The Hawk September 2020

il R

von igh t s M a A hm r tin au

Arbe d ry

Cor ey J one s

her nam e Tony de McDa

er rv Ta ius

lity

n r Da sio clu In

ua Eq

Shell y Kayla Frey Moo re

George Floyd

Michael Lorenzo Dean

I can’t breathe

The

Hawk

Freedom

Emmett Till Breonna Taylor

Say

Conflicts lead to violent s s protests e n r i a Page 8-9 F

Tamir Rice

Tra y

e c ts i Ju

Op po rtu ni ty

Civ

L

y t r e b i

BLACK AND BLUE

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 14, Issue 1 September 25, 2020

In this issue...

Election Preview - Page 2 Return to school - Page 10 Summer jobs - Page 12

2

News Sept. 25, 2020

state of the

UNION

Presidential Election Nears

The Incumbent: Donald Trump

The Challenger: Joe Biden

Landon Self | Asst. Editor

Liliana Moran | Reporter

President Donald Trump has served as President since 2017 after being elected in 2016. President Trump accepted the Republican Nomination for re-election on Aug. 27 at the Republican National Convention.

President Trump wants to create 10 million new jobs in 10 months as well as one million new small businesses.

President Trump wants to lower taxes to boost take-home-pay and give companies an incentive to pay employees more. He wants to expand opportunity zones to create more jobs.

“In a new term as President, we will again build the greatest economy in history and quickly return to full employment, soaring incomes, and record prosperity” Trump said at the Republican National Convention.

President Trump is in support of increasing exports of energy to the global market, expanding oil and gas drilling, and supports the Affordable Clean Energy Rule which eliminates greenhouse gases and promotes energy independence.

President Trump repealed the Obamacare Individual Mandate, which requires citizens to have insurance or they pay a price. He supports “Right to Try” access to medical treatment.

“I took on Big Pharma and signed orders that will massively lower the cost of your prescription drugs, and to give critically ill patients access to lifesaving cures, we passed the decades long-awaited Right To Try legislation,” Trump said.

“We also passed VA accountability and VA Choice.”

President Trump is fully against defunding local police departments. He supports the “National Public Safety Partnership” with cites to reduce crime on the streets. The Trump Administration has allocated more than $2 Billion in funding for school safety. He has signed three Executive Orders aimed at reducing international gangs and drug cartels presence.

“My administration will always stand with the men and women of law enforcement," Trump said. "Every day, police officers risk their lives to keep us safe, and every year, many sacrifice their lives in the line of duty."

Vice President Mike Pence served in the House of Representatives for 12 years prior to being elected Governor of Indiana in 2012. Donald Trump chose him to be his running mate at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and he has served as Vice President since 2017.

“In these challenging times, our country needs a president who believes in America, who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we hold dear,” Pence said at the 2020 Republican National Convention. “America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.”

Vy Bui | Artist

Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden shared his views on the economy, climate change, healthcare and Covid-19 crisis during his speech on August 20th at the Democratic National Convention.

“With passion and purpose, let us begin, you and I together,” Biden said.

“One nation, under God united in our love for America and united in our love for each other. For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear and light is more powerful than darkness.”

Biden seeks to get the Coronavirus under control. He believes that public healthcare professionals should make the public health care decisions, and that testing for the virus should be widely available.

“We will never get our economy back on track. We will never get our kids safely back in school.

We’ll never have our lives back until we deal with this virus.”

Biden said. “The president keeps telling us to wait for the virus to disappear. He keeps waiting for a miracle. Well I have news for him, no miracle is coming" Biden’s plan to deal with the climate crisis is to get the United States to a 100% clean energy economy and zero net emissions by 2050. He also seeks to make it easier for the middle class to get more eco-friendly jobs.

“We can and we will deal with climate change”, Biden said. ‘’It’s not only a crisis.

It’s an opportunity, an opportunity for America to lead the world in clean energy and create millions of good paying jobs in the process.”

In addition, Biden believes that health care should be affordable for all. Biden evisions building on the Affordable Healthcare Act by reducing the costs of healthcare, giving Americans more choice, and making the healthcare system less difficult to maneuver.

“The healthcare system that lowers premiums, deductibles, drug prices by building on the Affordable Care Act, he’s trying to rip away”, Biden said. “The childcare and eldercare system that makes it possible for parents to go to work, and for the elderly to stay in their homes with dignity.”

Joe Biden's Presidential running mate, Kamala Harris is the first woman of color to be nominated by a major political party for national office. Coming from immigrant parents, she also became the first African and Indian American woman to be elected as California's Attorney General and represent California in the United States Senate.

“She’s a powerful voice in this nation. Her story is the American story.” Biden said.

“She knows about all the obstacles shown in the way of so many in our country.

Women, Black women, Black Americans, South Asian Americans, immigrants, the left out and the left behind.”

Warp Speed Ahead

Pharma races to deliver vaccine Bryan Ross | Co-Editor

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, scientists across the world have been working on a vaccine to slow the pandemic.

Operation Warp Speed (OWS), a partnership among the components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) including the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Defense (DoD), along with other public and private agencies, is working towards the goal of delivering 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021. It aims to fast-track the development of a vaccine by simultaneously completing steps, rather than skipping steps. For

example, manufacturing of a vaccine will begin at the industrial level before safety testing is completed. While this increases the financial risk to investors, it does not increase the safety risk of the product. OWS, which is largely government funded, has thus far identified 14 candidates and plans to advance approximately seven onto clinical trials. According to OWS representative Gary Disbrow, the specific vaccines which have been chosen cannot be publicly released yet. Among the known vaccines to have made significant progress are the government-led Moderna vaccine mRNA-1273, the Novavax vaccine NVX-CoV2373, and the PfizerBioNTech vaccine BNT162b2.

Moderna mRNA-1273: Moderna, a biotechnology company focused on drug development, partnered with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to create mRNA-1273. It is the first vaccine in the US to begin Phase 3 trials. Phase 3 trials are usually the final test for a vaccine. While phase 1 and 2 test the efficacy and side effects of a vaccine, phase 3 tests its efficacy over a large number of people in many different locations. Moderna will use 30,000 volunteers over 87 different

locations to test mRNA-1273. On August 21st, Moderna announced they have enrolled 13,194 participants for the drug trials, with 18 percent of the participants being Black, Latino, American Indian, or Alaska Native, groups among the hardest hit by COVID-19. Moderna hopes to receive results by Thanksgiving, and if those are good, potentially receive emergency use approval by the FDA for high-risk patients as it considers full approval.

Novavax NVX-CoV2373: Novavax, a vaccine development company, has moved on to Phase 2 of its NVX-CoV2373 vaccine. Novavax recently initiated its phase 2b trials in South Africa including 2,665 healthy adults as well as 240 adults with HIV who are considered medically stable. Novavax

announced on Aug 25 that they had enrolled their first volunteer for their phase 2 trials, which in America will involve 1,500 adult patients, with up to 50 percent of them being between the ages of 60 and 84.

Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2: Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company and BioTech, a biotechnology company, announced that they would begin their phase 3 testing for their vaccine BNT162b2, referred to as B2, which notably was a different vaccine than the one they presented data for July 1. The original vaccine, BNT162b1, referred to as B1, had similar efficacy but greater side effects in patients. For B1, adults between the ages of 18 and 55 experienced adverse effects related to

the vaccine 50 percent of the time as opposed to 16.7 percent with B2. Adults between 60 and 85 experienced adverse effects thought to be related to B2 16.7 percent of the time, as opposed to none reported with B2. Pfizer has said that results from their phase 3 trial could come in as soon as October and if successful, the companies could seek approval as early as that month.

Information obtained from HHS.gov, sciencemag.org, duluthnewstribune.com, buisnessinsider. com, livescience.com, finance.yahoo.com, statnews.com, and pfizer.com

Sept. 25, 2020 News

3

• Your Turn A survey was sent out to the student body, receiving 398 responses, asking about when and if students would take a COVID-19 vaccine if one became available. Here are the responses, along with explanations from some students.

If a COVID-19 Vaccine became available by the end of 2020, would you take it?

44% 16.8%

At what point in time would you consider a potential COVID-19 vaccine safe to take?

13.1% 11.5% 11.6%

39.2%

41.4%

22.4%

As soon as possible Yes

Jan.-Summer 2021

No

Fall-Winter 2021

Undecided

2022 or beyond Never “I'm ready to be able to get back to some source of normal and not have to worry about getting others sick or myself."

Trey Lowery, 12

“If the vaccine is available to the public, I would assume that the FDA and other official organizations have approved it and that human trials have already occurred, so I would take it as soon as possible.”

Karina Deleon, 12

"The initial vaccines will likely not be able to protect from different stands of the virus.

More effective versions probably won't take long to come out though."

Diego Segura, 12 “The reason why I am against taking the vaccine is because I’m a big conspiracy theorist and I don’t fully trust the government. Also, the vaccine is new and I am not positively sure how serious the side effects will be.”

Ty’Jah Simon, 12.

4

News Sept. 25, 2020

A House Divided

• Our Turn

Editor reveals hardships of being a cop’s kid and an activist I couldn’t be silent when my friends and innocent is systematically put up against the black community.

As a person with anxiety, I’ve got to be honest; people were being harmed at the hands of an unjust But that wasn’t the hard part. I had to choose to put these past few months have been a worrisome few. system. my dad and I’s relationship on the line to become vocal As a community, we have all been struggling with Before I came to this conclusion though, I had to about injustice.

Covid-19, wildfires, and the 2020 election. But the take a good look at the situation, and a good look at In the beginning, me, dad and my sister had a lot of most prominent is one of the biggest revolutions of our what I was about to give up. I read articles and books long conversations and even fights about who was in the generation; The Black Lives wrong. I became frustrated Matter Movement. with my situation and began As a kid growing up, I was to unknowingly distance pretty woke. I understood myself from my dad. It made that climate change existed me upset that I couldn’t and that people are treated make him understand my differently because of their thoughts. I had to do a lot of skin. That’s probably because soul searching on accepting I had some pretty great others opinions in order to teachers; my parents. They not destroy relationships. taught me most everything Because in the end, my dad I know today, and because isn’t a friend I can cut off. He they interacted with me so was one of my first friends much, I was really close with and someone I had put all both of my parents. I never my trust into. I couldn’t just knew that something coming disown the person who had in the future would question raised me with my mom to my relationship with my make me the best I could dad. And I never knew that be. At some points, I really the reason we would grow thought my dad would apart from each other was never speak to me again and because of his profession. that he was embarrassed or I’ve always been a huge disappointed in me. But in the activist online and in my end, we decided we couldn’t community. If my school let our opinions overshadow was being too harsh on girls how much we cared for each for the dress code, I would other. protest it. If I saw something Junior Kaitlyn Nash takes part in a Black Lives Matter protest on Kelly Lane along with other Falcon Pointe Never will I ever understand needed to change, I tried to residents on June 7. what black people have to go change it. It’s never been a through every single day. problem for me to stand up for things I believe in. But and even watched movies trying to learn about the And this experience with my dad is nothing compared I got put to the ultimate test when the 2020 Black Lives injustice black people face every single day of their life. to their hardships. Even though we disagree on the Matter movement came about. I was put in a very hard I learned about how corrupt the prison system was. I movement sometimes, we both decided that we need position; do I speak about police brutality, or do I stay learned that cops were originally put in place to catch to stand in solidarity with the black community. silent to save the feelings of my father. And I chose. slaves. I even learned about how our judicial system Kaitlyn Nash | Asst. Editor

Law and Order

Pflugerville to keep police budget consistent in face of nation wide cuts Bryan Ross | Co-Editor

Over the past few months, as protests in response to incidents of police brutality have swept across the country, city managements have faced mounting pressure to re-evaluate the amount of money in

their budget devoted to police departments. The Minneapolis City Council voted on June 7 to disband their police department (though a city commission voted that proposal to be pushed to 2021), and cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and most

locally Austin have approved major budget changes reallocating significant money from police budgets to other initiatives. cont. on page 5

Sept. 25, 2020 News continued from page 4 “Whether it is APD or any other Police Department in the country, it is the responsibility of the governing leaders to make the best decision possible,” Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzales said. “When you hear the term ‘defunding,’ people panic and have the impression that the Police Department is going to disappear.

Each government entity must hold public safety in the highest regards. Violence and crime are a very negative indicator for the health of any community.”

The Austin Police Department’s originally proposed budget included $434 million for the 2021 year, but the Austin City Council voted to reallocate $134 million from the budget for police cadet classes to services likeviolence prevention, food access, and abortion access programs. For Pflugerville Police Chief Jessica Robledo, the decision by Austin to reallocate funds

was hard to watch.

“I know it will have a negative impact on so many levels,” Robledo said. “I think we already see the negative impact rearing its ugly head. I know the heart of those that work there, and how hard they work for their community. We saw enormous support during the bombings in Austin, and now it all has seemed to fade. I know that some feel like it’s all for naught.

I really do pray for all departments that are being defunded and dismantled.”

The city budget recently approved by the Pflugerville city council for the year 2021 features relatively little change from the budget for the year 2020, with minor adjustments to the percent of funds allocated to Public Works, Administrative Services, Development Services, and Community Services, while Police Services was the only function to remain constant,

5

receiving 34% of the budgeted expense.

“While cuts were made to the budget, they were made city-wide because they were trying to lower the tax rate,” Robledo said. “There has been no discussion amongst our city council about cutting our PD budget, so I was happy and I was grateful for their support on that.”

Robledo said that the answer for how to budget for a police department effectively is different for every department.

“It depends on the size of the agency, the culture inside the organization, and the vision for its future,” Robledo said. “Here in Pflugerville, we value our citizens, and in addition to that we value the employees that serve the citizens. We work very hard to make sure that our officers have the support, equipment, and the training to serve our community safely.”

Leading With a Servant’s Heart

Pflugerville Chief of Police responds to calls for defunding the police

my voice to the chorus of other police chiefs who spoke out and said this is not okay, this is not who we are, this is not how we police,” Robledo said. “I felt so strongly that I did a video, and I wanted to push it out to our citizens because I feel like I owe that to them. They need to know where my heart is, so that’s what that video was about. Since then, my priority has been to speak to every member of our community that has concerns or wants to discuss racial injustice or police brutality. You know Jessica Robledo addresses the death of George everybody’s perception is their reality. We all didn’t grow up in Floyd in a video shared on social media. the same community, we don’t come from the same backgrounds, Bryan Ross | Co-Editor The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna so everyone’s voice is very important to Taylor, and Elijah McClain, among me. And it should be heard.”

With that being said, Robledo said others this summer have sparked heated that calling for defunding the police as protests and fierce debate about police a result of Floyd’s death is a ‘knee-jerk brutality. As protests swept the nation, reaction’ .

Pflugerville Chief of Police Jessica “I would ask those calling for Robledo decided she needed to make defunding to take a deep breath, to her stance clear.

In a video released by the Pflugerville educate themselves, and to get to know Police Department on May 29, Robledo their police department,” Robledo said. condemned the actions of the officers “Yes, you’re going to see the highlight which led to the death of George Floyd, from whatever [media outlet’s] story, saying that it is “not 21st century but every post is going to have a bit policing”, while offering to meet in the of a bias from whoever posts it. So I middle with any concerned citizen would say take a minute, extend an olive branch, and have the courage to about the issue.

“The death of George Floyd left me reach out to whoever serves you. Get to very angry and heartbroken, so I added know them. Because I think that they

will find that we don’t wake up and say ‘who am I going to hurt today? Who am I going to shoot today? Who am I going to kill today?’ That’s not why we serve.

We serve because we want to make a difference and we want to help people.”

While defunding the police has become a popular mantra among many, It can have a negative connotation towards police officers culture and profession, Robledo said.

“I think that for those that use it, it’s looked upon as irresponsible without an explanation, and that’s what’s opened the gates of violent protests, criminal activity, and destruction within communities,” Robledo said. “That’s what’s going on on the outside but on the inside when you put this uniform on and you hear the word defund, that means that you’re not supporting, that brings so much confusion, and it tanks morale for those that wear the uniform. And I don’t know that people understand that. That might not be their intention, but the toothpaste is out of the tube. So people are spinning it. Whatever’s gonna sell, whatever’s gonna be popular. I think it’s happening more so in these major cities, and I’m just grateful that we have a very supportive community and council here for this police department. I think they should’ve used a different word, I think they should’ve used reallocation or something like that, but that’s just my personal opinion.”

Robledo said that regardless of the

differences between people, the police department’s number one goal is to serve the community.

“Nobody likes a bad cop worse than a good cop, because they make us all look bad, and that’s not what we’re about,” Robledo said. “We have a mission and a vision here at the police department, and that mission is to actively engage our community by inspiring trust.

Our vision is to lead with the heart of the servant. It’s simple. Lead with the servant’s heart and embrace your community in partnership to become one. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin.”

Despite the criticism that the Austin police department has faced, Robledo said that they’re always there when the call is made.

“They have additional resources, and when bad things are happening and we need help, Johnny on the spot, they’re there,” Robledo said. “That’s just what we do. When something bad happens in a community, and we all border each other’s jurisdictional lines, and that individual calls 911, we never ask, ‘what color is your skin? What’s your socioeconomic background? What are your religious beliefs?’ We don’t ask any of that. We just respond. Fast. Because we want you to know that despite what’s out there and all the negative rhetoric, that we’re here to serve you.”

• Staff Editorial

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.

Yael Behar Lili Moran Hector Santos

Reporters Artist Vy Bui

Weston Schlesinger Abraham Siyoum Natalia Zavaleta

“I prefer online schooling this year. While last year the system was easier for me personally, it was very easy to procrastinate. This year’s system makes sure I have a schedule and an actual life, instead of sleeping all day and doing homework every once in a while. While I’d prefer sleeping all day, I know this years way of doing things is better for me.”

Olivia Cruz, Freshman

“I prefer the fall for online school because it feels like most of my teachers have a feel for what they’re doing. In spring, it was weird to comprehend what a Zoom meeting even was. However, now there are proper systems in place and everything feels less chaotic.”

Robbie Cook, Senior

Associations tin

mau Arbe d ry

Say

C

her orey Jones nam e

Shelly Kayla Frey Moore

Tony e McDad

George Floyd

Michael Lorenzo Dean

I can’t breathe

Hawk

ni ty

Civ

Honors

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

BLACK AND BLUE

y ert Lib ce sti Ju Tra il R yvo igh n M ts ar Ah

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

er arv

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.

“I don’t like the way schooling is being done now, I preferred it last year because I could get work done at my own pace instead of waiting for a scheduled Zoom meeting. I feel there is no incentive to learn virtually because online schooling is being treated as if it were regular, in-person school.”

Ryne Schlesinger, Senior

T ius n sio clu In lity

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.

Editorial Staff Co-Editors: Seth Deaton & Bryan Ross Copy Editor Angelyna Rosales Assistant Editors: Kaitlyn Nash, Landon Self, Ethan Tittle

“I prefer the way that online school is being run this year over last year because the teachers and staff are more informed as to how aspects of it works since last year felt very rushed.”

Nathan Pound, Senior

Dar

Adviser: Kari Riemer Principal: Daniel Garcia

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

that the week school started would be an excellent time to start giving out information about the upcoming school year. Suddenly, we learned that we would all be getting chromebooks. Just as suddenly, we learned what the actual schedule for classes would be. But despite the poor execution and timeliness of the information release, the first few weeks of online school were surprisingly successful.

Yes, technology issues exist and screen sharing is occasionally an adventure, but the chromebooks distributed to every middle and high schooler in the district have been excellent for mitigating those problems. The schedule provides a near-perfect mix of rigidity and flexibility, giving more structure than there was in the spring while allowing teachers to fit the class structure to their needs.

Teachers have had months to prepare for virtual learning instead of having to improvise, and it has shown greatly.

The unpredictability for the upcoming months has not gone away, but day to day life has stabilized considerably, and the routine that online school has given has been a big part of that.

ua Eq

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville, TX 78660 http://www.pfisd.net/HHS (512) 594-1100 Student Population: 2,134 Staff: 180

for those who worked hard and got good grades, especially considering the last day of school for the third nine weeks had been a normal school day.

Forgivably, many teachers were unprepared. Either because of a lack of tech-savviness or the general insanity as a result of the ever-changing global pandemic landscape, it was hard for teachers and students alike to muster up the motivation to finish the rest of the semester with the same gusto that they would normally. Grades not being counted towards GPA and no clearly explained consequences for failing classes did not help matters either. All told, it turned out that school in a completely unpredictable and constantly changing landscape was not a smooth ride. But eventually, AP testing (a whole different mess) rolled around, the semester ended, we had a socially distanced graduation and virtual concerts and it was time for summer break.

Summer break wasn’t quite the same reprieve after a long school year as it normally is.

After two months of rapidly changing unpredictability, June, July, and August settled into a weird limbo with no end in sight. Eventually, after what felt like three months of sitting around twiddling their thumbs, PfISD decided

Op po rtu

On March 12, school was held in person. There were classes and bells and the entire student body (except for maybe seniors celebrating senior skip day).

The next day started spring break, which normally means students won’t be back at the school for a week. Except it ended up going on a little bit longer. 25 weeks and counting later, all but about 25 percent of the student body have yet to return to school.

On March 16, school was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been resonating throughout the country for over six months. While the rising deaths and cases in the US have had the most significant impact, the furloughing of jobs, cancellations of sports, and the switch to online school have ensured that nobody has remained unaffected. By the end of March, PfISD had rolled out their online school schedule to ride out the rest of the semester until AP testing was over.

To put it kindly, it was a mess.

Teachers received conflicting information about whether they were allowed to use zoom, and whether cameras were allowed to be turned on.

Grades from the third nine weeks were nullified from GPAs, which was frustrating

“I prefer the way online school is being done now rather than last year, just because the way last year was done was really chaotic and stressful, this year is more structured and put together.”

Sarah Schulze, Sophomore

Conflicts lead

s to violent es protests irn Page 8-9

Fa

Freedom

Emmett Till

Tamir Rice

Online school mostly smooth in spite of rocky start

• Your Turn

Breonna Taylor

Sept. 25, 2020

The

6 Opinion

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 14, Issue 1 September 25, 2020

In this issue...

Election Preview - Page 2 Return to school - Page 10 Summer jobs - Page 12

Design by Kaitlyn Nash

Sept. 25, 2020 Opinion

• Hit or Miss PfISD issues chromebooks

From Aug 11-16, the district provided free Chromebooks for each student to take home for the at-home learning period of school. This ensures that each student has the opportunity to learn no matter the situation at their home. The Chromebooks make sure that students can join classes via zoom, and complete work on apps like google classroom and AP classroom. The Chromebooks helping students adapt to these changes and go to school, make them a hit.

Safety blocks on sidewalk block sidewalk When students returned to school after a long hiatus, they were met with a surprise - large stone blocks now line the path towards the main entrance to the school. As part of the 2018 PfISD bond, “pedestrian safety barriers” were added alongside the main entrance to defend against attacks on the school such as a car driving at a building or by providing a position for police officers to take against an active shooter. While a nice idea, the blocks block off a large section of the sidewalk, and it’s hard to have much confidence in them after seeing them already begin to disintegrate after one rainstorm. While they provide a nice place to sit, the pedestrian safety barriers don’t do much to make one feel safe and are more of an inconvenience than anything. The blocks are a miss.

PfISD switches to new platform

PFISD will be switching to a new learning platform called Canvas. Canvas is a program similar to Google Classroom used by colleges and universities all over the world. All of the schools in the district are currently using Google Classroom. Making the switch so suddenly might cause some problems as students and teachers are already having trouble adjusting to the new learning environment. PFISD has put out polls for parents to take and decide what layout of Canvas they prefer, and as of right now the poll is not available for students. Students and teachers are already used to Google Classroom and seem to manage it well.

In the future, once everyone has adapted to these new conditions, the switch could’ve been made, but as of right now, switching to Canvas is a miss.

Talon schedule changes cause confusion Among the exceedingly long list of changes and things to get used to for this year has been another new timeslot for Talon. Instead of being after first period like last year, Talon is now after fourth period. Talon seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle somewhat this year, which is understandable, but there has still been a lack of clear direction on what days are Talon days and what is expected of students during Talon. Talon is normally helpful for catching up on schoolwork, but it seems pointless when school is online.

For those who have come back in person, it feels like a needless barrier before going home, and it makes life confusing for seniors who were put in a Talon who have an off period the last class of the day. Talon being moved to the end of the day is a miss.

7

Caught in the Crossfire

Editor describes experience at tense protest Seth Deaton | Co-Editor

There was a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin on Aug. 1 to protest a BLM member who died after being shot by a driver, who happened to be a veteran, while pointing an assault rifle at cars. Dozens of police cars were in the area, along with another several dozen police officers on horseback. Along with these forces was a militia-like group of civilians armed with assault rifles and body armor. I was staying in a hotel two blocks away as the streets nearly turned into a warzone.

I was in downtown Austin on Aug. 1 and 2, enjoying one of the last few weeks of summer before online school would start up again. The night of Sat. Aug. 1 I was on the Congress Avenue Bridge watching the bats fly out when dozens of police cars drove by with the lights flashing.

A few minutes later another set of cars drove by and when I looked down the street there was a mass of people and flashing Vy Bui | Artist police lights just a few blocks away. I was curious as to what was happening so I walked down to investigate.

When I arrived at the scene, there were hundreds of protestors holding signs and chanting as they were surrounded by police officers. On the sidewalks I could see people in body armor holding assault rifles. As I wandered through the crowd I could hear several groups of the citizens that were armed talking about how they’d open fire to help the police if things got ugly. I could feel the tension as I walked past, not wanting to stick around and find out how things would escalate as the night went on.

As I sat in my hotel room that night, I half expected to hear gunshots from the streets below as the situation went from a peaceful protest to a

warzone. I sat there wondering how those people expected to be able to help the police. All they would end up doing is escalating the situation to a point it didn’t need to be at. It would’ve only taken one slip up on the trigger to turn Austin into a warzone that the police wouldn’t have been able to take control over.

The tension between the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter supporters is causing what should be peaceful protests to turn into riots and mobs. The shooting involving Kyle Rittenhouse in Wisconsin is a perfect example of this.

Rittenhouse was defending a local business, while providing m e d i c a l assistance to both protestors and local citizens.

However, because he was a minor, the firearm he was carrying to defend himself was illegal. Later that night he was chased by a mob of protestors and ended up shooting at them in order to protect himself leaving two dead and one injured. The unnecessary escalation of this tension is a perfect example of how the disagreement between both sides is dividing the country.

Neither side can take 100 percent of the blame for the way things have escalated. However, both sides need to calm down before things become even worse. Otherwise protests like the one in Austin will end up going from a peaceful protest to a violent one, which will put innocent lives at risk. Thus far, nothing has been done that couldn’t be fixed, but if people aren’t careful, incidents such as the one more than a thousand miles away in Wisconsin may end up occuring much closer to home.

8 Feature Sept. 25, 2020

BLACK AND

Junior describes experience attending BLM protests Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor

One day she was faced with tear gas, pepper spray, and police in full riot gear, and the next she was handed breakfast burritos and water, all while fighting for social justice. In the midst of the pandemic, junior Suzan Ogunleye participated in several of the many Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Austin over the summer.

“I decided to go to these protests because it affects me personally,” Ogunleye said. “I am a black woman and seeing people in my community getting beaten, shot and killed by the police makes me so incredibly mad and it just lights a flame in me.”

During some of the protests she attended, Ogunleye was shown kindness and hospitality.

“The protesters were very nice and were always alert if someone got hurt, and there were nurses in the crowds to

help them,” Ogunleye said.

“The hospitality was awesome, a lot of people were giving out water, snacks, and even breakfast burritos.”

However, the very first protest Ogunleye attended got extremely violent as a result of law enforcement “They were tear gassing us, pepper spraying us, and running people over with horses if they were in the way,” Ogunleye said. “The police getting violent just made me even more mad because the protesters only had posters and signs while the police and national guard had on full riot gear. They started the violence.”

Ogunleye didn’t only attend the protests because of her background as a black woman, but because of what the BLM movement stands for as a whole.

“Personally, I loved going to the protests,” Ogunleye said. “It

felt like I was making a change.

But the BLM movement is so important right now because people need to see that systematic racism is real. We are sick of constantly being racially profiled, and the police thinking they are above us.”

In addition to protests, Ogunleye thinks students should do more to help support the BLM movement.

“I think more students should participate because they are the future and things need to change as soon as possible,” Ogunleye said.

“Besides protests, I think people need to speak about what is happening on social media, they can’t just turn a blind eye to what’s happening on the streets and how broken our system is.

Being silent means you’re complicit to what is happening to the black community.”

Photos provided by | Susan Ogunleye

Junior Susan Ogunleye participates in protests in Austin Texas

Multiple pro sports organizations boycott games in light of shooting Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor

Trapped in their quarantine bubble at Disney World, NBA players have been unable to protest since their season resumed in July. Players have been showing their support of the Black Lives Matter Movement by kneeling during the National Anthem and wearing social justice messages on the back of their jerseys.

However, on Aug. 26, players and teams decided to boycott their games in response to the

police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Blake was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha Police officer Rusten Sheskey on Aug. 23. Blake was rushed to a hospital in Milwaukee where he will likely be paralyzed for life due to the injuries to his spinal cord.

The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team to participate in the boycott. In solidarity with the Bucks, the NBA announced they would postpone all of the rest of the games in the

first round of the playoffs.

Shortly following the NBA announcement, the WNBA, MLS, and some MLB teams announced that they would also be boycotting their games.

In addition to the boycott, members of the WNBA wore white t-shirts with seven bullet holes on the back, and spelled out Jacob Blake in the front.

Every sports league which boycotted games has since resumed their schedule after no more than a few games missed.

Junior Susan Ogunleye, Sade Franklin and Ximena Franklin protest down Cesar Chavez St

Sept. 25, 2020 Feature

BLUE

Retired police officer shares opinions, knowledge about police brutality Liliana Moran | Reporter

As he listens to the news about the brutal death of another African American victim at the hands of law enforcement, his stomach drops.

“It always seems to be an African American as the victim,” retired officer Thomas Williams said.

“So, while I do take pride in the actual law enforcement profession, I don’t think they’ve been held to the standards that have been set in law enforcement because a lot of things wouldn’t happen, a lot of these incidents wouldn’t happen.”

Williams is a retired law enforcement officer who is African American. He started out as a city police officer and worked his way up to internal affairs investigator.

“It had its challenges of course as everything, but with my agency I would say there were more checks and balances in place than I see with a lot of other agencies that can use that kind of stuff to prevent a lot of the things occuring today,” Williams said. “I miss all my coworkers that I worked with and enjoyed my time, but it was time for me to retire for sure.”

During his time in the law field, dealing with racism was something he was used to.

Ahmuad Arbery shot while jogging- Feb 23rd

Breonna Taylor shot 8 times in her own home- March 13th

“I don’t know of any minority that probably hadn’t experienced it in some way in the work environment,”Williams said. “It was just a matter of who was going to make the wrong things that were occurring right.”

Williams believes that there needs to be more diversity in law enforcement, stating that the way things are occuring now “leaves a bad taste” in his mouth.

“I think there still needs to be African American representation in law enforcement,” Williams said, “it needs to be a more diverse environment.”

George Floyd’s death was like a punch to the gut for him.

“I mean that to watch someone live on TV be murdered is probably one of the most horrific things that a person can see,” Williams said. “I’ve seen people killed in other ways. I’ve attended autopsies but I’ve never seen someone actually be murdered live in person. And to hear him cry out for his mom, I mean, I just felt like his life wasn’t being valued at all.

Williams is fully supportive of the Black Lives Matter Movement, standing behind them all the way.

“They are doing what they can do at their level to get out the word

Death of George Floyd- May 25th

Derek Chauvin charged with 3rd degree murder and 2nd degree manslaughter- May 29th

Nationwide protests begin- May 26th

George’s death ruled a homicide- June 1st

and show that Black Lives Matter,’” Williams said. ‘“‘It’s not saying everybody else's lives don’t matter.

It’s saying black peoples’ lives matter because they tend to be the target of a lot of official oppression by law enforcement.”

That Black Lives Matter chant is basically a reminder telling people in law enforcement that their lives matter.”

Williams is glad that the internet and social media have been able to bring attention and shed light on these situations by showing what really happened. He believes some protocols and revaluation of law enforcement training and standards needs to be made to help mend the racial strife happening around America.

“Today’s digital age is awesome because people actually get to see this”, Williams said. “’Before it was it was easy to put it on the back burner and say, oh it’s not that serious or those guys were criminals, but now you see what’s actually happening. You see that you know that some of these people should not have been killed.” “I do think a lot of these incidents can be corrected, if law enforcement had better training.”

Confederate statues start being taken down- June 7th

Jacob Blake shot 7 times in the backAugust 23rd

Rayshard Brooks Shot- June 12th

9

“I feel like with protests it’s like you’re waking a sleeping dragon because it’s just one thing that it takes and then the catalyst activates and it clicks and you brought this entire nation to life. These are the protests and they help prove that we want change and they help prove that we’re not going to stay silent and they help prove that we’re done and we’re going to keep fighting until we get what we want.”

Anna Rogness, 10 “Currently, I’m the head of the Black Student Union and what we are doing is trying to get the teachers involved with training on how to address racism in the workplace to make students feel more comfortable, more seen, and more heard. I think it needs to start with our teachers.”

Sade Franklin, 11 “I think the role that protests have in creating change is they definitely apply pressure. Like the protests in Austin definitely helped to defund APD because I remember in my first protests which was in late May, we were at the APD center and we were protesting in front of it. I think that really helped defund APD.” Ximena Franklin, 10 “A now former friend of mine and I got into an argument because he was trying to justify the deaths of so many African Americans that have no justification, it’s just wrong what the police have and still are doing to the POC. There’s also a lot of people who just post stuff (not directed to me) saying that posting about BLM is pointless, signing petitions doesn’t do anything, and “we can’t vote so what’s the point.” Spreading awareness is spreading awareness.

Just because we aren’t old enough to vote doesn’t mean that our opinion is invalid.”

Natalia Aguilar. 9

10 Feature Sept. 25, 2020

A Coronavirus Conundrum

Coronavirus makes school year more challenging Yael Behar | Reporter This year, students across the world have been stuck at home during the school year as a result of the worsening Coronavirus pandemic. While the pandemics effects have been well documented, the effects on the future of learning and how online and physical learning will coexist is also important to consider.

“The biggest factor I think a lot of students have faced is the mental factor, with things like lack of social interaction and having a weird schedule,” sophomore Gabi Pearce said. “I can't even imagine the way this might look in the future.”

In person school began Sept 14 and at this time, capacity is still capped at 25 percent. The school board hopes to increase capacity in October.

“Right now we are trying to figure out everything as we comply with guidelines from the county and UIL,” basketball Coach and athletic coordinator Norma Sierra said. “It is a tedious task that seems to change every day.”

Due to the ever changing plans with the pandemic, there's a wide variety of opinions surrounding the steps forward and what should be done.

“For the time being, I think it would be better to stay virtual,” Pearce said.“Although going back to school would be nice, I don't feel it would be the right choice to do right now safety-wise.”

Because of the widespread effects of the pandemic, extracurriculars have been handled differently than before,not limited to school clubs or sports.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, all of the female coaches have come together and set group workouts that we do virtually,” Sierra said.

“This past week we had two workouts and over

100 athletes attended, it eases the anxiety of wondering if your athlete is working.”

There are many reasons why a person might choose to stay home, primarily because of safety.

Coronavirus can impact people with breathing problems or weaker immune systems. A student who goes to school could risk bringing the virus home. With that being said, going back to physical schooling would eliminate some of the main issues found in virtual learning, especially in sports and clubs.

“There are two significant road bumps,” Sierra said. “The first is not being able to see if the athletes are doing the work at the expected level. It is hard to monitor when everything is virtual. The second, and most importantly, is the minimal interaction we have with them.

For the most part, our athletes have close bonds with their coaches and it is hard not being able to interact with them outside of the few minutes you get with them on screen.”

Many clubs and activities have just been cut off altogether because of the difficulty that comes in planning them. Making plans for basic virtual learning is a top priority right now, as opposed to clubs.

“We have not been conducting art club virtually,” art teacher Monica Lawrence said.

“It has been too hard getting everything set up for virtual classes to do so. Maybe later during the year once everything settles we will set up a virtual art club.”

Because factors have been changing rapidly, side activities and school planning have constantly updating plans of action. This whole pandemic is a shift in the lives of everyday people, and the steps forward are hazy.

Principals Joshua Colvin, Nikki Dickerson and Clarissa Alvarado prepare for in person learning. Photo provided by | Lori Carl

New online learning style brings mixed emotions from students Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor Starting the school year off with a new learning environment comes with new perspectives and opinions from the students. Some students are benefiting from this new environment while others are suffering.

“When online school first started I struggled with working in the same room all day,” junior Mason Smith said.

“There wasn’t much I could do about it though, I just did some rearranging, made sure to go out more, and intentionally removed myself from the room when I found the time, too.”

The week before the year started, the school provided every student with their own Chromebook to take home and use for online learning. This made sure that every student had an equal opportunity to learn, no matter their situation.

“When online school first started I struggled with working in the same room all day,” Smith said. “There wasn’t much I could do about it though, I did some rearranging to fit my Chromebook into my desk setup.”

While the Chromebooks are helping students learn, some are struggling with grasping the new style of learning.

“Online school is hurting the way I learn,” sophomore Ximena Franklin said. “It's harder for me to understand the material online because I'm used to writing everything down on paper during class because it helps me learn and retain the information that my teachers are giving me.”

Because of the lack of being able to have the physical presence of a teacher.

The mindset that students had while being in person hasn't shifted to the new online learning environment that we have now.

“I think online learning has been an

extremely stressful experience,” junior Andrew Seidel said. “It seems as if since we started online school, the amount of information that had been given to us has plummeted, while the work has skyrocketed. Lots of kids struggle to learn at the rate they did before because we aren't used to online learning yet.

Taking away the amount of information we were getting in class than before is causing more bad grades and more students to become overwhelmed.”

Sept. 25, 2020 Feature

11

Teachers and students prepare for in-person schooling Liliana Moran | Reporter Hawk teachers give their opinions about school safety when returning to in-person schooling.

“I’m excited for the school year, I’m glad you know, I’m glad that we started.”

ROTC 1st Sergeant Edgar Amadis said.

“You know unfortunately, you know we had to end it the way it did. But it’s starting a little bit better and you know eventually, hopefully you know, get everybody back. We just got to figure out what the new normal is.”

For the students returning to inperson school, safety measures will be put in place by the district. Including mandatory masks, more lunch periods to spread out the number of people, taking everyones temperature in the morning, and staggering the release times.

“I mean we’ve been really preparing and thinking about our situation,” Associate principal Micheal Grebb said.

“But I would say this, you know, if a student or parent or teacher has other suggestions on how we can do things better, and how we can make things safer

at Hendrickson, we want to do that. We know the first couple weeks we’re gonna do things, and we might have to change the way we’re doing it because it might not work or, it causes too many people to be around others. So we just wanted to let everybody know too that things will change.”

Teacher’s classrooms will also have their own set of safety rules, like wiping down the desks after students leave, and spreading the desks far apart. Teachers will also be given their own Covid kits, with disinfectant wipes, gloves and extra masks.

“I’ve talked to a lot of teachers too with the advantages of the Chromebook is, we can go paperless.” Grebb said. “You know, in normal school we have a lot more exchanging of papers and school supplies and things like that, so those are things that we know we can’t do anymore, or at least at the moment.”

Amadis believes that students returning to in-person schooling will be safe and more beneficial for his classes, as long as everyone follows the safety protocols.

“The way, the way our class is set up,

you know we’re, we are set up to do a lot of participation here. So, you know of course in person,” Amadis said, “Having students here on campus, and here, would be, is a lot easier and a lot better for our class and things like that because, just overall the things that we do here. It just makes it easier than doing it online.”

English teacher Liana Gonzales feels that it is too soon to start in-person teaching, and thinks that waiting till the cases go down will be the safest decision for right now.

“I’d actually maybe do a modified version, because I know students need, you know, one on one instruction with their teacher. And, you know, building those personal relationships with their teachers and their peers,” Gonzales said.

“But also with safety standards, I think, for now until our Covid cases go down I think it’s best to stay online, you know.”

Gonzales is also worried about the health of some of her fellow staff members and students.

“Especially since you know some of our staff members are

Organizations struggle to follow curriculum virtually Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor While most classes can be done online with the help of zoom and google classroom, some classes aren’t able to do their curriculum while online such as band, ROTC, and other athletic classes.

“The hardest part about doing remote learning is that because band is mostly about sound,” said Junior Carlos Sahagun. “Lag time and interruption during zoom meetings prevents a complete understanding of the material.”

For band class, the students log on to their zoom meetings and alternate from doing workouts on “A” days, and practicing music in small groups on “B” days. Not being able to be at school raises many problems for the band. One of which is that the band won’t be able to play all together and learn their music.

“A normal ROTC class online usually starts with us waiting for the students to come to the class,” said Junior Noah Evans. “After we take roll, we start our class then we'd talk a little bit about leadership skills and other things, and once the class is almost over we discuss what we are going to do the next class.”

During the normal ROTC classes, they would work on skills like marksmanship and drill but because of COVID they aren't able to meet in person and work on these things.

“In tennis, we usually join a zoom call and she tells us what we’ll do for the day, then at 4:306:00 we go to the tennis courts and practice,” sophomore Fausto Carrizales said. “At the beginning of Cross Country, since we couldn’t meet with each other, our coach had us do a mile a day and write down our times to see who would be placed in varsity.”

For athletic classes, the students aren’t able to physically meet up and practice their sport. This can affect the amount of practice time they get and hinders the way the team plays with each other.

“Not being in person has affected me in terms of socializing, I haven’t been able to talk with any of my classmates or teachers,” said Junior Diego Franklin. “It's harder to understand some of my classes online, and it takes longer for me to get help because I have to email my teachers instead of being able to go to their class in person.”

immunocompromised or older or have family that are immunocompromised or older,” Gonzales said. “And then also my biggest safety concern is like the amount of students that we’ll have in our rooms, because, you know, I know that our school will make sure masks and things are sanitized, but it’s just kind of how large our class sizes, our in person class size will be.”

AP Human Geography teacher Bruce Johnson says he would much rather go back to in person schooling. He personally feels that it is safe enough to return, with the safety precautions the school has in place and that it would be less stressful and difficult for all of us.

“You know, I’ve been teaching for a long time. I was never taught to teach this way,” Johnson said. “So, I would much prefer to, to have you guys sitting in front of me. But, I do understand, I do have children myself, so I understand the concern that people might have not coming back. If this is how we’re gonna have to do it with half and half, that’s just how it goes. I guess we’ll do the best that we possibly can.”

Number of students on-campus, by grade 250

212 200

176

168 147

150

100

50

0

9th

10th

11th

12th

12 Feature Sept. 25, 2020

A Summer Under Lockdown

Teens find job, true summer experience amidst pandemic Seth Deaton | Co-Editor

When lockdowns in Texas first began, many businesses in the entertainment industry were shut down to help slow the spread of COVID-19. However on opening day, which was delayed due to the pandemic, Typhoon Texas had hundreds of people lined up outside the doors waiting to begin their summer vacation.

At a time where places such as movie theaters and restaurants were shut down, Typhoon Texas Waterpark managed to stay open, although with some restrictions. The waterpark was allowed to stay open at 50 percent capacity, which gave teens a place to work when there were fewer jobs available.

“I was able to still make money because I had a job,” junior Connor Arndt said. “I’d never had a job before and it was a fun experience even with all the restrictions that were in place due to COVID-19.”

In order to stay open the employees had to wear face masks whenever they were indoors and there were guidelines

in order to help guests and employees maintain social distancing. Guests were also required to make reservations so the park could stay under the required 50 percent capacity.

“We didn’t have to wear a mask

“It gave me a lot of good job experience,” Coffelt, who was a member of the parks’ service team, said. “I hadn’t ever had a job before so I’m really glad Typhoon was able to stay open because that’ll make it easier for me to get another job

“I think it was good that people had a place to go and socialize and forget about everything going on. It just gave people a place to relax and get a change of scenery.”

Trent Blahuta, 11 around the park but whenever we were in the break room we did,” junior Trent Blahuta said. “We also had to help clean up the park whenever we were on breaks and spray down the tubes in the river and the wave pool to help keep things sanitary for our guests.”

Despite there being a pandemic the work life at Typhoon was fairly normal, according to junior Matthew Coffelt.

for the school year and next summer.”

Arndt said that the job was a good experience for him because it helped prepare him for future jobs, even though the job was different because of COVID. “It was an interesting experience,” Arndt said. “Having to wear masks and all that was weird but at the same time I get why they had us do it. Even with the pandemic the park stayed pretty busy so

I got the full job experience. Plus I got to meet new people while we were under lockdown and that was really nice.”

Blahuta believes that having the park staying open was good for the community because it gave people a place to go and get out of the house.

“I know I would’ve been super bored had I not had a job that allowed me to get out of the house,” Blahuta said.

“I think it was good that people had a place to go and socialize and forget about everything going on. It just gave people a place to relax and get a change of scenery.”

Coffelt said that being able to work helped him feel like he got a real summer.

“Even though we had online school in the spring I was still able to go out and do stuff with my friends,” Coffelt said.

“When school ended it didn’t really feel like summer. It still felt like it did when things first started shutting down, but once I started working it made me feel like I had a break from school. It really just helped me enjoy my summer.”

Students reflect on experience at summer jobs I work at Jimmy John’s. I’ve been working there for about 3 months. We just have a lot more safety precautions in place than we had before COVID, like we have our dining tables and bathrooms closed and masks are required, and I’d say that people are a lot more cautious when it comes to extra hand washing and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.

Ellie Smith, 11

I’ve worked at Typhoon Texas since the beginning of the summer. COVID has affected my job because with working at a water park there’s a lot of people coming in and out so I have to wear a mask pretty much all the time.

Caden Campos, 11

I work at Typhoon Texas and I’ve been working there since the day before the Fourth of July. COVID makes things a little different in small ways, like having to wear a mask at all times, and we can’t refill cups when customers ask, we always have to get a new one. it’s not big differences or anything that makes the job hard, but it does affect it in those ways.

Aso the park is not allowed to be at full capacity, we can only let in 25%-50% of the usual guests so the workdays aren’t as busy as the years before.

Elly Perales, 11

This is my third year being employed by the city of Round Rock. This summer I was a camp counselor for their kids day camp. Having to make the camp a safe place for the kids meant we had to implement many safety regulations and start hourly cleaning and sanitation. Our staff and any campers over the age of ten were required to wear masks and everyone was required to get their temperature checked every morning before entering our facility. Anything above a 98.7º and they were sent home for the day.

Lillian Caballeros, 12

Season Underway

Sept. 25, 2020 Feature

13

Football team begins practice after cancelled summer camp

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor

Last year, players returned to the field in early August after 10 weeks of strength camp to begin football practice. This year players return to the field, in late August, after months off to try and get back into shape for the upcoming season.

Normally players and coaches begin meeting for practices at the beginning of August to prepare for the upcoming season. This year, due to COVID-19, they weren’t able to start meeting as a team until Aug. 13, and even then it was only a modified version of the normal preseason camp.

“We were able to recover some aspects of camp since UIL and PfISD let us resume strength camp,” head football coach and athletic director Chip Killian said. “New rules allowed us to implement more sport specific training than usual. Camp is

voluntary though, so the full team is never completely in attendance. That’s way different than training camp.”

One of the biggest challenges the team has had to overcome throughout the early stages of camp and practice is the fact that not everyone has the same equipment at home. That means that while camp was done through Google Classroom not everyone was able to complete the workouts. Killian said the online workouts along with the cancellation of strength camp made the physical training very “stop and go” but he said that some of the athletes were able to take advantage of it.

“I feel like doing workouts online actually helped me,” senior varsity linebacker Daniel Keith said. “I know that there were a lot of people that either chose not to or were unable to continue working

out, but I was really lucky that I had the opportunity to have a home gym that was pretty well taken care of and had plenty of weights so I was able to keep working out effectively. I feel like that helped put me ahead and now getting to do football training after so long really helps me focus, so I’m actually feeling better going into this season than I would have before.”

This year’s varsity team is rather young with a lot of juniors and even sophomores on the team. Keith said that part of this year’s success will depend on how the younger players fill their role and rise to the challenge of being a varsity athlete.

“I was on varsity as a sophomore so I know that it can be done and I know that you can start, but I do expect there to be some early bumps and bruises,”

Junior Ashton Avilles runs after catching a screen pass against Stony Pointe during the scrimage on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Principal Daniel Garcia | Photographer

Keith said. “There’s definitely a learning curve in this sport. I had to go through that myself, but I feel pretty confident in the guys that we got. I feel like these younger guys, the juniors and sophomores, are really mentally prepared for this challenge, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Killian said that he’s excited to see his players compete and that it’s unfortunate that his players had some of their very limited time playing football in high school taken from them, but the team is ready to make the most of it.

“I’m really looking forward to playing,” Keith said. “I know that seems pretty basic, but I didn’t even know if we were going to get to play this season for quite a few months so getting this close to the season and finally getting the opportunity to step on the field

again alone is a blessing.”

Killian said that after what seemed like forever of zoom meetings and drawing on white boards he’s anxious to get the season underway. UIL hasn’t released the schedule yet for how this delayed season will affect the winter sports, but right now the players’ and coaches’ focus is on this season.

“I’m feeling a combination of excitement and a little bit of fear and sadness too because even though we’re scheduled to play a mostly full season things could change very rapidly,” Keith said. “We’ve seen that in other states, and more so than any other season every game is a blessing. Nothing is certain so I’m really excited that we do get the opportunity to play, but I’m a little sad that I’m a senior and that this is the last time I’m going to get to play for my high school.”

Sophomore reciever Bryan Ray makes a leaping catch on a pass from quarterback Jordan Oldoerp during the scrimmage agaisnt Stony Pointe.

Principal Daniel Garcia | Photographer

14 Sports Sept. 25, 2020

The Future is Female

Boys soccer hires first female assistant coach Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor

For the first time in school history, the boys soccer program will have a female assistant coach. Coach Alexis Frueh is not only the first female to coach boys soccer, but she is also the first female to coach any male sport at Hendrickson. While Frueh has never coached a boys team, she has experience as an assistant and head coach.

“I have played soccer since I was in first grade and have been fortunate enough to see the game through many lenses,” Frueh said. “I have been a referee, I have been a player at various levels, a spectator, an assistant coach, and a head coach. Now it’s time to check out the next chapter and see what I can learn from the boys’ side of the game.”

Frueh already has plans to make the boys program successful.

“My plan for coaching the boys team involves learning

as much as I possibly can and then conveying it to my teams,” Frueh said. “While men and women play by the same rules in soccer, the game styles and tactics are often very different.

I’ve been fortunate to see and play the game at many different levels, and I am excited to be part of such a promising program that is going to be formidable.”

However, coaching a boys team will be a new experience not only for Frueh, but for the other coaches and players involved.

“I have no doubt there will be different dynamics and conversations than I or the players have ever dealt with before,” Frueh said. “However, at the end of the day the expectations are still the same and the goals are still the same. Through mutual respect, shared knowledge, and team camaraderie we will win and continue to grow one of the best programs in the state.”

Frueh thinks that is important for women to coach male athletes and vise versa.

“I think it is extremely important for women to have the ability to break through traditional barriers or restrictions and fill roles that have previously been thought of or reserved exclusively for men,” Frueh said. “I think by encouraging female coaches to coach male athletes, and vice versa, allows athletes to be given a different perspective, not only about the game and aspects of the sport, but life as well.”

Despite the fact that it’s a new experience for everyone involved, Frueh is looking forward to the new environment she has created.

“I think this practice fosters an environment of inclusiveness,” Frueh said. “and that at the end of the day the best person will be on the field, whether as a player or a coach, regardless of gender, race, age, or orientation.”

Cross country succeeds in first meets of season Hector Santos | Reporter

In the last two weeks, the Cross Country team has competed in two meets.

The Varsity Girls won 1st place in the Hillacious Brenham meet and 4th place in the Salado meet.

In Brenham, senior Kevin Castruita was ranked the number one individual and in the top ten in Salado.

“I feel honored. I really tried my hardest,” Castuito said.

“Near the end it got really hot, so I got tired.”

Freshman Cassie Rivera and junior Antonio Sanchez medaled in both their meets.

“It was definitely an accomplishment, but I think I could have done better at my 2nd mile because that's always the slowest,” Sanchez said.

“It kind surprised me,” Rivera said. “I didn’t think I placed high my first year. Just pushing at the end is really hard though.”

The team has put in place safety precautions like social distancing and mask wearing and meets are currently limited to eight schools with a total of 56 students competing.

“We have no concerns about what will happen next,” Coach Felipe Castro said. “We’re just lucky they let us run today.”

New boys soccer coach Alexis Frueh plays rugby outside of downtown Austin Photo provided by | Alexis Frueh

Girls soccer acquires new head coach Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor For the second time in three years, the girls soccer team has a new head coach, Amanda Feely, who has six previous years of coaching experience will be taking over the team.

“I decided to come to Hendrickson because of the amazing opportunities in the classroom and on the field,” Feely said. “ I am extremely happy to call myself a Hawk.”

Feely plans on continuing the success of the team with their focus including confidence, discipline, commitment, becoming well rounded athletes, nutrition and strength and conditioning training.

“I believe that all of these components go hand in hand and will lead us into achieving our team goals and the playoff run we are working towards.”

Feely said. “This is our year, go Lady Hawks!”

Photographer | Cheyenne Cosley

Sept. 25, 2020 Feature

Fresh Waters

15

New coach hired for swim team

Why do you like coaching swim?

“This is my first year as a high school swim coach, and I am excited to dive into it! I grew up at the Swimming Club and High School in Houston and was eventually recruited to swim at the University of Pennsylvania, where I completed all 4 years of college. I’ve done some coaching, but not nearly as much as I have done the swimming. I can say confidently that being a part of swimming has taught me so much beyond what happens in the pool. I learned in high school how to be a team player, how to show up on time for people who relied on me, how to communicate with others when I was stressed or disappointed, and how to raise other people up when they needed my support. Only some of the student population will continue swimming competitively after leaving though the doors of Hendrickson High School; I am very focused on making sure that everyone leaves with these important life skills.”

What are your goals for the team?

“A focus on teamwork and team culture comes to mind. This is going to be a wild year, just as it will be for other sports outside of swimming. Do I want us to swim fast - You bet! Do I want us to beat other teams - Of course! Do I want the swimmers to swim personal best times at the end of the season / championship meets - Obviously! But as this is my first year at Hendrickson, I find myself more excited to learn about each swimmer, their goals (be they to swim at the collegiate level or to leave this at the high school program), and how the swimmers work together to form a team.

Swimming is often classified as an individual sport. While I agree, Club Swimming can have a very “individual sport” feel, I would strongly argue that high school swimming is a team sport. And I’m excited to learn and add to how this team functions.”

What’s your best coaching advice?

“Stay tuned! While my advice might look different after my first year, right now I would say that if you are struggling, get back to the basics. Show up for practice on time. Show up for your teammates when they need your support. Remember why you got into the sport to begin with.

Work on your freestyle and focus on technique. At some point in high school, many swimmers will experience a plateau - a period where they may not be as fast as they were before, even if they feel like they are putting in all the effort in the world. This is not abnormal! While the plateau may feel like a personal attack, just know that you are not alone. The answer is not always swimming more or swimming harder. Talk to your coaches and strategize.”

A Perfect Match

Photographer | Monty Thompson

What got you into teaching?

“It all started in 2011 when I volunteered to tutor middle school students in Brooklyn on Saturdays ahead of the NY state math exam (I lived in New York City for several years after graduating college). It was a rewarding experience to help these students which planted a seed that I might enjoy teaching full-time.”

What brings you to Hendrickson?

“This Is my first year at Hendrickson, and there are a bunch of reasons I am here from the supportive leadership at the school to the moderate commute from where I live and everything in between. Everyone I met throughout the process spoke so highly of the students and the teachers that I had to join in. Proud to be a HAWK”

Tennis team receives new head coach Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter

The tennis program gained a new head coach this year, Teri Saunders. Saunders has been playing tennis ever since she was little and has broken several world and university records around Texas.

“My dad was a big-time coach,” Saunders said. “He was in the Hall of Fame being the first coach of the first two African American women in the Top 10 of the world.”

Saunders has been enjoying her time as a new coach, making friends with all the

coaches, and building a new family.

“Coaching for Hendrickson’s tennis team has been awesome,” Saunders said. “The kids are respectful, have great attitudes, and are filled with the want to win.”

The tennis team is encouraging newcomers to join and be a part of the team.

“Everyone has a lot of fun and is constantly looking for new ways to grow,” Saunders said. “Tennis is not only about the sport and playing but also learning life lessons through it

as well.”

Saunders enjoys seeing her players grow and gain confidence on the court and in life.

“They’re all team players filled with leadership,” Saunders said.

“Good student-athletes, they know what their priorities are.

I haven’t had issues with grades with any of them.”

Saunders is looking forward to seeing them all grow as athletes and students.

“They really are one in a million,” Saunders said.

Tennis coach Teri Sunders coaches Tam Ly on the sidelines on Friday Sept. 18 before her varsity tennis match against Pflugerville.

Cheyenne Cosley | Photographer

16 Sports Sept. 25, 2020

What’s All The Racquet?

Tennis players reveal mental aspect of game

Q &A

Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter

What keeps you focused during matches?

“Wanting to win and making myself proud.” Joseph White, 10

Do you have any advice you’d like to give to beginners?

“Work on consistency first, really get the form down and then you can work on power.” Ava Saad, 11 What does it feel like to win a match?

“To me winning a match feels really good. Winning a match is feeling like I played well enough. I’ve lost plenty of matches in which I thought I played really hard and gave it my all and I felt like I did good so it felt like I won.” Trent Blahuta, 11 What are your goals for this year?

“I want to make it to varsity again. Also making it to Regionals because that’d be really cool. I want us to win a trophy.” Tam Ly, 10 Why did you join the team?

“Tennis was the only sport that I truly enjoyed. I tried basketball and soccer, especially soccer, but I was either too weak or I just didn’t like them and it was hard for me to fall in love with it. When I was in 4th grade I started going to tennis camps during the summer and by then I started going every summer. I grew excited to finally get to high school and join the team since there are no teams in middle school.” Valeria Hernandez, 10 What is the hardest part of tennis?

“For a lot of people it can be trying to hit a ball going in the complete opposite direction you’re going.

If the ball is on the right side of the court, running over to the left as quick as possible and hitting it on time can be hard.” Alexis Rivera, 10 What goes through your head when you’re playing a match?

“Mostly focusing on form and placement of the ball and how I want the play to go.” Ava Saad, 11 Do you have any advice you’d like to give to beginners?

“Just try to have fun and don’t take it too seriously. If you take it too seriously you might not have as much fun.” Idara Udiok, 11 Cheyenne Cosley | Photographer

Cheyenne Cosley | Photographer

Junior Ethan Nguyen returns the ball against his Pflugerville opponent Friday Sept. 18.

What does it feel like to lose a match?

“To lose a match it really depends on how I felt during the match.

Losing a close match, I really feel frustrated in trying to get my form down. Losing a whole match just makes my day terrible.”

Trent Blahuta, 11 What are some of the best moments in tennis? Worst?

“Probably right after a tournament. The spirit of the whole team is energetic and overall nice to be around. In tennis it’s like a 50/50, either it’s really, really good or it’s gonna be okay, so there’s not really any worst times.” Brystal Flemming, 11th

Cheyenne Cosley | Photographer

Junior Idara Udiok prepares to serve the ball across the net to her opponent

Junior Ava Saad, serves to her Pflugerville opponent in her varsity tennis match.