The Eagle's Eye; Issue 2; Volume 23; Akins Early College High School

About Us

Editors School Events

Mark Lomas Co-Editor In Chief Diego Hernandez Co-Editor In Chief

Ashley Caceres News editor

Samantha Limon Entertainment editor

Adamaris Olivares Sports editor

kairi Natal photo editor

Rudy Morales Opinions Editor

Marcelo palacios entertainment editor

ely rodriguez Graphics editor

m pelt copy editor

Staff Writers

devan flores

sarah flores

aaliyah koehn-james

dean knowlton

nadim lama

river lehnhardt

alex lindao

morgan messer

aubrey montaya

janelle ponti

jason ponti

fabi rodriguez

yanitzel salazar

ariadna vazquez

brandon wicken

jonathan wilson

NOV DEC

Choir Winter Concert 7-8:30 in Theater 04 05 Band Winter Concert 7-8:30 in Theater

20-24 Thanksgiving Break, No school 5-12 STAAR EOC Retakes for Students

Honors

Staff Artists

Cruz Burrows sophia davidson

Adrian Orduna Maxwell pearson

e Eagle’s Eye is the o cial student newspaper of Akins High School. It is published six times a year, generally once per six weeks for the school’s students, sta and community.

e Eagle’s Eye is an open forum for student expression e Eagle’s Eye is not reviewed by school administration prior to distribution, and the adviser will not act as a censor. Content represents the views of the student sta and not school o cials.

e 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 re ect our genuine objective of reporting news and will be held to a high standard of quality.

We will make every e ort 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.

Sta 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 re ect the views of the Eagle’s Eye sta or administration as a whole.

e 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 ir drop them o in room 223 with advisor David Doerr or an editor. Letters must be signed, and emailed letters will require veri cation before publication. We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. The

Biomedical class works with CRISPR X

ASHLEY CACERES-SANCHEZ NEWS EDITOR

FABY RODRIGUEZ StAFF WRITER

About 30,000 people live with cystic brosis in the United States, a disease with no cure that o en results in a life expectancy of around 40 years.

Cystic brosis is a genetic condition that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body, caused by thick mucus. It o en leads to frequent infections and loss of organ functions. While there is still no cure for cystic brosis, students in the Akins Biomedical Science program are using state-of-the-art technology called CRISPR to study potential cures for this condition.

Dr. Laura Govea, the CTE biomedical teacher, said using CRISPR exposes her students to the latest technology in biotechnology and genetic engineering.

“It will give them not just the concept but also the lab skills in order to understand the latest technology in the world, how to solve problems in health science,” she said.

CRISPR, which has only been known as a proven gene editing method since 2013, is the rst technology that has provided scientists with a “cut-and-paste” tool that will allow modi cations to be made, including removing, introducing, activating, and silencing genes. . Scientists are now exploring ways that CRISPR Cas-9 could be used to ght climate change, build stronger immunity for cattle against viruses and bacteria, and treat or change hereditary disorders and illnesses.

Juniors and seniors in the Akins Biomedical Science program are currently using CRISPR in a classroom project, giving them a unique opportunity to use this cutting-edge technology to edit a target DNA sequence.

On a molecular level, one wrong base in the gene sequence can trigger severe consequences in the human body. e gene that codes for a healthy CFTR gene allows the passage of sodium and water in and out of the cells, but in a cystic brosis gene, the proteins obstruct this passage.

Cystic brosis a ects chromosome 7. is chromosome contains about 1,000 genes used to give instructions on how to make proteins for the body needed to function properly. CRISPR is also used in other elds of biotechnology, including agriculture to modify crops and livestock. Juniors will be working on CRISPR in corn to improve crop production. At the same time, seniors will work on CRISPR to see how it can a ect cystic brosis in E. Coli.

Govea said that her students can use this technology because of kits provided to them by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which seeks to support communities by providing health innovations and educational resources.

“CRISPR is one of the latest genetic engineering techniques used as part of gene therapy,” Govea said. “It’s a very promising technique because it o ers easy manipulations of the DNA.”

Before biomedical students could use the CRISPR kits, they had to learn the basic science behind this process. Some of the challenges the project has faced have been the complex lab techniques CRISPR uses. e students and teacher had to undertake a lot of research to understand the steps the project requires.

Seniors Ava Ritchie and Madison Flores said being involved in the CRISPR project has been challenging and exciting to use this advanced technology while still in high school.

“We are doing a lot more complicated stu ,” Flores said. Ritchie, who wants to study electrical engineering a er high school, said the project has been interesting.

“I’ve always been really interested by new medical advancements,” Ritchie said.

The singular base that causes a life threatning mutaiton to the human body is determined by the guide RNA 1 that directs the Cas-9 to its target.

Once the Cas-9 is directed to the disturbed base it begins its “cut” process where it takes out the mutated base DNA template.

The edited base is then guided back by the guide RNA 2 and binded together with the Cas-9.

Biomed students using micropipettes to prepare the necessary materials for their CRISPR Cas-9 lab projects. Ashley Caceres-Sanchez

New internet lter causes frustrations

diego hernandez Co-EDITOR-in-cheif

A new Internet lter went into e ect in September on the Austin Independent School District network, causing disruptions to lessons and access to online resources students and teachers .

e new lter suddenly blocked more websites, images, and videos than what was previously blocked by the old lter. Students and teachers were le bewildered and scrambling to gure out what happened and how to deal with the changes.

e new lter, known as Lightspeed Systems, restricts far more websites than Cisco Umbrella, the previous system the district used. Some students speculate this could be caused by the way the new lter works compared to the last one, using an “allow system,” which permits students to only access certain websites, instead of the pre vious “blocking system,” which only blocks certain “inappropriate” websites.

“It’s important for students to only be using computers for school-related activity, but having an allow list system is pretty overkill for a school,” said senior Renzo Montgomery, who has worked as an intern with AISD Security Systems. “ is is negatively impacting more than helping, compared to previous rewalls. So far, it’s just making it harder to get the information we need online, especially for publication classes.”

According to responses to an online

survey conducted by e Eagle’s Eye, 88.6% of Akins students said the new lter has impeded their learning.

“Half of our assignments need us to research and half the websites that are reliable are blocked,” junior Andrea Riojas said in a survey response. “I understand the reason for it but the amount of websites that are blocked is a bit extreme. Especially if it’s to the point where I have to pull out my phone to do simple research, especially with the pictures. e upgrade of blocking literally almost all pictures makes no sense when inappropriate pictures were already blocked. What more is there to block?”

e lter hasn’t just been impeding stu-

dents’ ability to learn, but teachers’ ability to teach as well. Speci cally, teachers in publication classes, where access to websites online is critical for their lessons.

“ ere’s a lot of lessons that we’ve put together over the years that utilize sites like YouTube and other video streaming sites that we have used in instruction for our classes,” yearbook teacher Sean Claes said. “And the lter is not allowing students to use those add-ons to the lesson. A lot of students learn visually, some learn by listening to the teacher. Some learn by watching videos, and that’s taking that whole aspect out of things.”

Teachers and instructors are allowed to submit help tickets directly to AISD technology sta to unblock certain websites from the lter to use during their lessons. However, some teachers have expressed their thoughts towards this process, believing that it’s complicated and

“I appreciate that they did communicate, in some ways, a process on how to change it,” newspaper teacher David Doerr said. “But it became very tedious and it required me to

go to individual websites or in some cases, individual videos that were hosted on Vimeo or YouTube and then send those links to the district to have those speci c videos unblocked.”

Austin ISD’s Technology Operations team, replied to questions about the new lter sent by e Eagle’s Eye, stating that the lter is put in place to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, also known as CIPA, which was enacted in 2000 to protect studetns from inappropriate or harmful websites.

“( e lter) allows us the ability to support a more secure online experience for our students,” they wrote in the email. “While we understand students and sta may not like having any resource blocked, it is essential that we have guardrails in place to ensure our policy is followed and we follow Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requirements.”

Despite the district’s good intentions to create a safe learning environment, teachers said the new internet lter is creating regular academic disturbances. Students also said they believe they are su ering more than bene ting from the new lter.

“I really think that this lter hurts the learning process in students that are in the realm that we’re in,” Claes said. “I’m teaching yearbook and graphic design. One of the biggest aspects of what we teach is how to have the knowledge to get a job in the world today once you graduate and the world today is set in social media.”

Diego Hernandez

Openverse, used by Akins publications students to find open licensed pictures is blocked by filters, as well as many other useful websites.

District internet lter goes too far

Legitimate educational resources, images often blocked for students

Since late September, students and sta have struggled to access necessary websites, images, and videos because of the implementation of a new district internet lter called Lightspeed. As early as before this school year started there have been websites being blocked by the district. Starting the school year we students couldn’t view websites or certain pictures on Google. It started as not a big deal but going more into the school year we realized how much of a toll it is taking on our education. We can not view images on Google or even certain websites that are harmless.

Teachers have been forced to change their lesson plans and students are forced to nd ways around the lter to do research and obtain images they can use for their assignments. Even though these websites contain useful and important information, the new lter blocks their use, making many believe that the district’s technology o ce has gone too far with restricting access to the internet.

e new lter has made work harder for those on campus and created more work as we are forced to look for other sites or change plans. We believe the new lter has created unjusti ed struggles for the campus, and improvements need to be made immediately to avoid hurting the educational experiences of students in Austin schools. We agree that Internet lters should be put in place to make sure students are focused on school-appropriate content while they are at school without exposing students to obscene content that is prohibited by the Children’s Internet Protection Act. is law requires that schools use Internet lters to protect students from accessing visual

depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors. is new lter is gives a tremendous amount of bene ts when it comes to blocking inappropriate things in a school setting such as immediate message when a site is not accessible to a user, as well as block thumbnail previews in image searches for images on websites that are not permitted. When we asked the Technology Operations Team for Austin ISD about their reasons to replace the old lter, they responded saying, “Yes, the old system did not allow us the granularity that we needed to allow access to some sites and remove access to others. is just goes to show that this new lter is meant to be more restrictive but also more helpful.

Although it has good intentions, the lter has impeded our learning environment. e lter blocks images online, making it very

di cult for students to use them as graphics in schoolwork such as Google Slides or Canva. Many of these images are appropriate for schoolwork and are still unnecessarily blocked, making it di cult to create or use these design programs. On top of that, the lter also blocks websites that are crucial for learning. Websites like Openverse and Pexels are blocked under the lter, despite giving us access to school-appropriate images that many students use for schoolwork. Our very own school newspaper website, e Eagle’s Eye, was temporarily blocked under the lter, despite it being completely student-operated.

is new lter is supposed to give an immediate message when a site is not accessible to a user as well as block thumbnail previews in image searches for images on websites that are not permitted.

When we asked the Technology Operations Team for Austin ISD about their reasons to replace the old lter, they responded by saying, “Yes, the old system did not allow us the granularity that we needed to allow access to some sites and remove access to others.”

However, the new Lightspeed lter has gone too far and is blocking legitimate educational resources. For example, a lesson on the First Amendment provided by a news literacy curriculum called Checkology was blocked with the message that it was considered “mature.” It was only made accessible again a er a teacher put in a speci c request to have Checkology content unblocked. is lter is meant to help both students and teachers receive and give the best education they can in the strenuous eight hours we are at school. is lter seems to ban way too much compared to the previous system the district used.

To x the problem we’re having right now with the district lter, we should completely change how the lter works, or switch to a di erent service that doesn’t block so many legitimate educational resources. e new lter is so restrictive that it gets in everybody’s way and is very annoying to deal with. ey should have the lter block some of the worst things on the internet, but not block a website that would help students.

Instead of protecting students from harmful content, the lter is harming our educational experience by keeping us away from a world of helpful online information and content, stunting our growth as students. To access the websites we need to see for our education, the lter must change.

Mark Diego Ashley Rudy SAM Kairi Ely Marcelo Adamaris

Ely Rodriguez

Holiday giving is not enough Akins should extend volunteering efforts year-round to help others

morgen messer StAFF WRITER

At Akins, we take pride in our work. We are a hard-working community of students, teachers, janitors, counselors, and APs. In my time at this school, I have been very impressed with our willingness to help each other and step up when the time is right. However, I strongly believe that we as a school should be doing more volunteer work. During the holiday season, we are especially inclined to volunteer and spread joy — should we not carry this sentiment year-round?

In order to show the value of volunteering, I wanted to gain some insight from one of our own teachers dedicated to helping students do just that. As the adviser of our school’s branch of Key Club (an international e ort to build student’s character through service), Henry Perez believes that everybody should try to give back at least once in their life.

“It’s unfortunate that in the past we have used community service as a way of punishing kids,” he said. “We should recognize that it’s a way for them to contribute to society.”

Perez’s dedication to the program is a testament to the kind of work that I love to see done at Akins. In fact, it is not just his dedication, but the dedication of President Kaliyan Phany who has been a student leader in the club that is inspiring. In particular, Perez was proud of the fact that o cers recruited more than 30 students for the club this year alone. is suggests that our school de nitely has students who are willing to volunteer- we just need to get them on board with an organization that can give them service opportunities.

Leslie Tejeda-Pena is one of our student leaders who also holds this opinion. As the President of our National Honor Society chapter, she has many responsibilities. One of these is organizing community service opportunities for the members, which she nds especially important. To put it simply, she embodies our values and expectations of students in community and leadership. As a member of the National Honor Society myself, I have seen rst-hand the way she has brought us together in a bigger way than has been done since before the pandemic. Working with our community extends beyond school groups though, as we can always think bigger than ourselves.

Helping those in need is rewarding because it can be an opportunity to create stronger bonds with those you help as well as with other volunteers. Fostering and nurturing social bonds is especially important for young adults who are making their way in the world. As a society, Americans are very focused on acting in self-interest and “pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.” While this mantra has worked out well enough for economic purposes, it strays from the traditions most cultures hold of togetherness. As I mature I have realized so much of my life seemed like “myself” versus “them” when it should have been “us”. Working together to create a stronger community as a whole has been a goal of mine and my peers for the duration of my high school career.

In the past few years, we have attempted to return to life as it was before the pandemic, and though it can never truly be the same, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We can use challenges to create new and special opportunities to become a more united front. As a school we can bene t in so many ways from togetherness. Support for our local community will carry over into people’s attitude towards the school as well. In years past, our students have felt that we did not have much to be proud of as a community. While other schools excel in spirit, ours feels a bit dead. If we become closer and are able to look at ourselves more subjectively, I know that we can have that as well.

Adrian Orduna

Communities Destroyed

A Long History of War

Israel Defense Forces

Israeli forces walk through a residential area on Oct. 31 in the Gaza Strip destoryed by Israeli bombing. The Israeli military invastion into Gaza is based on a response to Hamas fighters’ surprise attack on Israelis in their homes and at a music festival on Oct. 7.

As Israel-Hamas war goes on in the region, calls for a cease re grow

Mark Lomas Co-Editor-In-Chief

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas, an organization deemed a terrorist group by the U.S., surprised the world when it launched a surprise attack, killing an estimated 1,400 Israelis in their homes and neighborhoods.

e day had started like every other day. Many were attending a Peace and Love festival only three miles from the boundary between Gaza and Israel. When dawn arose, many Israelis looked at the skies to see what they thought were reworks. ose at the festival would be the rst ones to witness the massacre. A bartender there described the situation to e New York Times, “ ere were these crazy maniacs with guns and people falling one by one, it was like a shooting range.” 1,200 lives were lost and 250 were taken captive before the Israeli Defense Forces stepped in.

e October 7th invasion’s goal, according to Hamas leadership, was to change the status quo of Palestine. One of the top members of Hamas said in a recent interview with e New York Times, “ is battle was not because we wanted fuel or laborers,” he said. “It did not seek to improve the situation in Gaza. is battle is to completely overthrow the situation.”

Another member of Hamas’s leadership body said, “We

succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region is experiencing calm.”

Since that invasion, Israeli o cials estimate that 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, and over 5,400 people have been injured.

“

ere were these crazy maniacs with guns and people falling one by one, it was like a shooting range

-Israeli bartender who witnessed October 7th attacks

e Hamas-run Ministry of Health has said that in Gaza at least 10,000 people have been killed, and over 32,000 have been injured. Among those who have been killed include at least 32 U.S. citizens. Since then, Israel has put Gaza under siege, cutting o Internet access, water, food, and supplies.

In retaliation, Hamas has been sending rockets over into Israel. Israel has defended itself with the help of its “Iron Dome,” which res interceptor rockets that destroy any missiles that are entering Israel. is has led to less damage in Israel compared to Gaza, which has had many of its communities destroyed due to the constant bombardment they have received in retaliation for Hamas’s invasion.

“

The history behind the conflict

To understand what is happening between Israel and Gaza/Palestine, it’s important to understand the history behind the con ict. Many people have the misconception that this con ict has been going on for centuries, however, the story begins much more recently, as early as the 1800s.

During the 1840s, the British Empire was attempting to grow its sphere of in uence in world a airs. Its leaders decided that Palestine would be the best place to do that in the Middle East. However, Israel/Palestine was still ruled by the Ottoman Empire. It would take the conclusion of World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire to set the stage for the beginnings of a Jewish State and the Britian’s dreams to come true.

In 1917, a er the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Balfour Declaration was written, creating a national home for the Jewish people. Over the next couple of years, thousands of Jews would move to this new state. However, the Balfour

In-Depth

Declaration didn’t exactly outline how the land would be divided, what rights they would have, or how their rights would be protected. e allied powers agreed to the declaration, with many Palestinians disagreeing with the loss of control over their lands.

“

It feels incredibly overwhelming to see everything happening through a screen and know that there’s not much I can do to help

During World War II, Zionists, who wanted to create a home for the Jewish people, urged Jews to move to Palestine for safety. is was because Jews were o en persecuted in other countries due to their beliefs. Many countries proclaimed their sympathy but they wouldn’t take them. at’s when the Zionists told Jews to go to Israel

— Heba Dalu, Akins Class of 2022 Valedictorian

“

17., the U.S. announced that Biden would visit Israel. While there Biden empathized with the Israeli people. “You can’t look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice.” However, he warned the Israeli government from going to far in a quest for vengeance. “But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “A er 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”

maybe having their lives destroyed or family members or themselves are dying or getting wounded,” he said. “ ey’re losing everything. ey’ve worked their whole lives for and the unfortunate thing with the Gazans that are just trying to live their life is they’re not going to get compensated by the Hamas government.”

Since the Oct. 7 attack, the United States, a large military and nancial supporter of Israel, has supported Israel’s e orts to defend itself from attacks by going a er Hamas. According to an NPR survey of about 1,313 adults, 65% of Americans believe that the U.S. should openly support Israel while 23% said they believe that it should say or do nothing. ose who support the U.S.’s decision to support Israel said they believe it is the only way to bring peace to the region. Only, 8% of those surveyed did not support Israel. Meanwhile, 79% of those surveyed said they are worried that the war will spread to other nearby regions.

Ceasefire and Privacy Concerns

A er World War II, the United Nations split Palestine into two states — one for the Jewish population and one for the Arab population. However, the Arabs opposed this plan. Shortly a erward on May 14, 1948, the rst Arab-Israeli war happened when British troops pulled out of the region, and Israel declared independence. Subsequently, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria invaded Israel because they didn’t support their independence. Israel expelled over 700,000 Palestinians, won the war, and gained more historically Palestinian territory.

Since then, the Palestinians have gradually lost control over their designated territory in what is known as the Gaza Strip, which today is a 25-mile-long strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea that is the densely populated home of about 2 million people. A er several uprisings and military con icts in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, Israel exercises control over Gaza with walls, border crossing checkpoints, and a blockade that controls access to food, fuel, and other resources.

ese con icts led to the rise of Hamas as the governmental group that provides basic services to Palestinians who live in Gaza. is militant group has gained popularity by opposing Israel, which it has declared an “illegitimate state.”

Since Israel’s independence, there have been many battles fought between Arabs and the Israelis. e e ect of these wars was that Israel continued to take land away from the Palestinians.

Current Timeline of Events

In retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack, Israel has slowly prepared for a ground invasion to destroy Hamas. Since the Oct. 7 attack things have escalated rapidly in the war. On Oct. 8, 30 Israeli police were killed when Hamas took over a police station. On Oct. 10, the U.S. con rmed that Americans were taken in the Hamas invasion. On Oct. 13, the Israel Defense Force warned Gaza residents to leave Gaza immediately or be caught in the middle of their military campaign. One day later, many Palestinians and foreigners tried to escape Gaza through Egypt but were halted when the border crossing was not opened.

On Oct. 15, the U.S. citizen death toll rose to 31. On Oct.

Since Oct. 7, 1,000 U.S. soldiers were put on heightened alert and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Israel to help the humanitarian e orts. Shortly a erward, on Nov. 5, 2023, Israel declared that they had cut Gaza into two halves.

An e ect that this war has had on the Palestinians is that those stuck in Gaza have had to deal with harsh living conditions. On Nov. 3, a United Nations o cial said that the average Palestinian lives on two pieces of bread daily. Another U.N. o cial said “Many people are relying on brackish or saline groundwater, if at all.”

Many backup generators are failing as fuel runs out in Gaza. Sewage is being pumped into the sea, but when the fuel runs out, sewage will start owing into the streets. Hospitals in Gaza have reportedly had to choose who lives and who dies due to the lack of resources.

Since the war began, governments around the world have repeatedly called for a humanitarian pause or a cease- re in Gaza. However, Isralie Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined a pause stating that humanitarian aid would fall into the hands of Hamas and would help them.

On Monday, Nov. 6, Jordan airdropped medical aid to a eld hospital that is run by Jordan in Gaza. A U.S. special convoy led by David Satter eld has denied claims stating that Hamas got its hands on humanitarian aid. Satter eld was a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and is now tasked with leading U.S. diplomatic e orts in the region.

Calls for peace grow

Despite all the e orts of world governments and their calls for peace, some Akins students and sta have been a ected by the war. Heba Dalu, valedictorian for the 2022 senior class and is Palestinian, said that the war has taken a really emotionally draining toll on her.

“It feels incredibly overwhelming to see everything happening through a screen and know that there’s not much I can do to help,” she said.

From a poll taken from Akins students and sta , the majority of students and sta are very concerned about humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Substitute teacher Stuart Berkowitz said his heart goes out to the Israelis and the Palestinians.

“It’s very sad that many thousands of innocent people are

Calls for a cease re keep growing. Shortly a er attacks on a refugee camp in northern Gaza, protests all around the world erupted calling for a cease re in Gaza. In the West Bank, Palestinians have been heavily surveilled by the Israeli government. In an interview with Wired, a West Bank Palestinian said that living there was like being rats in a cage. He went on to say that he “want[s] to go to the beach, I want to see the sea, I want to taste the water. Here, we don’t have this freedom.”

e Israeli Government has been dependent on security infrastructure code-named “Wolf Pack,” which creates a database of every Palestinian living in the West Bank. One strand of the so ware is called “Red Wolf,” which uses facial recognition cameras at checkpoints to either detain, arrest, or allow an individual through. Another one called “Blue Wolf,” which uses a smartphone app. It has Israeli soldiers photograph every one of the Palestinians living there so that they can be put in the database.

Disinformation misleads many

Since the Oct. 7 invasion, disinformation has spread rapidly on social media sites like X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. It’s also important to know the di erence between disinformation and misinformation. Disinformation is when people purposefully spread wrong information and misinformation is when people accidentally share inaccurate information.

An example of disinformation, videos were of Putin saying that he would help Palestine. is was in fact an altered video. e original video was from 2021’s Victory Day parade, Putin was talking about defeating Nazism in World War II at the parade.

Another example was when a video supposedly showed an Israeli soldier being thrown to the ground as an airstrike hit an Israeli tank. is was a clip from the trailer for a rst-person shooter game called Squad. e same thing happened with the war in Ukraine. A clip was being used from a military simulation game called Arma. is led many to believe that the clip was from Ukraine when it was from something completely di erent.

is war has rapidly escalated. It’s entirely possible that by the time this story is nally published, the war will be over. It remains to be seen if this will change the status quo.

Photo

Murder Mystery Madness

Akins Theatre production performs Clue as rst play of the year

check every detail

Senior Joaquin Arredondo who plays Professor Plum examans a glass while waiting to be served food with senior Q Perry who plays Ms. White.

kairi natal photo editor

e audience only sees the nished product when they go see a play without knowing all the work that went in behind the scenes. From memorizing lines, building sets, pulling costumes, and lighting cues many little things go on behind the scenes to produce a play.

Senior Q Perry, who plays Ms. White in the theatre department’s production of Clue, said it’s challenging bringing a character to life who’s been played so many times before.

“It’s challenging it’s an iconic script. It’s become a movie. It’s a well-known play,” they said. “ It’s hard to try and become a character that has been done so many times and make it unique to yourself as an actor.”

In addition to the challenge of producing a play, the cast and crew are also adjusting to working with Le Easter, as the new director of the theatre department.

Merritt Robertson, who plays Col. Mustard in the theatre department’s production of Clue said working with a new director is a new experience but it’s gotten easier to bring their vision to life as they’ve worked together.

“It’s de nitely a new experience It takes a while to be able to learn how they direct in their teaching style,” she said “But I think that as we’ve gotten on it’s easier to gure out what they’re looking for and what I can do to help that vision”

what to do

The Clue cast huddles together for a talk for a scene in the play during rehersal.

Kairi Natal

Kairi Natal

Photo Essay

Kairi Natal dodging a bullet

Senior Joaquin Arredondo takes a dive during rehersal with freshman Keira Caldwell.

Kairi Natal 1+1+2+1

Freshman Lee Ridings who plays Ms. Scarlet confronts Wadsworth the butler played by senior Richie Wright.

Kairi Natal wasnt me

Senior Merritt Robertson who plays Col. Mustard defends himself after being accused.

Kairi Natal is he dead?

Mr. Green played by senior Egan Lutz Carrillo examens the body of Wadsworth the butler played by senior Richie Wright at the end of the play.

Spider-Man 2 webs up to the original game

The

famous webslinger returns

Jonathan Wilson staff writer

e original 2018 game release was already substantial for a Spider-Man game. It allowed you to smoothly web-sling across a small part of New York and ght iconic villains with an easy but challenging combat system. Its story was fun and emotional and felt like a true Spider-Man story. But can the same thing be said for its sequel? e answer is yes, and it goes beyond the original game in almost every way.

Starting with the gameplay, the game instantly reveals its large cityscape, with New York feeling two times bigger than the rst game. Traversing throughout the city now has many more options for getting points A to B, including the usual fast travel option, now instant with the power of the PS5. ere are now more options on how you want your web-slinging to act. If you want it to be easy and feel like Spider-Man, or have a challenge and improve throughout the time you play, you can, as there are more accessibility options to make it more comfortable for the player to enjoy the game their way. e game’s combat has both been simpli ed and built upon from the rst game, which makes the combat intuitive while also leaving a lot of room for the player to increase their skills to become the best Spider-Man they could be.

e biggest thing with the new release of the game is the full use of the PS5 controller. e game takes full advantage of the controller’s speakers, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers to give a more immersive experience that wasn’t possible in the previous two Spider-Man games. Spider-Man 2 introduces the idea of two playable spider-men in the game, which means that you play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. While their stories are connected, there are di erences between their side quests and goals, which makes them feel unique from each other, rather than Spider-Man just being copied and pasted.

e Mary Jane missions have also improved from the rst Spider-Man game. In the rst game, there were many complaints about the shallowness of her gameplay, where the room for error was non-existent, which made her small moments of gameplay unfun in the 2018 release. ankfully, Spider-Man 2 took the basic idea of Mary Jane’s missions and made it one of the most fun parts of the game. Mary Jane can defend herself from the beginning, unlike the original game where she was just moving from point A to point B. Not only can she stand her ground more, but being caught is no longer the same death sentence as in the original game.

and this time there is two of them

While she does have a very limited amount of health compared to the Spider-Men, she still has enough that it makes her stealth sections less of a hassle while still keeping a small challenge in the game.

When it comes to the story, there is never a dull moment. Once the story goes, it doesn’t stop until the end, especially with its rst villain for the rst half of the game being Kraven. Kraven is di erent from most of Spider-Man’s gallery as he isn’t hunting him down, but rather hunting down Spider-Man’s past villains that we’ve fought in the previous two games, which causes some new dynamics where we are trying to save the same people that were trying to kill us. e game also shows previous villains trying to redeem themselves, and it’s something that isn’t seen in much superhero media, so it’s a nice breath of fresh air. But Kraven isn’t the main villain.

About into the game, we are reintroduced to Harry Osborn, who was previously out of consciousness in the last two games. He immediately becomes a likable character who interacts well with Peter and Mary Jane Watson. We learn that his father, Norman Osborn, essentially has an alien symbiote connected to him to help ght against his illness, the same one that had killed his mother.

Over time, however, this symbiote starts to take over. At rst, it was like a normal suit with some cool superpowers. Still, a er Kraven stabs Peter and essentially dies for a bit, the symbiote moves from Harry to Peter, causing Peter’s suit to become the iconic all-black suit. A er this point, Kraven becomes the biggest focus for Peter, and the symbiote proceeds to change him as a person, not only isolating Peter from those whom he cares about but also causing him to become a more rude person.

A er his ght with Kraven, Miles has to break the symbiote out of Peter to stop Peter from killing Kraven. A er sep aration, Peter apologizes to the people he hurt and attempts to destroy the symbiote. Instead, Harry takes back control of the symbiote and transforms into the terrifyingly iconic Venom.

Venom introduces a new small segment where you get to play the villain for the rst time in the series, and there is so much more to this story that needs to be experienced rsthand. Venom makes his presence known.

Something I also wanted to talk about was the overall improvement of the graphics in the game. From both predecessors, the lighting is the biggest improvement seen, with improved shadows and im-

proved interaction with the game’s shaders. Every character model has seen a substantial improvement and, in some cases, changes in their character’s design. e game looks incredible in many diverse destinations that make every mission that you complete a di erent experience from the other. at’s all with the default delity mode the game puts most players in, but it is locked to 30 frames per second.

ere is a performance mode that, when enabled, does lower the graphics a tiny bit, but the boost to the game’s framerate is truly something to consider as the game runs butter smooth. When in this mode, it made me consider what mode I should use to complete the game.

ere is no question that Spider-Man 2 lives up to and beyond the original 2018 release. e gameplay has seen improvements in every sense. e story is more emotional, packed, and an amazing experience that everyone has to see on their own. Spider-Man 2 did the impossible job of trying to live up to the original game, but the developers Insomniac Games, know what they’re doing. is sequel is a masterpiece that I can fully recommend 5/5.

spider-man 2 rating

5/5 stars

Illustrations by Jonathan Wilson and Veda Larson

Choir prepares to sing a new tune

New director offers experience, plenty of new student opportunities

Jason Ponti Staff Writter

Janelle Ponti Staff Writter

Some choir students were nervous about starting the school year a er their director le Akins over the summer, which can be a chaotic challenge for a group of singers.

Choir is all about uniting di erent voices into one harmony, so having a strong director is a must. Choir students said they were relieved when they got to know their new director, Andre Jackson.

He has since then stepped up to direct a new generation of students into success. While some students were worried about the future of Akins’ choir a er the departure of the last director, Jackson has worked to make sure the choir is stronger than ever. With a new director steering the students in new

directions, the long-established Akins choir seems to have found its new voice and has begun singing a new tune. Jackson taught choir and singing for eight years before coming to Akins. Besides being a classroom teacher, he has also provided private lessons and served as a choir consultant in the Hays school district.

Senior choir student KC Perez said he appreciates the feeling of belonging when all the pieces come together.

“Choir is really rewarding when you put all the parts together and when you get to sing with everyone and I feel like I have a community in choir,” Perez said. “I feel like it’s something I’m also really good at and that grati cation from doing something you’re really passionate about is really nice.”

In October, choir students were encouraged to compete in a regional competition hosted by the Texas Music Educators Association. Nine singers

earned a spot in the Region Mixed Choir, eight advanced to pre-area auditions, and one was named as an alternate.

Senior choir student Cash Simmons said Jackson is helping all of the choir students improve.

“And he’s not afraid to call us out when we’re wrong,” he said. “But he does it in a way that we can learn from it and be better in the future.”

Freshman Caden Ruiz shared his thoughts about Jackson.

“I love him. He’s amazing. And he supports us, no matter how hard we try and no matter how much we’ve been through for the past two months,” he said.

KC Perez said Jackson is a very hard working teacher.

“He cares about our emotions and our limits,” he said. “He listens to our critiques and he listens to us whenever we need things.”

Robert Stephenson

Akins Full choir perfoms

Choir performs during its fall concert in October in the Akins Theater.

An interview with the director

Janelle Ponti Staff Writter

With the new school year comes a rush of new teachers. One to note is the new choir director, Mr. Jackson, who has done a plethora of things to bring attention to the choir and build a community with his students and the campus. With him in charge, he has plenty of plans to make choir more notable and build more of a community with it. e new director talks to the Eagle’s Eye about his plans to improve choir.

EE: Why did you want to come to Akins?

AJ:I heard that the Akins choir program was not in the best shape. I heard that I was gonna have a lot of talent and all the support in the world but the kids just needed someone who really really cared about choir. And what sold me was that they said that the choir was really small. And so I feel like that scares a lot of directors away because everyone wants to go get that choir that’s already established and a choir that’s already big. But I like the idea of taking a small choir and turning it into something real. And so the reason I wanted to come here was because I knew I get to build my

own program with great kids.

EE: Why did you become a choir Teacher?

AJ:Because of my high school choir teacher. She made the choir room feel like a home away from home. To be honest the choir room was more of a home than my own home was. Growing up, I found that I was always in the choir room. All of my teachers knew that if I was done with my work, I was most likely going to choir, I wouldn’t even have to ask, I would turn my work in and they would ask if I was going to choir and I would say “yup”. And that was freshman through senior year. My choir director was like my mom. She took me in at times. She fed me, she bought me clothes. She helped me graduate from school. And so I want to be able to do what she did for me and my friends because she created a choir where the kids that were in her choir, some of them are now married. A lot of them have kids together. A lot. A lot of us are still best friends. And we all thank her for that because if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have ever met each other. So she is the reason that I wanted to be a choir director.

EE: What would the students be surprised to nd out about you?

AJ:When I’m not at work, I’m always thinking about my students, and at times I have to tell myself that y’all (choir students) are okay and I can be home and just relax. ey feel like y’all (choir students) would be surprised to know that I look at y’all (choir students) as more than just my choir students, I look at y’all (choir students) like my little kids. And I care way more about y’all(choir students) as human beings than I do as a singer. e fact that y’all sing for me is a blessing. But I think they’d be surprised to know that I really, I love y’all. (choir students)

EE: What are your plans for the choir?

AJ: e rst and always plan is going to be to love them, so much. My second plan is to grow the choir right now we’re sitting under 50 kids this year. I want 110 Kids in three years. I’m also enjoying the small moments that we have now because I’m going to remember these moments. I’m going to think back on these moments very fondly, because I’m gonna remember that we used to be a very small choir, and there where kids that really really cared and that helped take us to the next level. So my plan is to make us the voice of not only our campus but of our community.

Kari Natal Meet

Mini-pitch donated by 4ATX Foundation

Mini soccer court provides new experience for the surrounding community

Olivares Sports Editor

If you look outside, where there was previously a tennis court, you will see a green, black, and white mini-pitch in its place.

Instead of the white net that previously stretched across the court, there are now two goals standing on opposite ends, a mural painted on the court between them. Just in time for soccer season to begin, this mini-pitch hosts three versus three games between students, teachers, and community members who are also welcome to use it. Two months ago, this was being prepared for the inaugural, and is now available as a way to connect the community through soccer.

On Sep. 29, the Athletic Coordinators and Coach Castellanos (Coach Kat) stood in front of a crowd of students along with representatives and sponsors of the mini-pitch for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. e mini-pitch was donated to Akins through the 4ATX Foundation along with a Verde Net as an award to Coach Kat for nishing runner-up in the Austin FC and NetSpend Coach of the Year awards. It is the eighth pitch to be opened in the Austin area through the partnerships of YETI, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and Austin ISD. e mini-pitch is now placed by Old San Antonio Rd, and o cially open to the public.

“ e mini-pitches are just that, a dedicated space dedicated to free and public use,” 4ATX Program Manager Horacio Perez said. “ ese mini-pitches are meant to be a place in your neighborhood where you can go, and there’s always a space meant for soccer.”

e 4ATX Foundation has the mission of using soccer

to help communities connect and succeed. While hosting other programs such as clinics, the Verde Leaders, and scholarships, their focus has been to promote success through soccer.

“I feel like that’s where 4ATX’s spot is, helping li up these students hopefully to a pipeline of employment, or soccer, or whatever it takes to continue building healthy communities, socially, emotionally, and physically,” Perez said.

e mini-pitch shared with Akins has helped create a safe environment for students to play and build the community they wanted to achieve.

“ e pitch was needed and I love it,” senior Diego Zuniga said. “I’ve used it multiple times with my friends and will continue to do so. Austin FC has de nitely invested in the right area and we thank them for that.”

e mini-pitch here at Akins contributes to the 4ATX Foundation’s goals. While they continue to build more pitches across Austin, Akins was the rst to receive one with a mural painted onto the court by artist Alie Jackson.

“I hope that we can continue to do them (the murals) because I think it’s a great opportunity to promote the community, and Austin FC, and 4ATX Foundation, and the work that we’re doing in our community,” Perez said.

e 4ATX Foundation, while hoping for more murals in the future, continues to build mini-pitches throughout Austin for those locations that would need them the most. Akins served as a strong location, which is ultimately why it was chosen.

“It’s a highly dense area that aligns with the communities that we traditionally serve, in terms of being predominantly Hispanic and Latino. And also, matching the income kind of that normally falls within our bounds as well,” Perez said. “And so when it kind of aligns like that, it’s kind of like,

okay, I think that this is our spot.”

e 4ATX Foundation made the right decision placing the mini-pitch at Akins. e community has responded well to it, having the access here in school, students use it continuously.

“Growing up in South Austin there weren’t a lot of places where we could play pickup soccer that were close to where we live,” Zuniga said. “ is pitch has de nitely bene ted the surrounding community by giving us a place to play and have fun.”

Choosing the location of these mini-pitches is only the start to the creation of them. ese pitches can be a long and extensive process, which can lead to challenges during and a er the making of them with questions arising even a er the nish.

“I think that we’re working through the kinks of, you know, maintenance and who owns the trash?” Perez said. “And how do we best make sure that we’re not just kind of placing it and then leaving it.”

While questions continue to arise through the creation of these pitches, the solutions are worth nding as it is deemed worthy to continue the use of them.

“I honestly love the mini-pitch,” junior Kim Hernandez said. “I feel like it’s such a great add-in for training and an amazing place for friends to come together and play, I’ve used it any chance I get.”

e time and energy that is placed into these pitches are always rewarded by seeing the students use these pitches as a place to connect and enjoy their love for soccer.

“I hope that these mini-pitches become an extension of that community and giving people a place to connect over their common love for not only Austin FC, or 4ATX Foundation, but the sport of soccer in general,” Perez said.

Adamaris

Adamaris Olivares

Cutting Open

YETI representative cuts the ribbon to o cially open the mini-pitch to the community on Sep. 29.

Ava Linnell makes cross country history

Junior becomes the rst female cross country runner from Akins to attend state

Samantha Limon Co-A&E Editor

Junior Ava Linnell placed 7th at the 6A regional meet in Corpus Christi with a 5k time of 18:55. Linnell’s top 10 nish earned her a spot to compete in the state meet. Linnell became the rst Akins female cross country runner to attend the state meet, nishing her cross country season in 52nd place out of 152 runners with a time of 18:47.

Before she competed at the regional meet, Linnell made school history becoming the rst Akins athlete to be named a cross country district champion when she ran a 5K in 18 minutes and 18 seconds. is run broke both her own school record as well as the Walter E. Long course record, where she also broke her own personal record.

Linnell has been running long distances with Akins since her freshman year, cutting minutes from her 5k every year as she progresses in the sport. With the continuous support of her coaches that have helped her improve, she has been able to succeed as she pushes herself further.

Training even before she joined high school, Linnell has put in miles throughout the years. Coach Fransisco Flores has been able to watch her rise to become a leader and one that he can trust as a captain. Linnell has been able to accomplish goals she has set for herself, and goals Flores has set for the team.

As an excellent athlete and example, Linnell has become a role model for the cross country team breaking records and making history for Akins.

e Eagle’s Eye interviewed Ava Linnell and Coach Fransisco Flores about her accomplishments throughout the season.

Junior Ava Linnell

EE: How long have you been running long distance?

AL: “I have been running long distance since I was in 5th grade. My whole grade trained and ran the cap 10k and I have been running long distance ever since! My rst year actually running track was 8th grade and my rst year running cross country was freshman year.”

EE: Do you have any goals going forward?

AL: “Yes, my goal is to continue being competitive with the girls I have been competing with at my races and to just run

as good as I can and PR (personal record) if I can.”

EE: What is a piece of advice you have gained for running that you keep with you for races?

AL: “I just know that I am stronger than I think I am and I can always keep improving.”

EE: What do you believe to be one of your weaknesses and what are you doing to improve it?

AL: “Probably just underestimating myself. I try to run and keep up with people that I think I can’t beat but I know I can.”

EE: How do you condition yourself for these races?

AL: “I started by building up my endurance base during the summer by putting in a lot of mileage. When the season started I started working more on speed by running shorter distances and faster, but I still had easy runs and a long run on the weekends to keep my endurance up.”

EE: Do you have a strategy when it comes to these races?

AL: “I nd a girl I know is a little bit faster than me so I try to keep up with her and then at the end, I try to make sure I use all my energy so I can pass people if I can.”

EE: Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model?

AL: “Absolutely Coach Flores and Coach C. ey were both really good athletes in college and high school, they know a lot about the sport and they both help me and I respect them.”

Coach Fransisco Flores

EE: What have you observed in regards to Ava’s progression as a runner over the years you have coached her?

FF: “ e approach to coaching Ava has always been to not rush her progress. Her 5k time has dropped by over a minute each year and the plan is for her times to continue to steadily drop as she prepares to compete at the collegiate level.”

EE: What are some of Ava’s traits that make her a strong cross country and/or track athlete?

FF: “Ava has reached the level of running maturity where she understands that in order to reach peak physical performance, she’ll need to consistently put in the work. She is also one of the most mentally strong athletes I have ever coached.”

EE: Now that she has won at both district and regionals and made it to the

Running to State

Junior Ava Linnell runs in the Westlake Chaparral Invitational on Aug. 25 at the Southeast Metro Park. She placed 10th at the Invitational being their first meet of the season.

state meet, what do you hope she accomplishes next in cross country and/or track next year?

FF: “I expect Ava to go into next year’s cross country state meet ghting for a top 10 nish with a sub 18 minute 5k time. My dream is for the girls cross country team to advance out of our tough district and compete for a chance to make it to the state meet. Ava will be the leader of that team.As for track, I’d love to see her reach the state meet in either one of the distance events, especially the mile.”

We wish Ava the best of luck in basketball and track this school year.

Ava Linnell holds her Regional Medal after placing 7th, advancing to State.

Chance Dang

Photo Courtesy of Ava Linnell Medal Prize

bringing life to the dead

Students, teachers create Day of the Dead ofrendas to remember

Sarah Flores StAFF WRITER

A cultural celebration with roots going back thousands of years made a big appearance near the front of campus at the beginning of November in the form of a large and colorful ofrenda created by students in Akins Spanish classes.

El Día de los Muertos is a two-day celebration meant to honor loved ones who have passed away. On Nov. 1 and 2 of every year families build ofrendas (alters) designed to welcome the return of their ancestors’ spirits with food, drink, and their favorite souvenirs. Although widely celebrated in Mexico, El Día de los Muertos can also be seen in other cultures in Spain and other southern European countries.

Originating from Aztec and Toltecs beliefs dating back thousands of years, it is believed that on Nov. 1, a portal between the living and the dead opens. The spirits of loved ones follow the aroma trail that marigold fowers leave behind. These fowers are sprinkled from the ofrenda to the front doors of houses. Marigolds or cempasúchil (fower of the dead) are key components of El Día de los Muertos. The tradition of creating an ofrenda involves the use of four elements: earth, water, air, and fre. Water is represented by any liquid, such as a favorite drink of the relative. Fire is usually represented by a candle and the wind is represented by tissue paper, which is also called papel picado in Spanish. Papel picado is usually contains cut-out designs hung above the ofrenda, allowing wind to fow through and around it. Earth is represented by food, especially breads like Pan de Muerto. Ofrendas can be personalized as much as the family wants by adding pictures, personal artifacts, or drawings that represent deceased relatives. Spanish teacher Julio Nava Verdi organized

the effor to build the large ofrenda at the front of the school with the help of his students.

“I hope the community and some other teachers that are not from the culture like Hispanic cultures or other nationalities from the Hispanic world that don’t celebrate it like us, get to know a little bit of that culture and celebration,” he said.

To educate unfamiliar students who don’t celebrate or know about El Día de los Muertos, Akins Spanish teachers built the large ofrenda at the front of the school flled with pictures of deceased family members, beloved celebrities, and past pets. Students and teachers honored and celebrated the lives they lived.

Teachers who participated in the project to create the ofrenda at school said it was benefcial not only for students who are not part of Hispanic culture but also for the students who are Hispanic but have never been exposed to it.

With the Akind student population being 78.1% Hispanic, many were born and raised in America and are not connected to their cultural roots without being raised in Mexico.

This Día de los Muertos project allowed students to connect and learn a part of their heritage they might not have known about before.

Students in Verdi’s classes made their own smaller ofrendas that were placed upon the larger ofrenda with fve steps representing the layers of ascending and descending of life. In addition, they also have had the freedom to make their ofrenda however they imagined.

Some students not only celebrate Dia de los Muertos at home and at school, but also at community festivals in Austin and other nearby cities. Viva la Vida is a Dia de los Muertos event that has occurred in Austin for more than 40 years. This year the event was held on Oct. 28 at the intersection of 4th Street and Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. People wore costumes and make-up and marched down the street with foats, enjoying live music and performances by a mix of ballet folklorico and Matachines dancers.

Viva la Vida gathers the surrounding community to partake in supporting local Hispanic and Mexican businesses along with artists. Activity centers allowed kids and adults alike to make marigold fower crowns, and have their faces painted with a skull face, and draw catrines “elegant skulls.” The Mexic-Arte Museum dispalyed its Día de los Muertos exhibition, featuring photography by Mary J. Andrade, and artwork by other Chicano artists.

cross marigold arch photo of the deceased water copal salt sugar skull bread of the dead Ely Rodriguez

Día de los Muertos is special to everyone who celebrates it. From students to teachers and people in the community, each person has their reasons for celebrating it. Ninth grader Diego Enriquez celebrates Día de los Muertos with his family “to honor the people that came before them.” Some students even celebrate Día de los Muertos in Mexico with their families. “It’s not about celebrating people who are dead but also what they did in our life,” said Jason Ponti. To some people, El Día de los Muertos is a solemn celebration to honor the spirits of loved ones passed. But to others, it is honoring the spirit that is constantly alive inside of them.

Faby Rodriguez StAFF WRITER

Sarah Flores

Miniature-sized ofrendas made by students in Spanish classes are on display at the front of the school as part of a Hispanic culture project.