The Eagle's Eye; Issue 1; Volume 18; Akins High School

The

EAGLE’S EYE

W. Charles Akins High School Austin, Texas Volume 18 October 1, 2018 “Everything that concerns you.”

@AkinsJournalism

AkinsJournalism

@AkinsJournalism

vaping and teenagers Teen Juul use on the rise Page 12

In News

Fine Arts

Page 6

In opinions

ID Badges

Page 8

In sports

Volleyball

Page 19

Upcoming Events S 7

Akins at Large

Students watch the performances at the “blackout” pep rally on Sept. 13. Students in the audience were given glow sticks and the lights were turned out for the event. Photo

by Diego Gutierrez.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 SOCIAL WORKER Counseling faculty changes 9 DRESS CODE Inequality in Austin ISD policies 12 JUULS Teen usage of vapes and e-cigarettes 16 FRESHMAN FOCUS New athletes and leaders 22 LINDA O’NEAL Teacher runs for city council

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5th Guitar/Orchestra Concert 18th Mayoral Forum 19th Blue and Gold Night 24th Fall Band Concert 30th Fall Choir Concert 7 p.m.

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HONORS

EDITORIAL POLICY The Eagle’s Eye is the official student newspaper of Akins High School. It is published once per six weeks, for the students, staff and community.

The Eagle’s Eye is an open forum for student expression, not reviewed by school administration prior to distribution, and the advisor will not act as a censor. Content represents the views of the student staff and not school officials.

The Eagle’s Eye will avoid bias and/or favoritism. We will make our content meaningful, timely and interesting. Our articles will reflect our objective of reporting news and will be held to a high standard of quality.

We will make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process or is an invasion of privacy. We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph. All icons used are from flaticon.com.

Staff editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board arrived at by discussion and will 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 welcomes reader 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 the right to edit for length and clarity.

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TAJE

Superior Coverage 2005 2008 2007 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2010 - 2nd Sweepstakes 2011 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2016 - Best In Show

CSPA

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All-American - 2013 Nominated for Pacemaker - 2013

2011 - Silver Medal 2012 - Gold Medal 2015 - Gold Medal

THE EAGLE’S EYE Editors

Bethany Bissell

Jennifer Espinoza

Mylo Bissell

Andy Clay

Dee Carreon

Editor-in-Chief

Opinions Editor

News Editor

Entertainment Editor

In-Depth Editor

Angela Glass

Jon Garza

James Mendiola

Diego Gutierrez

Ash Catalan

Life & Style Editor

Life & Style Editor

Sports Editor

Photo Editor

Graphics Editor

Briefs:

Voter Registration In order to vote in the upcoming Nov. 6 midterm election, students who are eligible must register to vote by Oct. 9. Students who are eligible to vote must be 17 and 10 months old and be 18 by the date of the election. The League of Women Voters will be on campus Oct. 5 to register students. If a student would prefer to register online, they can go to register2vote.org, a website that auto-populates the voter registration form and mails it on an individual’s behalf. In addition to this, Linda O’Neal’s Austin Corps interns are registering students. They can be found in room 235, and they will be pulling eligible students out of their classes to register them before the deadline.

On The Cover: This issue’s cover story is about teen e-cigarette, specifically Juul, usage. The use of these devices among teens has become increasingly common over the last year, and recent research has found that the health risks are greater than has been advertised or believed. Because of this and the widespread underage usage of the brand, the FDA has announced that it would crack down on retailers that sell Juul products. In this issue’s in-depth, The Eagle’s Eye explores the effect that Juul and other e-cigarette company’s products and advertising has had on teens.

NEWS

Page 4 October 1st, 2018

The Eagle’s Eye

Principal profile created, starts principal selection

Campus Advisory Committee establishes the criteria for next Akins principal mylo bissell

T

News Editor

he heart of any school is the principal. They represent the campus on a lot of levels; they face the community and district on behalf of the school.

At the end of last school year, former principal Brandi Hosack announced she was departing from Akins to take a principal position in North Forney, north of Dallas. This began the principal search process, which is designed to ensure that the school board selects the best principal for the Akins campus.

To begin this process, the Campus Advisory Committee (CAC) held a meeting on Sept. 5 to develop a principal profile, which is a list of characteristics that parents, staff and members of the community believe the incoming principal should have. After this, the district began conducting interviews.

These interviews will continue until Superintendent Paul Cruz submits a principal selection to the school board, who will vote on this selection at a meeting on Oct. 22. The principal will begin work on campus the following day, and

the public announcement of the principal will occur on Blue and Gold Night, or Oct. 24.

The CAC is comprised of parents and staff members who provide guidance to the campus for meeting goals. In the principal selection process, the CAC selects two individuals to help develop the profile and sit in on the first round of interviews. The Akins representatives during this selection process are Academy of Business, Leadership and Legal Enterprises (ABLLE) Academy Coordinator Melissa Contreras and English teacher Shalane Sheppard.

“I’ve been here seven years,” Contreras said. “I’ve seen three different principals and each of those that have been here has had a different kind of representation, but what I find important is that they are focused on the student.”

The principal profile is composed of six categories: Academic Leadership, Communication Style, Education and Experience, School and Community Relations, Leadership Style and Personal Qualities. Items included on the principal profile are transparency, 5-10 years of teaching experience and knowledge

of the school community. Contreras said that she tried to use the principal profile as a guide when sitting in on the interviews.

“You have to see that the person could have an impact and have a strong relationship with the school and students,” she said. “They need to realize that this was an opportunity (to make an impact).”

Contreras said that when speaking with candidates, a major item that they considered was the prospective principals’ knowledge of the academy system. She said that because the system is unique, an understanding of what is needed for these academies to collaborate is necessary. She said that it was promising to see candidates have a vision regarding this.

“I sat there and I was like, ‘Okay, I could see this individual realizing what we are or seeing what we could be potentially,’” she said.

“That was a good thing to see in the candidates.”

Students prioritize honesty and understanding in a prospective principal.

Senior Kyra Edekir said she thinks the next principal should be compassion-

ate and empathetic. She said that they should also be motivated.

“They need to attempt to understand the point of view of students before making judgments,” she said.

Sophomore Johanna Jaimes said that after the lockdown in February, she wants the principal to prioritize the reasonable protection of students. Jaimes said that it’s important for the principal to listen to student concerns and respond accordingly.

“They should be open-minded and pay attention to students,” she said.

“They should do what is best for (students).”

The superintendent interview with principal candidates occurred on Sept.

25, and the school board will come to a final decision on Oct. 22. The board meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Carruth Administration Center.

“When it’s a principal that looks at the whole campus, whole body and whole student and sees beyond what only they can do as a person, that’s who I look to as a leader,” Contreras said.

What qualities do you think a principal should have?

(A Principal’s) Good qualities would be Nice to students, and respectful

Sophomore

Samantha Salazar

Johana Jaimes

SOmeone that’s hardworking and very devoted to the job

David Ridge

Freshman

Samantha Salazar

Samantha Salazar

Ty Adam

(A principal should be) supportive, encouraging and trustworthy

open minded about protection and the effects ( of policies) on students

Marylin Ruiz Junior

Jasper Johnson Senior

NEws

The Eagle’s Eye October 1st, 2018 Page 5

Akins enforces Austin ISD ID policy for high schools angela glass

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Life & Style Editor

ho are you?”This is a question students have been hearing from administrators if they are seen walking down the halls without visibly wearing their ID badge. Requiring students to wear their ID badges is a major policy change at Akins, where students often didn’t even have one last year. The change was prompted by the campus lockdown that occurred last February, when an expelled student brought gun ammunition to campus.

The administration took advantage of the campus-wide student photography day to ensure every student had an opportunity to receive a photo ID. Administrators spent a week making announcements reminding students they had to wear it everyday to school before issuing consequences for not wearing the badges.

“Safety trumps any new initiative we want to do,” Interim Principal Tina Salazar said.

The response to this new policy has varied among students. Some students said they understand the need for strict identification while others find it extreme and inconvenient.

Senior Labroderick Woods said he supports the new policy although sometimes he doesn’t like wearing his badge.

“We need to know who is coming in and out of our campus,”he said.

Junior Bella Edwards said she understands the new policy despite it being inconvenient. She said the new policy sometimes feels like one more thing administrators and teachers can hassle students about.

“They don’t have to be so rude upfront,” she said.

“When you don’t have (an ID), it could be a little more on a person-to-person level.”

Currently, the punishment for not wearing an ID badge is automatic In-School Suspension (ISS). While

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Safety trumps any new initiative we want to do.

-Interim Principal Tina salazar

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in ISS, students can either pay for a replacement badge or call their parents to bring their badge from home or just sit for the rest of the day there.

Edwards said there needs to be more flexibility in allowing for students to make mistakes in forgetting their ID badges without having to sit in ISS for the first violation.

“What if you can’t have it, (because) you don’t have that extra $5 to get a new one,” she said.

Other students have pointed out that some students don’t have anyone to call and bring the ID to school.

Interim Principal Salazar said the administration is not trying to hassle students by implementing the new ID badge policy.

“This isn’t about trying to burden (students) with something else,” she said. “It is strictly about their safety.”

Salazar explained that wearing ID badges is just the first step in a district plan to improve overall student safety.

She said eventually the district wants to move toward having an electronic badge scanning system. In order to get on a bus you have to swipe your ID she said.

Salazar said that safety is the number one priority. The district will soon be searching for ways to come up with the money to pay for these systems, she said. Some students have asked what would happen if the attacker is a currently enrolled student, Salazar simply said, “If it’s a student here it’s a student here. There’s not much we can do about that,” she said.

Salazar said IDs are to help police and first responders know who is supposed to be on campus when emergency incidents happen.

Salazar said she believes that requiring ID badges being worn can help administrators to quickly identify former students who have been suspended but are found on campus.

News Briefs: Other notable events on campus Senior PSAT Day Options

Seniors have several options for activities on Oct. 10, when the freshman, sophomores and juniors are taking the PSAT. All seniors are required to take the FitnessGram, and seniors can arrive in the gym on the morning of the PSAT in order to take the test. This activity can be combined with another. Students can sign up to take the TSI, get FAFSA, TAFSA or college help from Ms. Simmons, make a college visit, take the ASVAB or participate in a study hall.

In order to receive an excused absence for a college visit, seniors must pick up and fill out the college visit form from the office.

Mayoral Forum

On Oct. 19, the Austin Corps students are hosting a Mayoral Forum with Mayor Steve Adler and candidates Laura Morrison, Travis Duncan and Alex Strenger. The mayor and candidates will each answer four questions from Austin Corps interns, and then they will take questions from the audience.

The event begins at 10 a.m. is open to parents and the community, but all non-students or faculty will have to arrive early to check in at the front office and receive a vistor’s sticker.

Questions about this event should be directed to Linda O’Neal at linda.oneal@ austinisd.org.

Grocery Giveaway On Oct. 20, the Life Unlimited Church will be holding a grocery giveaway on campus. The event will begin at 10 a.m. and will run until supplies run out. Everyone is qualified to recieve groceries at the event and it is drive-through only. Attendants are expected to remain in their vehicles when receiving groceries and supplies. Those interested in receiving supplies should drive through the auditorium parking lot. Fresh produce and other essentials will be in stock and all items are first come, first served.

Questions about this event should be directed to Life Unlimited Church at 512416-8077.

News

The Eagle’s Eye October 1st, 2018 Page 6

Fine arts programs hire eight new staff members Emily bellinghausen

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Staff Writer

esides the students experiencing the butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling on the first day of school, there was a large contingent of teachers in the Fine Arts department having the same experience.

That’s because Akins has eight new Fine Arts teachers after all of the music teachers and a theater teacher left the department for various reasons.

Orchestra and guitar teacher Thomas Mann came to Akins from Mendez Middle School, where he taught for 6 to 7 years.

Before teaching, Mann worked as a touring musician for 23 to 24 years. He then went on to teaching at private schools and doing private lesson for 6 to 7 years.

“I’ve been super successful doing everything musically in my life, but every reason that I’m there has been given to me by somebody else,” he said. “I’ve always felt a strong need to give that back,” Mann s aid.

“Everybody’s a teacher if you’re willing to be a student. A lot of times we just don’t pay attention

to the lessons that are being taught to us.” Mann said.

Choir teacher Mary McKenna is a another new face in the Fine Arts hall. She first started off teaching at an elementary school as a music teacher for four years. She recently decided she wanted to teach at the secondary level and moved to Austin from Laurel Mountain Elementary and Spicewood Elementary.

“I had a wonderful piano teacher growing up, and I sang a lot in my church choir,” McKenna said.

“And I wanted to make the same impact on my students that my awesome music teachers did for me.”

The new head band director Babatunde Onibudo came to Akins from Jourdanton High School, which is a small town south of San Antonio. His 12th year of teaching, and has guided the Jourdanton High School Band program as it has earned consistent recognition as UIL Sweepstakes award recipients.

He has always been teaching in band, and he said he was inspired by the band teachers he’s had in his life, including those at Garland High School where he performed in the marching band in high school. Oni-

LEADING THE CLASS

Zeta Handy

Orchestra director Thomas Mann leads his symphonic orchestra. Mann said that he was interested in increasing communication of fine arts programs.

budo also said is that he very much enjoys the diversity of the student body at Akins.

“There’s the diversity of students and teachers and there’s the cultural diversity of kids interests and how they are with each other,” he said.

Student Support Services hires new social worker Meg Scamardo welcomes students while taking charge of counseling center Evelyn Moreno

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Staff Writer

rom schoolwork and relationships to family stress and mental health, students on campus have many sources of stress. The Student Suppport Services (SSS) is a service on campus that allows students to receive counseling and resources and attend support groups when needed.

Following social worker Colleen Arnold’s departure from Akins, Meg Scamardo has taken over the Student Support Services (SSS) program on campus. Scamardo, who graduated from the University of Texas’ social work program, said she decided to come to Akins because of recommendations from teachers who said it was a good school.

“I love working with kids and their families,” she said. “ I thought it was

very helpful for others.”

Scamardo isn’t completely new. She has worked with Arnold in the past, so Student Support Services will remain similar to last year. She said that she will make changes if it is needed for the students and for the school. She won’t know what to change until she is able to evaluate what is working and what needs improvement.

“I will continue what Ms. Arnold started,” she said.

She said that having kids telling her that they feel better now that they have talked to her is very important to her and it makes her feel like she did a good job. She said tha getting this job was really important to her.

“She’s awesome and very friendly,” senior Miguel Villegas said.

Villegas said he thinks it is important to have a Social worker here at Akins because he has seen many occasions where

students need to go talk to her or just need a place to be at to calm down.

Some issues Villegas thought students should talk to Scamardo about are issues with relationships, at home, work, school, or if they have a need to talk to someone about their problems.

He said that she is useful for students who don’t have anyone to talk about their problems with. Villejas talked to her about his own problems.

Scamardo said the job is tough and can be very draining on her by hearing all the stories and things everyone that goes to her has to go through, but she is proud of the work that she does.

“Akins is such a special school because of the people that work here also because of the students here,” she said. “As a social worker I’m here to support everyone that needs help.”

SSS Groups

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LGBTQIA Support Grief Support Anger Management Girls Empowerment Parenting/Pregnancy Support • Managing Emotions • Healthy

News

The Eagle’s Eye October 1st, 2018 Page 7

e e Explains: Bethany Bissell

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Editor-in-Chief

uring the first six weeks of the 2018-19 school year, students experienced many changes affecting their day-to-day life on campus. Changes to faculty, security and class time has created some confusion for students in the new school year. The Eagle’s Eye spoke with interim principal Tina Salazar to gain clarity about the changes of the new school year.

The Eagle’s Eye: This issue, we are doing our Eagle’s Explains about changes that have come with the new school year. What do you think the major changes this year have been?

Tina Salazar: The timeline for the new principal has already started. Interviews are going to start happening and then a decision will be made at the end of September. Oct. 22 is when the board votes to approve someone.

Oct. 23 is when the new principal starts here. Set. Done. End of story. That’s the that’s going to be the person who knows the answers. I can tell you what I would do, but that could be turned over on Oct. 23. I’m not saying that I’m not trying to be that person.

I’m trying very hard to be that person, but I still have to get the job.

At the moment what we’re doing is IDs for the safety of everyone. we are moving to [Flexible Instruction Time (FIT)]. Monday and Friday will be advisory days and Tuesday through Thursday will be student choice.

Finally, Standards-Based Grading for all core classes.

EE: What has the student reaction to the ID policy been?

TS: Really good. Usually when I (ask where a student’s ID is) they’re like, “Oh yes, in my backpack.”

This year we need to see it. Honestly, out of about 100 I spoke to today, only one kid told me he didn’t want to wear it. But everyone will have to conform because that’s what’s best for everyone.

EE: What happens if you aren’t wearing your ID? TS: Either your parent brings it and you sit in ISS while you wait for them bring it, or you’re going to

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What changes have come with the new school year?

pay five dollars for a new one. What the district eventually wants is for students to swipe when they get on the bus. It all comes back to (the lockdown that) happened to us in February. That’s the endgame. The endgame is safety and making sure that all enrolled students are here.

EE: Attendance was a lot of the reason student FIT choice had not happened last year. What efforts are going to be in place this year to improve FIT attendance?

TS: It was a compromise. (Student choice would be) Tuesday through Thursday and then we could make sure they went when they were supposed to go on Friday. The reason admin is so against it is be-

Friday.

Maybe we can get to a point where we check in on Monday and Tuesday through Friday we have student choice. Wouldn’t that be great? That’s the endgame. That’s where we want to go, but baby steps. I think we can eventually get there. We want to trust you.

EE: All non-AP or OnRamps courses are moving to Standards-Based Grading this year. Will there be a push for electives to move to that as well?

TS: Next year. I don’t know what a new principal would do, but I think it’s best for students. I think students should be judged by what they know and not what’s in the bottom of their backpack or in their house under their bed.

The completion of something is not an assessment. True assessment is what a child knows. I think students should get credit for what they know even though if they’re struggling. If a teacher can have a conversation with you and assess that you know something, but there is something happening in the transition to the piece of paper or the computer, that’s on the teacher to help that student. It’s not a lack of knowledge, the problem’s in that application. That’s why we have jobs.

EE: IDs seem to be the major security change on campus. Are there any additional changes?

TS: There are things that are secret that we’re trying not to publicize. We try not to publicize maps of our school. The big thing is making sure that (administrators and security guards) are very visible and out and about so that (people) are less likely to want to do something. That’s the key. There are some other things that we want to get done, but they all come down to money.

EE: Those are all of our questions. Is there anything you’d like to add?

TS: We have a great community and amazing teachers and students and it’s just been a joy. This time it’s been a joy. It really has. I love this campus so much, and I put my whole heart into it. We have a great team here.

The completion of something is not an assessment. True assessment is what a child knows.

-Interim Principal TinA Salazar

cause of the attendance issue and because of the (lockdown) that happened just last year. Our concern was that if something occurred during that 35 minutes of the day, how would we know who was supposed to be where? It’s going to be incumbent upon the advisory teacher to engage to make sure that all of their students have signed up for FIT sessions Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. At that point, we could go into the portal and see where students are supposed to be.

The other thing is what happened the first time when you first got to experience FIT was that some teachers were capping classes at five people and students didn’t have anywhere to go. The rules now are department chairs make sure that their students have FITs, and advisory teachers need to check that students are signed up on Monday and

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Page 8 October 1, 2018

Opinions

The Eagle’s Eye

Editorial: ID requirement affects class attendance

ID badge policies cause students to miss classes, get behind on schoolwork

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efore this year, the administration had never enforced owning and wearing an identification

badge.

Following the lockdown last February, however, administration has begun implementing more safety procedures.

In the past, IDs were considered more of a logistical nuisance, something without much significance that students would misplace, break or lose. But the major safety change this year is requiring that all students on campus wear their IDs at all times.

While most students have complied some, students question the high consequences that come with not having the ID. We, The Eagle’s Eye, believe that the administration has done a good job in implementing the new badge policy. However, we also believe that the punishment is too severe and ineffective. As of now, students who do not have their ID when they arrive on campus must sit in ISS until they pay $15 for a replacement or someone brings their ID to them.

For students without the means to get an ID, this means staying in ISS all day.

Although this system has been said to be effective in curbing the num-

ber of students who come to school without IDs, it is unfair to students who have forgotten their IDS at home or need a new one for the first time.

The administration did give students a few “trial” weeks to get used to wearing their IDs, but this “trial” does not prevent students from making an occasional mistake. Stu-

dents have On-ramps, AP or Pre-AP classes and must miss them because of something as small as an ID, their already heavy workload will increase.

In addition to this, many accelerated courses have strict schedules; if a student misses a day, it could mean a quiz or test that they won’t be able to retake.

Having a computer in ISS can help prevent this problem in some classes,

dents who have bad luck one morning shouldn’t be penalized to this extent.

These types of consequences for arriving without an ID not only takes class time away from students, but also creates problems with workloads. If stu-

but most of the material for the day is explained during the class. Without that information, students can’t complete their assignment, which can lead to them not understanding future material. For some students, time to make things up is already limited because

of extracurriculars, work and existing homework.

In addition to students who cannot afford to miss classes, there are some students who may choose to not wear their ID to school in order to avoid going to classes for a day. For a number of students, ISS is preferable to showing up for class. If they are guaranteed a ticket into the room simply for showing up without a badge, they will definitely take that opportunity. The fear factor of threatening ISS for not having an ID is only effective to a point.

We propose an alternative solution to this system: a strike system. We would like to give students three strikes per semester for students who forget their IDs. On the first two strikes, students receive a temporary ID sticker, and on the last they begin getting sent to ISS. With this system, we hope that students would have more opportunity to learn from their mistakes before being sent to ISS. Accidents happen.

What is a staff editorial?

The Eagle’s Eye editorial board decides the positions taken in the staff editorials. The editorial board consists of the paper’s top editors. The editorials are not given a byline because editorials express the collective opinion of the board.

The topic of the editorial is discussed by the board and a position is voted on. When deciding on editorial opinions, majority rules, so most opinions reflect the vast majority of the opinions of the editorial board. The Editor-in-Chief has the final say if the group cannot come to consensus.

opinion

The Eagle’s Eye October 1, 2018 Page 9

Proper attire not equally enforced on students Unfair use of traditional regulations between male and female clothing Monse Rubi Soto Staff Writer

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s expected, the Akins High School administration began enforcing the Austin Independent School District dress code policy after the first week of the school year. Some students said they felt like they have heard announcements and experienced more citations of violations for breaking the dress code policy this year. Students have been penalized with ISS, Saturday school or parent conferences. From a girl’s perspective, there has been confusion about enforcement of the dress code because they believe they are being targeted more than boys.

As a girl, I do feel like young women are the greater target for regular dress coding. I recognize the importance of school dress code, but I think it has gotten out of hand.

During the first days back from summer break, there were girls already complaining about being dress coded because they were showing their shoulders, or because their shorts were too

“distracting.”

Many see this policy as a joke. Some of my classmates made jokes to their teachers about not being able to focus because of someone’s distracting shoulders.

When I heard this, I felt uncomfortable because this is what the dress code

BOYS • •

baggy pants gang-associated clothing or colors

had a problem with the things women are dress coded on, but the citations and announcements regarding them brings attention to it. Throughout history, many women have gotten rules and regulations over what they “can and can't” wear. We are now in the 21st century and the dress code policy is yet another

BOTH • Athletic shorts outside • • • • • • •

of PE Elongated Arm Holes oversize shirts Pajamas tank tops Footwear headwear Visible undergarnments

policy has done. No girl should feel intmidated by comments like this.

Girls shouldn't have to worry about whether or not their outfits will be too distracting for others in their classes, and boys shouldn't just come to school to see what girls wear. No one should ever feel uncomfortable in class. It is unlikely that men in school originally

• • • • • • • •

GIRLS

Fake nails & Makeup Bare Mid-driffs Halter tops low cut necklines See-Through clothing Shorts that distract Spaghetti Straps strapless tops

regulation on what girls can wear. More than half of AISD dress code regulations affect female students, about seven out of twenty are either for both, and two out of twenty AISD school dress code regulations affect male students.

That is a major difference, and it is clear that girls are being discriminated against.

In the real world, many girls wear attire that in school is considered out of dress code. At parties, at work and in stores women wear shirts, shorts and pants that are not permitted in schools.

The difference is that the public has moved away from the stigma around what women wear. There is a misconception that women wear clothes that would be considered “inappropriate” to attract attention, when girls are often prioritizing comfort or practicality.

On many occasions, I have seen boys been out of dress code by wearing athletic shorts or saggy pants. They are often not dress coded for these things, likely because it is not “distracting” or they are men. It’s 2018 and the style of clothing is very different than before.

Schools dress code regulations are unfair and unequal. I believe the school board should consider updating the dress code policy and make the dress code equal between men and women.

They should consider whether or not clothing is actually “inappropriate,” or if an unfair standard is being set for women in schools.

Students hit by cars show danger of nearby road zeta handy

Staff Writer

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a r r o w. t w i s t y.

D a n gerous. These are all words that are frequently used to describe the section of Old San Antonio Road that runs along the eastside of campus.

The danger of the road became more obvious after two students walking on this road were hit by vehicles in two separate incidents in September.

Fortunately, the students were not seriously injured, but things could have been much worse.

Sophomore Jeremiah Coleman was hit by a car and only sustained cuts and scrape.

Coleman was walking home to the apartment complexes in the South Park

Meadows area when the accident occurred.

Students make the decision to walk on the road because it is a shortcut to South Park Meadows even while knowing there are no sidewalks, and that the road dips down to a narrow low-water crossing bridge over a creek. They say it saves them time instead of walking the safer and longer route along S. First Street.

The danger level varies with the weather and the time of day because there are no street lights illuminating

the road. It includes a street with a steep hill that has a sharp turn at the end, making it almost impossible for drivers to see students walking on the road in time.

I believe it is time for the City of Austin to do something to improve the safety on Old San Antonio road because if nothing changes, it will only be a matter of time before a student is killed.

Freshmen Nathaniel Robredo was also hit by a car and sustained whiplash scrapes along with bruising. “I almost hit my head but I moved my hands in

will only be a “ itmatter of time before a student is killed.

”

time to get most of the scrapes,” Robredo said.

Administrators have warned students to not walk on Old San Antonio Road, but they can't stop all students who take this dangerous route. Administrators have told The Eagle’s Eye that they have asked city officials to get involved and improve this road, but nothing has changed. They have said that the city and state transportation officials point at each other and no one takes responsibility to improve this stretch of the road.

Traffic is only getting worse along this road with all of the new apartment complexes that have been built.

Students have said they wish a sidewalk would be built along this road.

What's it going to take before officials do something about this?

The Eagle’s Eye October 1, 2018

opinion

Page 10

Faculty, students disagree on parking permit fees

Miscommunication causes reluctances to comply with parking requirements Arianna Farner Staff Writer

O

n a regular basis students at Akins hear a familiar warning during the morning intercom announcements: they must purchase a parking permit or risk being booted.

These announcements often result in eye rolling by students, who are annoyed with the prospect of paying the $40 fee. Parking permits are a common fact of life for high school students all over the country, but there appears to be a disconnect at Akins between students and administrators about how to enforce the rules surrounding it.

Parking permit policies are similar at most schools. They usually all require students to supply standard information like the make, model and license plate number for their vehicles so the administration can quickly identify the owners of the vehicles in case there’s an accident in the parking lot. However, there are three other requirements that tend to become obstacles that discourage students to register their vehicles: providing auto insurance information, students not having drivers licences and the permit’s $40 price tag.

Akins’ parking permits are significantly more expensive than other schools around the area, considering other schools tend to keep their prices around or below $20, half of the price of an Akins’ parking permit.

While I understand the shock students experience when they find out how much permit costs, I believe that they would be more likely to pay for a permit if they knew what the money goes toward. Additionally, I think students would be more likely to register their vehicles if the fee was reduced to be more in line what other Austin ISD schools charge for parking fees.

For most students, $40 seems like too much to pay to simply park on campus, considering students also have to pay for auto insurance. Insurance is

legally required for all drivers in case of an accident and can cost hundreds of dollars depending on their amount of coverage. I believe a reduction in the parking permit fee is the perfect middle ground for both administration and

what the money from the parking fees goes toward. Associate Principal Manuel Garcia said the money from parking permits goes into an account specifically for maintenance of the parking lots, including things such as

students. It will help meet the administration’s need to ensure safety in the parking, and help students better afford their required auto insurance.

Most, if not all, students don’t know

new signs, painting parking lot stripes and buying new golf carts to monitor the campus. It must be used for something that improves the parking lots.

To incentivize students to register their vehicles, the administration recently approved a new program that allows seniors to purchase a reserved parking spot and paint it with a personal design that is approved by the administration.

Garcia said that he and administration hope that the new incentive of having a customized and reserved parking spot will influence more people to register for parking permits. A parking permit is needed to get the reserved spot so students will have to be registered for a permit before painting their parking spot. The privilege of having a painted and reserved parking spot will add an extra $30 to a student’s parking bill, totalling $70 not counting painting supplies.

There appears to be a disconnect between what students think the problem is compared to what administration thinks the problem is. Most students are unhappy with the price and don’t understand why they should have to pay it. Currently, the administration doesn’t think that the price is a problem and the real problems are that students cannot afford insurance or don’t actually have a valid driver’s license.

They are concerned with the safety in the parking lots because of previous accidents. Garcia said that there was three major accidents last year due to lack of carefulness. Students rush to class in the morning while parents also are rushing to get their kids to class on time. This causes accidents when people aren’t paying attention to the road. When students have their vehicles registered, this ensures that those who have parking permits would be insured to cover any accidents that might happen on campus. Safety is the No. 1 concern of the administration, Garcia said.

I believe there is a lack of of communication causing disagreements about the policies and misunderstandings from both sides. Both students and administrators can do a much better job in communicating their points of view with and work to keep everyone safe in the parking lots.

entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 11 October 1, 2018

Upcoming releases and events for October 2018 MOVIES Venom

Oct. 5 Thriller/Fantasy

MUSIC Twenty-One Pilots

Austin City Limits

Forza Horizon 4

Eric Church

Oktoberfest

Black Ops 4

Oct. 2 Trench

Goosebumps 2

Oct. 12 Fantasy/Adventure

Halloween

Oct. 5 Desperate Man

The 1975

Oct. 18 Horror

Oct. 26 A Brief Inquiry

Hunter Killer

Lil Yachty

Oct.26 Thriller/Action

VIDEO GAMES

EVENTS

Oct. 19 Nuthin 2 Prove

Oct. 5-7, Oct. 12-14 Zilker Park

Oct. 2 2018 Microsoft Studios

Oct. 12 German Free School

Oct. 12 Activision

FORMULA 1

Oct. 16 Circuit of The Americas

Austin Film Festival Oct. 25-Nov. 1 Paramount Theater

Starlink BA

Oct. 16 Ubisoft Toronto

Just Dance 2019 Oct. 23 Ubisoft

Staff Picks for October: Halloween Costume Ideas My two friends and I will make the three main characters Boo, Sully, and Mike from the classic Disney Pixar Movie in a more casual look. We picked it because it was an iconic trio that would also be easily replicated with a dressed down spin.

Arianna Farner

Rick from Rick and Morty My Halloween costume will be Rick Sanchez from Rick and Morty because the show is hilarious and Rick is my favorite character. He is a multi-level character who has a tendency to not care about anything that doesn’t benefit him in anyway.

Jennifer Espinoza Natahn Martinez

Nathan Martinez

Mylo Bissell

Nathan Martinez

Nathan Martinez

Boo from Monster’s Inc,

Mr.Rogers The documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor came out this year and reminded me of the kindness and acceptance that I want to channel in my life, so why not use Halloween to channel him directly?

I’ll get most of my costume from thrift stores and use a stuffed Daniel Tiger.

Angela Glass

Jake from State Farm I’m going to be Jake from State Farm. I love insurance commercials and I was Flo from Progressive two years ago. Why not be another insurance icon? Not to mention that it is a simple costume:red shirt, khakis and a name tag. Catch me at Blue & Gold night flexing my khakis.

In-Depth

Page 12 October 1, 2018

The Eagle’s Eye

Juul’s marketing campaign attracts teens to vape E-cig manufacturer Juul Labs allegedly marketing to teens & young adults Justin Wan

W

Staff Writer

ith a sleek design, attractive marketing and a variety of fruit flavors to choose from, Juul has proven to be the vape of choice among teenagers.

The device, which resembles an elongated USB flash drive, has exploded in popularity over the last school year, and now Juul Labs controls about 70 percent of the e-cigarette market, according to Nielsen data compiled in a Juul investor presentation and reported by Bloomberg.

Juul’s rapid rise in popularity has contributed to what the Food and Drug Administration says is a 75 percent increase in e-cigarette use among high school students this year, compared with rates from 2017, according to reporting by The Washington Post.

Vapes are the rival e-cigarette companies to the Juul. They’re nearly identical in the way you use them. They both have a mouthpiece where you inhale, and they hold a cartridge with the e-liquids.

The one difference between the two is that a vape holds vapor, and the Juul holds oils that create vapor that dissolves as soon as it leaves your mouth.

The rapid increase in e-cigarette use led FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in September to warn retailers to stop selling the devices to minors, calling teenage vaping an epidemic.

Some e-cigarette users at Akins said they first started vaping out of being bored and wanted to experiment with something new. Some said their friends were using them because of their modern design.

“I like using it because of the flavors they have, like vanilla and mint,” said a senior at Akins who spoke to The Eagle’s Eye, but did not want to be named because of their involvement in school activities.

Another senior said that they liked “the nicotine rush.”

The sudden rapid rise in popularity of vaping among teens requires an exploration of the history of the traditional combustible-cigarette industry and the rise of the e-cigarette.

After being a common activity throughout most of the 1900s smoking became less popular because of a gradual increase in knowledge of the health effects of smoking.

States were also successful in suing tobacco companies over smoking-related illnesses. These lawsuits also led to new regulations and programs aimed at limiting

cigarette use among teenagers.

The limits on traditional cigarettes and the development of new technology led to the production of e-cigarettes, which were marketed as a healthier alternative for adult smokers who are addicted to nicotine and struggle with quitting.

According to a recent report in The New York Times, PAX Labs, the company that originally developed the Juul, created a marketing campaign that contained “clips of hip, young people posed flirtatiously holding Juuls.”

PAX Labs said it has always targeted recovering smokers, but a former senior manager told the New York Times that he and others knew that the marketing could appeal to teenagers.

it’ll make “ Iyoudon’tdothink harder drugs…

I just believe that you’ll get addicted to the nicotine -Senior Lewis Aguayo

While the company claims that they were trying to stop teens from using their products, their actions do not appear to back this up.

Juul’s business practices are coming under the scrutiny of officials like Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey, who has announced that it is conducting an investigation.

“From our perspective, this is not about getting adults to stop smoking,” Healey said, “This is about getting kids to start vaping, and make money and have them as customers for life.”

This is alarming for anyone concerned or worried about the youth of our nation. Getting addicted to the harmful effects of these products, or worse.

“A survey of adolescent drug use last year found that 11 percent of 12th graders, 8.2 percent of 10th graders and 3.5 percent of eighth graders had vaped nicotine in the previous 30 days.” according to the “Monitoring the Future 2017” report by The National Institute on Drug Abuse at The National Institutes of Health.

Healey has stated that the models and products they use in their ads were to appeal to younger people, for looking cute, or hip in a way to get to tens of millions of smokers addicted while they are young.

In response to the investigation, Matt David, Juul Labs’ chief communication officer, told The New York Times that the company never marketed towards minors, but instead that the adults were to blame because they’ve talked about how popular their company was getting.

At Akins, senior Ben Young said he surprised himself when he recently started vaping. He has seen his dad vaping for the last five years and thought it was something that he would never do himself. Young said he does not consider vaping harmful except for the ones mixed with toxic artificial flavors.

“I’ve done some research and I’ve learned that there aren’t that many harmful effects that are in natural vapes, because the ingredients they use are the ingredients they use in your cereal,” Young said.

Sometimes vaping among teens takes on a social aspect. Senior Lewis Aguayo said he doesn’t own a Juul himself, but will use a friend’s when they are hanging out.

He said he personally thinks that “they’re really bad” for nicotine addiction, but are not a big danger for all teens.

“I don’t think it’ll make you do harder drugs… I just believe that you’ll get addicted to the nicotine,” he said.

”

Soon after releasing the Juul to the public in 2015, the company realized kids started to use them because they posted videos and images of themselves Juuling/ vaping on their social media.

Eventually, the company changed the models in their marketing to be 35 years old or older to be better aligned with their first target, adult smokers. This action wasn’t finalized until June of 2017, but critics say that, by then, teenagers were enticed to try Juul, hooking a new generation of e-cigarette users at a young age.

Experts are being very skeptical with how ‘safe’ the e-cigs are. Vapes and Juuls both contain high amounts of nicotine, in order to recreate an amount as high as a regular cigarette. Some of the Juul flavors contain particles that vary in the number of toxic chemicals which have a connection to cancer and heart problems.

Public health officials are worried about having another generation addicted to the use of nicotine, and the possibility that it could lead to the use of combustible cigarettes and other drugs in the future.

In-Depth

Page 13 October 1, 2018

MARKETING IMPACT

The Eagle’s Eye

25%

of people 15-24 recognized a Juul

63%

Juul Revenue

$106 million

June 2017

$943 million

June 2018

Ads for teens

didn’t know it contained nicotine Survey conducted by truthinitiative.org

7 out of 10 teens have been exposed to juul ads

Mediums Internet Ads

42.9%

Internet Ads

Not only do teenagers get exposed to internet ads with “young, hip” people holding Juuls, but social media also allows them to share and spread images videos of each other vaping Juuls. Social media especially Snapchat has recently stopped showing advertisments of Juul.

TV/Movie Ads TV/Movie Ads

38.4%

Advertising here is similar to what you typically see on video adverts on the internet. People have often compared these to old tobacco comercials you would see on television during the 60’s that had eventually been outlawed in 1971. A stance that media oulets are taking now.

Newspaper Ads Newspaper/Magazine Ads

34.6%

Art by Ash Catalan

There are many news outlets still writing and talking about Juul including this one. Half of the news you see about Juul puts the company in the limelight while the other half warns about using it.

entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye October 1, 2018 Page 14

Senior posts original music to streaming services Richard Torres performs and produces music for upload to Spotify, Amazon Jon Garza

F

Life and Style Editor

rom humble beginnings from making background music for youtube videos to a verified Spotify artist, Richard Torres, an Akins senior, is a self-made musician known as Lolo Douceatre. Torres, who post his music to streaming services such as Spotify, Apple music, tidal, Amazon, Shazam, and SoundCloud, said that he categories his music as “a mixture of jazz, indie, alternative, dream pop.” This being a new wave of taboo music. unlike most young musicians, Torres doesn’t just put out his music for free; he gets paid.

Torres gets paid per-stream on services such as Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify. He said that this doesn’t mean that he sacrifices quality to make money.

Richard Torres makes about 30 songs, and then chooses one of them to be an actual song for his album.

“I try not to saturate with a bunch of mediocre songs and ideas that people are familiar with,” said Torres.

Torres said that perfection is important to him. He spends hours mixing and mastering music and making sure every chord is just right. He said that he uses his flaws to expand his music and improve future songs. It takes him weeks or months to get one song right.

Just like many musicians, Torres’

PERFECTING HIS CRAFT

growth as a person and influences has changed how he thinks about and makes music. Torres said that he wants to change his style of music to move away from simple lyrics and towards stronger songwriting. He said that he wants to be more like his inspirations, who take him to a “place” with their music.

Jon Garza

Senior Richard Torres practices playing guitar. He said that he works on songs for months at a time.

“I find that especially true with Frank Ocean, I feel like he’s the greatest songwriter of our generation.” said Richard Torres, “Listening to Blonde was a special experience for me.”

Many Akins students listen to his music. Senior Daniel Dominguez has been listening to his music since his junior year.

“It’s not like other music I’ve listened to,” Said Daniel. “It’s kinda like alternative pop.”

His music isn’t for everyone, however. Students that don’t regularly listen to his music, like senior Jimin Chon liked a handful of his songs but said that she won’t continue to listen to his music.

“It’s not really my type of music,” says Chon.

Torres doesn’t know if he’s going to continue making music after high school, he fears that if he continues it may take the magic away from the art.

Torres said, “Making music is a love-hate relationship, I find myself obsessing over perfection and end up not releasing anything. I’m learning to love the mistakes.”

Newest Predator film supplies action, lacks story

Partial rebo of sci-fi action series receives mixed reviews from fans, critics Nathan Martinez

D

Staff Writer

espite the Predator being one of the most remade movie franchises in history, Hollywood has seen fit to do it all over again with a partial reset of the series.

In the past films, we learned that the predators hunted for sport and took trophies from the best species on that planet. We also find out that the trophies they took were used for gene splicing and combining to modify their DNA. The Predator film released this year is about an Army Ranger named Quinn McKenna who survives a Predator en-

counter.

When he gets back, the government has him debriefed to see what he actually knows about the predator in order to silence him. They try to make him look crazy, putting him on a bus with other PTSD-riddled soldiers that have been discharged that are in a rehab group. After leaving the facility that debriefed him the alien that they captured escapes and tries to continue its original mission. All the other soldiers took this time to escape, but Quinn wants get the gear back so he can expose the government. He then goes to his mail and discovers the bill hadn’t been paid so the high-tech gear is shipped to his family

members. He knows they’re in danger and tries to save them.

After seeing this movie it’s clear to see that it pales in comparison to the originals or those from the 2000s remakes. The one thing that did stand out more than most of the other films is the humor. This movie has some dark humor scattered all around it with some great lines that you’ll remember.

Overall, I give the movie a 6 out of 10. It has good action and all but it’s the story line that could have been better. Although the film had some good action scenes, the movie lacked a solid plot. It was enjoyable as an action movie, but not much else.

Ash Catalan

entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye October 1, 2018 Page 15

Popular band regains fans after release of singles

Twenty One Pilots’ recent music releases leave fans excited ahead of album Anneliese Olivo

A

Staff Writer

dio.” The video ends with Joseph being dragged away by the neck. Who dragged him away? Where are they taking him and why? The fans are currently trying to figure this out, and have developed many theories regarding it. The single “My Blood” starts off slow, with a nice flow to it.

Later in the song, the tempo picks up and becomes more of a danceable song.

Compared to the band’s old songs from previous albums the sound and genre still seem to be the same, but the story’s plot within the songs and videos are different but in a good way. Though the band has been inactive for a few years, these singles and videos are definitely enough to recapture the interest of old and new fans of the group.

I highly recommend that you buy and listen to the Twenty One Pilots’ Trench album which will be released Friday

TRENCH 1. Jumpsuit 2. Levitate 3. Morph 4. My Blood 5. Chlorine 6. Smithereens 7. Neon Gravestones 8. The Hype 9. Nico and The Niners 10. Cut my Lip 11. Bandito 12. Pet Cheetah 13. Legend 14. Leave the City Fueled by Ramen

fter Twenty One Pilots’ 2015 tour for their album Blurryface called “Emotional Roadshow” and the long radio silence following, many fans fell off or stopped keeping up with the band, however the quality of the recent singles are enough to win back the fans that loved their music before.

The first album generated a large cult following, and that kind of attention was hard to maintain without the release of new material. Since July, however, Twenty One Pilots has been releasing singles and music videos for thier upcoming album Trench. The singles have been “Jumpsuit,” “Nico and the Niners,” “Levitate” and “My Blood,” which was the only single released without a music video.

The song “Jumpsuit” has the tra-

ditional Tyler Joseph scream at the 3:26 mark. The song’s music video shows us that the album’s color scheme has moved from the previous black and red to black and yellow. The visuals and actions in this video have made fans go crazy with theories hoping to find some idea of what this video means, as they did for many videos from Blurryface.

In the music video for “Nico and the Niners,” we see Tyler meeting up with a group of people in yellow jumpsuits when Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph do the handshake that became famous in the video for the Blurryface single “Stressed Out.” Following the release of “Levitate,” in which Joseph raps for an entire 2 minutes, it becomes clear that each of the music videos from this year lead into one another. We see people shaving Joseph’s head as we saw in the video from “Car Ra-

Upcoming Venom movie gains interest from fans Sony Pictures sets the origin story of alien anti-hero in latest Marvel series Elijah Calderon

W

Staff Writer

ith the release of Venom on Friday, fans of the Marvel anti-hero character are excitedly waiting to see how this alien-controlled super being will be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Venom, while lesser known to general viewers of Marvel superhero movies, has a long history and a frequently changing origin story. The character first appeared in a 1984 Spider-Man comic titled “The Living Alien Costume.”In the original comic, Venom actually begins as a part of Spider-Man after he is exposed to an alien substance called symbiote, which is like a living black goo that wraps itself around Spider-Man and feeds off his anger. The suit gives Spider-Man even more impressive superhuman abilities, but it also causes them to have a bloodlust to kill.

In Sony’s updated version, the alien symbiote will take over journalist Eddie Brock, who starts out investigating the alien substance, but ends up letting it take him over. In the trailer, Brock, played by Tom Hardy, is seen battling the alien symbiote for control while also battling other hosts who have been exposed to the symbiote.

For years fans of the original comic have been begging to see Spider-Man and Venom face off on the big screen. In 2007’s Spider-Man 3, fans received a taste of Venom, but it underwhelmed many. They were disappointed with almost every-

Courtesy of Sony Entertainment

thing, including the suit, funky looking teeth and even the character’s voice.

Things are different this time with Hardy taking on the role of Venom and a new storyline that puts him at the center of the story. The rumor mill is running rampant with hopes that Spider-Man would appear in Venom, but there are no hints at that at all in the trailer.

Photo ESsay

Page 16 October 1, 2018

The Eagle’s Eye

Underclassmen get early start in extracurriculars

Diego Gutierrez

TOUCHDOWN RUN

Freshman running back Nathan Davis evades Crockett defenders in a game where he scored three touchdowns.

Diego Gutierrez

F

Photo Editor

reshman involvement in extracurriculars is not very common. The transition from middle school to high school is difficult enough to grapple with on its own. The increase in homework, difficulty of courses and new social hierarchy are all enough to keep most freshmen out of extracurriculars, and would certainly keep them from excelling in them. Freshman Jacques Carandang, however, has excelled in varsity tennis since his arrival at Akins.

Carandang started playing tennis in seventh grade after his brother got him into it. Both his dad and his older brother played tennis in high school; his brother was ranked first in varsity before graduating last year. This year, Carandang is ranked fifth. He said that high school varsity is similar to middle school tennis but more rigorous.

“In middle school, tennis is more (like) free time,” Carandang said. “Now, in high school tennis, coaches expect you to be more fit. They expect you to not slack off and be more mature.”

Freshman varsity football player Nathan Davis said that when he transitioned into juggling high school work and playing football, he also had trouble adjusting to changing expectation. He said that the workload in high school was much higher than he was prepared for.

“The school I came from (Mendez) really didn’t pre-

“

pare us for this,” Davis said. “It’s (different) speed-wise.

(It’s) fast-paced in class and grades.”

Davis scored three touchdowns and rushed for 155 yards in the season opener against Crockett before getting injured in the second game against Cedar Creek.

This injury sidelined him for two games. He said that he was nervous about coming back, but is ready to get back there.

“I felt like I was gonna be bad when I came back,” he said. “So now I’m just doin a ton of work so I get back and I can grind.”

Freshman Zoe Norton is also familiar with juggling a changing workload and extracurriculars. Norton is involved in Future Farmers of America (FFA), Junior Reserve Officer Training Core (JROTC) and Theatre.

“I want to do everything,” Norton said. “I’m putting a lot of stress on myself,but I’m so passionate about theatre and ROTC and FFA.” Norton said that she attended four different middle schools before coming to Akins. She said that moving around this much presented some challenges, but the transition to high school extracurriculars has been difficult as well. However, Norton said that she was committed to making her roster of activities work.

“If you put your mind to it to be in everything, (you can.)” she said. “You just have to really work hard That’s about it.”

Even if I’m a freshman, That doesn’t give me an excuse to be immature.

-Freshman Jacques Carandang

”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Diego Gutierrez

Freshman Jacques Carandang sets up to hit to win a practice match.

FLY MAK’HI

Unique Shanklin

Freshman Mak’hi Falkquay takes flight to make a key play on the ball.

photo essay

The Eagle’s Eye October 1, 2018 Page 17

Freshmen athletes achieving at the highest level of sports performance, showing early promise

Underclassmen excelling in other areas

DEADLINE PRESSURE

Diego Gutierrez

Sophomore Ash Catalan works on a graphic for the Eagle’s eye on deadline night. He received an award for his participation in the E4 Youth Get Creative Club which meets on Mondays in RM 223

FRESHMAN ATHLETES

Jacob Estrada, Diego Giutierrez Kaleb Stevens

Nathan Davis (Top) shows off the Eagles MVP talon award after scoring three touchdowns in the game against the Crockett Cougars on Aug. 31. He lead the Eagles in scoring and rushing during his first official high school football game. Tennis player Jacques Carandang (Left Bottom) is following in the footsteps of this brother Simon Carandang, who set records for the team before he graduated last year. Mak’hi Falkquay (Right) hits a defensive stance during a practice session.

EXTRACURRICULAR HAT TRICK

Diego Gutierrez

Freshman Zoe Norton, a participant in Theatre, FFA, and JROTC shortly after an interview talking about the struggles of juggling all three extra curricular activities.

Sports

Page 18 October 1, 2018

The Eagle’s Eye

Determination is crucial for Akins Varsity football Players power through a tough district schedule against top ranked teams JJ Mendiola Sports Editor

Although the Akins Football Team has endured hard hits in games against some of the top ranked programs in the state, the players say they have not lost the spirit to win.

Since last spring when the University Interscholastic League announced new district alignments, the Eagles new they were going to have some tough games as the change put them into an eight team district with Westlake and Lake Travis — two of the top teams in Texas.

The Eagles fell to Westlake 67 – 0 and to Lake Travis 51 – 13. Junior Diego Saldana, who plays guard, said it’s hard starting out district play with two back-to-back blowout loses, but the players won’t let that get them down.

“It’s tough going through these games but I always find a way to keep going and I do it for not only for myself but I do it for my fam on and off the field,” Saldana said. “Don’t underestimate us. We plan for a bounce back.”

The team believes it has much better chances to win against the rest of its opponents this season, including in the upcoming games against Hays, Anderson and Lehman.

Senior Nick Cagle, team captain and quarterback, said the Eagles are going into the next couple of games with high hopes and they have tools to do it.

“I feel pretty good about these new guys and what they bring to the table and how we can utilize and help give new weapons to both sides of the ball.

(We can) bring a different face and more surprises to our opponents.”

The players know they can win games as it did in its first two non-district games against Crockett and Cedar Creek.

Senior Tripp Ryan, who plays Safety, said the schedule is tough but he said he will never give up his my team.

“I go into to each practice knowing that I work just as hard as my brother next to me,” Ryan said. “All the motivation I need is my teammates. As one

JJ Mendiola

LEADING THE CHARGE

Seniors Kevin Owens and Marcus Castillo put on their game faces as they head into the game against Westlake.

The score was 67-0.

of their captains, I can’t let them down.”

Senior Davis Ryan, another captain on the team, said that keeping the team motivated is a big responsibility.

“We try every day to keep our team (motivated),” he said. “We are gonna do what I gotta do for my team no matter the score or game.”

Sports Briefs: Other notable events in sports Football

Volleyball

Offensive and Defensive Talons

Queens of The Court • • • • • •

Alison Butler against Bowie Morgan O’Donnell against Westlake Shanti Ramdeen against Anderson Mak’hi Falkquay against Austin Avery Gil against Hays Emily De La Garza and Kayla Munoz at the Bowie Sub Varsity Tournament

• • • •

Nicholas Cagle against Lake Tavis Offensive line against Lake Travis Corey Hall (Def ) against Cedar Creek Alpha Mara (Off) against Cedar

• •

Creek Nate Davis (Off) against Crockett Juan Liscano (Def ) against Crockett

Nate Davis’ Big Game Freshman Nate Davis Scored three touchdowns in his first ever game as varsity player, and he is one of only a handful of freshman to ever be on varisty.

New Soccer Coach Social studies teacher Chad Timmons took over as head coach for the boys soccer team, replacing long-time coach Bob Williams, who left Akins last year. Timmons previously worked as a JV coach for 9 years.

Sports

The Eagle’s Eye October, 1 2018 Page 19

Cross country team strives to repeat district win Returning runners hope to continue legacy of past championship success Christian Silva Isaac Villafranca

A

Staff Writers

fter making school history and winning a district championship last year, the cross country teams are running to live up to a legacy of excellence.

After alum Cassius Serf-Roberts led the boys cross country team to their championship last year, breaking several school records. This year’s team is fortunate to have several returning runners who were part of that team this year to build on their past success.

The cross country team had already participated in three meets. The team had strong results at the Pflugerville invitational, with multiple athletes hitting their personal records.

Although members of the boys’ team are confident in their abilities they are aware of the new challenges they will face this year. One of the biggest changes centers around the new group of

teams Akins is competing against this year after the University Interscholastic League realigned districts last year. The new grouping adds Westlake and Lake Travis to Akins’ list of opponents. Both schools are known for strong athletic programs across the board.

“We are in a new district with Travis, Hays, Lehman, and now Del Valle,” coach Francisco Flores said.

Head Cross Country Coach Juan Rodriguez said he wants to see more girls participate in the sport.

“The girls are a part of our program do well, there’s just not enough of them,” Rodriguez said.

Junior Matthew Quiroz said he has been working on strengthening their endurance. He said that he believes they are going to do better than last year, when cross country won district.

This year, they hope to raise the bar and win at regionals.

“This team is probably the best team that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” he said.

TOP PLACER

Luke Becerra

Senior JJ Adams crosses the finish line at the Pflugerville meet on Sept. 6. Adams placed in top 30 of 200.

Volleyball team has competitive playoff mindset Players say family spirit keeps them together as they strive for excellence Josh Guerrero

I

SERVING IT UP

Alexa Hudson

Senior Delia Quiroz serves the ball at an Austin High match. Akins won with a score of 3-2.

Staff Writer

n sports, there are a number of clichés used by athletes when referring to their teammates and the obstacles they face.

Sentiments about not giving in, treating teammates like family and taking it one game at a time are thrown around constantly. But for the varsity volleyball team, all of these things ring true.

Junior Kayla Munoz, a team captain, said the girls’ volleyball team is extremely competitive and won’t settle for anything less than success.

“I really want to go, not just me but we all do, the whole team wants to go to the playoffs this year,” Munoz said. “Even if we don’t get what we want at the end of the season we know that we left everything on the court and that we played for each other.”

Munoz said that teamwork is essential for their suc-

cess because that’s how they will accomplish their goals of going to the playoffs.

“We’re all proud of each other and everything, we don’t want any regret because we all worked our hardest,”Munoz said.

Head volleyball Coach Amanda Thomas said the varsity team is made up of a special group of players.

She said they are how determined to achieve their goal.

“We have a bunch of the top kids in the city that play on top teams and clubs.” Thomas said. “They’re not just playing (school) year round, they’re playing from August to August.”

Freshman Mak’hi Falkquay, who has played volleyball since 7th grade, said that going to the playoffs with her team is in her sights and tries to stay positive.

She said she feels proud when they beat the odds and win against an especially talented team. She said that it feels like she proved skeptics of her and her team wrong.

“I love them,” Falkquay said. “It’s a family vibe.”

The Eagle’s Eye

Life & Style

Page 20 October 1, 2018

Senior starts entrepreneur career on social media Marc Duran utilizes Instagram to advertise clothes he found in thrift stores Tania dominguez

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Staff Writer

einor Marc Duran has figured out a way to make money off of one of his favorite hobbies: thrifting. Thrifting being a current trend on social media. Many people try to make side money for their own benefit, but Duran uses some of the money he makes to help out his family. Since the summer of 2018 Duran has been selling clothing he purchased from the thrift store at reasonable prices, so that people can afford it and he make a profit off it.

Eagle’s Eye interviewed him in order to have a better understanding of how much work he puts into thrifting, why he does it, and how he does it.

The Eagle’s Eye: So is it something you want to continue doing after high school? Like, build a brand or something like that.

Marc Duran: I’ve always thought about it, just like “I want to do it”, but on the side. And if it continues and becomes bigger and bigger, then I’ll probably do it.

EE: Is it something you always wanted to do, start a business MD: I always wanted to start a business EE: Do you want to start your own clothing line eventually?

MD: Yeah I’ve always thought about it EE: Has it always been successful or were there struggles here and there?

MD: No, its always been really successful. Because like, so where I go, you get clothing that’s cheap like super cheap, like 50 cents. And I sell them asap, because I sell them for a reasonable price, like 5 bucks.

Like who’s down to buy a shirt for 5 bucks, so it’s always been very successful.

EE: Are there any lessons that you’ve learned from running your business?

MD: Don’t be partners with people you don’t trust.

That’s a big one because then you’ll mess up.

EE: Is there any more information you can give me about it?

MD: Like how much profit is made from it? I’ve made quite a bit, like up to 500 dollars to 800 dollars of profit EE: Do you invest that into buying more clothes MD: Yeah, I invest in buying more clothes or helping my mom out, my brother. Yeah, pretty much helping them out because she can’t do it by herself.

EE: What gave you the idea that you could start making money off of thrifting?

MD: I would find good clothing that is not my style or size, or something that is in my size and it’s not something I would wear. I know people that would

thethriftplanet

wear stuff like this so I thought “ why not sell this stuff” EE: how did you build your following? Did you like to advertise or did you talk to your friends about it MD: First I started talking to my friends about then I started to advertise. At first, I was selling clothes with a couple of people that needed clothing, that wanted good clothing but didn’t want to spend the money on it. I hit them up first and then I realized that I could probably go bigger, so I started advertising on my Snapchat, other people advertised, my family advertised. That’s pretty much it EE: Do all your clients go to Akins or do you sell to people from other schools? What schools have students you’ve sold to?

MD: Other schools like Lehman, Hays, Bowie, Austin High, and Travis.

EE: Do you have a story on a particular item that someone was really excited about or it had sentimental value?

MD: I mean, once I found this baby baseball jersey and I had a family member where their boyfriend saw it and he said it reminded him of how he grew up watching that team with his dad, so he bought it for his little girl.

EE: How much time does it take to find something good?

MD: It can take up to three to four hours, but sometimes I get lucky and find something in the first hour.

Life & Style

The Eagle’s Eye October1,2018 Page 21

e e Asks:

Getting to know the new teachers at Akins Diego Gutierrez

Angela Glass

Theatre Tech “I love theater, I’ve been doing it my whole life and I want to keep doing it.”

I graduated from Texas State with a bachelors and majored in Theater education.

Fun Fact: This is my 4th year teaching, I have two dogs, I like coffee, and I think I’m funny

Kade Lasseigne

“I am truly passionate about the concepts and ideas; thinking about physics keep me up at night!”

Fun Fact: I like to travel.

Zoe Drew Angela Glass

Diego Gutierrez

Geometry “I think a lot of kids think they’re not good at it and I like to show them that they are really good at it, but they struggle with the confusing stuff. ”

Fun Fact: Big fan of Taylor Swift

Calculus & Alg 1 “ I like working with upper levels it adds a good amount of rigor and keeps me mentally young.”

I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelors in mathematics and a teaching certificate through the Uteach program.

Fun Fact: I have a 2-year-old dog named škoda.

Chemistry “It’s nice to see the kids struggle at the beginning and then to see their growth over time.”

I graduated from UT Panama American in Rio Grande Valleyand I majored in biology

I graduated from Arizona State University and then I majored in education

Peter Gutierrez

Fun Fact: I have a phobia of peacocks

Taylor Allen

Diego Gutierrez

Aubrey Hill

John Ratko

“I like that there isn’t one specific answer and you guys are able to argue with me when you think something is happening.”

I graduated from OSU and double majored in English education and musical theater

Physics I graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelors in physics. I am currently going to UT to get my Master of Education degree in educational leadership.

English 2 & 4

Michael Muniga

Fun Fact: It’s my first time teaching and it’s my first time living in Austin.

Life & Style

The Eagle’s Eye October 1, 2018 Page 22

Akins history teacher gets involed in local politics Linda O’Neal is campaigning for the district nine spot on Austin City Council Austin Rutledge

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Staff Writer

istory teacher Linda O’Neal leads a double life.

After putting in around 10 hours each day at school, she transforms into a candidate running for Austin City Council for District 9.

It’s a grueling schedule that includes teaching for 10 hours a day, speaking at public forums and campaigning about 15 hours a week. It’s been a struggle for her because she takes her job very seriously, spending an estimated 60 hours a week on just teaching.

“You know I have to make a sacrifice — one or the other,” she said. “Right now, teaching is more important. I care about the kids more than I do about my political career. The teaching part will always take precedence over the campaign.”

O’Neal decided to run for public office this election cycle after seeing many people complain on social media about issues she cares about.

“We live in a crazy time and a lot of us get on Facebook and we’re social activists on Facebook,” she said.

“At some point you have to step away from the screen and you have to act. If you are not a part of the solution you’re part of the problem.”

O’Neal, who recently returned to Akins after a threeyear hiatus, was born in Vietnam, but grew up in Austin after moving to the United States with her mother in 1975.

Her mother was able to save up money to even- Colby Nguyen tually buy a small apartment complex in North Austin. Her mother made a point of offering her tenant’s fair rent to other immigrant families because she knew how hard it was to pay for housing in Austin.

O’Neal often tells this story when she is out on the campaign trail.

O’Neals main reason for running for office this year was holding the city of Austin accountable. Her main message is affordability and accountability.

“We are losing our middle class because Austin is too expensive,” she said.

Another issue that O’Neal is passionate about is her opposition to the deal that will give away city land to a major league soccer team that wants to build a stadium in North Austin. In August, the City Council gave approval for city staff to negotiate a deal with a team owner to build an almost $200 million stadium in exchange for large multiyear tax exemptions.

“So we have this big deal this Precourt soccer coming to Austin. And. The deal is that they’re not be paying property taxes. Well over a 25 year period we’re going to lose $400 million,” she said.

O’Neal hope she will win but knows it will be an uphill race because she is running against Kathie Tovo, who was first elected to the Austin City Council in 2011.

“Whether I win or lose, I still made a difference,” she said.

Linda O’Neal

O’NEAL’S PLATFORM Lower the cap of poverty tax to 5.5% Collaborating the 5 tax entities End corporate welfare Revisit Lease-to-Purchase Housing first for the homeless Removing lead in the water in schools

MAP OF DISTRICT 9 Follow O’Neal through her campaign : @onealdistrict9 @Linda O’Neal for City Council, District 9

CAMPAIGN POSTER

Porous roads and rainwater capture

www.lindaonealdistrict9.com

ADVERTISING

Pages 23 & 24 contain paid advertising provided by the Akins administration and not content created by The Eagle’s Eye staff.

Community

Keep Austin Teaching group screens movie Please join Keep Austin Teaching for movie night with Mr. Rogers at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.

The legacy of Mr. Rogers perfectly reflects the goals of Keep Austin Teaching, to invest in our future by investing in our children.

Your $25 donation includes admission to the film and a beverage and snack of your choice provided by Alamo Drafthouse.

All contributions help to fund programming and activities for our Ready Set Teach and Human Services students.

Admission to the event may be purchased at https://goo.gl/ hWPjrL. If you can’t attend, but would like to donate, please choose “Keep Austin Teaching 2018/2019” through the same link.

Theater program announces Alice in Wonderland children’s show After coming off of our 7 Nominations, 2 scholarships and 1 award winning musical Hairspray with the Greater Austin High Musical Theatre Awards through the Long Center of Austin, AJT is proud to announce our Children’s Show Alice in Wonderland opens Nov. 8th and 9th.

T H E A T E R Our GAHSMTA competing musical opens January 17th,18th,19th, 2019. Please check our website at akinshstheatre.org for more information about shows and tickets.

Please also follow us on our social media outlets at Twitter: @ajttheatre, Facebook: @akinshstheatre, Instagram: akins_hs_theatre, Snapchat: akinsjourneyth.

We are trying to go green so tickets for all shows will be available online through Eventbrite ticketing systems. Thank you for all your support.

Page 23 October 1, 2018

ABLLE creates Future Lawyers of American organization for students

Akins is now home to the first ever chapter of Future Lawyers of America (FLA). Students from the Academy of Business Leadership and Legal Enterprises created the organization to unite students across grade levels and classes in pursuit of the goal of working toward a career in the legal profession.

FLA looks forward to volunteering in the community, developing leadership skills, and continuing to strengthen their legal knowledge.

JKL plans free McKinney Falls State Park camping trip for members Want to feel the thrill of adventure? Well come on down to room 220 and join JKL in their upcoming camping trip to McKinney Falls State Park on October 19.

You’ll enjoy tons of fun activities on our ABSOLUTELY FREE trip like cycling, hiking, geocaching, and watching mother nature at work through the woods. And if it gets too hot for you, jump off the waterfall into Onion Creek!

Before settling into your tent, rest around the campfire and enjoy some s’mores while stargazing. Now you might be asking- “Wow this seems awesome. How do I get in?” All you have to do is come and participate in our JKL meetings Mondays and Thursdays after school.We can’t wait to see you!

For more information on this trip chat up one of those kids in the cool Just Keep Livin’ shirts or talk to our sponsors Ms. Mikolajek, Ms. Emerick or Mr. Stricklen.

You can also text on Remind or Twitter @akinsjkl.

Application deadline Oct. 4 for NHS ATTENTION 11th and 12th grade students.

If you have a weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher you qualify to apply for the National Honor Society. Applications are online at the Akins NHS website.

Application deadline is on October 4, 2018 by the end of the school day. See Mrs. Garcia, the NHS sponsor, in room 259 for any questions.

community 10701 S. First St. Autin, TX 78748

Page 24 Oct. 1, 2018 The Eagle’s Eye

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID MAILED FROM ZIP CODE 78660 PERMIT NO. 16

ADVERTISING Pages 23 & 24 contain 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.

Principal’s Letter Eagle Nation, I am so proud of the beautiful start to our school year. As I walk classrooms, I am inspired by our teachers’ thoughtful classroom arrangements, posted packed agendas, and our student-led classrooms. All to maximize student achievement. Wow! Our commitment here at Akins is to ensure that every student is known, valued, and inspired to be college, career, and life ready, utilizing a strong partnership with teachers, parents, and our community. Everything we do contributes to this mission and together I know we can achieve this.

Students, you have done an amazing job these last five weeks! Please remember to be present, communicate with us (we are here for you), make positive choices, and contribute respectfully to our Akins community. Most of all, remember we love you and are here to support you.

Upcoming Election Dates As election day approaches, it is important to keep these dates in mind.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9 • Last day to register to vote.

• To register to vote, visit Register2Vote.org to receive a voter registration card pre-filled with your information and a prepaid addressed envelope.

Tina Salazar Lastly, I am honored to serve you all, however I can.

WingsUP! Sincerely, Interim Principal Tina Salazar

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2 • Last day to early vote TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 • Election Day NEARBY POLLING SITES • Early Voting and Election Day • South Park Meadows, 9600 I 35 S., Suite 600

Senior named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist Senior Eric Ingram was named one of 16,000 national semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program.

This is a very prestigious honor, and Eric will now move forward to complete the requirements to become a finalist, and hopefully win one of the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring.

Akins is on a winning streak. We had a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist last year and expect to see Ingram in that spot this spring.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 • First day of early voting

Eric Ingram