

So that's why the chain hasn't been unbroken,? he said. ?So this year Deonne is our state wrestler, and so hopefully by the time she leaves, there'll be other a couple of other ones that kind of figure out what it takes to be that good.?

Joseph Saxe, co-athletic coordinator and head football coach, said the wrestling program is something that athletes are proud of. He said he appreciates how Tambung has raised the standard for Akins?athletic performance. ?He is always learning and improving which has kept him at the top of the profession for so long,? Saxe said.

Tambunga says he is proud of the wrestling students and feels blessed to have students who are committed to the sport of wrestling. ?I've been blessed to have some pretty good kids. And truthfully, all my students have been very successful,? he said.

Amanda Thomas, co-athletic coordinator and head volleyball coach, said she, thinks that Tambunga demands the very best, but he also maintains a good relationship with his student-athletes. ?He is known for helping and encouraging struggling students to become the best and lets them take it out on the mat,? she said.

Tambunga has not only coached wrestling but has coached almost every other program Akins Athletics offers and does it with the same passion he has for wrestling. His teaching career at Akins is one of the main pillars of athletics.

To celebrate Tambunga?s 20-year streak, the Akins coaching staff presented him with a GOAT cake to recognize his status as the ?Greatest of All Time? at Akins during a send off event for Toepte before she traveled to the state tournament.

RECEI V I N GPRA I SE T H E GOAT RoyTambungashowsoff the "GOAT"cakehe was givenduring a statesendoff partybeforeheading off to the statewrestlingtournamentwith Deonne Topetein March.Tambungahassent a wrestlerto the UILstatewrestlingmeet everyyear for the 20 yearshe hascoachedat Akins.

Photocourtesyof AmandaThomas

AssistantPrincipalBradlyLancastersaysa few worksto honorwrestlingcoachRoy Tambungaat a sendoff ceremonybefore he headedout to competein state torunamentwith seniorDeonneTopete.

Coachesand staff at Akinsexpressedtheir appreciationfor Tambunga'sworkraising the bar for the Akinswrestlingprogram.

Photocourtesyof AmandaThomas

T H E GOAT SeniorDeonneTopetestandson the winner?spodiumafter placingfifth at the state-levelUniversity InterscholasticLeaguewrestlingtournament.PhotoCourtesyof UniversityInterscholastic League

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10701 S. First St .

Aust in, TX 78748

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This page contains paid advertising provided by the Akins administration and not content created by The Eagle?s Eye staff.

Contact faculty adviser David Doerr if you are interested in advertising in The Eagle?s Eye by sending an email to david.doerr@austinisd.org.

Eagle Family! sweepstakes in Band, It is hard to believe that we Orchestra, and Choir along only have a few weeks left in with our percussion the 22-23 school year! students being invited to the It has been an amazing year prestigious ?Music for All? and we have many incredible national percussion festival. accomplishments to celebrate!

Akins also placed multiple students 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in This year will mark our first several state level true class of ACC graduates in competitions in CTE and the Early College program. athletics with some students This is an unbelievable even qualifying for accomplishment for many of our ECHS students who will Mic h a el Her bin nationals!

However, the school year earn an associate?s degree before they receive their High School isn?t over yet! Seniors, there is still time diploma. On top of that, our AVID seniors to wrap up completing college racked up over 7.6 million dollars in applications and FASFA (Free Application scholarships this school year, the most in for Federal Student Aid) with the help of the history of Akins. We also received UIL Mrs. Claudia Arellano Ferretiz in the

Expir es 5/ 22/ 23

College and Career Center (Room 146).

This is the time to ask for help because this nine-weeks will be over before you know it!

Juniors (2024) and Sophomores (2025), it is time to make sure you are TSIA ready.

We will be testing students Monday-Thursday during the summer beginning at 9:00 a.m. Juniors, if you want to choose your 4th year English and math class, it is important that you take care of this early.

On top of that, students enrolled in English 1, English 2, Algebra 1, Biology and/ or US History are gearing up for their STAAR EOC tests starting in mid-April. In addition to those exams, we will also have Advanced Placement exams occurring in May. I am proud of the focus

and effort exhibited by both students and teachers in preparation for these important assessments. I know you will do great!

On a more personal note, I want to thank all of you that have made my first year at Akins a great one. The staff and students at this campus are truly amazing. I also want to thank our Akins community for all of their work in supporting our students this school year.

I have been so impressed by your consistent focus on improving the outcomes of our kids. This is a truly amazing campus and I consider myself lucky to be an Eagle.

Wings Up, Michael Herbin Principal