The Eagle's Eye; Issue 2, Vol. 14; Akins High School by The Eagle's Eye (Akins Early College High School student newspaper)

Are you a fan of the popular acclaimed series American Horror Story? Check out page 9 to read about the new season.

l Gal Michae

Want to see the changes that the boys basketball team has made this year? Turn to page 11 to read all about it.

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Turn to page 5 to educate yourself about Ebola and its common misconceptions.

The

Eagle's Eye

W. Charles Akins High School

“Everything That Concerns You”

Austin, Texas

Vol. 14 No. 2

November 10, 2014

One year after flood students still struggle Students reflect on experience during the Halloween disaster and where they are now

Mark Vallejo

Flood back ready for rennovations.

Mark Vallejo Entertainment Editor Senior Amanda Rios still has trouble sleeping through the night when she hears the sound of rain or thunder outside her home. “I get really worried,” Rios said. “I look out my window to make sure there is no rain on the street. Every time it starts raining hard I get freaked out that it can happen again.” Rios is just one of many students affectneighborhoods along Onion Creek. Colleen Arnold, Student Support Services counselor, said 89 Akins students suffered damage to their homes, leaving some homeless or living with relatives for long stretches of time.

nior Marylou Balderas to move schools. She wasn’t able to move back into her original home until August. “I stayed there from November to May,” Balderas said. “All of my downstairs was books and I wish I had those back. I’m not scared it will happen again because if it does I’ll be prepared and know what to get out Luis Cerda’s father found a dead body while looking for their four wheelers and go-carts. “My dad and some other guys were looking around and they found something on its back,” Cerda said. “They weren’t sure if it was a real body because it looked like a Hal-

loween decoration and some guy poked it and saw that it was a real body so they immediately called the cops.” Pets, horses and various other animals were taken by the rushing waters, including. Sophomore Yessica Navarro’s dog. cause I knew it was going to happen but I my dog had died,” Navarro said. Alumni Christian Martinez, who graduated last year, sophomore Alejandro Martinez and their father Raymond Martinez were honored by the City of Austin because of their work rescuing people stranded on their roofs with their boat. “It makes me feel good that my brother, dad, and I could make a difference,” Chris-

tian Martinez said. “I’m lucky to be alive and material items can be replaced but lives can’t be so it’s good to be able to smile everyday.” Arnold said that there are still students in need of things for their households. “Some families still need furniture and information on whether their houses are going to get bought out or not,” Arnold said. “Even though it’s a year later, some people are settled and some people aren’t.” The Martinez family lived in harsh conditions for seven to eight months. They had no had to sleep bed less during some nights. are up now and I’m happy that it has a decent living condition,” Martinez said.

V Choir director Lip dub event to show school spirit Dr. Polley leaves Promotion

Brenda Amaya Staff Reporter After dedicating nine years of his life to the Akins choir program, David Polley has made a choice to move on to new adventures. He will leave at the end of this semester right after though he is leaving Akins he still plans to have a very busy schedule. “I have lots of things that I’m still busy with,” Polley said.” I teach at Southwestern University so I’m keeping my classes there. I’m the organist at University United Methodist Church. I still have that job there. Since I live up in Georgetown I’m looking to be an accompanist for high school choirs or their solo and ensemble for choir, band and orchestra probably in the north schools.” Since students began hearing about his retirement, choir students have speculated on what it will mean for the program. UIL competitions are coming up in spring and students are wondering

Inside

who will be there to lead them through it. “The real question is who is going to be there to teach us our music for UIL like who mester,” sophomore Veronica Lopez said. However, Polley said he believes his students can accomplish their goals on their own. “I think they’re going to do

competition.” Polley’s career move will not only affect choir students but the musical theater program, as well. Polley helps coach vocalists and has helped with the singing arrangements for many musicals at Akins, “In all the nine years I have known him I will miss him very much,” Siegel said. “He’s a great choir director. I have enjoyed working with him so much. He’s very easy cited about his new phase in his life. I’m just really happy for him.”

ideo

Isiah Strange Christopher Remington Sports Editor Staff Reporter

School spirit, dancers and crazy costumes will be in demand on the last class day before the Thanksgiving break while the campus hopes to Lip-Dubbing is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. Largely popular in high schools, they usually showcase the campus while kids in costumes take center Mark Vallejo stage in front of the camera or dance Planning in the background, has become a Senior Alek Peschansky leads a meeting for the new lipdub. During this meetpopular craze all on its own. Seniors Alek Peschansky, Yohel ing a song and the locations were decided. Galindo, and Kevin Gutierrez have eligible to participate. Lip dub plan- hel Galindo said. taken interest and full leadership ners have chosen “Rather Be” by when it comes to bringing the liption, the yearbook staff organized the dub craze to Akins. Brown for the lip dub. The video is effort and hosted several planning “The video has been in produc- estimated to be total eight minutes meetings. tion since last year but now that we long, starting from downstairs green “There’s a lot of organizations have the opportunity to actually do hall, around the school, through the that haven’t signed up, most are too it, we’re going full swing,” Peschanbusy doing their own thing but this sky said. theater. can bring us together for a few minOrganizers are working out a sysThere has been talk of doing one tem with principal Daniel Girard to at Akins in years past, but there were said. gain permission for various student no serious plans for one until this It’s not easy to bring together a groups to be released from class to year. school-wide event at this scale, but “Something like this has never yearbook is determined to bring the Group sponsors attended Lip Dub happened to Akins before, and I just school together in order to achieve planning meetings so they can plan want everything to go as planned and a successful lip dub, that could give and develop lists of students who are for everyone to have fun,” senior Yo- notice to Akins in positive ways.

Opinions...pg 2, 3 News...pg 4 In-Depth...pg 5 Student Life...pg 6-7 Entertainment...pg 8-9 Photo Essay...pg 10-11 Sports...pg 11 Community Page...pg 12

OPINIONS

page 2

Monday

The Eagle’s Eye

November 10, 2014

SEL program infringes upon advisory EDITOrIAL On paper, Social and Emotional Learning sounds like a good idea. It has been proven to prevent drug use, violence, bullying and dropout rates. This curriculum helps develop student’s social and emotional skills early in life. SEL Core Competencies include self-management, selfawareness, responsible decisionmaking, social awareness and relationship skills. These lessons are taught weekly starting with elementary school through junior year of high school, seniors are allowed time for college applications. We as a staff believe that these kinds of lessons should be implemented in elementary and early on in life. Many of these lessons are childlike and should be aimed at a lower age level such as children and preteens. Another problem with these lessons are what they actually teach. It starts from simple things like how to shake hands and learning the proper way to help reach academic achievement in the classroom. The SLANT lesson teaches students to sit up, lean forward, ask questions, nod and take notes. Then they ask for students to prac-

Economic

tice doing this during the advisory period. Just imagine watching students practicing sitting up straight in a proper manner and nodding seems a tad ridiculous. These particular sets of skills are developed at a much younger age in elementary school and at home. The district aims to help students feel safe and teach them how to deal with things like stress and bullying, but we don’t see how teaching high school student’s what they already know will help do this. Younger students who don’t have these supports at home are being exposed at an earlier age. If juniors get into a lot of trouble don’t have very good relationships with teachers and do not get along well with others, they are not suddenly going to participate in one of these activities, realizing that they shouldn’t be doing these things and learn how to deal with their troubles. An elementary student who has a lot of trouble at home needs to know they are supported and how to deal will self-management, self-awareness, decision-making

Alec Pschansky

and social awareness. As teenagers we begin to realize right from wrong because we are surrounded with different people that go through different things around us. Younger students typically don’t understand what’s really going on and this is why they need to be taught all of these social and emotional techniques

These lessons have a huge potential to help children who are a part of broken homes, struggling in school and who are not sure how to deal with their problems. This initiative isn’t only to help students focus on academics, but also help them articulate feelings and learn how to deal with their academics. Social and emotional learn-

ing is something that schools have been lacking and it’s been needed for a while. However, we believe that a more specialized curriculum is needed for high school advisory classes. We need advisory lessons that teach us how to do our taxes, balance our check books, pay bills and skills that we need later in life.

Holiday

Black Friday shopping overshadows time with family Amanda Livingston Opinions Editor Black Friday. The day when companies prepare their stores for a massive crowd of aggressive, sale seeking customers. My dad has worked retail pretty much all his life with the exception of one year he was unemployed. As a kid, my dad wasn’t gone too much to work for Black Friday -or at least, it seemed that way. As the years have gone on, I’ve become more aware of the gap left by the absence of his presence. My dad worked for a number of years at Target, where they would

have to be at the store at 4 a.m., to open at 6 in the morning. They would then work a 12 hour shift. When he worked at the Sony Outlet store in San Marcos, my dad would have to eat an early dinner on Thanksgiving, and take a nap before leaving for work at 9 p.m. They would then work until midnight prepping the store, and would open at midnight. Black Friday is a ludicrous exby making people work obscenely scheduled hours so that consumers can go out and spend all their money on things they don’t need. Occasionally there’s some insane customer who pulls a knife or a gun on someone, just because they called dibs on a shirt that someone else tried to grab at the same time. Last year a woman took a knife from the home accessories

section of a Wal-Mart, only to use it to stab a man several times to prevent him from taking the last Xbox 360. Some would argue, that Black Friday saves money on holiday presents and that the deals are great. I won’t deny that. You can get all your Christmas shopping out of the way, for much less than you would spend on a normal shopping excursion. Others would argue that when someone applies for a job in retail, they should know what they’re signing up for. However the amount of hours the employees are asked to work has increased greatly over the years and the dangerous crowds retail stores would open the Friday following Thanksgiving, but now some like Kmart, aren’t closing at

The Eagle’s Eye Editorial Policy

Editor-in-Chief Hannah Kerns

Multimedia Editor Jason Loosle Web Editor Gabriel Robles Graphics Editor Susy Rocha Senior Writer Sonny Zuniga Adviser David Doerr

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 news and will be held to a high standard of quality. We will make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process or is an invasion of privacy. We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph. Staff editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board arrived at by discussion and will not be bylined. Bylined articles are the opinion of the Eye staff or administration as a whole. The Eagle’s Eye welcomes reader input. Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to akins.journalism@gmail.com or mail them to 10701 South First Street Austin, Texas 78748 or drop them off in room 223 with advisor David Doerr or an editor. Letters must be signed, and 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.

Eagle’s Eye Staff

Organizations CSPA

ILPC/UIL

TAJE

NSPA

Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with species is unknown. The virus is close to us and people are still taking it as a joke. It’s not a joke. I’m pretty sure if it was one of your family members you wouldn’t be making fun of it. Thousands of people have died from it in Africa. Only one person, a visitor, from Liberia has died of Ebola in the United States, but it has killed more than 4,800 in Africa and thousands more are currently infected. Ebola cases have appeared all over the world, including Britain, Germany, Norway, U.S., France, and Spain. The only reason people in the United States now are freaking out is because of recent cases in Dallas and New York City. Yes, we don’t need to be so strict about it and quarantine everything and everyone but there’s no need to be ridiculous. Recently, a man on a commercial airliner

Christopher Remington Deadra Tristan Maheen Anjum Cassie Obi Brenda Amaya-Rangel Nick Sokolowski Gregory Eldred Katrina Stewart Analisa Salinas Jose Salazar Stephanie Valle Johanna Dakay

Lala Villegas News Editor

Photo Editor Michael Galindo

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 represents the views of the

2011 - Silver Medal 2012 - Gold Medal

All-American Superior 2013 Coverage Bronze Star Nominated for 2005 Award Pacemaker -2013 2008 2006 2007 2007 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2011 2010 - 2nd Sweepstakes 2012 2011 - H.M. Sweepstakes 2013

thought it would be funny to say he had Ebola when he coughed and sneezed. Other passengers were not happy about it and wanted him to be escorted off the plane by the police. They were scared and didn’t know what to do. The pilots had to make an emergency landing in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Four men in full protective suits boarded the plane and removed him so he could be tested. Too many people are treating the Ebola virus as a joke and it’s getting annoying. Plenty of kids here at the school joke about it saying: “Guys, I coughed I have Ebola!” or “Don’t come near me I sneezed, I have Ebola!” Let’s be more sensitive about this issue. There are people in our community who are nurses and health care workers who are being trained on how to properly handle patients with Ebola. Some of these people are relatives if not parents or siblings of Akins students. If this disease appears in Austin, these are the people who will be on the front lines preventing an outbreak in our communities. If you or a family member contracted Ebola, you wouldn’t be joking about it. You’d be scared for your life and those around you because it can be fatal. According to Forbes.com, Ebola survival rate in the United States was 80% after the sto

Sports Editor Isiah Strange

is published six times a year, generally once per six weeks for the school’s students, staff and community.

Entertainment Editor Mark Vallejo

Ebola needs to be priority

Li vi

Student Life Editor Sarah Luna

Photographer

vantage of what you are given, and what you have. Having a shopping day right after Thanksgiving where people spend their money to buy a bunch of new stuff takes away the meaning of the holiday.

disease

Opinions Editor Amanda Livingston

SEriouS SubjEct

In-Depth Editor Maria Moreno

all. Corporations need to set a boundary, and stop taking away from something as special as Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving season is about being thankful and taking ad-

News Editor Lala Villegas

Johanna Dakay

HealtH

Opinions | page 3

The Eagle’s Eye

Monday, November 10, 2014

Policies

State of Texas psychiatric code violates student rights Gabe Robles Web Editor Two students, within the course of this fall and September, were unable to attend school for 48 hours after undergoing a psychotic episode within school property, during school hours. One of these students in particular was forced into a psychiatric watch for 48 hours, despite the parents of this student almost unable to afford having her under psychiatric watch, and despite the fact that this student was moved from hospital to hospital until they found an open spot at Seton Shoal Creek Hospital on Mills Avenue. The issue that arose here was not the issue of not having a reliable system for attending to patients –which is, or course, is an

Debate

issue, but not the issue currently being scrutinized– but rather the issue of forced psychiatric watch. According to Texas State Health and Safety Code featured in TITLE 7, SUBTITLE C, CHAPTER 573 concerning “Emergency Detention, Section 573.001 states that “a may take a person into custody if and does believe that the person is mentally ill.” Considering that, yes, the idea of psychotic episodes could potentially be scary, there is a lack of understanding on the topic itself. What happens during a psychotic episode? Eight out of ten people don’t realise that all psychotic episodes aren’t the same, and two of those eight people don’t know what a psychotic episode even is. Essentially, the results of a psychotic episode vary, ranging from breaking down crying to assault and murder. So yes, it is absolutely unwould be inclined to force psy-

chiatric watch on an individual, because yes, psychotic episodes can be frightening. But what about the person’s rights? Whatever happened to the Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights to protect oneself against search and seizure? When exactly did the founding fathers decided that your rights could be waved in an effort to “protect oneself?” Never. As they shouldn’t have, as they wouldn’t have, as they evidently didn’t do. This is especially true in the case of students because of the facts that students have no rights. Being second class citizens under a Marxist school system means that –according to the Fourteenth Amendment– “all rights are waived upon arrival on school property.” On top of that, power where s/he has the option ing “the greater good.” What right rights away from another? Why doesn’t the student have the right to execute the rights s/he shouldn’t need the permission to execute?

Point being, a student who experienced some sort of psychotic related episode in school has rights. He or she has the right to let people know when he or she feels perand that student also has the right to choose how he or she wants to go about his or her life and how he or she wants to manage it. No law, no policy, and no ideology should ever come close to taking away that right.

Jesse Farquhar and Amanda Livingston

Fashion

Halloween costumes cause controversy between girls Cassie Obi Staff Reporter As I have grown older, it seems that costumes for females have been getting shorter and more revealing, making it hard for some stores. It’s even sad to say that even the costumes that aren’t usually seen as relatively attractive sexually have

been redesigned to appear sexually provocative. Shriek, Freddy Kruger, Crayons, Beetle Juice all short and skimpy: Can these costumes even be seen as costumes anymore? With these Halloween women’s costumes designed in such a sexualized manner and the primary intent to show skin, this trend has gained great popularity. Sadly, the expression that “sex sells” has turned a wholesome yet gory holiday into another excuse to dress in skimpy clothing. This is annoying for women and teens fun in on Halloween. It is almost impossible a nicely designed costume that is not too revealing.

Now I’m sure there are still a few costumes available that cover more skin than they show, but truth is they’re slowly disappearing, and many women are OK with it. Apparently nobody wants to see the girl dressed as a banana but would rather see the girl dressed as scantily klad cat woman. Why can’t Halloween be about it’s original purpose: Dressing up, trick-or-treating, going to a party or two, and the night is over. It’s becoming impossible for females who enjoy Halloween for these reasons. We demand decent costumes from costume companies. For now all we can do is vote with our wallets and refuse to buy these costumes or make our own. We don’t need a sexy Ronald McDon-

ald, a sexualized school girl, or a provocative honeybee. Costume companies should at least provide a normal option and then choose to provide the sexy version. The way it is now, sexy is the default option. I know that this might seem like a bit of a stretch for companies to provide more options and incorporate more clothing into the womens costumes. It might even be downright too much for them to consider. However, there is a large number of women who don’t want to spend all of Halloween being hit on. We would greatly appreciate the chance to enjoy Halloween in a costume that actually covers our bodies. It just makes good business sense to offer these options.

Susy Rocha

these days are wanting to emphasize their sexuality when selecting their costumes. When you walk through a Halloween costume store, there are all kinds of options for toddlers and kids. But the female costumes

Susy Rocha Graphics Editor

THE

While the holiday season can be a time dominated by consumerism, the best part of this time of year is how it opens up people’s imagination. During Christmas, people can believe in Santa, elves and reindeer. And during Halloween people get to imagine being completely different people when they dress up in their costumes. Judging by the number of sexy costumes available in area stores, it seems that women

EAGLE VIEW

“We only work on the SEL cirriculum Wednesdays I sort of think it’s completely usless.” – Brianna Fusilier Freshman

It seem as though costumes for women around the ages 16 to 20 have been getting a lot more provocative than before, having to be a more ridiculous type of sexy costumes. It’s inarguable that women have been dressing in these “sexy” costumes in the past Halloween night before, if anything they have just been the typical “sexy” kitty or bunny. Stores have just taken the advantage of this by adding to the options for women’s costumes to the point where the majority of their stock is made up of these wild and reIf one doesn’t like it, there are other op-

tions than heading to the same store and judging the costumes and the women wearing and buying them. want, there are other stores in the city. The internet can be a huge help to those who stores. Everyone should have the option to choose what they want to be for a night of make-believe and entertainment. Women have the option to choose if they want to be a “sexy” devil or a regular devil. Corporations are not forcing women to wear these costumes. They are merely putting it out there and letting the free market decide what women want to buy. If there is someone that wants to express themselves and show off to the world, there shouldn’t be people telling her what she can and can’t do. This violates freedoms all peo-

ple are given of expressing herself when and how she wants. If there are people who don’t prefer these seductive designs, they don’t need to wear them. There are other stores with other options, and there is no need to be crude to people who wear different types of costumes. Girls who decide to wear more revealing costumes are often called crass names, which are very offensive. Just because a girl decides to wear less covering clothing doesn’t make any worse than someone who wears a big pink bunny suit. So in the end, it shouldn’t matter what costume you decide to wear or how much it leaves to the imagination. Halloween is about being creative and having fun, so however a girl decides to celebrate is her choice, and she shouldn’t be attacked or judged because of it.

Does your advisory teacher teach the SEL curriculum? If so, is it helping you? “Not that I’m aware of. It would be kind of awkward learning to shake someone’s hand.” – Ethan Cannon Sophomore

“Kind of. I guess it sort of helps. ” – James Navarro Junior

“No, she just shows us our grades like usual.” – Linda Sanchez Senior

building positive relations with a close knit advisory group.” – Marcy Emerick Social Studies

NEWS

page 4

Monday

academics

The Eagle’s Eye

November 10, 2014

testing

SAT scores shock teachers

HST teacher leaves students Stephanie Valle Staff Reporter Students in two Social Services Academy career paths are experiencing problems with their schedules after a teacher suddenly quit, leaving students without an instructor. “It moved around a lot of my classes that I got

Data from Austin American-Statesman

Student’s scores hit an all time low around the nation Nic Sokolowski Staff Reporter Statistics released in October shocked educators this month, showing that the Class of 2014 posted the lowest SAT scores in more than 20 years. “Wow. This is bad,” AP history teacher Anne Sherwood said when she saw the The data shows a steep decline in the math scores from the past decade. In 1992, it was 493 out of a perfect 800 score. However, in 2012, the average score is the lowest it’s been in 22 years, at a 495. “I think what’s going on in Texas is the increase in second language English speakers that’s a major

cation system,” Sherwood said. She said that educators

‘‘

“We are certainly asking them to read and write everyday, and we’re certainly working as a department and

Wow, this is bad.

”

History teacher Anne Sherwood

have to provide a free public education for every kid who walks through the door. “If you enter school with limited English skills then success on the SAT is going to she said. Sherwood said she doesn’t think the problem lies with students not receiving rigorous assignments.

as a campus to ensure higher literacy skills among our students,” she said. “However I’m not willing to put this in the lap of educators, because I think it’s caused more by social and political trends in our country,” she said. However, some teachers think that there is more educators can do to support

food drive

club

students make higher scores. “I think the drop is an indimissing something along the way,” said AP English teacher Anthony Bromberg. “Whether it’s early childhood foundation or the focus on standardized tests moving us away from the more creative math thinking.” He said that when he was in school there was a lot of repetitive learning; practicing the essentials over and over got it down. “Nowadays there’s not a foundation coming in from elementary school on stuff like basic arithmetic skills, which makes the harder

new people and I’m still uncomfortable with the new classes,” sophomore Karina Escobar said. Counselors and teachers have worked to adjust the schedules of all students taking Principles of Health Science and Health Science as a result of the loss of the career and technology teacher, whose position is sition as soon as possible, but it could take months before a suitable replacement is found. “The administration and I were discussing and we’re still going to look for a health science teacher for next year,” said Health Science teacher Rebecca Jenschke. “This year we are pretty set on trying to make it work just because of all the change and it year we’re looking at hiring another health science teacher.” In the meantime, some students were moved into other elective classes and teachers have taken on extra periods to accommodate some of the affected students. Now some classes are up to three times larger than they were before. “We were willing to do it because we don’t want the health science kids to suffer at all,” Jenschke said. “We want to make sure that (the students) still have the opportunity as juniors and seniors to be on the internship program and are going to be ready for that. And we felt that if they had a substitute they might not get what they needed to pursue what comes next year.” Although the larger class sizes have made teaching a challenge, the teachers are doing everything they can “Going from a class of 12 to 35 is a big change so it’s kind of hard for me too,” Jenschke said. “I’m used to teaching 12 kids because I can really build a relationship with them. I know their learning styles.”

teach,” Bromberg said. student life

food options

Group builds with cans Gabe Robles Staff Reporter

briefs

Akins CANstruction team turned piles of common household canned goods into a precisely designed structure, which is now on display at Barton Creek Mall. It’s the second year for Akins to have it’s own CANstruction team, which is sponsored by engineering teacher Kena Pierce. The club allows Akins students to raise money to buy canned goods that are donated to food banks and show off their engineering skills. The Akins CANstruction team, however, is a part of a much larger organization. “CANstruction is a competition put on by the Austin Institute of Architects,” said Pierce, Akins CANstruction manager. “It’s a main fundraiser for the Capital Texas Area Food Bank, and what it is that you get a bunch of canned food and you use it to create a structure.” After the structure is built, the cans will be donated, where they will then be distributed to people in need of extra food that they would otherwise be unable to obtain for themselves. “The structure has to be

Sarah Luna

Gabe Robles

Helping Hands The CANstruction team is working together to help build the Mocking Jay from the Hunger Games out of the cans they bought to donate.

something themed around hunger,” Pierce said. “Last year it was ‘Keep Austin Fed.’” This year, the team designed a structure modeled after the Hunger Games series’ Mockingjay logo to go with the hunger theme calling it the “MockingCAN.” Aside from the charity aspect of CANstruction, the program provides an outlet for creativity, allowing for the practice of design skills. It also helps groups improve fund raising and people skills. “I want to be a part of this team because I want to eliminate hunger in my

community,” Orlin Fuentes, CANstruction team member said. Fuentes was inspired to join CANstruction by CANstruction team captain, Maheen Anjum. “I wanted to be part of a team and help those in need,” Anjum said. As team captain Anjum monitors membership, sends out thank you letters, contacts engineering companies design ideas and shops for “I believe it’s a fun way to enjoy something and help Food Bank,” Anjum said.

JROTC in their annual event for Veterans Day The Akins Junior Re-

Corps will march down Congress Avenue on Tuesday to honor the nation’s veterans. JROTC members march in the annual Veterans Day every year, showing their appreciation for those who have served their country in the military. The group encourages students and

staff to turn out to cheer on the marchers and show their appreciation.

The parade will 9 a.m. at the Ann Richards Bridge on Congress

Avenue and will proceed up Congress to the Texas State Capitol. At 11:20 a.m. federal, state, county, city and other elected ofmations at the South Steps of the Capitol. Austin ISD the winners of the Veterans Day essay contest. Check out the website for more details: akinseaglespublications.com

the kids as they are getting their lunch.

Students miss food trucks Katrina Stewart Staff Reporter en strip baskets and hamburgers served by off-campus vendors, rumors are cooking up across campus about their recent disappearance. and the Fire and Soul truck served the Akins campus lunch until late September. Ever since, students have speculated about why they are gone. Rumors have ranged the gamut, including that it was taken away because of rowdy behavior at Homecoming and noise complaints from residents at a nearby apartment complex. Assistant Principal Juan Gonzalez, who helped bring the food vendors to Akins, said

that those rumors are untrue. Gonzalez said it was a privilege for us to have the food trucks here. “It has to do with a property that does not belong to us,” Gonzalez said. “We have to companies that want to come here.” He said that federal law prohibits outside vendors from being located on campus so an off-campus location is required to bring them back. Students in all grades wish the food trucks would come back because it gave them more options other than the cafeteria food. “I wish there was a food truck still, even if it was overpriced and not that good,” senior Isiah Strange said. Gonzalez said he is doing everything he can in order for the food trucks to be back up and running.

Upcoming Events 12th–13th: MOY testing

20th: Late start – 10:15 a.m.

S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

25th: Lip dub

26th–28th: Thanksgiving break

In-Depth

The Eagle’s Eye

Monday

page 5

November 10, 2014

Ebola fears spread; rumors run wild Experts say disease can be contained if proper safety measures taken Anastasia Barr Staff Reporter

rica and the Democratic Republic of The

While Ebola is raving communities in faWhile Ebola is raving communities in far off places like West Africa, the disThe disease has killed about 5,000 break, but most of the cases have been

Since the beginning of the outbreaks, there has been quite a comcurrent death toll, reaching 5,000 in West Africa, is good reason for the American public to fear of cases have been all over the news, and false claims have

That fear was most evident when juGuard helicopter land on the cruise ship he was on board in October to collect a

es and or bleeding and other -

good medical care and immune response, although it is much more dangerous to In the recent months there have been several reports of patients with Ebola in the United States, including thecase in ral diseases being brought into the United States in the past, but none resulted in an -

hospital

r o t a t i o n

teacher Rebecca Jenschke said the scare emphasizes the importance of access to safe methods of waste management and means to keep patients alive while their bodies develop antibodies to of the nine people with Ebola that have

“I am not concerned about Ebola had a handful of these cases, while other countries are facing thousands of cases, ported on August 2, 2014 when an AIDS

This disease is transmitted through is possible that a healthcare worker treating an Ebola patient could catch the disZaire

Three of the four cases of this disease were transmitted in the United States, While some fear an outbreak in America, the worst outbreaks are in West Af-

Sudan Bundibungyo The Ebola scare has health science students talking about what dangers

1,000

cases

Strands

M k a e p y

worldwide death toll, it does not pose the

asia

500 250

map data from WHO.int

100

What we know about ebola

What akins students think How is ebola transmitteD?

art

st ana

is there a vaccine? no en governm hidding it

t’s

Should the U.S enact a travel ban from countries where there are Ebola outbreaks?

90%

Of survey takers chose “through bodily Fluids”

art by susy rocha

yes

Is it an automatic death sentence? yes

fruit bats are thought to be the natural ebola virus hosts

As of November 6 there’s only been

NO yes NO

only

2,385 1,590

wouldn’t help

What disease is the most deadly?

was fatal

Do you think people are overreacting about ebola?

HIV

of them resulted in death

has caused the more deaths than ebola

Ebola’s transmitted through bodily

35 26

yes Ebola

Malaria

fluids

signs and symptoms include: fever, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, chills and weakness

cases in the U.s

reported cases during 1976-2012 in africa

There is currently

fda approved vaccine for ebola

HIV

Charts based on based on eagles eye online survey results out of 100 respondents

source | cdc, microbeworld, WHO

barr

STUDENT LIFE

page 6

ChangEs

Monday

The Eagle’s Eye

November 10, 2014

immigration

Family moves to US for better future

Sara Abduljabbar

Transition Left: Brother and sister Mohammad and sara pose for the camera in front of Akins high school. Right: The Abuljabbar family eats out in Saudi Arabia.

Maheen Anjum Staff Reporter

Both of them learned it feels for these students to -

Senior Sara Abduljabbar and junior Mohammed Abfrom Saudi Arabia to Amer-

Sara Abduljabbar,

‘‘

We didn’t want to go back

16,

concerns

members that have been liv-

EvEnts

Abduljabbar,

Another reason the Ab-

to Iraq because of saftey

moved them to live in Saudi Mohammed

environment, and the Ameri-

rules in Saudi Arabia, Sarah

Sara on the other hand

off campus

Austin Film Festival inspires high school students Aspiring screen writers, directors gain knowledge from industry professionals

Christopher Remington Staff Reporter The 2014 Austin Film

Jose Flores

A held onto A

Q most from the Film Festival

Linda Sanchez

Q A

terms used and understand Q

A Q

and The Fault In Our Stars

Monday, November 10, 2014 TalenT

Student Life | page 7

The Eagle’s Eye

rapper

TRIBE member opens for big rapper Performer hopes to change emphasis in hip-hop from materialism to seriousness Deandra Tristan Staff Reporter When it comes to fame and fortune, people are willing to do anything to earn it. Ranging from music videos that sexualize women to lyrics with an enormous amount of profanity, they devote their career to become a part of the overplayed media that is ubiquitous on today’s radio stations. Junior Isaiah Harris, also known as “IZey,”is looking to change this bandwagon mindset. With sweaty palms and a shaky microphone, Harris took a moment to rehappened in just the past couple of weeks. In October, Harris performed a set opening for a major recording artist who had a gig at the Scoot Inn. Two weeks ago Harris performed at an AHA Academy assembly. After performing in two shows recent shows, Harris is convinced now more than

Hobbies

ever that he was all it took for him to realize he loved being on stage changing people’s outlooks. He is currently preparing for an upcoming performance that should be happening in early November. Harris, along with friends Brandon Huguley and Shay Reed, who make up the music group called TRIBE. What really separates them from other groups of artists is their willingness to bring other people into their clique,” Harris said. “We encourage people that have any kinds of musical talent to not be afraid to put themselves out there,” Harris said. With just a little push our generation has the opportunity to send a memo and change society. “Most kids want to change the world but don’t know how to do it. I was lucky enough to realize my talent,” Harris said. Mastering his talent for rapping has helped him spread his message about Realizing his talent helped

him see what the world needed to know behind all problems with the mainstream media obsession with advertisement about money, women, and sex appeal. “We’re really just trying to educate our generation about problems in our society, and show them how to be better people and to follow their dreams,” Harris said. Fortunately for Harris he has had the opportunity of a lifetime, starting off as just a kid with a dream, to performing on stage with wellknown rappers at that, which he thought it would. “I never thought that anything like this would ever happen to me,” Harris said. His spoken word has impacted many of the people around him. “It’s really good and it sends a bright message,” junior Jose Enamorado said.. “The poetry mixed within it makes it very unique and he’s also very consistent with his vocabulary,” junior

Jason Loosle

Droping knowledge Junior Isaiah Harris wants to change focus of hip-hop away from materialism.

Jose Enamorado. He isn’t an artist that you would immediately change the station off of from the radio. “Radio doesn’t even deserve to play his music,

because it’s too real. If you listen to his lyrics it’ll help you get a better understanding of his view on the world. It can appeal to the people that listen to it,” junior Mark Alarcon said.

Harris said he and his crew are trying to put themselves out there to make a mark. They just hope people are willing to give them a chance to hear a different message.

fast vehicles

Passion for autos leads student to photography

Junior Sami Elakhras sells, trades images of specialized cars to fellow enthusiasts Sarah Luna Student Life Editor Sami Elakhras likes cars – a lot. But not just any vehicle gets him going. dealership at the age of 14 none of the average cars interested him much. He always had a liking for foreign cars and would often spend time researching them unlike many of his classmates who spend time shoe shopping online. Knowing of so many different types of cars and so much about them, Elakhras has a hard time choosing his favorite. “It’s tough to choose, but I would say that the top two would Mercedes G63 and the Paganihuayra.” Elakhras started taking photos of cars when he was 14 but became serious about it when he was 15. When he spotted foreign ones on the

opporTuniTies

street, he would sometimes take photos for the fun of it. “Seeing such extravagant cars in South Austin isn’t really that common so when you do, most people stop and stare but I took photos,” he said. One day when he was taking photos, a man approached him and asked what he was doing. He later invited him to take photos of his car. shoot, word got around and Elakhras began receiving phone calls from people wanting photos to be taken of their vehicles. “It’s pretty common, when people get a new car they’re pretty happy about it and they want to show it off,” Elakhras said. Now, he usually takes car photos once every one to three weeks. “I go to car shows every week, so I’m always taking photos,” he said.

Sami Habibi

Speeding away Junior Sami Elakhras follows passion for performance vehicles by specializing in car photography.

Elakhras, who plans on majoring in Cardiothoracic surgery, is focused on continuing to take photos but only as a hobby. “It’s a nice way to make

money on the side,” Elakhras said. Elakhras is a member of Austin Automotive Photographers and Austin Texas Car Shows where they meet

up and either check out each about upcoming car shows or other similar events. “People of all ages are in these clubs,” Elakhras said.

“It’s about 150 people all together ranging from 14 year old guys to probably around 65 year old men. It’s pretty much a hobby that anyone from any age can relate to.” Elakhras has met some of his best friends through his interest in cars. “He showed interest in my car because it’s not like everyone elses’ and now almost every weekend we go out and take photos of different types of cars,” senior Daniel Leming said. Leming, who built his on car that he got when he was 13, has always had an immense interest in vehicles. “Me and my dad tinkered with my Chevy Nova and now it runs great,” he said. You can see some of Elakhras’ work on a calendar produced by Dr. Beemer, a BMW service repair shop, which using one of the photos Elakhras took of cars parked in front of their business.

overseas

New exchange student enjoys school enthusiasm

Foreigner explores United States, adjusts to American education system transition Maheen Anjum Staff Reporter

In France, teachers go to their students’ classes instead of kids rotating between rooms across campus between every period. So when the bell rang for fert, an exchange student from France, was forced to

get used to the typical American class change schedule routine. “Life here in America is so different from home,” Baffert said. Being a new student in another country can be a difBaffert, who is 16 years old, said she is here in the United States to explore and

develop a good understanding of English. Baffert came to the United States just a week before school started. Born and raised near Lyon, France, she decided to become an exchange student. Baffert lived in France her whole life and now she wants to have the time of her life in the United States. “My parents didn’t want me to go away but I wanted to experience something new and to start my advenout an application to become an exchange student.” She was raised with a different schooling system where the teachers would switch classes instead of

Sarah Luna

Enjoying learning Maelle Baffert works on problems with a partner in Algebra 2 class.

task that she was forced to get used to was not getting two weeks off of school every two months. In France, students go to all 8 classes everyday. Also the school is divided so that the only time

to see students that aren’t in their own grade level is during lunch. ing classes and not knowing how much time you have left to get to the other side of the school,” Baffert said. “It would be so much easier if teachers switched classes instead of students.” Despite the French culture Baffert left behind, she is already trying out new things and adapting American culture and traditions. She joined the school’s golf team and is very excited to play and compete with others. “I really like golf,” she said. “It’s very relaxing.” In France, Baffert hasn’t experienced much school spirit because they don’t have school sports teams. “If you want to do a sport you’ll have to do them outside of school,” Baffert said. She said she enjoys pep

Photo Courtesy of Maelle Baffert

Home sweet home Exchange student Maelle Baffert lives in Lyon France. She arrived in the United States in August.

rallies and football games as well as the educational opportunities in the United States. She said she would consider living here if she has the opportunity in doing so.

“In the future after my graduation, I plan on living here in America because I love how life is here and how people are super friendly and independent,” Baffert said.

ENTERTAINMENT

page 8

Monday

TheaTer

The Eagle’s Eye

November 10, 2014

EvEnts

Akins Theatre to premier fan favorite High School Musical takes the stage in early December Jason Loosle

Multimedia Editor

Troy, Gabriella and a cast of the popular modern theatrical musical will hit the state in December when the Akins Journey Theater stages High School Musical. The play gained popuChannel movie and then was released in 2006 as a major motion picture. Compared to last years’ musical, this year’s musical has many differences. For one, a new musical theater class has been introduced during the school day. While the class does not make up the entire cast, many of the performers have a chance to practice the songs and dance routines, which are a major part of this musical. This is one reason why theater teacher Maureen Siegel has high hopes for the musical this year. “This musical theater class will bring a broad base of support for the cast to lean on” Siegel said. Siegel is trying to keep the after school rehearsals to a minimum as to open participation in the musical to more people. Some of Siegel’s high

Games

hopes include doing a showing during school for middle and elementary school students, which theater did two years ago. She said that this outreach created hype for theater program and encouraged students to join as they got older. One interesting part of the play is the reappearance of alumni Christian Martinez. After graduating last year he was cast again this year in the play as the lead male role Troy Bolton. “Its an honor and an experience, it’s really fun,” said alumni Christian Martinez. “I’m really glad the directors allowed me to come back and be a part of this” Martinez feels a little out of practice from being out of high school, but back. With a cast and crew of many sophomores and freshman, and even the older juniors and seniors there are challenges of not having experience of the stage. Luna and Siegel agree that the future of theater is looking good and there is a lot of talent shown even just this year, but there is currently a lack of very

Michael Galindo

“All in this together” Members of Akins Journey Theater perform in the courtyard to promote their upcoming play, titled High School Musical.

much stage experience. Having Martinez come back and play as one of the leads will hopefully be helpful with all of his programs for multiple years in his past. Leads are also a major difference then they have been cast in the past. In the past there has been one person as the lead, while another one person

is the understudy. This year’s leads are held by at least two members of the cast who will constantly be competing for the role in the show. Other extra roles and minor characters only have one student learning each part, but they are mostly chorus parts. This is the reason why two to three people can compete for lead roles

during the entire process of the musical. “Making a musical a large production doesn’t happen instantly, it’s a process.” Siegel said. With the theater program continually growing, many are excited for what will come out. “I’m excited about the huge cast, as well as the dance scenes and all the songs” Luna said.

Although the cast is much larger than in past years, Siegel still said there is many opportunities to be part of the musical, so if you wish to be a part, talk to her. The musical is set to hit the stage on December 4 at 5:30 p.m., and December 5 and 6 at 7 p.m.. Tickets will be $7 for students and $10 for adults and sold at the door.

nintEndo

Super Smash Bros. impresses players on both Wii U, 3DS Mark Vallejo Maria Moreno Entertainment Editor In-Depth Editor 3DS: The higher the life percentage the easier it is to get knocked off. This is the basic damage system that the successful Nintendo game, Super Smash Bros. was based upon. On October 3, 2014 the highly anticipated fourth installment of the Super Smash Bros. game franchise was released for 3DS. The sists of characters from different Nintendo franchises, such as Pikachu from Pokemon, Link from Legend Of Zelda, and some thirdparty characters such as Capcom’s Mega Man and Namco’s Pac-Man. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this for about six years. I was pretty skeptical when do’s E3 conference. With the game having strict it all into a small screen. With Subspace Emissary gone, one-playHowever, Classic mode is by far the best out of the previous games. It’s the same concept but this time the more coins players wager, the harder the matches. Smash Run, the new mode, allows you to go through a maze and

First HD experience Players will soon experience Super Smash series. The game will be released on November 21, 2014 in North America.

beat up characters to gain stats. Six characters from Smash Bros. Brawl didn’t return including Ice Climbers, Lucas, Wolf, Pokemon Trainer and Snake. The game has then added characters that would be considered to be over-powered among the Smash gaming community, such as how Fox was seen in Melee. PunchOut!!’s “Little Mac” for example, is a well rounded character, with an amazing counter attack and strong knockouts. He is easily the strongest character in the game with Super Mario Bros.’ Bowser coming around in a close second. Before there were only four playable female characters. Now there is 13. That’s in the 1999 game. My favorite part about the new Smash Bros. 3DS game is the fact that players can make any stage into a variation of the basic stage “Final Destination” just by pressing X at the before selecting the stage. Smash Bros. 3DS has a two online modes called “For Glory” and “For Fun.” The For Glory mode is the competitive option with no items while “For Fun” is just like the title says. Unfortunately, the four player versus can lag quite a bit but this is pretty typical about it, too, is that you are ranked by your For Glory win or lose streak. Overall I think this game is worth to buy. The variety of new features, characters, and stages makes this new portable hand-held Smash Bros. a great one. I give this game an 8/10. Wii U: Moving on to the Wii U version; Nintendo premiered a 50-fact extravaganza on October 23, to show off new modes, stages, and various things that will be exclusive to the Wii U version. One of the major reveals of the video was that you can play up to eight players at once. Playing with that many players means bigger stages. And that’s just what we got. Palutena’s Temple, a new stage in the series, is one of the biggest stages in the Smash series. Also, stages from past games were revealed to be returning. Stages such as Hyrule Temple, a fan favorite in the series, has been HD version. Smash Run was exclusive to the 3DS version so of course the Wii U version had to have something exclusive. Smash Tour is a new board like “mode” where your Mii, Nintendo’s avatar, guides you across the board picking up power-ups for your characters for the battles, trophies, collide. More stage bosses are on the Wii U ver-

sion. Fan-favorite Ridley, from the Metroid Series was a highly requested character to be playable but what fans feared came true. Ridley interacts with the battle on the Pyrosphere stage, even taking damage by other characters and once hit enough times, Ridley will partner with that player and attack the Classic Mode and Adventure Mode had some changes made from the 3DS version. Classic mode is now more controllable on pands into a huge maze-like area where you At the end of the video, “fan-boys” of the character Mewtwo, from the second installment of the series, were screaming aloud. Nintendo revealed that Mewtwo would be arriving to the new installment as DLC in Spring 2015. This could mean that your favorite character who wasn’t in the game could have a chance in this new installment of Smash Bros.

On-the-go gameplay Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the held. It contains its own modes (Smash Run), stages that are based on hand-held games, but also shares things that the Wii U version will contain.

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Television

Entertainment | page 9

The Eagle’s Eye

Monday, November 10, 2014

SerieS

NEW SEASON SHOCKS, SURPRISES FANS OF AHS

Stephanie Valle

Staff Reporter Creepy clowns, women with beards, a man with lobster-like hands, and a killer on the loose are just a latest season of American Horror Story. Each season of American Horror Story features a different set of actors and setting than the one before. The into a house haunted by murder victims whereas the second season was about an asylum and its strange happenings and characters. The third season was about a witch coven that is trying hapless characters that populate a traveling freak show. Fans rushed to their screens to watch the premier of the fourth season of American Horror Story on Oct. 8. The season premier captured a record breaking 10 million viewers, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter, topping FX’s previous record holder, Sons of Anarchy, which had a record 9.25 million viewers. said. This season takes place in Jupiter, Florida around the time period of the 1950s. Elsa Mars (played by Jessica Lang) is the leader of one of the last surviving freak shows and is struggling to keep the business going. Strange things begin to happen in Jupiter just as the show comes to town.

Movies

Ethel Darling (Kathy Bates) is known as the bearded woman who is apart of the freak show. Ethel is a headstrong person who Elsa selected as her second in command. She is very respected around the freak show crew and is also the other of Jimmy Darling. Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters) is one of the characters known for having glove-like hands that closely resemble lobster-like pincers. Even at birth, Darling was presented Bette and Dot Tattler (Sarah Paulson) are conjoined twins who have completely different personalities. Bette is kind and gentle whereas Dot is more guarded and stern. Elsa found them in the hospital after they were hiding in the closet of their home where their mother laid dead a few feet away from the door. A milkman discovered the twins after entering their home when the mother didn’t come out to receive the milk. As the episodes are shown, you learn more about the fascinating characters and their interesting lives as the whole story of the freak show unravels. While some watch the show to be freighted, there is a serious side of the show, as well. All of the characters in fact are based on the stoincluding mental disabilities and physical deformities.

Preview

First installment of the Hunger Games finale to premier Amanda Livingston Opinions Editor So many questions were left unanswered at the end of Catching Fire, the biggest probably being, where is Peeta? Many of the readers of the book know where he is, but for those who haven’t read the book, it’s like dangling by a thread from a bridge. To those who haven’t read the book, Peeta is safe, but he’s not the same as he was before. Hiding in the once thought abandoned District 13, a group of rebels have formed against the central government. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) fronts the group as the chief motivator of the and President Coin (Julianne Moore) serves as the leader. Teaser trailers have been released showing an all white background with soldiers lined up, and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) sitting between Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) dressed in all white. President Snow speaks as if it’s a public service announcement, claiming how the districts have lived in peace and harmony through the years. Probably coming as a surprise to nonreaders of the book, Peeta and

Johanna are very calm. In the most recent heartbreaking trailer, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and President Snow send Katniss to her home district to see the destruction caused by the Capitol. Upon arriving, she walks upon the rubble of broken buildings and broken lives. Upon arriving at the house she won when there’s dust everywhere. While gathering a few last belongings including a framed photograph of her father, Katniss’ eyes fall upon a vase of old dead roses, except one. In the center of the old drooping roses, lies one freshly cut, budding white rose. Entertainment Weekly said the Hunger brutal where it needs to be, particularly when

With the release of Mockingjay Part 1 on the horizon, many fans are hungrily waiting in anticipation, and it’s showing all over in the social media. count has been retweeting many of fans’

I’m currently experiencing is unfathomable Beyond the excitement of the new movie release, some are curious of the unfortunate death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played the game maker for the 75th Hunger tarch Heavensbee. Talented actor and father Philip Seymour Hoffman died of a tragic death due to drug overdose earlier this year on February 2. According to yahoo.com, Jennifer Lawrence While he may be gone now, Hoffman will live on in the success of Mockingjay Part 1 and then again in the second and last installment, Mockingjay Part 2. So much pressure is being put on Katniss in these next two movies, with everyone in the districts looking toward her for leadership. Loved ones will turn against her, and others will be taken away from her forever. All will be revealed in one week and 5 days, on November 21.

Eagle Vogue

The Mockingjay Katniss becomes the leader of the District 13 rebellion to overthrow the capitol and rescue Peeta from the hands of President Snow.

Current Fall looks

P r ofessional Sonny Zuniga Senior Writer

Rain, sleet, and the cold are finally heading our way, Faux fur jackets, riding boots, and knee high socks are finally begining to make their apperences and slide their way back in as the signature winter season look.

Check out these looks at: www.pinterest.com/ akinseagleseye

DATE NIGHT For click able links to purchase these items, visit our website www.akinseaglespublication.com

Casual

SPORTS

page 10

FootBall

Monday

The Eagle’s Eye

November 10, 2014

tough season

Eagles demonstrate a new beginning

Miranda LeBlanc

Clashing at the line of scrimmage Quarterback Ryan Medrano runs for a touchdown, as he finds no one open for a throw in a tough game against the 2nd in district Bowie Bulldogs, which claimed victory over the Eagles.

Quarterback: Eagles show to opponents they are no longer ‘just a doormat’ Jason Loosle Multimedia Editor

Although the varsity football team did not make the playoffs this year, players and coaches believe the team has turned a corner this year though it’s hard fought battles. The season started with enthusiasm and increased school spirit after the team defeated Crockett and Reagan in pre-district games that helped hype spirit. The brief undefeated streak caused multiple student-led organizations to show support, exponentially increasing school spirit, which in years’ past, has been low. “We are turning the program around,” senior quarterback Ryan Medrano said. “We aren’t just a doormat anymore.” However, when district games started, the winning streak ended. After a hard

BasketBall

fought game against Del Valle, the Eagle’s lost, 2533. After another hard week of practice, the football team went against Lehman, but lost to the Lobos by one touchdown with a extra point, with a score of 35-42. The scores were much closer than in years past but the team still struggled to win district games. Going against Anderson High, the team fought hard, but couldn’t pull off the win, losing 12-38, and the school spirit we had been creating at the beginning of the year, started fading. “We started getting injuries, and that played a big part of us losing a lot of these games,” junior, defensive tackle, Patrick Dickerson said. The Eagle’s came close to pulling off a second-half upset during the Austin High game. After falling behind by 35 points in the first half,

quarterback Ryan Medrano rallied his team, scoring over 30 points and coming six points away from winning in the last minutes of the game. When the team played Westlake, the players knew they were up against a powerhouse, which ultimately put 70 points on the board. However, the team didn’t give in, scoring 28 points against a team that has a perennial contender for state titles. Bowie game wasn’t much better, with an ending score of 7-41. Although the chance of play-offs are off the table, the football team is ready to push to the end and make sure the seniors will leave on a good note. “We were in every single ball game except the Westlake game and the Bowie game” Garza said. These two were the only games where the team lost by more than 8 points when the game

ended. Then the by week came and brought some regrouping and lots more training to work as a team. They spent the entire week continually pushing to get better and try for a win to end the season. “This bye week has brought us closer together.” Dickerson said, “We did a whole bunch of drills to get back to the basics and act as one.” After the bye week, the team faced Hays at Nelson Field for senior night. The Eagle’s maintained a lead for more than half the game, but lost by in the last quarter with a final score of 20-28. “This was a season of missed opportunities,” head football coach, Humberto Garza said. “We lost five district ball games by a touchdown.” Garza believes that although we didn’t win what we wanted, we put ourselves on the map. This is very big,

especially because of our previous loss streaks with past football teams. As the football team closes the season, even the seniors are excited for the years to come. They believe that there is a lot of talent on the team, and with some more experience that can push the team into playoffs. “The football team hasn’t played to their full potential yet; their ... really young” said Medrano. Medrano said he still believes the team has potential to improve after a disappointing season. The fact that only 14 seniors are graduating proves Medrano’s point that the team has years to grow still. He sees a bright future for the team and so does his teammate Patrick Dickerson. The team are not put down by their end result. Even the graduating quarterback believes there is a

bright future coming to the football program. “Don’t doubt the football team.” Medrano said. Next year, “it’s going to be totally different. They are going to have returners, they’ll be mature. It’s a process” The team is continually pushing themselves to get better and better, and hope for a successful season next year. The end of this season may have brought less wins than hoped for, but it brought growth for the team. “Overall, we had great senior leadership, but also we had guys that found out that never quit attitude,” Garza said, “if you keep working hard, good things will happen.” Garza said he believes that although the Eagles didn’t make the playoffs, the team has seen much more success than past years. With some time, the team can have future success on the field.

new challenge

The Lady Eagles prepare for new challenges ahead Analisa Salinas Staff Reporter With a new season to prepare for, the Lady Eagles basketball team is in for a tougher season in the new 6-A UIL district. As the year progresses, the team has made drastic changes in order to ensure an amazing season. “To prepare for the season, the coaching staff have gone to clinics, we’ve talked about and watched different videos on techniques,” Coach Jane Martin said. “We’ve even acquired a new assistant coach to help us with different types of plays.” This year Akins has gained an alumnus to help as an assistant coach who will help the girl’s basketball team learn new plays. “It’s a new position created specifically for Coach (Decreasha) Goodner, who graduated and played here at Akins,” Martin said. The team has set their goals on making it to playoffs, while coming first in

district, something that’s not happened in three years here at Akins. “I want us to be successful this year, and making it throughout the year as a team,” said junior Brooklyn Childers. Starting early, the girls have already begun practicing in the mornings, ahead of the season to grasp some of the changes they’ve started to go through this year. “Practice can be hard at times for myself and girls,” Childers said. “The team learns from our mistakes during practice and we try our best and always have fun.” Although its been difficult, it’ll greatly benefit the girl’s basketball team, which has made it in the playoffs multiple times. Seniors like Chynna Rivera are looking forward to making their mark during the upcoming season, hoping to impress recruiters. “Having a Division One looking at me right now is not only exciting but it makes me nervous,” Rivera

said. “I want to play college ball because I love what I do and it keeps me sane.” With a new coach, who has recently played college ball, she knows about the expectations of college coaches and can instill that knowledge into the girls. Martin speaks very highly of Goodner and encourages the girls to follow in Goodner’s footsteps. “With Coach Goodner’s passion into the program, that’s one of the biggest changes that we have done to help our girls be more successful,” Martin said. An assistant coach isn’t the only change the girl’s are going through this year. Akins moved into a new 6-A UIL district, which includes new opponents like Lehman and Hays. “We have more teams to play, so it’ll be more of a challenge to make it to playoffs, while also making our season longer,” said senior Autumn Anderson. With an increase in schools, Akins will have to play harder than before, if

Michael Galindo

Defensive pressure Senior Autumn Anderson and Junior Brooklyn Childers practice on the court as they prepare for the season to start.

they plan on making it not only first in districts, but also advancing in playoffs. “We’ve been working extremely hard to become a team to beat in districts and playoffs,” Anderson said.

The Lady’s Eagles begun shaping into a team that many will begin to recognize. “I 100 percent think by the end of the season, everyone will know our name,”

Anderson said. “We’re definitely going to make our name heard.” The varsity team plays Del Valle in the first home game on November 19 at 7:30p.m.

Monday, November 10, 2014 BasketBall

Sports | page 11

The Eagle’s Eye

A new silo

Basketball team adjusts to new coach Jose Salazar Staff Reporter Boy’s varsity basketball fans should expect to see a hard working team, this year, under the direction of Jesse Hayes, the new head basketball coach. Hayes took over coaching the team when former head coach David Peavy announced that he would be taking on athletic coordinator responsibilities full time. Hayes said he is happy to be the new head coach and can’t wait for their first game. “I was able to become head coach because Mr. Girard thought I could do a good job,” Hayes said. “ I bring hard work and willingness to the team.” Before Hayes became head coach, he was an assistant coach under Peavy. Hayes said he hopes the team won’t judge him on wins or loses. He said he hopes they will think of him as the same person because he hasn’t changed. “I do a lot. It’s just like being an assistant coach, but

tennis

I make the decisions instead of just carrying out,” Hayes said. “And I also put the kids education first before the sport.” Hayes said there haven’t been many changes since he became head coach. To him the kids are just the same but they are improving everyday. “Something that I could improve on, as a person, is to improve my patience with everything in life. And something the team can improve on is to continue looking at itself as a team not an individual,” Hayes said. Senior Christian Newton, who has played basketball since 7th grade, agreed that the team should look at itself as a team instead of a bunch of individual players. Newton said he believes Hayes will do a great job as the head coach. “Hayes knows what he is doing,” Newton said. “He has experience with this sport, he has played college and high school basketball.” Newton played for Hayes before, while he was still an

assistant coach, when he was a sophomore and is excited to practice with him. “I think the team right now is successful and I think coach Hayes will boost the confidence of the players,” Newton said. Sophomore Cameron Ivey said he can’t wait to start the season and is looking forward to practice with coach Hayes. “I am definitely excited to practice with him because he shows us new things that we didn’t do last year and that is going to be exciting,” Ivey said. Ivey said he believes that Hayes will do a great job because he is a good coach. He said he thinks he will bring a “good change.” Ivey, who has played basketball since he was three, said the team has room for improvement. “I think that we could improve on our defense and we could be more disciplined and Hayes will do a great job because he has been in Michael Galindo this position before, and has Sideline coaching worked with tons of coach- Coach Jesse Hayes practices with the basketball players on his first year as head coach of es,” Ivey said. the boy’s varsity team.

Growth

Tennis doubles in membership, establishes foundation Johanna Dakay Staff Reporter The tennis team nearly doubled in size this year with an influx of underclassmen player, leading coaches to believe the team established a strong foundation during the fall season. While Akins Tennis ended the season with 2-3 record, the team ended strong, winning the majority of matches against Del Valle and came close to defeating the Lehman Lobos. While tennis is mostly an individual sport, teamwork is still an important aspect as players serve as training partners and even teachers to new members. Having larger numbers on the tennis team helps the team improve by providing a wider spectrum of ability levels and knowledge of the game. Each player can learn from another. Social studies teacher Richard Kelly and science teacher Ashley Gahan coach tennis. “The coaches are great,” senior Tenzin Dechen said. “They’ve challenged me in many ways to play better as a beginner.” “I think the whole team has improved and really stepped up in terms of match toughness,” coach Ashley Gahan said. “This is the most well-rounded team we have had since I’ve been at Akins.” Freshman Simon Carandang is was one of several underclassmen who focused on improving their techniques. He has played tennis since middle school, and is looking forward to developing as a player. “I practice every day during any free time that I get,” Carandang said. “Even Saturdays and Sundays.”

However, Carandang said he still has room for improvement. “I need to work on getting my head in the game,” Carandang said. The returning players worked to be a good example for newer members, practicing with tenacity and showing commitment to the team. “Having so many seniors has been great,” Gahan said. “The experience and dedication to the team is really helping us move forward as a program.” Many returning players feel that they have improved since last year. “I would like to keep on [improving] throughout the rest of this year,” senior Magnus Poocrer said Gahan and several other members said that overall, the team needs to work on consistency and getting used to playing more competitively. “The more opportunities [the players] get to practice and play matches, the better off they’ll be in a challenging match situation,” Gahan said. The diversity of players on the team did not hinder the team’s overall performance. “The team did well for a lot of new players,” senior and co-captain Ezzy Racelis said “I could have played a lot better,” Racelis said. “But statistically, I think I did pretty good. It’s a mental sport, and requires a lot of self-evaluation.” While team season is over, the individual season begins at the end of January, and should make for an interesting season as the tennis team comes back to perform for Akins. Tennis hopes to improve before their first game next semester.

Get to know our player of the issue Mariah Stewart, a player with determination that deserved to be recognized for her hard work. Eagle Eye: How has volleyball affected you? Mariah Stewart: “It’s made me tougher, and a team player. It’s made me notice a lot of things and it was a real learning experience.” E.E: How did you feel being picked as team captain this year? M.S: “I was nervous, I knew it’d be a lot of work. It made me learn a lot of things I’d have never realized about being a leader.” E.E: What’s one thing you’ll take away from volleyball now that it’s your senior year? M.S: “You have to hold yourself and others accountable no matter what happens.”

Tenzin Dechen

A tough save Duy Pham goes in for an exciting save that could have cost him the match in a game against the Hays tennis team.

Fall ScoreBoards Volleyball Dates

Mon, Tue, Tue, Tue, Tue, Fri, Tue, Fri, Tue, Fri, Tue,

Aug Aug Aug Aug Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct

11 12 19 26 02 05 09 12 16 26 14

Scores 1-3L 3-0W 3-0W 0-3L 0-3L 3-0W 0-3L 3-0W 1-3L 0-3L 3-2W

Opponents Ann Richards Lainer Travis Hays Austin Lake Travis Westlake Del Valle Bowie Anderson Del Valle

Football Dates Fri, Fri, Thu, Fri, Mon, Fri, Thu, Thu,

Aug Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct Oct Oct

29 05 11 19 29 03 09 16

Scores Opponents 28-25W 32-19W 25-33L 35-42L 12-38L 41-47L 28-70L 7-41L

Crockett Reagan Del Valle Lehman Anderson Austin Westlake Bowie

PHOTO ESSAY

page 12

Monday

The Eagle’s Eye

November 10, 2014

Fall festival brings students together Michael Galindo Photo Editor Blue and Gold Night, the most popular Akins social tradition, provides the perfect escape for the stress of the fall semester. The countless performances, festivities, and delicious food ensure that it’s a night to look forward to every year. Festival goers suffered no shortage of entertainment this year. With a haunted house, photo booth, petting zoo, and much more, there was plenty to do for people of all ages. If the booths weren’t enough, performances from the Diamond Dazzlers, Akins Journey Theatre, and others carried on throughout the night. “I thought all the performances were really good, although the Diamond Dazzlers were my favorite,” senior Tony Do said. All the walking, dancing, and activities helped festival goers work-up an appetite. Students had no trouble satisfying their hunger; however, as the festival had every base covered when it came to food, ranging from pancakes to hamburgers to funnel cakes. “There was so much food there. I don’t think I could’ve tasted everything if I tried,” senior Cristian Lopez said. The night’s success is sure to help the school, as the money raised at the booths will go directly to it’s sponsor. Tiana Featherstone

Gather ‘round The Akins cheerleaders and mascot gather in a circle for a group photo. Following their performance, the team was met with applause from all.

Michael Galindo

Face full of frosting Junior Jacklynn Maldonado pelts her friend in the face with a pie. The pie booth sponsored by PALS allowed students to pie a friend for $2, a coach for $5, or an administrator for $10. Arm in arm Junior Stephanie Rodriguez performs with the Diamond Dazzlers beneath the glow of the lights. Besides their performance, the Diamond Dazzlers also ran a booth selling caramel apples and offering pumpkin decorating as well as the popular wedding booth.

Michael Galindo

Glimpse into the future Senior Daniel Adame reads the palms of fellow senior Tony Do to give him some insight about his future. “Some people were scared of it because they thought it was a taboo thing to do, others were just curious and thought it’d be something fun to try out.” Adame said. The art department’s booth also featured henna stamping and tarot card readings. Natalie Flores

Courtyard cheer Akins cheerleaders hoist up another member during their routine. The center of the courtyard was reserved for the various performances while the surrounding area was for the food booths and other festivities. “It looked like they were enjoying themselves performing their routine and I’m proud of how far they’ve come,” senior Abraham Alvarado said. Sneak peek Members of the Akins Hip Hop team give the crowd a small preview of their performance. The full team performed their routine in it’s entirety later in the night to cap off the night. “It went great and as planned,” senior co-captain Abigail Tovar said, “We’re doing what we love and hearing the cheers just got us more pumped. It was fun and a great memory made.” Michael Galindo

Michael Galindo

Test of strength Akins graduate Josue Cartagena pushes himself to squeeze out a few more pull-ups. Blue and Gold Night attracts many graduates since it’s an opportunity to visit their former school and see old friends and teachers. Michael Galindo