The Eagle's Eye; Issue 4; Volume 18; Akins High School

The

EAGLE’S EYE W. Charles Akins High School Austin, Texas Volume 18 February 11, 2019

“Everything that concerns you.”

@AkinsJournalism

@AkinsEaglesEye

AkinsEaglesEye.com

TEEN SEXTING

Sexually explicit images among teenagers Page 16

In opinions

Student debates college credit Page 6

In Entertainment

Orchestra student learns composition Page 14

In seasonal

Valentine’s Day Date Guide Page 30

Upcoming Events S

Akins at Large

STEM Assistant Principal Cameron DeLeon-Wissel asks a student to wear his ID before school begins. The ID policy has increased in severity in the second semester.

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TEASERS

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Effects of shutdown MAGNET PROGRAMS Debating magnet programs POP PUNK Students grow, evolve with musicians GLASS REVIEW Conclusion to Shymalan trilogy WRESTLING Team prepares for district matches 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.

The Eagle’s Eye does not necessarily endorse the products or services found in advertisements from local businesses.

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15th Parent Conference Day 18th African American History 21st SoChak 5K and Kids Dash 23rd Baseball Tournament 28th

Professional Development No class

No class

Begins at 6 p.m.

Begins on 6:30 a.m.

Varsity District Tournament

HONORS

ILPC/UIL

Bronze Star Award 2007 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NSPA

All-American - 2013 Nominated for Pacemaker - 2013

TAJE

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

CSPA

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

The Issue’s Comic

On the Cover Sexting’s consequences

A

s the internet, social media and texting have risen among teens, sexting has risen at the same rate. Many students do not realize, however, that sending explicit images while underage has many social and legal consequence.

Students on campus have been pressured into sending images of themselves. Sending and receiving images of a minor is a felony, but this has not kept many teens from sexting one another.

Read the full story on page 16. Cover photo illustration by Michael Garcia and Bethany Bissell.

STAFF LIST

Comic by Phoenix Braly

Interested in having a comic featured in The Eagle’s Eye? Go to tinyurl.com/akinscomics

Editor-in-Chief* Bethany Bissell News Editor* Mylo Bissell In-Depth Editor* Dee Carreon Sports Editor* James Mendiola Life and Style Editor* Angela Glass Staff Writers Joshua Guerrero Phoenix Braly Anneliese Olivo Gregory Roque David Ridge Justin Wan Jaden Garrion Nathan Martinez Rito Pineda Monserrat Rubi Soto Emily Bellinghausen Aubrey Hill Samantha Salazar

Opinions Editor* Jennifer Espinoza Entertainment Editor* Andy Clay Photo Editor* Christian Silva Graphics Editor* Ash Catalan Life and Style Editor* Jon Garza Jamie Bain Diego Cedillo Eliana Ramirez Jose Garcia Isaac Villafranca Eli Calderon Zeta Handy Evelyn Moreno Arianna Farner Diego Gutierrez Tania Dominguez Austin Rutledge Brianna Cozzi

Editorial Board* All titles marked wirh an asterisk contribute to the staff editorial Icon Credit: Some icons from flaticon.com

News

Page 4 - February 11, 2019

Vaping THC oil on campus creates legal consequences Christian Silva Photo Editor

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oung people are always looking for new ways they can get high.

While using bongs and rolling joints used to be common, recent innovations in vapor technology have enabled students to get high on THC in a more discrete way at school.

Students have adapted popular vape pens as a means to get high by using THC oils in pods that can be added or screwed onto the pen. The use of THC in vape pens on campus has grown so big it caught the attention of Principal Tina Salazar, prompting her to hold school-wide assemblies for each grade level to address the issue.

During the meetings, Salazar informed the student body that 17 students had been caught and expelled for the use or possession of THC on campus. One of the students had even lost a scholarship to the University of Texas. At the assembly, Salazar had made the severity of the consequences very clear.

Salazar said students 17 years or older and in possession of THC oils will be arrested and tried as an adult in court.

Students found guilty will be registered as a felon. Students who are caught will be sent to Gardner-Betts or to ALC and await a court hearing.“If you are under the age of 17 your punishment will depend on the judge’s decision in court,” Salazar said.

Being caught with THC oil at any age in high school can change the students’ life for a long time. Although the punishments are very serious, there are students who aren’t planning on changing their decisions, despite being scared of getting caught.

“Hell yeah, I’m scared,” a junior said about using THC at the school.“But it gets me through the day. School’s hard as sh*t bro.” “I need to relax.”

The student said he believes that students who were caught are “stupid.” ”They should have been more careful, they ruin it for the rest of us,” he said

While most students have no intention to quit smoking, some students are being more discrete with their pens, leaving their vapes at home or with a friend.

“I’ve never brought it to school, that’s stupid,” a junior said. “I feel like there are a lot of people who get really high just to get high and that’s fine, I’m not gonna judge. But I do it for back pain… and anxiety, so I can come to school chilled out.”

While some students say they vape THC for medicinal purposes, they may not entirely know what they’re smoking.

According to Jon Johnson from Medical News Today, THC has a psychoactive reaction that leads to a mind-altering “high”.

CBD oil is a cannabinoid oil that directs the body to use its own receptors to help with movement, digestion, and feelings like anxiety but it has no psychoactive ingredient. CBD oil is not only legal in Texas but available in vape form as well.

Many students believe that vaping weed is not only more discrete, but it is also safer and easier than smoking the plant.

However, the process used to create the THC cartridges can use harmful solvents such as butane, CO2, or ethanol, according to an article by Kathleen Richards from East Bay Express. These solvents make a product Another harsh solvent used is propylene glycol, which breaks down into carcinogenic formaldehyde when heated to extreme temperatures.

This chemical is known to cause cancer, Ash Catalan and you will find this is in all “best vape pens” in the market.

These solvents that are used to extract the THC and still remain in the final product. According to a “study published in The Journal of Toxicological Sciences found that more than 80 percent of the concentrate samples were contaminated by residual solvents,” Richards said.

Punishments for THC oil possession:

Prison time

2 oz or less: up to two years in prison 1 - 4 grams: two to ten years in prison

OR

FINEs: Up to $10,000

News

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 5 - February 11, 2019

Band and orchestra students earn statewide renown s the spring semester begins, many of the fine arts programs begin working on their UIL performances. This year band and orchestra students have already walked away with a few awards that have earned them a spot in Akins history.

Senior Mauricio Orellana became the first student in 10 years to advance to the Texas Music Educator Association All-State band competition.

“It was a surreal moment that I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Orellana said.

Orellana has been playing the clarinet since sixth grade and put in a lot of practice leading up to his competition day.

“I would practice an hour in the morning, an hour during the day and an hour before (I go to) sleep so basically three hours a day,” Orellana said.

Orellana performed three French etudes -pieces for one instrument that display a skill.

“It was just taking the time and the hours to sit down and learn the music and actually practice,” Orellana said.

Freshman Edan Tapia-Lugo also accomplished some-

Enrique Ruiz

Edan Tapia-Lugo thing big, becoming the youngest player in the orchestra program’s history to qualify for state solo and ensemble.

Tapia-Lugo has been playing classical guitar for three years now and said this was his first time going into competition and receiving a one rating .

“I practiced roughly an hour a day to make sure I got my piece down,” Tapia-Lugo said. He attributed some of his success to orchestra teacher Thomas Mann and his friends for giving him confidence in himself.

Tapia-Lugo took the title of youngest from another or-

get your

Mauricio Orellana

chestra student who struck a cord in the program, junior Enrique Ruiz. Ruiz claimed another title though becoming the youngest to receive Best Division, the best possible score in the competition.

Ruiz has played guitar for seven years and focused on being mentally prepared going into the competition. Ruiz said no matter what he knew he did his best.

“I wasn’t extremely surprised because I knew I was either going to do the best I could or just come really close to doing really well,” Ruiz said.

MR. CLAES IS THE

c l aw s on this year’s

FASTEST PERSON AT AKINS HIGH SCHOOL Mr. Claes was the fastest representative from Akins to compete at the 2017 and 2018 race, hosted by Manchaca United Methodist Church and benefitting Menchaca Elementary, Paredes Middle School and Akins High School.

He will put his title on the line for the third year in a row at the 2019 SoChac 5K. He is challenging all Akins employees and students to race him on February 23, 2019.

Y E A R B O O K Reserve your 2019 Akins Aerie Yearbook before December 19 and save $15 off the final price. When the book is released in May, it will be $70. We are currently pre-selling it for $55. Last year’s yearbook sold out.

Don’t let your student be left without a lifetime of memories. Reserve yours today.

Arianna Farner

News Editor

Arianna Farner

A

Arianna Farner

MYlo Bissell

60

$

Until March 15

Purchase today online at balfour.com OR Visit Mr. Claes in room #221

Beat him and get $10 off your 2019 yearbook “Prove Me Wrong.

Compete or concede.”

- Mr. Claes

2019 SoChac 5k

Date: Saturday, February 23 @ 8:00am Location: Manchaca United Methodist Church (1011 FM 1626) Manchaca, Texas 78652

SIGN UP BY 2/20 AT TINYURL.COM/SOCHAC2019

News

Page 6 -February 11, 2019

What caused the government to go e e Explains: into shutdown?

Jamie Bain & MYlo Bissell

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Staff Writer & New Editor

uring the winter school break and the first weeks of January, the news headlines were dominated by the federal government shutdown that seemed to go on forever.

For many teenagers, the idea that the government could shut down is a strange concept and hard to understand why it happened at all. It was an especially worrisome event for Akins students who have parents who either work for or rely on the government to receive a paycheck so they could pay their bills. Federal employees missed

two paychecks during the 35-day partial government shutdown.

In Austin, there are many federal employees who work for the Internal Revenue Service and the Transportation Security Administration. Many of them had to rely on the Central Texas Food Bank for their groceries so they could save money for other important bills.

Although a deal was reached on Jan. 25 to open the government for three weeks, allowing federal workers to get paid, again, it was only a temporary solution. The federal government could go into shutdown again on Feb. 15 if Trump once again refuses to sign funding bills that

The Shutdown Around Town: Local food bank helps employees Director of Marketing and Communications Paul Gaither spoke on the aid Central Texas Food Bank provided.

“Food banks began giving out food to federal workers with the help of people worldwide sending food, water and money for them to buy more food with and even a restaurant helped by making and giving food out to people in need.

The shutdown lasted from, Dec 22, 2018 to Jan 25, 2019 and people who weren’t working went back on the 31st of January. However, they are only working for three weeks. Workers were paid again on Thursday and will stay open until the 15th unless something happens.

The food banks had helped 851 households comprising of more than 2,800 people on January 16th. They also did a special mobile pantry food distribution at the Veterans Administration facility in Temple on January 24, providing assistance to 327 households that comprised 953 people. The food bank did one more distribution on Jan. 30, which served 376 households comprising 1,278 individuals.”

What could happen on FEb 15? all agencies but the department of homeland security is funded

NO DEAL IS REACHED AND PRESIDENT TRUMP DECLARES A NATIONAL emergency

The border wall spending disagreements are happening within DHS spending bills so many Democrats are suggesting we approve the spending for other agencies and have the conflict contained to the Homeland security funding. This becomes an issue due to the agencies included in DHS such as the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard.

Trump has mentioned his intent to start a national emergency if the funding isn’t provided. Trump plans to use this as a way to get around the congressional spending bill. Declaring a national emergency would likely result in a lawsuit that requires him to prove an emergency. This allows him to satisfy his base while avoiding a shutdown though it will result in trial.

do not include the amount of border wall money he is demanding.

When the shutdown started, many people went unpaid.

420,000 people who worked for the FBI, Customs and Border Protection agents and TSA airport security. And 380,000 other employees such as national park rangers have to take temporary leave, and sites like NASA and Fort Hood do not have any civilian workers on the job. A total of 800,000 were not being paid and workers were starting to panic due to not having enough food or money to feed their family and kids. Food stamps were also about to become unavailable.

Government Shutdown Timeline

Dec 22, 2018

Partial Shutdown begins This shutdown comes after impasse over the budget. This is the third shutdown in two years of an unified Republican rule in Washington, D.C.

Jan 3

The Democrat-led House passes two bills Both bills would fund the government but didn’t include funding for the border wall. Despite being similar to the Senate’s proposal on December 19, the two bills were shot down by the Republican led Senate.

Jan 12

Shutdown becomes the longest in modern history The record previously held by the 1995 shutdown, which was caused due to indecision over Medicare spending during the Clinton administration.

Jan 17

IRS workers asked to go back to work The White House asks furloughed workers to come back to work in order to get out tax returns during the shutdown.

Jan 19

Trump offers temporary extensions for DACA recipients Offering a three year reprieve from prosecutions of young people with recognized status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, President Trump offered as a deal to reopen the government. The Democrats in the House swiftly declined the deal.

Jan 25

Trump signs bill to reopen the government until Feb. 15 After several days Congress finally passed a stopgap spending bill to President Trump. He signs the bill reopening the government for three weeks.

News

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 7 - February 11 , 2019

New TVs bring new projection, presentation methods Monse Rubi Soto

I

Staff Writer

n mid-January, students couldn’t avoid noticing the latest addition to their classrooms - a 70-inch LCD TV screen mounted on a large rolling stand.

Seemingly overnight these TV screens, which are known as EduDisplay Systems, became the device of choice for teachers to project presentations and demonstrations.

The EduDisplay allows teachers to project wirelessly from their laptops. The screens can be positioned anywhere in a classroom, providing teachers more flexibility than the projectors teachers have used for years at Akins.

Akins teachers received their EduDisplay Systems a couple weeks after students came back from winter break. Many doubts grew in students regarding where the funding came from for these EduDisplays.

“I was wondering how (we) got the funding for these,” said junior Elena Salinas, “(I was) considering our Robin Hood crisis that we’re going through right now.”

AISD Technology Project Manager, Edward Hill, assured the funding for these TV screens came from bond funds that were voted on by Austin residents. This means that the bond money is specifically for renewing technology in AISD classrooms. In that case, the bond money could only be used for new technology and not for general campus repairs.

“The one thing that really surprised me is that students walked in and they talked trash about it,” said Spanish teacher Brooke Maudlin. “‘What! the school can afford this, but can’t afford that,’ the students were very cynical about the whole thing.”

Some teachers struggled to incorporate their new technology into their classrooms

for many different circumstances. Teachers were not given a how-to guide that in some way could help them in accessing the TV’s functions.

“Whenever I asked other people for help they were basically asking too and we would just basically throw tips out to each other,” science teacher Enrique Reyes said.

Apart from struggling to function students and teachers worried about the size in already overcrowded classrooms. The TVs are bulky and in some cases, the height of the screen is limiting a student’s vision at the back of the room.

“I had to rearrange the desks a little bit so that students could see,” Maudlin said.

Math teacher Daniel Arroyo and many other teachers concern are finding the space to fit the TV, and all of their 40 desks and chairs.

Vendors were asked to provide AISD with audio/video solutions for classrooms.

The district then had the vendor demonstrate them to schools for feedback. The district put together scoring for the systems and that info was used to decide what system it would provide to the schools.

“They did a video survey across all classrooms to see whether your innovation station was working or not. So it was a very targeted rollout,” Reyes said.

Some of the advantages of the EduDisplays include ease of installation, maneuverability, brighter and clearer image compared to projectors, and wireless capability.

Arroyo said he has been able to use a digital app that he calls his classroom buddy (calculator man) which he uses to draw notes, worksheets, quizzes, and tests.

“My main focus is having the ability to use my stylus, and I am still continuing my search for more,” Arroyo said.

Mylo Bissell

STUDENT WATCHES LESSON

Physics teacher Russell Cole uses his EduDisplay to guide students through daily assignments. TVs appeared in mid-January.

There have been diverse viewpoints based on the quality of the TVs, and its usefulness between students and teachers.

“I think they are better than the projectors because they have better quality, and you are able to actually see better,” junior Sandra Godinez said.

In contrast, some students have not had the ability to interact with the TVs so they do not find these TV’s useful, or better and a waste of money. Because the rollout of the TVs was not universal, it felt to some students as if they were not useful to them or an unnecessary expense “I don’t really see how much more useful they are than the projectors were,” Sawyer said. “I’ve only actually seen it used in one

other classroom as a teaching tool. So it doesn’t seem any different than a projector and in some cases. It can be a smaller screen size than a projector, too. So it does seem kind of like a waste of money.”

The TV screens are part of a multi-year project that will be done in phases ensuring that all schools get some devices in the first phase. After that, all schools will be revisited to complete the project Hill said.

Other students and teachers said they are excited to discover new opportunities how they can use the new TVs in the rooms.

“Overall I’m very grateful. It’s a positive thing. It’s a great improvement,” Maudlin said. “It helps make things more equitable from classroom to classroom.”

News Briefs: Other notable events on campus Key club hosts Akins-THON On April 12, a dance marathon will be held in the cafeteria as a contribution to the national THON movement. This event is a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network, which raises funds for children’s hospitals and research. The Children’s Miracle Network hospital in the Austin area is Dell Children’s Hospital, so all funds raised will go to that institution.

The THON’s goal is to raise $10,000. Students who volunteer to dance in the event pledge to raise $150, and tickets to the event will contribute to another portion of this goal.

If you are interested in participating in the Akins THON, contact Henry Perez at enrique.perez@austinisd.org.

SoChac 5k and Kids Dash The Manchaca United Methodist Church is holding its annual 5K Run and Kids Dash on Feb. 23 at 6:30 a.m. The race’s proceeds go to Menchaca Elementary, Paredes Middle School and Akins.

This year’s race has a new course, and has added age brackets and teams.

Adults 18 and over interested in participating in the race pay a fee of $25, and students 17 and under pay $15. Teams of four receive $2 off per entry. Those who register by Feb. 11 will be guaranteed a free t-shirt.

Students interested in registering for the race may do so at tinyurl.com/SoChak5K.

News

Page 8 - February 11, 2019

Portables see many work orders, little improvements Diego Gutierrez Staff Writer

When Akins originally opened in 2000, it was designed to accommodate 2,400 students. Since then, the student population has swelled to about 2,800.

To accommodate the growth, the district has added the New Tech and the STEM wings, but that still has not eliminated the need for the campus to rely on more than 20 classrooms housed in portable buildings.

Portable buildings are supposed to be temporary but at Akins they have become more of a permanent fixture with most of them being here for more than 15 years.

According to Akins Principal Tina Salazar, there is only one solution to permanently fix the problem.

“We need a building,” Salazar said. “(The portables are) at least 18 years old.”

The deteriorating conditions of the portables have become an everyday headache for students, teachers and administrators, Salazar said.

“Every day, we’ve had problems with the floor giving in, problems with mold, problems with water dripping down,” Salazar said. “We’ve had problems with the electricity.”

To deal with the problems, administrators and campus maintenance staff have to

submit work order requests for repairs to be made.

“There’s at least one work order a week on something in the portables,” said Misty Lindsey, Social Services Academy Coordinator. “It’s possible for there to be between 50 and 100 work orders in a school year.”

This year, 50 to 100 work orders have been submitted for the portables, Lindsey said. The repair process is complicated because some of the portables are owned by the district and some are leased to the district by a private company, so they must be repaired through different channels.

“I’m an ideal person but I have no hopes of AISD doing anything in my high school lifetime,” junior Sido Diaz said.

One reason the district lacks the funds to properly care for or replace the portables is recapture, which requires that property tax revenue that would typically go to the district are relocated to “property poor” districts. Salazar said she can see the issue from both sides.

“Back in the day, I taught in Lockhart and it was lopsided,” Salazar said. “The really rich schools who were property rich or who had industry, all of that went to the schools and they had everything.”

District officials are lobbying members of the state Legislature to provide relief to districts like Austin ISD. They are asking

Diego Gutierrez

WATER DAMAGE

Water damage on the ceiling of academy coordinator Misty Lindsey’s portable. Room 316 has not only water damage evident on the ceiling but under tiles as well.

the state to reduce its reliance on Robin Hood to fund public schools so Austin ISD has enough money to take care of basic needs like repairing and replacing the portable classrooms.

“I think it’s unwise to expect every-

thing.” said Cecilia Gutierrez, who teaches in the portables. “ I hope that we get a revision of recapture of Robin Hood that we could keep more money and not give away as much we continue to teach the best we can.

How do you feel about the portables?

Freshman “(I feel like) having to wait outside your classroom in the cold or the rain is kind of uncalled for.”

Junior

“SOmetimes it’s really hard to get place to place when it comes to passing periods, like coming from the STEM building to the portables”

Diego Gutierrez

Diego Gutierrez

Leah Jarrell

Diego Gutierrez

Diego Gutierrez

Zadie Newton

Brandon Trevino Sophomore “The portables are pretty hot like we’re in class right now and we’re sweating.”

Cole Menski Senior ”I honestly hate the portables because you can’t always go to the bathroom”

Opinions

The Eagle’s Eye

Bethany Editor-in-Chief

Mylo News

Page 9 - February 11, 2019

Jennifer Opinions

Andy Entertainment

Dee In-Depth

Angela Seasonal

Jon Life & Style

Jj Sports

Christian Photo

Ash Graphics

Editorial: Magnet programs are exclusive, inequitable

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o deal with an impending budget crisis the Austin school district last year formed a budget task force made up of staff and community members that examined the district’s budget in order to formulate suggestions for improvement.

When they released their list of suggestions as the year ended, recommendations included increasing the fee to rent Austin ISD buildings, increasing the number of paid childcare programs within the district, and doing away with the district’s magnet school programs.

Magnet programs are schools such as Fulmore, Kealing, the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) and Ann Richards that students have to apply to get into.

These schools are often advertised as having specialized programs or advanced academics. Students from all across the district attend magnet schools located across Austin, and most of the schools offer bus transportation to each area of AISD before and after school.

the second floor and portables and LBJ is on the first floor. Although they are in the same building, they are not integrated like other magnet and comprehensive programs such as Fulmore. When comparing the demographics of LBJ and LASA, the numbers are stark.

LBJ is a “majority minority” school that is only 1.8 percent white. The school is 58.4 percent Hispanic and 37.6 percent black with a 79.8 percent economically disadvantaged population. These numbers greatly exceed LASA’s proportions of those students, which is 1.7 percent black. This lack of diversity in these types of “academically advanced” communities creates a culture that makes magnet schools feel inaccessible to marginalized people and can funnel money away from economically disadvantaged schools.

Magnet Programs

District Proportions

A major reason the task force cited for closing down magnet programs was that not many students attend them: only about 3,000 of the district’s 82,000 students are enrolled in a magnet school. Because magnet programs utilize the same resources that other schools do for far fewer students, it is easy to make the case that this is a waste of those resources. There are many economically disadvantaged schools that could benefit from the funds that are provided for the magnet programs.

Specialized Programs

An advertised benefit of magnet schools is their specialized pathways or curriculum. Fulmore Middle School is known as the humanities and law magnet, notable around the district for its student newspaper and mock trial classes. LASA is known for its “signature” courses that take the place of some elective slots. These classes are focused in the liberal arts and sciences.

For many students in the district, courses specialized to an interest they may have is a big draw, and many school board mem-

Ash Catalan

bers argue that this draw and the state notoriety of magnets such as LASA are incentives for families to move into the district.

While these classes are excellent in theory, many of the programs could be found outside of magnet schools; Gorzycki also has a successful middle school newspaper, and Akins itself has many specialized programs comparable to LASA’s. When the rigor of these narrowed programs within magnet schools are compared to advanced academics at “regular” schools, there are not many real differences. This makes it seem as though the argument for keeping the magnet schools in place is concerned more with the optics of magnet schools, and not the educational experience of they actually provide.

Diversity and Inequity

The world of advanced academics has, for many years, been largely occupied by

the white and economically advantaged.

Many magnet schools are no exception.

In the 2017-18 school year, 58.7 percent of the district’s population was Hispanic and 59.9 percent were low-income. These numbers were not adequately represented in Austin ISD’s top magnet schools, LASA and Kealing. The magnet population at Kealing and LASA were 59.7 and 55.4 percent white, respectively, and the economically disadvantaged populations were both below 15 percent.

It is worth noting, of course, that some magnet programs are much more diverse; Ann Richards’ demographics very closely mirror the district’s, and Fulmore has made diversity outreach a priority in recruitment.

Kealing and LASA, however, are both regarded as the academically advanced programs and the extreme cases of inequitable magnet populations. The more egregious of the two is LASA, which shares a campus with Lyndon Baines Johnson Early College High School (LBJ). LASA occupies

On paper, magnet programs have many benefits. Many of the appeals of the programs, however, are only surface level and not reflective of students’ actual experiences at those schools. Magnet schools’ curriculum and rigor are not as singular as it is often made out to be and, though they are making attempts to increase diversity, they are falling woefully short in their goals of closing major ethnic and economic gaps.

Above all, what it takes to fix these problems is resources. Funds to improve programming and increase recruitment efforts are a big ask for programs that already require large transportation expenses for a small portion of the district’s population. While there are certainly benefits to the idea of magnet schools, the reform that would be required to do so is unlikely to happen.

Because of the task force’s suggestion, it would be more realistic to do away with magnet programs. Though there are some downfalls to collapsing these programs, the optics of their inequity and usage of resources makes them unsustainable considering the district’s dire financial situation and antithetical to the district’s advertised prioritization of equity.

opinions

Page 10 - February 11, 2019

Students need to do research on all advanced courses Arianna Farner Staff Writer

A

P classes have been considered a national standard for advanced academics offerings for high school.

However, the face of advanced academics is changing to reflect a new need for other kinds of options. This is where The University of Texas (UT)’s OnRamps dual enrollment program and Austin Community College (ACC)’s dual credit program come into play. Akins offers all three options, giving students multiple ways to earn college credit and get a taste of what college can be like.

AP classes and tests have long been considered the gold standard when it comes to advanced academics. The class is designed by the AP teacher as well as all unit tests, supplementary work, and other assignments except for the final AP exam which is coordinated by College Board, the organization that offers the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) as well as AP and Pre-AP classes. However, in the 2019/2020 school year, this will be changing.

“AP is making some changes next year and one of the changes they’re doing, and I think it’s really good for equity across the country, is that they are providing all AP teachers with (curriculum) material,” AP Coordinator and English teacher Rebecca Redland-Sturzl said. “(College Board is providing) modules so that if a teacher sees that a student or a class needs to work on a concept then they can have them go online to that module, similar to Khan Academy.”

To teach an AP class, a teacher must go through rigorous training for a couple weeks where they revisit material, teaching strategies, and meet with other AP teach-

ers to assess what has worked and what hasn’t.

The teacher then has to design a syllabus and plan their class with supplementary work and other assignments to prepare their students for the AP exam. Every couple of years, the teacher has to resubmit their syllabus and planned work to the College Board for assessment.

OnRamps classes are a little different in that the assignments and tests are designed by a professor at the University of Texas and facilitated by a high school teacher at Akins.

Students receive two grades: a college grade and a high school grade. The high school grade usually includes minor daily assignments while the college grade are tests, quizzes, and other major grades. Teachers also have to be trained for OnRamps courses and some teachers meet multiple times a year with the professor that organizes the class.

“The goal of the UT OnRamps dual enrollment program is to provide students who might not have taken an advanced academic course in the past, with the opportunity to experience a college class, with its

Ash Catalan

rigorous work, expectations, and deadlines, with little risk,” said Christine Kesling, college readiness counselor and OnRamps coordinator.

Dual credit classes via Austin Community College (ACC) are just like taking a class at ACC as a college student. Some classes are offered at Akins while some have to be taken at an ACC campus. Others are offered via distance learning which means completely online. Students can also take these classes during the summer or in the evening on their own time. To take these classes, students must show college readiness by passing the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), SAT, or American College Testing (ACT) tests with satisfactory scores. This is not a requirement for AP or OnRamps classes. Students can take 12 courses for free but must pay for textbooks if needed.

The real issue students struggle with is comparing each type of advanced class.

Some Akins students make blanket statements about OnRamps, AP or ACC being better than the other while chatting with their friends about their experiences. Students will often share personal stories about

their experiences in these classes with their friends, but Kesling and Redland-Sturzl caution students against basing their decisions based solely on what their friends tell them. Instead, they recommend students research these options thoroughly before making a decision on what advanced academic class will be their best fit.

It’s critical that students know exactly what these classes offer and how they are structured. Students should also consider what is more important than them: earning college credit or a college-level experience.

These should be the important factors if a student decides whether to take the leap into advanced academics. Advanced academics are designed to give high school students the opportunity to push themselves and dip their toes into college before paying thousands of dollars to take the same class.

In this way, these classes are almost a safety net for students who are motivated to earn college credit or for students who are unsure if they are ready for college or not.

In my experience, advanced classes have given me the opportunity to find what kind of studying methods work for me specifically. This is very helpful to practice before paying a lot of money and time when students become a freshman in college.

My advice to future students who are considering advanced classes is to get as much information about each kind of class before signing up for it. It matters less about what other students have said and more about what kind of class will be a better for your goals.

The real takeaway here is that all of these classes are offered to try to challenge motivated students and help them experience college before paying thousands of dollars.

They’re not designed to make students fail, they’re designed to challenge students who are ready for a college experience.

Most Popular Advanced Academic Courses

Advanced Placement 1. English 3 2. English 4 Tied: Macro Economics & US Government

OnRamps 1. Statistics 2. U.S. History 3. English 3

Dual Credit 1. Government 2. Economics 3. U.S. History

Opinions

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 11 - February 11, 2019

Seniors put off-campus lunch in jeopardy, break rules Isaac Villafranca Staff Writer

A

ccording to the Austin ISD school board policy, only seniors are allowed to go off campus during lunch. Seniors, however, have been having trouble with following this policy. The most common mistakes seniors have made are coming back on campus late, bringing back food for their friends or for themselves, and even hide underclassmen in their cars.

Principal Tina Salazar made clear in her class-wide meetings at the beginning of January, that the privilege of off-campus lunch is in jeopardy for current and future seniors.

Seniors sometimes take advantage of the privilege of going off campus and hopefully, they do not ruin it for me considering I will have the opportunity to go off campus next year. Threatening seniors to take away that privilege doesn’t really affect them because they are going to be out of high school in a couple of months. But for juniors, it can affect our senior experience.

If a senior is irresponsible enough to not be able to come back to school on time or follow basic rules, then they are not going to do so well in the real world and should face the consequences. That said, the school should continue letting seniors prove their maturity with off-campus lunch privileges as long as they can make responsible choices without being monitored.

The biggest problem seniors have with going off campus

for lunch is showing up to class on time. One solution seniors can do to prevent this is to plan ahead and choose an appropriate time to head back to school. This can hopefully help seniors from being late to class.

Underclassmen are also at fault for off-campus privileges being in jeopardy. I see underclassmen frequently sneaking off campus at lunch in various ways. School administrators and security have done what they can to limit underclassmen from leaving campus at lunch yet some still find loopholes.

Teachers are also affected by students who abuse off-campus lunch because students often bring food to class or even sometimes deliver to other students, making them late for their class. Food that is brought to class leaves crumbs which invite insects and can cause a distraction.

Although abused, off-campus privileges also have its benefits to offer to seniors. Seniors have the opportunity to eat tastier, healthier foods and the chance to have time for their self and not be surrounded by students. It also helps them develop the skills of managing their own time, self-discipline, and to demonstrate their maturity.

The school is heavily populated and the cafeteria is already overcrowded and known for having long lines. If the administration bans seniors from going off campus for lunch it will make these problems even worse. Having to feed even more students would not be cheap, so off-campus lunch lets the school save money and reduce crowding in the cafeteria.

Seniors are getting ready to become adults and go into the real world. When seniors go off campus, they have to be responsible enough to come back to campus on time.

Without off-campus lunch, seniors are not going to be as prepared for learning how to manage time and can cause

Phoenix Braly

problems when or if they go to college.

Another essential skill needed for the real world is learning how to budget money. Off-campus lunch help seniors develop the skill of saving money and spending it when needed. The school needs to give students a chance to be able to make the right decision for themselves and deserve to have some freedom.

Although seniors sometimes abuse the off-campus policy, it still should not be taken away for future seniors. Students have to be able to be responsible for their own actions but also have freedom.

Do you think that off-campus lunch is abused?

Freshman

“I don’t know, I do not really have an opinion on that but sometimes it can be”

Junior

“No, I think that seniors should have the ability to go off campus but also not abusing the policy”

Isaac Villafranca

Isaac Villafranca

Rhett Moore

Isaac Villafranca

Isaac Villafranca

Lilliana Boon

Ky-Lea Cherry

Sophomore

“Not really, but I feel like it shouldn’t only be limited for seniors it should be for everyone”

Isa Luna

Senior

“Those who do not have a parking permit or ID do abuse it but the majority does not”

opinions

Page 12 - February 11, 2019

School finance reform is needed in legislative session austin rudlege Staff Writer

A

ustin ISD is in crisis mode.

The district has worked to alert parents, teachers and other stakeholders that the state school finance system has been siphoning off local tax dollars from Austin schools for years and the problem has only gotten worse recently.

Facing the Problem

If the Legislature doesn’t reform our broken education system, the district will face dire consequences. District officials have warned that they may be forced to increase class sizes, lay off teachers and close campuses. Classroom sizes will continue to grow and the district will lack the resources to fulfill its students’ needs. The district’s students could under-perform due to overcrowding, resulting in lower test scores on mandated state tests. If the education funding system isn’t reformed it not only affects teachers and students but also affects communities all over the state.

Although state lawmakers have been reluctant to increase funding for public schools in the past, newly elected Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen and Gov. Greg Abbott have made education reform a top priority for this legislative session. The Texas House has called for the addition $7 billion into public schools. Meanwhile, leaders in the Texas Senate are proposing giving schools $3.7 billion to provide $5,000 pay raises to teachers.

The talk about increasing education funding is encouraging to school administrators and teachers who are worried about how school districts like Austin ISD are treated by the state’s school finance system. However, they remain skeptical that the state Legislature will actually make meaningful changes to the state’s so-called “Robin Hood” school finance system that takes money from property wealthy districts and gives it to other property-poor districts.

The Root of the Problem

If the Legislature wants to reform education they need to tackle the Recapture/Robin Hood problem or do away with the law entirely. In 2013, a state district court ruled “that the way the state funds its public schools is unconstitutional, both because the money is insufficient and because it is not distributed fairly,” Judge John Dietz ruled.

Some argue that recapture funds have been misused like in the case of La Joya ISD, which used $20 million it received from recapture to have its own water park.

The state’s Robin Hood law was the result of a Texas Supreme Court, which ruled that the state had to equalize the amount of school funding provided to public schools in Texas. Although the original Robin Hood plan had a good intent, it has led to the current situation to where districts like Austin are sending almost half of local tax dollars back to the state to be sent to other districts, leaving it without the ability to cover the basic needs of Austin school children.

This year, recapture has cost AISD $670 million, 46 per-

Ash Catalan

cent of the district’s budget. The amount of money AISD sends to the state is expected to go up as property taxes get higher every year Austin ISD sends more recapture payments than any other school district in the state. AISD has outlined a number of priorities that are imperative for it to receive relief and keep functioning.

Priorities of Importance • •

•

• • •

Freezes or limit the amount of recapture collected by the state under Chapter 41, Texas Education Code.

Keep all local property taxes in public education and pass a constitutional amendment that allows voters to decide whether to return state funding to at least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating public schools.

Keep public schools governed by locally elected school board members, with a recognition by the state that elected board members are responsive to the needs of their local taxpayers and students.

Funding for full-day pre-kindergarten.

Increase sustainable state revenue sources to reduce the current over-reliance on local property taxes as a revenue source.

Pass a constitutional amendment to authorize a school district the flexibility to grant a property tax exemption to its teachers and other employees for the amount of ad valorem taxes imposed on a homestead for general elementary and secondary public school purposes.

Main Source of Funding

The main way of funding for schools in Texas is through property taxes as of now our system relies too heavily on property taxes. Property taxes have gone up but haven’t helped schools because most of it goes to the state and is

redistributed unfairly. AISD school finance AISD chief financial officer Nicole Conley Johnson suggests that diversifying the revenue of how schools receive more ways of funding than just through property taxes is through local sales tax.

Unfortunately, these ideas were quickly excluded by the school finance commission. Republican leaders have proposed using general revenue growth and severance tax revenue generated from oil and gas production to pay for property tax relief and schools.

Solutions for Funding

Another way of funding schools without the reliance on property tax is through the Texas state lottery, which sends about 27 percent of it’s revenue to education. According to the Texas lottery website, it has contributed around $20 billion to education since 1997. However, TEA (Texas Education Agency) officials say it’s difficult to determine which Texas school districts receive lottery funding.

The Texas “Rainy Day fund” hasn’t been touched for school funding, which is a debate that state lawmakers will likely debate about how and when it should be used.

The Rainy Day Fund contains nearly $12 billion, which is also the largest (ESF) economic stabilization fund in the United States. The rainy day fund is essentially the state’s savings account. Gas and oil production has grown the Rainy Day fund, which was originally intended for natural disasters or an economic emergency.

Given the emergency of education being massively underfunded and funds not being distributed fairly the state could fund schools with the rainy day fund.

There are multiple ways to fund schools, but the question remains on whether the Legislature will take action on this problem before it is too late and Austin ISD is forced to take drastic actions to keep the doors open next year.

Local Entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 13 - February 11, 2019

Underclassmen take lead roles in Chicago production Jennifer Espinoza

O

Opinions Editor

n Jan. 17 – Jan. 19 the play Chicago made its debut as it’s biggest musical play yet at Akins.

Everything about it was extraordinary the lights, the sets, the production, the cast, the choreography. For anyone that did get to go and see Chicago, they were im-

Bethany Bissell

Sophomore Kacey Wasson Sophomore Kasey Wasson who played the lead role Roxie Hart, had the challenge of learning how to play a very mature role at a young age.

This murderess made Chicago headlines for murdering her lover and manipulating her husband to take the fall with her by confessing to being a part of the murder.

Because the play dealt with a mature subject matter, it was natural for there to be doubts about how it would be handled by an underclassman.

However, Wasson said she was pleasantly surprised that she received so much support from her fellow cast members.

“It was almost like an honor because a lot of school’s underclassmen are never a lead,” she said. “And you hear that from so many people, like ‘oh you’re a lead as a sophomore?’ She said she doubted underclassmen would receive the same kind of support at other schools.

“It also shows that our school doesn’t care about that,” she said. “If you’re right for the part, you’re right for the part. They don’t care about the grade you’re in,” Wasson said.

Although she worried about disappointing the people around her, she impressed the audience with how well she handled such a large role at a young age.

pressed, to say the least. This scandalous musical gave the audience amazing sets that flawlessly moved from scene to scene, beautiful music from the Akins band and entertainment that made the audience move. The acting was great for a high school production and pushed the cast to their limits.

This was a musical that was talked about for months and to see all the hard work pay off was phenomenal. Of course,

Angela Glass

Junior Samantha Soliz Junior Samantha Soliz, who played the character Matron “Mama” Morton, embraced the role, bringing some sass to the crooked matron.

She took on the role like a seasoned veteran and worked well with the expectations that were placed on the Chicago cast as a whole.

“I think it was the pressure of everybody getting together and forming like the perfect ensemble and seeing how the shows were going to go all in all,” Soliz said.

Even with this pressure, Soliz took many preparations for this role and the play as a whole.

“Some of the preparations that I took and all of us as a whole was bonding to make sure that the ensemble was strong and that the leads knew everybody so that nobody felt left out,” Soliz said.

Even so, all the hard work that was done showed throughout the play and even then the actress said she still believes that there is room for improvement.

“I would like to improve on everything as a whole just like all of us coming together more and having more time to like spend with each other and not just like practice, practice and practice,” Soliz said.

Soliz said that she encourages more students to join theater because it is fun and allows you to make new friends.

there were small errors such as technical difficulties and minor hiccups. Even so, the dedication and hard work of these students were shined through and a lot of praise was said about this play days after. This play was more provocative than some other plays but the connection between actors was very professional and whatever shyness or immaturity that could have shown never appeared but instead we had a powerhouse of a cast who ran the show smoothly.

Bethany Bissell

Sophomore Coral Rolon Sophomore Coral Rolon played Velma Kelly, one of the two main characters.

This character is notorious for being accused of murdering her husband and having her story splashed on the front pages of Chicago newspapers.

Rolon said she felt a lot of pressure because she played the main character as a sophomore, raising the expectations she placed on herself. She said that people assumed that she was very talented because of her young age.

“It was a lot of pressure because then a lot of people think ‘Wow, she got her lead as a sophomore then she must be very good,’” she said. “So it was very hard to live up to people’s expectations. But I think that just doing the best I could was very good for me.”

The young actress did not give in to this pressure. Instead, she preserved and accepted the role and is excited to continue her path as a theater student.

“I think it was a really great experience to learn for my future years,” she said. “And being able to get such a big role at this age was very exciting because I know that now in the future I have bigger opportunities and more chances to grow. And it was really fun to have that.”.

Rolon said she was still nervous opening night, but with the support of her cast she got over it and was able to perform.

LOcal Entertainment Page 14 - February 11, 2019

Orchestra student learns composition, pursues career Jose GArcia

S

Staff Writer

enior Melaina Newman has dreams to one day compose classical music that inspires other people as much as the the great composers that inspire her.

Composing is a relatively new endeavor for Newman, who has participated in orchestra four years and marching band two years at Akins. Newman said she felt motivated by the new orchestra director Thomas Mann and his experience with composition. Mann is a recent graduate of the master’s degree program of music at Texas State University, where she plans to attend college.

Newman also said she wanted to start writing music when she starting seeing conductors like Gustavo Dudamel, who is the music director at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She said she is inspired by the power of his conducting, which made her want to conduct her own original music.

Newman said she first started playing violin when she was in the sixth grade.

“It was funny because whenever I picked my instrument I didn’t know what it actually looked like,” she said. “I just asked her which one is the smallest one because I’m pretty small so I didn’t think I could handle anything larger than a violin.”

Newman said trying to learn how to

compose music on her own hasn’t been easy considering her heavy involvement in Akins music performance programs.

“It’s overwhelming at times,” she said.

“It was hell. So many conflicting schedules.

But it was a alright because orchestra doesn’t really start up until later in the semester. I somehow magically find time during my off period and just staying up late doing stuff.”

Newman said that mixing all of this in her workday is also very stressful.

“It is very stressful to do, but it’s rewarding in the end,” she said. “Whenever I have something to share and I can say I have a plan and I want to do this and I have control of what I create.”

Newman also went on to say that it is a lot of music to learn from orchestra.

“We learn three pieces at the start of a semester, for concerts,” Newman said. “We learn three for our fall concert for orchestra.

And then we learn another three from our winter concert and sometimes the songs we do for winter. We go on and compete on either one of two or those songs. And we learn a few new songs along the way.”

On top of all that, Newman prepared for full orchestra in which she learned another three songs and string orchestra with an additional three songs.

She said marching season is like learning 20 short songs that are played at the football games.

Zeta Handy

GROWING MUSICIAN

Senior Melaina Newman plays a piece called Serenade in the orchestra room. Newman hopes to write more string pieces in the future.

“You know all those tunes you hear up in the stands, we learn those in a day and there is the show music which we take months perfecting it and we take a couple months memorizing it so we can play it out in the field.”

Newman said she hopes to continue composing in college and beyond.

“I want to try to see if I can write big

pieces and get my name out there and I try to write string orchestra pieces just to make it fun for younger players and make more complex pieces for older players.” Newman said she hopes she can help inspire younger musicians.“All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a name for myself out there and be a good role model for a younger woman that want to be a composer,” she said.

Upcoming releases and events for February 2019 MOVIES Birds of Passage Feb. 13

MUSIC Hayes Carll Feb. 15

Happy Death Day 2U Florida Georgia Line Feb. 13

The Rhythm Section Feb. 22

The Turning Feb. 22

Feb. 15

Badflower Feb. 22

Overkill Feb. 22

EVENTS

VIDEO GAMES

Austin Marathon/Half Metro Exodus Feb. 17

OUTsider Festival Feb. 20-24

Austin Oyster Festival Feb. 23

Austin Music Awards Feb. 27

Feb. 15

Far Cry: New Dawn Feb. 15

Anthem Feb. 22

Dirt Rally 2.0 Feb. 26

Local Entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 15 - February 11, 2019

Pop-punk bands grow, maintain following in fanbase Zeta Handy

W

Staff Writer

hile music classified as “pop-punk” is very popular, its specific classifications are often unclear. It’s often conflated and used as a synonym for alternative music and some indie rock. Indie rock is another genre that has picked up speed, without much real meaning attached to its definition.

Indie rock was a term used in the 70s to refer to music that was released by independent record labels. It is now used to refer to music with a low fidelity or unpolished sound. Alternative and pop punk have a had a similar muddling, associated more with a feeling or image than a specific sound. Senior Brian Guzman said that he learned about these types of music from his brother.

Growing up Senior Brian Guzman heard of the alternative rock from his older brother. “My brother was pretty gothic in middle school and I picked it up from him as I grew up I started listening to it and still to this day I listen to it,” Guzman said.

Punk rock and indie music popularity seems to rise and fall as each generation discovers it. Many music aficionados trace modern punk music to the 1970s with bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash in England. And in the United States, bands like the Ramones and Bad Religion are recognized as punk pioneers.

The low fidelity sound of punk and indie music has of-

ten kept it from gaining popularity, radio play and widespread commercial success. And for many fans that is just fine because punk music often takes on an anti-establishment political tone.

However, in the 1990s punk bands like Green Day began catching the attention of major labels, signing them to multimillion-dollar contracts. The fast, catchy tunes of Green Day set the model for how punk bands could glean commercial success in the world of popular music and thus “pop punk” was born. Soon major labels starting producing loads of pop-punk bands and a genre was born.

These days, bands like Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy andParamoreare all bands that exemplify the poppunk genre. Many pop punk fans at Akins discovered these bands when they were in middle school.

Songs like “I write sins not tragedies” by Panic! At The Disco, ““Thnks fr th Mmrs” by Fall Out Boy and “Misery of Business” by Paramore have a special place in the hearts of many pop-punk fans.

Senior Taylor Patterson started listening to pop punk around middle school.

“I had a group of friends I hung out with the middle school that introduced me to all the punk rock and stuff like that,” he said. “And my mother used to listen to rock music all the time.”

As we grew up, their music grew with us. These bands have switched their genre of music to stay relevant and to keep up with the audience that has followed them since

Ash Catalan

the beginning. Bands like Linkin Park, Maroon 5, Weezer, Green Day, and Blink 182 are some examples of changing to match their audience.

Music today has changed dramatically whether we like it or not. Better or for worse people have noticed the change.

Whether or not these bands will remain relevant is yet to be seen. It can take decades to know whether a band’s sound can last the test of time.

Staff Picks for February: Upcoming albums for 2019

JJ Mendiola

Nathan Martinez

Nathan Martinez

Dee Carreon

I have no clue what his 2019 album is going to be titled but Mac Demarco has me hooked on his material. The strange way he makes and progresses his songs are what really caught my attention. A good majority of his songs start right at the beginning verse, no build up or anything just right into the action and the minor and major 7 chords he likes to add in gives a good bit of tension and release to the atmosphere he builds. If you are interested in the likes of Mellow Fellow, Clairo and others in the indie scene then you should try out his music.

Nathan Martinez

Nathan Martinez

Bethany Bissell

In the recent landscape of pop music, things can appear bleak and often hollow. Amongst all this, however, one artist has held steadfast to quality, honesty, and jams. This artist is Carly Rae Jepsen, whose 2015 album Emotion was hailed as a triumph in many corners of the internet. It’s easy to dismiss Jepsen as the “Call Me Maybe” one hit wonder, but this is a discredit to her skills and recent growth. She’s maybe the best pop artist currently working, and her upcoming album promises to be great.

Brianna Cozzi

The album I’m most excited for 2019 is Lil Pump’s Harvard Dropout. I’m excited about this album because he’s been holding on to this album for a while now it’s relieving to know he’s finally going to drop it in February. All of Lil Pump’s music to me has always been very good with previous tracks such as Butterfly Doors and Esskeit, Lil Pump has yet to disappoint. With this album, I don’t expect him too because all the time put into this work. I have high expectations from one of my favorite artists in the game right now.

I’m super excited for Tame Impala’s upcoming album, it is still untitled and is still TBA for sometime in 2019. Kevin Parker said that we won’t know what’s on the album until it’s released, he’s really keeping it a surprise for all of his listeners, because he believes that the first time a song is heard is when you truly experience the music. Some rumors have been floating around about Kevin Parker collaborating with stars such as Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, and SZA. Hopefully, this album will really blow us away just as all of his other albums have.

in-depth

in-depth

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 16 - February 11, 2019

Send pics when you get home? ;)

Page 17 - February 11, 2019

Texas Laws on Sexting Recipients

4:23 PM

Texas Laws on Sexting

Sexually explicit messaging among teenagers has legal, emotional long-term consequences Bethany Bissell

W

Editor-in-Chief

hen sophomore Hannah Johnson saw Snapchat’s screenshot notification on her phone, fear struck her

heart.

Johnson (name changed for privacy) had sent sexually explicit images — or sexts — to her partner when they had requested. She said that she obliged when asked because she wanted to make them happy, but she felt taken advantage of afterward.

“Now that I think about it, I’m like, ‘Why are you so stupid?’” Johnson said. “My mom would kill me, and most of my friends would lose respect for me.”

Johnson was participating in an activity that has become consistently more popular among teenagers in an increasingly digital society. Johnson said that she felt pressure to send images when her partner asked, and thinks that that is the case for many young people.

“The person that asked me to send them knew that I liked them and they used that to their advantage,” Johnson said. “[When they asked] I said, ‘Absolutely I will,” because they kept asking.”

On the week of Jan. 7, Principal Tina Salazar held meetings

with the student body to talk about issues on campus, one of which was sexting. Salazar said that she wanted to speak to students about sending explicit images so that they understood the legal consequences for minors.

“These things are getting people thrown in jail,” Salazar said. “These things are getting people classified as sex offenders. It’s serious business; you can’t get away from being a sex offender, that will follow you forever.”

Salazar said that she feels that the meetings were effective, to a degree. She understands that students will not stop sending these images altogether, but hopes that they know that after they’re sent, they can’t be taken back.

“You need to know what’s going to come next,” Salazar said. “Don’t be surprised and don’t beg me for help when you know I can’t do anything about it.”

In the state of Texas, knowingly possessing or viewing sexually explicit content of anyone under the age of 18 is considered child pornography and is a felony. Sending these images is considered a distribution of child pornography. Junior Emily Castro (name changed for privacy) said she receives unsolicited photos sometimes, and they make her nervous.

“I don’t ask for them,” Castro said. “People just send them whenever they want. I don’t want to see that because I don’t want to get in trouble for it.”

Johnson said that she has also gotten and seen

Have you ever known people who brag about receiving nude images from their boyfriend or girlfriend?

other people receive unsolicited nudes and sexts before. She said that she has usually seen it from guys sending them to girls on campus, hoping for an exchange.

“Most of the time, it’s guys saying, ‘I’ll send a [picture] if you send one,’” Johnson said. “I don’t want that.”

Castro said that she is concerned with the emotional consequences of sexting as well. Revenge porn is when an individual redistributes someone else’s nudes without their permission with the intention of embarrassing them. This often happens after a rejection or breakup.

Castro said that she almost had this happen to her, with someone else’s images. She said someone she was interested in asked her for nudes, and when she declined, he threatened her.

“He was leaving for the military and I (said), ‘No I’m not sending you nudes,’” Castro said.

“He was like, ‘Fine, then I’ll just use some other girls nudes and expose you and pretend it’s you.’”

Salazar said that she has seen this happen on campus often. She said that when students approach her or a Student Resource Officer (SRO) about this, it’s incredibly hard to handle any damage that may have already been done.

“We’ve had instances where a student has sent a picture of themselves to someone who they thought cared about them genuinely and

then two months down the road, the relationship didn’t go well,” Salazar said. “They get mad at each other and he or she sends that picture up. It happens all the time.”

SRO Paul Palomo said students need to be aware of what they are getting themselves into before they send a nude image.

“Once that happens there’s no way we can get it back right?” he said. “It can hit the Internet. It could be anywhere at that point.”

Johnson said that she felt regret after sending nudes, and was worried about what others would think. She said that there is a stigma around talking about that topic because of the possible social and legal consequences.

“That’s just a thing that’s frowned on in the community,” Johnson said. “If you send someone nudes, [people think] you’re a bad person.”Salazar said that while she knows that not all students will listen to her advice, she thinks that it is important to speak to students about these things so they can make good decisions.

She said that she wants to discuss this with students maturely.

“You have to make informed decisions about adult things, but sometimes you’re still young people,” Salazar said. “I want to speak to you because it’s important that you know that while you’re young, you’re getting yourself involved in very adult things.”

Tania Dominguez contributed to this story.

Do you believe society has made sharing nude images an expectation for couples in relationships today?

56%

Ash Catalan

44% All numbers generated from an online survey conducted by The Eagle’s Eye between Jan. 22 to Jan. 28.

•

Disclose the material with their private parts exposed or engaged in sexual conduct without their consent.

Obtain it when the person depicted had a reasonable expectation of privacy and for it to remain private.

•

Cause harm to the person depicted by disclosing the material.

•

Threaten to disclose the material without the depicted persons consent.

Send Student Perspectives

“I feel like a lot of people want to impress others and take nudes because of that.”

“Kids should be careful because they don’t know who could get ahold of them.”

“People think that it’s always guys pressuring girls, but it’s both ways”

Agree “If you send something to (another teenager), they’re probably going to show their friends and then they’ll all see it.”

Neither

No

•

“If (someone’s) parents found out, it could go really badly.”

Strongly Agree

Yes

The Law states that a person commits unlawful private or public possesion of intimate visual material if they:

Disagree Send a message

Strongly Disagree 0%

5%

10 %

15%

20%

25%

30%

35 %

All quotes generated from an online survey conducted

by The Eagle’s Eye between Jan. 22 to Jan. 28.

reviews

Page 18 - February 11, 2019

Anthem excites fans with open world discovery Josh Guerrero

A

along with Dragon Age Inquisition, which I played and enjoyed very much. Star Wars: The Old Republic is another.

They also made the Mass Effect games, which were very successful with many saying they are a must play. But recently they released Mass Effect Andromeda which was a complete fail and nearly made them bankrupt since they funneled all their resources and time into making the game and it wasn’t good at all, having many problems and failing overall. Anthem is seen by some as the company’s last effort to bring them back to what they were before. The gamer community is watching to see if Anthem will be the game to redeem Bioware. Since Anthem is unlike anything that they have ever made before, people are a bit skeptical, but Bioware has stated that Anthem is unlike anything ever made before. We’ll just have to wait and see for now.

Staff Writer

nthem is an upcoming open world, multiplayer, action RPG game set in the future. where humanity is on the brink of collapse. Players take on the role of humans piloting exosuits called javelins to fight back the “Dominion,” a faction of humans that desire to subjugate all of humanity under their rule. To accomplish this goal, the Dominion seeks to harness an unknowable force and source of pure creation called the “Anthem of Creation” and turn it into a weapon that could wipe out the Earth-like planet of Anthem.

Javelins

Players known as Freelancers work to defend the planet from anything that can pose a threat in their suits which can be customized and upgraded throughout the game.

The javelins that the players take control of each have unique abilities and playstyles.

There are currently four types of javelins: Storm, Interceptor, Ranger, and Colossus.

This is perfect because most of the missions will have a max of four players. Players will use all sorts of futuristic weapons to take on the many monsters of Anthem along with their javelins.

Anthem can be played solo, but many are excited because it is shared world, meaning you can play with other people who have their own javelins. Players can explore the massive world of Anthem, fly through clouds and encounter a huge monster to take on with friends. The shared world format expands the replayability of the game because the unique combination of javelins provides hundreds of combinations of abilities and weapons to explore and battle.

The Verdict

Game Content

Anthem is an open world game, so players can go out, explore the world and find new monsters, gear, and rewards.

This works well with the javelins because they give you the ability to fly, providing the thrilling experience of soaring around a world with friends, discovering caves and dens full of monsters and things to take down. Although the game hasn’t been released yet, any gamer who enjoys flying around like Iron Man in a customizable suit while exploring a planet full of monsters and aliens should enjoy Anthem. The bits and pieces about Anthem posted online are tantalizing for gamers who enjoy this kind of game. Currently, the only thing close for

Ash Catalan

comparison is Destiny, which is one of my favorite games.

Destiny, which also allows players to explore worlds with friends and take down huge monsters with space weapons, was wonderful but there’s only so much you can before you simply run out of things to kill or places to explore before it gets boring and bland. To combat this problem Destiny gave players a week to level up before resetting challenges.

This was fun to a point, but it could feel repetitive. Many are wondering if Anthem

will also use this type of system or if the developers will implement a new way to keep players on their toes during their entire time playing.

Bioware Background

Anthem is made by Bioware, a video game developer who has made some pretty amazing games that have been praised very highly but they also have had some pretty bad games with very low ratings, which is interesting. Bioware is responsible for games like the Dragon Age series

I’m very excited for Anthem and I feel like many others are to especially ones who thought Destiny was amazing because this has the potential to be even more better than Destiny if it is as good as it looks and everything Bioware and EA could have another hit on thier hands. I’m sure my friends and I along with many many others could easily spend hundreds of hours playing this game that would bring back the joy of playing Destiny for the first time. I really believe that this game will be a success and I encourage everyone who thinks flying around a world in a futuristic suit exploring lands killing monsters sounds even remotely interesting to give this game a shot.

I played the demo during one of the weekends that the game was available to players to try out and I absolutely loved it.

I can’t stress how much joy I had playing.

Even though we were only able to play a few missions and explore only a little, my friends and I enjoyed every bit of it. During our time we flew around the sky then dove underwater and took down huge stone titans, it was amazing each of us having our own javelins and abilities to use how we want. The satisfaction of being able to simply jump up and fly anywhere is a feeling I’ve never had in any other game before simply because no other game has given players the ability to just fly and explore to the extent that Anthem does. It’s everything we’ve been waiting for and expecting and I can’t wait for the full game to be released.

reviews

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 19 - February 11, 2019

Glass concludes Shyamalan’s three-piece movie series Eli Calderon Staff Writer

F

or some M. Night Shyamalan, the director behind the new movie Glass is “the guy who makes the scary movies with a twist.” He earned this reputation with movies like 1999’s The Sixth Sense, 2008’s The Happening and 2015’s The Visit.

However, besides his masterful ability to tell scary stories, Shyamalan has also shown his affection for characters with superhuman powers. In 2000’s Unbreakable, Bruce Willis plays a security guard named David Dunn who discovers he is almost indestructible and can sense criminal acts people have committed when he comes into touch contact with them and in 2016, Shyamalan brought us Split, featuring a character named Kevin Wendell Crumb who has 23 different personalities. Split, which was marketed as another horror film, turned out to be a stealth sequel to Unbreakable, which is revealed when the Dunn character makes a surprise reappearance. In Glass, Shyamalan works to weave together the worlds and the three main characters from Unbreakable and Split.

The movie has audiences and critics in a back and forth conversation with some saying that it was way too overhyped and others are saying that people were going into this movie with too much of an expectation. With the build-up with all of these movies that have been slowly coming out of the great mind of Shyamalan. Now I don’t wanna drive anyone from this film by any means this movie is amazing for what it is and will be rewatched hundreds of times.

The opinions on this movie are nonstop and you will not know how you feel about this film by looking at re-

Bethany Bissell

views. This film needs to be seen so you can have your own personal opinion on it. When you do see this film I would say the best thing you could do is go in with an open-minded view on all of this. It’s not going to be your typical superhero movie, with that being said there is really no other film you could compare it too. With this much originality in this movie you would think critiques would take it well, but instead, we see as we said a mixed response.

That does not change the fact that there is still an audience that has been waiting for this day to come. These fans have waited around 19 years for this conclusion and they were very happy with all the information coming out for the movie. With the amount of hype that has been built for this movie, it’s as if we are getting the conclusion to a story, that has been unfolding slowly in front of us without

our knowledge. This movie is full of the classic Shyamalan twists and turns that you would expect — not to mention he funded this whole film out of his pocket to have total creative control over it. Some have said that the movie is a “Glass half full” film in which we get a lot but there could have been so much more to this movie that would have made it even more amazing.

Overall, the movie is being viewed as a missed opportunity for the director and the story. They had the material to make an amazing film but missed a few key points. Glass has left some Shyamalan fans disappointed with the ending and the storytelling. This movie fails to bring that certain unique feeling that the other two movies have brought to Shyamalan’s superhero movie series.

Oscar watchers prepare for a drama filled award night Jon Garza

T

LIfe & Style Editor

Bethany Bissell

he drama of awards night will be on display on Feb. 24, when the 91st Academy Awards airs.

For example, this will be the first Oscar awards ceremony without a host after Kevin Hart stepped down from the gig because of a controversy involving old homophobic tweets. Even without a host, the Academy Awards will go on as viewers wait to find out who will be named tops in the movie biz.

Roma, The Favourite, A Star is Born, and Black Panther dominated the nominations in all the categories. Roma and The Favourite received 10 nods apiece, while A Star is Born received eight, and Black Panther received seven.

Black Panther already made cinematic history as the first Superhero movie to nominated for Best Picture. It’s also Spike Lee’s, director of BlacKkKlansman, first-ever best director nomination. With the announcement of the Oscars’ nominations comes the annual game of trying to predict who’s going to win.

One good strategy to predict winners is to review the winners of the previous award shows like the Golden Globes, and the Critics’ Choice Awards.

Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, is a favorite for Best Picture. It’s based on the life of a maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s. Cuaron is mostly known for his larger than life stories like Children of Men and Gravity. For this most recent work, Roma takes him back to his Mexican roots. This film is one of the highest rated movies this year and winning many awards across

various award shows.

Typically when movies win Best Picture, the director of the film wins the Best Director award. Alfonso Cuaron also has won best director in both the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards, giving him a good chance to pick up an Oscar this year. Cuaron didn’t just write and direct Roma he also did the cinematography. This proves that he’s a master in his craft and that he potentially has a strong chance at winning Best Cinematography, as well.

Glenn Close, a veteran actress who has racked up seven Oscar nominations in her career has yet to actually win one. This year may be different. The Oscars has a weird way of showing appreciation to past nominees that may have been snubbed. Years prior, Leonardo Dicaprio won Best Actor for The Revenant, a film that many say he shouldn’t have won it for and that he only won because he was snubbed in the past. Close has also been winning Best Actress in all the award shows this year.

Like Close, Christian Bale has been winning all of the award shows for Best Actor and many people feel it’s Bale’s turn to win an Oscar.

Another interesting category to watch will be Best Animated Film. In the past, the contest has almost always been a fight between Pixar or Walt Disney Animations. However, this year Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a surprise hit, putting Sony Pictures Animation on the map as a force to be reckoned with. Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse has been dominating some of the other award shows, and I doubt it will be any different for the Oscars.

EE PREDICTS

life & Style

Page 20 - February 11, 2019

Students rate popular cafeteria meal offerings that follow strict govt rules

EE David ridge

S

Staff Writers

tudents are not shy about sharing their opinions about the school cafeteria lunch. Most question why it looks and tastes the way it does.

Teenagers are a notoriously hard to please demographic of eaters. Left to their own tastes as a guide, many teenagers would like nothing better than eating fried, fast foods that provide satisfying taste, but lack the basic elements of essential nutrition.

Ryan Cengel, Austin ISD dietitian, said the district has to follow USDA regulation on all of its menu items. Some of those rules include offering all whole grain-rich products greater than 50 percent, a variety of colors of vegetables, a certain amount of fruits and vegetables per day/meal. The cafeteria also must offer a choice of milk and has limits on calories, saturated fat, trans fats, and sodium. He said Austin ISD goes above and beyond the nutrition requirements.

“We have to offer a certain amount of grains, protein, fruits, vegetables (various colors) and milk at each meal,” Cengel said.

The cafeteria staff is also restricted from using ingredients with trans fats. Sodium and saturated fats are also limited. Cengel said that the district food service staff certainly has challenges when working to feed students in 114 kitchens at 130 campuses.

“That means that every one of our recipes has to be followed accurately by all of the (hundreds) of cooks in those kitchens. Consistency can be an issue, but we have a team of chefs that is constantly in the kitchens conducting culinary training with our cooks. This ensures that the quality of the food is consistently good in all of our schools.”

Rito Pindea contributed to this story

Meals: Ratings provided by student volunteers, and do not necessarily represent the views of The Eagle’s Eye.

Pizza

Presentation

Taste

Texture

It looks presentable. It makes me a little hungry just on the looks alone.

Depending on the size you get, it could be too much or too little. It will fill you up.

The pizzas are just left in the boxes, so they’re kinda cold.

Rating: 3/5

Rating: 3/5

Rating: 3/5

It looks like (the chicken is undercooked). When the chicken is put in the light it’s even worse.

It’s not bad once you mix it.

Actually, the cheese melts and the chips give a good crunch. .

Chips have a good crunch in there, cheese melts (once you mix it) and the rice adds a good flavor

Rating: 2/5

Rating: 4/5

Rating: 4/5

The chicken looks average at best. The mashed potatoes don’t look bad, but the dressing really hinders it. .

The chicken tastes slightly above average, definitely better than expected. The potatoes have a strange

The chicken’s texture was pretty pleasant, not too dry or moist. The potatoes has a slimy texture.

Rating: 3/5

Rating: 4/5

Rating: 3/5

David Doerr

Taco Bowl

David Doerr

Fried Chicken

David Doerr

life & Style

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 21 - February 11, 2019

Clubs giving students opportunities to succeed, learn Jon Garza

T

Life & Style Editor

here are many clubs on campus that participate in competitive and community activities. These clubs, such as the No Place For Hate Student Coalition and the E4 Youth Get Creative Club, allow for students to become involved in their interests “It’s a way to make friends,” said Leah Jarrell, junior and Future Farmers of America (FFA) member. “You also gain

experiences that you wouldn’t get from laying at home on the weekend and, most importantly, you get leadership experience.”

Jarrell said that participation in clubs has also helped her to better understand her classes.

“Taking a lot of the classes I have Akins has helped me in some of the FFA competitions,” Jarrell said.

Clubs often have leadership opportunities for dedicated members. Jarrell said that leadership positions in organizations allow for a more well-rounded college résumé and

development of vital skills.

“It builds up your college application which will definitely help you in the future,” Jarrell said. “FFA is a huge club for building people up. I would say pretty much any organization can do the same in different aspects.”

Jarrell said that being a part of her organization has shaped her throughout her high school career. She said that she encourages others to join clubs.

“My accomplishments in FFA have made me who I am today,” Jarrell said.

Future Farmers of America Members of the Akins chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA) recently enjoyed success at the Travis County Youth Show.

Agriscience teacher Amberly Moye said FFA members raised livestock for months, growing plants in the FFA greenhouse and created youth fair projects to sell at auctions. At the county youth show, students try to sell the livestock that they’ve been raising. During this year’s auction, Akins students made $27,000 in total by selling their livestock and goods. All of the money received will go to the students so they can invest in next year’s projects, or can be used to pay for college expenses.

Moye said FFA trains leaders of the future about the importance of agriculture practices and how it impacts our lives.

Courtesy FFA

Mock Trial The Akins Mock Trial team had a successful competition season, which came to an end in January after competing at the state level. Many of the underclassmen did well with sophomores placing in the Top 10. During their freshman year, they ranked seventh in district and 37th at state. But this year, they ranked first in district and seventh at state.

Law teacher Armin Salek said that with the help of the team’s upperclassmen, Akins has maintained our place as the top team from Central Texas.

In the fall, the sophomores will be able to get law internships. These internships will give students an understanding of their future career, and hands-on experience.

Students to careers in the legal profession.

Courtesy Mock Trial

Makeup Club Senior Jaiden Alexander started a new club at Akins this year that meets during FIT on Thursday in English teacher Patty Bouranis’ classroom, RM 133. Alexander said she started the club to show people who are interested in makeup new techniques. She said she hopes she can help people find new ways they can do their makeup.

“I noticed how there wasn’t really any girly club at Akins so I wanted to start a makeup since I’m more interested in makeup,” she said.

Alexander said the most popular thing she helps students with is eyeshadow.

“We often want to learn more about contour, and how to start off for your base,” she said. “So I just teach them like what colors I started off with and what to do step by step.”

Kaleb Stevens

life & Style

Page 22 - February 11, 2019

New rental scooters offer alternative rides Emily Bellinghausen

W

Staff Writer

ith already over 4,500 scooters in Austin, a new business OjOLabs is bringing something bigger to the table with the scooter game.

OjO Electric, LLC, a California-based company, is launching the first sit-down electric scooter rideshare in the capital.

One hundred scooters are expected to hit city streets by Feb. 1 and grow to 250 later in the spring. The scooters will cost $1.25 to rent and then 18 cents a minute. Having the app allows users to ride for a smaller price than the other scooters.

Unlike other dockless scooters that have been dumped all over Austin by companies like Lime and Bird, officials with OjO say it will be pushing rider education and strongly encouraging customers to avoid sidewalks while on the devices.

The OjO scooters run on a battery that can last up to a 25-mile ride. It can go up to 20-25 miles per hour and can be ridden in the rain. It has a charger so that riders can plug it into a wall outlet which only charges to 8 to 6 hours. Riders need to carry a license, registration, and insurance when driving this scooter. The Ojo is around 65 lbs and has an alarm system and comes with a cable lock to tether it so it doesn’t get stolen. The seat can also be removed from the scooter and can be a stand-up ride.

The basket from the Ojo can hold up to 70 lbs and the scooter itself can hold up 300 lbs. Riders can charge their phones while using the scooter and use the waterproof Bluetooth speakers.

Dale Seiden, creator of Ojo, wanted to create something that would be street safe, he made sure that the new scooter would come with a touch screen that will show the person intuitive non-glare digital LCD dashboard with a heat sensitive touch screen that allows riders to control the scooter with the touch of a button while voice commands offer insights along the way.

With all these new advanced features on this scooter, it really makes the simple street scooters by Bird and Lime look unsafe and less useful.

OjO says unlike other scooter companies operating in the city, it’s trying to be more deliberate.

Recently more accidents and injuries involving competing scooters are being reported more than 249 reports of injuries have been noted and bystanders have said over 93.3 percent do not wear helmets while riding the scooters. But it’s not always the scooter drivers that are getting hurt.

Pedestrians and bikers are having injuries from scooter riders.

There are major difference between the Ojo-style scooter and the rentable dockless scooters.

With the old ones, they don’t seem to be all that safe like how the creator of Bird

Touch screen that controls movement and speed

Waterproof speakers A basket for any type of bag

Bethany Bissell

Travis VanderZanden wanted.

With so many injures you’d expect a lot of strict rules for these scooters but, when you look at the rules that they have given to the scooters, they aren’t ones that you’d see people obliging to. It’s also surprising that cities had to place them down rather than the people who actually created them.

Most of the rules that they have made here in Austin are rules that just apply to people skateboarding or driving their car.

The rules they made for the scooters are as simple as the ones in a H-E-B parking lot; don’t ride your scooter onto sidewalks or

leave it on the Capitol grounds, unless you want a hefty fine.

The State Preservation Board charges scooter companies $150 for every device left on Capitol grounds, don’t block the sidewalk when you park and make sure there’s enough room for pedestrians to walk.

With these old scooters having troubles with people and now these new Ojos, who knows what will happen with both of these not only more scooters, but also company battles to get more money and more recognition.

Do you think the new scooters will be safer?

Freshman

Justin Wan

Justin Wan

Alyssa Caja-Ruiz

Yes, because they have a seat, possibly making the scooters safer.

Justin Wan

Justin Wan

Junior

Sophomore

The new scooters look to be more stable than the original scooters.

Yes, because the seat will make it safer for many riders.

Marcos Rodriguez

Mia Melendez

Sebastian Canales Senior

No, because people don’t park correctly and probably misuse them.

life & Style

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 23 - February 11, 2019

Companies sell ‘self-care’ as wellness trend Bethany Bissell

#S

Editor-in-Chief

elfcareSaturday. As of late, the hashtag has taken over Twitter and Instagram, becoming more common than the longstanding #MotivationMonday.

While scrolling through social media, students are often bombarded with words such as “self-care” and “wellness.”

Articles advertise new wellness trends such as jade rolling, goat yoga and juice cleansing. Meanwhile, self-care Twitter accounts generate massive followings by posting threads of face mask recipes, workout routines and Instagram captions.

The umbrella of self-care and wellness as it is presented on social media and through marketing seems to be unclear and widespread. Because of this, it is easy to assume that self-care has been repurposed as a marketing ploy.

Sophomore Raini Birnbaum said that she thinks selfcare is about taking the time to evaluate feelings.

“Self-care is making sure that you’re mentally and physically OK,” Birnbaum said. “That could be taking time for yourself or surrounding yourself with people you like.”

While the representation of self-care on social media is often prescribed, social worker Meg Scamardo said that she thinks it looks different f o r everyone. She said that she defines self-care as doing what it takes to feel restored.

“For a lot of people, self-care is just getting rid of stuff, whether that’s getting rid of social media or not having a cluttered lifestyle,” Scamardo said. “It’s finding whatever it is that allows you to take care of yourself. On social media, I think it seems almost unattainable.”

Birnbaum said that she also thinks self-care is misrepresented on social media. She said that it’s often too simplified and isn’t effective for most people.

“Just doing a face mask and drinking water isn’t really self-care,” Birnbaum said. “I think self-care should be more accurately represented on social media.”

Scamardo said that because users of social media cultivate a perception of perfection, it can muddle the purpose of self-care. She said that because methods of self-care that are presented on social media are so focused on action, already burnt out students can feel as though they don’t have

time to care for themselves.

“You’re feeling really stressed and feeling really overwhelmed and there’s people telling you to do things like yoga,” Scamardo said. “So you look up how much a yoga class is and you don’t know if you can afford that or if you have time for that.”

Sophomore Kelli Waring said that she thinks that students can refer to social media as guidance when they need it but should put more attention on checking in on themselves physically and emotionally. She said that the priority for students who are feeling overwhelmed should be on getting in touch with their feelings.

“Part of self-care is making sure you’re comfortable in situations you put yourself in,” Waring said. “Self-care is deeper than Twitter usually makes it seem.”

Scamardo said that while social media can misrepresent self-care techniques, she hopes that students will adjust suggestions they find online to work for them. She said that if students feel that things such as yoga aren’t attainable, they could practice deep breathing.

“I’m a big believer in brainstorming and sharing good ideas,” Scamardo said. “I think it’s helpful in that way.”

Self-care on social media can also be negatively influenced by marketing. Companies such as Gwenyth Paltrow’s Goop promote wellness and selfcare while selling expensive products for these purposes.

Scamardo said that this can also make self-care Ash Catalan seem unattainable. “(Paltrow is) one of those people that talks about self-care and eating healthy,” Scamardo said. “But my life is not like Gwyneth Paltrow’s.”

Scamardo said that to correct the misrepresentation of self-care on social media, it needs to be portrayed more realistically. She said that if people see examples of more accessible self-care, they might be more compelled to care for themselves in those ways.

“What’s missing is that self-care needs to be real,” Scamardo said. “We miss self-care when we don’t think we’re worthy.”

Scamardo said that a school of thought that incorporates worthiness into self-care is a practice called self-compassion. She said that self-compassion is centered around self-acceptance; when a student is faced with personal failings, it teaches that they should focus on loving themselves in spite of them.

“Self-compassion has us acknowledge that this is just who (we) are,” Scamardo said. “(It’s saying that) life is

tough and hard, but I’m doing the best I can and I need to love myself for that.”

Scamardo said that she hopes that students find self-care strategies that work for them, even if they’re not suggestions from social media.

“Sometimes my self-care is going to the restroom to take a break from all the chaos,” Scamardo said. “I hope students find time for themselves.”

Self-care strategies that work for them, even if they’re not suggestions from social media.

“Sometimes my self-care is going to the restroom to take a break from all the chaos,” Scamardo said. “I hope students find time for themselves.”

Self-care techniques: Deep Breathing Exercises Pursed Lip Breathing Steps

• • • •

Inhale slowly twice Purse your lips Breath out slowly Repeat

•

Reduces how hard a person has to work to breath Releases trapped air in the lungs Relaxation of the muscles Reduces shortness of breath Reduces stress

• • • •

Benefits

Diaphragmatic Breathing • • • •

Steps

• • • •

Lie down Place one hand on your chest Place the other on your stomach While breathing, feel your stomach move outward Purse your lips Breath out slowly Lightly on your stomach Repeat

• • • • •

Relaxes your neck and shoulder muscles Improves your diaphragm Releases trapped air in the lungs Reduces shortness of breath Reduces stress

Benefits

Sports

PLAY BALL

Page 24 - February 11, 2019

Varsity players return for new baseball season, condition for upcoming challenges Gregory Roque

T

Staff Writer

he Akins Baseball season starts on Feb. 4 and the team is ready to make one more run for the playoffs.

The varsity team faced Round Rock in the first series of the playoffs last year. Players were mentally rattled when they found during the series that their former teammate Chad Taylor had died. The players entered the game with heavy hearts and were defeated 12-2, ending their playoff run.

Head baseball coach Eugene Salazar said Taylor’s death at the end of the season hit the team hard. Despite the tragic end to the season, Salazar said he was proud of how the team chemistry became stronger as the year went on.

Salazar is hoping to repeat that chemistry, again, with a new team although one that has several returning members of the varsity team.

Nico Romero Junior, David Wilson Senior, Andrew Wilk Senior, Julian Smith Senior these all the returning players from last year they are back and are ready for another run One challenge the team will face is that the University Interscholastic League districts were realigned this year and now Akins will face three new teams that were not in last year’s district line up, including Westlake, Lake Travis, and Austin High.

Players said their shared goal is to show their fans and their coaches of how hard they’ve been working, especially the varsity team.

Many seniors on the varsity team have been playing together for three or four years and have developed strong relationships with their teammates. Several said they are excited that they finally get to prove what they can do as seniors on the varsity team.

Senior Dave Wilson, who has played for the Akins Baseball program for all four years of high school, said he is hoping to achieve his personal goals of making the team, the coaches and the whole entire school proud and remember about what he did on the field this year. “(I hope to) just to have the best season I have (had) in my 4 years here and I want to win,” Wilson said. ”I’ll say it again, of course, I want to win all the awards and stuff but I want to be a team player, too, and I want to take us as far as we can go. So, I’m ready for that.”

Junior Noah Torres said his personal goals for the season are to help his teammates become better players.

CATCH AND RELEASE

JJ Mendiola

Sophomore Zachary Cole practicing his ground balls and throwing. The team is putting in hours of practice preparing before district games start in late February.

“I feel like, this season is going to be a good one not only because of the challenge but it’s going to help us grow as ballplayers and as teammates and ultimately as friends,” Torres said.

Sophomore Ryan Roque said that he doesn’t have any personal goals but is excited about starting o the season fresh and to be productive on the field.

Akins Varisity baseball played their first scrimmage at Feb 5 at Hutto; the score was 1-5 (Hutto). Roque said that this is not the start that they wanted, but they are hoping to see improvement for the next year.

The whole baseball teams are going to be pretty busy ev-

ery day with their after-school practices, weekend practices and their game days for the next 3 months they are looking to have one of the best seasons they have had in a while and the mindset is getting farther than they did last year.

They are looking for any good luck and positive vibes only this season, especially when they play against new school districts. They are hoping that Akins gets as many wins as they possibly can when they play against the new teams this year.

The team has one common goal in mind and that is to get farther than last year, sending a statement to the other teams they should not take Akins varsity baseball lightly.

Sports

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 25 - February 11, 2019

Track team receives shoe donation before new season Bethany Bissell

V

Editor-in-Chief

ans and Converse are far from appropriate running sneakers, but many students in track were arriving to meets in these types of shoes. In order to correct this, they received a donation of higher quality shoes.

On Jan. 14, the track team received 50 pairs of free shoes from the Fleet Feet running supply store in downtown Austin.

The shoes were fitted to each member of the track team so that they could have high-performing shoes before track season.

Sophomore Luke Becerra said that he was excited to receive the shoes.

“They’re really comfortable,” Becerra said. “ They’re free and they’re really good running shoes.”

Assistant coach Francisco Flores said that he is glad that they were supplied the shoes because they are much higher quality than the shoes that some students had to compete in.

“The shoes were great,” Flores said.

Golf “There were many running in some really old shoes.”

Becerra that in addition to the shoes, he is excited about the track season be- cause he has recovered from an injury and will be able to compete more in the season. “(Last season), I was suffering a leg injury so I couldn’t do my best,” Becerra said. “ This year I’m healthy, and I can’t wait to get some (personal records).”

Flores said that he is apprehensive because the boys’ and girls’ teams have both lost many players who graduated last year, but that he is still con dent in this year’s team.

“We’ve got high hopes,” Flores said. “We have lots of young runners.”

Becerra said that he hopes that track gains more members over time. He said that track is a sport that’s accessible to everyone.

“I feel like everyone should be a part of it,” Becerra said. “It’s a sport that everyone can do and it’s fun.”

Aubrey Hill contributed to this story.

NEW KICKS WITH THE RIGHT FIT

Luke Beccera

Members of the track team tried on brand new running shoes provided Feet Fleet for the track season in January. The shoes are designed to provide runners with proper support while running.

Golf team dispels myths of sport being for ‘old men’ Justin Wan

W

TEE TIME

Kaleb Stevens

Freshman Riley Romero tee’s off to start off her golf tournament. She worked to finish as a top freshman.

Staff Writer

hile golf has a reputation as an “old man’s sport” that hasn’t stopped a few dedicated students from playing the game of birdies, bogies, and Eagles.

When students hear about the Akins golf team for the for time, their reaction is usually “we have a golf team?” Even though the golf team is very small at Akins, the work they put in is fairly huge, and they’re improving as a team under their new coach Steve Riojas.

The golf season started recently and as of late, they’ve participated in four tournaments, and are continually improving after each one. The team currently consists of four boys and four girls, and each of them is learning and developing to be better golfers.

Senior Tyler Stehling is currently the team’s top performer with high placings in each tournament, his highest being third place at a major.

Stehling, who has played for the golf team since his junior year, said he enjoys working the new coach.

“Riojas is coaching our team well and helps us in any way he can,” Stehling said. “He wants us to continually go out and play as much as we can so we can improve ourselves.”

Riojas, who has never coached golf before, said he is enjoying his new role after coaching football and baseball and serving as head of the physical education department. Riojas said he has played golf for 30 years, but never coached it before.

It’s great,” he said. “The kids are all hard workers and a fun group to be around.”

For anyone interested in playing golf for the first time, Riojas made some recommendations.

“Beginners needs to know that this game demands a lot of practice,” he said. “It is a game of skill and it can be frustrating at times. Even the experienced players will at times get frustrated but hard work always pays off.”

The golf team in total has participated in seven games so far. In November, the boys and girls golf teams competed in the Pflugerville Golf Tournament at Black Hawk golf course. The boys placed 3rd, and the girls finished in 2nd Place.

The team practices at Jimmy Clay Golf Course near Stassney Lane. The players hit of the driving range, play the executive course or Jimmy Clay.

Overall they work on their technique and golf skills for future tournaments.

Riojas said he works with the inexperienced and experienced players to help them improve their technique.

“I help the players struggling and encourage the ones who are doing well,” he said.

sports

Page 26 - February 11, 2019

C MING TO A CL SE

Basketball season’s end brings reflection, creation of goals for next year’s season Jaden Garrion

T

Staff Writer

he boys and girls varsity basketball teams have had rough seasons this year, but the players say there were victorious moments that they will never for-

get.

The boys and girls varsity basketball teams have had rough seasons this year, but the players say there were victorious moments that they will never forget.

Senior Kaylani Hernandez said one moment in particular that she remembers was in the game against Del Valle.

“Del Valle was winning the whole time up until the 4th quarter,” Hernandez said. “We just started shooting threes and making them. We were just making three after three after three. But we ended up being up by 9 points and then up by 12. You can tell we were in Del Valle’s head it was so crazy.”

Hernandez also said another moment that happened which was in the game against Hays.

“We almost lost three times but we kept on going into overtime,” she said.

Although they had some big moments the teams have struggled trying to racking up wins. Erica Routt girls varsity basketball team coach said some of the challenges they had are to be expected because there were only two seniors and no returning starting varsity team members.

“We are struggling this year because we are young and we’re building,” she said.“We lost quite a lot key players that were seniors last year and we have some younger players that are being responsible for a lot of things,” she said.

Despite the losses, players have kept their spirits high.

Sophomore Alyssa Morales said she works to keep team morale high at all times.

“I stay encouraging my team up by not letting them down and always cheering them up when they’re down because to me it doesn’t matter if we win or lose,” she said.

“Besides, we are a family and at the end of the day were doing it for fun.”

Junior Raquel Gonzales said the team has learned a lot through some tough losses this year.

“I just know that we can get better every game that we play,” junior Raquel Gonzales said. “We know what we messed up on and know how to fix it so that is what keeps us motivated.”

Many of the underclassmen have learned things that can help them next year.

For example, Morales said she learned to not give up on yourself when you mess up and to “push yourself harder till you get it right.”

Also junior Jaidyn Trevino said she learned about communication and teamwork.

“I learned not to get so frustrated when we lose, also being a better leader,” Gonzales said.

SCORE AND CELEBRATE

Chayanne Knox

Freshman Melanie Cantu cheers on her team in a game against Del Valle. Akins beat Del Valle 57-51 sweeping them for the season.

Many players had good and bad moments this year but a lot of these players will be returning for next year and are already in a mindset planning for next year.

“Some goals for us next year are to get better as individuals,” Trevino said. “If everyone gets better by themselves then when we play together it will look a lot better.”

Morales said that will “keep grinding” and pushing themselves throughout the summer to be ready for the next season Despite boys basketball having a losing record this year the team still stays encouraged, senior Sherrod Whitley said.

“When we lose we’re mad about the game and all but we just move on to the next game and don’t worry about the loss,” he said.

Junior Beto Morales seconded Whitley.

“We just go on to the next game and try are best and try to win that game,” he said.

Many of the players this year learned a lot of things this year, that can help them in the future.

Whitley said he learned that playing on a team is not always about any individual player.

“You have to work together to get things done,” he said.

Many underclassmen on the boys varsity team have already set goals for next year.

Junior Alfred Ortiz said the lessons they have learned this year will position them well to make a run for the playo s next year.

Morales said he plans to,keep striving to get better as a team.

Sports

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 27 - February 11, 2019

Wrestling prioritizes conditioning, district Bethany Bissell

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Editor-in-Chief

hile wrestling is often overshadowed when one thinks of school athletics, but some dedicated Akins athletes have seen impressive results this year Junior Melanie Piña said that she has been working hard in order to get back into shape following foot surgery.

“I’m trying to get back into shape and everything,” Piña said. “Hopefully I’ll also place district.”

Coach Roy Tambunga said that he values the commitment of many of the wrestlers.

He said that potential doesn’t mean much if the time to cultivate it isn’t put in by showing up to practice.

“We have people that are hard working that have been putting in work for the year,” Tambunga said. “The people that come every day (and) every practice all summer long are the ones that are hardworking and it pays off.”

Piña said that junior Sophia Rivera is one of his hardest working students. With a record for the season of 38-10, Piña said that Rivera is one of the most talented on the team. “(Rivera) is our most talented wrestler,” Piña said. “She works really hard.”

Rivera said that she has been wrestling for three years. She said that while wrestling is an individual sport she thinks it’s important to recognize the effort of the team as a whole.

“I don’t really like to say that one person is the best,” Rivera said. “I feel like there are wso many people that have been putting in so much work that I want to (recognize and praise).”

Rivera said that her personal goal for the year is to make it to state. She said that she has been conditioning, working out and doing mat drills in order to improve ahead of the district matches held on Feb. 9-10.

Rivera said she’s seen results from her training efforts.

“Last year, I rarely placed at tournaments,” Rivera said. “This year, I’ve placed at every tournament I’ve gone to.”

Tambunga said that while he saw some wrestlers quit, he has seen effort on the part of most of the team before district.

“They’re better at wrestling right now than they were at the beginning,” Tambunga said.

“The ones that have stuck with it are good workers.”

Rivera said that she has seen the same level of effort she puts in from her teammates. She said she works with the team during her wrestling period in order to prepare.

“I’m putting in as much work as I can and never stopping,” Rivera said. “ e team is trying to change their mindset and flip that switch before district.”

Evelyn Moreno Contributed to this story”

Wrestler’s Season Records Girls:

Boys

Camille Kostman 8-15 Leila Levens 4-6 Harlenie Arriaza 7-8 Brianna Cortez 6-7 Sophia Rivera 38-10 Iris Garza 18-12 Jairis Jakubowski 23-15 Kayla Munoz 24-17 Nieves Navarro 7-11 Vivana Padilla 6-9 Melanie Piña 8-6 Alyssa Rosales 19-5

Rhysse Joseph 22-15 Aiden Sigler 0-1 Xandro Gonzales 6-6 Tommy Huynh 5-8 Iseral Garza 3-9 Joaquin Rivera 5-3 Bradley Kelley 8-11 Anthoney Montez 6-4

DOMINATING THE COMPETITION

Mylo Bissell

(Top) Junior Sophia Rivera Dominating her opponent and looks up to her coach for her next move to finish the match.

(Bottom) Senior Brianna Cortez uses leverage on her opponent before making a final attempt to get a pin over her.

photo essay

Page 28 - Febuary 11, 2019

Bethany Bissell

LADIES MAN

Senior Jonathan Macedo, playing Billy Flynn, is introduced for the first time as he performs the musical number “All I Care About is Love.” Flynn is a lawyer ruled by greed and money.

Theater department does adapted version of Chicago christian silva Photo Editor

The production of Chicago was another huge culminating project for the Akins Journey Theatre program, involving dozens of singers, dancers, actors and musicians.

This high school edition of the famous broadway production was a major undertaking for the Theater department. According to the directors, there were many obstacles that made Chicago a challenging play to stage.

This year the theatre department welcomed two new directors to the staff: Kade Lasseigne in technical theatre and Audrey Sansom, who works at both Akins and Paredes Middle School.

The play also relied on students to help with creating much of the choreography for the play. Senior Jonathan Macedo, sophomore Abigail Segura and sophomore Kacey Wasson.

In the playbill for Chicago, the directors thanked many people who were instrumental in putting on the play. They thanked the Akins Eagle Jazz Band for producing the live music performed throughout the play.

The Diamond Dazzlers and their faculty directors were also thanked for preparing three dance routines and being a part of the production.

The musical was also helped by having Mary McKenna serve as a vocal coach that worked to help the performers perfect the songs in the play.

The directors thanked Conceptual Creations for allowing them to use a movable two story set piece that was used throughout the play. The set piece was also used in the district wide production of Newsies this past summer.

THE PUPPETEER

Ash Catalan

Sophomore Kacey Wasson and Macedo performing “We Both Reach for the Gun” as Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn. Wasson acted as a puppet in the scene.

photo essay

The Eagle’s Eye

Page 29 - Febuary 11, 2019

Angela Glass

CAN YOU DO MAMA A FAVOR

Junior Samantha Soliz performs “When You’re Good to Mama,” her introductory song. Mama works in a prison and does favors for prisoners for money.

TEAM OF RIVALS

A CASE OF “WHO DONE IT”

Angela Glass

Senior Nam Lee, as Sergeant Fogarty(right), investigates the murder. Senior Dace Otero(left) played Hart’s husband.

Monse Rubi Soto

Wasson and Rollon performing “Hot Honey Rag” together. The scene’s dance number concluded the musical.

EXTRA, EXTRA!

Emily Bellinghausen

Senior Opal Sanchez, as Mary Sunshine, gets a story from Flynn and Hart. Sunshine is a reporter in the play.

HOW DO YOU PLEAD

Bethany Bissell

Sophomore Coral Rolon, as Velma Kelly, performing “Cell Block Tango.”

Kelly was a famous singers.

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Page 30 - February 11, 2019

EE

Explores Angela Glass

B

Life & Style Editor

eing in a relationship comes with a lot of pressure, especially during the holiday season. Valentine’s day is filled with expectations of what a couple needs to do for each other to prove that they care for one another. It is expected that couples go on cute dates, create surprises,

Spots to visit on a date in North Lamar during Valentine’s Day give gifts that are both romantic and memorable. It is a good idea to have a conversation with your significant other before making any plans. Ask what they want, and tell them what you want. Part of being in a relationship is accommodating for each other. Date night is supposed to be a night where you get to spend intimate time with one another. But the only way that this can work is if the conversation is open and honest. Make sure to actually listen

to the response and make compromises when necessary.

If you and your partner agree to go out for Valentine’s Day, The Eagle’s Eye has planned out a fun date night downtown. The intersection of Lamar and Sixth street, there are some cool spots to check out. Wwe have highlighted some of our restaurants and shops to visit. While on the date just remember to be present during it; no phone distractions, engage in conversations and be yourself.

LEGEND: Date Locations

2 3

Bus Stop

Other locations: Lush Amy’s Ice Cream 1

1

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market is an unexpectedly pleasant date spot, featuring a variety of amenities for a fun evening. First off the parking garage is free so there is no need to worry about checking a parking meter. Secondly, this supermarket has a large variety of ready to eat food, ranging from barbecue to salad bar everyone can find something to eat. Lastly, there are stairs that lead to the rooftop that is decorated with lights. Sit at a bench or in the playscape and enjoy your meal with that special someone.

2

24 Diner This 24-hour restaurant is influenced by diners of the 50’s but brings in modern design to class it up. The lighting helps sets a romantic mood but the vibe of the restaurant is relaxed which is perfect for a pressure-filled date. This restaurant is only in Austin so they try to buy local produce whenever possible to support Texan farmers. Comfort food is their focus but a chef spin is added to switch up the flavors of the classic dish which ties back to the retro modern theme.

Book People 3

Waterloo Records & Video Waterloo Records is another Austin founded store with a large variety of music and films.

Since 1982 Waterloo has been a part of Austin’s music scene. This is a cool place to hang out in and browse their selection of CDs, vinyl records, DVDs, music-related magazines, t-shirts and trinkets. They also have in-store performances free for all ages. On Feb. 14 Robert Ellis is playing at 5 p.m. His music is a blend of pop and jazz. If you or your partner are into music, this is a great place to checkout.

Seasonal

The Eagle’s Eye

EE

What do healthy relationships look Asks: like in adolescence, and why we care?

Tania Dominguez Staff Writer

eenage relationships are often undermined, considered to be a ‘not real relationship.’ this isn’t always the case. Most failed relationships end because either partner lacks the life experience to deal with complex emotions, it is very important for a teenager to be able to have a healthy, stable relationship with their partner. Most teens don’t realize when they’re being manipulated, cheated, or strung along, and this is because teens simply lack experience.

The Eagle’s Eye conducted an interview with Student Support Services social worker Meg Scamardo about the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship.

1

What are some characteristics of a healthy romantic relationship?

Respectful is the first word that comes to my mind.

Relationships where you’re allowed to be yourself, have your own friends and have your own life. I think healthy relationships are full of love, affection and communication. Boundaries are important, but I think the most important part is feeling like you don’t have to be someone else for another person.

2

What are some characteristics of an unhealthy romantic relationship?

What we see in unhealthy relationships is usually one person trying to control other aspects of people’s life.

What we do know about unhealthy relationships is that it can start with really small things like saying that they want you to dress a certain way or not talk to certain people. Unhealthy relationships are a lot about power and control, and a lot of times partners who are abusive are partners who just don’t know how to be healthy in a relationship. They will just start to find ways to exert their power and control.

3

What are some strategies of getting out of a toxic relationship?

I think the most important part of getting out of a toxic relationship is just honoring yourself that you have done everything you know how to do and that you were strong and you were a survivor. There just has to be a certain degree of self-love and self-respect, and sometimes that’s something that can be missing from people who are living unhealthy relationships. Getting out of unhealthy relationships requires some kind of help, so whether that’s just talking to a friend, or a parent, or a trusted adult about how something about this relationship doesn’t feel safe and good. Someone who’s truly scared for their physical safety must know it’s important to get help.

4

How does one cope with the aftermath of escaping an abusive relationship?

Angela Glass

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Page 31 - February 11, 2019

Unfortunately what we know about unhealthy relationships is we don’t always remember every single thing that was unhealthy, we remember a lot of really good times and really good memories, so it can be hard to leave that behind. There is a grief that comes along with leaving an abusive relationship, just as if you were grieving the death of a loved one. There are stages that you go through, anger, to denial, to depressed, to bargaining, and you know eventually we hope that you’ll be able to find acceptance, but it does take a very long time.

5

Why are some teenage relationships difficult to maintain?

I think teenage relationships can be difficult to maintain because we don’t understand a lot of things that go into a relationship. So for example, we don’t understand the importance of healthy boundaries. I don’t mean maturity level, but just that we haven’t had the life experience yet. We don’t recognize these warning signs and red flags, and before you know it, we’re in a really dangerous situation. We don’t recognize the importance of having our own identity and having our own life and knowing what we want. Not just what someone else is telling us to want.

6

How does one cope with the aftermath of escaping an abusive relationship?

A big part of coping and a big part of healing for survivors is just again, practicing self-love, practicing self care, and practicing self compassion. And with any kind of trauma or anything that has a serious impact on our heart, just tell yourself that it will take time. Unfortunately what we know about unhealthy relationships is we don’t always remember every single thing that was unhealthy, Sometimes we remember a lot of really good times and really good memories, so it can be hard to leave that behind.

7

Meg Scamardo

Do you have any tips for helping teens to keep their relationships positive?

I have a lot of tips. I think first educating yourself about relationships and talking to other people about what you think is a healthy relationship and what it should look like. A big part of teen relationships is not losing sight of ourselves, a lot of time in teenage relationships we kind of get caught up in this other person who makes us feel a way we’ve always wanted to feel. Which is beautiful and almost everyone has a desire to have a connection with someone. I think it’s important especially in high school and especially as teenagers that we are always doing a lot of self-care and that we’re always focusing on self-love.

Brianna Cozzi contributed to this story

What do you think creates a healthy relationship?

“ “ “

Kids make stupid decision and relationships are something they cannot do well

”

Knowing that both of y’all will be fine without one another and accept that not everything works out A healthy relationships are created from honesty, confidence, and the strong connection they have towards one another.

”

”

Responses generated from online survey generated by The Eagle’s Eye

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Page 32 - February 11, 2019

Valentine’s Day deliveries from the Akins Carrier Eagle To: Colby Nguyen From: Colby Nguyen

Thank you for everything!! Love ya :)

To: Rhae Cox From: Anonymous Ash Catalan Published as part of a fundraiser

Hey boo! You’re such a good person and I’m so glad I met you this year.

Thank you for making me so happy Mrs. Stone, you are the icing on my and for all the laughs we’ve shared so far this year. Love you!! <3 cake, the cherry on my Sunday and the whip cream on my pumpkin pie.

You are my best friend and I love To: Renae Garza From: Anonymous you. Will you be my gal-entine?

I will always love you forever you always help me down kept it real was my shoulder to cry on and I will be To: Elena Salinas your shoulder to cry on you support From: Diego Sosa Gutierrez me in my dreams and my passions I love you so incredibly much and and that’s what I love about you I’m so thankful for you. You’re my favorite human and I’m super looking your family is so beautiful but not as forward to this summer and spending beautiful as you. No matter where my senior year with you. You’re the you go, you’ll always be in my heart, best partner I could’ve ever asked for, I love you You bring joy, peace and happiness to my heart I want to be Demons and all Mi Amore.. more than just friends.

To: Mrs. Stone From: Ms. Bouranis

To: Maya Romero From: Anonymous

Thanks for being a good friend!

To: Bryson Zamora From: Isabel Rocio Hernandez

I know we go through a lot but, we always come out together. Thick and thin I’ll always love you dearly my love. Never forget that you only have my heart and eyes.

To: Jason Guevara From: Delia Quiroz

Thank you for coming into my life <3

To: Cirilo Martinez From: Carla Velarde

Happy Valentine’s Day! Text me back & stop being rude. Don’t make me late to class next time.

To: Carla Velarde From: Cirilo Martinez

Ya like jazz?