February Hawk 2022

The

Hawk

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 15, Issue 4 February 4, 2022

What’s In a Name?

Students reveal background, meaning behind names Pages 8-9

In this Issue...

10

Teen dating violence

11

16

Rom-com movie reviews

Black history month

2

News Volume 15, Issue 4

state of the

UNION Estonia Moscow

Latvia

Russia

Lithuania

Poland Warsaw

Belarus Kiev

Ukraine

Crimea Black Sea

Illustrations by | Natalia Zavaleta Map of Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, and the Baltic States

Millions of migrants face new challenge on Poland border, raising tensions Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor Millions of migrants from the Middle East and Africa are being used as leverage against the European Union, or the EU, by one man; Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko is known by many countries for being an unforgiving and autocratic ruler, leading the EU and counties like Poland to place sanctions on Belarus to diminish his behavior. But Lukashenko had other plans.

He has since manufactured a migrant crisis. Instead of dealing with the influx of migrants from Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria, he ordered his troops to drop of millions of migrants at Poland and the EU's borders to pressure them to lift sanctions on Belarus.

However, Poland and other countries like Lithuania are also to blame, as they have been reportedly abused migrants into going back to Belarus because of the right-winged nationalist movement against migrants, further harming them and their journey toward economic opportunity.

Most migrants streaming in from the Middle East are from Afghanistan as many people have been trying to flee the country as the Taliban takes over the government. The migrants from Syria have been steadily streaming in since 2015 because of the Syrian civil war.

Migrants from Africa, more specifically

Morocco, Mauritania, and Libya, are mostly coming for a better life.

In recent news, Poland is projected to spend around $393 million, or more than 10 times Poland's migration budget, on a border wall between Poland and Belarus, hoping to de incentivise Belarus from sending migrants to the border.

The Ocalenie Foundation, an institution who supports migrants being positioned in Poland, is one of the many humanitarian rights organizations that have spoken out against the wall and have called the money spend on it wasteful, as it could help "to build and launch [an] effective and humane migration."

There is also many agencies worried about the environmental effect that the wall will have on The Białowieża forest world heritage site, which is positioned between Poland and Belarus, that holds the largest amount European bison.

Multiple journalists and reporters have been prevented by the government from accessing the region to give an in depth description to the public about the affairs regarding the migrant crisis, causing the supreme court in Poland to reprimand their country's officials.

The EU has called the actions taken

by Belarus and Poland a 'hybrid attack', though have done nothing against the border wall springing up on the eastern flank of the EU.

Russia, Ukraine experiencing tensions on border, dragging U.S in the middle Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor High above the world in low Earth orbit, satellites revealed in December of 2021 what many countries have feared for years; the beginnings of what looks like an attack from Russia.

In the past, tensions between former Soviet states Ukraine and Russia escalated in late 2013 over a trade deal between the European Union and the Ukrainian government. Because of pressure from the Kremlin, or the Russian government, Viktor Yanukovych, suspended the talks and multiple protests in Kyiv erupted into violence in Ukraine. Then, worsening relations further, Russia attempted to annex, or add territory to one’s own country, Crimea, a small peninsula on the edge of Ukraine that contained many Russian supporters. Though the annexation was complete in a matter of days, many countries including Ukraine called the annexation illegitimate. There was then a Minsk cease-fire agreement

to stifle the tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

In response to these actions, the European Union, or EU, and the U.S have imposed economic sanctions targeting Russia to reprimand them for their behavior.

However, this hasn’t stopped Russia from building up troops on the border between them and Ukraine. Though Russian officials deny ever planning on invading Ukraine, it does seem that recent talks of the Baltic States joining NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and NATO posturing troops on the border have made Russia more likely to move their troops to the border to counter the movement.

Other than posturing their troops on the border of Ukraine, Russia aims to weaken the state by mounting countless cyber attacks on the nation, weakening the citizen's faith in their home country.

Cyber attacks on Ukraine aren't new, however. They have been going on since

around 2014, when Ukraine first joined NATO. These cyber attacks achieve a variety of things, such as causing electrical blackouts, breaches of national security secrets and the theft of valuable, sensitive data like medical records like what happened in 2017 to multiple Ukrainian firms.

There are multiple incentives for why Russia would feel compelled to attack and invade Ukraine. Putin has issued various security demands to the US before he draws his military forces back that includes a ban on Ukraine from entering NATO, and agreement that NATO will remove troops and weapons across much of Eastern Europe. If NATO doesn't agree to these terms, Russia will feel compelled to attack. Russia could also use Ukraine as leverage for the western countries to lift their sanctions on Russia and to understand that Ukraine will always be in their 'sphere of influence', or a territory rather than an independent state.

But what does this mean for the U.S? Earlier this month, President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call that the U.S and its allies would get involved in any conflict if Russia were to invade, especially because Article 5 of the NATO charter states that if any country in the organization is under attack, all countries in NATO are required to respond and help out the country. Because both Ukraine and the US are in NATO, the U.S would most likely get involved in such a conflict, whether it be responding with sanctions or unraveling to become conventional, cyber, or nuclear warfare.

However, because Russia has not formally attacked Ukraine, the U.S is not currently in any war or conflict with Russia. One should expect, though, that any movement from Russia on the border is sure to cause more unrest from countries associated with NATO and any country around Russia.

News February 4, 2022

Sums Skyrocket

3

Inflation grips nation after pandemic, leads to panic over raised prices

Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor Sarah Schulze | Reporter Catching the world in its grasp, inflation has successfully impeded the United States’ ability to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is mostly due to supply chain breakdowns, labor shortages, and a sudden burst of spending after widespread lock downs were lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic recession has caused an increase in the prices of cars, shelters, food, gas, and more. As Americans rapidly sped up their spending, the supply chain was stretched thin by shortages from lack of demand for so long leading to lack of supply.

“Inflation is when the value of our currency doesn’t match up with the value of the goods that you get for them,” debate coach Aly Mithani said. “The currency

that we utilize in America, the dollar, is not getting us as much as it used to, and thus, it’s harder for people to afford goods and resources that they need.”

A supply chain is a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyer. Because of sudden outbreaks in or near distribution centers in other countries, the shipment of goods has become a lot slower.

“Inflation has risen in the past few months because of issues related to the recovery from COVID-19 on a global level,” Mithani said. “Supplies are taking [more] time to arrive from other parts of the globe due to backups, less people being able to work in transportation and shipping, trade routes getting skewed, and things like that.”

As Mithani said, fewer and

Prices have risen

7% in the past 12 months Shelter costs rose

fewer people are able to work in transportation because of the number of people getting sick.

In fact, in 2021 the truck driver shortage hit a historic high of just over 80,000 drivers.

“I believe inflation has risen in the past few months because of supply chain issues specifically with COVID-19,” junior Cash Diebert said. “A lot of truckers are out getting sick, so products aren't moving. People are spending more money to get those products, and some of the value of those products is going down.”

Daily goods and services have seen a dramatic increase in price, causing many families to not have access to the things they need to thrive. Americans like Diebert have noticed this spike.

“I've seen prices rise [for] a lot of goods too,” Diebert said.

“You can see specifically with

foods as well. In the Christmas season, there were a lot of toys that were more expensive to get, just as materials were hard to get.”

Not only do people notice this sudden change in prices, but they are also harmed by such an unprecedented change as they have no time or flexibility to work around it.

“I think the everyday purchaser and whoever is in charge of making purchases for a family is impacted the most because everyday purchases are causing the rise in inflation and those are the people who have the least control over the situation,” Mithani said.

As with every crisis, though, there does seem to be an end to the storm. The question is when the end will occur.

“From what I’ve read, we’re going to see inflation kind of

Energy prices have risen nearly 42% and gasoline is up more than 25%

4.1%

Food prices rose

peak out over the summer time frame,” AP economics teacher Thomas Lucas said. “If we’re able to smooth out the problems with supply and if price wages increase, maybe it’ll calm down.

But the economy is adjusting to how we spend money now, which is different from what it used to be.”

However, students like junior Lucas Flores believe that the government should act more in trying to stabilize the economy rather than wait for it to smooth out itself.

“Inflation isn’t that big of a problem as we have complete control over our currency,” Flores said. “Since we have this control, it’s much easier. Also, we have a lot of abilities to tax corporations which we can use to increase our money’s value which would reduce inflation as a whole.”

Gasoline pries rose

49.6%

6.3%

On a year-over-year basis, real earnings by declined 2.4%

37.3% Rise in used vehicle prices New vehicle prices soared

in October by10.6% from the year before

$

By The Numbers

4

News Volume 15, Issue 4

District wide staff shortages leads to school shutdown Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor After the two week long winter break, students and staff were welcomed back to school with barren classrooms, as detrimentally high absence rates inflicted the district. With the large numbers of teachers and students out with COVID-19 along with teacher resignations from the previous semester, the school has been facing a district wide shortage in substitute teachers.

“Even discounting the number of staff members out due to COVID-19 related issues, Pflugerville ISD feels the employment pinch felt around the country,” according to a press release from PfISD Superintendent Douglas Killian.

“We currently have staff shortages in teachers, substitutes, bus drivers, educational aides, etc. In my 30 years in education, this is the highest number of vacancies I’ve seen at this point in the school year.”

As the absences continued to

worsen along with the spread of COVID-19, the district had reached a point where classes could not continue any further.

Leading PfISD to close all schools within the district on Jan. 21 to the 24, in order to allow staff members out with COVID-19 time to rest and find more potential substitutes.

“Despite our best efforts to cover classes and keep our campuses operating safely with the number of staff members who are out with COVID-19, our remaining staff simply cannot effectively cover the number of classes needing teachers,” Killian said. “The staff shortage has overwhelmed the district to the point that this closure is necessary.”

In spite of these high cases of COVID-19 throughout the district, access to virtual learning remains out of the picture.

“Virtual or remote learning is not an option for our district as a whole,” Killian said “It is currently only available to any

students active in our Virtual Academy, and TEA does not provide funding for districtwide or campus-wide virtual learning.”

While the district continues to search for more substitutes, Killian is thankful for staff members’ flexibility and further urges students and staff to play their part in hindering these absences.

“I am so proud of our teachers and staff who have worked extremely hard to cover extra classes when staff members are out, and greatly appreciate their effort,” Killian said.

“Please continue to do your part in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Wear your mask. Wash your hands and stay home if you show any symptoms of COVID-19. It takes a community effort to stop the spread. Please be diligent and do your part in protecting yourself and those around you.”

Former Hawk headed to Super Bowl Alumni Samaje Perine running against Leander during his senior year in 2014. Perine currently holds the Oklahoma University single game rushing record and was drafted by the Washington Football Team* in 2017. Now he is a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, and scored the first touchdown for the Bengals in their comeback win against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. He will be playing with his team in Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13.

Photo provided by | Hao Ly

Debate makes state at district On Jan. 26, at the UIL CX District meet, the Hawk Debate team had multiple students sweeping up victories. Junior Gabriella O’Donnell and sophomore Allison Chavarria took home District Championships, with sophomore Isaiah Duvvuri and junior Shauri Yedavalli making runners-up.

Additionally, sophomores JohnPaul Buwule and Aiden Cheeley walked away with Bronze.

With these accomplishments, O’Donnell, Chavarria, Duvvuri, and Yedavalli are preparing to compete at the UIL State Championships this Spring Break.

Schoolinks supports students in course selection, college applications, career planning Yael Behar | Copy Editor New technology has been in the works in the field of education, especially with the impact of COVID-19 and the minimization of paper assignments.

Thus, this past year, Schoolinks has been implemented into all high schools throughout the district as a way to help juniors and seniors organize their college and high school education.

“We are utilizing it at our district to help students select their four-year course plan for every student,” college and career center counselor Leigh Spradlin said. “So students can select their classes for the next upcoming year. It is also a tool to search for colleges and careers, as well as

track your college applications and send documents for applications.”

Students can access Schoolinks through the PfISD website under the ‘Students,’ tab, or through Clever, and use their standard student ID login and password to enter. “[Schoolinks] is something that is pretty up and coming in the technology world that utilizes those things so we’re actually really lucky that the district grabbed it,” Spradlin said. “It’s a new software company. The district purchased it. It’s only been in place for this year. Actually, our first goal for this year, by the district, is to get you guys to log onto it, and that was it. Now since it’s up and running we

kind of took it a step further on our own, because it’s a great tool when you utilize the full thing.”

The website, in addition to course selection, has several features that can help with career decisions through quizzes, and through features that display colleges that pertain to that career.

“I mean it helps with planning colleges, but it also allows you to find career scholarships,” Spradlin said. “There are alumni features where you can come back in, although I haven’t really utilized it much yet because we haven’t had any alumni use it yet. Parents also have access to create an account where they can track what the student is working on as

far as their courses – what they’re taking or selecting for next year – and college applications.”

It can also create a résumé and help consolidate information about clubs, achievements, AP test scores, and SAT scores.

“A big deal is that we need everyone else to log in,” Spradlin said. “We’ve been to all the classes and tried to get the kids to do that, and that’s really what we need them to do this year, because they’re going to utilize it for course selection.

Every kid already has an account, we also encourage parents to create an account.

It is really a useful tool for both students and parents.”

News February 4, 2022

5

Successful Seasons

Multiple BPA members advance FFA team has 19 students qualifying for auction with 25 sale spots to statewide 4th place market medium wool; qualifies for auction The Future Farmers of America qualified pen of cockerels Karlie Riney – 5th place market medium wool; 19 members for the auction that happened Rabbits competition Bryce Baca – Won Senior Showmanship; 6th place qualifies for auction on Jan. 21, with 25 sale slots. The following students qualified.

Youth Fair Results Chloe Cox - Grand Champion; Baked Foods Division: Other Cake; Qualifies for auction Skyler Vickers - Grand Champion; Arts Division: Paintings, oil/acrylic; Qualifies for auction Bryce Baca -Grand Champion; Crafts Division: Leather Craft; Qualifies for auction Caden Faust - Grand Champion; Crafts Division: Mosaics; Qualifies for auction Caden Faust - Grand Champion; Woodworking Division: Small Tabletop Accessories; Qualifies for auction Jonah Monicrief - Reserved Grand Champion; Baked Foods Division: Pie Amanda Burgess - Reserved Grand Champion; Textile Division: Needle Work Bryce Baca - Reserved Grand Champion; Arts Division: Large Recycled Trash to Art Maria Ramirez (JR FFA) - Reserved Grand Champion; Textile Division: Constructed Garments Maria Ramirez (JR FFA) - Reserved Grand Champion; Textile Division: Accessories Livestock Show Results Poultry Show Chloe Cox – 11th place pen of pullets; qualifies for auction James Stevens – 18th place pen of pullets; 21st place

pen of market rabbits; qualifies for auction Ellie Casazza – 4th place senior showmanship; 17th place pen of market rabbits; qualifies for auction Jonah Monicreif – 20th place pen of market rabbits; qualifies for auction Amanda Burgess – 21st place pen of market rabbits; qualifies for auction Honorable mentions that participated in the market rabbit show but will not qualify for auction: Avery Tomastik; Melody Smith; Landry Pruett; and Tran Trieu Goats Alison Seaton – 2nd place market goat; qualifies for auction Amanda Nelsen – top 10 showmanship; 2nd place market goat; qualifies for auction Kyli Brinkerhoff – top 10 showmanship; 3rd place market goat; qualifies for auction Gianna Sangiovanni – top 10 showmanship; 3rd place market goat; qualifies for auction Troy Aldape – top 10 showmanship; 4th place market goat; qualifies for auction Jenna Donley-Beyers – 5th place market goat; qualifies for auction Lambs Trista Youngblood – top 10 Senior Showmanship; 2nd place market fine wool cross; qualifies for auction Avery Kurtz – placed 3rd in Senior Showmanship;

Honorable mentions that participated in the market lamb show but will not qualify for auction: Trista Youngblood – 5th and 6th place medium wool; Gianna Sangiovanni 5th place Southdown; and Lillian Tubbs 10th place medium wool Pigs Avery Tomastik – 1st place market swine; qualifies for auction Alison Seaton – 2nd place market swine; qualifies for auction Nolan Cruz Aedo – 6th place market swine; qualifies for auction Amanda Nelsen – 7th place market swine; qualifies for auction Haleigh Cruz Aedo – 10th place market swine; qualifies for auction Honorable mentions that participated in the market swine show but will not qualify for auction: Chloe Cox 6th place market swine; Caden Faust 7th place market swine; Maria Ramirez; and Grace Parrot Cattle Bryce Baca – Reserve Champion Showman for the Heifer Show Bryce Baca – 1st place market steer and Exotic Breed champion; qualifies for auction; 2nd place market steer

In January, the following students competed at and advanced to the State Leadership Conference for BPA that will occur in early March.

Video Production Team - Nigel Norman, Seher Taneja, Trinity Huynh Animation Team - Sean Eagin, Sreetharun Bodagala, Ella Larson Broadcast News Team - Damien Enderle, Robert Johnson, Dominick Bradley, Ryleigh Curran Computer Modeling - Joseph Kumpati Java Programming - Celina Shrestha Fundamentals of Web Design - Ananya Pal Entrepreneurship - Rakiah Williams SQL Database Fundamentals - Seher Taneja Ethics and Professionalism - Nigel Norman

New Ag building brings opportunities Sarah Schulze | Reporter Administrators have been planning on starting the construction of a new agricultural shop next to the agricultural building for around three years, unfortunately, plans were delayed because of COVID-19 restrictions, but now it’s finally coming together. The additional building is specifically designed for the Agricultural Mechanics program. The classes that will be taught in the new building are customarily geared towards welding and metal fabrication.

“Students will still meet in a regular classroom setting for instruction, testing, and attendance, but all hands-on activities will be in the new building,” agriculture teacher Jermey Bonds said. “Students do spend the majority of the class in the shop setting.”

Excitement is growing over the new addition to the Ag building.

“The remodel to the old building will be a really nice addition,” Bonds said “The vet tech and small animal courses will be able to do a lot more hands-on projects, such as grooming. The new building will allow us to have more floor space so that we can do more projects such as fire pits,

BBQ pits, and many other projects.”

Junior Regan Greene says she is thrilled to be able to participate in the activities that will be taking place in the new building.

“I’m really excited to see the finished product, there will be so much more space for all of the other Ag classes now, and I feel like we’re going to be able to do so much more hands-on type of assignments, and really get involved,” Greene said. “I can’t wait for more students to join Ag, and for them to be able to experience all of the fun and unique activities that most high schoolers typically aren’t able to experience.”

Floral Design teacher Ryan Runnels is ready to expand the learning opportunities for students interested in Ag, watch their curiosity grow, and help them direct their eagerness into beneficial activities that can possibly serve them later in life as potential careers.

“We are excited to see the world of Agriculture expand at Hendrickson,” Ryan Runnels said. “The shop will allow countless opportunities for students, and I can’t wait for it to be completed.”

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6

Opinions Volume 15, Issue 4

• Your Turn

• Staff Editorial

All eyes on us

Multiple Instagram accounts causing concern to students Consent is a strong word. To get someone’s permission to do anything invasive is important, no matter the context. At the end of 2021, the lack of consent surrounding photography at school was dramatic.

Around early December, a phenomenon occurred.

On Instagram, multiple pages were created to make fun of the actions of students by taking mostly nonconsensual pictures of them and posting them on the page saying they were ‘caught lacking’.

Though this trend started on TikTok and was made for a light laugh, the connotations surrounding the accounts got even more serious.

Throughout the months, numerous accounts were made all around the premise of making fun of people for daily activities; eating, parking, sleeping. As more school districts saw pages pop up, the variety of them changed. Potential school shooter accounts arose, as well as accounts of ‘smashing or passing’ a certain individual.

Pictures of people’s shoes under the bathroom stalls would get posted.

As if the line wasn’t already being crossed, some accounts took it further by posting photos taken in the school athletics dressing room and bathroom. When called out on the fact that this was a felony as it is deemed child pornography, accounts proceeded to keep the post up and state that

‘it wasn’t a big deal.

Some took it further by stating “I’m bringing a bomb to Hendrickson” because of how ‘soft’ everyone was about the accounts. Though many reports were made to administrators about this comment, no parents were contacted that day and the school day went on, causing many students to stress about coming to school.

It’s important for many to remember that while something may seem like a lighthearted joke to one person, it may devastate another. Many people are sensitive about their eating habits and have experienced major anxiety about the accounts taking pictures of them eating, causing them to avoid lunch altogether, which is dangerous for them. Some may have a hard time at home, making it hard for them to sleep.

If they’re getting their picture taken at school for just resting their head, it may cause them to be insecure about their home life or how they look when they sleep.

Nobody should be called weak or soft for stating how they feel about a situation that impacts many.

Nor should they be ignored by faculty or the school when trying to call out this behavior for what it is: cyber bullying.

“I think those Instagram accounts are super invasive, especially with the people whose pictures are being posted without giving their consent. I have friends who were posted to those accounts and they can not get it taken down so it makes me super uncomfortable because again, it is without their consent.

That kind of stuff can lead to cyber bullying and I think these accounts should be taken down” - Campbell Wright, 10

“This first thing that comes to mind is that it is an invasion of privacy. Just because someone thinks their action is weird does mean that it is. There is no context with it being posted.” - Mckenna Robertson, 12

“One major issue with these Instagram accounts aside from the invasion of privacy is that it can be putting people in legitimate danger. There are students at all schools that legally can not be pictured in the school and this can put people in danger. Additionally, being slandered on the internet is not acceptable.”

- Rachel Arrowood, 10

“I think that this is bad because when you link something such as Instagram to these pictures, it can lead to bullying. This is an invasion of privacy and those pictures go along with the concept of cyber bullying” Stuart Black, 12

“Well of course this is wrong, as it is an invasion of privacy. Taking pictures of people without their consent and posting it without their knowledge and of course that is not right.

This could lead to people being bullied and someone who’s doing their own thing and someone takes their photo and posts it it could lead to cyber bullying” - Will Schulte, 12

Illustration by | Daniel Mendoza The Hawk, the official student newspaper of Hendrickson High School, is an open forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions.

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville, TX 78660 http://www.pfisd.net/HHS (512) 594-1100 Student Population: 2,134 Staff: 180 Adviser: Kari Riemer Principal: Daniel Garcia www.facebook.com/HawkNewspaper

Opinions expressed reflect the beliefs of the student author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire Hawk Staff, the Hawk Adviser, the Hendrickson Faculty and Staff, or the Principal.

Letters to the editor are welcomed, and may be dropped off in E211.

Corrections will be printed when brought to the attention of the staff.

The Hawk is printed monthly at Community Impact in Pflugerville, Texas. 1,000 copies are printed each run, and are distributed to the student body for free through an advisory period and on newsstands throughout the building.

Editorial Staff

Associations

Co-Editors: Seth Deaton & Angelyna Rosales Managing Editor: Kaitlyn Nash Copy Editor Yael Behar Assistant Editors: Lili Moran, Landon Self, Ethan Tittle, Natalia Zaveleta Antonia Guardia Nadia Johst

Reporters

Kate Hayes Inez Moreno

Artists Yael Behar, Daniel Mendoza

Nosu Osakue Sarah Schulze

Interscholastic Press League Texas Association of Journalism Educators Journalism Educators Association National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press League

Honors

ILPC Bronze Star 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 ILPC Silver Star 2021 Columbia Scholastic Press League, Gold Medalist 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 Silver Crown, 2017, 2018, 2021 Pacemaker Finalist, 2018

Photo by Daniel Mendoza Model: Cheyenne & Phoenix Cosley

• Hit or Miss Parking lot causes traffic delays Getting out of school is an exciting daily activity that almost everyone looks forward to. However, the well-known inconvenience of the school parking lot deters this excitement and replaces it with a lot of discomfort and stress. Most kids take some form of vehicle to school, whether it’s a bus, car, or other mode of transportation. Add on the fact that some students have after school activities, jobs, chores, etc, and it’s a quite big mess. Everyone has somewhere to be by a certain time, so the long, aggravating traffic adds unnecessary stress to the individual driving.

Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done about the traffic besides offering staggered release times. This was offered at the beginning of the year, but due to difficulties within the student and staff groups, everyone now leaves at the same time. This creates a chaotic environment, filled with safety risks and anxiety. Overall, the traffic in the parking lot and surrounding areas is a nightmare to get past. The school’s traffic is a Miss.

Classes canceled due to lack of teachers and substitutes The schools in the district were closed on Jan. 21 and 24 due to a lack of coverage for classes. This was caused by teachers testing positive for COVID-19, and not having enough substitutes to fill their places.

The district made the decision and gave the public two days notice of what had concurred and the reasons why. Teachers and students have come down with COVID-19 at a higher rate, which has caused them to miss school. Cancelling school during these days was a hit.

“A” hall bathroom still without soap, causes students to be late The ‘A’ hall bathrooms still do not have soap, paper towels, or mirrors.

Although the other bathrooms around the school are starting to have soap and paper towels again, the students that have to use the ‘A’ hall bathroom are not close to any of the other bathrooms like the others are. This means that students either have to be late to class if they are going during a passing period. Or miss a lot of class time because they have to walk to the other side of the school to use the bathroom and is a MISS.

Capacity limited at indoor athletic, fine arts events

Following the rise of COVID-19 cases in the Central Texas area, the district has decided to limit the capacity of all indoor athletic and fine arts events to 50 percent capacity. Athletics will handle the capacity restriction through a ticketing system. However, 68 percent of Travis County residents have been fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times. This is an unnecessary precaution for a non risk.

Hospitalizations, and death rates have declined, lowering the risk of COVID-19. The district limiting capacity at Indoor athletic and fine arts events is a miss.

• Our Turn

Opinions February 4, 2022

7

A Pandemic of Unfair Pay

Editor remarks on low teacher pay, urges higher rate Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor It definitely has its perks, being a teacher’s kid.

My mom started helping with my education from a pretty young age; getting me interested in books, teaching me about different subjects I didn’t understand. She was one of the reasons that, at seven years old, I was doing unprompted research projects on various subjects like holidays or dolphins.

However, I had to get used to the fact that I had to share my mom with hundreds of other kids.

My mom, though prioritizing me first, treats her students as a priority, and as a speech and debate coach, my mom was always helping her students achieve greatness by spending hours with them at practice or in class going over speaking drills, cases, and other areas.

Therefore, I always saw my mom as deserving of what she gave to everyone around her. I wanted someone other than me to tell her, “I see what you’re doing and I appreciate the sacrifices you make for your job and these children.”

So you can see the absolute devastation that I felt when I was old enough to understand that my mom was not only not receiving any of the credit she deserved, but she was given almost nothing compared to what her services were worth.

In fact, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual earnings for teachers in Texas is around $59,000, while the median earnings for a full-time employee with a bachelor’s degree are $70,000. That’s 15.7% lower than other workers in Texas. Compare this to the median salary of all living in Austin, $71,000, and the disparities really start to show.

Not only that, but according to Section 617.003 of the Texas Government Code, Texas teachers aren’t allowed to strike when they see injustice in their working conditions or pay when compared to 15 other states where striking is perfectly acceptable for teachers.

These facts make it exceptionally hard for my mom and other teachers to stay in the profession when the pandemic comes into the equation.

With such an unprecedented event changing every aspect of life, I could tell that my mom, like many of her colleagues, was feeling the brunt of the storm.

Illustration by | Yael Behar

They had to pretend like we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic, teaching through a traumatic stage in our history where all of us have had to share in the grief of losing years of academics, social life, and even their lives.

Even when we got back from the lock down, teachers had to help students heal through the wound of the trauma that was seeing loss all around them by being a strong force that students could look up to. Having to catch students up socially and academically while also personally dealing with the spread of COVID-19 is more than just teaching; it’s being the first line of defense. It’s holding the hands of terrified children who have never had to deal with such a wide array of experiences in their lives.

It’s smiling through exhaustion, teaching through doubt, and prepping for the next disease, whether it be literal or figurative.

And all through that, teachers had to deal with the fact that, paycheck-wise, they weren’t being appreciated for their work. They were constantly being told to move on, get through it, and receive nothing more than a $500 bonus at the end of the year.

I have watched multiple teachers leave the profession not because they hated their job or wanted to get away from the kids, but because they had no other choice. I’ve been recognizing it more and more with each passing semester and this past fall, it hit me hard when one of my favorite teachers decided to quit her job and move to another sector of the workforce as the pay was much better than what she got for being a teacher. I suddenly realized that it wasn’t just my mom struggling through this pandemic, but every single teacher I had this year.

They all collectively have been sharing the weight of holding onto a slippery rope of the unknown.

It’s high time for everyone, not just students, to realize the sacrifices being made in one of the hardest jobs in history; teaching. And not to just realize these sacrifices, but to fairly compensate the workers who deal with a job on top of a job on top of a job. Then, and only then, will we stop seeing a steady flow of teachers leaving the workforce and actually experience an inflow of new minds, hoping to share their light and experiences with the new faces of the next generation.

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Feature Volume 15, Issue 4

Whats In a Name?

Student shares intersectional meaning behind name Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor D-E-V-I-N. Devin. This is it, junior Devin Nguyen thought to them self. They would no longer have to deal with the unpleasantries of hearing a name that never felt like them. A name that just didn’t sit right.

Now it was different, perfect.

“When you undergo the act of changing your name, you’re not changing who you are as a person, you’re just embracing the other aspects of who you are,” Nguyen said. “It’s kind of like you’re leveling up and becoming a newer person.”

After coming out as gender fluid, Nguyen struggled with feeling connected to their birth name and wanted to aim for something more gender neutral. Nguyen got inspiration from their Vietnamese middle name, Dai Bien, leading them to the name Devin.

“I wanted to stay both culturally connected to myself while also embracing the other aspects of my identity,” Nguyen said. “I have a lot of connection to intersectionality and found it necessary to embrace that.”

For Nguyen, their culture has been a vital part of their life growing up; a part of their life that has given them immense pride.

“It’s a really important aspect of my identity,” Nguyen said. “I feel very connected to it, and it’s helped shape who I am as a person and how I celebrate and experience life.”

Nguyen wanted to honor those pieces of their culture through their name.

“I really enjoyed being able to integrate a part of myself into something so important,” Nguyen said.

“It’s been an integral part of forming the aspects of my identity, from how I view the world to the food I

make for breakfast and had I not embraced it, I would be missing a world of who I am.”

Just as the name Devin has further connected them to their culture, Nguyen feels it has also enhanced their connection to their gender identity.

“It has made coming out as gender fluid so much easier and frankly, approachable,” Nguyen said. “It’s just one extra thing I never have to clarify and makes being a gender fluid person who uses all pronouns much easier.”

Nguyen hopes that everyone can learn to value their names along with who they are. “[Your name] does not make you up as a person, there’s obviously other aspects of yourself,” Nguyen said. “But, honoring your name and what you’re called is an important part of honoring yourself as a human being.”

“My parents named me Angelove and when they went to the doctor when I was being born, the doctor accidentally took off the ‘E’ so they ended up spelling Angelov without it. All of my siblings have ‘love’ in our names. I like it because it’s different. A lot of people mispronounce it or they don’t spell it right so I usually don’t go by it, I just go by Angel. If I could change my name I’d probably just change it to Angel because it’s simpler and I always go by Angel and I would just make Love my middle name.” - Angelov Sanders, 11

“My mom just thought it was pretty. There wasn’t any particular significance behind it before I was born, but now, I really like rock climbing, and ‘yael,’ is actually the name of a mountain ibex in Hebrew, so I always connect it to that. Sometimes I wish I could make my name easier for people to pronounce, because people get it wrong a lot, although I’m not sure how I would go about doing it. But I love my name, it’s pretty.” - Yael Pomerantz, 9

“My name, Osazemwongie, means ‘whatever God says I laugh,’ which is a proverb in the Bible. And my mom gave it to me because of that when I was born, I was laughing. So, she gave it to me, and that became my name, and it’s also my grandfather’s name. I just felt kind of special, I guess you can say in a way that like, I kind of have a different name or more unique name than others made me feel a significance of different things.”

-Osazemwongie Osakue, 12

“My name was mixed between my great grandma’s name and my mom’s name. My mom’s name is Lisa and my great grandmother’s name is Janice, so they mixed them together. I’ve looked it up and everything, but I’ve never seen anything about the meaning. There’s not many people named Janisa and it’s pretty cool.” - Janisa Miles, 10

“I never felt a connection to my birth name (Pris Tutt) because I didn’t think it fit who I wanted to be. I always grew up watching the Matrix with my dad when he wasn’t deployed, and one day I told him that I wanted a nickname for myself and we chose Neo after our favorite movie to watch together.” - Neo Tutt, 11

“My name is originally from India. I don’t know much about its origin other than where it originated. I don’t know anyone else with my name. However, I know some people that have names similar to mine. I think my name is unique.” - Nanda Prasad, 11

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Feature February 4, 2022

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Editor describes historical, cultural significance of names Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor All of our names have histories. Whether it’s a name that has been passed down for generations or a name that means something to someone. Names are an important part of who we are and our identity. They carry personal, cultural, familial, and a historical significance. Our names give us a sense of who we are and what communities we belong to. Learning about our names helps us understand our origin.

Names serve as a way to connect to our culture. They can tell stories of descendants or express aspirations. In many Native American cultures, names can reflect a person’s character- these names are earned, they are derived from nature. Names can also symbolize religion. Christians or Catholics commonly adopt names from important figures observed in their faith, similarly to Islamic or Hindu cultures.

A name could reflect love, luck, hope, faith, justice,

anger, or despair. In many Asian cultures, names are chosen with specific symbolism and aspirations. Chinese names consist of two characters, each with a different meaning. A child’s name could determine their luck in their future careers, education, or marriage.

Language plays a big part in names as well. It is the basic building block of names. You can identify the origin of your name based on what language it is in. Latino names are derived from Spanish, during the colonization of the Americas. Some have Latin roots with Latin meanings.

Last names in Latino culture are incredibly important as they show family lineage and years of family history, and it may be similar for other cultures as well.

Respecting names is just as important, whether it’s a given name or a name chosen to represent our identity.

Many people who are a part of the LGBTQ community, especially transgender people, would rather be referred to by their chosen name that matches their identity and differs from their birth name. While it may seem like a small thing to many, respecting people’s preferred names

makes a difference.

Learning how to properly pronounce your name or the names of others, creates a more respectful environment and impacts people greatly. People with foreign names are constantly having to change or simplify their given name in order to make it easier for others to say. This erases a part of their identity and culture. Taking the time to learn their names makes sure that they are not discouraged from identifying themselves with their culture.

Everyone’s names have meaning. No matter how common it might be, learning the ancestry and stories behind our names allows us to understand who we are at a deeper level. Our names stay with us throughout our lives and at some point will become family history. The sense of identity and uniqueness that names give us is the heart of why names interest us and are important to us as individuals. So ask yourself, “What does my name mean?” and open yourself up to a new world meaning.

Daniel Mendoza | Photographer

Senior twins discuss feelings, differences in personalities in relation to name Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor From the moment someone is born, they are adorned with the one thing that will stay consistent throughout their life, the one thing that will always represent who they are: their name.

Inspiration for a name can come from anywhere, but for senior Phoenix Cosley, her parents were inspired by a street sign in Phoenix, Arizona. However, for her twin’s name, senior Cheyenne Cosley, her parents were sparked with inspiration from their heritage.

“The meaning behind my name specifically comes from native origins because Cheyenne is an Indian tribe and both my dad’s side and my mom’s sides are Native American,” Cheyenne said.

Due to the differences in which their names originated,

Cheyenne and Phoenix have different feelings towards the background of their names.

“I think the name [Phoenix] is just super unique,” Phoenix said. “I’ve never met anyone with my name, and I think it’s kind of powerful because it’s associated with the phoenix bird which represents fire and power.”

For Cheyenne, her name brings her closer to her Native American heritage “I think it’s a meaning of heritage,” Cheyenne said.

“I come from a lot of places and I have a lot of different nationalities, so the fact that my name comes from the Native American part of me is pretty cool.”

If their names had been switched when they were born, Cheyenne believes people could potentially treat them differently.

“To see that switch would be interesting,” Cheyenne said. “Maybe [Phoenix] would act different, or people

would treat her differently because she would have a different name.”

Personality traits, interests, and hobbies all have some potential connection with your name, and if their names were switched she may have been more like Cheyenne, according to Phoenix.

“I don’t have a lot of hobbies if I’m being honest,” Phoenix said. “But I feel like your name stems in with the creativeness, and uniqueness of what we do. I think that it does have some connection with your name.”

While their names are extremely different, Phoenix said their names fit their personalities perfectly.

I feel like [Cheyenne’s name] just fits her personality so well,” Phoenix said. “And I guess that’s just because that’s how everybody’s name is, but I just don’t think I’d fit it. She’s just such a Cheyenne. I’m just such a Phoenix.”

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Feature Volume 15, Issue 4

Seeing the Signs

Student speaks up about psychological abuse in relationship Kate Hayes | Reporter Abuse can come in a variety of forms. Most commonly, the mention of interpersonal abuse, violence, and intimidation often only calls to mind images of physical abuse. However, the type of harm that receives far less attention is psychological abuse, which frequently occurs in family structures, intimate partnerships, and close social circles. SafeLives, a UK-based domestic violence organization, defines psychological abuse as “the regular and deliberate use of a range of words and non-physical actions used with the purpose to manipulate, hurt, weaken or frighten a person mentally and emotionally.” These types of relationships exist regardless of age group, as the CDC reports an estimate of up to 20 percent of middle school and high school students experienced physical or emotional abuse in dating relationships in 2006.

Sophomore Alyssa Jones’* experiences with psychological abuse occurred in a romantic relationship, but like many others, it was difficult to realize that it happened at all.

“I accepted it after a long time,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t have classified it as abuse, but then I came to realize that what they did really messed up my mental state.”

Often due to the lack of attention psychological abuse receives in comparison to physical abuse, victims can be unaware they are experiencing psychological abuse even

as it happens, demonstrating a hidden danger to teens navigating relationships.

“I left right after I found out everything they did,” Jones said. “I just told them that I don’t want to be related to them in any way, and never talked to them again.”

Recovering from their harmful relationship was a long and difficult process, but ultimately one that has proven successful.

“I stayed reserved for a while, but after that, I rekindled friendships that genuinely make me feel like they’re family. They help lead me through even my toughest nights,” Jones said. “I’m still healing, but I’m definitely much better than I was before.”

Drawing from their experiences, Jones realizes there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding abusive relationships.

“Mainly that the only type of abuse is physical, because there is definitely more than one.”

For freshman Aiden Porter*, their experiences with psychological abuse were not limited to them, but their entire family, perpetrated by another family member.

“I know for my family, big red flags started with their repetitive lies and constant manipulation of situations,

even if the situation was over something little or insignificant,” Porter said. “Since I was young when this happened, it’s hard to remember, but I know my parents found it very difficult to go through. I know it was very relieving to cut things off with this family member rather than have to put up with it.”

A retrospective study from the United States shows that 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women reported experiencing some form of abuse in their childhood.

“Abusive relationships can come in many different shapes and sizes,” Porter said. “For some, it can be obvious and easier to break off, while for others it can often feel like being stuck in a never ending situation of constant ups and downs.” *Pseudonym

Student shares story, impact of abusive Queer relationship Nadia Johst | Reporter Love is in the air, and with love comes everyone’s fair share of boundaries and ways to show care for one another.

What many fail to consider throughout this season of love is how the Queer experience differenciates from the heterosexual perspective.

With stigma and homophobia comes a new, unspoken wave of struggles, specifically, for those stuck in abusive Queer relationships.

A common (but not universally shared)

experience between survivors is the seemingly peaceful months leading up to the abusive behaviors.

“After about two mo​​nths,” junior Neo Tutt said, “I heard they had been talking good about me to their friends but never heard it to my face.”

Tutt states that the effects of abusive relationships can be harmful.

“It made me feel less important and overlooked. I had low self esteem and self isolating thoughts of not wanting to be around,” Tutt said.

Society’s reaction to Queer violence can

vary from heterosexual dating violence, and she said the experience is often feeling less important than a heterosexual survivor.

“They usually want to say it’s more about the sex and they never teach about Queer abuse,” Tutt said, “It feels less important.”

Along with society’s reaction, Queer a b u s e survivors also have to e x p e c t individuals’

reactions when opening up about their dating experience. In the past, Tutt has dealt with many different reactions.

“They’re surprised more than anything else, like not being able to believe that that could happen,” Tutt said, “We need better systems and laws to protect Queer survivors.”

Tutt emphasizes the sources of support in the community, and shares an encouraging message to those stuck in abusive relationships. “They’re not alone and it’s not something to be embarrassed or ashamed of.”

Illustration by | Yael Behar

Feature February 4, 2022

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Student reflects on abusive relationship experience, offers advice Yael Behar | Copy Editor An estimated 10 million people per year are victims of physical abuse in the United States alone. This is a statistic that does not even include people under the ages of 18, or physical abuse that goes unrecorded. For February, Teen Dating Violence Awareness month, the topic of physical abuse that occurs in relationships is brought into the limelight, and attention can be brought to the pervasive issue.

“Nobody deserves to have to put up with [physical abuse] in a relationship, especially one that's supposed to make you happy,” Kimberly Winston* said. “A relationship is supposed to make you feel protected and loved. A relationship is not supposed to hurt you more than it fills you with joy.”

Physical abuse can often affect a person's mental health beyond the detrimental toll it takes on physical health.

“It definitely changed how I go about [relationships],” Winston said. “It changed how I view them, because I used to view them as something that was really cool and really exciting. Once this happened, it changed my thinking. ‘Oh, this isn't a good thing, this isn't exciting. This is actually a really scary thing.’ It's really scary to be with a person when you don't know their intentions. It rewired my whole system.”

Within teens, abuse all across the board can be especially harmful due to the key development the brain faces in the teenage years, and the way that abuse can inflict trauma.

“There were a lot of red flags,” Winston said. “But I think that in my mind specifically when I realized, it was when there was just numbness everywhere. Things would happen, and I would just sit there. There were just days out when the numbness hit me, when the emptiness hit, and when it felt like I lost myself. It felt like I was just a completely different person, or a shell of a human being.

I just lost it. And I think that that was one of the biggest wake up calls.”

Only a percentage of victims of physical abuse have a support system to rely on, but that support system can drastically increase the survival rate of victims.

“For a while, it felt like I was on my own,” Winston said.

“And it felt like I was stuck in that. But the one person that

I remember really sticking up for me was my mom. When I told her about it, she told me, ‘That’s not okay, you need to report that.’ I talked to my friends about it. And they confirmed that that's not good behavior. That was my first relationship ever, I had never been in a relationship before.

So it confirmed that's not okay, and what they're doing is physically abusive. It was hard. Getting that support and g e t t i n g that feedback and

getting that reassurance is really good for somebody going through [abuse].”

There are plenty of hot lines that victims of abuse can call to get help, but the effects of abuse can linger long past the relationship itself.

“A lot of time was healing,” Winston said. “It took a lot of time to recover from those experiences. And even then you're not fully recovered. A lot of it was disbelief.

Sometimes, after certain instances happened, I would like sit there and ask myself, ‘did that just happen? Is this happening to me? Is this real? What is happening?’ There's a lot of disbelief and a lot of doubt. And even after, even to this day, it's really hard to come to terms with. It's a really

hard journey of accepting that it happened.”

Because many abusers control financial assets or hold general control over the victim, its often difficult for the victim to simply up and ‘walk away.’ Winston added that it's extremely hard to get out of abusive relationships that change your mental health.

“One of the first things that I did was I broke up with them,” Winston said. “That's the very first thing that I did after a long time. And then I filed an investigator report.

I gave them screenshots. I gave them confessions, I gave them all of this stuff to show that he had been hurting people and hurting me. I did all that stuff to convict him of the physical abuse. Some people aren't as lucky as I am. I was in this spot where people believe me, and people seemed to be responsive.”

Keeping evidence is key, but not indicative of the legitimacy of the situation, Winston said.

“You don't need evidence to make it real,” Winston said. “Because I know that that's a really pressured thing. But some people do have evidence so if you have evidence, keep it if you're planning on reporting, but prepare yourself because the system is not built for abuse survivors. It's just not built for them.

It's really easy to get hurt by the system.”

The aftermath of physical abuse cases can be difficult to overcome, but there are resources and people to help, both within school and out of it.

“He forced into me thinking I was weak, that I was vulnerable, that I was innocent, that I was all this stuff that wasn't true,” Winston said. “I survived it. And I got out of it. And I lived through it. I was stronger. I wish that I could go back and tell myself that I was a lot stronger than I had originally thought. I think that realizing that I deserve more than that, and realizing that I deserve respect, that's one of the things that I gained from it. Up until then, I had just taken all kinds of treatment. But then, I kind of put my foot down and said ‘that's not okay.’ Everybody deserves basic respect. And nobody should be touched like that.

Nobody should be treated like that.” *pseudonym Illustrations by | Yael Behar

Social worker gives advice, importance fo Teen Dating Violence Awareness Nosa Osakue | Reporter During Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, or TDVAM, school social worker Lori Carl provides advice on how to prevent unhealthy relationships in hopes to inspire students to pursue and strive for healthier relationships.

According to Carl, some ways to avoid toxic relationships

include taking notice of red flags which includes someone who is possessive, jealous, manipulative, emotionally or physically abusive. On the contrary, a healthy relationship should be something that is communicative, a trustworthy partner, allows you to have friends, does not lie to you, cares about your feelings, and listens

to you. A healthy relationship should consist of two people who mutually respect each other and care about each other, and how each other feels.

Every year during the week of Valentines Day ,Carl along with multiple student organizations put on a Teen Dating Violence Awareness Campaign throughout the

whole school. During this week, trained students will teach other students about red flags or signs of an unhealthy relationship, which will allow these students to gain a lot of information on how to recognize whether they are in a healthy relationship and if not, how to get out of it. They will also be creating a mural with the art classes to depict

healthy dating relationships and host an open mic night to talk about healthy relationships and dating violence. She and the students will also post stickers and QR codes through an app called loveisrespect.org. With the help from Girl Advocates and other student organizations she hopes to spread awareness of this issue.

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Feature Volume 15, Issue 4

Paying Tribute

Students share their feelings about Black History Month

Nosa Osakue | Reporter February is a month dedicated to the history and celebration of black excellence and the numerous challenges they have faced through the centuries. A month in which people take time to appreciate and recognize the effect and role African Americans have played in U.S. history. A month in which people with or without color reflect on the past generations of African Americans struggling against the countless oppositions they were forced to face. This is the essence of Black History Month.

“The month is important because it brings everybody together to learn about the history and struggle of African Americans. So we as a country can learn about what they went through and teach people who don’t know about their history. This allows us to recognize heroes who have sacrificed so much to gain the equality we have today. - Zen Goyco-Rivera, 10

“Everything, the history in general, is important because it shows the oppression that they have had to face. Along with the influence their culture has had on America is so great that it would be downright criminal to not celebrate it.” - Olivia Gomez, 9

“Black History Month is significant because it helps America as a whole to reflect on how the contributions of black citizens have contributed to America’s success, and how without them things couldn’t have been the same.”

Jacob Gladney, 9

“Black History Month is important because we remember things about African American history, the good things that happened, the bad things that happened.

Regardless, it shows us how far we have come from so little.” - Courtney Dawson, 12

“Black History Month express and shows how far we have come from mere slaves but to fully recognized citizens of the U.S. It shows how strong we are, where we came from, how we continue to persevere through any challenges, and continue to hold our head high and take pride in the color of our skin.” -Lilith Jones, 10

“Black History Month is so important because it symbolizes all the hardships and tribulations that colored people, especially African American people have endured and to acknowledge inequalities that shouldn’t be there. As all people are born equal and shouldn’t be treated differently. -Carlos Sahagun, 12

“It’s important to remember the efforts of and the efforts of people of color in the past to grow, and to document these achievements and accomplishments, so that history may not repeat itself again.” - Jake Garcia, 10 “It is significant to celebrate Black History Month because of how valuable a lesson it is to educate people about black issues and their oppressed history as some people may not know enough about it. It’s also important to celebrate African American history because it shows how far we have come as a country within a couple hundred years regarding racial prejudice.” -Emily Romero, 12 “It’s important to celebrate Black History Month because it highlights all of the important influential African Americans that have made such a huge impact on our country and how we see race. Without question African Americans are probably one of the races who have faced, if not the most amount of racial prejudice, so dedicating one month isn’t even enough to cover it.”

-Avery Vincent, 9 “It's important because we need to remember that all the African American people in history have made an impact on us. So that we would be able to sit, eat, talk, and treat each other without any prejudice or as less but as equals.” - Dawson Jones, 10

“It gives a chance to express the history and how much black people in America have overcome. It also helps commemorate the African American heroes that got us to where we are as well as raising future generations of African American heroes to lead us into the future.”

-Nolan Roldan, 9

Artwork provided by | Black Student Union The Black Student Union will be hosting “The Power of Words,” a no place for hate collaborative meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 23. “[The meeting will] talk about how words impact us all as people, especially our hawk community.” English teacher Jessica Williams said. https://pfisd-net.zoom.us/j/87172408014 Meeting ID: 871 7240 8014 Passcode: 713595

“It’s important to celebrate Black History Month because it gives us a chance to celebrate people in this country who have not been given the necessary recognition for how badly they were treated in the past.

It’s also important to show this recognition to people who make up so much of this country’s history and culture.”

-Deborah Reis, 10

“Black History Month is important because it represents the individuals who haven’t always had the representations they deserved. This month allows them to speak about and represent all their struggles as a community in a way they could never do before.” - Haley Jorgensen, 10 “It is important because we need to recognize our country's history and recognize all of the cultures that we have living here together as a community. Especially African Americans who have done so much for this country and weren't given the respect they deserve until recently.” - Spanish teacher Alberto Macias “Our school system does actually fail to educate people in African American history, even though it’s such a big part of our history. Regardless of the importance it was still buried under things like prejudice and racism. That’s why it’s important that this month is dedicated so we as a country can be properly educated.” -Olivia Cano, 10 “It allows us to celebrate people who have made such marks in history not even just in America but in the whole world. Regardless of the troubles in the past that they faced they were still able to make a difference and this month highlights the accomplishments of these people.”

- Lilianna Gozmen, 10

English Book Reviews

Feature February 4, 2022

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Students Discuss Class Books They’ve Read

Seniors

“My favorite book I read was Pride and Prejudice because it shows a captivating story of two individuals that are so different but the same in many ways and how they come together in the end after many blockades, keeping them apart and how it finally becomes a love story.” - Brooke Bradley, 12

written in modern English, it was easier to follow. And it was an interesting story line.” - Nishka Talwar, 12

“The Silent Patient in Mrs. Guthrie's class because the main character arc that he goes through is so drastically different than all the other main characters that I’ve read through in different years, and it’s just gets better and better as you read it.” - Jordan Berry, 12 “I would say Frankenstein because first of all, that's the only book we have read in Mr. Busch's class, but also, it had some mystery. It kept you longing and wanting more. And because I've always heard the story of Frankenstein in the movies and then the book was just better.” Sydney Greene, 12

“My favorite book that I've read so far this year is the Silent Patient because I like the story line of it. It's not like a lot of the English books that I've read in the past because a lot of them were felt very educational. They were old school like Shakespeare or Charles Dickens, things like that, which I didn’t really understand.

But, the fact that this one was

Juniors “I read the Scarlet Letter for English and I really enjoyed it.

I liked the small bits of romance and how the book addressed feminist themes. In the story of Hester Prynne, Hawthorne wrote about the complex heart, mind, and soul of a woman, which you typically didn’t see in literature back then.

Usually I don’t enjoy books when they are assigned and we have to read them, but I was impressed.” Regan Greene, 11 “I read Julius Caesar. The book was pretty long, and at first, it was difficult to get into, but eventually I was able to read it

constantly and appreciate the writing style. I enjoy that they incorporate the force of fate in life versus the capacity for free will.” - Colin Martinez, 11

“For AP English I had to read To Kill a Mockingbird. The book was extremely heavy and it was filled with underlying themes and important messages.

The book portrays a story of innocence destroyed by evil. To Kill a Mockingbird reveals a portrait of race and class, innocence and injustice. I am very glad that it was required for us to read, I believe that it teaches a lesson of hypocrisy and heroism, a lesson that’s worth learning.” - Devin Nyguyen, 11

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

-Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

Sophomores

“Persepolis was my favorite book I’ve read this year in English. I thought it was very impactful. I learned a lot about Iranian history and the art style was really interesting. I didn’t really like Animal Farm, I found it pretty boring and even though there weren’t a lot of pages, it felt really slow paced.” - Spencer Coleman, 10 “I read Animal Farm and surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. When I was first reading it, I was really confused but then, I realized that the whole thing was just an allegory. When I understood that, then I was able to really grasp the purpose of the novel. I enjoyed how it displayed the main theme of the desire for power. It was really mind-changing.” - Neo Tutt, 11

“My favorite book I’ve read this year is Persepolis. I really enjoyed hearing her story, and the illustrations really added to the essence of the story, which gave me a better understanding of what she was saying. The way she told the story was also very enjoyable, I couldn’t put the book down.” -Tessa Calabrese, 10 “My favorite book that I read in English was definitely Persepolis. It was a really interesting read and explained things from an area that I didn’t have much knowledge on beforehand. Animal Farm was also really good, but it was a little bit harder to understand, like keeping track of all the animals’ names.” - Rhylan Carter, 10

“I really liked Jane Eyre because I’m kind of a nerd for reading and I love getting to read the old fashioned dialogue because I had never really read anything like that.”Avery Yates, 9 “The Scarlet Ibis was my favorite book to read because it was an interesting book to read. It grabbed my attention and was fun to read with the class.”Arianna Dillow, 9

My favorite was the House on Mango S t r e e t because each one was a different poem with different meanings and each one meant something to me.”

-Nyema Belcher, 9 I really liked the House on Mango Street because it had so many different points of view and I liked the story it told.”Ivan Chavez Bueno, 9

Freshmen

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Sports Volume 15, Issue 4

Fighting for Attention Small program athletes deal with lack of recognition Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Crowds can change the outcome of a game. They can shift momentum and help a team hold onto it with the noise from the stands. But there are some sports that don’t get the recognition to fill the seats in the stands to create a crowd with that kind of impact.

Athletics are mainly dominated by a few major sports, but there’s a lot of smaller programs that tend to fly under the radar because they don’t have the same numbers or funding as the bigger sports.

“There’s a lot of things that we don’t get compared to the bigger sports,” senior varsity track and field athlete Allison Morris said.

“That’s why we try to do more volunteering to get more money.

We usually have to, otherwise we won’t get lunches or meals, and we have old equipment from like five or 10 years ago.”

One of the reasons the smaller programs have lower numbers is because there’s not a lot of awareness raised about them.

Many of the athletes become

interested in the programs outside of school.

“I started working at a golf course, and I started picking up golf clubs in the range and hitting,” senior golfer Caden Faust said. “I started to like it, so I just started to play at the range every now and then. I wasn’t that bad at it, so I decided I’d try to play for the school.”

Bigger programs are a tight knit group as a unit, but as individuals, they may not be as close. One of the benefits of smaller programs is it’s easier to grow bonds with the people in your program.

“I feel like you’re more connected with the people who do it and you have more of a connection with the coaches and just those relationships,” Morris said. “You spend a lot of time with a fairly small group of people so it’s almost inevitable that you’d grow close to them.”

Usually in bigger programs there’s more of a divide between the upperclassmen and the underclassmen. That’s because usually the varsity and JV teams

practice separately and more times than not, the varsity is mostly upperclassmen, but with smaller programs everyone usually practices together.

“One time for practice we did this tournament called a scramble that was only kids on our team,” Faust said. “Basically they split us into two teams.

You’re technically playing by yourself, but you’re playing with everyone at the same time. It was pretty fun.”

Regardless of the size of these programs the athletes within them are all driven by the same thing as every other athlete; competitive nature and a desire to win.

“I started doing [field] initially because I had a lot of free time and I heard about it from a friend’s mom,” Morris said. “But now I love it. Winning meets is so fun, especially when you win first. It’s just a really good feeling to go out there and be rewarded for all the work you’ve put in.”

Senior thrower Allison Morris competing in shot put at a meet during her junior year. Photo provided by | Peter Noonan

Senior receives award for reaching milestone in career points Senior varsity basketball player Erika Suarez receiving her award for reaching 1,200 points in her high school basketball career during halftime at the game against Connally high school on Jan. 18.

Andrea Eriqua| Eriqua Photographer

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Dominating. That’s a word heard often when people talk about Erika Suarez’s performance on the basketball court, and her latest milestone is proof.

Senior Erika Suarez reached 1,200 career points during the game against Manor on Jan. 11. She was awarded for her achievement at the next home game after reaching the milestone.

“I was just really proud of myself and I just felt very accomplished for what I’ve been doing these past four years,” Suarez said. “It just felt very rewarding to finally achieve a big goal like that.”

Suarez is known as a leader on the team and has been nominated All-District academic and

McDonald’s All-American, and says she’s very proud of reaching her latest milestone in her career.

“I definitely feel like it’s one of the top accomplishments for me,” Suarez said. “Other than getting a full ride scholarship to Temple College.

Both of those things that have been very rewarding for me.”

The process to earn her scholarship has been a long one, according to Suarez, and she said she couldn’t have done it without her parents’ help.

“It just feels good to finally be able to pay my parents back for all the hard work they put in for me over the years,” Suarez said. “They’ve been with me throughout this process and it feels good to have a way to reward them for everything they’ve done for me.”

15

Sports February 4, 2022

Super Suarez

Senior discusses basketball career going into final season

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor

Q& A

What does a typical day in basketball look like for you?

How long have you been playing basketball?

“I train a lot and go shooting a lot, whether that be staying after school to get extra shots up with my teammates or finding extra time at a different facility. Recovery is a big part of it, and lifting weights on my own. So just staying focused and knowing what I have to do to get better.”

“I have been playing basketball for my entire life. I would say since I was probably five, but then I got serious about it once I was in fifth grade.”

How do you find ways to stay motivated?

What made you choose basketball over other sports?

“My teammates do that for me naturally, and my role on the team does that for me as well because I know that I’m a leader and I need to be on my A-game so that I can help my team perform well.”

How is high school basketball different from club?

“I think the environment is different. I think you probably receive more publicity in a way playing high school varsity basketball. That definitely creates a different environment.”

Senior girls varsity basketball player Erika Suarez taking a shot in the game against Bastrop on Dec. 17. “When I shoot I just try to focus and keep my eyes on the goal, and make sure I’m getting enough lift and holding my follow through. I don’t think I put to much thought into it during the game just because I have to get my shot off quick and it’s just muscle memory,” Suarez said.

Makaya Smith | Photographer

“I think it was the most competitive one for me, and I have a very competitive nature, so it was just the one I enjoyed the most because it gave me an outlet for that.”

How do your coaches impact your experience?

“I definitely think my coaches motivate me, especially my high school ones. They’re really family, and I know I can go to them for anything whether that be basketball or non-basketball, so just having that relationship with them definitely motivates me and I know they’ll always be supporting me.”

Senior girls varsity basketball player Erika Suarez practicing her passes during warms-ups before a game against Bastrop. “I try to get lots of shots up on the machine with coach Saunders and then do our stretches,” Suarez said.

Makaya Smith | Photographer

Senior varsity basketball players Erika Suarez and Holly Moyers doing a pre game ritual at the end of warm ups. “It’s just a fun handshake that we do before every game where we do a bow and arrow thing because I’m considered a ‘sniper shooter,’” Suarez said.

Makaya Smith | Photographer

16

Feature Volume 15, Issue 4

Rom-Com Movie Recommendations

Editors share their top romance-comedy movie picks for Valentines Day

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days features magazine journalist Andie Anderson, played by Kate Hudson, and advertisement executive Benjamin Barry, played by Austinite Matthew McConaughey. As a journalist for Composure magazine,

Andie’s main job is to produce a “Howto” column for each issue, her most recent one being how to lose a guy in 10 days, in which she does everything guys hate in a relationship in an attempt to make him break up with her in a week and a half. However, on the other hand, Ben is competing in a company bet to make a woman fall in love with him in the same amount of time. Both Andie and Ben are trying to complete their missions in the allotted 10 days, but end up falling in love with each other.

While it’s a fairly stereotypical rom-com plot, the movie is slightly different due to the fact that both characters have their own motives and enter the relationship for professional reasons. Additionally, Andie’s attempts to make Ben leave the relationship, and Ben’s attempts to stay calm and collected to help the relationship work, give the movie a fun-loving nature.

Overall the movie has a great balance between comedy and romance, making it one of the best movies to watch just before Valentine’s Day.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor Scott Pilgrim v.s the World is a romantic comedy film made in 2010. It revolves around the main character Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera, and his romantic life while going to “battle of the bands” with his garage band that he plays bass guitar in. While dating a high school student named ‘Knives Chou’ played

by Ellen Wong, Scott notices the person delivering his mail and falls in love.

Throughout the movie, Scott Pilgrim has to “defeat” his new lovers’ army of ex’s who will do what they can to stop him in different types of video game style fight scenes. I definitely recommend this movie because it dives more into the comedy aspect of a rom-com.

10 Things I Hate About You Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor 10 Things I Hate About You is one of those classic enemies to lovers, rom-com that you can never get enough of. The movie is a lot more realistic than other high school romance movies or shows I have ever watched. The fact that there are two romances happening at the same time, one between Kat (Julia Stiles) and Patrick (Heath Ledger) and the other between Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) and Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), creates parallels that are visually pleasing.

The dynamic between the main love interests is something ideal for many and enjoyable to see. My all-time favorite scene from this movie has to be when Pattrick sang “I Love You Baby” over the PA system on the field. This set a lot of standards for hopeless romantics out there. The music is great and the outfits and color schemes are some of

my favorites. I recommended this movie for any couples or singles to watch on Valentine’s Day for some laughs.

The Proposal Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Rom-coms are typically more romance than comedy, but The Proposal is an exception. The Proposal tells the story of Andrew Paxton, played by Ryan Reynolds, and Margret Tate, played

by Sandra Bullock, as they try to pull off a successful green card marriage so that Margret can keep her job as editor at the Ruick & Hunt Publishing.

In order to convince the immigration agent investigating them, Margaret and Andrew visit his family in Alaska for his grandma’s 90 birthday party. During their attempts to trick the agent and Andrew’s family they unintentionally begin to fall in love.

The Proposal is filled with witty one liners and clever comedy that keeps the audience laughing throughout its entirety while still maintaining the cute rom-com plot. It has a good balance of cheesy and romantic moments. It’s a movie that all

audiences can enjoy, and is a great relief from stereotypical Hallmark movies during a Valentine’s Day rom-com binge.

Photo credits: Universal Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures