The Eagle's Eye; Issue 2, Volume 15; Akins High School

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The

EAGLE’S EYE W. Charles Akins High School

Austin, Texas “Everything that Concerns You”

Volume 15

Issue 2 November 12, 2015

Ricardo Villegas

Forever Bound

Senior Anahi Trevino serves as a spokesperson for the Akins Wheelchair Challenge after living in a wheelchair all her life. The goal is to raise $30,000. Principal Brandi Hosack brought the challenge to Akins to make the campus more wheelchair friendly by adding motorized doors to major entrances.

New challenge rolls into Akins to raise awareness Raidy Zanjeel

wheelchair bound.

The campus goal is to raise $30,000 to

Senior Jordan Espinoza had no idea how hard it was to open a door while sitting in a wheelchair.

“I could open it but it was hard to go through it and keep it open so I usually had to have somebody open it for me and hold it open or I would ask the teacher to keep the door open so that way I could get in and out,” she said.

Espinoza was one of dozens of Akins students who participated in a Wheelchair Challenge, which allows Akins students the chance to experience what it is like to spend a whole school day in a wheelchair.

The event is also a way to raise funds to pay for motorized doors to be installed around campus to help students who are

The event is a spin-off of a similar campaign that happened in Austin High School last year that raised $90,000 and

Guest Writer

across that campus. The campaign at Austin High was organized by Austin High student Archer Hadley, who is wheelchair bound and lives with cerebral palsy.

Principal Brandi Hosack said she was invited by Hadley’s parents to host a Wheelchair Challenge at Akins and she accepted after being inspired by Archer’s successful efforts at his campus.

Hosack said she thought Akins would be a good place for a challenge because there are so many caring students here.

“I knew that if we brought the challenge

Homelessness rates increase Eliana Gutierrez Staff Writer

Unsanitary living conditions.

Empty cupboards, Lack of privacy.

These are just a few of the challenges that the 83 students categorized as homeless last year faced every day.

That’s the number documented by the district’s Project HELP program, which tracks homelessness among students and works to help them. Akins had the most homeless students out of all other campuses in the Austin school district for the 2014-2015 school year. The actual number could be higher because some students and families do not share that information out of embarrassment.

“Sometimes people don’t tell us their situation,” school social worker Colleen Arnold said.

Out of more than 84,000 students who attended Austin schools last year, 2,642 were considered homeless by Project HELP last year. Homelessness takes many different forms, including living on the streets and shelters, families “doubling up” with relatives, and foster care situations among others.

The overall number of homeless students increased throughout the district by 152 students when compared to the previous school year.

See “Homeless” pg. 2

ACADEMIC EXPANSION

here that our students would latch onto it because (students) do care. We do care on this campus about other people, about what it’s like to have different struggles and so I just feel like we’re the right setting for it,” she said.

Senior Anahi Trevino, who has been wheelchair bound since she was little, said that navigating around akins high school can be extremely challenging. She include opening heavy doors, slippery metal ramps and the elevator not always working. “(Sometimes) there’s no one to help me and the doors are really heavy so I have to pull all the way myself and then go in just before the door hits my wheel,” Trevino said.

Trevino said that there are a few places

a motorized door, including the main entrance and the rear entrance by the STEM wing. She would also like to see an additional elevator installed.

Hosack said the Akins campus is technically 100 percent compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but there are still things that could be done to improve access. However, she said adding an extra elevator on campus would cost tens of thousands of dollars and is currently not affordable.

“Of course, I have thought of about it, and we don’t have the money to be able to do that because every single dollar that comes into our building I try to spent on teaching staff or supplies for students,” she said.

COURT SYSTEM

Law interns take on court mock trials Jose SAlazar

Entertainment Editor Life or death decisions are at the heart of a case that students in the ABL2E Law Intern program are trying in their very own courtroom.

The case revolves around a man who is being tried for second degree manslaughter for not letting his daughter get the medicine she needed to survive because he believes it is against his religion.

The case may only be a mock trial, but the experience is invaluable for the law intern students, who are conducting their mock trial in a classreal courtroom furniture, said law teacher Robyn Katz.

“This will really help students gain the experience that they will need and it will help them become more responsible,” Katz said.

Soon the trials held in the courtroom will involve real cases based on incidents of student misbehavior and violations of campus rules. The courtroom and the law students will add another component to the restorative justice programs that are being implemented at Akins this year.

The law intern students will either prosecute or defend an Akins student

Finding a Verdict

Ricardo Villegas

Seniors Esmeralda Orozco and Marissa Uballe sit at the podiums during a mock trial. Orozco was acting as the judge, while Uballe served as a witness.

when they have violated one of the school rules.

“I run the court system because I’m in charge of the of law interns; however, I’m not the one who decides if the students are responsible or not for their actions,” Katz said.

A jury of Akins students will be responsible for deciding if the student accused of breaking the rules is innocent or guilty by giving the stu-

dent in question a fair trial.

Katz said she is excited to get it started and thinks it’s going to be “Instead of writing referrals we can have a system to tell us if students should be held responsible,” Katz said.

See “justice” pg. 2

INSIDE... Opinions - pAge 2-3 News - page 4 InDepth - page 5 Life and Style - page 6-7 Entertainment - page 8-9 SPORTS - page 10 -11 PHOTO ESSAY- page 12

OPINIONS

page 2

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – November 12, 2015

Restorative Justice process needs restoration EDITORIAL Dealing with discipline problems used to be a oneway process at Akins.

If a student acted up and became a nuisance to the class, a teacher sent him or her to InSchool Suspension, a referral would be written and that was the end of the story. Except it wasn’t really the end.

The student was removed from the room for the day, an assistant principal might have a talk with the student, but it usually was a one-way conversation. If the student knew what was good for them, they got in line and didn’t act up, again. Except they often did.

This summer, Akins began implementing a program called “Restorative Justice,” in which teachers host sessions where students gather around to talk about their issues. Instead of just punishing the student for their behavior, out why the student is disobedient.

A prominent feature of the Restorative Justice process is the use of listening circles that allow participants to share their values, feelings and beliefs about almost any topic, with high hopes that this will help expose the problem so that it might be targeted in a fashion that will deter the student from making bad decisions.

Unfortunately, some teachers are skeptical of the pro-

POLITICS

Blake Barto

gram’s effectiveness and reluctant to use it, due to the worry of students abusing this opportunity.

We believe that despite some initial objections and mistrust of the program, that it has a lot of potential and it should be given a chance to be successful.

Suddenly students are given the ability to take matters into their own hands, which is something that school as a system is not accustomed to doing.

For a teacher, it can be scary to give students control sometimes, and that’s understandable, but the purpose of restorative justice is help students open up and talk about their issues in an attempt to better their lives. That requires two parties to step out of their comfort zone. Teachers that refuse to come out of this comfortable seat of power and “empower the students” are indirectly disregarding the needs of the students.

Of course, some students

would abuse this empowerment, but punishing the entire student body for the 1 percent is ridiculous.

Restorative Justice has helped a lot of students so far, and getting rid of it doesn’t Akins back to where it was to begin with, and obviously that wasn’t working.

There will always be trouble makers. And there will always be students who abuse the system. However, we shouldn’t get rid of a pro-

SOCIETY

BASIC RIGHTS

gram before we have given it a chance to take root and become part of the school culture.

We as the Editorial Board believe that Restorative Jusworth keeping, however, students who are abusing the system need to be dealt with like any other repeated disciplinary problem.

The faculty needs to trust that this program can work and make a difference for students.

STEREOTYPES

Teen pregnancy The Pledge of Allegiance a weak representation of the United States stereotypes unfair Caitlin Nickles

Original Photo Tom Grill

Bradley Barto

Staff Writer

Staff Writer Imagine this: A normal school morning, students coming into class, the intercom comes on and the pledge begins. A student chooses not to stand up because they want to exercise their freedom of speech, or their religion requires them not to.

The teacher follows this act with aggression in either publicly criticising the student or sending them out of the room, which is unfair to the student for simply practicing their rights. The student is accused of challenging the patriotism of the constitutional rights, when in reality exercising the First Amendment right, which is definitely patriotic.

In 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, that students could not be compelled to

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.

The Eagle’s Eye Content represents the views of the student staff and not school officials.

The Eagle’s Eye will work to avoid bias and/ or favoritism. We will strive to make our coverage and content meaningful, timely and interesting to our readers. Our articles will reflect our genuine objective of reporting news and will be held to a high standard of quality.

We will make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process

Eagle’s Eye Staff Editor-in-Chief

Amanda Livingston*

Opinions Editor

Gabe Robles*

News Editor

Nicolas Sokolowski*

Entertainment Editor Jose Salazar*

they’re blamed for crimes they didn’t commit at all. The pledge is a lie that we shouldn’t be required to spread.

Most schools in the United States pledge, but a few do not: Hawaii, Iowa, Vermont and Wyoming. Although students aren’t required by law to stand for the pledge, some teachers are aggressive to students that do not.

I don’t believe the pledge is worth standing for. If a teacher forces you to stand up and stop talking, humor the ignorant.

Sadie Adams Bradley Barto Luis Canales Chelsea Cuevas Larry Durden

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

Staff editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board arrived at by discussion and will not be bylined. Bylined articles are the opinion of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Eagle’s Eye staff or administration as a whole.

The Eagle’s Eye welcomes reader input.

Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to akins.journalism@gmail.

Mary Griffis Eliana Gutierrez Caitlin Nickles Matthew Rocha Ashley Sanchez

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.

Gabby Silva Katrina Stewart Lala Villegas Namiah Wright Raidy Zanjeel

Editorial Board*

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.

say the pledge. Despite this ruling, students have still been punished for refusing to stand and say the pledge.

The phrase “Under God” was not in the original pledge. The pledge currently violates the Constitution by invoking religion into government funded public schools.

It’s obviously Christian, nothing else.

The phrase “liberty and justice for all” is hypocritical when people are being treated unfairly for their race and/or sexuality, or when

Staff Writers

Editorial Policy

Jordan Rouse

Your heart is racing. So many thoughts are going through your head. Your feelings are mixed, you don’t know what to feel. Should you feel sad?

Happy? But instead you’re scared. You’re pregnant.

Many people think teen moms are high school dropouts. While it is hard to finish school when you’re taking care of your child most teen moms finish high school and even go onto college. These teen moms are able to do this because they have strong motivation from their family and friends. Most people don’t understand the struggle of being a teen mom, but they shouldn’t immediately judge how their life is going to turn out.

Another stereotype that people assume is teen moms are bad moms. New moms whether they’re teenagers or not learn as they their children grow. Nobody is truly ready to raise a child.

The worst stereotype people impose is that teen moms are single. The first thing people ask is if the father is committed to helping you raise the child. Many teen parents stay together and have a special bond due to the raising a child.

People should think twice before they impose these stereotypes. Everyone has a different story, and we should learn as a community to support these moms and give them motivation to be successful.

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

Graphics Editors

Web Editors

In-Depth Editors

Life & Style Editor

Photo Editor

Sports Editor

Blake Barto* Jesse Farquhar-Greth*

Maheen Anjum*

Thomas Cross* Luis Correa* Ricardo Villegas*

Stephanie Valle* Brenda Amaya* Cassie Obi*

Honors ILPC/UIL

TAJE

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

NSPA

All-American 2013 Nominated for Pacemaker -2013

CSPA

2011 - Silver Medal 2012 - Gold Medal

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday, November 12, 2015

ENVIRONMENT

Opinions

RECYCLING

LITTERING

page 3

RESPECT

Recycling is deceptive, huge Custodial staff deserves waste of time and resources recognition and respect Cassie Obi

Jesse Farquhar-Greth

Sports Editor You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you drop your used paper, plastics and other recyclable materials into the big blue bins around campus.

We were trained as little children to be sure to put our paper and plastics in said blue bins and we are patted on the back and praised for “living green.” What if I if I said that all that sorting your trash was a waste of your time?

People want to believe that they are doing the right thing when they recycle.

However, these blue recycle bins represent a false promise that we are saving the Earth when we use them to dispose of our used paper, bottles and cans. The supposed benefits of recycling are supposed to be based on the concept that recycling things like plastic results in less carbon being released into the atmosphere, according to an article titled the “Reign of Recycling” published in The New York Times. However, evidence shows that the benefits are slim to none in terms of carbon emissions, based on this article by

MEDIA CULTURE

Graphics Editor

Cassie Obi

John Tierney: “To offset the greenhouse impact of one passenger’s round-trip flight between New York and London, you’d have to recycle roughly 40,000 plastic bottles, assuming you fly coach. If you sit in business- or first-class, where each passenger takes up more space, it could be more like 100,000.”

What they don’t tell us in our school, and amongst every other school in the AISD school district, is that as they plop these obnoxious bins in our rooms, that resemble a container full of false promises that we are saving the Earth and that we are seemingly becoming better people as we throw our graded papers and plastic wrap in the recycle bin.

As fluorescent lights buzz overhead, Carlita scrubs the last scuffs off the school’s tile floor. Although nobody notices that the scuffs are ever made, or that they are gone in the morning, she focuses her strength into her upper back and scrubs.

It’s been much harder, recently, to clean up after the students. They are seemingly more and more careless about how they go about disposing their trash.

It has come to my attention that Akins students are walking, leaking trash bags and need to stop leaving their garbage wherever they go, and are literally causing infestations of rats.

This is a public service announcement. Don’t make the custodians clean up your mess! We live in a community.

We work for each other. The custodian job is to clean the facility, not to clean up after nasty kids!

Most Japanese schools don’t even have custodians because the students do the cleaning. Each day time is set aside for students to clean their classrooms and common areas. What does that say about American students?

We can hang a poster up that claims it’s “Custodian Appreciation Week,” but thousands of pieces of trash littered on the school grounds leave a different message. Precious coffee beverages are still being spilt and ditched and the bathrooms are just far too horrific to even begin ranting about. There is such little sign of respect from the students.

Students litter the campus and create this almost audible scream of “I am a slob and do not care about myself and my environment!”

Sadly, it seems the student body has come to accept trash everywhere as part of modern life. What disgusting beings are we, that when we’re given the option to walk a few feet to properly dispose of our garbage, we instead throw it on the ground. How does this reflect on our school? Stop being a bunch of dirty babies and find a trash can.

MASS SHOOTINGS

Staffers debate mass media coverage of school shootings Press coverage of shootings important, helps keep the general public informed Nicolas Sokolowski News Editor

Almost every week, on any given news media outlet, you hear about a student murdering one or more of their classmates.

There seems to be no solution to this massive problem that plagues us, but there has been some talk about how an overabundance of media coverage creates

“copycat” killings.

I personally do not believe this is the problem at hand. There are too many other factors that come into play, not including the fact that a lot of these school killings are triggered by some form of bullying or depression.

If they see someone else on the news doing it, I don’t think that any sane person would want to imitate the violence.

When media outlets emphasize the killer, it disregards the feeling of the families of the victims. Some people refuse to say

the name of shooters, like sheriff John Hanlin during his news conference discussing the Oregon shooting at Umpqua Community College.

Not naming the shooter doesn’t necessarily help the situation, and even if it did, there’s no background data to prove that it is an effective method in deterring shooters from their 15 minutes of fame.

Understanding why these things happen are completely separate from publicizing the killer.

If information is being suppressed, it

can turn into people who are uninformed merely guessing.

The press should act appropriately and with morals, not glorifying the killer.

The job of the media is to give information to the public, hopefully with no bias included based off of the events that took place.

There should be no emphasis placed on the killer, but rather an emphasis placed on the solution to the problem, and what resources could be created or used to fix that problem.

Jesse Farguhar-Greth

Blake Barto

Press over accentuates issue, normalizes the next generation of school shootings Gabe Robles

Opinions Editor

THE

In the past three months alone, there have been nine school shootings in the media spotlight, and major media outlets consistently frame them as an incidents revolving around either gun control or mental disabilities.

It seems like every time someone turns on the television to watch CNN the headlines are blaring about a young person

EAGLE VIEW

“They help a lot of people who have problems.”

–Enrique Hernandez Freshman

shooting up his or her school. Ironically, this very media coverage is partly to blame.

Statistics gathered by Plos One (“Contagion in Mass Killings and School Shootings”) demonstrate that the issue lies in the propagation of shootings via the media. This is likely true, even if the media blames it on mental issues and lack of gun control laws.

The fame that a shooter gets in media coverage is similar to that of a celebrity: it’s all about that person. There is a certain appeal to it that some young people

— in which I am referring to the average student at schools — believe it could fix their problems, which generally consist of simple, everyday issues that everyone experiences.

This is the effect of what criminologists refer to as “self-excitation contagion” in which people tend to shoot up schools because they know — due to media coverage — that they can get away with the crime and that schools have a vulnerability they can exploit. This is true in both social matters and criminal matters. (“Self-Exciting Process Modeling of Crime”)

Even if a person is mentally unstable, for one, gun control laws are not going to stop someone who made that decision from getting those materials (also a fundamental law of the “Self-Exciting Process), and blaming their mental illness is avoiding the root of the issue.

The mass media needs to stop putting the spotlight on individuals that shoot up schools and making them look like celebrities. It normalizes the situation for other people to feel this is how to direct the attention that they seek.

Question: How do you feel about Restorative Justice Circles?

“I like it. It’s cool, you get to talk and share and it’s nice.”

–Caitlin Powell Sophomore

“I don’t really have an opinion about it...

Can’t say how I feel.”

–Casey Longoria Junior

“I quite like the,.

It’s a way of getting to know somebody.”

–Samaria Ramos Senior

“I think that Restorative Justice is a great idea. It’s a good thing.”

–Henry Perez Economics Teacher

NEWS

page 4

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – November 12, 2015

Cont. from “homeless” pg.1

Akins has most homeless students in Austin ISD Arnold said she is concerned about the increase in homelessness because of the effects it has on students’ success.

“They’re often distracted because it’s hard for them to focus on homework and other things when they don’t have some of the school supplies they need, and they’re spending a lot of their time thinking ‘where can I stay next,’” Arnold said.

Arnold also said Akins has partnered with Manchaca United Methodist Church since May. Brenda Richmond, Austin schools data system manager and church member, contacted pastor way for Manchaca UMC to help homeless students. After reaching out to Akins college adviser Sarah Simmons, the church donated $1,500 worth of gift cards to 15 homeless seniors that were accepted to a college or university.

Even students who are temporarily without a home, such as

homeless and are eligible to receive assistance.

Two years ago sophomore Jacob Gomez woke up to two feet of water inside his house.

“I was raised in that house all my life, it’s really heartbreaking

68 83 60

is going to be torn down,” Gomez said.

2013 left 825 homes in the city destroyed or badly damaged. On Oct. 30, Austin again suffered zone area along Onion Creek in the Dove Springs neighborhood, which has now left many homes in the same state as those in 2013.

The Gomez family lived in a

AKINS HIGH SCHOOL

TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL

CROCKETT HIGH SCHOOL Stephanie Valle

Homeless Rates

Akins High School has the highest number of homesless students in Austin ISD, accord-

The family rebuilt their home and moved back in, not knowing they would later encounter yet another

increase the number of students

in a hotel with many of their former neighbors.

making their efforts to succeed in school even harder.

Administrators said they are

Ultimately, Hosack said they plan to work to support homeless students by listening to students and speaking with them about their home lives.

“They are part of our fami-

ly. Every single student on this campus has a place and matters and belongs here, and it takes all of us to make sure that we wrap our arms around them to support them,” Hosack said.

Cont. from “justice” pg.1

Law Intern students benefit from professional furniture The ABL2E court system is located in Room 252 and will start to take student cases in the spring of 2015. Katz’s students have spent the fall learning courtroom procedures and rehearsing the various roles needed to run a court, including defense attorneys, witnesses and prosecutors.

“We haven’t started yet but I really like the idea of students holding other students accountable for their actions,” Katz said.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing my future law interns practice their skills.”

Senior Maritza Ramirez is one of the law interns that work with fun and interesting.

“We get to go to the courthouse, shadow lawyers and talk to judges,” Ramirez said. “We

CLUBS

have been given this opportunity and it’s allowing us to get our foot in the door.”

Katz earned her law degree from Texas Tech School of Law, where she practiced prosecutor and family law.

“We are lucky to have Dr. Katz as our instructor. She worked in should expect and she has great connections,” Ramirez said. “We are preparing for mock trial and Senior Omar Trejo, who is the defense attorney for the mock trial, said he is learning a lot from the experience and that it will help him on his path of law.

“I like it but it really depends how involved you are,” Trejo said. “It’s very time consuming but at the end it’s all worth it.”

The Austin Bar Association and Austin young Lawyers Association have launched a unique partnership with the law program at Akins.

The new program called “Legal Eagles” will consist of 10 students, who have already have been selected through a series of interviews and applications.

Senior Esmeralda Orozco opening up a lot of doors,” Orozco said. “It’s challenging but it’s

Ricardo Villegas

Order in the Court

Law Intern students practice for their Mock Trial competition in their new courtroom, complete with real furniture.

challenging it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

ly interesting. We’re recreating a case and that’s a lot of fun,” Orozco said. “I’m learning a lot of hands on experience and it’s better than looking at a textbook

a passion for it, and if they don’t, students won’t like it, Orozco said.

-

the entire time.”

The Texas Hays County Mock Trial competition will take place

EXPANSION

Robotics Club hopes to grow by opening to all academies mary griffis

from the hobby level saw to the industrial grade.

Changes in leadership of the STEM Academy have allowed the club and workshop to open up to all students in

Staff Writer

Walking into the STEM workshop feels a little like walking into Home Depot except that you can play with all of the cool tools.

briefs

the workshop. To the disappointment of STEM academy coordinator Allen Hubbard, much of that equipment was going unused after school by students.

Hubbard said previous administrators in charge of the shop decided that most students should not be allowed to work in there because they assumed the students would not be safe and responsible.

“Us as a school, we need to have steps to get regular 16 year old kids who are not (trained in STEM elective classes) to be able to be around equipment like that,” he said.

Until the beginning of this year, the workshop and the Robotics Club had a reputation of allowing only a small number of kids access to the garage. That resulted in only a handful of students being trained to use the technical and dangerous machines and tools in the lab, causing participation to be low.

“It was a lot more restricted earlier on about two years ago,” said James Garcia, Robotics Club Co-Founder. “At one point not a lot of people except the people who were

Junior Peter Glass works on a go-kart piece, in preparation for the annual Blue & Gold Night. coming after school were getting a lot of hands on experience.”

For years prior, many students were not able to take on projects of their own using the advanced equipment in the workshop, which houses a 3D printer, computer controlled milling machines and a full paint booth. There is also welding equipment and a variety of saws, ranging

Flood relief requests, donations to help homeless students Students that have been affected hygiene items, (i.e. travel sizes of deodorant, body wash, etc.)

If you would like to buy any of those and donate them to the SSS, social worker Colleen Arnold will have be keeping a list of who needs what, and will donate the items to each individual student.

Also, a family is in need of 5

Eliana Gutierrez

A Cut Above

blankets, and if anyone wants to donate any new or gently used clean blankets - she is happy to pass those along too.

The Family Resource Center at Mendez Middle School, managed by The Austin Project, is also seeking donations.

Contact Parent Support Specialist Tonio Salazar if you have questions at (512) - 841-9805.

17th: PTSA Meeting 20th: Wheelchair Challenge Ends 26th: Thanksgiving 25-27th: Thanksgiving Break

club and work on projects of their own if they undergo some training with teachers and other students.

This year, the Robotics Club leadership is hoping to turn the garage into a so called “makerspace” for all students who are interested. A “makerspace” is a place where people can come to bounce ideas off each other and help create different projects.

“We come here to share ideas and help each other achieve goals,” said Dylan Gerald, one of the Robotics Club’s faculty sponsors.

In the workshop, students not only work on projects that give back to the school but can, “accomplish engineering projects for their (STEM electives) classes” as well, Garcia said.

One example is a project to create graphing calculator covers to replace those on campus that have been lost or broken.

With the workshop being open to all academies, any club wishing to create a prop that could be of assistance to their organization can talk to Hubbard or Deckard to assist in training and the teaching of usage for certain equipment.

Upcoming Events S 1 8 15 22 29

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IN DEPTH

The Eagle’s Eye

page 5

Thursday - November 12, 2015

New Restorative Justice Program resolves conflict Stephanie valle

Meet the Coordinators

because of the community building that our teachers and student were experiencing.”

In-Depth Co-Editor The focus of Restorative Justice is to empower stuAfter years of having constant struggles at home, dents to make positive changes in their lives instead sophomore Dominick Rodriguez says he has found of automatically suspending them for rule infractions. peace.

“Instead of removing our students from the classroom or from our school community by placing stuwith his mother that took a toll on his emotions and dents in In-School Suspension or home suspension affected his academic performance at school. or alternative school, they are given options to repair “[Without the Restorative Justice program] I harm and make wrongs right so that they can stay in would’ve still been in the same place right now as class and gain the education that they’re here to gain,” my mom, but now we’re she said. doing good and doing a Restorative Justice prolot better,” he said. “We’re grams are becoming more both going to people and prominent across the countrying to change for the try as an attempt to address better.” trends in which high rates Rodriguez’s story of certain types of students Anthony Bromberg would not have been posare punished by suspension sible without the implethan other groups. Accordmentation of the Restoring to the Penn GSE Center ative Justice program at for the Study of Race and Akins this year. The focus of the program is to ad- Equality in Education, 22.1 percent of black students dress discipline problems in a way that “heals” the in Austin ISD get suspended more often than any othstudent rather than just punish them when a behavior er race. problem arises, said coordinator Eloise Sepeda.

Administrators at Akins hope that the program Restorative Justice often uses listening circles as a will help to lower suspension rates and keep students means to allow classes or sometimes the affected par- in classes instead of sending them home without reties of a certain incident — including the accused rule pairing the harm they have done to their fellow stubreaker, teachers and administrator and other students dents, classes, teachers nd possibly their homelife and — to share with the whole group about ways to settle communities. the dispute that took place. There are multiple cirRestorative Justice is not without its critics. Some teachers have felt that some students are abusing their - access to the Restorative Justice coordinators. Some cy called Life Anew was hired to help the campus others said they believe the program gives too much implement these practices, which have been used in power to the students to abuse the system. other schools or even neighborhoods to help promote Anthony Bromberg said that Restorative Justice is community peace. a messy process but it’s a relationship that you’re go“We’ve had a great reaction to (restorative justice) ing to build with the student so it’s worth it. we had teachers who were very excited and very cre“For the second 6 weeks, I think the program so ative about how they did circles in their classrooms far is going really fabulously,” Bromberg said. “There and new relationships that were being built amongst are those moments where we’re unsure [about restorthe students and teachers,” Sepeda said. “So I think ative justice] and we need to learn together and talk that the atmosphere of the school was really positive together to work out some bumps in the road.”

Eloise Sepeda When did you join the program?

I started collaborating with Life Anew Restorative Justice in 2010 or 2011.

The program so far is going fabulously.

Why did you decide to join?

I can’t think of doing anything else. I always say this is not a job its a lifestyle.

—

Erica Reyes When did you join the program?

Last year, the beginning of the year.

Why did you decide to join?

I see the impacwt and change in my own kid’s lives and that’s how I got connected with them to help my kids in school.

Stephanie Valle

Diamonds of Value

Participants create diamond shapes out of paper and write their values inside. After circles the diamonds are then hung up on the walls around the class.

What are the results of the Restorative Justice program at Akins?

100

4,419

2015-2016

83 80

Suspensions by the Numbers

2014-2015

total number of out of school suspensions 60

9.1 %

41

40

represents the percentage of african american enrollment in austin isd

18

20

4 0 Home Suspensions

ISS

0

1

Disciplinary Removal

What’s the national suspention rate for African Americans?

Expelled

35.4%

Boys

Suspended

34.1%

41.7% 0

10

20

30

40

represents the percentage of african american suspended in austin isd All numbers from the 2011-2012 school year, which is the most recent federal-level discipline data

44.7% Girls

22.1 %

50

LIFE & STYLE

page 6

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – November 12, 2015

STUDENT

REFLECTION

Malala Yousafzai inspires the fight for women’s education Maheen Anjum

Life & Style Editor Shot point blank in the head at age 15, Malala Yousafzai did not let the world.

Malala, who is 18 years old, is featured in a documentary movie called “He named me Malala” and a book about her story. From being again for right of education, she has only became stronger.

“My weakness, my fear and my hopelessness died that day, and I became stronger than before,” Malala said.

As a young girl with who shares Pakistani culture and Muslim religion, I can relate to the restraints that are put on girls due to the fear of the Taliban.

When I used to visit the small village where my mother grew up, I saw women at home doing only housework. When asked about education, they said their fathers said it’s better for them to be wives rather than go to college. Once a women is educated she becomes disrespectful and stands up for equality with men, they believed.

My grandma has a twin sister who we called little Nano. She was someone who didn’t so much care about her education and didn’t think it was quite important but my grandmother Mumtaz Rauf saw the importance and power of education and stayed up every night with a candle to study because there was little to no electricity in the village.

is wanted in poor countries around the world. I doubt kids would even think of dropping out when public school education is free. If the encouragement toward education was only as strongly shown to those villagers who knows how many more lives we would have saved facing illiteracy.

People think money is the key to education, but rather I believe it’s determination: how badly do you want to be educated and not be illiterate? You have to work hard to show the right people of what potential you have. And that’s exactly what Malala did.

Intelligence isn’t innately born into people. It’s developed through education and dropout. If only they saw how precious it is to be able to be educated in poor countries. It is a gift to those who can not afford to even buy a notebook. of those girls that are silenced and because of her actions she earned education.

“I don’t want revenge from the Taliban, I want education for sons and daughters of the Taliban,” Malala said.

Pakistan. Let’s make a change with our pens and pencils because in the end they are our most powerful weapon.

When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.

children or slaves with no rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women’s equality with men in a great many respects.

I was fortunate to be able to go to a good school but I did read true

— Malala Yousafzai

weren’t paid and a loaf of bread was shared throughout the classroom for lunch. I only wish we, in the United States, see how much education

Graphic Courtesy of Freepik.com

FACULTY

EDUCATE

Military veterans apply experience in teaching students Former service members hope to pass the torch to new generation of enlistees Mary Griffis

ly need to be done before I do fun stuff,” Deckard said.

Col. Ronald Oliverio’s has striven throughout his career to follow a motto that he has tried to instill into his cadets — head, heart, hands.

“Head” represents thinking about what you want to accomplish. “Heart” symbolizes the passion needed to bring ideas into reality. And “hands” emphasizes the need to act upon your idea to accomplish it.

Many students in the Air Force JROTC program consider enlisting and serving one of the branches of the military after graduating from high school. If they need inspiration or guidance, they have to look no further than their own Akins teachers

these men have changed lives but they’re not the only ones. On Wednesday, the country celebrated Veteran’s Day and each of them shared their thoughts on what the holiday represents to them.

“I think America needs to remember, frequently, the contributions of all of our young men and women who are serving this nation no matter what uniform they are wearing,” Oliverio said.

This is the day we show our gratitude and honor those who have also changed many lives and have made the ultimate

Staff Writer

have served in the military.

Some, like English teacher Alan Brooks went through the ROTC program for all four years of high school. Others, like assistant principal Robert Deckard, waited until after high school to learn about the military career option.

Deckard said he was persuaded by a gentleman he used to work for.

“He was telling me I could do military as a way to go into Secret Service or FBI or CIA,” he said.

Like Brooks, Colonel Oliverio went through the ROTC program in college in-

“We pay respect to the people that gave Maheen Anjum

Interacting with students

Alan Brooks, a Marine veteran, now teaches English at Akins after working in logistics. He says military service has helped him be a better teacher.

stead of high school.

“I didn’t go to a boot camp. I went through the ROTC program in college and During their time in the military evDeckard was an infantryman, whereas Oliverio was primarily associated with

Drawings and design by Jesse farquhar-greth

the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program. Brooks served as a logistics vehicle system operator.

This experience in the military would education. discipline, organizing myself, and making sure that I take care of tasks that absolute-

and age,” Deckard said.

Akins graduates who choose to pursue a career in the military will follow in the footsteps of these veterans who now consider themselves educators. Olivero said torch of military service to the next generation.

“I did my best to do my part during my career in the military and the young people soon I’m gonna say ‘OK over to you, you better take good care of this country.’Oliverio said.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Eagle’s Eye

Life & Style

page 7

SINGING

NEW TEAM

Students form A Capella team based on interest Namiah Wright Staff Writer

A fascination with singing, dancing of Akins students has led to the creation of unaccompanied vocal music, which has recently become embellished with modern twists including choreographed dances Senior captain Maheen Anjum pursued the idea of creating the group since August working with administrators and teachers to sanction and sponsor the creation of the group. She held auditions in late September and early November and originally started with 9 singers, although recently after holding blind auditions with choir teacher, Christine Ballard, the a capella team has “I want to leave a legacy behind to be remembered by at Akins so I decided to start the a capella team and allow talented, gifted students to create something new,” Anjum said.

Senior Patten Whiting thought joining a capella would be a great choice for him because he liked singing and was encouraged by his father to join.

GEEK FORCE

“I loved the idea of an a capella team so I auditioned and it turned out way better Gabriela Madrigal soprano in a capella joined a capella because she wanted to be with people whom had the same passion as her. Madrigal also has been singing for 8 years now. When Gabriela heard that Ballard wanted to see a capella team “I was nervous to perform in front of more.

“A capella has been great and better than I thought so far,” Ballard said.

Although, creating the group was not as straightforward as she thought it would be, Anjum said. the group would not interfere or compete “Yes I was really concerned my choir kids would drop out, but a capella and I agreed to no more switching schedules Ballard said she is very proud of them and their performance at Blue and Gold Night. She said she is wanting to continue “I want to continue a capella so they

A New Beginning could enter the contest held in Ohio.”

Ballard asked the initial core members of the group to perform for her so she could see how serious and committed they were to the a capella group.

“Maheen was with the group and they performed great,” she said. A capella will

Ricardo Villegas

have another performance at the winter concert held in the Akins Theatre Dec. 7.

Christmas songs at the choir concert hoping for a big crowd .

FAN GIRL

Star Wars fans excited about release of new merchandise Chelsea Cuevas Staff Writer

Toys, t-shirts, and assorted merchandise of all types — even engagement rings — that pay homage to the upcomsurrounding customers like all present

Abrams released the trailer for the seventh

they have been scavenging stores and the Internet for anything that is Star Wars related.

According to marketing researchers, Star Wars related merchandise sales are lion dollars this year. than many others is that companies are making an effort to market products spegroups that are often ignored by the adven-

BUILDING

Kohls has made a big effort marketing Star Wars products to girls and women and CoverGirl has created a line of Star Wars themed makeup. helping bridge a generation gap between sa Delgado said she is thrilled to see the something she has loved since her childhood.

Jordan Shearer said. “Probably I bought two or three shirts already and thinking of buying new lightsabers like from the new villains who has the crossguard lightsaber thing.”

Luke Skywalker is portrayed in the new “I’m really interesting in seeing if Luke will be in a major part of it and he seems probably powerful and so I’m wonder if they’re going to betray Luke and he worried about the dark side, obvious training a new apprentice.”

Delgado said she is an avid collector of

Ricardo Villegas

various “fandoms” for franchises such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

“I like being surrounded by things that

make me happy and so when I see this stuff it automatically makes me smile,” she said.

NEW CHALLENGES

CANstruction utilizes 3D modeling to design a strucuture Lala Villegas Staff Writer

CANstruction Exhibit When: Saturday, Nov. 14 – 22 Time: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Location: Barton Creek Square Mall Canstruction Build Time: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Canny Awards: When: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

When faced with an accounting problem, teacher Kena Pierce turned to what she knows best to solve it — engineering.

Pierce, and all other club sponsors, were told at a meeting this August that they would no longer be able to be reimbursed for purchases they made without they intended to order beforehand.

“Even with the new rules from the bookkeeper, we were going to use the 3D modeling anyways,” Pierce said.

Just like the construction of a building or any other type of architecture, a three-dimensional model is a helpful tool ed to build a structure. The same is true for the sculpture of canned goods that the Akins CANstruction group planned to make in the annual competition held at Barton Creek Mall in November.

“It makes it easier as long as you know how to use the software,” Pierce said.

“We’ve been using Sketchup this year.”

Pierce couldn’t do it without her students, who help and are the ones who are designing the 3-D model. Senior Crystal Mendieta, CANstruction secretary, believes that using the modeling this year

“3-D modeling does affect us in a posaccurate way for us to depict our vision,” representation of what we will be trying to achieve and it serves as a dependable “blueprint” for our structure.”

Senior Julia Jackola, said when the de-

took us a little while to get the hang of it, but once you got the hang of it, it ended up

CANstruction used to only do the 2-D model, but not that they’re doing the 3-D model the building process will be a lot easier for them.

“The 3-D modeling helps immensely, when it comes to build day it’s going to make it so much easier for us versus having a 2-D model and having to think about how it’s going to look when you build it,” Jackola said.

This is the third year that Akins has participated in the Austin CANstruction

competition, which will be held at Barton Creek Square Mall on Nov. 14. Akins is one of the only high schools that participates in the event. Most of other teams are sponsored by area colleges.

In the past, Akins has designed the MockingJay movie logo and Keep Austin Fed T-shirt logo. This year, the team is planning on making a giant Turkey.

When the competition is over with, the canned goods will be donated to the Capitol Area Food Bank.

Members said they like that the project is fun and helps those in need in their community.

Entertainment

page 8

THEATRE

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – November 12, 2015

EVENTS

Theatre stages The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Student actors adjust to new style of new director in fun seasonal comedic play Ashley Sanchez

Performance

Staff Writer

New theatre director Burgandy Trimmer is staging a play about defying expectations as she sets her own expectations for the Akins Journey Theatre program.

Trimmer, who previously worked as a theatre teacher in North Carolina before starting at Akins this summer, intentionally selected The Best Christmas at Akins because she knew it would be good material for her to get to know her cast and crew.

“It’s fun. There are serious moments but also funny parts and I think the audience will really enjoy it and can escape from real life and come have some fun,” Trimmer said.

The play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a story about a mom who is played by sophomore Estrella Martinez who takes over the director’s job and tries to put on the “best Christmas pageant ever” and is forced to cast the notoriously bad behaved children called the Herdmans.

Trimmer said she hopes to learn more about the actors’ strengths and performance styles

Dates Thurs. Dec. 3 7 p.m.

Sat. Dec. 4 7 p.m.

Sun. Dec 5 2 p.m.

7 p.m.

Elianna Gutierrez

Rehearsing the Part

Freshman Sierra Gomez, sophomore Estrella Martinez and senior Celina Tijerina rehearse scenes from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which will hit the stage in December.

based on how they perform in this comic nature of the script allows for a fun experience for the cast to get to know their new director after long time director Maureen Siegel departed from the theatre department this year.

Martinez said the play took a while to get off the ground, but

• Summary: A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal.

Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organization known as Spectre. As Bond ventures towards the heart of Spectre, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.

• Director: Sam Mendes (IMDb) • Runtime: 2 hr 28 min • Rating: PG-13 • Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller.

• Release Date: November 6th, 2015 • Fun Facts: This film will be Daniel Craig’s fourth appearance as James Bond. With an estimated $300-$350 million dollars budget, this will be the most expensive James Bond movie ever made. This is the thirteenth film in the official James Bond franchise to feature an Aston Martin vehicle. (IMDb)

Courtesy of Eon Productions

she sees a lot of progress being made now.

“I think now that in all future rehearsals we’ll all buckle down and make this a fantastic show,” Martinez said.

Senior Tyra Williams, who plays one of the delinquents, said she feels that Trimmer will do a great job directing the play and is

excited to for it to hit the stage.

“I’m really excited for this show to go up,” Williams said.

“Trimmer is working really hard and always wants the best for us.”

The students will perform “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in December and after the performance Trimmer will have a

• Summary: The Ghost Dimension, follows a new family, The Fleeges - father Ryan, mother Emily and their young daughter Leila - Who move into a house and discover a video camera and a box of tapes in the garage. When they look through the camera’s lens, they begin to see the paranormal activity happening around them - including the re-emergence of young Kristi and Katie.

• Director: Gregory Plotkin (IMDb) • Runtime: 1 hr 28 min • Rating: R • Genre: Horror • Release Date: October 23, 2015 • Fun Facts: The film was shot in 45 days. This film was originally going to have a 2013 release, but was postponed to October 24, 2014, a year later. Then it was pushed to 2016 and then again to March 13th, 2015, and then finally postponed till October 23 2015. (IMDb)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

better idea with who she’s working with.

“It’s been very interesting working here, and I’m glad that I can continue to do what I love to do, which is teaching theatre and directing shows and I hope that the kids will fall in love with theatre, all over again,” Trimmer said.

• Summary: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved “Peanuts” gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation.

Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day.

• Director: Steve Martino (IMDb) • Runtime: 1 hr 32 min • Rating: G • Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy • Release Date: November 6th, 2015 • Fun Facts: First theatrical Peanuts movie in 35 years. Its release date is 50 years after “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the first Peanuts film. As well as being released 65 years after the first Peanuts comic strip.(IMDb)

Courtesy of Blue Sky Studios

Thursday, November 12, 2015

ART

The Eagle’s Eye

Entertainment

page 9

EXPRESSION

Class becomes a place to show ones creative side

Student creates a session to bring appreciation and acceptance among others Mathew Rocha Staff Writer

Senior Briana Trevino is not unaccustomed to singing in front of a large crowd, but that wasn’t always the case.

“I love performing it’s my passion, I do get really nervous my hands start sweating, heart start beating in my chest and sometimes I tell myself I can’t do it but I say ‘no.’

I worked to hard. I earn it.

Let me at least try to see what I can do,” Trevino said.

Trevino recently performed a song she wrote during the “Wisdom of Art” session that is held Tuesday through Thursday during Georgiana Morell’s Flexible Instructional Time period. The song called “Stand Up and Try” is about never giving up on your dreams even if

MOVIE

place you’ll just get back up and try again.

She said she wrote the song because it was a personal experience, afraid to do things that will upset someone and feel like that one time they do it they’ll regret it. “Try to do it before you say you can’t do it,” she said.

Trevino is just one of many students who have found a welcoming and supportive group of people to share her creativity and imagination with.

“Don’t let fear in your ,head or your heart, be the reason why you don’t do something. Always try to do it before you say you can’t,” said Trevino.

Senior Isiah Harris said the Wisdom of Art sessions are a cross between an open mic session and a safe haven for Akins students who are interested in sharing their feelings.

Harris, who helps run the

sessions, invites poets, musicians, rappers and artists of all types to perform or just listen to other students.

“We took a pledge for our fellow artists saying: I’ll try my hardest to reach my goal, dreams without goals remain dreams, we support everyone in this room, we will spread love and unity throughout this campus,” Harris said.

Harris has made activities to help them get out of their shells and be open, and be honest knowing that no one will judge them or make fun of them for what they have to say. The activities that he has in mind include reciting poems or singing and rapping a song in front of the entire class room so they can freely express their feelings.

Senior Jose Enamorado said he was scared front of the class but at the end he felt that it went well

Cassi Obi

Talents Shown

Senior Ruben Castro plays the guitar around students that participate in Senior Issiah Harris’ “Wisdom of Art” FIT session. Students can get an opportunity to share and express themselves in a way where they are comfortable in room 232. and it was not a disaster.

“I honestly have bad stage fright, but before I perform I relax and tell myself that everything is going to be The

activities

that

Harris has made for the class, has brought all of the students closer together as friends,and as a family and they will all be there for each other when times are rough, impossible and hard

to forget.

“Here in the Wisdom of Art Class we are a family, we have dreams that are goals, and without goals it remains just a dream forever,” Harris said.

PREVIEW

Hunger Games comes to an end with final movie

Mockingjay part two brings excitement with the closing installment of the series Elianna Gutierrez Staff Writer

The stakes could not be higher for the The Hunger Games.

Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has been “hijacked,” Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is in distress, and fans left the theatre unhappy about the lack of action in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,Part 1 certainly an emotional roller coaster and storyline starter, fans expect Mockingjay, Part 2 to deliver an abundance of action.

This will be the last chance for The Hunger Games to make its mark in the world of blockbuster adventure series franchises. ed that they believe the latest installment will satisfy fans and silence the critics.

In an interview with “IndieWire” director Francis Lawrence said, “it’s probably the most emotional of the bunch, and I think it’s the most satisfying of the bunch.”

Statements like this are building up hopes among the fans at what is to come leased nationwide.

(The Hunger Games) was great, the second one (Catching Fire) was OK, and the third

TELEVISION

one (Mockingjay-Part 1 sophomore Lilliana Hernandez said.

Hernandez also said she hopes to see many aspects from the book version in the movies because she believes the books do a better job of developing the characters than movies do.

While those who have already read the books know what is going to happen, the amount who only follow the movies are in climatic shock.

Movies based on books have shown making past. Changes of the books in movies have either delighted or concerned fans of the series.

Suzanne Collins, the writer of the Hunger Games trilogy, is known to have a varied writing style. She has written literary pieces from children’s shows to gorey young adult novels. This series has books that continuously bring the audience to become induced into a reading trance.

When it comes to her characters, the author had a lot to say. In an interview with TIME entertainment Collins stated, “They (the victors) haven’t only gone through the horrors of the Hunger Games, they came out on the other side of it, which was supposed to be a life of luxury and pleasure for the rest of your life, and found out it

REVIEW

Students get addicted to season 2 of Empire Catlin Nickles Staff Writer

With a murder, rivalry between brothers and a couple of head-strong, sassy women, it’s understandable why people are addicted to Empire.

Empire premiered to over 9.8 million viewer and has grown to more than 22.5 million viewers, and the series enjoys strong ratings from critics and fans alike.

The show started out with the CEO of Empire Entertainment, Lucious Lyon, finding out he is very sick. Luscious immediately goes into action and starts looking for an heir. This begins a competition between Luscious’ sons: Jamal, Andre, and Hakeem.

While Luscious tries to find the next CEO of Empire and the rivalry between the brothers increase, Lucious’ ex-wife, Cookie, is released from prison after serving a 17-year sentence for drug dealing. Cookie is determined to bring her family back together and reclaim her share of Empire. The series centers on the soap-opera like situations

Courtesy of Lionsgate picture

was anything but.”

that challenge the family’s strength.

In the finale of season 1, Lucious ends up behind bars for the murder of Cookie’s cousin “Bunkie.” Viewers were left with a cliffhanger wondering how the writers were going to continue with this situation.

At the start of season 2, we see Lucious in prison and the start of his murder trial. Lucious is released from prison with the help of his lawyer.

Meanwhile, Cookie is plotting to take over Empire and overthrow Lucious.

Cookie soon gets betrayed and starts a new record label called Lyon Dynasty with Hakeem, Anika, head of Empire Entertainment A&R, and Andre.

Many people have been wondering when the plot twists will stop, but the writers have done a good job keeping the intertwining stories moving forward without becoming too confusing.

As viewership grows I recommend people to watch it at least for the outrageous behavior, unexpected plot twists and big name musical performances.

Who knows where this series will end, but it sure will be an entertaining ride.

while teasing fans with strong words from lead character Katniss. Peeta and Katniss discuss the revolution to the people of Panem (the post-apocalyptic nation of the series) against The Capitol. The trailer ends with a sequence of events that are the focal point of the trilogy’s end.

What has made the Hunger Games series different and potentially a classic

of the entire cast. The cast has come together on and off set which love.

Fans such as Hernandez look forward took place in the books. While maintaining Katniss’ strong personality.

As the series comes to an end, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 has fans waiting to enter the theatre with high expectations.

sports

page 10

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday - November 12, 2015

PREPARATION

BALL TIME

Cassie Obi

Scrimmage for Success

Sophomore Denae Lofton dribbles down the court after stealing the ball

Cassie Obi

Sophomore Larry Durden with the ball tests the skill of his fellow themselves as well before there kick-off scrimmage as they practices against each other.

Akins basketball back in action with pre-season Girls basketball kicks off the Jose Salazar

Entertainment Editor stomachs of the Lady Eagles Varsity Basketball team. tin said the beginning of the basketball season produces the same sensation as a major holiday or birthday.

“It’s very exciting to work with the new team. It’s like Christmas for a basketball coach,” Martin said. “It’s a new season and there are new kids, and it’s a new team, and I’m hoping for the best.”

10 when the Eagles Varsity Girls basketball team went up against the St. Michael’s crusaders. Martin said she has full faith in each and everyone of her teams and expects them to make playoffs this year.

“I feel like we will surprise a lot of people this year. We are a very young team and the girls are very coachable,” Martin said.

This year the girls don’t have a spe-

SCHOLARSHIPS

more like a team of equals, Martin said. based on their skill level, and their athletic ability, attitude and knowledge of how the game works,” Martin said.

Basketball coach, DeCreasha Goodner, said the team is currently in a process of rebuilding, since seven members of the varsity squad graduated last year.

“I feel like we can compete with any team in the district,” Goodner said.

“With the step up of leadership from couple players from the team I think we will be successful.”

Goodner said she feels the girls basketball team is working toward common goals: to do great and earn a spot in playoffs.

“Practice is easy because we know the people that we go against during practice and that the actual game is harder than practice,” Goodner said.

Senior Brooklyn Childers is one of the team members and feels that she’s ready to play.

“I think we’ll do good this season because we work together as a team.”

Childers said.

Teamwork takes center court under head coach Jesse Hayes Larry Durden Staff Writer

not somebody who tolerates a show off.

Of course, Hayes wants his team to win games and make it to the playoffs.

However, he also wants his players to understand that basketball is a team sport and how important it is to use teamwork to win games.

In his second year as the top Boys Varsity Basketball coach, Hayes has grown into his role. Players say his style of coaching is characterized with an emphasis on helping young players mature into young men.

“I feel I made him proud because he has coached a group of kids who came to the basketball program as little boys and he turned them into young men,” Small This year, boys Basketball is getting prepared for this new and upcoming season. In September, the team was disappointed to learn that one of its standout players was going to move to Houston to attend school.

Coach Hayes held a team meeting to discuss Cameron Ivey’s departure and to tell them that the loss of one player would not change the fact that they are a good team.

“Look guys, Cameron left, does that affect our season at all? No, not at all, we have always been a good team,” Hayes said during team meeting.

The players also have high expectations for the team and their performances when the season starts on Nov. 16 against Copperas Cove.

Prado holds high standards for the team and believes that they will have a great season..

“We are smaller than most teams, but we’re a good team and all we need to do is play hard ” Prado said.

Ivey’s departure opened up new opportunities for some other players giving them a chance to prove themselves.

“I’m thankful that Coach Hayes had enough faith to let me run with the Varsity guys, and I’m going to prove that I belong here,” Stewart said. “This is a new year, not just for me but for everyone on this team. And I expect us to play every game like it’s our last.”

INDIVIDUAL GOALS

Cross country runners finish season feeling accomplished Sadie Adams Staff Writer

Cross country is not just a race against other competitors: it’s a race against yourself.

After four years of cross country racing, three seniors are proud of what they have accomplished on a competitive and personal level. Now seniors Beatris Aguirre, Sadie Adams, Erika Martinez and Caleb Calderon are preparing to say their goodbyes and pass the torch to up and coming runners.

Senior Caleb Calderon won a scholarship to St. Andrews University in North Carolina for track and cross country that covers about 80 percent of his college expenses. Calderon signed a letter of intent to attend this college when he visited the campus in the beginning of October.

“Running is something I’m very passionate about,” Calderon said. “I got an opportunity to continue doing what I love at a higher level and an education on top of that.”

Senior Ericka Martinez has also received recognition from many colleges that reviewed her race times. Martinez runs long distance track and cross country with her best 3-mile race time being 21:10:20.

“I love my team and how much we’ve grown all together,” Aguirre said. “Our sport isn’t easy and we all work so hard together and that’s what brings us so close, it’s going to be very hard leaving these girls.”

Underclassmen runners also made impressive gains this year, including sophomore Cassius Serf-Roberts. He attained a

time of 17:30 for a 3 mile run.

“Running is my biggest passion behind basketball, and I can’t wait for the improvement and growth that’s going to happen in the future,” Serf-Roberts said.

Serf Roberts also earned strong times this year with his 1 mile in 4:50.

Coach Rodriguez said he is proud of the accomplishments that the cross country runners made and is excited to see how the team will develop during the next season.

“I love my team and all the hard work they bring out to the track to shed seconds or even minutes off their fastest times,” Rodriguez said. “They are a very dedicated group of runners. They did great in cross country and I’m excited to see the improvement they are going to make this coming season for track.”

While cross country is one of the smallest athletic teams here at Akins the team doesn’t let it stop them from trying their hardest and staying dedicated to what they love doing the most. The runners are up at 5 a.m. and on the road to their meets at 6:30 am. They travel a couple of hours away just to compete at these races.

There is always room for improvement and they strive to make that improvement happen. Not only does cross country ben-

Mayleth Aguliar-Negron

Going the Distance

Junior Marc Solis runs in the District Cross Country meet at Decker Lake.

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Eagles Eye

Sports

page 11

FUTURE FOCUS

STRENGTH

Wrestling anticipates another successful season With new season, wrestlers hope to keep up streak of district wins Amanda Livingston Editor in Chief

With four district championships under their belt, the Akins wrestling teams are gearing up for another season. matches start in November, the wrestling team began preparing this summer two times a week to get back into the groove of being on the mat.

As a team, the players strengthen their core muscles and lower body.

“Years ago I started fo-

SEASON END

cusing on core exercises,” wrestling coach Roy Tambunga said, “because it’s pretty much the key to everything.”

In addition to core strength, the team does a lot of exercises involving jumping and sudden movements.

“We do weights, but we don’t focus too much on weight lifting,” Tambunga said. “ We wrestle to get better for wrestling.”

Senior Ethan Morales said one way he individually for prepares for the season is staying hydrated and

get in the zone. As for individual matches, he turns to music to get ready.

The team is currently comprised of 14 girls and 15 boys, Tambunga said.

He is expecting the team

Can we take it this year?...

— Roy Tambunga “For matches I like to listen to music and mentally prepare myself,” Morales said.

to grow by 10 more once football and volleyball comes to a close.

One challenge the team

will face this year is that it is primarily made up of younger team members.

However, several wrestlers said they see it less as an obstacle, and more of an opportunity to grow.

“I feel that being one of the few seniors, it makes it easier for the younger wrestlers to follow our lead,” senior Paul Jarrell said.

The team has high hopes for the upcoming season,

at McCallum.

“I hope I can become

on Nov. 13 against McCallum. The Eagles will be

out,” Tambunga said.

the past,” Morales said. “I also hope to help the lower classmen improve their skills and have something to enjoy.”

Despite the young group, Tambunga said he believes they have a good shot.

“Can we take it this year? Can we do (district

REFLECTION

Varsity team looks back on season as learning experience katrina Stewart Staff Writer

Winning.

It’s what keeps every sports team going, but ultimately cannot be the only motivating force to keep a team moving forward when the wins don’t come.

The Akins Varsity Football team started off strong, September. Soon after, the wins began to dissipate and the team relied on school spirit to encourage them while facing the perennial district schedule as well as state champion teams.

“The Positivity that comes from the other students motivates the players to win another game, not just for them but for the students” football Head Coach Humberto Garza said.

2013, and, has ever since, tried to prove that it wasn’t year, the team enjoyed its share of highlights, including it defeated the Lehman Lobos 31-10.

“The win was fantastic,” Garza said, “When I saw all the school spirit going on in the stands, I told the boys, ‘those people are here to see you and they believe in you.’ They played with that emotion and that helped them win.”

The team carried that win over the Anderson Trojans, have won four games in a single season.

Despite the four losses in October including going up against powerhouse teams like the Lake Travis Cavaliers their chances.

“My teammates, coaches and all the people that came out to support us, kept us positive about our chances against these other teams,” senior wide receiver Jermaine Thomas said.

Varsity Running back, Kenan Lockhart states next year, they plan to bring a similarly strong mindset and to just work harder as a whole.

“We just want to bring the same mentality from this current season, but to work harder and stay mentally fo-

PLAYERS

Therion Nalls

Ready for the Snap

The football team’s season comes to an end as they post-up against the Westlake Chaparrals. Though this game resulted in loss, the team never failed to continue to give it their all.

cused so we can put more of an impact then we did this year,” Lockhart said.

Garza will miss his senior players, but hope they continue to do what they love.

“I was really proud of my seniors this year, i think this has been the best senior class that we had come through here, not just their talent but also their leadership, and i hope they continue to pursue what they love to do” Garza said.

Some players even plan to carry out their current football careers into college, although they claim they will miss the team.

“It saddens me that this is my last year as an Eagle,” Thomas said. “But I’ve learned a lot from my teammates and coaches which I will take with me to whatever college and team I play with next.”

Before the Travis game, the team’s overall record was 4-4 and the district record was 2-4.

Despite the downfalls this season many of the senior players said they have high hopes for the next team.

“Never hold your head down, never limit yourself, because time will expire before you know it,” Thomas said.

EMOTIONAL DRIVE

Coaches implement restorative circles to built team unity Sharing personal information helps build trust needed for success Luis Canales Staff Writer

The only thing that keeps a series of tening the quarterback is trust.

Trust that the offensive linemen will protect you. Trust that the left and right guards are looking out for the pass rush.

Trust that the center will give you a good snap with enough time to make a play.

Sometimes the grind of drills, practice and games gets in the way of that trust.

Each player has their job and there is immense pressure to perform to the highest level. It’s easy to lose your cool and cuss out your fellow teammates when the plays don’t go the way they want.

Varsity player Jaxon Skrentny said that bound to happen between members. The team fails when the players forget to trust each other and be there for each other, he said.

When the pressure gets to the players going and to help your teammates,” he said.

It’s upsetting to see fellow players said.

“When we go through all the blood,

sweat, and tears I consider us brothers and Joseph Saxe, the offensive coordinator for the Eagles Football Team, recognized that sometimes players have not had a chance to build enough trust with their teammates so that things don’t boil over Saxe has been instrumental in establishing restorative circles within the football team at several points during the season. The circles allow for players to share personal things in their lives and the challenges they don’t always share with fellow students normally.

“I think it’s helped our guys get a lot closer especially at pivotal points in the season where maybe we lost a few games, and the team can go in two different directions,” Saxe said. “It can spiral down hill or we can take some of the things the we learned from our losses to form a tighter bond to put us in the right direction.”

The circles have included topics like how players sometimes let their teammates down, favorite football memories, and how you let someone important in your life down.

Sophomore Lafayette Turner said one of the topics that was meaningful to him was about forgiveness. He noticed that the players really let their emotions out and the other players seemed to understand.

Connect with the players

Cassie Obi

Coach Thomas Frierson directs players during after school practice.

“When we talk about forgiveness it get’s depressing because it hurts to say these things,” Turner said. “It helps unite the team.”

Turner admitted to letting his team down by pouting on the sidelines instead of keeping his head in the game.

Some players were quiet skeptical of the idea of doing a restorative circle and sharing their feelings. However, Isaiah

Davilla was impressed with how much the team got out of the process.

“It helps the team get close when we tell each other about ourselves,” he said.

Saxe is hopeful that the circles will improve team morale and create positive feeling among the players.

“They’ve helped a lot of our players and even formed a voice some players that might not actually share,” Saxe said.

PHOTO ESSAY

page 12

The Eagle’s Eye

Thursday – November 12,2015

Akins kicks off the fall with Blue and Gold festival Ricardo Villegas Photo Editor

This year’s Blue and Gold Night was one to remember. With good food, good fun, and good friends there was something for everyone. People from all around came to support Akins and join in on the festivities. talented groups and clubs, including the Akins Eagle Band, Diamond Dazzlers, Sparkling Sapphires, the new A Capella Team and the Perez Elementary cheer team.

All around the courtyard were sights of students having fun, kids getting their faces painted, students playing games, and families having a good time.

“Seeing everyone having fun and get excited about everything was my favorite part,” senior Jacklynn Maldonado said.

At the end of the night, votes were tallied up for the Kiss the Pig contest, revealing a tie between Principal Brandi Hosack and Assistant Principal Shawn Menna. They annonced an opportunity for a tie breaker in which students could give their ticketsto vote for one of them. Many people swarmed to donate tickets to chose Menna as the winner.

“I had so much fun. This year’s Blue and Gold Night beat all others,” senior Sara Garcia said.

A Pie Filled Face

Amanda Livingston

Akins teacher Catherine Ballard receives a pie to the face at the pie throwing booth run and organized by the Akins Choir.

Fun and Games

Ricardo Villegas

Senior Sara Garcia carefully pulls out a block of wood from their giant Jenga at the CSI internship’s life size game booth.

A Frightning Display

D’Shalon Williams

Akins Hip Hop team puts on a scary show by performing to Halloween themed songs and wearing their terrifying costumes while entertaining the crowd.

A Kicking Performance A Cautious Trek

Ricardo Villegas

Ricardo Villegas

Diamond Dazzlers perform one of their kicking routines during a performances in the court yard during our Blue and Gold Night festival.

Senior Mohammed Abduljabbar, carefully walks across a path balancing an egg on a spoon with in mouth, at the Spanish club’s egg race booth.

Young Talent

D’Shalon Williams

The Perez Elementary Cheerleading team puts on a spectacular performance for us to enjoy along with the otherfestivities.

Artistic Expression

Ricardo Villegas

Freshman Emily Gladish carefully paints the face of a little girl at the Art department’s face painting booth run by Verna Gumbs with help from her students.