EAGLE ’ S EYE
EDITORS
Marcelo Palacios Print Editor-in-Chief
McKenna Carpenter Opinions Editor
Ash Morris Life & Style Editor
Adrian Orduña Graphics Editor
Aubrey Montoya Online Photo Editor
Samantha Limon Web Editor-in-Chief
Madison Staman News Editor
Jasmine Woods A&E Editor
Kairi Natal Photo Editor
Ashlyn Rodriguez Copy Editor
STAFF WRITERS
SCHOOL EVENTS
SCHOOL EVENTS
HONORS
STAFF ARTISTS
Lillian Mendez
The Eagle’s Eye is the official student newspaper of Akins High School. It is published six times a year, generally once per six weeks for the school’s students, staff and community.
The Eagle’s Eye is an open forum for student expression. The Eagle’s Eye is not reviewed by school administration prior to distribution, and the adviser will not act as a censor. Content represents the views of the student staff and not school officials.
The Eagle’s Eye will work to avoid bias and/or favoritism. We will strive to make our coverage and content meaningful, timely and interesting to our readers. Our articles will reflect our genuine 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.
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
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.
2.
3. What term does Principal Herbin refer to in the context of rumors?
6.
What were the multiple damage incidents at Akins referred to as?
The Eagle’s Eye
Election results stir up mixed emotions Students have strong opinions about the 2024 election results
Darean Medina & Xavier Vargas Staff Writers
As the results of the 2024 presidential contest became clear after Election Day on Nov. 5, the Akins community shared strong reactions to the news that Donald Trump was elected to serve a second term and is set to become the 47th president of the United States.
To capture the campus’ reactions to the election results
The Eagle’s Eye shared an online survey with students and staff to ask them about how they felt, including a question in which they were asked to say how they felt in one word. A sampling of the responses includes the following: afraid, great, horrible, cooked, furious, worried, good, and heartbroken.
However, the word most commonly used was disappointed, appearing six times in 30 responses from the survey. Reaction at Akins
Out of the numerous responses, about 67% said they felt negatively about the results of the election and Trump’s return to serve as president.
When asked about any immediate concerns they may have with Trump’s presidency, a teacher wrote, “Already, Trump has announced his intentions to both harm and hide LGBTQ+ folks. I’m worried for migrant families. I’m worried for the continued decline in reproductive rights protection.”
Senior Kaliyan Phang wrote that her main concern is about women’s reproductive health.
“Hundreds of women die from not having proper access to the help they need, and our future president wants to let that continue,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, the other roughly 30% of respondents took a different view of the election and pointed out the positive effects on the country. Junior Melanie Valdez wrote that under Trump’s leadership, the U.S. experienced significant economic growth before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unemployment rates reached historic lows” and “Trump’s tax cuts and deregulation were credited by supporters for helping stimulate the economy.”
When asked about issues they hope will be addressed during Trump’s presidency, another junior said that they were “happy he was reelected. I know he’s not a good man but he’s a smart president.”
Political Science Class
Students enrolled in the school’s first political science elective class are receiving an early opportunity to take a deep dive into the world of politics.
Political science is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political institutions, and political behavior. All of this comes in handy in a presidential election year when politicians have dominated the headlines, striving to win the votes to win the election.
In the days after the Nov. 5 election, the results of the presidential election became a hot topic in the classroom as students wanted to discuss their opinions on Donald Trump’s victory.
Several students in the class said they believed that
POLITICS IN CLASS
Political science teacher Natalie Fontenot disscusses the election results with students in the new class.
Trump won the election because of economic issues related to consumers paying higher prices for everyday items because of inflation related to recovering from the COVID pandemic. The Eagle’s Eye did not require students to share their names so they felt comfortable sharing their thoughts anonymously during a classroom discussion after the election.
“I believe, because of his past presidency, because of how the economy was back then, even though it was said that it was still Obama’s (economy) back then, but it just kind of ran through Trump’s presidency,” they said. “But I guess a bunch of his fans still decided to vote for him again, especially because he was running up against a woman. I feel like it’s the new thing, especially for her, since she would have been the first woman black president in history. So I don’t think they were going to be ready for that.”
Another student had a different take on Trump’s win.
“I think he won because a lot of people think that he’s a leader and that he’s he’s a person with a voice that can say
What was your initial reaction to the news that Donald Trump was re-elected as president?
whatever he wants, do whatever he wants, and won’t get in trouble for it,” they said.
Besides getting to discuss current events in class, another student said the political science class has helped him learn about how he can get more involved in the political process.
“I always want to be active in my community and help people like understand how things work and help them if they need help on something,” junior Carter Pena said.
“I believe that both candidates lacked certain critical aspects which either way would have created negative impacts on American people.”
— Rami Kashakhi Junior
“I feel extremely disappointed that the majority of our nation voted for a candidate so full of hate and I’m scared for the future I’m about to enter.”
— Kaliyan Phang Senior
Xavier Vargas
Building failures disrupt learning
WATER CLEAN-UP
Custodians use floor cleaners to help contain the water from the AC pipe burst on Oct. 17. Workers identied a weak weld in the AC waterline as the cause for the leak that flooded classrooms in the Green Hall. This lead to three teachers to be displaced from their classrooms for three weeks.
Alex Enyart Staff Writer
When a sophomore in Stephanie Haynes classroom saw a stream of black sludge-like water pouring out of the ceiling in her science class on Oct. 17, she was shocked at what she was seeing.
First, there was a loud sound and then foul-smelling water started gushing down into the classroom, said the sophomore, who asked to remain anonymous. Students in the room were horrified at the strange sight and quickly got their phones out to record what they saw.
“It left half of the students traumatized because you never know when another pipe can just burst open at any time of the day,” she said.
The water leak was the first of two events in what’s known as the green hall of the main building, causing disruptions to the learning environment and raising concern among students and staff about the condition of the 24-year-old building. Three teachers were relocated to different classrooms for about three weeks before they were allowed to move back into the rooms that suffered water damage.
Principal Michael Herbin said the water leak originated from an AC water line for the coolant system that had a faulty weld that made the pipe weak. The water that poured out of the ceiling was black because it was in a closed system and old.
“It was black because it was just old,” he said. “I don’t know, how often those things get changed, but, I mean, it could have been 20-year-old water in there, right?”
The water poured into the hallway and damaged two other nearby classrooms, which also had to be relocated so district staff could replace the soaked drywall to prevent the development of mold. The repair work led to another disruption to the learning environment less than a week later when students and school staff were surprised by a gas
leak when they arrived at school on Oct. 22.
School administrators notified school staff to leave the building until emergency workers could identify the source of the gas leak, shut down the leak, and allow time for the gas smell to dissipate. The gas leak caused classes to start about 40 minutes late, leading to some students not coming to school that day. Some teachers decided to relocate their classes outside the courtyard to avoid the strong smell of gas that remained in the building.
Herbin said the gas leak was caused by a worker who accidentally opened one of the gas lines in a science lab that was undergoing drywall repair work.
“It was literally a guy that was here, that doesn’t work here, doing the flood mitigation, who opened it,” Herbin said. Students at Akins have expressed growing concerns about the condition of the campus following the incidents. Senior Robert Lockay shared his concerns about the condition of the portable classrooms.
“I remember in ASL my sophomore year, we had water dripping from the light,” Lockay said. There’s a whole infrastructure problem within Akins, where not enough funding has gone towards keeping the school up to date.”
Lockay said he is worried that the most recent incidents are part of a “domino effect.”
“As things continue to fall over, more things will fall over and get worse,” Lockay said.
Science teacher Matt Stricklen, one of the teachers affected by the water leak, said he understands that any building could experience a structural failure at some point.
“I don’t think there was anything that I saw that indicated something was wrong with the water line,” he said. “However, we do have some other infrastructure issues that, you know, this was a wake-up call to start looking at some of the older systems, and where we might need to take some preventive measures.”
In 2022, Austin ISD voters approved a bond issue proposition that includes funding for air conditioning replacement
The Akins custodial staff cleans up water that poured ouf of an AC waterline, flooding classrooms in the Green Hall on Oct. 17.
at Akins. Herbin said that the district will spend $5 million this summer to replace the school’s original AC units installed in the main building when the school opened in 2000. In addition, the school will see safety and security improvements including a “security vestibule,” which works like a holding area before visitors can enter the rest of the building.
There will also be tall fencing installed around the portables and improvements made to the CTE classrooms.
Despite these improvements, Lockay said he still has concerns with the level of funding the school receives from the state to keep the campus in optimal condition.
“We’re just generally doing basic maintenance,” he said. “They’re scraping by with the bare minimum.”
De’mari Featherstone ON THE JOB
Robert Lockay
Changes needed to improve communication
Since the beginning of the school year, the campus has experienced at least three incidents that have caused students and staff to worry due to a lack of clear communication.
On Aug. 28, there was an incident in which a student had a firearm on campus. Parents and teachers received an email that went out at 5:45pm, after school about the incident but students did not. There was no hold or announcement made so when students went home that day they were met with questions from parents about a firearm incident they knew nothing about.
On Oct. 17, there was a water line break in which black sludge-like water poured out of a broken AC waterline and caused water damage to several classrooms. No messages to students and parents were sent out.
On Oct. 22, there was a gas leak before school started that caused a delay to the school and no messages were sent out until an email went out about 9:15 a.m. and it only was sent to staff and parents so students once again were left out of the loop.
With these problems occurring, communication between the administration and the student body needs to be a priority, but this has not been met and has left students with more questions than answers. Incidents such as the discovery of a student with a firearm is such a scary thing to have to deal with, but it makes it even worse when you are expected to go back to school the next day without being told when dangerous situations are occurring. It allows for there to be an environment of worry and distrust when it comes to being on school grounds, which should not happen, especially considering school should be a safe haven for students.
There are things that can be done to help improve communication between students and administrators. To start, they can email students as well as parents so both parties have a way of being notified. More clarification can be done by administrators by having debriefs after a threat or incident happens where they talk
about what happened and what the result was. This would help stop misinformation and rumors about these situations. This could also help with easing the minds of students who may have concerns about their safety.
On top of this, the administration could also consider trying to get an app that would notify students not only on emergencies but also on just basic daily life happenings on campus. Granted, something like this would take a lot of time and money to implement; however, there are already apps like this in use at other schools. An app to take note of is School Pass by Raptor Technologies, which has been working with Texas school districts for the past 20 years.
Over 80% of Texas public schools utilize Raptor Technologies, AISD is a major user of their technologies this would include their drill manager software and visitor management system. This system has helped keep our schools safe and with this app, it would allow for the community to be more alert. This app in particular also has a feature that keeps track of attendance for students and will alert parents if their kid has any absences as well as emergency safety notifications. This app would address two big
issues that our campus has revolving around attendance and communication.
However, there is another party when it comes to communication with our campus and that would be the downtown offices. As Principal Herbin stated, when it comes to an emergency there are multiple offices and people that have to approve messages that are sent out to parents and the community. The full process that is involved would be for Herbin to take the information from the police and create a draft of what could be sent out. That draft has to then be edited and approved by the assistant superintendent of schools, executive directors, and the communications department. So this process takes a lot of time just for the information to be released. If this process could somehow be shortened to allow principals the ability to send out information after making sure the information is accurate this would also help. For example, it’s not always the principal’s decision when to call for a hold or send out an emergency message to parents. In some cases, the Austin ISD police department makes the decision.
What is an editorial?
For instance the situation with the firearm earlier this year wasn’t deemed to be serious enough for there to be a hold, according to Herbin.
“It was basically reported that there was a weapon on campus, reported to us. We immediately notified the police,” Herbin said.
The police immediately went to the classroom, pulled the student out, found the weapon and that was it. At the time since they found the kid and the weapon, they didn’t view it as a major threat, which explains the lack of a hold. Herbin said that the School Resource Officers, the sergeants, lieutenants, and even the chief of police step in to control the situation.
This doesn’t mean that Herbin can’t call a hold. It’s just when it comes to these scenarios, he isn’t the person overseeing every operation. That is left to the police since he isn’t in charge of certain situations.
When it comes to hosting debrief meetings with students and staff, Herbin said he isn’t against doing it.
“I don’t think necessarily that it’s a bad idea. It could be a good idea to just clear up any misinformation.”
He said it could help stop “rumor mills that run a muck after these situations.” He said it could be beneficial for him to have a central location where he can talk about the situation for both students and teachers having “an official communication that goes out, that says exactly what the details are “this would be extremely helpful, especially to those who have questions”, Herbin stated.
Communication between administration and students is always essential for a campus to run smoothly. It is crucial that students can feel safe and comfortable at school without worry.
We just need the tools and support from Austin ISD district leaders to help our administrators communicate during emergencies. Clear and regular communication can go a long way to stop the spread of misinformation and to make kids feel safe and valued in their school.
The Eagle’s Eye editorial board decides the postions taken in the staff editorial. The editorial board consists of the paper’s top section editors for the print edition. Editorials are not given a byline because they represent the collective opinion of the board. The topic of the editorial is discussed by the board and a position is voted on. When deciding on the position, majority rules so most opinions reflect the majority of the opinions of the board. Editorials do not surpport or represent the official opinion of Akins Early College High School administration.
Marcelo Print EIC Samantha Online EIC Kairi Photo Ash Life & Style
Madison News
Adrian Graphics Ashlyn Copy
McKenna Opinion Jasmine A&E
Adrian Orduna
Media bolsters stereotypes during holidays
Harmful gender portrayals around the holidays affect children
McKenna Carpenter Opinion Editor
When I was a kid we would watch those holiday special episodes where the father would be playing with the sons and the mother and daughter would be in the kitchen making the family dinner. I would ask myself, “Why does the father not help his wife? Why do they all sit around the kitchen table enjoying the homemade meal while the women do the dishes after cooking all the food?”
These depictions can be so harmful to the young impressionable people of the world. These conditions are always present in Christmas ads and movies. Such depictions of gender roles in popular media seem to have always divided men and women into specific roles that have become so prominent in our society today.
Even as society grows away from the typical nuclear family — and Americans have become more accepting of differences — I still feel like those corny holiday jokes always rear their ugly heads every holiday season. Especially around the dinner table, jokes about mothers who buy and wrap all the gifts and then write dad on the gift tag. And there is also the cliche of the mom who is always in the kitchen while the dad is sprawled out on the couch watching football. Or the mom who’s trying to clean up just before her judgmental mother-inlaw gets there. It makes it all feel like one big year-round joke. I see it on social media every time the holidays get closer.
While these cliche depictions and jokes, can be funny on the surface, the reality is that they can be harmful in perpetuating those with subservient views of women. They reinforce the idea that all fathers are lazy and that all mothers are supposed to cook and clean.
These subservient depictions of women can be especially harmful to little girls and young women. According to the HBS, The Harvard Working Knowledge website. These stereotypes are damaging to the psyche of young women, lowering their self-esteem when they constantly consume this media. Seeing men in all these positions of power, It makes women feel as though their lives will always be in the hands of men in a man’s world, and that there is no point in
striving to work in those powerful positions. “They lack confidence in their ability to compete in fields that men are stereotypically believed to perform more strongly in, such as science, math, and technology,” said in research done by Katherine B. Coffman, reaffirming what we already knew. Depiction of women in the media always seems tainted by undercurrents of sexism, especially when it comes to ads targeting moms during the holidays. These ads always seem to portray the mothers as the ones responsible for caring for their children, getting them ready, basically just depicting women in a way that says their ideal purpose is to be mothers.
Every time you see a woman on screen, it’s either to do with her children or how she’s trying to clean up. I mean when was the last time you saw a man doing a cleaning product commercial by himself, and if he was, were they depicting him as competent? I don’t think that these things are inherently deep, and to recognize the stereotypes you really think about the intent of the ad, showing how ingrained sexism is in our society.
November and December are prime times for seeing lots of holiday ads when companies begin to capitalize on parents buying toys for their children. When you see those kinds of ads you can see the clear difference in what toy is for girls and what toy is for boys. As a kid, you don’t care what you get as long as you get something cool. However, there is a clear difference in what toys are meant for boys and girls. There are different meanings to the word cool depending on the person, but when you see the ads with monster trucks, dinosaurs, and video games, kids can see a
theme with who these toys are intended. It’s disappointing that these big companies don’t market these items in ways that avoid reinforcing gender stereotypes. They don’t have to make it pink and frilly for a lot
They reinforce the idea that all fathers are lazy and that all mothers are supposed to cook and clean.
— Mckenna Carpenter Opinion Editor
of girls to like it. I remember when I was younger, I always hated when all the Five Nights at Freddy’s shirts were in the boys’ section. I always felt like I got weird looks for excitedly asking my mom to get me one. Or when people would tell me that because I was a girl I’d never be able to like video games or be any good at them.
While some of these gender roles are taught and reinforced by parents themselves, popular media and advertising exacerbate the consequences of these stereotypes. Sure at the age of 7, many girls want pink frilly toys but that is not the case for all of them. When girls have baby dolls shoved into their arms and boys are forced into complying with the gender norm of liking sports and monster trucks, this robs children of the opportunity to explore other interests. Kids should be allowed to just be kids.
This also extends to the unfortunate ste-
reotype that all girls fantasize about getting married. They’ve been taught that being girly and dainty is what they have to do to get a man to like them and that they should be subservient to them for their protection. Kids do not make up these ideas in their heads, these things are taught. People often say that kids are taught hate, which makes me think a bit more about this. Kids aren’t aware of stereotypes, rather they’re slowly taught about the hatred of the world.
This also happens to adults when you see an ad for wine so heavily marketed towards women. When you finally see a man swirling his wine-filled glass you think “Why is he drinking that? Is he gay? What a girly drink.” What makes it a girly drink? Ultimately, it’s the advertising that tells us that wine is only something women and mothers enjoy. Essentially I feel women will always be the main topic when it comes to sexism, but there is always an inverse to every argument you choose to make. There are also plenty of cases when boys want to have a Barbie doll for Christmas but his parents tell him no, just because he’s a boy.
Another offensive and harmful stereotype is the idea that all fathers are lazy and all they do is sit on the couch. Most fathers would be offended and hurt if someone were to say they did nothing to contribute. This includes my own dad, who not only works a multi-day week, but he works hard to help my mom out with the holiday cooking, whether he does the outside cooking or helps with the inside. He also does his best to help clean.
These ideals aren’t just harmful to the standing of women, it’s harmful to men as well, especially single fathers who work hard to provide their kids with a “normal Christmas.”
I understand that our societal norms are the result of traditions that have been practiced for decades or even centuries. However, there comes a time when traditions become obsolete or more harmful than beneficial. The point of life is to create new things, and to grow from what is the norm. I am not saying that it is wrong for mothers to enjoy cooking or for fathers to indulge in football and grilling during the holidays, but there is value in questioning whether it is time to do away with traditions that can have harmful impacts on our children and the developing psyche of young women and men.
Liz Arzola
IN-DEPTH IN-DEPTH
AI technology ingrains into everyday life, school work
Teachers say Austin ISD policies on artificial intelligence are vague
Yanitzel Salazar Staff Writter
Whether you like it or not, you are already likely using artificial intelligence technology on a daily basis.
Email spam filters, video playlist recommendations, fitness trackers, product recommendations, chatbots, and even smart home security cameras are all examples of how AI tech is becoming incorporated into our daily lives.
Not everyone is happy about AI use becoming widespread.
One Akins student expressed frustration about what AI is doing to students in a comment submitted to a survey by The Eagle’s Eye.
“AI is turning human creativity into recycled slop,” they wrote.
Today, many online services that were once powered by traditional computer algorithms written by humans are starting to become replaced by ones written by computers that utilize machine learning, which is what enables modern artificial intelligence tools.
The changes can be subtle and unnoticeable to the average user. For example, when you log into a streaming service like Netflix to find a movie or TV show to watch, there is a good chance that it is now using artificial intelligence. It’s that technology that allows the service to build personalized lists of shows for you to watch based on your past viewing habits and other information that the service knows about you.
One way AI is becoming more noticeable comes in the form of AI-powered answers to web search questions.
These appear at the top of web pages as Google search engine results. These answers are powered by Google’s proprietary AI system known as Gemini, which is gradually being added to more of Google’s other services, including Google Docs.
American’s ability to recognize AI
The Pew Research Center recently released a study that found most Americans’ ability to identify specific uses of the technology is still developing. Only 30% of U.S. adults could correctly recognize all six examples of AI in everyday life that Pew asked about in a December 2022 survey.
While most people don’t even realize that artificial intelligence is powering these services, these features are quickly spreading into more products people use regularly, including Google Docs, spell checkers, and photo editing software. The proliferation of AI-generated images and videos that spread virally on social media has also raised awareness about the influence this technology is having on our culture, society, and politics.
For some, the proliferation of AI results in a dystopian
reality. Ever since the rise of AI, there has been increasing concern about its ethical use, especially when it comes to students using it for school work.
large amounts of data quickly to assist researchers and write computer code, but she cautioned students from
AI use at Akins
The Eagle’s Eye distributed an online survey, asking stu dents to share their experiences using AI tools to perform school work and their opinions about the ethics of its use.
A senior who responded to the survey wrote that using AI is “almost no different than having a personal tutor.”
“My productivity increases a lot with the help of AI, and not because it is doing work for me, but because am receiving live feedback on my work. It’s just a faster process overall,” wrote the senior.
Some respondents to the Akins survey said they use AI when they are struggling in their classes. They said it makes “life easier” and “helps solve problems,” such as school assignments and homework, that might be difficult when they lack an understanding of a specific subject or topic.
Other students said they use AI tools to check their work, increase productivity, and brainstorm ideas. There are AI tools available that explain all the steps of complicated subjects, helping them better understand the topic.
While some said they use AI to break down ideas when they are unable to get the additional support needed from their teachers, others acknowledged that they are overusing it to the point where they believe they are not learning at all.
The survey results showed that about 94% of Akins students said they believe there should be some restrictions on the use of AI tools on school work. However, not everyone agrees on what those restrictions should be.
An Akins senior wrote in the survey responses that the rules on AI use depend on how students are using it.
“If it allows students to just straight up cheat then no. But if it’s just to let students use AI tools then, yes,” they wrote. “AI could help them out as long as they aren’t relying on it for every little thing.”
Teachers on AI in the classroom
English teacher Rebecca Redland recently had classroom discussions with her AP English students about when AI use crosses an ethical line and becomes plagiarism.
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use AI to help you write a paper, mean, there’s going to be errors.”
Redland said there might be some appropriate uses for AI tools for school work and that teachers need to discuss with their students when and for what those opportunities are. She said that it might be acceptable for a student to search for topics, translate languages or change the reading-level of a text; however, students should check with their teacher first before using an AI tool.
“The teacher needs to set clear limits, but also give enough time for assignments so that students don’t feel like they have to (use AI),” Redland said. “Now, that may not be the only reason why students use AI. Sometimes it just may be pure laziness.”
“I think the problem arises at school when students use AI, and it’s not in the spirit of learning, ” Redland said. “And so if a student is trying to use AI just to complete a task, then that’s really defeating the purpose of learning.”
Redland acknowledged that AI tools can help process
long time to figure out, in those situations AI has been fruitful,” she said. “I know that, like, if you’re taking a coding class and you want to use it to help you to write code, you can. At the same time, you have to be careful because there could be errors, and you’d have to double-check. Just like, if you
Redland acknowledged that Austin ISD’s official policy on the use of AI tools is vague and mostly focused on plagiarism, but she said she believes that could allow campuses to tailor their own policies to fit the needs of their school. However, she said so far the Akins campus leadership team has yet to define those
“We’ve talked about just academic dishonesty and plagiarism, and it’s been in the handbook, but it hasn’t been modernized to address AI so it’s probably time to do that,” she said.
English teacher
Alan Brooks said he has been wanting the school to update its plagiarism policy for years. In 2018, he proposed several changes to the student handbook that defined various forms of cheating and detailed uniform consequences for repeated incidents of academic dishon-
Brooks said he solicited feedback from the English department to update the plagiarism policy, and received approval from a previous campus principal. However, those proposed changes to the campus handbook were never made, resulting in teachers and administrators handling plagiarism incidents differently.
If the updates to the student handbook’s academic dishonesty policies are ever made, Brooks said they would need to address AI use by students. Brooks said he would
How often Akins uses AI
like to be involved in leading professional training meetings for teachers to help them better understand appropriate and inappropriate use of AI in school work.
Meanwhile, students are left grappling with how to use AI tools in a world in which companies are rapidly pushing out the technology in ways that are normalizing its use and blurring the ethical lines.
An Akins junior wrote in a survey response that they expect AI tools to become just another tool that we all use on an everyday basis.
“Technology advances further each day and AI will be one of those advances,” they wrote. “And even today it has been an advance in technology. Now whether you think it was good or bad, that answer is yours to choose.”
Soleil Gutierrez
Theatre brings life to The Addams Family Macabre musical features song, dance & death
Kairi Natal
Photo Editor
The Addams Family show by the Akins Journey Theater gave underclassmen the spotlight.
Sophomore Lee Ridings who played Morticia said the audience really fueled her performance and found that her acting depended on how the energy of the audience
“The audience really fueled my performance personally,” she said. “If there was a really hype crowd I found myself putting 110% and tons of energy, and if the crowd wasn’t very loud I found myself mellowing out the character more.”
Sophomore Keira Caldwell said that playing Wednesday was hard since she’s so iconic.
“Playing such an iconic character was hard because she’s already been done so many times, but I think I tried my best to make it my own,” she said.
Junior Salix Fite said they enjoyed playing the Grandma character because of her exaggerated personality.
“I felt very confident in my role and the already exaggerated nature of it and every performance just felt like another run of the show,” they said.
7. Junior Felix Polanco, who plays Pugsley, and sophomore Lee Ridings, who plays Morticia, react to junior Salix Fite, who plays Grandma. 1 2
1. Sophomore Eliza Brown, who plays Alice Beineke, forces sophomore George Whitehurst, who plays Lurch, to touch her.
2. Jason Bahn, who plays Lucas Beineke, blindfolds Keira Caldwell, who plays Wednesday, to show her how crazy he can be.
3. Sophomore Lee Ridings dances to “When You’re an Addams” in the opening number.
4. Junior Felix Polanco, who plays Pugsley is tortured during the song “Pulled.”
5. Sophomore Lee Ridings, who plays Morticia, lets Junior Felix Polanco,, who plays Pugsley, drink from her wine cup.
6. Sophomore Keira Caldwell sings the song “One Normal Night.”
PHOTO ESSAY
Tyler dives deep into Chromakopia
While
masked,
Tyler reveals personal
Aubrey Montoya Online Photo Editor
Whether it’s in his music, his style, or his methods of self-expression, Tyler the Creator has never been afraid to push boundaries within the music industry.
Chromakopia, his latest album released on Monday, October 28, is an example of him following his own rules. This album combines complex beats with vivid lyricism. Tyler also combines color, emotion, and genre with a vivid image of his past, present, and future self. Chromakopia, brings the listener on a deep dive into his personal life, which he reveals more about than ever before.
In his previous albums, Tyler has portrayed a cast of alter egos. For example in his album Igor, he portrays the character who represents his anger and resentment towards someone he loves. On Call Me if You Get Lost, he portrays Tyler Baudelaire, who reveals his loving and vulnerable side. And now on Chromakopia, Tyler portrays the alter ego St. Chroma, which represents Tyler, who is now 33 years old, maturing and coming into an understanding of his important life events.
Each song on Chromakopia has a different and unique story, and each song on this album has a deep and significant meaning behind it.
The color “Chroma”, a beautiful, dark green color, relates to Tyler’s brand as he is known for being colorful. Whether it comes to his music, personality, or clothing. The word “copia” means “abundance.” The word is associated with wealth, variety, and fertility. Foreshadowing the color, feeling, and theme of the album. The Saint Chro ma persona is based on Chroma the Great from the 1961 novel “Phantom Tollbooth.” In the novel, the character Chroma the Great is a conductor who dictates the color of the world through the sound of music.
stories on new album release
throughout the album. He appears to be wearing a mask that looks exactly like his face. This represents the honesty that Tyler pours into this album. So much honesty that he feels the need to wear a mask to express these feelings.
The song titled “Hey Jane,” originates from a healthcare company, based in New York that gives abortion-related procedures. Which further foreshadows what the song talks about. The song goes on to show two different perspectives on an unintended pregnancy with the parties being Tyler and “Jane” as they talk about their emotions and what to do.
During the production of Tyler’s Chromakopia, the album was originally going to start off and end with Tyler talking about his life growing up in L.A. since many people speculated that he grew up in the suburbs. Later, the album refocuses on the meaning behind what his mother had always told him growing up. He realizes that everyone around him is getting older, starting families, and moving on, while all he has is wealth and fame. It’s him coming to a conclusion, that along with everyone else, he’s getting older.
The first song on the album “St. Chroma” is what introduces the listener to Chromakopia. The song is so much more than an introduction to the album. It conveys his development as a musician and as a person. The lyrics he uses capture the honesty of what he feels. He expresses the journey he’s been on since he first rose to prominence as an artist and his current status.
In the music video we are introduced to Saint Chroma, this is the alter ego Tyler takes on
The song’s first half transitions into Tyler discussing his feelings about the circumstance. He discusses how anxious he is and continues to explain that the individual he got pregnant is not a romantic partner and they are still getting to know one another. Towards the end of his part of the song, he explains to her that at the end of the day, it’s her choice and that he supports her either way. The song slowly shifts to Jane’s point of view. She expresses her feelings towards the situation as well and that she’s happy that it happened with him, but isn’t sure what to do. She continues by saying that she had previously undergone an abortion and didn’t want to have one again. She says that she is already growing older and that voice in her head is telling her to keep it. “Hey Jane” serves as a reminder to people that we are all human and all share human experiences.
Lastly, Tyler’s “Like Him,” featuring Lola Young, is the 12th song on the album. He dives into the emptiness his father’s absence has left in him. Exploring his identity and learning to understand himself. Tyler talks about his personal journey and questions the traits he inherited that tie back to his relationships. The song opens with Tyler’s realization of how he resembles his father. Someone who he is tied to but doesn’t have a relationship with. In the song, Tyler repeats the words “Like Him,” representing his confusion and realizations.
Tyler confesses to his mother in the song that he feels like he’s “chasing a ghost.” This is a metaphor he uses to show the emotions of searching for that connection with someone who is absent and unknown.
Overall, this album is great. When I first listened to it, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it because it was very different compared to his other albums, but it grew on me. I would recommend this album to anyone but mostly long-time Tyler fans. I believe they would appreciate it a lot more because it captures his personal experiences that may be relatable to his audience.
Columbia Records
Joker Folie à Deux deserves a closer look
Silas Baker Staff Writer
Joker Folie à Deux was released in early October and fans are not happy about it.
After premiering at the Venice Film Festival in September, Joker Folie à Deux received a series of neverending negative reviews. Many believed that it was an unnecessary sequel that didn’t tell its own story but just retells the story of the original 2019 film. This was mostly due to the courtroom drama portion of the film, where many of the supporting characters give their testimony of the events from the previous movie.
Another big reason the film has performed so poorly is the musical aspect. While a Joker musical may sound interesting, the execution was extremely flawed. Instead of creating their own songs, the filmmakers decided to repurpose songs from older musicals. The musical sequences also felt extremely awkward and unnatural, like they were crammed in at the last minute to extend the screen time.
One of the major controversies of the film was misleading marketing. The trailers showed scenes that never made it into the theatrical cut of the film. For example, there are several shots of Joker and Lee (Harley)
dancing on courthouse steps with people watching and cheering them on, but there were no scenes in the film that involved anything like that. This led many to believe that the scene was shot just to make the trailer more engaging.
Joker Folie à Deux also alienated many fans of the first film and just DC fans in general. Some people even believe that the film was made to provoke and enrage fans of the Joker. The story moves away from Arthur Fleck becoming the iconic super
film, it is revealed that Arthur isn’t even the Joker of his own film.
For many people, the movie was a huge disappointment and did not live up to its predecessor. The film has become the lowest-rated comic book movie of all time, earning a D rating on CinemaScore and 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Joker Folie à Deux has bombed hard at the box office. It has lost Warner Bros. roughly
150-200 million dollars. Warner Bros. has also pulled the film out of many theaters early, so they could release the film digitally for people to buy or rent.
The film obviously has its flaws, but there were certain aspects of the film that many agree were handled well. For example, the performances were all fantastic. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Joker and Lee, both knew how to bring madness and insanity to their respective characters. Also, the cinematography (the way the film was shot) was incredible. All of the musical sequences were colorful and visually striking.
I am part of the minority of people who actually enjoyed Joker Folie à Deux. Sure, the film was chaotic and messy, but isn’t it supposed to be? This version of the Joker is mentally ill and large portions of this film and the 2019 film were just the character’s fantasies and dreams. In the first Joker, the protagonist, Arthur, is dancing and hearing music in his head, so doesn’t it make sense that this music would eventually come out? I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I had seen some early reviews of the film and was expecting to come out of the theater, hating it, but I really enjoyed it. I do believe that people should go to see it and form their own opinion on Joker Folie á Deux.
Hollywood goes big on Wicked movie marketing
out with a surprise cake mix that could be either green or pink. Bakers won’t find out what color it is until theyu start making the cake pops or cupcakes.
One of the most anticipated movies of 2024 is almost here with the coming release of Wicked, which will hit theaters on November 22.
In the lead-up to its release, there has been much talk about the marketing collaborations used to promote the iconic Broadway musical being turned into a movie. According to a Hollywood Reporter article, there are more than 60 different brand collaborations that promote the movie. Three of the most viral collaborations they did that were all over social media were those by Betty Crocker, Stanley, and REM Beauty.
The popular brands that the movie has collaborated with have brought the movie more attention online. My personal favorite was the Betty Crocker collab. With Wicked’s signature colors being green and pink, Betty Crocker and Wicked got together and came
Another popular collaboration is with the brand Stanley, which is known for its cups that took over social media in recent years. Wicked and Stanley came out with Stanley cups that are based on the movie’s iconic pink and green colors.
Lastly one of the biggest collaborations is with one of the main characters’ beauty brand REM Beauty. Ariana Grande who plays the character Glinda is the founder of REM Beauty and has released makeup products collaborating with the movie.
Considering Hollywood’s tendency to capitalize on merchandise to promote blockbuster movies like Wicked,it was no surprise to see all these collaborations. Many people enjoy these collaborations more than others who see all this as nothing but a cash grab. It is understandable why people see this all as unnecessary but I think it’s a good way to promote the movie
and businesses.
Wicked is also gaining popularity not only because of the marketing collaborations but the talented stars that act in the film.
The movie’s main character is played by an amazing actress and Broadway singer Cynthia Erivo. Another amazing star in the movie is an iconic celebrity, Ariana Grande. There are many more stars in the movie who are great actors and actresses like Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and Jonathan Bailey. I believe this movie will be a big boxoffice hit and will introduce new people to the Wicked fan club.
villain and instead separates the Joker persona from Arthur. In the third act of the
Warner Bros.
Julia Torres Staff Writer
Wicked movie merch:
The brand Stanley makes a promotion for the new Wicked movie.
Betty Crockers color changing cake mix for Wicked promotion.
Ariana Grande’s ‘Wicked’ Makeup Collection made by r.e.m. Beauty
Images courtesy Stanley, Bettey Crocker and r.e.m. beauty.
SPORTS
Athletics Senior Spotlight
Volleyball, football seniors share highlights of their final seasons
Samantha Limon Sports Editor
EE: What’s your name and position?
GG: Giselle Guzman and I play as a middle hitter.
EE: How long have you been on the team?
GG: I was on JV and varsity, but I’ve been playing on varsity for two years.
EE: When did you get into volleyball and what is your favorite thing about it?
GG: I got into volleyball when I was in seventh grade, and I liked how it was a team sport, and we all had fun together.
EE: What has playing on this volleyball team at Akins taught you?
GG: It’s taught me to get closer with your coaches and with the teammates, because it’s a team sport.
EE: Do you have a favorite volleyball game moment from any of the years you have been on the team?
GG: Whenever we were at a tournament and we won the bronze bracket.
EE: Do you have a pregame ritual you do before games?
GG: We all, we all decided to start praying together, like before the game started. We all got in a huddle and prayed together.
EE: What will you miss most about high school volleyball?
GG: being able to play with my teammates, because most of them have been playing since middle
EE: What are your goals after high school?
GG: I’m gonna go into college and gonna be a ultra-
Senior, middle hitter, Giselle Guzman honored at senior night game against Westlake. Guzman shares her reflections on volleyball, memorable times, and her future goals as her team’s season comes to an end.
Samantha Limon Sports Editor
EE: What’s your name and position?
AM: Alonzo Moore, and I play middle linebacker.
EE: How long have you been on the team?
AM: I have been on the team for one year.
EE: When did you get into football and what is your favorite thing about it?
AM: I can say, when I first got into football was in probably pre-K, I really liked watching the Cardinals. That was my favorite team growing up. And when I was able to start playing flag football, that was the Little League team I actually got picked to play on. Now, I just always enjoy playing football, watching the game and just learning more about it.
EE: What has playing on this football team at Akins taught you?
AM: it’s taught me a lot. It’s mainly taught me bat tling through diversity. Akins as a school, we don’t have the most kids in the district, like some schools teams, like we have the team down the street, who has, like, two times, three times more kids than we do, but we still have the ability with the players.
EE: Do you have a favorite football game moment from any of the years you have been on the team?
AM: I have to say my favorite moment this year would be when my friend Ryan, who came back from ineligibility because of the UIL, came back in his first game and caught the first pick of the season to end up leading us to that shutout against Manor New Tech
EE: Do you have a pregame ritual you do before
AM: I call my best friend Jacksen, and I always talk with her before the game, clear my head a little bit, catch up and just, ultimately talk to her and enjoy the time and mainly just listen to music. You never really can bring food so I can’t eat or nothing.
EE: What will you miss most about high school
AM: I say the people you know, we really made a connection as a team. You know, a lot of us coming in our first year here, because we had a bunch of new kids. A lot of kids on the team now are not from here, not from Texas, including myself, in the fact that we were all able to come together and still be a complete team and battle through the injuries together, the arguments, the fights, the bickering back and forth, to just look like one family at the end of the season
EE: What are your goals after high school?
AM: I say I’m thinking about going to Texas A&M and study kinesiology.
Senior, middle linebacker, Alonzo Moore honored at the senior night football game. Moore talks about lessons learned, team moments, and his pregame ritual as football season ends.
Melani Guzman
Jasmine Woods
Robert Lockay
Sean Claes
LIFE & STYLE
Quinceañeras are important Latina milestones
Coming of age celebration produces joy, stress for 15 year olds
Melany Serrano Staff Writer
Los Quince Años, also known as Quinceañera (the term also used to refer to the celebrant herself) is one of the most awaited moments for any Latina girl.
It is a symbolic celebration that marks the transition from girlhood to womanhood. The Quinceañera is both a religious and social event. It is traditionally celebrated in Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. And now after generations of immigrants have come to the United States, they have brought this tradition to Latino communities in the United States and elsewhere.
The Traditions
Originally, the quinceañera was a sign that the girl was prepared for marriage, however, in the current age, it can signify that the girl is ready for formal dating.
The parents, typically the mother, would start brainstorming about how things would look at least six months before the birthday date. Early planning is recommended because quinceañeras are expensive, varying between $5,000 to $10,000 or even more depending on the family’s finances. The most expensive object in this celebration is the dress. The dress can make the Quinceañera feel as joyful as she can, or can ruin her whole party. These dresses can vary in length, shape, color, puffiness, and other features. In traditional cases, the dress will be very long and puffy. Traditionally, the dress would be worn with heels, although nowadays, some girls choose something more comfortable like Converse sneakers.
In some countries, the parents have the support of the padrinos. The padrinos are people chosen by the parents or the quinceañera herself to help pay specific expenses. Padrinos can be translated to “godparent” in English; however the title doesn’t hold any religious meaning. There could be as many padrinos as the parents want/need, such as “padrino para el paste,” or “padrino para la musica/dj” and more. Quinceañeras can be quite stressful, the day of the celebration itself being the most tiresome day for the quiceañera, causing some girls to decide to go on trips or do less flashy parties with their closest relatives.
A traditional celebration would include a mass reunion at a church where there would be a mass for the quinceañera and
then the party would be moved to the ballroom, where the quinceañera would do a shiny entrance with her damas de honor (“maids of honor”) and her chambelanes (“chamberlains”), known as the corte. The corte is a group that escorts the quinceañera to the dance floor, where the quinceañera would usually dance with them. The dance can vary; it could be a vals (“waltz”), or something more modern.
After a short speech from their parents, either parent of the quinceanera is going to dance with her. The traditional music is also a waltz or an orchestral song. Even though this celbration appears dreamy, some girls didn’t want a party but were forced to have one. This case was shared by senior Angie Reyes. She said that from the start, she didn’t want a party, and she communicated that with her parents. Yet, it didn’t work out for her because she still had a party. She ended up spending a joyful time with her parents and family whom she hadn’t seen in a couple of years. “(I) didn’t eat (during) the whole party because the food wasn’t enough because the guests didn’t stop eating.”
Funnily enough, these types of complications are common. Quinceañeras don’t get the opportunity to enjoy their catering because they are stressed out. Sometimes they are so busy taking photos with their guests that when they go to the catering table, there are only scrapes of food left over for them.
On another note, the most joyful part for quinceañeras was the time spent with their family and friends throughout the party.
According to the Akins survey, a popular tradition was the waltz between the parents and the quinceañera. Yet, the toast and the general waltz were the things that quinceañeras disliked the most.
Spanish teacher Fernanda Sillero Guzman, shared her story about her quinceañera. She wore a nontraditional dress that allowed her to express herself. Her mom took plenty of her opinions, which led her to feel included throughout the whole planning process. She remarked that she loved her chambelanes and still has a close relationship with them.
My Story
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a party of quince años for personal reasons. However, I was in all the quince años of my best friends and some relatives. Since I was part of a dance academy, I was one of the damas
AN EXTRAVAGANT EVENT
Senior Angie Reyes said her quinceañera was in Honduras. She said she estimated that her parents spent $5,000 on the event.
in all of them. I danced the waltz with all my friends, which is something kept for the closest relatives; along with a photography session with one of them which I conducted.
I witnessed stress at its maximum potential at the quinceaneras and the family. I felt a special kind of happiness that made me cry, and a certain level of anger whenever they had angry faces or were being difficult for no reason. But above all, I got to share those moments with my friends, who will stay with me for as long as I’m alive as a precious memory.
Quinceañeras are a dream moment for some and a feared and hated moment for others. Yet even amid chaos, there will be at least one funny story of their quienceañeras, such as how the mariachi didn’t show up, or how the quinceañera was running late to the church. Perhaps the quinceañera wanted to wear her long dress all night after her surprise dance but her mom didn’t help her put it back on, or the food wasn’t enough so she didn’t eat the whole party.
After the storm always comes a ray of light, and these chaotic situations can become something to laugh at in the future.
HAPPY MEMORIES
Spanish teacher Fernanda Sillero Guzman poses for her Quinceañera. She was happy her mom allowed her to choose a non-traditional dress and let express herself through her dress.
Courtesy Angie Reyes
Courtesy Fernanda Sillero Guzman
Sharing the love of holiday traditions
Students share their favorite holiday food, activities, experiences
Lillian Mendez Staff Writer
Artwork by Ash Morris
For centuries, holidays have been an important part of human history. They play a major role in our values, relationships, and cultures. With how diverse Akins is, there are sure to be many different holidays celebrated! Of course, not every holiday is well-known but they’re equally important.
The Eagle’s Eye asked Akins community members to share their thoughts on the winter holidays they celebrate and their favorite foods and activities for the season.
Thanksgiving and Christmas — Ashlyn Rodriguez
Usually, we have Turkey and mashed potatoes and mac and cheese for Thanksgiving, and we also like to make special dishes at times too, like cheesy Brussels sprouts and we also usually have chili or tamales or sometimes both. Christmas has less of a proper structure to it, but it is usually very similar foods, and there is almost always pumpkin pie at both celebrations. I celebrate with both sides of my family, my mom and dad. It alternates what day with each every year, but we almost always see someone from both sides on each.
Thanksgiving and Christmas — Jannessa Holley
Thanksgiving and Dia De Los Reyes Magos — Anonymous junior
During Thanksgiving, we eat Pernil (Marinated pork leg) and Arroz con gandules (Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas). I help with the rice and we stay home and eat during the holidays. I celebrate the holidays with my family. My favorite thing about the holidays is eating.
Thanksgiving and Christmas — Natalee Garcia
My family eats the normal Thanksgiving meals but also my grandma makes BBQ prime rib anything you can think of shes loves cooking for Thanksgiving celebrating with both sides of my family, my mom and dad. It alternates what day with each every year, but we almost always see someone from both sides on each. My grandma makes over 15 dozen tamales just for Thanksgiving and Christmas. the night before Christmas we have challenges like painting and making the best and most unique gingerbread buildings. pranks all night and dinner late at night no earlier than 9:30.
My mom cooks traditional Filipino foods like adobo (A Marinated dish with meat or seafood) and Sinigang (Filipino stew). I like to help with the desserts because I bake a lot, and it’s easier to follow than cooking instructions. Food is important for this holiday because it brings my family together. We all gather at the table at the same time and can appreciate each other’s presence while everyone is home. I like not having school, it allows more time for family and friends. Having time for myself also gives me time to relax and have less stress on my back.
Thanksgiving and Christmas — Anonymous senior
During Thanksgiving, I eat turkey, sometimes roast, jalapeño Mac and cheese, rolls, green bean casserole, yams, and sometimes corn depending on which side of my family I’m with. During Christmas, we usually eat about the same minus the turkey, where we’ll have a roast or ham of some kind. I usually help my mom make the mac and cheese and various other dishes the night before, but it really depends on how many dishes we’re having. I usually play games with my family (like LCR or a present unwrapping game.) Besides that, we just eat and hang out.