The Hawk April 2021

No place for hate Students, teachers speak out on Asian discrimination Page 7-8

The

Hawk

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 14, Issue 6 April 23, 2021

In this Issue...

Cruel Summer - Page 3 Winter Guard - Page 10 Marvel Shows - Page 12

2

News April 23, 2021

state of the

UNION

COVID-19 vaccine becomes available for those 16 and up Weston Schlesinger| Schlesinger Reporter Since vaccines for COVID-19 have been released many people have wondered when they will be able to get it.

In late March, the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 had been approved for use on people who are 16 or older that qualify for vaccination such as medical conditions that put them in more risk for serious, life threatening complications than would be normal for the average COVID-19 case.

However, as more vaccines became available, the groups of people that will be able to get vaccinated will increase. Currently Pfizer is running FDA trials to test if their vaccine is safe for use for people between 12 and 16 years of age.

“My parents would probably make me get it,” freshman Cody Burton said. “Although I’m not sure if I really need to get it but I don’t know.”

The following excerpt

was taken from a letter to Pfizer from the head scientist of the Food and Drug Administration. “[The] FDA reviewed safety and efficacy data from an ongoing trial[s] in approximately 44,000 participants randomized to receive PfizerBioNTech COVID‑19 Vaccine or saline control [50% for each]. The trial has enrolled participants 12 years of age and older. FDA’s review has considered the safety and effectiveness data as they relate to the request for emergency use authorization in individuals 16 years of age and older.”

Rear Admiral Denise M. Hinton, Chief Scientist of the Food and Drug Administration said “[The] FDA’s analysis of the available efficacy data from 36,523 participants 12 years of age and older without evidence of [COVID-19] infection prior to 7 days after dose 2 confirm the vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19

occurring at least 7 days after the second dose.

“Based on [this] data, and review of manufacturing information regarding product quality and consistency, it is reasonable to believe that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID‑19 Vaccine may be effective. Additionally, it is reasonable to conclude, based on the totality of the scientific evidence available, that the known and potential benefits of PfizerBioNTech COVID‑19 Vaccine outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine.”

Even though the vaccine will be approved by the FDA, many people older than 12 will not get the vaccine.

“I’m not going to get the vaccine because I don’t think it has been tested for long term effects quite yet," freshman Conner Wallace said. “I would definitely get it in the summer after all its effects have been studied.”

Information from https://www.fda.gov/media/144412/download "I got Moderna. The first dose all I had was a sore arm where the shot was given. The second dose knocked me out for 2 days. I had severe body aches, chills and very tired for about 24 hours. After that I was good to go." Carrie Sulak, faculty

“I got the Pfizer vaccine at UT Health Austin over spring break and got the second dose about a week ago. I barely had any side effects after the first one but after the second one I had a low fever and a headache for about 8 hours the next day. Overall I have no regrets and I’m glad I could get the vaccine to protect myself and help end the pandemic.”

Ian Falkenbury, 12 “We had to drive a few hours away to a town called Cleburne to find appointments for the Pfizer vaccine. There wasn’t really that much of a wait and it didn’t seem like there were a whole lot of people that lived there getting vaccinated. It went really fast and all we had to do afterwards was wait 15 minutes to leave. I didn’t really feel like anything when they gave me the shot, but it started getting really sore on the way back.

Other than that, I didn’t have any side effects.”

Liberty Haude, 11 I took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and did have some side affects. I was fatigued, had chills, had a headache, and was slightly nauseous a few hours after receiving my vaccine. The next day, I was still extremely tired and had a headache.

The day after, I was feeling fine. I was extremely relieved to get the vaccine, so much so that I cried after receiving it. I was happy to receive it because it meant I could hug my grandma again, see my friends safely, and began to do some of the activities and hobbies I wasn’t able to do during lock down that make me happy. It meant so much to me to get it and help society in a small way.” Liana Gonzales, faculty

“The day after I got the vaccine I felt a little off, worn down and light headed. That night, 24 hours after I got the vaccine, I got a fever and felt extremely cold. That only lasted about 2 hours. By the next morning I was feeling nearly 100% and by mid-day I felt fine. I feel good about getting the vaccine, it gives me optimism for the future. It means that there is a light at the end of this tunnel we have been in, that we are emerging from the darkness.” John Hughes, faculty

"I was looking forward in getting the vaccine because it is the only way we can start moving forward. After a year of being shut down, the vaccine is the first step towards the new norm. When I got the Moderna vaccine, the 1st shot only made the injection site sore. The 2nd shot, I only had to take Ibuprofen once and felt fine after that." Ed Amadis, faculty

“The experience getting the vaccine was fine, I went to HEB in Austin and handed them my paperwork and they took me to the room and sat me down and gave me the shot, quick and easy. I’m traveling this summer, and I wanted to make sure I’m safe and don’t get it and affect myself and others. It makes me happy because it feels like all of this is slowly coming to an end, and things will return back to normal.”

Nicholas Griffin, 11

Volume 14, Issue 6

Cruel Summer

News

3

Record failing rates, lack of activities to bring alternate summer plans Yael Behar | Reporter With the weather starting to heat up, and the school year coming to a close, summer school and credit recovery present themselves to students as a way to supplement these past grades.

COVID-19 caused a tremendous impact on the school environment in the 2019-2020 school year, and summer classes were canceled as well. The classes have now been brought back, changed slightly to fit the new structure of schooling.

“PfISD is offering summer school courses in person and virtually,” counselor Leslie Howell said. “I think this is a very cautious and respectful way to provide equal opportunities to individuals who can and want to be on campus, and to individuals who cannot or prefer to not be on campus at this time. The district has worked incredibly hard to serve our students and families well, especially in this time of polarizing opinions.”

Virtual learning has brought with it many problems, including massive failure rates. School counselors and teachers have been working with students while the school year isn't over, and there's time to save grades before the end of the year.

“Our biggest plan for student success is to meet with students and parents before the end of the grading period to address any areas of concern and to provide guidance on how to improve grades before they are finalized,” Howell said. “If a student does fail one or more required courses, we will evaluate the student’s transcript to determine the next best step. In some cases, it is best for the student to repeat the course to ensure that they have a strong grasp of the content; in

other cases, students can recover the course through Credit Recovery.”

Although Credit Recovery is a way to earn back credits, many students a part of the failing grade rate have zeros across the board, with no attempts to make any grade reparations.

“We can never guarantee that anyone will do anything,” counselor Cassandra Jackson said. “We can give them the opportunity and strongly encourage students to do credit recovery, but at the end of the day, it’s up to them.

Ultimately, students that do not complete credits do not graduate. HHS faculty and staff will always encourage students to improve grades and attendance.”

In addition to the summer classes that were lost in the last school year, many clubs and extracurriculars were also unavailable. Several have been brought back with safety precautions, but not as many as in years past. A list of the currently running extracurriculars can be found by asking your counselor.

“I do think that students will suffer trying to build their resume in the time of COVID,” college and career counselor Leigh Spradlin said. “We have to remember that all students are going through this, and this is something that Universities will see nationwide.

Colleges have also adjusted testing requirements for admissions decisions; offering applicants to choose if they would like their test scores to be considered.”

Although the clubs, classes, and other summer academic activities are limited, Howell adds that this doesn't mean college applications have to suffer.

“There are actually many clubs and organizations still meeting (virtually) during this time,” Howell said. “One of the biggest determinants of success, in any endeavor, is grit: a combination of perseverance and passion for a particular goal. While organized community service events may be limited at this time, you can approach this topic creatively by serving at a more local level. Mowing the neighbor’s lawn, providing free childcare for working parents, tutoring students in your neighborhood.”

Despite the stark differences between this approaching summer and related summer activities, it is, at its core, summer break.

“The main thing that I want students to keep in mind as they look toward the summer is to stay connected to themselves and to their people,” Howell said. “Yes, absolutely do things that your future self will appreciate (take a summer school course, work on your academic resume). Also, be intentional about nurturing yourself and your relationships during this time. Spend time outside, exercise regularly, create something, try out a new skill or hobby. This is a time to restore, recover, and explore.”

Artwork By | Yael Behar

School Board Election Scheduled for May 1 Landon Self | Asst. Editor Voters of Pflugerville ISD will head to the polls May 1 to vote in the 2021 Municipal Elections for School Board.

Two seats on the School Board are up for election this year: Place 1 and Place 2. For Place 2, incumbent Tony Hanson is running for re-election and does not have a challenger.

For Place 1, incumbent Mary

Kimmins is retiring from the School Board and is not seeking re-election. Kimmins’s vacancy leaves the open seat up for a contested election with David Aguirre and Marc Garcia running for fulfill that spot.

Charlie Torres, who has run for the School Board four times before, initially filed paperwork to run for Place 2 but withdrew following the Winter Storm in February.

“With the pandemic, the winter storm and the unknowns for next year, our other challenge will be the district budget,” Aguirre said. “I am running because I love this community and I believe I can advocate for all children, staff and parents while responsibly managing tax dollars.”

The election will be the first regular election for the School Board since 2019, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic delaying the elections to November last year. COVID-19, getting students back to class, and doing so safely will be a big task ahead for the School Board to handle.

“I believe the issues and challenges for next school year is getting the students back in the classroom,” Aguirre said.

“If I am elected I will bring my 37 years of experience in

leadership to the board. I hope to contribute and elevate the performance of our students and teachers by creating conditions for success.”

Marc Garcia was reached for comment but did not respond.

Early voting for the Election began on April 19 and runs until April 27 with Election Day on May 1.

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News April 23, 2021

Sheport named HHS teacher of the year Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor Last month, English Inclusion teacher and Cheer coach, Robin Sheport was awarded Hendrickson Teacher of the Year for the 2020-21 school year. Algebra 1 teacher and Head Swim Coach, Ainsley Benton was awarded the Rookie Teacher of the year, and Front Office Administrator,

Eula West won Humanitarian of the year.

Sheport has been teaching for 9 years and counting, guiding the cheer team to win many awards at a variety of competitions. Currently, she is also one of the top three candidates for the Districts Secondary Teacher of the Year award.

“I am excited and humbled to win Teacher of the Year,” Sheport said. “It’s truly an honor to have peers recognize me for such an award. I interview with a panel tomorrow, and I am hoping to make a good impression and represent Hendrickson well.”

District approves new School Boundaries Weston Schlesinger| Schlesinger Reporter The district has approved new boundaries for several schools starting in August 2021 to allow for the population of three new schools, Jessica Carpenter elementary school, Bohls middle school, and another unnamed elementary school that will be opened in August 2022. Most of the changes that are taking place are going to occur in August 2021 for middle and elementary schools.

Changes for the high schools will be next year in August. On Nov. 6, 2018 the Pflugerville community voted to pass bonds

to build the three schools so the new boundaries are to populate the new schools, alleviate over enrollment and accommodate for future residential growth.

More information is available on the PfISD website. For the new Jessica Carpenter elementary school the approved plan is to relocate a few areas for the school’s attendance zone including a part of Pflugerville Elementary’s boundary east of Highway 130, Carmel, Verona and the Eastern part of the Reserve of Westcreek. Other changes include reducing the size of Mott Elementary’s attendance zone and moving

an Eastern piece of Barron Elementary’s zone to Wieland Elementary. For the middle school changes, the boundaries will be changed to allow an enrollment zone for the new middle school at Bohl’s Place.

Other changes will be slight changes to boundaries to account for over enrollment and to make student numbers more manageable. For high school boundaries there will only be small changes before the 2022-2023 school year to make students moving to high schools from Bohl’s Place go Weiss High School.

Muslim students celebrate Ramadan mid-school year

Landon Self | Asst. Editor The Islamic holiday of Ramadan is underway, beginning April 12. This year, the holiday will run until May 12 or 13 depending on the sight of the moon.

“Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast, they abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset, depending on where you live you could fast for up to 20 hours in a day,” ESL teacher Sadaf Bari said.

“Not only do Muslims abstain from food and drink, we also must be careful of our temper,

our words and committing any immoral acts.”

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim Lunar Calendar, so each year the date changes.

This year, the holiday is ten days earlier than in 2020. In other words, Ramadan can be in the summer and as the years go on it could then be during the winter.

“As there are over 1.9 billion Muslims in the world currently and the numbers keep increasing as it is the fastest growing religion in the world, it is important to understand

how spiritual this time is for someone you may know,” Bari said. “It is important for teachers and students to be aware of students who are fasting and the limitations that they may have during this time” At the end of Ramadan, there is a celebration called Eid Al -Fitr. Many Muslim students and staff take off for this day, however, it is not an official school holiday. There is currently a petition in Leander ISD to have this day declared a school holiday.

English Inclusion teacher and Cheer coach Robin Sheport was awarded Hendrickson Teacher of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year.

Photo provided by | Belva Sheport

Science Olympiad competes at regional tournament Abraham Siyoum | Reporter The Science Olympiad team went to the regional tournament on March 30, 2021, and placed second. They advanced to the state tournament on April 24.

“I am proud that the team finished second and qualified for the state tournament,” science olympiad coach Ryan Kubicek said. “I wish we had finished first, but it is a difficult year.”

Seniors Seth Cotton and Josh Manigsaca took first place in Astronomy and Machines and took second place in Ornithology. Sophomore Zach Pham and junior Pranit Arya took first place in Circuit Lab; sophomore Elena Alvarado and junior Marah Kluge took second place in Water Quality; junior Pich Chea and Pham

took third place in Geologic Mapping, and sophomore Ambereen Haq and junior Emma Sheffield took third place in Dynamic Planet.

“We have been competing in virtual tournaments all year,” Kubicek said “We competed in tournaments from California to Virginia. I like that the students could compete in a number of tournaments that we would not be able to attend if there were in person. I miss having my team around. I miss attending the tournaments in person even though many require a drive and we leave at 4 am on Saturdays. I think the students sitting at home taking tests on a weekend is not as fun as attending the tournament in person.”

Volume 14, Issue 6 News

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2021 UIL Academics Team Competes at Regional Meet Kaitlyn Nash | Asst. Editor The UIL Academics team headed out on Apr 18 to Lockhart high school at eight A.M. to compete in spelling, literary criticism, number sense, current issues, ready writing, calculator applications, computer applications, copy editing, accounting, news writing, science, feature writing, editorial writing, social studies, headline writing, mathematics, and computer science programing.

“I was shocked that I made it to regionals but also really happy, it’s incentivizing me to try harder next year and show how much I’ve improved,” junior Afsaneh Masoumi said.

During COVID-19, it was challenging to gather people up to compete in the academic events, but the team pushed

through.

“Because I do a speaking event, it’s been very different and a lot harder to do online,” junior Audrey Fife said. “It’s weird to speak to a computer screen, sometimes even without eyes to make contact with, and it’s harder to get appropriate feedback as well. But we made it work as a team.”

That being said, the team also had only a few months to prepare because of the short notice of the upcoming events. But, the team made the challenge more enjoyable.

“I’d say in total, I had around two months to prepare and practice my skills,” sophomore Ethan Nguyen said. “Honestly, it was a lot like studying for tests but a lot more fun. Zoom fatigue is a bit exhausting though.”

Having to compete in the COVID-19 era was a challenge, but Masoumi, Fife and Nguyen made the most of it.

“Honestly, I was mostly just excited,” Fife said. “I’ve been practicing for so long that it doesn’t phase me as much anymore, but I still enjoy speaking.”

Even with the struggles the team went through this year, many students including Masoumi are planning on competing in UIL Academics again next year.

“I really enjoyed trying new events and how different they were from the usual events that I participate in,” Masoumi said.

“Next year we’ll come with a new mindset now that we already understand and know how it works.”

At the UIL Academics regional

The 2021 UIL Academics team had 43 students advance to Region, with 10 team championships and 13 overall district champs.

Photo provided by | Kari Riemer meet, only three students will be advancing to UIL State.

Senior Bryan Ross coached by Kari Riemer got third place in Feature Writing, second place in Editorial writing, and third in Headline writing. Fife, coached by Aly Mithani and Kirsten Nash, took the Bronze

in Informative Extemp. Junior Sam Brown, coached by TJ Johnson, took Bronze at UIL Regionals and is headed to state in Calculator and will be Hendrickson’s first ever UIL State competitor in this event.

Firefighter Academy Competition held locally for Juniors and Seniors Hector Santos | Reporter The Texas Public Service Association (a career and technical student organization) usually hosts a Firefighter skills competition every year.

However, due to the pandemic the Pflugerville Fire Academy hosted their own competition rather than attending at the state competition. The event was held at the fire fighter training field on Cameron Road on April 15.

“It was a lot of self motivation, took a lot of strength, physically and mentally,” junior Ashly Collins said.

The competition had juniors and seniors from all schools across the district competing against each other in individual events based on everything they have learned throughout the year.

“It was fun and exciting, chill,” senior Eric Montes said. “Very chill actually. It took a lot of

preparation and I took some mental notes in general.”

The first part of the competition was an individual run of the events consisting of Gear Donning, Dragging and Pulling a five inch hose, Search and Rescue, Forcible Entry, tying a clove hitch on a ladder and Dummy Drag.

“It was challenging, fun and tested what we have learned throughout the year,” senior Samantha Espinosa Lozano said.

After the individual competition was over they teamed up in an obstacle course of all the same events.

“It felt a lot easier with someone else doing the hard task,” junior Max Garcia said.

“Working with seniors was interesting because I didn’t really know anything about the seniors but they seemed to be pretty skilled about what they were doing.”

There were seven seniors and four juniors that competed and the three teams were mixed with juniors and seniors for two rounds.

“It was fun to finally meet the juniors and bond with them after knowing so much about them,” Espinosa Lozano said.

In the first round, Team One was seniors Hector Santos, Maya Thomson, Garrett Reagan, Jacob Curran and junior Max Garcia with a time of six minutes. Team Two was Ashley Collins, Curran, Espinosa Lozano, and Rodgers with a time of six minutes as well. Team Three was Montes Maddie Bredahl and Zachary Winkelman with a time of four minutes.

“I think we instantly bonded and we inspired each other so we brought the best of each other,” Curran said. “There was camaraderie even without knowing each other.”

Newspaper Awarded Silver Crown Liliana Moran | Reporter A Silver Crown had been awarded to the Hawk News team during the Scholastic Crown Ceremony on March 19, recognizing the team’s newspaper products during the 2019-20 school year “Anytime the paper is recognized, it is amazing,” journalism teacher Kari Riemer said. “Texas is one of the most competitive states as far as scholastic journalism. I can think of more than 20 great programs just in our state, so being honored on the national level is thrilling.”

The annual Scholastic Crown Ceremony held by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association

(CSPA) judges schools from around the nation in news, yearbook, magazine, or digital formats. The Crown Awards are given to the schools with the top student publications, which are judged on design, photography, concept, writing, and coverage

by CSPA members.

“Even from an unbiased perspective, I genuinely think the Hawk paper is a good paper, format wise, layout wise, and of course, story wise,” reporter Yael Behar said. “I feel like the paper just does a good job of embodying what the students and school are able to do when you give them the ability to produce and manage their own things, it’s neat.”

6 Opinion

April 23, 2021

As vaccines slow pandemic, focus changes This last month has likely been the most exciting month since the beginning of the pandemic.

Vaccination distribution has finally started to click, and the results are showing. The 7-day moving average of new daily cases on March 15 was the lowest it has been since mid October. Active cases began to go down for the first time during the pandemic in late January and have continued to go down.

The 7-day moving average of new daily deaths on March 31 was the lowest since early November.

On March 29, anyone 16 or up in Texas became eligible for vaccines. There is legitimate light at the end of the tunnel for the first time in what has for so many reasons been a long, grueling pandemic.

But as the recovery stage of the pandemic draws nearer, questions remain.

The elephant in the room is the question of vaccines. The efficacy tests were successful beyond even the most optimistic prediction’s wildest dreams. And the vaccines seem to be effective so far, but things will get more complicated soon.

Right now, the supply of the vaccine hasn’t met the demand, meaning that only people who want the vaccine have been getting it. Give it another month or so and the task will switch from producing and distributing enough vaccines to meet demand to convincing enough people hesitant about

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

• Your Turn

• Staff Editorial

getting vaccinated to take the vaccine to achieve herd immunity, or to get roughly 75 percent of the population vaccinated.

There are a variety of ways to go about this. Vaccine passports are a common, albeit controversial proposed solution.

Essentially, it would be a digital certificate or barcode that would allow a fully vaccinated person to freely travel to events throughout the country.

It makes sense as a way to regulate crowded events and ensure

safety at them.

However, it risks pushing those who choose not to take the vaccine out of society. While anti-vaccine movements tend to be exclusively conspiracy based, and the COVID-19 vaccine has plenty of conspiracy theories around it, there are valid reasons to be hesitant about it. mRNA technology is new, and while the vaccine has been thoroughly tested, longterm effects are still unknown.

How quickly herd immunity is reached and what herd

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

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.

immunity even means when it comes to COVID-19’s effect on society will be key factors to determining whether vaccine passports are a viable solution.

A key to convincing a high enough percentage of the population to get vaccinated will be ensuring that the information that spreads about side effects of vaccines is accurate. As soon as vaccines began being distributed, headlines circulated about scary side effects such as Bell’s Palsy and allergic reactions. While these headlines were (mostly) technically accurate, the side effects did not represent a statistically significant enough correlation to warrant much concern, and the net effect of a vaccinated population has been positive with what is known so far. Ensuring that the information that gets circulated about vaccines and the reactions to them will be key to convincing hesitant people to get the vaccine.

While there r e m a i n plenty of unknowns with how quickly vaccines will end the pandemic, early returns suggest that they absolutely can. The US has done an excellent job so far with vaccine distribution, enough to slow down the pandemic. Convincing people to trust the vaccine will be key to ending it.

“I want to get the vaccine, and I’ve already gotten my first dose. I’m really looking forward to being able to go places and see my friends without fear, and my immunity will build up group resistance, so it’s a winwin situation.”

- Hannah Bailey, 11

“I personally don’t wanna take because I have faith in my immune system and I’ll wait till a good portion of the US to be vaccinated.”

-Gabriel Torres, 11

“I definitely want to get vaccinated because not only is it good for my health, but it’s the best thing I can do for the world right now.

Everyone getting vaccinated will help us achieve herd immunity and get society back to normal, so it’s irresponsible for me to not.”

-Audrey Fife, 11

“I do not want to get the vaccine. The use of mRNA in vaccines is completely new and the FDA still hasn’t approved any of the vaccines.

When you get a vaccine, the paper you receive says that you are participating in a trial, and they still don’t know what the long term effects are. They just put the Johnson & Johnson vaccines on hold because of its relation with severe and rare blood clots and now Pfizer is saying that a 3rd shot, 6 months after your 2nd shot, will be needed. There’s a lot of uncertainty and I’m not willing to risk it” - Isis Camacho, 12 “My thoughts on getting the vaccine is that it’s a very good thing, this is something that’s going to help us all and that we should all get it, this vaccine is the key to another great step in history, so we should all get it not only for ourselves, but for the greater good of all of us” - Will Schulte, 11

Vy Bui | Artist

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

Yael Behar Lili Moran Hector Santos

Reporters Artist Vy Bui

Weston Schlesinger Abraham Siyoum Natalia Zavaleta

Associations 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 Columbia Scholastic Press League, Gold Medalist 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 Silver Crown, 2017, 2018, 2021 Pacemaker Finalist, 2018

Photo by Seth Deaton Model: Carlos Ibenez

• Hit or Miss

• Our Turn

Volume 14, Issue 6 Opinion

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Vandalism to school building unwelcome nuisance The school was vandalized sometime before school Tuesday, April 20. The front of the school and the A+ mural were spray painted, and toilet paper, silly string, and eggs were strewn across the area. While there weren’t any especially offensive messages, it’s just embarrassing. It makes the most visible part of the school dirty and it just doesn’t feel good to walk into a vandalized school.

It’s unknown who did it and whether they go to school here (seemingly likely), but whoever it was, the vandalism is certainly a miss miss.

Roof continues ongoing repairs Since the school year began, the building’s roof has been undergoing construction. The past few weeks, there have been loud noises and strong tar smells around upstairs E-hall. This disrupts and interrupts classes. It has also been taking very long to be fixed. The process seems hazardous and has started a fire once. Roof work should be done when students and staff are not on campus in order to avoid these kinds of situations. Work on the miss. roof during school time is a miss

• For and Against Students choose when to come in-person As of April 16, all students have the ability to choose to attend school in-person, virtually, or come to school for some of their classes. This benefits the students and their learning, while still being cautious of COVID-19. This is beneficial because certain classes require students to be in person to get the full experience and learn what they need to, while other classes are fine online.

Letting students come on and off-campus for classes that they choose is a hit hit.

Unannounced students cause complications The district announced that Starting on Monday, April 19, any virtual student can come to school physically. Prior to this, students who wanted to come to school in-person would have to sign forms per 9 weeks stating that they would attend. Now, any virtual student can come to school on any given day, without any forms. On one hand, this new policy could allow for students who need extra support to quickly drop by and get the help they need.

On the other hand, this makes contact tracing very difficult, as students who show up unannounced could pose an issue in finding out who is sitting where, and when, during lunch or class. The safety concerns that come with lack of effective contact tracing, miss. make this new policy a miss

Image purchased from Getty Images

Editor reflects on use of offensive slurs Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor Last year, a few days before the world shut down and we were sent into virtual school, we received national recognition for being one of the top five high schools in the U.S for inclusion of all students. Despite this national award, some students continue to make offensive jokes which ultimately discriminate against some students.

A lot of these jokes are kids saying things like, “that’s gay,” “you’re autistic,” or even using the r-slur to make fun of their friends.

These jokes might be funny to those students and their friends, but it’s very harmful to the marginalized groups they’re referring to.

Why would being gay, autistic, or disabled be something insulting? And why do students think it’s okay to insult someone with those terms? I have two younger cousins with autism, so when I hear people using “you’re autistic,” to joke about their friends being weird, or making a dumb mistake, it makes me really angry and upset. Having autism does not make someone weird, or dumb. They are simply neurodivergent individuals, meaning their brain works differently than most people’s. It’s not a bad thing to have autism, so why would someone use autism as a joke?

Hearing these types of jokes is honestly really confusing on a campus that is supposed to be one of the most inclusive in the nation. As a student body we push for the inclusion of special ed students in every aspect of our school, but then turn right around and use autism as a joke.

It simply doesn’t make sense how we can love

and support these students, but then make fun of their disabilities. Autism has a really large spectrum, there are so many ways autism can affect an individual’s life from their speech to their social awareness. It presents itself differently in every single person, so it doesn’t make sense how someone can use autism as a joke or insult towards someone when the classification for autism is so large.

Having two younger cousins with autism makes this issue really personal to me, as I said earlier, so it makes me angry and frustrated to hear people using it as a joke. To me, they’re just my younger cousins, who are funny and sweet and sometimes excessively talkative, and I love every single thing about both of them. But even if I wasn’t related to anyone with autism, I would still be frustrated with these jokes, because they’re simply wrong and offensive, and anyone with a basic understanding of right versus wrong should see that.

April is internationally recognized as Autism Awareness month, pushing not only for increased awareness for those with autism but also pushing for acceptance and support for those with autism. Support and acceptance should not only stop the use of autism as a joke, but it should also push individuals to educate themselves about autism and how to further their support and inclusion for those with autism. This also shouldn’t end as the month is over; education and support evolves as research is furthered and updated, and as society changes.

8 Feature March 24, 2021

No place for hate

Teachers discuss history of anti-Asian legislation Liliana Moran | Reporter Over the past year, anti-Asian hate crimes have experienced a dramatic spike in the United States, rising by nearly 150% in 16 of America’s most populated cities in 2020.

From verbal abuse to physical assaults, anti-Asian sentiments are no stranger to America, which has had a deep-rooted history of Asian inequality and prejudice. From the Chinese Exclusion Act to the Japanese Internment camps to Islamophobia towards South Asians, Asians have had to face discrimination for generations in the United States.

“I think that it’s important to realize that treating Asian Americans as ‘others’ is not new in the United States,” social studies teacher Sara Lucas said. “There is a long and complicated history of casting Asian Americans as outsiders and taking away rights from them.”

One of the earliest government inflicted anti-Asian policies was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The act prohibited all Chinese laborers from entering or returning to the country. It was the only major federal legislation to explicitly restrict immigration for a specific nationality.

“The Chinese Exclusion Act suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization,” AP U.S. history teacher Hellen Barzci said. “The act was initially intended to last for 10 years, but was renewed and strengthened in 1892 with the Geary Act and made permanent in 1902.”

Later changes to the act added more restrictions, including limited access to bail bonds and tighter immigration protocols.

“These laws attempted to stop all Chinese immigration into the United States for ten years, with exceptions for diplomats, teachers, students, merchants, and travelers,” Barczi said.

The act continued for over six decades and was repealed in 1943.

“The Magnuson Act ended 62 years of Chinese exclusion,” Barzci said. “Providing for a quota of 105 persons to immigrate each year, and permitting the Chinese present in the United States to become naturalized citizens.”

At around the same time with the U.S. entering World War II came the Japanese Internment Policy.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire Dec 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt passed Executive Order 9066 in 1942, permitting the federal government to force Japanese Americans into internment camps.

“Military zones were created in California, Washington and Oregon--states with a large

population of Japanese Americans,” Barczi said. “They were concerned of Japanese spying and sabotage.”

Over 120,000 Japanese Americans were held in these military zones, the majority being U.S. born citizens.

Only people of Japanese ancestry were forced into the camps, not people of Italian or German descent.

Those taken to the camps were given limited time to take care of their affairs and belongings before leaving and faced curfews within the camps. Punishments were given to those who disobeyed the camps policies or tried to escape.

“Most of the camps were temporary housing and very harsh living conditions,” Barczi said. “Japanese Americans lost their homes and businesses.”

The internment camps came to an end in 1945 but still left those imprisoned with long term struggles.

“Many Japanese had to start over since a number of their houses, farms and businesses had been sold,” Barczi said.

Just as America experienced a rise in Anti-Eastern Asian sentiment during WWII, America saw a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in the aftermath of 9/11 and the U.S. war on terror. With a large portion of the Muslim population residing across Asia, including Southwest, South, Central, and Southeast Asia. Many Asians were and still are victims of Islamophobia and hate groups.

“Overall, there were 307 incidents of anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2016, marking a 19% increase from the previous year,” Pew Reasearch Center states. “This rise in hate crimes builds on an even sharper increase the year before, when the total number of anti-Muslim incidents rose 67%, from 154 in 2014 to 257 in 2015.”

Currently with the most recent rise in attacks on Asian Americans in the United States, some suggest they are being scapegoated as a cause for the pandemic, a common pattern of history.

“I would say a similarity would be that the hate crimes are a result of being the blame for something ex. Pearl Harbor and COVID-19,” Barczi said. “Also possibly coming from the US government ex. Executive order 9066 and blaming Covid on the Chinese and the use of the -Chinese virus’ when talking about COVID-19

by President Trump and other government officials.”

Barczi feels disappointed by the influx in violence and hate towards Asians.

“I am saddened and angered to see the rise of violence towards Chinese Americans recently and the types of violence that is being inflicted on the victims,” Barczi said. “And as a teacher I am very frustrated to see that belief of misinformation and the ignorance that is fueling these violent events of not only the past, but the present.”

Photo by | Seth Deaton

Volume 14, Issue 6 Feature

9

Increase in Asian American hate crimes sparks outrage

Kaitlyn Nash | Asst. Editor A recent increase in the number of Asian American hate crimes has sparked a roar of controversy on social media and in person. In fact, there has been a 150% increase in Asian American hate crimes in 2020. And it hasn't stopped with the new year, as there have been around 500 reports of Asian American hate since the beginning of 2021.

“The recent news about Asian American hate crimes is greatly disappointing to me,” sophomore Dat Phan said. “I don’t understand why people find race an excuse to be a terrible person, especially when it was hate crimes against the elderly which was even worse because those people were defenseless.”

The fact of the matter is, the negative rhetoric around Asian American’s and the hate crimes they receive have been around for a long time, even before the COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in their numbers. To students whose parents are first generation immigrants, this comes as no surprise.

“I think hate crimes in the Asian American community have always stayed at a constant rate, ever since the mid to late 1900s,” Phan said. “Of course, COVID has done a part in increasing it through the rhetoric that was passed [off] it but either way, Asian Americans have always been discriminated against by being put up on a pedestal of the model minority which was something that had been happening for decades and something that my mother and father experienced after immigrating to the United States after the Vietnam war when South Vietnam lost and

Southerners like my father and mother were socially and politically ostracized from their own country only to experience similar effects in the United States.”

But the recent rise in attacks can be attributed to the rhetoric that was placed around the COVID-19 pandemic when people started blaming the Asian community as a whole for the pandemic.

“A major component has to do with rhetoric,” sophomore Ethan Ngyuen said. “During the Trump administration former president Donald Trump, rather than take responsibility for letting coronavirus get so bad, blamed the entirety of the pandemic on China.

His xenophobia and racism were legitimately present through his dubbing of COVID as the ‘Chinavirus, Chinese flu,’ etc. These names not only further Asian American sentiment, but signify a significant presence of racism within these sorts of remarks.”

This has caused an increased number of Asian Americans to be afraid for themselves and their families lives, as many of the incidents happened in neighborhoods or on the streets, meaning it could happen anywhere. One incident occurred at a bus stop, where a white man named Daniel Hutchens walked up to an Asian American man, asked him “Are you Chinese,” and when the answer was affirmative, Hutchens then punched the man in the face.

“It scares me, it really does,” Ngyuen said. “The idea that individuals in the status quo can fester so much hatred and bitterness towards a group of people for the color of our skin is horrifying. These attacks further just cement the fear I have for others as well. On the

“I have experienced hate for just being Asian. I remember this one time where people would did the ‘Asian eye trend’ back in elementary school, or even stick up the picky finger towards me thinking it was the ‘Chinese middle finger,’ and another time was just people leaving me out of activities because they thought that I was an alien.”

-Chatrina Do, 9 Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

1882

“Occasionally there is a joke, but I don’t care one way or the other what people think of me for the most part.”

-Christopher Seng, 9

1902

1892

“My family and I are fortunate enough to not have experienced hate first hand so far but there is definitely always like a fear in the back of our heads that any of us could be next.”

Cayla Ibanez, 11

*pseudonym

“My life has been a balancing act. A constant mediation between different external expectations. At school, I was supposed to be the smart Asian kid. I recall one time in algebra my teacher asked if anyone had started the take home quiz that was due in a couple class periods. Another student promptly said “I bet she did”, and nodded my way.

I didn’t even know this boy. It was obvious he was basing his assumption strictly off the fact that I was Asian.”

-Rachel Simmons, 12

Executive Order 9066, Japenese Internment camps

Chinese Exclusion Act made permanant

Geary Act passed

news one day it could just be one more person I don’t know but the next it could be my grandma, my mother, anyone. That alone is terrifying.”

Although the US government has passed an antiAsian American hate crimes bill that is supposed to coordinate with local law enforcement groups and community-based organizations to facilitate and raise awareness about hate-crime reporting, sophomore Michelle Landelle* believes that this was something that was the obvious choice and that there is more to be done.

“The government should take initiative to educate people who may [be] misinformed and/or biased,” Landelle said. “The government should also provide more aid to people who have been affected by the increased hate.”

But the call for action is nigh. On many social media platforms, people have begun to spread information on how to help the Asian American community and the stories of the Asian Americans who were the butt of the attacks. Even still, Phan, Nguyen, and Landelle believe there's more to be done.

“Individual people should be more socially cognizant of the situation with Asian American hate and try their best to educate those around them to be better people which can lead to more communities of care that can reduce and even eliminate Asian American hate crimes,” Phan said.

1942

1941

Pearl Harbor

1943

Chinese Exclusion act repealed

“Even prior to when COVID was this bad I experienced various forms of microaggressions due to my race. Lots of direct racial insults, as well, that’s really changed my understanding of how people see each other and cope with what is going on in society.”

Ethan Nguyen, 10

Internment camps ended

1945 2020

Donald Trump calls COVID “Chinese Virus”

“It’s infuriating. The amount of hate crimes in large cities like New York and LA have increased by 150% in 2020 alone, xenophobia has only increased due to the narrative propelled by some media outlets that all Asians have COVID and shouldn’t be in the US. I was born and raised here so I don’t know what it’s like to immigrate here but I am American no matter what I look like.”

-Carlos Ibanez, 11

10 Feature April 23, 2021

A Pandemic Performance

Colorguard places top 3 at TCGC competition in Georgetown Bryan Ross | Co-Editor As the guard lines up to take the floor, the tension is palpable.

While they’re still wearing masks, and the crowd in the stands is socially distanced, the energy in the moment feels the same.

After last year’s Winter Guard season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current Winter Guard season started late for the same reason, the varsity Winter Guard performed at a live competition for the first time in 385 days at the Texas Color Guard Circuit Georgetown contest March 27. After the long wait, senior guard captain Jillian Tidwell said that the performance was more satisfying than it would’ve normally been.

“It was a lot more satisfying to finally perform in front of an audience instead of just a camera because it's fun to hear the audience react to what's on the floor, and you don't get that with virtual competitions,” Tidwell said. “Of course it's the first in-person competition in late March, instead of late February, which made it a lot more satisfying to actually perform for the first time in over a year.”

In addition to the pandemic, the guard also brought in a new director for the second time in the past three seasons, meaning the class of 2021 has had three different color guard directors during their time in high school. Jesse Skaar was officially hired as guard director May 8, 2020, so he has had to come into a new program midpandemic, which he said has been challenging.

“Coming into a new program where you don't know faces is a struggle,” Skaar said. “Coming in I didn't have a rapport with

anyone. And on top of that, most students are learning from home, so I don't have that interpersonal communication that I would have if I had been here before the pandemic. So kind of running at first, just trying my best to develop those

with each other, so we didn't have this like connection to our director in the beginning,” Smith said. “But I also think with the pandemic it's like we're all going through it together, especially Mr. Skaar, so like with all of us going through this

Smith said. “Like yes, we know the basics and everything, but the work that Mr. Skaar gives us, it's with a new director, it's completely different work than we ever had with [our previous directors], so we're all learning at the same time, and it's a little

Senior Jillian Tidwell performs during TCGC Georgetown. Photo provided by | Anthony Davis relationships with all of my students during this pandemic and seeing what I could do to engage them online.”

In some ways, the pandemic has made adjusting to a new director easier, senior guard captain Cassidy Smith said.

“It was a little bit difficult, especially in the beginning, whenever we couldn't meet up

pandemic together it was kind of like, ‘okay, it's something new for all of us.’ I guess it wasn't as difficult to adapt to another new thing, which was a new director.”

Smith said that having a new director can feel like being a rookie again.

“It kind of feels like we're all starting at the same exact point,”

bit different. Obviously, we know a little bit more than the freshmen and everything, but I think even for the seniors this year, it feels like we're all a brand new guard, especially since the seniors left and everything. It's like a totally different guard than it was before.”

Another challenge the guard has had to deal with this season

has been getting quarantined multiple times. The first time was right before the season started, which delayed the beginning of their season, and the second time was midseason.

“This pandemic has really thrown curveballs at us and the band program, and every activity in the schools has faced this pandemic a little differently,” Skaar said. “So with all these different curveballs that get thrown our way, you just have to live, evaluate and adjust.”

The guard placed third in their division at TCGC Georgetown and used the recording of their performance to qualify for the Winter Guard International semifinals, a virtual event.

“Yeah so I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't our best performance,” Smith said. “We've done better, but I think most of us came off the performing area really strong, like we felt really good about ourselves, which is something that you don't usually do when you didn't do a great show. But I think that since it was the first time performing in a while, it felt really good to be back out there and even be in the same hallways that we were in previous competitions. It was really nice to be back there and it kind of felt a little bit normal.”

Skaar said that regardless of tangible success, he hopes that the guard can end on the highest note possible.

“I'm not concerned with placements,” Skaar said. “I am concerned that it's going to be their best show and that they feel like they've done everything through this year, and through this season to end on the highest note that they can. And that should be the best feeling out of everything.”

Volume 14, Issue 6 Feature

11

One Act Play advances to regionals Kaitlyn Nash | Asst. Editor On April 15, the One Act Play team departed from the school at seven in the morning on their way to Pasadena ISD to compete in the One Act Play regionals competition. This was after the team were in the top two at bi-district and top 3 in district which allowed them to advance to regionals on March 25.

“I think we felt super accomplished in the fact that we had only been working on the show for about 3 and a half weeks at that point,” drama teacher Nicole Malone said.

“The fact that the performers were able to take it to a new level at bi-district and advance to region was really exciting.”

Having to prepare for the One Act Play competition in the COVID-19 era provided unique challenges for the One Act Play team, but the team was able to push through the circumstances they were under.

“It’s super hard having to do OAP in a mask,” freshman Bella Monette said. “For me, what’s always in the back of my head is 'Can everyone hear me?' 'Am I being loud enough?' Just stuff

like that. It’s also super hard in general because half of our face is gone.”

Another struggle that the team faced was working out how to start practices for One Act Play and assign roles.

“It took us longer to start because we basically we [started] in stage 5 so we kind of had everybody broken up into smaller groups in case we would have to quarantine people,” drama teacher Michael Fisher said. “They probably spent more time just kind of working and improvising in small scenes from the show.

They knew the play relatively [well] before we started blocking it.”

In fact, the One Act Play team only had a short amount of time to prepare for their show before performing it in front of the judges.

“The first time we competed we only rehearsed for about 2 weeks and 2 days and you’re only allotted 8 hours a week [to practice] via UIL rules so if you’re really calculating that, we’re looking at maybe 18-19 hours of rehearsal going into the district competition,” Malone

said. “The snowpocalypse sort of impeded our efforts.”

Although the team pushed through the difficulties placed in front of them, it was still a struggle for Malone to see the difference between COVID-19 performances and rehearsals and the years before it.

“There are just moments of it that are really sad because [of] the nostalgia of being a part of One-Act Play since I was in high school,” Malone said. “[It’s] really hard looking at it from the perspective of the way things have changed this year. Not getting to see other shows, having to perform in masks, not getting to do the team bonding, and the group activities that we would usually do on contest day or before contest day. All of that joy is having to be circumvented in other ways so that we can be [safer] and Covid conscious.”

Despite the hardships, freshman Addi Villegas, who competed in One Act Play. still enjoyed her time in the department.

“I was definitely excited and nervous to compete in my first production at HHS,” Villegas

said. “[It] was a healthy mix of both emotions. Personally, I’ve met a lot of great friends this season and it feels really good to be able to compete and

perform. I will definitely try out for OAP again next year and continue to grow within the department.”

Seniors Michael Ybarra and Jeremiah Gorman preform the One Act Play. Monty Thompson | Photographer

Hawk Drama prepares for spring production Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter The theatre department will be continuing their yearly tradition of putting together a musical performance. Students will be performing for three days around the middle of May. More specific dates will be announced soon.

The musical process is looking different this year according to director and theatre teacher Nicole Malone.

“We are performing the musical out of the musical theatre class this year,” Malone

said. “Usually we have open auditions after school.”

Most rehearsals at the moment are happening during class time. She says students are working very hard to make the most of it.

“We usually start by learning the music and then transition into blocking the show and choreography,” Malone said.

“This year is difficult with our accompanist for the musical being online teaching music via Zoom but the students are embracing the challenge”

The musical will also be incorporating virtual students in order to allow for everyone in the class to participate.

“The students are working diligently on the music,” Malone said. “We will begin blocking and choreography.”

The musical that has been chosen this year is “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. It features a small cast and a variety of songs. It also allows for the department to continue safely practicing social distancing and CDC

guidelines.

“It fits the performers in the class,” Malone said. “And offers a safe opportunity for performance with a smaller cast that can be socially distanced on stage.”

Malone said that the department is hoping to have a live audience at 25 percent capacity of the performing arts center.

“I’m not sure many know we are doing a musical yet,” Malone said. “We haven’t made a huge public spectacle of it as

we are just getting started and hoping we can open in May provided everything keeps going in this direction with the district allowing small performances.”

Malone is looking forward to this year’s performance.

“I’m excited for the musical,” Malone said. “I love musicals and the opportunity to have the students perform is always what we are aiming for in the department.”

12 Entertainment April 23, 2021

A New Dimension

Marvel releases new TVshows on Disney+ WandaVision

Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor WandaVision has gained a significant amount of popularity and following from fans, especially through social media apps like TikTok where fans share their theories and predictions about the show. The mini-series on Disney+ only has nine total episodes with each episode being 30 to 40 minutes long. WandaVision released a new episode every Friday at 2 A.M CT in the U.S, because Disney+ wanted to cater to the plethora of viewers around the world while also reducing the potential for spoilers due to its popularity on social media.

The show presents Marvel’s Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and her experience post-Avengers: Endgame. In addition to Wanda, The Vision, played by Paul Bettany, is also included within the WandaVision storyline.

Each episode shows Wanda and Vision in a different sitcom era while showing their life in a middle-class neighborhood. The first few episodes of the show may be confusing to viewers as there’s not much context into how or why the characters are suddenly placed in a

1960’s sitcom. Additionally, the development of the plot throughout the entirety of the show is fairly slow-moving, which makes viewers piece together small details and cameos to try and understand what is happening throughout the show.

While the last few episodes of the show give insight into the context of the storyline, the final episode still leaves fans anxious with questions about the future of Wanda as the Scarlett Witch and where it leaves her in the MCU. This is partially answered as it is rumored that Wanda will be one of the main characters in the upcoming movie Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness, set to be released in 2022.

Overall, WandaVision gives a spotlight on Wanda’s past as her story has not been fully revealed and developed in past Marvel movies.

The show is definitely worth the watch and brings Marvel a new avenue to release content for the MCU since many movie theaters have stopped premiering new movies due to the pandemic.

Artwork by | Angelyna Rosales

Artwork by | Angelyna Rosales

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor In the recent months Marvel has released two new shows on Disney+, Wanda Vision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Falcon and the Winter soldier delves much more into the character arch of Sam Wilson, also known as the Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie, and Bucky Barnes, or the WInter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan. The show is released every Friday on the Disney+ streaming service and will be six one-hour episodes when fully completed.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, follows the story of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes as they attempt to stop a group of extremists who are trying to put the world back to how it was before the blip by toppling world governments in order to supply aid to refugees. They face

many challenges along the way including having to deal with a new Captain America along with the extremists. It’s an action packed show with a very interesting story line, there isn’t ever a point in the show where the viewer is bored or feels like the scene is just there to fill time.

Both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes had had very little screen time in previous movies so this show allowed them to receive screen time and story arch while giving viewers a very entertaining show. In a universe filled with superheroes and aliens this show has much more of a Mission Impossible or James Bond feel to it. It still has the action and entertainment of a normal Marvel production without the need for bigger explosions and more powerful villains.

13

Volume 14, Issue 6 Entertainment

Marvelous Marathon

Best order to watch every Marvel movie Captain Marvel

Captain America : The First Avenger

Thor

Iron Man

2008

2019

2011

The Incredible Hulk

Iron Man 2

2008

2011

Thor: The Dark World

The Avengers 2012

2013

Captain America: The Winter Solider

Iron Man 3 2013

2010

Guardians of The Galaxy 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 2017

2014

Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015

Doctor Strange 2016

Thor: Ragnarok 2017

Ant-Man 2015

Captain America: Civil War 2016

Black Panther

Spider-Man: Homecoming

2018

2017

Ant-Man and the Wasp 2018

Avengers: Infinity War 2018

Artwork by | Angelyna Rosales Information provided by https:// www.amctheatres.com/amc-scene/ the-best-way-to-rewatch-the-mcu

Spider-Man: Far From Home 2019

Avengers: Endgame

2019

14 Sports April 23, 2021

A Powerful Pair

Powerlifting duo wins regionals, places at state competition Seth Deaton | Co-Editor He’s Hans and the other one is Franz, and they’re here to get pumped up.

This year, seniors Aiden Keith and Roman Anderson, nicknamed Hans and Franz by their coach, advanced to state in powerlifting. Anderson placed first in regionals for the 181 weight class and Keith placed first in the 220 weight class. Unlike Anderson, who has done powerlifting all four years, this was the first year Keith participated in powerlifting.

“This year was a lot of fun, especially since I had never done it before,” Keith said. “I made a lot of mistakes but I learned from pretty much all of them, and even though I didn’t finish the season quite how I wanted it to, I made it to state. I still am really happy and proud of how I did there because, like I said it’s my first ever season and I made it all the way to state and placed in the top 10 so still really proud of that accomplishment and I wouldn’t have changed anything.”

After winning regionals Anderson went on to place fourth at state and Keith placed seventh in their weight classes. However, Anderson said he was very close to not getting to compete this year.

“Sophomore and junior year I competed as a 181, and from the summer, all the way up until the start of the season I had plans of competing as a 220,” Anderson said. “Then I had a back injury which was about two months before my first meet on a warm up, and I really didn’t think I was gonna be able to compete at all this year, because every time I got under the weight I would feel a massive pain in my lower back like really sharp all the way up to like the top of my head, like it hurt really bad. And

I just kept stretching and kept just kept stretching, and I thought you know I’m not going to win the 220s this year. So, in the course of two weeks I cut from 205 all the way to 180.”

Anderson said he was very motivated this year by the competitiveness and skill level of the other people in his

year,” Anderson said. “I went against a sophomore who squatted 700 and benched 300 and deadlifted 600. Seeing a 15-year-old lift that kind of weight really pushed me and made me push myself harder and harder in the gym thinking ‘if this kid’s doing this, he’s only 15 and you’re 17 almost 18 you have to

Artwork By | Bryan Ross weight class, and that seeing them succeed pushed him to work harder throughout the season.

“I knew that it was going to be a competitive class but I didn’t think it was gonna be this competitive this

do something at least close to this.’”

At the start of the season Keith said he had set goals for where he wanted his lifts to be at certain points throughout the season, but things didn’t go as he expected them to.

How does a powerlifting meet work?

Glossary

“I had to accept that everything was not going to go exactly how I had planned it from the start,” Keith said. “At the beginning of the year, I had a whole plan laid out, and then things happened, my training partner got injured, all kinds of stuff. And it just completely changed those plans entirely and so I kind of had to learn that what I wanted to happen at the beginning of the year and what I expected to happen at the beginning of the year, weren’t necessarily going to happen, and you know I just had to learn to be okay with that and do what I do what I could with what I was given.”

At the regional meet Anderson set the regional record for the 181 weight class when he hit a 625 pound squat.

His record would be broken later in the meet, but Anderson said that he’s proud to be able to say he held the record at one point and it motivated him to help younger athletes to continue the success he had this year.

“We’ve been coaching a few juniors and sophomores that want to compete next year,” Anderson said. “And, I mean honestly, I tell them to carry that tradition, you know, try and go to regionals or state next year. Even if you don’t medal next year, and then, whether it’s your junior, senior year, try to actually go and take a medal at state.”

After competing in powerlifting for one year Keith said that it’s important for new powerlifters to take care of themselves throughout the season and stay motivated.

“Take it slow,” Keith said. “And definitely have goals, but at the same time, understand that you’re not always going to hit those goals when you want to how you want to. So, be okay with having to take a little more time to do the things that you’ve been planning on doing. That’s definitely the big thing.”

Deadlift- The final lift in a A powerlifting meet consists of three lifts: squat, bench, and deadlift. Each lifter Weight class- the way they meet. It’s almost a reverse gets three chances to get each lift, and are only allowed to increase weight if they hit group lifters. For example squat where the lifter’s goal their previous rep. After all lifters have used all three attempts on squat then they move if you are in the 181 weight is to pick the weight up off on to bench and then the process repeats before moving on to deadlift. Rankings are class the most you can the floor and stand up with their legs fully extended. determined based off the sum of all of the lifts combined. weigh is 181 lbs.

Volume 14 Issue 6 Sports

Kicking it into High Gear

15

Boys soccer team goes further into playoffs than ever before Bryan Ross | Co-Editor When the season finally ended, it was heartbreaking, seeing all of the effort put into the season end. But after a dream season ended, the team came together.

“What I liked the most is, as a team, we’re all close knit, we’re all close together so I feel like that helped a lot with the people that were sad after the game,” senior Irving Baysah said.

The boys soccer team lost for the first time in more than a month on April 9, snapping an 11 game win streak. The streak, which included four wins in the playoffs, took the team into the regional final, putting them as one of the last eight teams remaining in the 5A playoffs. It was the furthest the boys soccer team has ever gotten into the playoffs.

“I really think that our first playoff game set the tone,” head coach Jacob Stern said. “We have traditionally been a team that controls the tempo of the game, and has very sound defense and when you give us a chance to score we’ll score. This year’s team, we’re very, very quick, fast, and offensive minded. So we want to go and we want to score goals. We went with the mentality into everything, ‘yeah we might give up a goal or two, but we’re scoring three or four.’ And that mentality really helped everyone whenever we did make a mistake and give up a goal.”

The team beat Lockhart 5-1 in their first playoff game of the season, the third game in a row at the time that they scored at least five goals. They ended the season scoring five or more goals in five of their last seven games, with the two exceptions being a 4-1 victory over Magnolia and the 2-6 loss to Kingwood Park to end their season.

“I think the keys [to success] were us being able to

work together as a team,” Baysah said. “A lot of times people say ‘we’re cool on the field, we get to play’ and everything like that but they’re not really cool off of the field they’re not friends off the field. So I feel like us being able to be together on and off the field helped a lot.”

While the season ended with a hot streak, it didn’t start that way. On Jan. 26, the team fell to 1-5-2 with a loss to Bastrop. After that loss, they only lost one more regular season game, winning 12 of their next 13 games to close out district play. Stern said that he never had a doubt in his mind that the team would turn things around.

“In January, we did not start the same starting lineup once continuously,” Stern said. “Every game was a different lineup because different kids will come back from being quarantined or injured and other kids will come out. So the mentality I tried to instill in everyone was ‘listen, just get game time under your legs. District is when it starts to matter.’ That’s when we have to start winning games to get in the playoffs.”

In some ways, the lack of continuity ended up playing to their advantage, Stern said.

“I can’t remember a time, maybe since January, maybe since December where we had a full practice where every single person on the varsity team was able to practice,” Stern said. “And what I think that meant is that these kids had to play game after game. So, the attitude of every individual that there were no wasted moments helped them come closer together as a team, and also didn’t allow for any days off, because a day off was a game. If you take a day off of a game you’re gonna lose.”

Stern said that despite the deep run, he isn’t fully satisfied.

The boys soccer team celebrates after beating Friendswood 5-4 in double overtime in the fourth round of the playoffs. Makaya Smith | Photographer

“When I saw at the end of the game, you know, you usually see tears, people that are sad their season’s over,” Stern said. “When I looked into the boys eyes at the end of this year, they were mad. They were pissed because they knew they should have won the game.

So that was the biggest change of mentality that I tried to bring to this program. And honestly, that’s what I’m most proud of this year, is that at the end of the year, yeah, okay, be upset that we lost, be more pissed off that we didn’t do what we needed to win. Because we were up two to one. And then we blew the lead.

So, you know what, that was our fault. We could have prevented it but we didn’t. We were close. I mean, we were extremely close this year. The boys did a heck of a job, but I’m definitely not satisfied.”

In addition to the playoff run, the team had five First Team All-District players, five Second Team All-District players, three All-District Honorable Mentions. In addition, Mason Munoz won District 18 Midfielder of the Year and Xjavier Martinez won District 18 MVP. “A lot of times people look at Second Team AllDistrict as not being first team, not being like the top top, but I feel like just being able to be recognized for the hard work I put in throughout the whole season has really been great,” Baysah, who was named Second Team All-District, said. “I definitely don’t look at second team all district as one of those things where I don’t care about it. I really am proud of what I’ve done this year.”

Baysah said that he believes the team will be remembered.

“To be honest, there’s really not many teams that could make it to where we’ve made it,” Baysah said. “I really am proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

Senior Xjavier Martinez dribbles the ball down the field against Kingwood Park. Makaya Smith | Photographer

16 Feature April 23, 2021

Morning Must-Haves

Staff reviews best local coffee shops Liliana Moran | Reporter The multinational coffee chain, Starbucks, is a common favorite among many. With their variety of beverages and snacks, people from around the world make it their daily morning stop. But, is Starbucks really all it is made up to be?

Are their famous coffees truly worth the talk?

To figure this out, it was time to visit the nearby Starbucks and order one of their most popular beverages, their iced chai tea lattes. The drink itself was not bad. It had a somewhat prominent Chai flavor and a decent amount of sweetness but it also felt quite diluted in taste which made the full flavor of the

beverage suffer. The drink had a neat and clean presentation, and was a good size for a medium. It was not the best coffee, though it was definitely not the worst.

The atmosphere of the Starbucks was okay; the space was sanitary and tidy and carried a modern look. It lacked that sort of cozy and homely feeling you might find in local joints, due to it’s crowdedness and absence of uniqueness, giving it a more corporate feel. Overall, the entire Starbucks experience was decent, the service was nice, the place was clean, and accommodating. Although its crowdedness and corporate feel lowered the rating, it is not a bad place to visit and get some morning coffee.

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor The Human Bean is a small coffee shop near the Pfield. I go there every Saturday morning and the variety of drinks along with the gracious staff always gives a good start to my weekend. The HB has two drive-through windows as well as a walkup window. The two drive-through windows are a little hard to get close to the window because of the angles of the turn, but to me that makes it more enjoyable since me and the

Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor

West Pecan Coffee + Beer is a local coffee shop located on West Pecan Street Pflugerville. With a small interior they give off a cozy atmosphere playing quiet, calm music, with big windows adding a lot of natural light. Their menu has a wide variety of flavors of drinks and food, along with seasonal

employees make joking remarks about how far away from the window everyone always is.

The HB has a very diverse menu which makes every time I go fun because it allows me to branch out and try something new when I want to, and if I don’t feel like taking a chance on a new drink I can always revert back to my favorites from the shop. I enjoy my weekend trips to the HB and would highly recommend going there to anyone that is looking for a new way to start off their mornings.

drinks that they change as the year goes on. Currently they have the spring themed drinks: Orange Blossom Latte, Spring Matcha Latte, Hibiscus Hase Tea Latte, and Lavender Mocha.

West Pecan also hosts fundraisers and events for our first responders, teachers, and other parts of the community. West Pecan is a great place to grab a drink and help support our community.

Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor Open only in the Pflugerville-Round Rock area, Dazzle coffee and smoothies has some of the best coffee around.

Their iced chai tea latte has more of a milky flavor. While it is not overpowered by the chai and cinnamon spices, it could use a little more chai to balance the milkiness. Their prices are a little cheaper compared to big coffee chains like

Starbucks, with a small twelve-ounce being $3.45, a medium sixteen-ounce being $3.95, and a large 20 ounce being $4.25.

There are only two locations, one being off Pecan street in downtown Pflugerville, and the other off of Gattis School near Cedar Ridge. Dazzle is drive-thru only, which is good for limiting COVID-19 exposure. The wait time is usually pretty short, being about five to 10 minutes, making Dazzle one of the best places to get your daily pick-me-up.