THE
EAGLE’S EYE W. Charles Akins High School
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Austin, Texas
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Panic! at the Disco
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Courtesy of Adrian Ochoa
Volume 16
Issue 5
April 12, 2017
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P.4
Teen Court
Softball p.10
Matthew Rocha
Remembering
Dr. Charles Akins 1932 - 2017
Eliana Gutierrez
▲ Eagles Soar
Dr. Charles Akins speaks at the 2016 graduation ceremony at the Frank Erwin Center and gives words of encouragement to the college bound students. Akins, who served Austin ISD for more than 50 years, died on March 29, 2017.
Campus shares its memories — page 5 New classes
culture
Ethnic studies elective classes offered next year Bethany Bissell Staff writer
Majority-minority. This confusing term is what Austin was deemed to be as of 2010 when the percentage of different ethnic groups outnumbered the percentage of white people living in Austin. Because Austin is constantly growing and diversifying, Austin ISD is rolling out an Ethnic Studies course to keep up with these trends and raise awareness of ethnic groups within Austin. Ethnic Studies is a new course being piloted next year at Akins, Anderson, Travis, Austin, LBJ, and Reagan High Schools in order to help students be college-, career-, and life-ready. It will be an elective course, although originally it was proposed as a mandatory graduation credit for all Austin ISD students. School board trustee Paul Saldaña said the community’s increasing diversity is one of the driving forces motivating Austin ISD to offer the course. “We have nearly 100 languages spoken in our schools, we serve about 1,100 refugee students from 42 different countries, and we have dual language programs in about
Programs
68 of our campuses, ” Saldaña said. “So the whole intent or thought behind ethnic and cultural studies is basically to introduce the experiences of the students that make up our classrooms.” Saldaña said the intention of the class is to provide students with an opportunity to discuss their heritage and experiences. He said the class will help students develop what he calls an “academic identity.” “Let’s say that I’m Irish, but there’s never been an opportunity to talk about my Irish heritage.” Saldaña said. “If that becomes part of the curriculum in the classroom, then that would serve as an inspiration for me to be involved more passionately in my studies and pique my interests.” The Ethnic Studies curriculum will have students read primary and secondary sources and analyze the state of groups within the United States through a historical lens. SEL teacher Christina Garcia-Mata said she thinks this will provide a good opportunity for students to learn about different types of history. “When I was in high school, I didn’t learn much about chicanismo or being a chicana,” she said. “When I got to college and started being able to pick what kinds of history I wanted to learn, whether it was hip-hop or music
or women’s history, I remember feeling like I had been cheated.” In November of 2016, the Texas State Board of Education reviewed a textbook for a newly introduced Mexican-American Studies course. Because it reinforced stereotypes about Mexican-Americans, characterizing them as lazy with a culture of “mañana,” the book was met with immense backlash from Latino groups across the state. Saldaña said that they have taken these events into account choosing course materials for Ethnic Studies, and will work with the University of Texas and nonprofit Nuestro Grupo, who spoke out against the Mexican-American studies textbook in 2016, to make the materials research-based. “Most-importantly, it would be sensitive and relative to the course conversations, so that’s why we’re going to pilot it in the six schools next year,” Saldaña said. “There’ll be an opportunity to review the process and make amendments to the program moving forward.” After the course is piloted, it will be amended and introduced into all 17 Austin high schools. Junior Isabel Leggett said she is interested in taking the course. “It think it will really broaden my view of the world and make me more well-rounded as a person,” she said.
innovation
New opportunities open for students at other campuses
Program started off small but is expected to expand more this upcoming year Raidy Zanjeel Staff Writer
For the first time in school history, students have traveled off campus this year to attend classes at other nearby schools where they provide special career classes not offered at Akins. This Student Sharing program allows Akins students to take classes like culinary arts, automotive, engineering, construction and cosmetology, which are not offered here. These programs require specialized equipment and instructors that the school district cannot provide at all campuses. Although 14 students started in the program in the fall, by the spring semester that number had dropped to eight students. They rode a bus to the other campuses to attend first or fifth period at the other campus. Akins, Bowie, Crockett, and Travis high schools are
participating in the program; however, open spots at Bowie are limited because their classes are already full. The only program open there is JROTC, which Akins already offers. Sophomore Leonel Nunez said he has appreciated the chance to attend classes that he otherwise would not be able to. “Yes, it has been a good thing and I will keep doing it until senior year and I encourage people to do it,” Nunez said. Sophomore Christopher Lee, who dropped out of the construction program at Crockett, said the program was “annoying” because he was not able to talk to his teachers easily. Sophomore Brian Medina said he has enjoyed the program because he got to actually experience cooking not just learning about it from books. “It’s been really great we got to cook a couple of times even though it’s like the beginning of class. Yes, I will keep
doing it next year,” Medina said. Although students were concerned that they would struggle not having access to teachers, the students said they are able to finish their work in class. “The teacher doesn’t really give us homework,” Medina said. “We learn that day she helps us as much as she can because she knows that we don’t see her everyday. So if we have extra questions she’s always there to help us.” Engineering teacher John Sayce said he thinks more students would participate in the program if it was publicized more. He taught one student from Bowie who attended his engineering classes. “Probably just have it known more at the schools that potential students might come from,” he said. “I don’t know if enough of the students really realize they could come to Akins to take some of the engineering classes,” he said. Officials said they expect the Student Sharing program to grow more this coming school year.
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