The Eagle's Eye; Issue 4, Vol. 15; Akins High School

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This is your school, and your mess. Check out the photo essay on page 8, section A, to see the damage done to our campus.

Love is in the air.

Read students’ notes of admiration for each other on page 3, section B.

David Bowie leaves a legacy. Read about this unique individual on page 1, section B.

The

EAGLE’S EYE W. Charles Akins High School

Akins student’s body found

Austin, Texas “Everything that Concerns You”

Volume 15

Issue 4 February 11, 2016

Housing crunch hits school district

SEE page B4-B5 to Read the full story

Larry Durden & Lavel Deckard Staff Writers

Almost a month after Akins sophomore remains along Onion Creek southwest of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Eliana Gutierrez

Construction Continues

A new housing complex is being built near Paredes Middle School. Rapidly increasing housing costs have caused some Austinites to move away in search of affordable rates.

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ACADEMIC

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Student sharing program arrives in AISD

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OPPORTUNITIES

Nic Sokolowski

Programs available at other South Austin campuses

News Editor

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Bowie High School -

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1. Business Management 2. Culinary Arts

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Crockett High School 1. Architect & Construction 2. Automotive Technology 3. Collision Repair 4. Costmetology

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Eastside Memorial High School -

1. Automotive Technology 2. Project Lead The Way (PLTW- Engineering program

Travis High School 1. Culinary Arts 2. Web Technology

COLLEGE ENTRANCE smile just from making a joke or making a -

SEE AKINSEAGLESEYE.COM FOR THE FULL STORY

REQUIREMENTS

Test implemented for college readiness Ashley SANCHEZ

TSI EXEMPTIONS

Staff Writer

Career Counselor Sarah Sim-

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proving to be one of the biggest factors preventing Akins

velopmental class to prepare

Success Initiative began requir-

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Darian Longoria

SECTION A... Opinions - pAge A2-A3 SECTION B... LIFE & STYLE - PAGE B1-B2

News - Page A4-A5 IN DEPTH - PAGE B3-B5

TEST

CRITICAL READING

MATH

OTHER

TSI

351

351

Writing 5 or 4/363

PSAT

50

50

107 comined total of CR & M

SAT

500

500

1070 combined total of CR & M

ACT

19

19

23 composite

EOC STARR

4000 ELA II

4000 ALG I

Must have a C average in ALG I

Entertainment - Page A6-A7

Photo Essay - A8

SPORTS - PAGE B6-B7

PHOTO ESSAY - PAGE B8

OPINIONS

page A2

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – February 11, 2016

Cost of Austin living is ridiculous, Hosack gets rid prices are at their all time high ADMINISTRATION

SCHOOL POLICY

of tardy passes

EDITORIAL

D’ShAlon Williams Staff Writer

Blake Barto

“T

here’s so much focus by city leadership on swanky downtown condos, that cost more than my house did,” Akins math teacher Natalee Peterson said.

We as the editorial board of The Eagle’s Eye agree with Peterson. The cost of Austin living has reached an all time high, and it’s outrageous.

Sail down Lady Bird Lake, walk through the Bob Bullock History Museum, and shop on South Congress. Austin is a thriving youthful city, full of unique restaurants, wide shopping variety, and home to a huge live music scene. We have something for everyone here. Families with younger children can enjoy events like the Kite Festival, Trail of Lights, and visit the Thinkery, other known as the Austin Children’s Museum. Teenagers and older citizens enjoy events like ACL, South by Southwest, and other various local concerts held in the venues downtown.

According to the Austin Visitor’s Bureau 22.6 million people visited Austin in 2014. In addition, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Austin MSA population grew by 13.2 percent.

We love sharing our city and our home with people everywhere. However, Austin is no longer an affordable place to live. We have so many people moving here that some people’s property taxes have risen 60 percent in 8 years in some cases, forcing even teachers in our school district to move away to afford a home.

To meet the huge need for housing in Austin, new apartment complexes are being built, along with more subdivisions with houses. Unfortunately, the pace of building is not nearly enough to keep up with the explosive population growth. According to the Austin Real Estate Council, from 2000 to 2012, the Austin region grew by more than 570,000 new residents, but the number of housing units

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 advisor will not act as a censor. Content

Eagle’s Eye Staff Editor-in-Chief

Amanda Livingston*

Opinions Editor

Gabe Robles*

News Editor

Nicolas Sokolowski*

Entertainment Editor Jose Salazar*

The Eagle’s Eye

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

Sadie Adams Maheen Anjum Luis Canales Brayan Cartagena Chelsea Cuevas Luis Correa

Staff Writers

Editorial Policy

within the city limits increased by only about 84,000.

Our generation faces the very real possibility that we will not be able to afford to buy a home in the very city we call home because of how quickly housing costs are rising. And if the very people who grew up in Austin are not able to stay here the character of the city is likely to change dramatically.

It could soon get to the point where it becomes just another overgrown metropolis without the character Austin is known for.

Until there is enough housing for everyone who wants to live in Austin to live here, something needs to be done to alleviate the strain on Austinites. According to a student survey conducted by The Eagle’s Eye, almost half the survey group indicated that their family was thinking of moving to the suburbs such as Buda and Kyle to be able to purchase an affordable home.

People have every right to live where they want, but something needs to be done to fix the affordability. Right now, some of those things are of the following: • raise people’s wages • change the way tax appraisals are determined • give tax breaks to people who have lived in Austin for an extended period of time • give tax breaks on property outside of downtown Austin The editorial board believes that the best way to fix the housing problem with the least repercussions is to implement tax breaks for long standing Austinites.

This would alleviate some of the expenses on those living in Austin, and increase expenses for those moving into the area. While this may sound like discouraging people to live here, it in fact would help the city.

This would slow down population growth temporarily so that the supply of housing can match the demand for housing, rather than the demand for housing rising exponentially while people come in quicker than housing can be provided. While this might sound unfair, this would only be temporary, and the taxes would only apply to new Austinites until they have lived in Austin long enough, which encourages long term living in Austin.

Life & Style Editors

Thomas Cross*

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

Lavel Deckard Larry Durden Mary Griffis Adrian Guajardo Jr. Caitlin Nickles Kelly Polacheck

Bradley Barto* Eliana Gutierrez*

Web Editors

or is an invasion of privacy. We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph.

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.

Matthew Rocha Ashley Sanchez Katrina Stewart Namiah Wright D’Shalon Williams Lala Villegas

Graphics Editors

Blake Barto* Jesse Farquhar-Greth*

Photo Editor

Ricardo Villegas*

Editorial Board*

-

Since January, a simple change of the rules is keeping students in class, avoiding wasted time and keeping hallways clear of wandering students.

After years of tardy students being sent away from classrooms to seek a pass before entering, now they simply enter the class late and the teacher counts them tardy on their attendance. Administrators said that habitually tardy students were taking advantage of the previous policy, which enabled students to avoid going to class with the excuse that they needed to get a tardy pass.

With the previous policy students would sometimes miss up to 30 minutes of class to get a tardy pass.

I personally had to experience taking 30 minutes to get to class. When getting off the bus after the first bell rang, administrators were guiding everyone to get tardy passes. When I got to the room to get my tardy pass, there was a line that wrapped around the corner and down the hallway. After waiting in line for 10 minutes all students were instructed to just go to class without a pass and they would make he will make an announcement for us to be exempted. The fiasco caused me to miss 10 minutes of U.S History class just because the bus was late.

One way this new policy benefits students is that they will be in class longer than before. The previous policy made students miss too much class time, especially in cases where the student has no control of when they make it to class because of late buses and other legitimate reasons.

Many of students had to deal with this problem when the bus they’re riding shows up to the school late and they do not have time for breakfast.

The policy also benefits teachers who do not like locking students out of the classroom and making them go and get tardy passes and having them missing out on the beginning of a lesson.

Since this new policy was issued students have been getting to class earlier than before and have not been missing out on instructional time.

Assistant Principal Robert Deckard said he runs a report at the end of each week to find students with three or more tardies, who are then assigned Saturday school to make up for it.

“We had 100 students with three or more tardies, that is less than 4 percent of the school population,” he said. “What that means is that 2,568 students can get to class on time to their classes.”

It’s not that surprising that many students are tardy at this point when the policy is new. Students will start thinking twice about being tardy when they get assigned Saturday school on a regular basis.

Overall this new policy is helping the school run better. It is helping students get to class on time. It’s helping administrators keep the hall clear from wandering students.

* The members of the Editorial Board who contributed to the Staff Editorial are marked in asterisks.

In-Depth Editors

Stephanie Valle* Brenda Amaya*

Sports Editor

Cassie Obi*

Honors ILPC/UIL

TAJE

Superior Bronze Star Award Coverage 2007 2005 2011 2008 2012 2007 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2013 2010 - 2nd Sweepstakes 2014 2011 - H.M. Sweepstakes

NSPA

All-American 2013 Nominated for Pacemaker -2013

CSPA

2011 - Silver Medal 2012 - Gold Medal

Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Eagle’s Eye

Opinions

page A3

Staffers debate if gun regulations should be strict or not MORE THE MERRIER

Guns are dangerous weapons that need to be regulated for the safety of the people Namiah Wright

Staff Writer On Jan. 1, Texans were allowed to openly carry handguns in most public places throughout the state.

This new right was the result of gun rights advocates who believe that openly carrying weapons can make themselves and even others around them safer. Supporters of the law passed by the Legislature in 2015 say that openly carrying weapons can also help deter potential mass shootings that have happened frequently across

GUN RESTRICTIONS

the country this year.

However, not everyone has been happy about seeing weapons openly carried, and some businesses have displayed signs by their doors that explain that openly carrying weapons inside is prohibited. There is going to be confusion and unease if someone sees someone openly carrying a gun in a place where they are not often seen.

It is still illegal to openly carry holstered handguns in some other public places, including schools and certain parts of college campuses. However, legislators also recently passed a “Campus Carry” law that will require state universities to allow people who possess a concealed handgun license the right to carry weapons onto college or university buildings.

There are simply not enough limitations to open carry and campus carry to to ensure that these new rights do not cause even more problems of gun violence in Texas.

For 2015, the numbers of gun deaths are 13371, and of those, 1,951 are from accidental shootings last year, of which occured from 330 mass shootings.

I think that the more people that possess guns in public will only add on to our problems, and fear that the increasing presence of firearms in life will only lead people to believe that brandishing weapons is the only way to stay safe. With so many cases of mass shootings in recent years it’s understandable that people would be nervous about seeing someone openly carrying a handgun who is not a police officer or working in some other type of law enforcement capacity.

LESS IS BEST

Gun control creates false safety and infringes on the rights of United States citizens Gabe Robles

Opinions Editor On Jan. 1, Texas became the 45th state in the nation to allow handguns to be openly carried in the same places where once before could carry a concealed handgun if properly licensed. Opponents of open carry predicted horror stories of gun nuts walking the streets brandishing weapons in public places.

But now more than a month into the existence of open carry in Texas there has no major shooting incidents or cases of innocent bystanders being terrorized by those who choose to openly carry.

At the end of the day, the argument constantly seems to devolve to a single question: do we need stricter gun control? The simple answer to the question really just involves another question: has gun control actually done anything?

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, President Obama made a call for “sense of urgency” to fight gun violence, and ended his argument for stricter gun control by mention the death of Daniel Barden, who was murdered in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

But as far as we have seen, none of it has made any difference. There have been five shootings in the

month of January alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

There is no statistical evidence that shows that gun control actually achieves the goals they were set out to achieve. Instead, it makes it harder for people who follow the law to purchase guns to protect themselves.

The effects of gun control is simply a false sense of safety. People are stripped of their ability to effectively defend themselves against an armed perpetrator, who, by the way, isn’t a law abiding citizen, and made the commitment to break the law and go around the legal gun purchasing system.

Furthermore, it undermines the fundamental reason that our right to bear arms was established by the second amendment: “...being necessary to the security of a free State.” In the eyes of our forefathers, gun control takes away the power of the people to rebel against an unjust, authoritarian rule.

Now, it would be unsensible to allow any person to buy a gun — such as known criminals, non-U.S. citizens, etc. It’s fair to feel this way, however, there is a saying that has been around longer than dirt in our books that governs the instincts of every creature on this planet: “Better safe than sorry” —and no, that “safe” is not defined by infringing upon the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Chelsea Cuevas

EDUCATION

Chelsea Cuevas

ISSUES

Cheating doesn’t give the answer but causes the problem Amanda Livingston Editor-in-Chief

THE

School is stressful.

Sometimes it can all get overwhelming; making your head spin like a tornado ripping through the landscape. That’s something we can all agree on.

However, what we don’t agree on, is cheating.

Most people would say cheating is bad, but some disagree, are jaded or simply don’t care.

The reality is, cheating is a problem at Akins right now, and it needs to stop immediately. Unfortunately, the problem seems to be worse among the students who should be setting the example for the rest of the campus — the seniors.

The pressure of battling it out to be in the top 10, 8, or 5 percent seems to be driving students who should know better. There’s a huge push to be the highest

EAGLE VIEW

“Too many people are coming to Austin too fast.”

–Taylor Barbato Freshman

ranked in the class, instead of what school should really is about — to become educated.

Cheating can take all sorts of different forms ranging from looking over the “smart kid’s” shoulders for the answers to sharing copies of an answer key photo snapped nefariously by a cell phone.

Just because school is hard and you don’t want to put forth the extra effort, doesn’t give you a reason to cheat. It completely defeats the purpose of you being here. You are only cheating yourself.

It’s not an excuse to say “But most of the classes I’m taking won’t help me with what I want to do in the future, so what’s the point?”

I completely agree. I love math, but the chances of Geometry helping you to be a dancer for the Rockettes are very slim.

But you know what taking Geometry will teach you that will help? No, not how to find the area of a triangle.

You may not want to hear this, but school is made difficult for a reason.

Original photo by Chasing Saturdays

Gabriel Robles

Taking Geometry will teach you how to get through something you don’t enjoy.

You may love to dance, but more than likely there will be bad days, or steps to be a Rockette that you won’t enjoy. So the determination you learn from truly working hard in your Geometry class despite not enjoying it, directly helps you in the real world.

Have you ever noticed, how tired your parents are when you both return home in the evening? They’re not tired because they’re old. They’re tired because working in the real world is hard work, and in

the real world you have to make it on your own with no one to cheat off of.

Cheating will only make college and the real world more of a shock when you leave the sheltered confines of school.

If you’re having trouble, ask for help.

All of the teachers on campus have tutoring hours, and there are even some who would be available to help you even if you’re not in their class.

Buck up, do your own work, and if you need it, ask for help.

School is a headache at times, but cheating should not be your Advil.

Question: What’s your opinion on the rising pricing of housing in Austin?

“I think it’s stupid.

They just want people’s money.”

–Marcelo Cruz Sophomore

“It’s bad. It’s making it hard for people to live in Austin.”

–Janelly Torres Junior

“If it’s about money, there are other ways to make it.”

–Kendrick Mack Senior

“It’s too expensive. It defeats the fact that Austin is for the artists.”

–Ethan Peters Science Teacher

NEWS

page A4

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – February 11, 2016

NATURE

ENVIRONMENT

Trees have begun to grow in size around campus 47 young trees donated by city recently planted by JROTC, community partners Jose Salazar

“We planted the trees because our cadets must establish goals at the beginning of each year and they must make sure those goals are accomplished,” Colonel Ronald Oliverio said.

The purpose to planting trees in Akins was to enhance the environment around the school and with the irrigation here the trees could be well watered. In addition to JROTC, community volunteers as well as Fulbright Scholars from various countries around the world also helped out.

“Akins was especially cool because along with the cadets, we also had Girl Scouts, retired folks, and a large group of Fulbright Scholars to help,” TreeFolks community engineer Manager Nell Newton said.

The mission of TreeFolks is to empower Central Texas to build stronger communities through planting and caring for trees.

Entertainment Editor As winter begins to pass, Akins students will see a new legacy take root and grow around them through the spring after JROTC helped plant more than 40 trees in December. gram sponsored by the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation department with support from which says that tree planting improves the air and water quality, providing shade, increasing native tree diversity, and restoring wildlife habitat.

4,500 acres in Bastrop County last year is a factor that helped lead to the trees that were plantcadets were able to gain service hours for planting new trees in Bastrop.

FUNDING

“The soil was hard packed and full of rocks, and the skies were threatening to pour on us, but everyone seemed to have a good time. By the end of the morning we managed to plant and mulch 47 trees,” Newton said.

Sophomore Jorge Ramirez, one of the cadets who helped plant the trees, found that plantputting in the effort. ly paid off,” Ramirez said. “The trees are starting to grow leaves and I didn’t know if they would stay standing, but they are and they’re looking good.”

This will not be the only time JROTC will be planting trees. On Feb. 13 the cadets will help reforest the trees that were destroyed “If the opportunity arises again we will be there,” Oliverio said.

Nohemi Perez

Saplings Arrive

Newly planted trees take root at Akins. Students and community volunteers worked over a weekend in December to plant the 47 trees donated by the City of Austin.

NEW ITEMS

UIL computer programming challenges students to win Brayan Cartagena

to go to.” Cross said.

Competitive programming is nothing new

Staff Writer

While it’s common to think of trophy collec-

national Business Professionals of America convention in California, competing in the C# programming language category.

“I personally enjoy solving problems that have not been solved before and the satisfaction

group of computer science competitors is hoping to pick up some hardware to show off.

Elizabeth Phillips’ computer science students are taking their skills to the competitive arena as they compete in various competitions, including the University Interscholastic League’s regional

category.

“I believe that the competition was much

Java (the world’s most common computer language) will be used in this year’s Computer Science UIL competition.

“It’s a lot of real world experience in programming because, the competitions you program something as you would in real life, you actually need to come up with the solution yourself,” Gutierrez said.

“The students gain experience for the real world and the possibility of rewards during the competitions,” Phillips said.

With the bonus of a prize, not only do the stu-

but I still believe that the upcoming competitions

the knowledge they gain.

since Phillips reestablished the elective sequence in the New Tech Academy last year.

In early January, juniors Xeon Gutierrez, Thomas Cross and Anthony Cain, began their competitive season by participating in a Computer Science UIL Invitational meet sponsored by

Brayan Cartegena

Students Preparing

Junior Peter Glass and junior Thomas Cross work together to solve a similar problem to those that might come up during a competition. HP CodeWars, a computer programming competition, will be held on March 5, 2016.

ASSISTANCE

COLLEGE

Online scholarships offer money for unique personalities Adrian Guajardo Staff Writer

Scholarship Tips

The hunt is on among seniors for “free” money to pay for college, and there is no shortage of places to look for scholarships.

While much of the attention is focused on writing

Some common items that will be needed to complete a scholarship application include the following: • • • • • • •

accomplishments, there are other — more unusual —

High school transcript Standardized test scores Financial aid forms, such as the FAFSA or CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® including tax returns One or more essays One or more letters of recommendation Proof of eligibility for the scholarship (for example, proof of membership in a certain group)

brief

- CollegeBoard

video game players to those with low GPAs, there are scholarships available for all kinds of weird or offbeat categories.

While they might not be as commonly available in all parts of the country, they are still something worth checking out, College and Career Counselor Sarah Simmons said.

“Any scholarship is worth your time you just have to be able to stick to it, and hope for the best,“ Simmons said.

Recently some e-sports scholarships have recently appeared at a few college campus throughout the country in attempt to attract students with certain skills.

Some colleges have players that compete in collegiate e-sports leagues, playing games such as League of Legends. For example, Columbia College in Missouri offers

A new online method for paying dues is now being implemented Students who owe money to the school for library fees and other obligations can now pay them online.

Directions: This is a twostep process!

If a student needs to pay for an obligation online using a credit card, use the link below to submit a request. This request must be submitted online before you will actually be able to make the payment.

http://goo.gl/WTRsww Cash or check payments for obligations should be done in person Important: Allow 2 business days for requests to be processed before attempting to pay online.

After two business days of submitting your request, the Obligation should be available for payment on the School Cash Online website.

5th: 14th: School Valentine’s Day Starts 20th: 14th: Competition VASE Late Start Day 25th: Late Start Day 29th: Coffee With 26th: Principal Coffee with Principal 30th: Orchestra & Guitar 28th: UIL Competition Film Festival Filming

a partial scholarship to students who are enrolled full-time and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, according to an article on Daily Dot. When Robert Harris found out that colleges are offering scholarships to students who play video games competitively he said he was thrilled.

“I have played video games my whole life since I was raised on video games,” he said.

Special talents like dance, poetry and creative writing are another type of scholarship. One popular contest awards prospective fashion designers up to a $10,000 scholarship for making a prom suit and dress out of Duck Tape.

Scholarships also exist for a wide variety of people and race. Many scholarships exist for the primary purpose of promoting the growth of minority students who attend Senior Crystal Mendieta said she is currently applying for seven different scholarships, which is consuming a lot of her time outside of school.

“It takes a long time to apply for scholarships because ply to you because there’s so many different criterias and things you have to meet to apply for certain ones,“ Mendieta said.

Upcoming Events S M 1 74 85 11 15 12 14 18 22 19 21 25 29 26 28

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NEWS

The Eagle’s Eye

page A5

Thursday – February 11, 2016

CURRICULUM

PREPARATION

Non-credit class prepares students for college

New course is designed to help with transition and certain college prerequisites Lala Villegas Staff Writer

FAFSA. SAT. TSI. These are just a few of the acronyms that make a senior’s last year of high school a confusing and daunting experience to get through and make it to college. along the way some seniors get off track without guidance from counselors and helpful experts.

As part of an effort to help seniors through this experience, the College and Career Center has started a new non-credit College Readiness course that students can sign-up for if they have an off period in their schedule.

Austin Partners in Education (APIE) is the organization that started the College Readiness program at Akins. It helps students who are close to being college ready, but need some assis-

line.

Sarah Simmons, College and Career Center adviser, is excited about having APIE helping out the seniors and getting them prepared for college. Amber Ahmed, a recent University of Texas graduate, teaches the class at Akins.

“She’s doing what I wish I could do with every student,” Simmons said.

APIE has been helping Akins students with the college transition for several years, but this been offered regularly over an extended period of time. Simmons said there was a lot of work that went into providing the cial support.

“The transition from high school to college is often chaleration college students,” Ahmed

said. “So, if you know someone unconventional class with some of the greatest people they’ll ever meet, send them to the CCC to talk to Mrs. Simmons.”

Ahmed covers many topics in the course, including — but not limited to — how to write proper essays, how to study and how to Federal Student Aid. “This class allows students to understand, start, and complete their college applications process, which can be tedious and sometimes overwhelming,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed shared advice with students who are thinking about going to college.

“Don’t go in with preconceived notions about what you think you might not like because once you try it, you might love it,” Ahmed said.

New laptops arrive after purchase approved in 2013

Ricardo Villegas

Craming for College

Students listen to college advisers speak about the many different ways to pay for college. These include grants, scholarships, loans and the FAFSA.

Voting for president requires registration first Caitlin Nickles Staff Writer

ercise their right to vote for who they believe should be the next president of the United States.

While some students know exactly who they want to vote for, there are many others who don’t even know who the candidates are. However, the most important thing for new voters to learn is how the voting process works.

Horowitz have many forms available located in their classrooms 412 and 231, respectively. vote online when applying for a driver’s license or a renewal.

Matthew Rocha

Computing Power

Students work on new Chromebooks purchased with technology bond money approved in 2013. There are more than 1,000 new computers for students to use on campus.

Matthew Rocha Staff Writer

Akins has received over 1,000 new Chromebook laptops, replacing the previous small student laptops that the school used to provide.

These new laptops have better features that can help students during class time, cutting down on technical problems that plagued the older ones.

“They’re so much better than the previous ones. The booting takes less than two seconds,” computer technician teacher Bob Williams said. “It doesn’t have Windows so it take up less memory disk, and its much faster — plus you don’t have to worry about viruses as often.”

The school district purchased a total of 1,050 laptops for Akins, using money that was approved by voters as part of the 2013 bond election. The Chromebooks were viewed as the best deal to meet the budget requirements to help meet students’ instructional technology needs.

“Part of that bond was technology upgrades, and through that bond, AISD could only afford one computer for every three students. Thanks to that we were able to receive 1,050 laptops,” Associate Principal Manuel Garcia said. “That’s how the district purchased those computers across the district to all the high school, secondary campuses got the same ratio.”

The types of laptops that were bought with the budget were 360 Toshiba Chromebooks with a 13.3 inch screen, 390 Dell Chromebooks with 11-inch screens, and 300 Dell Latitude 3150 Windows laptops.

Every teacher will have the same opportunity to access a Computers on Wheels units (COW), which house as many as 30 computers in each cart. With all of these new computers on campus, some training was required for all teachers to show them how the new computers should be handled.

Teachers will sign-up to use the COW when students are working on projects that cia said they have been located in nearby rooms so teachers can easily communicate with fellow teachers about when they need the computers.

Since the upgrade, students are able to use these COWs with fewer problems with access to computers, helping them get their work done a lot faster than before. Plus students said they enjoy how they can just sign in with no problems connecting to the district’s network and experiencing connection problems.

“Yes, I really like the new laptops that we have now instead of the previous ones because we don’t have to wait so long to connect to the server,” junior Julianne Tran said. “With the new laptops that we have now we’re able to log in with just one click.”

Garcia said he hopes that another bond issue for technology would be approved by voters to get the computer to student ratio to 1:1.

“We’re hopefully getting more so that every student can use a computer,” he said.

check the document for mistakes and to examine assigned precinct locations so they know what location to go to on election day.

Horowitz advises students to “Look for information online and go to websites like ‘Isidewith.com’, and ‘OntheIssues.org’ to determine what parties and candidates best match their personal political beliefs. If students have any questions or need help with understanding the voting process they can come see me in room 231 or Jack McGavick in room 149.” Both Horowitz and McGavick are volunteer registration deputies.

On Monday February 1, Ted Cruz won the Iowa Caucuses with 28 percent of the vote while Donald Trump had 24 percent of the vote. Marco Rubio came in third with 23 percents of the votes. While in the Democratic caucuses Hillary Clinton won with only 4 more votes than Bernie Sanders. Overall, each candidate came in close to each other.

Gage Skidmore

Gaining Followers

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Entertainment

Page A6

GAMES

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – February 11, 2016

GATHERING

PAX video gaming convention visits San Antonio Penny Arcade Expo delivers amusement, fun, and entertainment to community Mary Griffis Staff Writer

While some make fun of video gamers as loners who only connect with other people online, at the PAX South Expo, all of those negative stereotypes disappear.

At the second annual gathering of video game enthusiasts at the Penny Arcade Expo in San Antonio, gamers of all stripes come together to share their love of gaming. Unlike other conventions PAX South, levels the developers and the fans, allowing everyone to have a shot at the spotlight.

For example, instead of paparazzi, video game streamers featured on Twitch and Youand enthusiasm for gaming are a focal point of PAX. Also, at the center of the action are panel disgame developers and even game inspired music performances.

The organizers of this year’s PAX South stepped up their Antonio in 2015. While it is only a regional spin off of the larger

PAX Prime event held in Boston Massachusetts, the event has really come into it’s own. their fan’s cries and amped up the 2016 convention.

Product lines like DXRacer, LootCrate, and Astros made an appearance selling their products and giving attendees the opportudoing giveaways.

Yager Development, held crowds of 100’s of interested ers, a round, play their new game Dreadnought against the developers for a chance to win Alpha access to the game.

Dreadnought wasn’t the

Strong with the Force

Twitch had starstruck fans waiting in a line to meet their favorite streamers such as GoldGlove, -

games such as Pokemon and Super Smash Brothers.

While people were in the

the live game play gathered in streamers play games such as Hearthstone.

With all the mayhem downstairs, the upstairs invited those their handheld consoles. Attendees snuggled up to one another

in the newly introduced arcade.

-

area, was open to those who use their newly acquired heroes in their favorite games like Dungeons and Dragons. it may seem as if the indepen-

wasn’t old.

Since not everyone wants to play Dance Dance Revolution or wait in line to meet a streamer,

of those games have streamers involved many people are eager to play.

As PAX came to a close streamers and cosplayers alike with their newly purchased gaming equipment and souvenirs.

Through the halls you can hear the excitement of what’s to come next year and how amazing it was to see highly anticipated games and to meet those they look up to in the gaming and streaming industry.

The Eagle’s Eye Movie Reviews

Fifty Shades of Black

Student Rating: 3/10

Cassie Obi

the “Good Girl” innocent facade going until Black introduces her to

As an attempt at a comedic spinoff of the eroctic phenomina of 2015, 50 Shades of Black tries to poke fun,

darker sides of her own throughout the movie.

The movie includes a slew of pop culture satirical references, including whips in Black’s “Play Room” named after different slave-centered movies. And when telling the story of

Sports Editor

The movie, like the original 50 Shades of Grey, has spoof character Christian Black as a successful entrepreneur, who has strange sexual relationships with different women in ize a mutual agreement. The producers of the movie take a new approach and putting an outrageous comedic original screenplay.

Hannah, the spoof character of the college student that replaces her friend to interview Black. She keeps

Ashley Sanchez Staff Writer

The Boy. after watching the trailer featuring a nanny charged with caring for a lifelike-looking possessed creeped out.

There is a long tradition of hor-

a 8 year old realistic doll named Brahms that the parents take care of as if it was their son. Even though ent time in an old house.

Unfortunately, along the way The Boy takes too many twists and turns along the plot to deliver on its promise of providing a guilty pleasure of creepiness. Midway through the movie, the story shifts

a shred of intelligence. I left the the theatre feeling completely insulted,

a huge stain on their careers. I did not enjoy the movie. It tried a little too

Hollywood, I implore you: make

make all sides of the audience laugh types.

appeal to the young adult audience.

new romance with Malcolm with ror movie if you even want to call it horror, don’t get me wrong the last

Rating: 6/10

not good enough to waist 10 dollars and popcorn/soda.

I rated the movie a 6 out of “The Boy” not The Girl. It’s a horror movie with not enough horror,

-

sought out to exploit the concept of The main characters of the movie are Brahms, Greta and Malcolm.

The plot revolves around Greta, A young woman who takes

is revealed that he was once a Magic Mike-style performer who stole all his riches and really didn’t not earn any of his money.

-

DO NOT watch this movie.

I’d rate it a 3 on a scale of 1-10, 2 points for the quality of the cinematography and the shear amount of money used for the production. The comedy aspect of the movie didn’t meet up with the reputation some of these actors have. Bad jokes that consist of constant unnecessary cursing and false nudity to try to make the “jokes” more funny, failed to do just ers intended.

I can only hope that those in-

through out the rest of the movie, most of it is just Greta do something. I would‘ve liked to see a For a movie that is supposedand awkward movie. with her violent ex and the sparking

13 Hours

Eliana Gutierrez

Rating:7/10

Staff Writer

Once two hours of watching 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, elapsed, some auteary-eyed and clearly emotionevents that portray the perilous conditions that six highly trained military personnel endured during a terrorist attack on an

Qaeda’s terrorist act on The United States in 2001, Islamic militants While the heroic and dramatic story of these soldiers is dramatically displayed, I felt the actors were sional survivors. There wasn’t a moment I felt compelled to express arriving in Benghazi, eventually

tants.

Some scenes were shot in a creative and artistic way at key chaotic moments while other moments unfold with typical dialogue and scenery. While this may sound like -

one mile away from a United States ers Jack Silva, Tyrone “Rone” to, Dave “Boon” Benton, John “Tig” Tiegen, and Mark “Oz” Geist. These six men come from

actors’ performances. live a casual life in this environment for weeks, video chatting with family and watching movies in their On the 11th anniversary of Al

the cinema screen and we come close to the last hour, I give 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, 7 out of 10 stars.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

SCRIPT

The Eagle’s Eye

Entertainment Page A7

PERFORMANCE

Teacher writes, stages first dramatic play on stage matthew Rocha Staff Writer

-

edy brings up a whole series of questions to be answered through the course of the -

Matthew Rocha

Playing the Part

Various actors act out a scene from, SEL teachers, Anthony Brombergs play “And Still The Dead Lay Moaning”.

The play revolves around six friends dealling with the fact that one of the six friends is in a coma and how the

story with characters that audiences could

theatre rehearsal spaces in Austin have

who were there they can write screen

-

they spent all those hours rehearsing, re-

story, to the characters and to the brilliant people in it, that they will be inspired to this is part of a festival there were 11 other

a loved one death, it said a lot about forgiveness and grievance it also shows how

-

That when you hide sadness or stress that

with your friends you have the opportuniinspire other students or people that have grappling with during life and hope they -

MOVIE

REVIEW

Lazer Team excites fans of multimedia company Bradley Barto Staff Writer

After 13 years of entertaining audiences online, Austin-based Rooster Teeth has ventured into the world of feaof Lazer Team. funded by 37,493 fans of Rooster Teeth productions who donated $2,480,334 ushouse in late January with screenings edies centering around four idiots who are the only ones who can save the Earth Courtesy of Rooster Teeth

The Spot cation of the popularity of online-based

X-Ray and Vav, a superhero cartoon about The Know, a

Annie Ricotta, a fan of Rooster Teeth Lazer Team said

Red vs Blue, the longest running web ries Halo,

shows and content created throughout 2008 they have recorded the Rooster Teeth Podcast (originally called the Drunk Tank, but changed in 2010 beabout basically anything that is on their There are several divisions of YouTube channels with each one foThe Know nel called The Slow Mo Guys as well as -

Rooster Teeth is also credited with RWBY, -

2012, after the end of the 10th season of Red vs Blue such as: Immersion, a show in which they On

-

page A8

PHOTO ESSAY

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – February 11, 2016

After lunch garbage tarnishes Akins appearance

Disrupting the View

Ricardo Villegas

Ricardo Villegas

Photo Editor

As students walk to class through the courtyard after lunch they are surrounded by a landscape dotted with half-eaten sandwiches, partially eaten pizza slices and spilled milk cartons.

The spacious courtyard that Akins enjoys is spoiled daily by the food waste that students leave behind everywhere. It seems that some students expect that the custodians are responsible for cleaning after their mess, assistant principal Bill Creel said.

Day by day the cycle continues where garbage is left on tables, benches and even placed on top of trash cans instead of placing them inside.

Constantly allowing this to happen creates a bad image for our school.

“It’s disrespectful to students and the school, it’s like our home. We want to represent our school the best way possible and trash doesn’t do that,” Academy Coordinator Jeanie McGough said.

Students need to realize that what they are doing is ill-mannered and shows little admiration for the school. “properly disposing of breakfast and lunch trash would be a tremendous help to our custodians and towards maintaining a clean learning environment.” said New Tech Academy Assistant Principal.

A Sad Horizon

Ricardo Villegas

Left With A Sour Taste

Messing With Mother Nature

Ricardo Villegas

Jesus Perez

So Close Yet So Far

Ricardo Villegas

Ricardo Villegas

D’shalon Williams

B

MUSICIAN

Life & Style The

SECTION

Eagle’s Eye

TRIBUTE

W. Charles Akins High School Austin, Texas “Everything that Concerns You”

February 11, 2016

David Bowie inspires Akins even after his death

Students, staff all around campus are affected by the passing of an iconic person

Jesse Farquhar-Greth Graphics Editor

oddity of the 20th century.

Bringing forth revolutionary content every decade, he never failed to awaken people to the possibilities the human expepression in a way that created a culturally generated space for the weirdos who previously had no outlet to be themselves in.

He dismantled the foundation of society’s normalities and expectations and in doing so, changed the world forever.

In his lifetime David Bowie was a strong advocate for all things odd. His eccentric taste in art differed his creations from the rest. What Bowie brought into this world, be it music, art, or performance, it kept people captivated. His creations were so radical for the generations that got to experience their releases, for there had never before been anything like his work. For example, the week of single Space Oddity, a song about an astronaut named Major Tom getting lost in space. It was such a fanatical move and it can never be done, again. And this man did it. He sincerely was an artist in every sense of the word.

Akins Teacher Mr. Hammn said “When I was in 5th grade, my musical taste made me a bit of an outlier to most of my friends. And i remember one day- I remember exactly- I was at this borders, before they closed down. I was with my brother and his girlfriend, and they drove up there- they were looking for some new cds. And I had heard of David Bowie.

I saw a platinum 3 CD collection of his greatest hits- and I thought you know, “I’m going to be cool-because Davids a kinda cool guy and I wanna be a cool guy-

He propagated massive shifts in the art world by simply introducing his work into the game.

Bowie broadened the artistic horizon some sort of a representation in the media and entertainment industry. He, for the ular.

Kelly Polacheck Sophomore at Akins and fan of David Bowie said, “He didn’t give a damn what people thought. He shouted it from the rooftops, that he was just going to be him, and nobody would change that. That’s one of the bigger things in life, you learn how to be comfortable being yourself. When you’re in David Bowie’s position, when you’re as big of a star as him, when you say things like that, people listen, and it will have an affect. Just as it had an affect on me. He really made it very clear that you shouldn’t care what people think about you, it can’t affect you. In the end, their opinions about you aren’t real. He took the By testing the limits of what society found acceptable, Bowie broke all the conventional wisdom, teaching us how to truly be ourselves. Blurring lines between question, did we really know how to be human before David Bowie? talents that he had and his own weirdness and ran with it and that’s what his ca-

much. I knew a few songs and I think i

RELIGIOUS

Jana Cordero

heard space oddity- so i bought it and i listened to. every song. Over and over and over. It never got worse, every song got better. it really was one of those pivotal cial- something new that you really get into. It doesn’t happen often. And then you get into a lot of deep catalog and then I read a david bowie biography because I

A Tribute to David Bowie

Illustration by Jesse Farquhar-Greth

im on a planet with people and we’re doing ok what we need we throw away and what we need we ignore but we don’t forget about the time just the poor let’s say goodbye to the weirdo from outer space who made this world such a wonderful place demolishing barriers such as sex or race showing us what it means to be human and not just a face the radio still plays you after the day is done and when another begins your song plays on we’ll remember long after you’re gone goodbye major tom so long major tom here long after here before dawn floating along major tom playing his song — Matthew Ramos

ADDITION

Prayer room provides freedom of religion at Akins HS

Muslim students are given opprotunities to pray during the day without prevention Eliana Gutierrez

it’s pretty cool how the principal and the

Co-Features Editor

Sophomore Saba Naiyer agrees with Daher.

“It makes me feel good about human-

Being a cyclical part of every Muslim’s day, prayer keeps them in touch with their faith. With education being another important factor in a student’s life, merging the two seems ideal.

The ritual starts with cleansing. Participants wash their hands, face, arms, ears and feet before praying to their God, Allah. Following this is prayer, in which

Naiyer’s middle school had a prayer since she was the only Muslim at her school.

Not all schools have had a room designated for these students, and Akins reopened the prayer room by request.

Before the room opened, Muslim students missed one prayer. This made some feel discontent.

Mohammad Abduljabbar said “I felt like I was a sinner missing a necessary

Quran in the direction of Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. junior Yasmine Daher said.

Muslim prayer begins before sunrise, the second session is at noon, continuing to mid-afternoon, sunset and lastly, evening.

These prayers originate from the Five Pillars of Islam. These pillars are; the testimony of faith, prayer, support of the needy, fasting the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage of Mecca.

The second pillar is prayer, which can in a group. A clean area means there is a prayer rug separating the ground, classicleansing process.

Since Islamic prayer is to be execut-

Students in Prayer Stance

Gabriel Robles

Freshman Mohommad Suleman Motiwala and Senior Mohammad Abduljabbar pray Namaz facing the Qibla which is the focal point towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Abduljabbar is in the bowing position while Motiwala is

Administration and students did not know Akins had so many Muslim students. This took students especially, by surprise.

“I was surprised, I didn’t know there would this many Muslim students at to get in contact and interact with other

ed routinely everyday, including around noon, school interferes. Muslims students however, have already taken initiative to complete what they consider a link connecting themselves to God. These students can now pray during

3rd or 7th period for 20 minutes and this chance has many positive responses from them.

“It’s amazing. It’s like a great opportunity for all Muslims to have the time to go pray and follow their religion, and I think

Motiwala said.

With more unity between students because of the prayer room, everyone seems

LIFE & STYLE

page B2

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – February 11, 2016

ADVANCED

MECHANICS

CES Gadgets exceed high expectations for 2016 Luis Correa

1. 8k TV

Staff Writer

If you’re into new and upcoming tech and have been looking for gadgets for either your phone, entertainment, have been looking to get a new smart fridge or maybe even a new car, then CES is the place to be.

CES is an event held every year where technology companies such as Samsung, Intel, and even BMW go to unveil their latest pieces of tech from self driving cars to new phones and gadgets for your kitchen or living room.

We have arranged a list of items showcasing products at CES that have caught our eye along with the eye of many more people.

EMPLOYMENT

It feels as if just yesterfor 4K TVs aired, but now we already have an even bigger TV, resolution wise.

When LG announced their 8K TV it only showcased still images because 8K content is nearly impossiclose viewers stand from the screen it’s impossible to see individual pixels, making it the crispiest display out right now. It hasnt yet been anounced when we will be able to pick one of these screens up .

2. Razer blade stealth

3. Mercedes IAA

4. LG Curved Display

5. Personal Drones

The Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook is the ideal laptop for gamers on the go..

This ultra thin 0.52” laptop packs the processing capabilities of a high end desktop PC, which is ideal for gaming and productivity for school or work.. Purchase the Razor core and you will be able to play the latest and most graphic intense games on your laptop which also happens to have a 4K screen. Purchasing wil leave you with a laptop which guarantees years of use.

Have you been looking for a new car capable of reaching top speeds, but have an eye for luxury and style? The Mercedes-Benz “Concept IAA” is a hybrid concept car showcased in CES with the capability to reach up to 160mph that has shifting body parts once it reaches a certain speed all while keeping a luxury look to it in both the exterior and interior. The IAA isn’t just about speed and includes many more smaller innovative additions to it.

Once again LG surprises us with a new form of technology they’ve been working on and will continue to perfect. This LCD display is like no other with the ability to be rolled up like a newspaper. At its current stage the display won’t be purchasable by consumers, but the prototype does give us a glimpse into the future of TVs and maybe even phones. This display might not seem like much, but it does make me wonder what LG has in store for us next.

Possibly the product to attract the most attention from anything in CES this year is the EHang 184, a personal transportation drone. That’s right a drone you can mount and will nation to destination. It is still unknown how this will function and how trips will be monitored but what we do know is how smart the drone is. This drone itself opens a window into the future of transportation personal drones.

INTERNSHIPS

Project SEARCH gives students a chance for being hired Program helps teenagers with disabilities earn employment at Austin hospitals Kelly polacheck Staff Writer

Finding a job in Austin - which has thousands of people moving here from across the country to seek employment - is tough for everybody. For students with developmental or mental disabilities this can seem almost an impossible proposition.

To combat this problem hospitals across the country have joined Project SEARCH, which focuses on training and placing young people with disabilities in jobs that involve complex and systematic tasks. The Seton Healthcare hospitals in Austin has belonged to the program since 2007, reaching out to area high schools to recruit potential internship candidates.

Akins has been a part of the program for 5 years and has helped 9 students obtain jobs after graduating in the past 2 years.

“The goal of project search is to build job skills for students with disabilities, and and their skills to get them paid employment over the course of one school year in AISD,” SCORES teacher Nathan Pullen said.

To meet internship requirements at Project SEARCH, a student must have met the all the graduation requirements of high school, and have little to no behavior-

ACADEMY

al problems.

A student must be ready for a professional career within the nine months of will be expected to be ready to handle their career independently for a real paying job.

Renee Salvi a Project SEARCH teacher said “Jermaine Williams and several other interns work in the cafeteria in the Seton hospital and gives patients the meals necessary according to their medical records. They work really hard to do so and also some interns made a full time job out of it.” ganization whose goal is to assist people with mental disabilities to get future employment and success through a yearlong internship.

This opportunity helps build the necessary skills to achieve the ultimate goal of employment.

In order to meet requirements of an internship at Project SEARCH, a student must have met all the graduation requirements of high school, and have little to no behavioral problems. A student must be ready for a professional career within the nine months after they are trained. In the ready to handle their career independently with a real paying job.

Renee Salvi

Opprotunities for the Future

Recent Akins graduate Bella Tovar interned with the Project SEARCH program and has secured a job at Brackenridge hospital.

Project SEARCH has a positive success rate and is known as the largest nonreceiving the 2014 “Living the mission and values award” from Ascension, and won two “Largest Employer” awards, one in 2009 and one in 2010.

“I guess it makes me feel more inde-

pendent and more advocated, it gives people one more year before having to go out on their own.” said SEARCH intern Jerthe program to any students with disabilities, so they can learn what they need to do with a job and be better prepared for the world.”

MOVEMENTS

STEM Force division gives students many opprotunities out STEM majors in college and STEM careers after college.

“STEM force is working with Green Tech to recruit students,” Green Tech academy coordinator Kenyata Williams said. “These geology courses are very related to environmental and Earth space science classes we have here.”

Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are science classes that all students must take in the 4 years they’re here in high school.

Starting next year students who pursue the geoscience major will take new classes.

Each grade will take it’s own geoscience class. Freshman will take Energy and Natural Resource Technology, soph-

New Horizonse

Photo Courtsey of STEM Force website

The STEM Force program teaches students the many marvels of geosciences. The program gets students to learn more about the Earth.

Jose salazar

Entertainment Editor For city dwelling students with limited exposure to the Great Outdoors, recruiting students to dedicate themselves to a multiyear environmental science curriculum can be a challenge.

That’s where a program called STEM

Force comes into attract students to consider working in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics based career focusing on environmental issues.

STEM Force is designed by researchers with the University of Texas. They are added to classroom experience in geosciences impacts a student’s choice to seek

Division class. Juniors will take either Aquatic Science or AP Environmental Science, and seniors will take the Earth Space Science class — which is also known as Earth, Wind, and Fire — or the AP Environmental Science/Aquatic Science class.

“I am very pleased to be a part of this team adding another major within the GreenTech course stream to expose students teacher Matt Stricklen said.

A new Environmental Science Course, Design has been developed in conjunction with the new major. In this course, students will be investigating environmental

sustainability issues found on campus and in South Austin. They will also be designing and implementing solutions to these problems “I would like to say that in addition to the STEM Force program, our offerings in Geosciences have increased across the board and would like to remind incoming seniors that our OnRamps Earth, Wind and Fire course, which offers UT science credit is a great choice for a 4th year science,” Stricklen said The goals of the program are aimed at increasing both the number and the diversity of high school graduates who enter geosciences.

“It gives kids a stronger background in geology and environmental science,” Williams said.

STEM Force is a UT designed research program that is all about measuring how experience in geosciences impacts a student’s choice to seek out STEM majors in college and STEM careers after college.

Along with these courses, an internship is being developed with Drillinginfo, a company that has offered to help students use real world data to “analyze the economics of resources from discovery to disposal.

IN DEPTH

The Eagle’s Eye

page B3

Thursday - February 11, 2016

Modern Dating Social media changes the rules of relationships Brenda Amaya-Rangel Co-InDepth Editor

Before the Internet and the emergence of social media, young lovers would communicate the old fashioned way — talking face-to-face and writing letters to one another.

My how times changed. Nowadays, dating is almost all about communicating with others through various social media such as texting, Tinder, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. According to a study from Pew Research Center 92 percent of teens have admitted to going online several times a day.

“I would most likely use Twitter to communicate with someone I’m attracted to,” sophomore Brooke Wallace said.

Over the years, teens have become more dependent on social media. A report from the Pew Research Center’s Teens Relationships Survey claims that 71 percent of teens, who are 13-17 years old use Facebook, 52 percent use Instagram, 41 percent use Snapchat, 33 percent use Twitter and 11 percent use different social media sites to communicate with each other. Even having a simple conversation with one another has proven to be teens are more likely to feel insecure about themselves, anxious or even nervous when interacting with one another under any circumstance. nicating through social media but once we are in a situation where we have to make eye contact and have an

actual conversation in person we feel nervous and self conscious of what we say throughout the conversation,” junior Melissa Aguilar said.

There have been many situations where a simple text can be misinterpreted by the other person who is on the receiving end of the conversation.

This often causes academic distractions, especially when messages are sent during the school day or in class.

While students are physically present at school their minds are focused on something entirely different.

“I think that kids are so concerned on what’s going on in social media and who the text is from that when they feel their phone vibrate or hear their phone go off they are immediately drawn towards their phone and away from what’s going on in the classroom and I think a lot of it has to do with having everybody be so accessible to one another,” Criminal Justice teacher Robyn Katz said.

Studies from the Pew Research Center have shown that 91 percent of teenagers who are between the ages 13 and 17 post photos of themselves, 71 percent post the name of their school or the city of where they live, 92 percent post their real name and 62 percent of them post their relationship status on various social media.

“With social media teens think that their sending something only to their girlfriend or boyfriend or whoever they are dating at the moment but once they hit that send button or once they post something it’s out of their control as far as where it goes,” Katz said.

Drawing designed by Chelsea A. Cuevas

How often do teens use the Internet?

2%

1%

Once a week

5%

12%

Several times a week

24%

Less often Once a day

56%

Several times a day Almost constantly Source: Pew Research Center’s Teens Relationship Survey

Layout deisgned by: Gabriel Robles

Notes from Eagles To Eagles “Si tu supieras que me estoy muriendo, quisiera decirte lo que yo siento pero tengo miedo de que me rechazes y que solo en mi mente vivas para siempre...”

Isabel, I just wanted to let you know how beautiful I think you are. I wouldn’t usually be doing this kind of stuff but you’re the exception. You mean a lot to me and I wanted you to know that.

To: Ana

U R The Key 2 My Success From: Andrew To: Katrina “I’d love you even if you were so ugly that everyone died.” - Patrick From: Katrina To: Buckets

Even tho you drive me crazy at times, I have to say. You are one of a kind To: Nicole

Happy Valentines Day, I appreciate you and the sweet things you do for me. You are great.

Besos! (: From: Delilah To: Javier

Hi I just wanted to say Happy Valentine’s day as your friend. You already know me since freshmen year. You have been my friend through thick and thin. I can’t imagine if we’re gonna go in different path after high school. You always been there for me my secrets and so ever but yeah I don’t want this to get longer but you know what I mean. Happy Valentine’s day again. -xoxo To: Arantza

Hey, Lilli. I just wanted to say thanks for being one of my best friends for the last few years. Thanks for giving me some awesome moments and someone to annoy daily.

You’ve been awesome, and I look forward to more fun times with you.

From: Lucas To; Lilliana

“Its easy to love a thing because. That’s as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect.” It might seem silly, but every deadline week I’ve spent with you guys have been some of the most wonderful weeks of my life. Despite all the arguing and all the drama that comes with being teenagers in high school in a closed environment, I cherish the time I have to spend with you guys —and despite the fact that I write this for you when more than half of us hate Valentine’s. Only a select few things in this world have the ability to make a heart flutter and fly. For me, those things are simply all of you.

Love: Gabe To: All of the Newspaper Staff

This isn’t your secret crush this is your best friend. Omg bff I love you so much! FYI this is our 2 year anniversary! I love you to death! and btw I would say you need a boyfriend but why? If you have me!

From: Cristina To: Melissa

My cheer coach valentine!!!

I’m so grateful for you! xoxo From: Ms. Gielow To: Ms. Garcia-Meitin

You are better than pancakes From: Jerie-Jane To: Juan

I may not get to see you as often as I like. I may not get to hold you in my arms all through the night. But deep in my heart I truly know, you’re the one that I love and I can’t let you go.

Even tho you drive me crazy at times, I have to say. You are one of a kind

You’re so great and I love you From: Jessica To: Jessica

Just want to let everyone know if y’all don’t have a valentine’s it’s all-good. Hit up Wal-Mart go buy that teddy bear. Go home watch that season of grey’s anatomy on Netflix. Go buy that heart shaped pizza.

But in all seriousness you don’t need someone to love you besides yourself -xoxo From: Arianna To: Akins Eagles Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my Eagles!

Love, Ms. Hosack

IN DEPTH

page B4

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday - February 11, 2016

Austin home prices at an all time high, forcing families to move away towards cheaper areas Amanda LIvingston Editor in Chief

From laid-back college town to destination city that tops the lists of hot places to relocate to, Austin has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 15 years.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Austin grew 37.4 percent from 2000 to 2010 and is considered the fastest growing big city in the country.

The lively arts scene, youthful energy and tech jobs the city is known for are often cited as reasons why the city is such a popular place to live right now. And it doesn’t hurt that Austin calls itself the “Live Music Capital of the World.” over the country, growing pains are becoming evident. A common complaint among long-term Austinites is that all of the success the city appears to be experiencing is not enjoyed by everyone.

While luxury condo towers are sprouting up all over looking to move away from Austin altogether.

Lack of affordable housing has become such an extreme problem that it was cited as one of the primary causes of a 3,000 decline in student enrollment in the Austin school district over the last three years. And the district recently released a demographics study, predicting the problem will only get worse within the next 10 years.

The study, performed by Davis Demographics and Planning, predicts that by 2025, the district’s enrollment will drop to 76,400 from a high of 85,680 in 2011.

At the heart of the problem is the way that property tax move to town. Property taxes are based off of property value appraisals, which means that when an area becomes more desirable to live in, property tax bills rise.

Austin’s high desirability FOR and explosive growth have E SAL driven housing costs to record levels.

According to the Austin Board of Realtors, the median price for an Austin-area single-family home increased 10 percent every vyear to $255,000 in March 2015. The average price increased 13 percent to $334,758 during the same time.

This puts home ownership out of reach for many lower income residents.

Between 2013 and 2014 the average price of a single

family home increased by 8 percent.

However, it wasn’t an easy process. The transfer for her The average price in 2014 for a four bedroom, 2 bath daughter, sophomore Abi Peterson, took longer to clear house was $369,510. A single- bedroom apartment’s rent than it should have. Natalee Peterson said she wanted to was averaged at $853, two-bedroom apartment at $1,074, keep Abi at Akins where she is a member of the band, and a three-bedroom apartment at $1,454. instead of having to enroll her in the Hays school district.

Frameworks CDC, a “It was so incredibly stressful, and not a positive experiopment corporation, opened ence,” Peterson said.

We are an Akins High School family, and in 2004 to combat these isMany families are not as fortunate as Peterson’s, and we don’t want to see anyone go. home buyers successfully are forced to also remove their obtain and afford a home. children from the school dis— Brandi Hosack Donald Degollado, ditrict. rector of operations and In response, schools in Co-Founder of Framecentral Austin are experiencworks, said most of the ing rapid enrollment declines, people moving to Austin are causing a “donut” effect, where ones who earn a higher income. the center of the city is being drained of families with “People with higher incomes are moving into the urban young children who are being pushed to the edges of the core and changing the landscape from families to young city. professionals,” Degollado said. “This pressure is causWithin the next few years however, the enrollment drop ing prices for rentals and home ownership to squeeze out is expected to include every school in the district, includworking families.” ing Akins.

Families living in central Austin are moving into either To help combat these problems, the district held the South Austin, or surrounding suburbs such as Kyle, Buda, Austin ISD Showcase. On January 9 at the Palmer Events and Wimberly.

Center. Representatives from each high school set up postAustin school district teachers, who have an average er boards and demonstrations to show what they have to yearly salary of $47,400, are an example of people feeling offer. the squeeze of rising housing costs.

Ryan Poulos, director of communications at the Real One of these families is that of Akins math teacher, Na- Estate Council of Austin, said that despite attempts to talee Peterson. boost the opportunities Austin ISD provides, enrollment Peterson said she loved living just six minutes away rates are still declining. from campus, and was disappointed when her family was “The school district’s own records show that roughly forced to relocate to Kyle last half of the departures from AISD are due to middle-class summer because they couldn’t af- families being priced out of the city,” Poulos said. ford the housing costs any more.

Akins’ attendance area hit 3,373 in the 2015 school “There was no way to get year, however based off of demographic projections, that ahead of it. We sold our house, number is expected to peak at 3,418 in 2018 and drop to and found another one that is big- 3,000 by 2025. ger, on a bigger lot, and for less Enrollment declines can be detrimental to the school than what we sold ours for,” Pe- district because less students enrolled, means less teachers terson said. hired, and thus revenue from the state declines. Revenue Peterson’s family tried to stay helps schools to pay for important teaching resources like in Austin; however, with the rap- lab equipment, sports equipment, and other teaching maid increase of the taxes on their terials. home, the move became inevitable.

“We bought our house in South Austin 8 years ago,” to being accustomed to the past trend of student growth in Peterson said. “Our property taxes went up 60 percent, the past. while my salary had gone up 3 percent.”

“It’s awful. I hate it,” Hosack said. “We are an Akins Peterson was able to keep her children in Austin schools High School family, and we don’t want to see anyone go.

It’s painful.”

Students whoes families considered moving from Austin

Reasons why people moved from Austin

No Yes

Types of homes teachers live in Austin

49.25%

50.75%

I do not live in Austin Condo 22.47%

Duplex 40.45%

4.49%

Apartment

5.62% Survey results from 70 students and 91 teachers

26.97%

House

IN DEPTH

The Eagle’s Eye

page B5

Thursday - February 11, 2016

Cheap homes found here

Cheap homes found here

homes Cheaper for sale

Cheaper homes for sale

Austin housing affordability crisis by the numbers Greater Austin Region Existing Homes Map, Median Sales Price, 2014

2000 2012

to From Austin region grew by nearly

70,000 people.

To own a home in Travis County you have to earn

at least Greater Austin Region

Graphic by Blake Barto, adapated from Austin Chamber of Commerce map

Austin Existing Homes Median Sales Price, 2014

2 bedroom apartment costs approximately $1,050. You would need to work at least 2.8 full-time jobs at minium wage to afford it.

In Travis County, a

Building Up

Eliana Gutierrez

$20.19/hr

With the current minimum wage, you would have to work atleast

92 hours a week

to afford a 2 bedroom unit.

Statistics reported by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

In The Making

The Austin Real Estate Council is calling for 100,000 more housing units to be built by 2025.

The average price for a median home in South Austin in 2014 costs approximately $260,000.

Eliana Gutierrez

The Austin region gained 570,000 new residents from 2000 to 2012 although the number of housing units went up by 84,000. Austin still doesn’t have enough homes for all their residents

Austin school district student enrollment levels and future projections 100000

80000

60000

40000

Actual enrollment Enrollment Projection

20000

0

-04 4-05 5-06 6-07 7-08 8-09 0-11 1-12 2-13 3-14 4-15 5-16 6-17 7-18 8-19 9-20 0-21 1-22 2-23 3-24 4-25 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

03

sports

page B6

Thursday - February 11, 2016

SEASON UPDATE

MATCHES

The Eagle’s Eye

Wrestlers are in mid-season with positive ratios Sadie Adams Staff Writer

As the wrestling team approaches their regional UIL qualifying matches this weekend, Akins wresting their minds prepared for the toughest opponents they have faced this season.

“The sport of wrestling all comes from mentality, lots of sweat, hard work and dedication,” junior Katerina Pena said.

Wrestling is a tough sport and it takes a lot of dedication from athletes to perform their best and stay strong throughout every practice and match they compete in.

“Wrestling is like a 24hour sport because you constantly have to watch what you eat and practice everyday and practice your technique as well,” senior

DISCOVERY

Robert Rodriquez said.

The season started off strong for the team this year and they are only continuing to get better.

Although wrestling is more of an individual sport, they have to work as a team to support each other. They help each other grow everyday whether it’s wrestling against each other because they need an opponent to practice with, or just someone to help them stretch or even just as simple as support.

“We have a very family-based team and everyone is always there for each other,” Pena said.

Coach Roy Tambunga his team.

“The team is doing very good this year we started off great and we are almost done,” Tambunga said. “We have a lot of new young

freshman this year as well as our old ones, and I have about four seniors that will make it past district, which I am pretty excited about.”

Senior Brenda Cancino who is currently 32-13 in district standings, is almost tling season in high school, but hopes to continue her wrestling career into college.

“Wrestling is a passion of mine and I want to continue it outside of high school,” Cancino said. “I am just waiting for the right college to try and get a scholarship. I have gotten some emails from out of state colleges but I am really just hoping to stay close to home.”

The team sometimes has to travel far away to compete, including tournaments in the Houston and Dallas areas.

Anthony Hernandez

Tournament Matches

Akins wrestler takes on a Crockett opponent during a match in January. The wrestlers have each individually kept a solid handle on their personal records.

The Houston Hurricane Classic tournament lasted two days and they performed well against some tough opponents.

“My weight class is 148 and I wrestled at 165. It

was hard but I felt like I did good,” Cancino said.

They also had a few wrestlers place in the tournament, including 1st place for Leslie Mejia, currently 37-5. 5th place for Robert

Rodriguez, who is currently 26-14 and 6th place for Katerina Pena 24-8.

“Wrestling is my sport and my plan is to go all out,” Rodriguez said.

NEW CHALLENGE

Students start to take up new sport: bouldering Gabe Robles

ment two to 2’ ½” thick impact foam as

Opinions Editor When you are 20 feet off the ground and the only thing keeping you from falling is your grip, the thing that helps you get to the top is the fear of falling.

At least that’s how Akins students who participate in a sport called bouldering describe the experience.

A group of climbers, including seniors Jana Cordero, Madison Round, and Jorge Sepulveda, have quickly fallen in love with the sport. They go to a gym called Austin Bouldering Project in East Austin regularly, which features a safe environment for the activity.

“In rock climbing, you have this high, tall walls that go over 30 feet, 40 feet high.

Bouldering is just that without the harness and it’s way less of height,” Sepulveda said.

Bouldering has been around for as long as rock climbing has, but it didn’t become its own category of rock climbing until about the 1900s. Around this time, boulderers began to develop ways to make the

ON FIELD

bouldering a great activity for just about any person interested in a new take on rock climbing.

“My cousin introduced me and Bryan to it,” Sepulveda said. “We’ve always loved rock climbing before, and with this new gym that opened, it was a good opening experience bouldering.”

There are also some local competitive events among climbers. Unfortunately, the sport isn’t “really a spectator friendly

To the Top

Bryan Cartagena

and has yet to make itself a well known sport.

“Usually (bouldering competitions) who did the hardest route the fastest. It’s a

Senior Jorge Sepulveda makes his way up the rock wall at the Austin Bouldering Project. Sepulveda has been bouldering for some time Despite this, people enjoy bouldering, now and feels comfortable to do so even without a harness. for it’s a good way to work out and hang sport safer to perform.

“At the bouldering project they have these crash pads,” Sepulveda said.

“They’re there, so that way, if you fall,

they’ll absorb most of the shock.”

The crash pads are one of the ways that boulderers make their passion safer, and the Austin Bouldering Project, they imple-

out with friends.

“It was fun because we all went with a group of friends,” Cordero said.

“I’ve only done it once, but I would

COMMUNICATION

Soccer teams work to improve communication for wins Luis Canales Staff Writer

A game of soccer can be like a game of “Telephone” for a captain trying to communicate with their players across a 120 During a typical soccer game the captain focuses on keeping the team together and communicating with one another to insure the team’s success. But if a player doesn’t hear the message right, things can go wrong, resulting in miscues and missed opportunities.

“In the beginning we weren’t that organized, but now we’re actually operating better,” Duberli Ruvalcaba, Boys Varsity Soccer team captain.

The boys team is in a current state of 16 games they have no wins. However, team captain and sophomore Ruvalcaba believes they can still make it to the playoffs.

“Honestly, if we pick it up I think we can, we just need to actually try,” Ruvalcaba said. trict last season with a record of 8 - 4.

Even though they are currently 0 – 4 they record, but they would need to win every game left in the season.

Akins goalie Adrian Flores-Maya believes that the team has improved much more than when they originally began.

“The season started a little rough but as some of the players started to it more seriously,” Flores-Maya said. “It’s gotten like Westlake and Bowie.”

Adrian says that if the team keeps playing the way they have for the past two games and improving the way they have

son’s end.

“The season started a little rough but as some of the players started to it more seriously it’s gotten better,” Flores-Maya said.

Akins Girls Varsity soccer team is also team has lost every game against their disMora and Samaria Ramos, think they still have a chance to turn things around.

“We’re doing pretty good with teamMora said.

She also hopes to keep the future in mind even while the current season unfolds.

“Next year I plan on improving myself just as being captain and leading the team and hopefully to the playoffs,” Mora said.

Jeniffer Lopez plays center mid or left defense for Akins Girls Varsity Soccer team. She believes that if there should be good communication between teammates and that with that will come a better team.

“Communication is a major key in any relationship. If we learn to communicate better with each other we will be successful, no doubt,” Lopez said.

When asked about the team as a whole she responded with,“with a lot of new people playing this year we’re still workanother, but other than that we have a pretty solid team.”

Lopez believes that the team’s communication is what will help them to get to the playoffs.

“To be able to make it to playoffs we would need to work harder on communication and skill, but other than that, with the heart my team has and the hard work we put in,” Lopez said, “I believe we can make it.”

Cassie Obi

Striding For Better Freshman soccer players compete in a tournament hosted at Akins along with other teams playing at the same time.

Though the team admits initial struggles, they have worked to

Thursday, February 11, 2016

ATHLETES

The Eagle’s Eye

Sports

page B7

JACK OF ALL TRADES

Student athletes juggle multiple sports each school year

Multi-sport athletes balance games, academics Katrina stewart Staff Writer

For many high school student athletes, one sport is hard enough to juggle with school, work and life in general.

But a select few value sports so much that they play two or three sports in the same school year. For these athletes, when one team’s season ends, another one begins, leaving little time to relax.

Although it can be a grueling routine to attend practice and compete late at night in games after school, sophomore Analise Perez said she does it for the love of the game. Perez plays basketball and track in addition to soccer, which she said is her strongest sport.

“I love competing against other teams; it keeps me busy,” Perez said. “I plan on playing soccer in college because I love the game.”

Just like Perez, sophomore Brittney Roberts plans to play the sport she’s most passionate about in college.

“I plan on playing volleyball for a D1 university. I have a strong passion for volleyball, and I really want to make volleyball a career,” Roberts said.

Although Roberts has a passion for volleyball it’s not the only sport she plays.

She also plays basketball, and runs track.

“By playing these sports I’ve made amazing friends, it keeps me in good shape and opens up more college opportunities

TEAMS

Ricardo Villegas

5 Kids, Many Sports

A few Akins students play multiple sports, dedicating themselves to their love of the game. From left to right are Demarcus Cabezas, Analise Perez, Jeniffer Lopez, Brittany Roberts, and Patrick Dickerson.

for me,” Roberts said. erts shoots over the net, junior Jeniffer Lopez plans on dribbling past her opponents to take a shot at playing basketball in college.

“It would be a dream to play basketball in college because it’s my favorite sport,” Lopez said.

Lopez has decided to play both soccer and track this year. In the past year’s she

has played volleyball, basketball and softball.

“I play all these sports because it keeps me motivated to keep my grades up,” she me feel some type of way. It makes all my worries go away and for that period of time, I’m just playing and there’s no better feeling,” Just like Lopez, junior Demarcus Cabezas has a similar love for sports. Since 7th

grade Cabezas has played football, basketball, and track which will continue next year.

“Getting a scholarship for football would be incredible,” he said. “It was my These multi-athletes continue to play as many sports as they wish because they along with the enjoyment of playing these sports.

OPPONENTS

New UIL alignment grouping changes district opponents Dropping old rivals, Akins to play Manor, San Marcos in future Cassie Obi

Sports Editor The University Interscholastic League announced the realignment of districts for football and basketball teams for the 2016-2018 seasons, changing who Akins will compete against in the coming years.

The major changes are the removal of Austin, Westlake and Lake Travis high schools as district opponents for Akins and the addition of Manor and San Marcos.

The number of teams in District 14-6A is also dropping

Leander Vandegrift Lake Travis

from nine to six.

Lake Travis and Westlake moved to Region 4, pitting them against Vandegrift, Hays, Lehman, Vista Ridge and Leander high schools. Austin High moved down to the 5A class because the cutoff enrollment was changed to 2,150.

Basketball coach Jesse Hayes said he is excited about the new alignment and the chance to play new teams.

Players said they have mixed feelings about not having strong teams like Westlake and Lake Travis as dis-

Vista Ridge Anderson Manor

Westlake Bowie Hays

San Marcos

Del Valle

Akins Lehman

chances of making it to playoffs.

“Westlake was always a great team to play,” Hayes said. “Maybe we’ll schedule them for a preseason game.”

District 14–6A for 2016-2018: -Akins -Anderson -Bowie -Del Valle -Manor -San Marcos

Realignment Reactions “I think it’s a good thing. It gives us a better chance to next year.”

- Demarcus Cabezas

“I think the schools we’re going to be up against are a great match for a good season.”

- Raeann Gonzales

District 25 District 14

“It gives use more opportunity, its challenging but I think these new districts are fair” - Deyfilia Mora

Map by Cassie Obi, adapted from Google Maps

PHOTO ESSAY

page B8

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – February 11, 2016

Art students prepare for annual UIL competition Ricardo Villegas Photo Editor

Akins is a very creative school, whether it’s painting, drawing or ceramics,

Creating The Complection

Senior Jana Cordero meticulously sculpts a bust of a face in Mr. Cannon’s ceramics class that she is preparing to take to vase.

The Artist At Work

Senior Elizabeth Folwick gracefully creates a black and white pencil drawing in

Keeping A Steady Hand

Senior Flor Lopez percisly paints the background of her still life painting before adding the detail necessary to make it come to life.

Preparing The Canvas

Senior Dana Boedecker paints her initial wash of paint to block her painting in with color before she begins to add shadows and highlights to give it dimension.

A Deadly Piece Of Art

Junior Martha Sanchez smothes the surface of her skull sculpture with water in Mr. Cannon’s ceramics class to create a slick surface.

A Nice Family Dinner

Junior Estrella Velazco shows off her beautiful ceramic sculpture that she made in Mr. Cannon’s ceramics class which she has prepared to compete in the VASE UIL competition.

A Nice Family Dinner

Sophomore Jorge Mendez blocks in the background of his still life painting with