The Eagle's Eye; Issue 6; Volume 16; Akins High School

THE

EAGLE’S EYE W. Charles Akins High School

Austin, Texas

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“Everything that Concerns You”

Volume 16

13 Reasons Why

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Augmented Reality

Courtesy of Netflix

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Eliana Gutierrez

yC Ca s e

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Flickr

May 24, 2017

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Issue 6

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Student Spending

Makeup Tutorial

Alejandra Arguello

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DEBIT

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A+FCU MEMBER Casey Coffman

▲ Winner Winner

Freshman Casey Coffman won $500 from A+ Federal Credit Union for designing the debit card that will be given to customers at the Akins branch.

Bank opens branch on campus next school year

A+ Federal Credit Union partners with school creating internship opportunity Raidy Zanjeel Staff Writer

Students needing cash or wanting to deposit their paycheck will not have to go any further than the front of the school to take care of their regular banking needs starting next school year.

That’s because the A+ Federal Credit Union will be opening a bank branch on campus that will focus on serving the Akins campus and greater community.

Akins administrators said they are pleased to see the bank becoming a reality because the project has been in the works for more than 10 years.

A+ already operates campus based bank branches at six other Austin area schools,

Learning

but Akins is the first within Austin ISD to host a branch.

LeTicia Piper, A+’s high school branch manager, said the credit union has a commitment to education because it was founded by teachers. She said the bank branches provide them with a unique opportunity to serve its members through financial literacy education.

The partnership will allow students to participate and work in the bank. Students will be taking banking and business classes. Some students will be selected to work as bank tellers at the bank after school and on the weekends.

Students will work for two hours everyday, getting paid for the work they do, working a total of 16 to 20 hours a week.

“Students will work two hours per day so it’ll be double block (class) at the end of the day,” business teacher Andrew Hebenstreit said. “They’ll also work on the weekend (Saturdays) at a branch near by and they get paid $10.50 an hour to start.”

Students working at the bank will go through a regular hiring process by the A+ personnel office so they will have to apply just like a normal job. Hebenstreit said he expects to have three students interning with A+ next year.

Bank representatives said they hope the convenient location of the branch will attract new customers and help young people learn about the advantages of banking with a credit union, which is set up as a non-profit organization.

“Credit unions are not profit driven,” Piper said. “Accounts have fewer fees, lower loan rates, and typically higher dividend rates on funds that are on deposit.”

To help generate interest in the new bank, A+ hosted a design contest for the debit card that will be given out to customers of the Akins branch. Students in graphic design classes submitted various designs, which were reviewed by campus, district and bank officials to select the winner.

Freshman Casey Coffman won the contest and $500. Coffman said he is excited to know that his design will be used for years on the debit cards.

“It’s cool that they’re going to use it,” Coffman said. “It was fun to do.”

System

Austin ISD introduces new classroom connection program Bethany Bissell News Editor

Although the term “Learning Management System” may seem like some kind of foreign educationese, it actually describes services like Google Classroom or Schoology that are becoming increasingly common in schools all over the country.

And soon, Austin ISD will have its own system called BLEND available to all schools starting in August. Akins teachers are currently being trained to use the system.

However, administrators in the district’s Technology Integration office say that this system will do much more than the typical LMS, and that’s why they are calling it a Learning Positioning System.

BLEND is adapted from LMS Canvas, which is commonly used at universities. BLEND goes beyond the typical LMS, however, said Erin Bown-Anderson, AISD director of Technology Integration.

“The idea of an LPS is taking that same idea of an LMS, but really kind of pushing it forward to say, ‘How is using the system going to give us more information about where we are learning and how to get where we want to go?” Bown-Anderson said.

BLEND gives students access to a calendar of their assignments for every class, a gradebook integrated with

TEAMS, and allows teachers to design assignments in new ways that allows them to aid student learning more effectively. English teacher Alan Brooks said that the inclusion of a district license for TurItIn.com, a program that runs analytics for and checks for plagiarism in stu-

dent work, and the TEAMS integration will be very helpful in his class.

“With the gradebook tie-in and Turnitin, I’ll be using BLEND next year for sure,” Brooks said.

Anderson High School and its vertical team piloted both Canvas and BLEND schoolwide. The students and staff at these schools used the program and provided feedback in order to ensure that BLEND was without outstanding errors before it went to the entire district. Junior Isabel Leggett, who uses Canvas for OnRamps Pre Calculus and English, said she had found a few problems with the software.

“It times you out after a certain amount of time, even if you’re still using it.” Leggett said. “It gets annoying.”

Bown-Anderson said that she expects there to be an obstacle in students and teachers adapting to the new software. She said that students are likely to pick it up more easily than teachers, and from there students can act as ambassadors to help teachers with the program.

“I think part of the beauty of it is that we don’t know all the ways that teachers and students are going to innovate within the system,” Bown-Anderson said. “We’re actually counting on the fact that our students and our teachers are really incredible and they’re going to discover ways of using it that we haven’t even imagined.”

INSIDE: Opinions - pAge 2 entertainment - page 3 InDepth - page 4 news - page 5 life and style- 6 SPORTS - page 7 PHOTO ESSAY- page 8

Opinions

page 2

The Eagle’s Eye

Wednesday - May 24, 2017

Healthcare bill passes for show yet scares many Proposed ideas leaves anyone with pre-existing conditions at mercy of the state

EDITORIAL

I

n an attempt to salvage some kind of legislative accomplishment within the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would undo most of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The reason behind the healthcare bill has been argued as another one of Trump’s grudge matches with Obama, and that the ACA is one more Obama law he wanted to take down. The bill, in which many lawmakers acknowledged to not reading before voting on it, could harm an enormous amount of America’s populace if it becomes law as is.

One aspect of the bill that could have the biggest impact is its lack of full coverage for those with “pre-existing conditions,” which is a large group of people. The bill aims for states to be able to decide whether anybody with a pre-existing condition to not be covered by their insurance.

CNN published a list of the most common examples, but even that didn’t cover it all. For reference, some of the most notable conditions from their list are: AIDS or ARC, Alzheimer’s Disease, Anemia (Aplastic, Cooley’s, Hemolytic, Mediterranean or Sickle Cell), Anxiety, Arteritis, Asbestosis, Asthma, Bipolar disease, Cancer, Cerebral Palsy (infantile), Depression, Diabe-

Inhibitors

Jokes about school threats lead to fear Annie Ricotta

Bee barto

Opinions Editor In recent years schools have found themselves in an uncomfortable situation as threats become commonplace to the point where anxiety about safety runs high daily.

According to the Los Angeles Times, there have been 186 school shooting since the Sandy Hook Shooting in 2012. However, according to The Daily Dot just this year alone there have been 91 mass shootings in 2017 in the U.S. However, there have been countless fake threats across America.

These incidents have left administrators and students on edge, on a slim chance that the threat is legitimate. While this response is extremely justified to protect lives on campus, some students are taking this chance as a means to play a joke or shut down regular classes by making false threats on social media or other

Editorial Policy 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

means.

It’s hard to understand why someone would make a false threat targeting a school, perhaps has a way to cope with the situation or maybe out of immaturity or attention seeking. All across the country you can see examples of more and more students breaking from poor mental health and a system that fails them.

Meanwhile, students continue to make these jokes to be funny or edgy.

But violence on campuses is no laughing matter. Just this month at the University of Texas at Austin, there as a knife attack by a student on other students, that left one dead and three wounded.

And while there are real, actual threats happening at other schools, we have dealt with students making jokes about killer clowns visiting Akins, which led some students to not to come to school.

Those who continue to make these false threats make a serious situation into a laughing matter and this dangerous habit cannot continue.

Media target for politicians Annie Ricotta

Obama’s. Everything was the same in the two pictures, except for the number In-Depth Editor of people in them. The simple fact is, I find it extremely there were less people at Trump’s inauironic that the people guration than there was years before. who scream and flap While false news has existed long their tiny hands and call before, this is the first time that the any news they don’t agree with “fake lies were so blatantly false and said by news”, are the very same people who someone with so much power. cite “sources” that a simple fact check The point of the news is to provide tears apart. These people tend to jus- evidence and facts to the people who tify their disdain for critical coverage might not already be aware of by respected them not just news outlets say things to Facts are not subjective, they are not by saying they spark conflict. have “alternaNews channels opinions. Facts are based on evidence tive facts” or are supposed that they have to inform peothat can be objectively measured. different opinple not funcions about the tion as human truth. clickbait.

There is no You can’t just say things such thing. Facts are either true, or they when you are in a position of power and are not facts. Facts are not subjective, expect it to have no impact. People in they are not opinions. Facts are based media have power in this day in age beon evidence that can be objectively cause of how connected everything is. measured. The phrase “alternative facts” Calling everything you don’t agree with was first presented when the pictures fake only harms. We have to be aware of Trump’s inauguration came out and of the facts and opinions on every matwere compared to the pictures from ter, even if we don’t agree with them.

Daylin Ettles

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

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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

Eagle’s Eye Staff

Web Editor

Online Entertainment Editor

Editor-in-Chief

In-Depth Editor

Graphics Editor

Opinions Editor

Sports Editor

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News Editor

Life & Style Editor

Entertainment Editor

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Staff Writers See full list on the Eagle’s Eye Web site

Eliana Gutierrez* Bee Barto* Bethany Bissell* Alejandra Arguello*

Jared Cordero* Annie Ricotta*

Alex Castro*

Ashley Sanchez* Marcelo Cruz* Ulysses Luna*

Journalism

Kelly Polacheck* Annie Ricotta

Vol. 16, issue #6 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.

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

Editorial Board*

Students afraid of attacks

Political

Honors ILPC/UIL

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Superior Bronze Star Award Coverage 2007 2005 2011 2008 2012 2007 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2013 2010 - 2nd Sweepstakes 2014 2011 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2015 2016 - Best In Show 2016

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Education

Annie Ricotta

tes, Hepatitis (Type B, C or Chronic), Obesity, Organ transplants, Paraplegia, Parkinson’s Disease, Pregnancy, Sex reassignment, Transsexualism, and Tuberculosis.

We as the editorial board believe a system like this is too extreme and carelessly planned to cover those people who need the coverage most. The Republican healthcare bill is extremely harmful to a huge group of people.

It’s sad how something as essential as healthcare has become so politicized that it is more important for the Republicans to pass something — even if it is awful — just to score points with an extreme base of conservative voters. Ironically, many of the poor and rural people who voted for Trump could be hurt the most by this bill. Though, conservatives support it because they get to suppress those who have it worse than them. People who constantly disregard the existence of mental disorders and gender identity, have no right to use a bill to make their lives harder.

Some people say that this change is necessary because Obamacare had its flaws. However flawed it may have been, this bill is not better. All it does is allow states to decide how badly they want to harm people, make insurance cover less and cost more. There is no way their plan is an improvement.

All icons for kickers are found on: flaticon.com

All-American 2013 Nominated for Pacemaker -2013

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

entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye

page 3

Wednesday - may 24, 2017 Series

Mixed Reactions

Controversy surrounds Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why Is a show about a high school student’s suicide too dark for teen viewers?

Melissa Ortiz

Graduating Senior

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Shannon Purser, who plays Barb from Netflix’s Stranger Things joined the 13 Reasons conversation, sending out several tweets advising her followers to consider steering clear of the show to avoid being triggered.

“I would advise against watching 13 Reasons Why if you currently struggle with suicidal thoughts or self harm/have or undergone sexual assault,” Shannon Purser said.

Shannon struggles with depression and self-harm in the past, she said that while she sees how the content could be helpful for some people, the episode warnings should not be taken lightly.

“There are some very graphic scenes in there that could easily trigger painful memories u Co

Viewers of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why know from the beginning that the main character is going to die.

The only question is why. The 13-episode series tells the story of Hannah Baker, a high school student who committed suicide. Before dying she made a set of 13 cassette audio tapes, where she talks about the reasons that led her to committing suicide and the people who she says caused her to take this decision.

The suspense of finding out why Hannah made the tape for each person is what hooks the viewers. However, the plot has attracted critics who complain that the show romanticizes suicide.

Some organizations have advised teens not to see the series if they are experiencing some kind of problems similar to the ones being talked about in the show. The National Association of School Psychologists released a statement in response because of its concern with the series.

“Accurately 13 Reasons Why conveys

that there is no one cause of suicide,” said the organization in its statement. “Research shows that exposure to another person’s suicide, or to graphic or sensationalized accounts of death, can be one of the many risk factors that youth struggling with mental health conditions cite as a reason they contemplate or attempt suicide.”

Some schools have even sent letters to the parents warning them about the content of the series.

“We would be particularly concerned for any student who may be struggling emotionally and views the series without the opportunity to process the content,” Derek Turner, the spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools (in what city or state), told News4 that the series “romanticizes” some “very adult themes.”

and feelings. Please protect yourselves.

There are lots of really good things about the show and I have no doubts that it is important and could be helpful to some.

Just be careful,” Purser said.

At the end of the series, there is an episode where the executives, directors; explain that 13 Reasons Why is more than a show about violence, bullying, etc.

“We didn’t look away from the sexual assaults in the show, because to do otherwise is to minimize what those characters go through and what teenage girls go through every day. We had a number of people ask us along the way why we had Hannah kill herself in the way we did and why we showed it. We worked very hard not to be gratuitous, but we did want it to be painful to watch because we wanted it to be very clear that there is nothing in any way worthwhile about suicide” Executive Director McCarthy said.

Even in this last episode also appear some psychologists talking about bullying, and giving some advice to those young people who are going through similar situations.

television

Livestreaming program allows players to interact Twitch popular among gamers, performance surpasses YouTube and Beam Mary griffis

Graduating Editor Although YouTube dominates the world of online video streaming, Twitch is quickly becoming the destination of choice of gamers looking for a more interactive experience.

Launched in 2011, Twitch is a service that lets broadcasters play games, create art, or even eat in front of a live audience.

While they do these activities they can gain subscribers and donations. Subscribers pay $4.99 a month and they receive a shout out from the streamer, gain the ability to use custom emoji in the chat, and other exclusive content meant only for subscribers.

Audience members can also connect their Amazon Prime accounts to gain one free subscription to any streamer for free.

They can also buy a Twitch Turbo subscription that grants an ad-free watching experience, custom emoticons, a wider range of chat colors, and a turbo badge.

music

Once the streamer gains enough followers they can gain a “Subscriber button,” granting them a partnership with Twitch that lets them earn revenue from advertisements. This also allows them access to be featured at streaming events and gain sponsorships from other companies.

Streamers also earn money through donations and Twitch’s own currency called Bits, which allow streamers to collect more than the regular

$5 donation cap. Donations can be given by any member of the chat who wants to support the streamer without being locked in by a subscription.

With the introduction of Bits, audience members can “cheer” a certain amount of bits to the streamer of their choice. These bits have monetary value but not all of the money goes to the streamer unlike subscriptions.

Audience members interact with their favorite streamers through a chat.

In chat, people can spam emotes, chat with a streamer, and use certain commands the streamer has implemented.

Twitch has many competitors such as YouTube and Beam that allow content creators the chance to gain revenue. While YouTube is very popular it has become harder for streamers/content creators to gain money from ads on a single video. Because of this Twitch has grown in size with more than

2 million active broadcasters and more than 17,000 partners.

As a partner you are invited to events like E3, Twitchcon, and PAX. At these events Twitch sets up a booth where fans can take pictures and get signatures with their favorite streamers. Because of these events streamers and their audience create a more personal connection than just talking through a chat.

Twitch by the Numbers 9.7— Million active users.

2+ — Million unique streamers per month.

46+ — Million raised by the Twitch community for charity.

review

Harry Styles drops solo album after 1D departure Former One Direction member tops charts with new single ‘Sign of the Times’ Evelynn valladares Staff Writer

After earning international fame as part of the One Direction super pop group, Harry Styles stepped out on his own with the release of his new self-titled album in mid-May. For Styles, the album is a chance to set himself apart and make the case that he is a serious artist that has a future beyond being a part of boyband. Because of that Styles’ fans should not expect the album to be the same as what he produced with One Direction.

The album was recorded live in studio, capturing more of a old rock and roll sound than a slickly produced pop tune.

And the lyrics to his new songs are more personal and meaningful.

One Direction fans are excited about the release because it has almost two years since the release of the group’s last album, but they will be disappointed if they dislike Harry’s new style of music.

Although it is a different sound from the original pop music from One Direction, Styles fans are supportive of the changes, including his first single “Sign of the Times.” The song is a soft rock (ballad) with piano in the background.

The song is about a mother that only has five minutes to tell her child what she needs to say.

It is so meaningful and it is different than any other song that he sang for

Courtesy Columbia Records

One Direction.

Another standout song on the’ album is “Carolina.” The song is about a fan he meet from either North or South Carolina.

In the song Styles sings “She’s got a family in Carolina; So far away, but she says I remind her of home; Feeling oh so far from home.”

It’s an upbeat song with guitar in the background. It tells a story that he hasn’t revealed before, making for an intriguing listen.

The song “Ever Since New York” is another revealing track about an empty relationship he experienced.

As a fan of One Direction, I didn’t care for Harry’s new style of music.

However, this album is still enjoyable to listen to.

Indepth

page 4

The Eagle’s Eye

wednesday - may 24, 2017

The Budget Battle: Buying vs. Saving Hours Worked Per Week

Students struggle to save money while living in an expensive evnvironment Eliana Gutierrez

30 - 40 13%

20 - 30 30%

Editor-in-Chief

Less than 10 22%

10 - 20 35%

Track what you spend, form a budget, pay yourself first

Other 29%

Where People Work

The average student will save $6,458.40 over the course of one year, according to the results of a recent school-wide survey.

This figure stems from the average $9 per hour an Akins student earns if they worked for 30 hours a week for one year, and by setting aside a percent of their paycheck for savings.

According to a school-wide survey, 42 percent of students surveyed have a job providing them with steady income and 53 percent habitually set aside a consistent amount of their earnings.

On average, the majority of the surveyed students work 20 hours a week.

Of the survey participants 47 percent said they did not save because they preferred spending it on luxuries such as video games and trips.

Money Matters teacher Jason Koltz said he spends the school year educating and preparing his students for any and all financial probabilities that can arise.

“Track what you spend, form a budget, pay yourself first,” Koltz said.

Koltz believes the students’ biggest priority when saving money should be setting up and growing an emergency fund.

Many banks provide money saving tips as well as tracking spending habits features on their websites.

Bank of America in particular, recommends similar advice to what Koltz teaches his students: Create a budget. Set goals. Track your debts.

For a high school student, it is common to spend a large portion of their paychecks on expenses and later consider saving only a fraction as an afterthought.

However, Koltz explained the future holds unexpected occurrences in which that fraction may not cut it. Some examples include car accidents, home damage, or personal health.

Junior Celeste Saucedo, is employed and earns approximately $100 per week and saves half of her paycheck. “(I save) for college, for a car, anything,” Saucedo said.

Saucedo hopes to attend Texas State or UT, and feels secure — Jason Koltz knowing she is building up financial stability.

Saucedo also saves money by being modest with her spending.

“Everything I buy is under $20,” Saucedo said. “When I shop I look for discounts and if it’s not on discount I’m not going to buy it.”

Saucedo said she likes knowing she has options in the future in which to spend her money if need be.

Students like Saucedo, who save are guaranteed to be better equipped for life after high school.

Food Service 48%

Retail 14% Grocery 10%

According to experts at Forbes Only 52 % of Akins students workers should be saving 20 % of have a savings account their paychecks *All graphs based on results from a campus survey conducted by the Eagle’s Eye

Page design and art by Annie Ricotta

News

The Eagle’s Eye

page 5

Wednesday - May 24, 2017 Environment

Technology

Science class builds augmented reality sandbox

Earth, Wind and Fire class constructs AR sandbox to aid student understanding Daylin Ettles Staff Writer

While some might think that sandboxes are only for small kids, science teacher David Stricklen has proved that they are fun and educational for all ages.

Using a combination of projection and remote sensing technology, students in Stricklen’s Earth, Wind and Fire course created what is called an Augmented Reality Sandbox. The system projects topographic maps onto the surface of the sand in a way that shows elevation and water filling in low lying areas as students reshape the sand into hills and valleys.

The AR Sandbox system uses a Kinect motion sensor and a high-end graphics processor to constantly scan the elevation of the sand to create the effect. The project cost around $1,200 but only cost $500 out of our pockets which was only possible because of a grant from the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation which was presented to Mr. Stricklen by Dr. Charles Akins last year, Stricklen said.

Stricklen said besides being a fun way to use technology, the project helped teach his students many skills.

“The augmented reality sandbox is a physical sandbox with actual sand, but there’s a program that projects a simulated water

Counseling

flow and simulated topography lines into the box, all of that changes as students manipulate the sand inside box,” he said. “So that’s the augmented reality right there in a physical environment with a digital projection that responds to the changes made in the box.”

Stricklen and his students who were able help work on the project got the added benefit of exploring a multitude of different fields other than just topography while constructing the AR sandbox. They learned skills such as math and engineering through building the physical box, computer science and computer engineering through working with the physical computer and the software so that it could run the power-intensive program.

Stricklen said that his students were able to learn a great deal of college readiness skills and teamwork skills working on this project.

“They had to make a lot of choices of how we were going to make this happen, they really practiced some college and career and readiness standards when it comes to collaboration on projects.” he said. “And what’s in front of them now is to learn how to teach with this new tool” Senior Jordan Marrero, one of Stricklen’s students who worked on the project, said she enjoyed the experience of building some-

Marcelo Cruz

▲ Under construction

Science teacher David Stricklen and senior Mila Luna work on constructing a portion of the sandbox. Once completed, they were able to use a digital projection system to simulate topography lines in the sand.

thing using innovative technology. She said it opened up new ideas for how augmented reality technology can be used.

With the sandbox, Stricklen hopes that it can help encourage his students to take part in the teaching.

Marrero said the project helped her learn much more than what she would have if it had just been a book based lesson.

“You actually have hands on experience instead of just seeing something on paper, you can actually get your hands in this, you

can form the land into whatever you want.” she said. “So you can create what you want you can physically learn how everything works and you can witness it happen too. I don’t think it could have gone any better. ” Junior Simon Carandang is a student who observed and got a hands on experience with the sandbox. Carandang was able to learn topography, rivers and watersheds with the short time that he had with the sandbox. He said that this shows just how effective the sandbox can be.

Carandang said that is amazing to see that Akins is doing and working with the same technology in a way that colleges such as the University of Texas are.

“I’ve been to UT, and seeing that they have this very same technology is a pretty cool thing to see that we can do and teach the same ways that UT is,” he said. “I just think it’s amazing that the students are producing projects that are almost at the same caliber as those at UT. ”

Support

Student Support Services office finds new home upstairs SSS office relocated to 2nd floor red hall to accomodate incoming A+FCU bank Zeta handy

Support Groups Offered

Staff Writer

briefs

When students experience anxiety or hardships, they have been able to turn to Student Support Services (SSS) in their office at the front of the school for the last nine years.

The SSS is a place to turn to on campus when students need to talk to a counselor or attend one of its support groups that help students through difficult times in their lives. So when students heard that their office was going to be moving, it raised concerns among some who liked the location where it is.

However, school social worker Colleen Arnold said she hopes the new location near RM 252 in the second floor red hall might actually be an improvement because of increased visibility by students. Currently, the office is tucked away in a hallway that often goes unnoticed by students.

“When it’s (upstairs) they can notice,” said senior Destiny Rivera. “They see because (now) it’s more hidden.

And if people can see they might be like “oh I can go by there” The SSS is moving because the campus will be remodeling the old office area into a new bank branch for A+ Federal Credit Union.

To help ensure that students will have privacy at the new location, construction workers will remove some lockers and install a door from the main hallway to improve accessibility to the rooms. The rooms where the SSS will be next year are currently accessed through room 252.

“We can use (the new office) to have private conversations with students,” Arnold said. “Nothing is going to change about how we help the students. I hope that they don’t feel like they can’t come to us because of the new location. What we offer is all still going to be the same

Social worker Colleen Arnold stands before what will be the entrance of the new Student Support Services offices in the red hall. Construction begins in June.

from prom dresses and tickets to snacks and if you even need school supplies anything you need for school. And of course if you need to talk we will listen and everything will be confidential.”

AVID teacher Christina Garcia-Mata said she is glad the new SSS office will be closer to her room.

“It helps with kids in the portables when they get called to the SSS or just need someone to talk to,” she said. “I like the idea of the change of room but Ms. Arnold might be sad that she’s leaving because she’s been there for so long and then she even painted the walls.”

District provides senior graduation information The Akins Graduation ceremony will be held June 3 at 9 a.m. at the Frank Erwin Center at Red River Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Graduates need to arrive at the Lone Star Room by 8 a.m. to prepare for the ceremony. Do not bring noisemakers or balloons.

Because of the construction of the UT Medical School some streets, including Red River, will be closed.

Bethany Bissell

▲ New Location

Austin ISD will provide shuttle buses that will take family and students to and from the Erwin Center.

Those who will be wanting to ride the shuttle should park their vehicles in the west side of Akins High School’s parking lot and board the bus between 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. to make it on time for the graduation ceremony.

After the ceremony ends, buses will return the guest to Akins.

May 26th: Student Holiday 29th: Memorial Day June 1st: Last day of school 3rd: Graduation 6th: Diplomas available

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Emotions Management Anger Management Grief and Loss Pregnancy/Parenting Healthy Relationships LGBTQ Support Girls Empowerment - Girls Only 8. Sober Living All support groups occur in FIT If you would like to contact Arnold or the SSS, you can reach them at: colleen.arnold@austinisd.org or (512) 841-9878 Bethany Bissell

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life & Style

page 6

The Eagle’s Eye

Wednesday - May 24, 2017 Beauty

creators

Collectors create art through makeup

Alejandra Arguello

▲ Makeup Essentials

Palettes, brushes, lipsticks are a few of the must have for many makeup artists. They start their collection with basics and end with mountains of products.

Jennifer Espinoza Staff Writer

Makeup is more than just something to hide blemishes or brighten checks for some students — it’s an art.

These makeup gurus collect eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks like sneakerheads collect kicks. They are often seen in bathrooms perfecting their look for can drag on to be hours.

Some collect an insane amount of makeup and are not ashamed of spending their entire paychecks on beauty projects.

Senior Amanda Barrera said that makeup has changed her life by building confidence and shutting down judgment.

“Makeup has changed my life a lot. I started makeup around sophomore year and I can say it has built up my confidence throughout high school a lot,” she said.

The makeup collector community has

grown, flourishing around the world with ing confidence. It can make a statement or bloggers inspiring millions of girls and express a personality just like an outfit can guys with their creativity. Colorful palettes create a style or a price tag can express the and hundreds of thousands of lipstick col- quality of an object. Makeup can create a ors are reasons enough for collectors to whole new attitude. start the search for “I’m able to their perfect look. express art in a These bloggers different way,” she tend to showcase said. “You can do their cabinets and so many things drawers filled with with makeup like makeup products, make someone — Katie Medina brushes and tools. feel beautiful, Of course all of cover scars, these beauty prodbruises, or create ucts come at a price — after all beauty ain’t a character.” cheap.

Although some think spending such Junior Cynthia Zuniga said she typical- large sums on makeup is a waste of money, ly buys makeup about four times a month they say it is worth it to collect what they spending about $100 a month. love.

Senior Katie Medina said makeup is Originally, makeup was used by the not just for getting compliments or gain- wealthy of people of high society. The more

I’m able to express art in a different way.

white and pearly the person appeared the richer they seemed. Today, however, makeup companies have diversified its offerings to complement the skin tones of all different shades of skin.

It’s been a wise business decision as makeup companies are raking in big bucks by reaching a wider customer base with beauty bloggers making tutorials with their products.

Akins students said they are glad to see the makeup companies widening their options for different races and shades of skin tone.

“Makeup helped me discover my inner beauty,” Zuniga said. “It helped me find my passion for it throughout the years.

It has not only made me more confident but more aware that the outer appearance doesn’t matter and that makeup is more of an accessory rather than a shadow.”

Use Snapchat to watch makeup tutorial

Alejandra Arguello

▲ The Before

Alejandra Arguello

▲ The After

Zuniga models her casual everyday makeup look.

The process took her an hour.

Junior Cynthia Zuniga prepares for an everyday makeup look with a fresh face.

Makeup products you can’t live wit h out

best Makeup brands

(According to Cynthia Zuniga)

(According to Cynthia Zuniga)

Fake eyelashes Mascara Highlight Brow pencil Setting powder Lipstick

clothing

▲The Process

Alejandra Arguello

Zuniga shows her process of blending her eyeshadow.

Tarte Morphe Too Faced Benefit Cosmetics Anastasia Beverly Hills Urban Decay

designers

Students show business skills selling fashion lines Jordan Rouse

Graduating Senior While some students talk about their dreams of owning their own businesses one day, some are already making it happen.

Not only creating websites, social media accounts, and other means of purchasing their wares, but actually making things and putting it out there for the public to buy. And even fewer still are producing their own clothing lines, not only boosting their credibility, but making a little bit of money on the side.

One student who has taken a lot of action in their line of clothing is senior Roy Hernandez, co-owner and founder of Remora, a line of shirts and pants that reflect his unique taste and style.

“I would say right now I’m making clothes that I like, that I specifically would want to wear,” Hernandez said. “I like to think that I have a certain aesthetic to the things I put out.”

In his spare time Hernandez likes to draw and will sketch out ideas that could possibly make it into his clothing. His pri-

mary collaborator is Ian Block who lives in California. The two stay in touch via text messages and social media.

“I put out a lot of art that I do on my free time and just text Ian some ideas and bounce off,” Hernandez said. “We don’t get much consulting and it was just me at first, but that turned out to be a mess “Hernandez said his fashion company is a way for him to make money by expressing his artistic ideas.

Another student who has taken up the business of clothing is Edwin Ramirez, owner and founder of HipeyeATX. “My friends and I have always been unique in the way we dress and we wanted to share that with others, so we came up with this,” Ramirez said.

Their clothes consists of only T-shirts for now, But they are looking to expand at some point in the future, and have hopes to do more than just clothing.

“Our goal is to spread a worldwide message of unity and to promote people being how they want to be,” Ramirez said.

“Alongside clothes we are working on a documentary to raise awareness for the rising issue of homelessness.”

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sports

The Eagle’s Eye

page 7

Wednesday - may 24, 2017 memories

Timeline

memorable moments in Eagles sports September

August

2012 graduate Freddy Zamora, Jr.’s #82 varsity jersey is retired during Homecoming game.

Volleyball holds court and Football takes the field with practice and scrimmages.

Matthew Rocha

Alex Castro

October

November

Akins Cross Country wins various awards at AISD meet and advance to regionals for first time.

Akins wrestling team has impresssive tournament against long time rival Bowie High School.

Jennifer Quach

Geovanny Vega

November

February

Senior Betty Ramos runs for the finish line where she placed 55th out of 172 in regionals.

Girls Basketball make playoffs after their win against Manor.

Larry Durden

Jennifer Quach

April

March

Varsity Softball beats Manor 25-3.

Boys Soccer beat the undefeated Del Valle to advance to playoffs.

Courtesy Akins Softball Alex Castro

April

May

Akins Baseball beats Bowie 10-5 for first time in school history.

Akins Baseball’s made it to the playoffs, losing to Round Rock.

2016-2017 College Signings Boys Girls Basketball Henry Stewart –- Concordia University Baseball Nick Casino –- Univeristy of Dallas Jason Porter – Clarendon Junior College Cross Coutry Chris Baca – Neosho County Community College

Volleyball Naisjah Rivera -Eastfield College RaeAnn Gonzales & Tajan Burt – Mountain View College Basketball Vania Hampton – Hill College Wrestling Kat Peña – Wayland Baptist University Softball Lauren Degelia – Delta State University

Geovanny Vega

track

Running

Track members advance to area, regional competitions

Members share memories of running and bonding moments on and off field justen arzola Staff Writer

This year more than 10 athletes advanced to the Area track meet in Marble Falls after winning performances at the district level competition.

Malcolm Rogers placed sixth at the district meet with a time of 11.55 in the 100m dash advancing to area “Running at Area was a blast,” Rogers said. “I got to experience running against other seniors from other schools and see what the competition is like for my senior year.”

Another two sport athlete KJ Robinson, who started track only one meet before the district meet, placed third with his high jump of 6’ 2”. It was enough to help him advance to regionals in Waco, where he placed 14th.

The athletes agree that they’re like a huge family.

“We didn’t all advance to regionals but we’re happy to get the opportunity to go out and compete against other athletes and cheer each other on,” Rogers said.

Junior Cassius Serff-Roberts, has been running long distance races since he was a freshman at Akins. He specializes in the 2 mile, 1 mile and 800 meter races. He advanced to area running the 2 mile in 10:19.

“Long distance is tough,” Serff-Roberts

said. “It requires a lot of mental toughness and staying in shape through the off-season.”

Although some people think track is just about running, it’s also about the bonding and experiencing moments they will remember for a lifetime.

“One of my favorite memories was running against one of the nation’s top long distance runners Sam Worley,” Roberts said.

“My favorite memory was competing against some old childhood friends,” Rogers said.

The varsity girls 4 x 100 team advanced to the Area competition. The team featured Naveah O’Neal, Makayla Gay, Kayla Ford, and Kemaya Wyatt.

Two sport athlete Michael Bailey advanced to area after jumping a 42-11 in triple jump and placing 4th in district. Bailey also won three 1st place medals during the first three meets of the season.

Koebe Dawson advanced to area in the high jump. Betty Ramos advanced to area in the 2 mile run. Brittney Roberts competed at area as a member of the varsity girls 4 x 200 team, which also included Naveah O’Neal, Kayla Ford, and Kemaya Wyatt. Jazmin Arguelles advanced to area running the 300 meter hurdles.

◄ Race to the Finish

Junior Malcom Rogers runs for the finish line at a Hays Track meet in April.

Rogers advanced to regionals after placing sixth at the district meet with a time of 11.55 in the 100m dash.

Geovanny Vega

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The Eagle’s Eye

Photo Essay

page 8

Wednesday - May 24, 2017

Cinco de Mayo show grows into school tradition

▲

Setting Up For The Big Day

Marcelo Cruz

Foreign language teacher Gina Garcia giving an Inspiring speech to crew behind the making of the show.

▲

Dancing Dresses

Marcelo Cruz

▲

Sophomore Victoria Valdivia, freshman Lizeth Espino and junior Christian Rico perform a traditional Ballet Folklorico dance in the theater on May 5.

Melissa Ortiz

Setting the Scene

Sophomore Diana Yanez and Senior Yobana Garcia put some final touches with decorations in the theatre.

layout By: ULYSSES LUNA & Story by: Marcelo Cruz Co - Photo Editors

The annual Cinco De Mayo celebration show has grown from a small gathering that only filled half of the Akins theater to a two-hour production, attracting large crowds every year.

Foreign language teacher Gina Garcia has run the show for 10 years, watching kids mature from freshmen to seniors.

Garcia said she enjoys the relationships and connections she makes with the student performers.

“I remember this one little boy that was one of the student’s’ little brothers, and did he have a voice! He sang for us from 8th grade all the way until he turned 21,” Garcia said.

The Latinos Unidos club puts everything together, running the whole show from the ticket booth, to the clean up crew.

For the show this year, they had to fit 500 people in the theatre, and make sure everything went according to plan.

Melissa Ortiz “It’s become a tradition that everybody in the Akins community looks forward to every year, and I hope another teacher ▲ Tuning Up Junior Omar Tello Gonzales tunning his guitar before Cinco De Mayo while others are on the stage can take over when I retire in six years. I wish this will go on forever and ever,” Garcia said. practicing their acts. Gonzales played classical Mariachi music to represent the Mexican culture.

▲ Classical Guitar

Alejandro Moreno

Anna Martinez from Liberal Arts and Science Academy plays Mariachi music with 11th grader Omar Ortiz. Martinez came to perform with her friend Noemi Cervantes who sang “La Bamba.”

▲

Olé!

Ethan Diaz

Ballet Folklorico performers wave to the audience as they finish their traditional dance performance.

▲ Passionate Purple

Marcelo Cruz

Rachel Rivera and Jose Gonzales dance to salsa during rehearsal which is a favorite music of theirs.

▲

Melissa Ortiz

True Blues

David Maya sings a traditional Mexican love song as Adrian Flores plays classical guitar accompaniment.