The Hawk Decemer 2021

The

Hawk

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 15, Issue 3 December 10, 2021

The Cost of Transition

Students discuss difficulties of being trans in Texas Pages 8-9

In this Issue...

5

Adopt-a-child

14

Christmas movie reviews

11

Laced drug epidemic

2

News Volume 15, Issue 3

state of the

UNION Pfizer trials first oral antiviral COVID-19 treatments Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor A new antiviral Paxlovid are COVID-19 COVID-19 drug is treatment pills aimed expected to be released at reinforcing people's to the public. This drug immune systems against could potentially make the virus and allowing COVID-19 treatments them faster rehabilitation easier to receive and less rates. The pills are meant complicated to undergo. for treating mild to Both Merck and Pfizer moderate cases among are planning on releasing patients of higher risk. the first oral antiviral The goal of the pills is to COVID-19 medications in be taken in the same way the form of pills. Merick’s people take medication to Molnupiravir and Pfizer’s prevent common illnesses

and infections at home.

According to Pfizer, Paxlovid has already been deemed to be 89 precent effective in reducing the rate of hospitalization and death among COVID-19 patients. Molnupiravir has currently been recorded to be only 50 percent effective. Both pills are awaiting FDA approval.

Omicron Variant of COVID-19 spreads to U.S. Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor

A new COVID-19 variant was recently discovered in South Africa this previous November. This variant, Omicron, was quickly classified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization on November 30th.

The severity of Omicron remains unclear, though it is noted to contain a high number of mutations and was recorded to have

spread easier than any of the other COVID-19 variants. Currently, the variant has made its way to a multitude of different countries globally, including the United States. The first sighting of the variant in the U.S. was identified in Northern California on December 1st, since then, the variant has been confirmed in at least 17 different states.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends citizens to continue to follow COVID-19 prevention measures, such as social distancing, mask participation, and heavily encourages residents to get the vaccines and boosters if they are within the accepted age range.

FDA approves Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 and up Landon Self | Asst. Editor The FDA authorized the usage of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five to eleven on Oct. 29.

The update came after the FDA did an in depth study of the vaccine and its effects, having an independent advisory committee of health

experts who voted to approve the vaccine for this age group.

Their research found that the Pfizer vaccine is roughly 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 for children aged 5 to 11. The study was conducted on 3,100

children who took the vaccine and no serious side effects were reported.

In the U.S., COVID cases in children 5 through 11 years of age make up 39% of cases in individuals younger than 18 years of age.

COVID-19 Treatment Timeline Moderna vaccine released for EUAs in U.S. Dec. 18 2020

Dec. 11 2020 BioNTech's Pfizer vaccine released for EUAs in U.S.

BioNTech releases booster vaccine for ages 18 and up Sept. 22 2021

Feb. 27 2021 Johnson&Johnson’s Janssen vaccine released for EUAs in the U.S.

Moderna booster vaccine released for ages 18 and up Nov. 19 2021

Oct. 20 2021 Johnson & Johnson’s booster vaccine released for ages 18 and up

2022 Pfizer's Paxlovid and Merck's Molnupirvir pills are currently awaiting FDA approval. Likely to appear in 2022

News December 10, 2021

Adopt-a-Child preparations take place for Christmas Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Adopt a Child is a program that helps give less fortunate kids a Christmas. Each first period class has the option to “adopt” a student from the elementary schools and they act as their Santa throwing them a party and getting them gifts.

“It was really cool being a part of the kid’s Christmas,” senior Taylor Chase said. “Planning something and having a party is something that can really impact them and that’s been an impact for me, you know, helping out someone and you know, being part of that special time.”

Other than basic protocols, such as masks, this year’s Adopt a Child will be very similar to what it has been in previous years.

“The main difference will be that HHS will be adopting less elementary students this year,” student council sponsor Hellen Barczi said. “We have 70 adoptees this year and in the past we usually have between 100 – 104. I think that is for a few reasons: there are not as many first period classes offered this year. Also we

started the process later this year because we weren’t sure if we were going to get to have the event.“ Last year the event was cancelled because of the pandemic, so many of the new teachers and underclassmen haven’t experienced the program before.

“I think there were some teachers, there are a number of new teachers to HHS this year, and classes that were not sure how things were going to work and might not have not known what to expect so they didn’t volunteer this year,” Barczi said.

“Hopefully we will increase the numbers next year.”

Barczi said she is very grateful for everyone who has made Adopt a Child possible this year.

“I am very excited and grateful that we are getting to do the Adopt a Child event,” Barczi said “This event has been in Pflugerville ISD for 40 years and I was really saddened that we didn’t get to do it last year. I am beyond thrilled that we’re getting to do it again.”

Back To Tradition Staff member speaks about creation of Adopt-A-Child

Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor and help others in need. This year, due With the holidays around the corner, the to COVID-19, there has been an increase school begins it’s preparations for Adopt- in the number of kids who need financial a-Child, a program in which high school assistance. students raise money and classrooms “The last couple of years and this year, “adopt” a student, specifically at the with everything going on, the need is elementary school level who is in need. definitely out there,” Barczi said. “I feel “It’s mostly financial needs because like it’s a good avenue for teenagers to traditionally, elementary school get out of the box of just thinking about counselors and also high school themselves, and kind of instill that idea of counselors know what kind of family being service oriented and just be a good needs, low economic status or free steward of humankind and help people and reduced lunch,” Student Council that need it. You can kind of get the sponsor, Hellen Barczi said. “Sometimes practice of giving and seeing what those there have been instances where maybe gifts can give to somebody that you know parents have passed away and there’s an really needs them at that particular time. economic strain, right around the holidays Any time you have the opportunity to give and that child could also qualify for back to your community and you have the Adopt-a-Child. But traditionally, schools means to do so, is really important.” rely on the elementary counselors and With almost 70 spots available for administration to identify the children.” students to be “adopted,”classrooms are Adopt-a-Child is beginning to decorate a tradition Barczi’s and raise money in order parents introduced to to buy gifts for the kids.

Pflugerville ISD that For many high school had stemmed from a students, this will be I’m just really excited town called Graham, the first time they have about getting back into Texas. participated since they doing the tradition of “It is something that entered high school. is very near and dear Bringing the event Adopt-a-Child." to my heart because back after two years my parents started of having to suspend Hellen Barczi, Staff it in the district, and it due to the pandemic, it’s been going on Barczi hopes that this for 40 years,” Barczi will serve as a learning said. “My dad was a high school principal opportunity for many. and my mom was a teacher, and they had “I always feel like even though you get gone to the National Student Council very self-centered, it’s always good to Convention. A really good friend of kind of take a step away and kind of look theirs was a student council sponsor who around your surroundings and see what presented it at the convention. My mom are some things, maybe not this big, but and dad really liked the idea so when they what are some things that you could do came back to Pflugerville High School, to help somebody who is in need,” Barczi they brought it back and they had done said. “I am a firm believer that you never it every year since then. When Connally should judge anybody based on things opened, my mom started teaching there because you don’t know what their life and took it with her as well. She taught is like, unless you walk in their shoes here at Hendrickson before she retired, you have no idea. If you think you can and brought it here. It has also gone over do a little something, even if you think to Weiss. And then I took over. I was it’s a little, to help someone else I think here for about five, six years, and then I it’s always better. To promote the idea became the student council sponsor and of kindness and giving back and helping kind of took over after that.” people in need of help to get back on their The program encourages high school feet is really important. And to continue students to give back to the community on throughout your life.”

“

Principal Daniel Garcia greets children at 2019 Adopt-A-Child Ian Falkenbury | Photographer

Students organize program to help community Natalia Mancini | Reporter The Locker is a non profit organization that teaches students to serve their community in order to help their peers in need.

“We empower youth by meeting the needs of others so they can feel normal,” locker sponsor Yesiana Arellano said. “A lot of times we don't realize kids don’t have the basic means.”

Student volunteers gather hygiene

items, food, water, clothing and shoes, and school supplies to make sure that all students can be successful in school and daily life.

“Our Hendrickson locker is for the school community in regards to everyday needs,” Arellano said.

The locker is located on campus in the library and is open to all students all hours of the school day.

3

4 Multiple clubs, activities experience changes, achievements News Volume 15, Issue 3

Debate team triumphs in recent tournaments Sarah Schulze | Reporter still doing really well,” head debate coach Kirsten Debate is on a winning streak. This year, the Nash said. “I’m super proud that we’ve managed debate team has gone to multiple tournaments and to retain the number of people that we’ve retained has excelled in nearly every single one. and also grow our program for the novices too.”

“My partner Afy and I have won 2 tournaments in Individual success has also been sparking this Public Forum, and we also just earned a Silver bid year. Senior debate member Audrey Fife qualified at our Bellaire tournament,” for two events in two junior Debate member tournaments, and later then Melanie Garza said. “You qualified for all three events get to interact with so many she entered in. Maya Hay and different people from different her partner Kaitlyn Nash went So far this season schools.” to the tournament on Nov. 27 has been a chance Garza is state qualified and they are working on their to improve my in both PF and domestic state qualification, they only debating skills as exempt. She had success at have two points left until they the Longhorn Classic debate are entered in. well as political tournament at UT Austin. She “We’ve got one team that’s understanding. broke to semis and she earned qualified all the way,” Nash the first gold bid for PF in said. “Then two teams that Kaitlyn Nash, 11 Hendrickson history. are two points away. We will “I love the people in the probably end up with about class, they created a safe and 13 kids at TFA State.” comfortable environment According to Nash, the where we can all be ourselves,” Garza said. “ Our debate team has shown immense growth in team has been dedicating weeks to preparing, to accomplishments and achievements. ensure that we all do the best we can do.”

“Our novices show significant promise, they The team has grown this year, with approximately work and train persistently, they have a very strong 60 members. and determined mind-set, which will only further “I’m proud of where our team is, considering what our debate team’s accomplishments,” Nash said. everyone is going through, we function pretty close “ I have no doubt when all of us varsity debate to normal, and we are experiencing a lot of growth members eventually leave, that the team will be where a lot of local teams are dying, and we’re left in good hands.”

“

Debate team celebrates tournament wins with picture on stairs Photo provided by | Kirsten Nash

New amendments made to Texas Constitution Landon Self | Asst. Editor Texas voters approve 8 new amendments to State Constitution.

Texas voters went to the polls on Nov. 2 and made their decisions on eight proposals to amend the Texas Constitution.

During the 87th Legislative Regular Session, the eight proposals were passed and sent to the voters for final approval.

The process of amending the Texas Constitution differs from that of the U.S. Constitution as the voters decide on amending the state constitution.

The eight proposals covered an array of issues. The eight propositions for amending the constitution are as follows: - Allow charitable raffles at rodeo events - Tax financing for county

infrastructure -Prohibiting the closure of places of worship and other restrictions -Changes the requirements for state judges to serve -Allow the Commission of Judicial Misconduct to oversee judicial candidates -Making it a right for those in nursing homes to name an essential care giver -Property tax exemptions for widows/widowers over the age senior citizens -Property tax exemptions for widows/widowers of deceased service members All eight proposals were approved by the voters in amending the Texas Constitution.

The Texas Constitution has now been amended 515 times since its adoption in 1876.

New activities emerge after marching season ceases Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor After a school history-making marching season, the band starts the transition into the concert band season. With marching band out of the way the students now dedicate their time to things like UIL concert band, Jazz and percussion ensembles, UIL Solo and Ensembles, Winter Guard, and a Winter and Spring concert.

The first part of that is their Holiday Concert, which was held on Dec. 6. At the performance the 3 Concert bands, 2 Jazz bands, and a percussion ensemble played some tunes for friends and family. After winter break the bands start preparing 3 pieces of concert music to compete with at UIL competitions.

“This is the first year I will

be able to take the varsity band to UIL,” Head Director James Hairston said. “When I first came here in the 2019-2020 school year the spring season got cut short because of COVID, and there weren't any competitions last year because of it as well.

I'm excited to take the band to UIL this school year and I have some hard pieces picked out.”

During this time students also learn a solo or a piece of music with a small ensemble to compete at the UIL Solo and Ensemble competition.

“Last year I performed in a trombone octet for Solo and Ensemble and we got a division one and advanced to state,” junior Tony Gamez said. “We were supposed to compete at

the University of Texas but it got canceled because of COVID and we ended up having to do a recording for it.”

Another thing that students participate in is the Jazz band.

The Jazz band is an after school activity where they rehearse twice a week to learn Jazz tunes to perform at gigs and competitions throughout the year.

“We just recently had our first gig of the year at the Pfestival of Lights and I got a chance to improv during our song ‘Go Daddy-O’,” Gamez said. “This was my first live gig with the jazz band and I can’t wait to perform live again.”

News December 10, 2021

Gardening Club Begins Courtyard Reparations Yael Behar | Copy Editor As the school year progresses, clubs have been continually established in order to promote student involvement in activities within school. From Chess club, to Girl Advocates, to the newly established Gardening Club.

In late fall, the Gardening Club convened for its first meeting to discuss the prospect of cleaning and revitalizing the school’s courtyards.

“I started the gardening club because I thought it could bring light to the courtyards,” club president Rome Williams said. “I thought it was the only part of Hendrickson missing the “hawk spirit.” I remember watching a bird fly into a window in the courtyard during a class celebration that the Spanish teachers held, and thinking “wow that’s…depressing.”

Ever since then, I have wanted to make the yards more colorful.”

The Gardening Club convenes on Wednesdays from 4:20 to 5:30, and club activities, as of now, revolve around poster making, general planning, and preliminary gardening involving weed pulling.

“We have been working on posters which should be up in the hallways and on the courtyards windows in the main hall,” Williams said. “We have also settled on the seeds and plants that we plan to have

bedded.”

Most of the club’s funding comes from the school directly, however, the club also intends on planning fundraisers in the near future.

“Getting the club approved was surprisingly easy, and Garcia said that he would enjoy being our sponsor,” Williams said. “After that, we gave our poster to some higher ups, and they approved us.”

Anyone interested in joining, or just have general questions regarding the club, can reach out using the emails on the posters.

“Anyone interested in coming to the club meetings doesn’t have to show up every time, we accept people coming by just to see what the club is about,” Williams said. “Once you’re a member, you can bring any seeds you’d like to petition for planting, or some tools to help. Stuff like small shovels, or small hand-held rakes.”

The Gardening club intends to meet every Wednesday until their goal of courtyard beautification is completed.

Williams added that the courtyards should excite new freshmen as well.

“Me and my peers do hope that the club will continue onto next year with the help of underclassmen,” Williams said. “Our main long-term goals are to keep what we plant in the courtyards alive, and for students to be able to enjoy lunch outside.

I just hope this really excites people.”

5

Multiple students place at virtual meet event Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor The journalism UIL team competed at Cen-Tex Virtual Journalism meet over the week of Nov. 29 through Dec. 3.

There were over 6,000 entries, though students were judges in separate UIL divisions. Multiple Hendrickson students were among some of the ones who placed.

One competitor, junior Yael Behar, competed and placed in all events.

In the event of Copy Editing, Behar got 6th place and senior Seth Deaton got 8th. This event entails the students having to edit a story in order to test the competitor’s editing skills.

In the Editorial Writing event, Deaton got 6th and Behar got 10th. This event has competitors write an opinion piece about an opinion given to them.

In Feature Writing, Behar also placed, getting 2nd this time along with senior Angelyna Rosales who got 6th, sophomore Lili Moran who got 7th, and junior Natalia Zavaleta who got 9th. To win feature writing, competitors must use the quotes and background information provided to write a story and submit it.

In Headline Writing, which requires competitors to write the best headline possible when provided with a story, Rosales placed 7th, Deaton placed 8th, and Behar placed 9th.

In the last event, News Writing, Behar was the only Hendrickson student who placed, taking 7th. When competing in this event, students have to write their best news story when given a certain event to write about.

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All-State Choir Advances to Next Round Inez Moreno | Reporter

Several choir members competed in the third round of the All-State Choir process on Nov. 16. Seniors Breean Arrant, Liberty Haude, Janessa Kumpati, Madeline Park and junior Deeana JainiMalave all made it to the third round.

“Basically, what happens in the All-State process, there are four rounds and you have to learn three pieces each round,” Arrant said. “You get a certain cut the day of and you have to perform it for judges.

You don’t know who they are or what they look like. But your get to perform it

on your own and then you get your results at the end of the day.”

Arrant and Jaini-Malave advanced to the final round of All-State tryouts and will compete again in January.

“You get to meet a lot of new people from the district, but also across Region 26, which is us and Georgetown and Round Rock,” Arrant said. “It’s really cool because your get to really learn about not only yourself but about what other people think about choir and their choir programs.”

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6

Opinions Volume 15, Issue 3

• Staff Editorial

Book censorship sets back Texas education Banned books within schools and public libraries supremacy. House Bill 3979, changes the way have consistently been around. These books are usually petitioned and protested by parents who deem the content inappropriate, and request that these books be inaccessible to younger individuals.

However, the attempt to censor reading materials has become more prevalent among Texas political figures in the last few months.

Both Governor Greg Abbott and Texas State Representative Matt Krause have issued letters to educational organizations in an attempt to censor reading material available to students and encourage these organizations to set standards on what material can be found in school libraries.

In early November, Governor Abbott encouraged the Texas Association of School Boards to determine the extent to which pornographic, inappropriate, or obscene material can exist within public school libraries. However, the association does not have any authority to regulate school districts and the material used as it is a voluntary nonprofit organization. Days later he issued a letter to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and the State Board of Education to develop standards for preventing obscene content.

In a similar fashion during late October, state representative Krause issued a letter to the TEA questioning schools on their possession of an 850 book list that he feels has content that might make students feel guilt, discomfort, or distress because of their race or sex, which is directly related to House Bill 3979 that bans public schools from teaching critical race theory. Critical race theory focuses on the analysis of race as a socially and culturally invented category used to oppress minorities, as well as the idea of systemic racism within the law and legal institutions as a way to perpetuate white Illustration by | Daniel Mendoza

teachers can discuss current events and the history of racism within the United States.

The excessive majority of the books within Krause’s list contain material that discusses human rights, sex education, LGBTQ+ individuals, gender identification, and racism. The fact that many of these books contain material about these specific topics is problematic for a number of reasons. One of the biggest is the restriction of exposure to different ideologies and perspectives.

LGBTQ+ rights and gender identification are already rarely discussed within schools and are already underrepresented within mainstream media.

Banning books that focus on these topics only furthers the problem.

Additionally, these books could potentially be the only way students can gain information about sex education, sexuality, and gender identification where they otherwise could not have access to informative, and reliable resources.

The restriction of discussing human rights and racism within the United States continues the trend of schooltaught history being whitewashed and not telling the full story of slavery, civil rights, and racism. If this trend is continued, especially with access restriction to material that possibly highlights these issues, generational cycles that perpetuate white supremacy and systemic racism will only be furthered.

The fact that Texas representatives are trying to restrict access to books that are related to such important topics is cause for concern and is honestly appalling. These books provide so much information for public school students and their restriction will only cause them harm. Restriction for all students because one parent is unhappy with the material is oppressive and prevents students from receiving a well-rounded education.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editorial Staff

Reporters

Kate Hayes Natalia Mancini

Artists Yael Behar, Daniel Mendoza

“I don’t think that he should be allowed to restrict the books that are in the school library because every student has the right to information and if that information is restricted people can’t develop opinions on things and it forces them to believe one specific idea. It also removes the diversity of options, the ability to form your own opinion, and forcing one person’s opinion on them as well.”

- Holly Moyers, 12 “Something being inappropriate is subjective, and I think all people have the right to learn no matter what it is. I think that being queer, gay, or African American is not something inappropriate. So it makes me feel somewhat angry that these books would be taken from us, and the right was taken away from us to learn about these different types of people and their stories.”

- Emmanuel Deleon, 12 “Removing certain books from libraries which are a place of education and knowledge is heartbreaking to me because people should not only be entertained but informed about any subject they wish to. Not only does it discourage reading, it also removes opportunities for people to connect with these books on a personal level just because some people find them inappropriate.”

- Ema Lewis, 9

“I feel like people should be educated in all aspects of life. It shouldn’t matter if the topic is controversial. People still need to be educated on it no matter what. It doesn’t matter how some people feel they’re still educational and written for a reason.”

- Spencer Myers, 10 “I think that Governor Abbot removing books about gay people or racism is inappropriate. Since it’s 2021 and people should be able to express themselves however they want. As minority groups, these peoples voices are usually silenced and they aren’t able to voice their opinions or lifestyles. Taking away these books also takes away their opportunity to express themselves.” - Iwinosa Osakue, 9

Associations

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

Antonia Guardia Nadia Johst

• Your Turn

Inez Moreno Nosu Osakue Sarah Schulze

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

Honors

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

Photo by Daniel Mendoza Model: Ryan Spears

• Hit or Miss POD remains closed indefinitely

The POD has been closed since the end of 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions and still has not opened back up. It is located by the art and theater hallway. It was where students were able to buy snacks and drinks, like a small convenience store in the school. Students were looking forward to being able to walk back into the POD this year, wanting to buy snacks for the day and meet up with friends. The POD was known for being one of the most lively and energetic sites in the school, without it, the school is just not the same. The POD still being closed is a miss.

District out of masks for students

Due to the high demand for masks as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the district has run out of masks to provide for students who do not have one. Masks would be handed out to students as they entered the school if they did not have one as well as given out by teachers. Yet, due to the demand for them and supply available, the district has run out. The district running out of masks is a miss.

Locked cafeteria bathrooms inconvenience students

The cafeteria bathrooms have been locked for the majority of this semester due to students vandalizing and vaping in the bathrooms.

According to Michael Grebb, the administrators locked the bathrooms for better control over the flow of students entering, there’s that huge wall that blocks administrators from seeing who’s all entering through the bathroom. Even though administrators believe that this will resolve the issue it only creates more. This inconvenience causes many students to take extra time to go into the main hallways looking for bathrooms that haven’t been shut down, where they are then told to go back into the lunchroom by hall administrators.

Students then have to take time out of class to use a bathroom. The locked bathrooms disrupt students’ schedules, and it takes valuable time away from lunch, where students are able to somewhat relax and take a break from schoolwork. The cafeteria bathrooms being locked is a definite miss.

Inappropriate Instagram accounts cause concerns for students

Recently, there have been multiple Instagram accounts made to post pictures of students from Hendrickson “caught off guard.” These accounts came after yet another TikTok trend of people creating these accounts and screenshotting the pictures they got either from their peers through Direct Message, or DM, or the ones they got by themselves.

They seem made directly to make fun of the students in their classrooms and create embarrassment for multiple things, including sleeping in class, eating at lunch, or even changing in locker rooms.

Because of these accounts, many students have been extremely worried about being posted on the account without their consent and have even refrained from doing activities they normally do as to not get posted.

This trend is possibly one of the most toxic seen this year as it perpetuates cyber bullying online, even if the intentions are lighthearted. The staff at Hendrickson should have the accounts taken down immediately and should reprimand the individual(s) responsible for posting the picture of the person who was naked in the locker room. This trend is a miss.

• Our Turn

Opinions December 10, 2021

7

Staffer discusses use of Antidepressants

Natalia Mancini | Reporter When I first started taking antidepressants, I was not aware of, or prepared for the effects it would have on my body and brain. I expected it to be an easy, quick fix. I was, in every way, wrong.

After being diagnosed with major depression and generalized anxiety, I felt the urge to find relief as soon as possible. I became unable to cope with my illnesses and was eager to feel normal again, it had gone untreated for too long, I couldn’t even remember what it felt like to enjoy life.

The first antidepressant I was prescribed was Lexapro, an SSRI used to treat generalized anxiety and depression. The first few weeks were rough, as my body was adjusting to the increase in serotonin.

I felt very off and drowsy. It made school difficult but soon my body adjusted. I was hopeful that I would soon feel better mentally, but after a few months, I felt the same, I was disappointed.

I felt frustrated, as though I had wasted months of my life on something that was useless.

Although I felt let down, I was still hopeful that I would find a medication that works for me.

Next I tried Prozac, another SSRI used to treat depression, OCD, bulimia, and panic disorder. Like Lexapro, my body took a few weeks to adjust to the medication change but I expected that this time and kept reminding myself that soon I would feel better. After my body adjusted, I didn’t really feel any different, and thought I should give it more time to build up in my body. After a few months on Prozac I began having frequent panic attacks, and thoughts of suicide.

Somehow, I felt much worse than before. My panic attacks became very aggressive and consistent, my anxiety was at its worst, and I was overwhelmed with bad thoughts. I couldn’t focus in school, I had no motivation, and lost interest in most things. Nothing phased me, I didn’t care if I was failing a class, it didn’t feel like a big deal. This is when I began to take Xanax regularly. When I was on Xanax I wasn’t anxious or depressed and I felt so relieved. I kept taking Xanax because I felt terrible without it. I was in denial that I was dependent on it and didn’t care about the effects of addiction because it made me feel better in the moment. I didn’t notice that my mental health had gotten worse because it didn’t

happen suddenly, it was more of a slow decline.

My weekly therapy sessions helped me realize my mental health was worse than I thought. I never felt like i was ill enough though, this was my normal and there are other people who are worse off thanIi was. I decided I needed to stop Prozac because my mental health had severely downspiraled since I started it. My body and brain felt exhausted, I was so tired and beaten down. After prozac i lost hope. At that time, It had been almost a year since I started taking antidepressants and I still haven’t felt the relief that my psychiatrist told me I would.

Next I was prescribed Zoloft. I was scared to start a new antidepressant because I did not want to feel how I felt on prozac again. I had a gut feeling that it was worth a try so I gave it a chance. My body adjusted easily and quickly and I started to feel a little different. I couldn’t tell what was different but I thought it was the start of something good. After a few months of not feeling much, I got prescribed a higher dose. Soon, I finally started feeling relief from my anxiety and depression without relying on Xanax.

After my anxiety became more manageable, I felt more motivated to be productive in school. I was working harder than I ever had before and felt proud of myself. My quality of life improved, I was enjoying things I had not enjoyed for many years because of social anxiety. I actually wanted to go out with my friends and hangout in public, it wasn’t as scary anymore and I felt more comfortable outside of my comfort zone, my room. The racing thoughts I had before were minimal and manageable.

I felt happy and it was such an overwhelming feeling, I had never felt happy for that long before. It used to be a feeling that would sometimes come but wasn’t always there.

It is always there now, even when I feel down, it’s there. I know this relief won’t last forever though, antidepressants are not guaranteed to work for a person forever. However, right now I am grateful that I feel okay now and want to use this time to work on coping skills for when I need them again. This is something I will struggle with for the rest of my life. There are highs and lows, sometimes I feel better, sometimes I feel worse but now I am prepared for the worst because I’ve been through it.

Illustration by | Yael Behar

8

Feature Volume 15, Issue 3

The Cost of

Student discusses transition process, struggle of being trans in Texas Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor Feeling out of place in your body is an emotion no one wants to experience. For transgender people, this phenomenon is not uncommon, and for sophomore Alois White, this feeling was what started him on his journey.

“There are things I look back on that were probably ‘clues’ that I was trans, but what started making me question my gender was this feeling of something being wrong,” White said. “It’s hard to describe, but it was like something was always ‘off’ about me and my body.

Eventually I started recognizing gender dysphoria and euphoria, and I began to understand that I was trans.”

White realized his gender identity in his seventh grade year. His physical transition started around a year and a half later, towards the end of his eighth grade year. With that came a multitude of feelings.

“The emotional pros of going through my transition were definitely overwhelming, but there were some cons,” White said. “Mainly being the feeling of unacceptance and the time it took to transition. It took a while for my family to accept it, and for a while it was really just ignored. But, as they began to recognize and support me being trans, things got better.”

His transition started with hormones, a process that according to White, was very long and complicated,

both in the time it took to get approved and to undergo.

“It was pretty difficult to get on hormones, although I know it was a lot easier for me than it was for others,” White said. “Even with supportive family and doctors, it took months to finally get on hormones.”

The wait didn’t stop there, as the name changing process opened up new challenges.

“Because of COVID, things were slower than usual, and we could only do things online or through the phone,” White said. “It was also hard because I didn’t really have any legal identification, like a driver’s license or passport. But, we had lawyers that my doctor recommended to us, so it went much smoother than it would have without them. And because this county is pretty accepting, things were also easier for me than it is for others.”

White feels extremely grateful for all the resources available to him, understanding that for many trans people that is not the case.

“I got really lucky with my doctors and they were able to give me a lot of resources, like lawyers to change my name. Without them, I would have no idea where to go or what to do,” White said. “With the constant anti-trans bills being proposed and increasing transphobia among politicians, getting resources as a young trans person is difficult, some seek to criminalize the transition of

trans youth, considering it child abuse.”

However, even with these resources, transphobia is a burden that follows nearly every trans person.

“The general transphobia in the world and the antitrans bills that are constantly being introduced in Texas make it hard to be trans,” White said. “There have been more than 50 bills targeting trans youth in Texas legislative sessions in 2021, some targeting trans youth athletes, some targeting trans youth healthcare.”

White himself has been no stranger to facing these prejudices, stating that for most trans people it’s a “common experience.”

“I’ve faced transphobia in different ways,” White said. “Sometimes people are just openly terrible, and sometimes people try to hide their bigotry under the guise of ‘protecting the children’.”

White feels frustrated by the amount of transphobia trans people in America face, hoping one day he’ll see a change.

“If they actually wanted to help trans youth, they would listen to us and the actual science and statistics,” White said. “Outdated and flawed information, along with the attention focused on anybody but trans youth leads to misinformation and further discrimination.”

Transgender men describe act of binding their chests Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor Being able to feel comfortable in one’s own body, however, becomes a hardship when looking to transgender individuals. One way that transgender men cope with this fact is the technique of binding, which involves using tight-fitting sports bras, shirts, ace bandages, or a specially made binder to make one look flat-chested. This is especially due to the fact that going through surgery may not be an option for young or old transgender men because of the cost or availability.

“First time I ever used a binder I think it was a really poor quality one I got off of Wish,” junior Caedran Yeidel, who is transgender, said. “I was having a bit of an anxiety attack and so I thought to throw it on. It had a bunch of clips up the side and it was pretty unsafe and uncomfortable, but it gave me a sense of ease when nothing else would. That was before I really understood my identity though, so I didn’t think much of it then, it wasn’t some grand moment to me.”

As a result of binders being in high demand by transgender men, many websites like Wish offer cheap binder options. Unfortunately, as Yeidel said, some binders that are this cheap are usually of poor quality.

Walters offers a better brand that helps distinguish between good and bad choices for binders.

“Definitely the one from GC2B [is best] because they’re made for trans people and they’re made by trans people so they know what to do,” Walters said.

Being able to put on a binder for the first time can do wonders for transgender men by making them more

confident in their identity.

“I was at a group home for LGBTQ individuals and I got gifted one and I just remember putting it on and it did a lot,” junior Levi Walters, who is transgender, said.

“It was a lot of emotions. It was crazy. It definitely helps because it just makes me feel comfortable in my skin if I can’t do anything. It makes me feel more masculine and just makes me present better. I feel like it makes me more confident.”

Because binders are sometimes hard to come across for disadvantaged transgender individuals, other methods are used instead.

“I personally use a binder,” Walters said. “I also use sports bras occasionally. I put one on forwards and one on backward so that kind of helps.”

However, there are some things that can be dangerous about binding. Because of the ability for binders to tighten around one’s chest, it makes it hard for the person wearing the binder to breathe, especially when doing strenuous activities. They can also cause scarring, swelling, tenderness, and bacterial infections when worn wrong by those who are new to binding.

“Recommendations for someone new at binding; get a binder that actually fits you,” Yeidel said. “You should be able to breathe and move your body without pain.

You might not be 100% flat, that doesn’t necessarily mean the binder is poor quality or doesn’t fit you. They don’t work magic, there is a limit to how much binders can do safely. Listen to your body, take breaks when you need to, and you will be alright. ”

Because of his experience in the subject, Yeidel also has personal experiences from how much he binds and when he personally decides to call it quits for the day.

“Safety for my body means keeping my binding as close to 8 hours a day as I can,” Yeidel said. “Because I bind pretty much daily, I need to make sure that when I get home I remember to take it off and let myself breathe.

I can usually go a good 12 hours without discomfort if I’m properly rested, but that’s not recommended. There are also the more standard rules such as not exercising while binding, it can really strain your lungs, or sleeping while binding, it can result in sleep apnea.”

As the representation of the transgender community is not widespread, many people do not know about the woes that the group has to deal with. This has led to misunderstandings surrounding binding within and outside the community.

“Other people need to understand that binding is tiring,” Yeidel said. “It’s a physical strain. I can’t take proper deep breaths when I’m wearing a binder, and so things like singing and exercising become significantly more difficult. I also think people need to know that binding isn’t for everyone. Some people don’t think it’s worth the effort it takes, and that doesn’t mean that they’re any less the identity they say they are.”

In the end, Walters wants everyone to know that binding is not abnormal for transgender or non-binary individuals.

“It’s normal and people do it,” Walters said.

Feature December 10, 2021

f Transition

9

By the Numbers

Hormone treatment Many trans people undergo a type of hormone therapy called Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which is intended to either masculinize or feminize a person’s body to better match their gender identity. Through this process, a trans person’s natural male or female hormones are suppressed, and supplanted by estrogen (for trans women) or testosterone (for trans men.)

While hormones are cheap(er), trans people usually must receive hormone treatments their entire lives. *All fees are given per an average monthly rate according to Ruben Hopwood, PhD, coordinator of the Trans Health Program at Fenway Health.

Non-injected methods Injectable methods

$20 Estrogen pills $300 Testosterone patches $350 Testosterone gel

$200 Injectable estrogen $80 Injectable testosterone

Surgeries For trans women or feminine people

$5,000-$10,000 Breast augmentation $3,000-$40,000 Facial feminization $30,000-$50,000 Vaginoplasty $4,000-$6,000 Orchiectomy Legality Legal name change Social security card with legal name change New ID with legal name change

For trans men or masculine people

$50,000-$300,000 $60,000 Etoidioplasty Phalloplasty $10,000 Chest reconstruction *All information provided by Ruben Hopwood, PhD, coordinator of the Trans Health Program at Fenway Health

Mental health

$250-$300 $150 - $300 $11

$100-$200 35% 35%

Talk therapy Attempted suicide rate

Experience bullying at school

10

Feature Volume 15, Issue 3

Zero Tolerance

SRO, Admin discuss increasing drug problem arising within school Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor As the availability of narcotics increases steadily, more and more students are forced to walk into bathrooms that smell of marijuana, and more staff have to deal with the students under the influence.

However, even though Associate Principle Michael Grebb believes that the situation is getting worse with more accessibility, he states that the drug problem is under control.

“I don’t think it’s overbearing, I just think the accessibility of kids getting drugs is easier now than it was a few years ago,” Grebb said. “I don’t know if it’s because states have legalized so there is more availability in the United States. The THC pens have changed how you can conceal them. In the past, most kids would leave campus and then come back. What I’ve noticed is that it seems like it’s easier to do in the building because it’s not combustible. It’s a vape so it doesn’t smell as bad as if you lit something.”

One issue in dealing with the problem on campus is the school SRO’s being able to work with police stations to convict those who have brought drugs on campus.

“We got a good handle on it,” SRO officer Carl Smith said. “Pretty much just working with the law side is kind of a little stump we have to go across. [We’re] at a wall with the law dealing with the THC.” As stated by Smith, the popularity of the types of drugs

seen on campus is another reason why there has been an increase in drug use.

“We’re seeing a lot of the Cake vapes consisting of THC and the Delta 8 variant going around a lot with our kids these days recently,” Smith said. “I’ve spotted more of the Cake vapes [as they are] real popular right now.”

Though doing drugs at school, in general, is a reason why the administration is taking action, they are also worried about what the Cake pens and other drugs found in school consist of.

“When you go to the drugstore and you get Tylenol, you get Tylenol,” Grebb said. “But sometimes, there could be other stuff or people add stuff or fake stuff, and [we] just don’t want anyone to do drugs and not be in a safe situation here because there were drugs that were here at school. That’s why we do everything we can to make sure nobody has drugs, no one is under the influence, and no one’s doing anything they’re not supposed to do here.”

Even if the drugs found on campus aren’t laced with any other substances, the Delta 8 variant of marijuana found in Cake bars and other drugs has posed worries for SRO’s on campus who are aware of the different effects the Delta 8 addition has on different people.

“The Delta 8 has different effects on different people and the Delta 8 is showing to put kids into seizures and other things so it may not be a laced thing, it may just be

their body’s not able to handle that variant,” SRO officer Adam Boyd said.

In the past, though, Smith recalls having to deal with a familiar situation to the drug situation the school is seeing now.

“When I first started here we had the THC cookies, which sent multiple kids throughout the district to the hospital,” Smith said.

In the hope for a solution, Grebb calls for both parents and teachers to be aware of kids in the school and how they are acting and to check to see if they are hiding anything.

“I think it just takes everybody; parents, teachers, everybody being aware of kids and what they’re doing and who they’re hanging out with and checking their cars, checking their bags, and just finding it out,” Grebb said. “I hope everybody’s parents talk to their kids and are aware because it seems now that everybody came back from COVID that there’s a lot of influence from not being around people and have a little more freedom.

We don’t want anyone to get hurt. We have growing minds and we want to keep those safe.”

One reminder does seem to continuously make rounds when Grebb thinks of the situation at the school, though.

“It’s a drug-free zone,” Grebb said. “School is no place for drugs. Ever.”

Fentanyl Facts

What is Fentanyl?

How does Fentanyl work?

Fentanyl is an opioid drug, used to treat severe pain, typically used after surgery or as and advanced cancer treatment.

Since Fentanyl is an opiod, it binds to opiod receptors in the body, mainly found in areas of the brain related to pain and emotion.

Signs of Fentanyl overdose Slowed or stopped breathing

Changes in pupillary size

Nausea and vomiting

Blue colored lips and fingernails Reduced or loss of consciousness Decreased heart rate Information obtained from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/

Feature December 10, 2021

11

Fentanyl Infestation

Pflugerville police department discusses dangers laced drugs Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor What was thought to be a normal marijuana edible became a near death experience.

“When I first took the edibles I was feeling a normal high like any other time I had taken them,” *Johnny Locke said. “After a while I went to bed and still was feeling a normal high. When I woke up the next morning I was very confused and sluggish, a nauseous feeling and my whole body was numb. I tried getting out of bed and then as soon as that happened I fainted.”

The next thing Locke knew he was on the way to the hospital and woke up later to an IV in his arm and a worried family.

The edible Locke overdosed on had been laced with K2, a synthetic, toxic form of marijuana. Laced drugs have become an increasing issue within the Pflugerville area, but the biggest cause of ODs have recently been Fentanyl laced pills. The reason being they’re easily prepared and only cost $5 to $10 a piece, which makes them more accessible and attractive to teens. According to Commander Makeba Lewis, who oversees the street crimes unit at the Pflugerville police department, not only are the pills cheap but they’re also extremely potent which makes them very dangerous.

“Mainly a lot of the overdoses [we see] are when people are doing [Fentanyl pills],” Lewis said. “It's not simply that someone goes to the hospital, they're usually significantly ill or they die, there's no in between. With some overdoses you might get a headache, or you might fall asleep. A large percent of Fentanyl overdoses result in death and that death is pretty much immediate when it happens.”

Pflugerville police Chief Jason O’Malley said that the reason Fentanyl pills are so potent, or “hot,” is because most of the time the pills are homemade. This causes the pills to be produced with an unpredictable amount of Fentanyl which can make it more likely for people to OD on them as they don’t know how much is safe to take.

“We've actually had some narcotics dealers, that when people are actually purchasing pills, they'll even tell them, ‘take half of that, because I don't know how strong this is,’” Lewis said. “People still take that willing risk about how bad it could be if they keep doing that. So there's no buffer would be the best way to say it. People still take that risk with it, despite knowing that it could kill you, or take you on a trip that you're not comfortable with.”

Fentanyl is most commonly used to intensify the effects of the pill they’re being laced with, mainly depressants.

Since people use it to help “mellow” out it’s commonly used with marijuana. The combination of the Fentanyl pills along with marijuana, alcohol, or other substances

that usually leads to the pills becoming fatal. “[The combination of substances] is where it has that [toxic] effect,” Lewis said. “It basically boils down to how mellow you're trying to get to. [For example] a certain level of intoxication that you could normally get from just smoking marijuana or whatever other type of narcotics and they use it in combination with that.

That's what's resulting in the toxic lobbyists, and people passing away."

The b i g danger w i t h

WARNING May Cause: Loss of Conciousness, Coma, Nausea and Vomiting, and Death

Fentanyl is that it’s difficult to know whether the drugs or pills people are using have been laced with it. According to Lewis even if you do know that the pill has been laced it’s hard to know what type of percentage users are getting into. There’s no regulation of the toxicity of the pill. Other than word of mouth there’s no way to know how potent the pills are.

“Some of the Fentanyl pills that have been laced, they're homemade, I guess, if you want to describe it in layman's terms,” Lewis said. “So they’re not chemically made in a lab or anything like that. So people make significant cuts to some of the narcotics aspects of it.

And it's normally a depressant. So when people take that drug, they look for a certain desired effect. And when they don't get that desired effect they constantly keep taking that pill until they get the desired effect. The problem usually is that the chemical compound in it is actually toxic and deadly.”

Not only is the Fentanyl epidemic dangerous for users, but it can be a scarring and traumatic experience for their loved ones. According to Lewis, there is usually never enough time to get someone to the hospital when The Hawk newspaper does not condone illegal drug use.

they OD on laced pills. “[Death] is pretty immediate and acute,” Lewis said.

“As far as death goes, most people fall asleep and just don't wake up. We find a lot of people lying in their positions where they took the pill. Parents come home to find their children or loved ones just deceased wherever they ingest a pill. It’s that immediate.”

Lewis said the best way to avoid taking laced pills is to avoid drugs altogether, but if people are going to buy and use drugs he recommends not to stray outside the circle of friends where you get them from.

“A lot of times when things happen people bring in new narcotics that they're not familiar with, they wind up ingesting things that they don't know,” Lewis said.

“They can’t trace it back to anybody and they wind up dying. We have people that are dying from first and second-time uses of things they've probably been recreationally enjoying for years because it's not their normal dealer and there’s no way to track it. There's no way to understand what you're actually getting into.”

Lewis said that people need to keep their research solid and listen to the rumors that they hear. If they hear about several students that OD on pills they should report it because that information could prevent future deaths.

They can report the rumors to the SROs and possibly reveal a drug problem within the school that the police hadn’t discovered yet.

“We can investigate that and maybe get some type of resolve to get those drugs out of the school or find a batch that is extremely hot and killing people,” Lewis said. “Because what can happen is one batch can get sold or get split up and sold several times. And then that particular batch goes to different schools or goes to different neighborhoods, and then you have that potent batch going around and people are dropping dead.”

If people aren’t comfortable coming forward to authorities, word of mouth can still save someone’s life.

Spreading the word to peers that there’s an especially hot, or toxic, batch going around can help prevent others from buying those pills.

“If they're going to do [drugs] that's one thing, but if we know that there's a hot batch going around and that’s circulating on the rumor mill that schools let them know that so others don't start taking that,” Lewis said. “Most of the pills have some type of identifying mark on it. It could be something as comical as some Japanese animation. It could be something real comical, but people that ingest it recognize what that is or what that batch is. So that communication leads could be very helpful for somebody to save somebody's life. They need to know that.” *Pseudonym

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Feature Volume 15, Issue 3

Kennedy Grant | Photographer

Staying Positive Despite Disease

Medellin battles effects of tumor that’s turned his life upside down

Nosa Osakue | Reporter On the count of three, one, two, three, and UP! Push it closer, and put the legs over his shoulders. Gentle now, gentle, as they place him against the padded chair and he feels for the metal handles to get a sense of where he is. I can't believe I used to complain about getting out of bed, now I would give up anything to have the problem again he says to himself.

Junior Nick Medellin was diagnosed with an intracranial tumor which is an abnormal mass of tissue in which cells grow and multiply uncontrollably, seemingly unchecked by the mechanisms that control normal cells. After being diagnosed he later lost his vision leaving him completely immoblie and blind.

“We took it really hard at the start because my dad ended up having cancer and lost the battle against it. From there, it hit us really hard, but we just kept praying every day and kept believing in God to help us. We’re still praying to this day.”

Regardless of what life threw at him, Medellin managed to presevere through these tragedies with his compassionate heart unscaved.

“For my Make-A-Wish, at first I wanted to go see the Northern Lights. My backup plan was to go to San Francisco and see all the tourist attractions, but since I went blind and can't see anything besides some colors and shapes here and there. So what

I ended up doing was buying presents for Medellin is still a normal student my family. So we invited them up on a who has managed to acquire and weekend for my nephews birthday party experience countless high school titles and we did it really like Homecoming early so all of the Prince. family could come “I was shocked into town. Then I whenever I found It’s harder having ended up surprising out I was nominated them with all the for Homecoming to adjust to doing gifts and they really Court because one schoolwork, to change, loved it. It was an of the cheerleaders eating in a restaurant, absolute crying fest asked me to do it. I or everything you for them.” accepted not with Even though the idea of winning would do normally Medellin has not even in mind is extremely difficult managed to hold on and I would just do now. Just like sleeping, to his heart he does it for fun. When I reminisce about his ended up winning I trying to recognize pre-diagnosed life. was just completely people but you have “I miss being surprised and my to get used to it. From able to walk, I miss whole family came playing soccer, I up to support me. there you just live life miss going out with It was a really neat as it is one day at a friends, because of experience and I had time.” how difficult it is a great time.” now to lift me into Treatments for the wheelchair, lift this type of cancer Nicholas Medellin, 11 me inside the car, can total up to tens push me here and of thousands of there. So, pretty dollars which would much transportation, be considered a hanging out with friends, and playing financial burden for any middle class soccer. That's what I really miss the family like his. By starting a fundraiser most.”

Medellin has managed to combat this

“

financial dilemma.

“The fundraiser was an idea by the school. They wanted me to design a shirt and the fundraiser would help my family with providing money for medical bills and medication. The shirt has my favorite prayers on it. It says that fear not God will always be there for you and will never leave your side. It especially resonated with me now because of my current situation,” Medllin said. “We have ended up selling 741 shirts in total which has helped us a lot finically. Non-financially the support and love from the community is actually amazing. Honestly, the support helps me get through my day because I know I have people cheering me on.”

After experiencing such trauma and constantly battling it to live to fight another day. Medellin has gained a keen outlook on life.

“We all have difficult lives and nobody is perfect. Things happen, things you wouldn't expect to happen in life. You just have to go one day at a time,” Medellin said. “I mean, you're gonna have bad days, you're going to have good days and no matter what you have to keep your head up and keep going. You can't keep yourself down because you're going to keep others down with you. So just try to have fun with it. Try to stay positive. Try to do things you'd like to do. That's all I can really say, just have fun, live life.”

Feature December 10, 2021

Collect Them All

13

Student shares his expensive, card collecting hobby Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor Opening a brand new pack was ten times more exciting than ever before. Pokemon Card collecting has recently had a boost due to social media trends. Influencers like Logan Paul and Twitch streamer Mizkif began to inform their followers about the sudden increase in monetary value of certain Pokemon cards. With this, people started mass buying packets of cards causing them to sell them out at every retailer. Prices went up by 2 to 3 dollars for each pack. Stores like Target and Walmart had to begin implementing limits of how many packets a customer could purchase.

“I started collecting around late 2020 when it was becoming very popular among influencers,” senior Andrew Seidel said. “The prices of cards began to soar and became scarce and valuable.”

In the last year, Seidel has collected

over thousands of cards, some of them extremely rare and valuable. His collection began to take over closets and rooms around the house.

“I have my cards sorted by era and value,” Seidel said. “I have a very few graded cards, maybe 6 or 7, thousands of bulk (low value cards ($.01 - $.06)) and hundreds of higher value raw cards ranging $10 to $600. I store my collection in my room and various closets around the house.”

Collectors have taken over eBay, a website where consumers can sell things they own and buyers can bid or purchase the item. Recent eBay reports show that Pokemon card sales have increased by 574% from 2019-2020. The way cards are ranked and valued depends on what edition they are. First-edition cards are those that are printed in the first print run of a particular set; they are the most

expensive cards at the moment. Firstedition Charizard cards are worth well over 300,000 dollars.

“All cards are part of a set,” Seidel said.

“Some sets are better than others, these sets have chase cards meaning they are much harder to pull but worth the effort if obtained.”

A system of ranking cards and evaluating has been set in place in order to determine what cards are real and actually worth the money. Sending cards to get graded by reputable grading services can massively increase the price. Some examples of these companies are PSA, Beckett, CGC and GMA. Recently this hobby has gotten so ridiculous that some services had to stop taking submissions because the customers were being told they wouldn’t get their cards back until 2023. If the card comes back a 10 (graded on a scale from 1 - 10), you are at least making double the money

of the card ungraded or raw. Conditions of cards are as follows, Damaged, Heavily Played, Played, Moderately Played, Lightly Played, Near Mint, and Mint.

“I 100% hope to make a large profit off of the cards I collect. Sending cards to get graded by reputable grading services can massively increase the price,” Seidel said.

“I monitor sold listings of cards on eBay while also looking at third party sellers to get an accurate view of what the cards are worth.”

The demand for Pokemon cards continues to grow as retailers are constantly selling out within hours. The prices continue to rise and people continue to make big profits off of them. “ I am losing space to store them,” Seidel said. “I spend an excessive amount of money on these pieces of cardboard in the hope that they will be incredibly valuable years from now.”

What are some of your most expensive Pokemon cards?

2006 Alakazam $400

2006 Regice $350

2020 Charizard V (Graded 10) $400

2020 Pikachu V Max (Graded 10) $100

Student starts non-profit organization to teach English around the world

Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor After discovering the difficulties of learning a new language, junior Alaina Parent set out to provide resources for those learning English in Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Parent has started her own non-profit organization to help teach English to underprivileged students in countries like the Ukraine and Russia.

“Basically it’s an initiative to teach English to low-income students primarily in Eastern Europe and Latin America,” Parent said. “I started it with my friend who I met through state department youth ambassadors and my friend in the Ukraine.”

Inspired by her own journey learning new languages, Parent wanted to

provide more resources to lowerincome families around the world to bolster their language education.

“I’m a language learner myself,” Parent said. “For example, right now I’m learning Russian. It's a hard language to learn as it is, but it’s very hard when you don’t have the resources. I live in one of the richest countries in the world. If I don’t have the resources, how would someone not in one of the richest countries in the world learn English?”

The organization teaches any student between the ages of 14 and 25 for free due to the circumstances of language education in the countries in which they operate.

“Since I already do a lot of volunteer

work teaching English in countries like the Ukraine, I know it’s powerful to just have a conversation buddy,” Parent said. “But in those countries to converse with someone who speaks English you have to pay like $50 an hour. In the [Ukraine], where is a kid who doesn’t have a job going to get that money?”

Her experience volunteering in the Ukraine through other organizations, such as Engine, is what caused her to focus on Eastern Europe and Russia for her own non-profit.

“We primarily focus on Eastern Europe and Russia because it’s a hot topic area, specifically Russia,” Parent said. “It’s very important for those people to gain an economic advantage

and enter the world hemisphere to learn English because of conflict.”

One of her greatest hopes for the success of her organization is that it will help people to converse on a larger scale.

“I just really hope that true conversing between different cultural zeal like relativism and ethnocentrism,” Parent said. “I really think it will help them converse on a larger scale with different people so it will kind of help them to form their own opinions, not just based on the small little village they live in, and that it builds cultural awareness which is what we want to do with language. That’s the whole purpose.”

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Entertainment Volume 15, Issue 3

Non Christmas - Christmas Movies

Staff Reviews Non-Traditional Holiday Films to Watch Over Christmas Break Gremlins Krampus

Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor If you’re looking for a lighthearted Christmas movie that quickly turns into a ‘scary’ movie, Gremlins is the perfect fit. The movie starts out as a regular Christmas movie with a dad who is searching for a present for his son Billy in a small Chinatown shop, where he finds the perfect present, a Mogwai. The mogwai, or Gizmo as he’s nicknamed, is almost like a mix between a rat and a monkey; he’s furry, sweet and innocent. When Gizmo is first sold to the dad he is told three very specific rules. Don’t expose the animal to bright light, don’t ever get the animal wet, and never under any circumstance feed the animal after midnight. The very first rule is broken only moments after Billy opens his present which foreshadows the rest of the movie. Each one of these rules are

broken throughout the movie, and each time it results in something unfortunate.

When a mogwai gets wet, he reproduces more mogwais, and when a mogwai is fed after midnight, they turn into scary green gremlins who cause nothing but trouble.

The movie is not scary by any means, however the appearance of the gremlins can be considered discomforting.

Other than that the movie is very lighthearted, and captivates the audience as they wait to see what trouble the gremlins cause next, and how the heroes, Billy and Gizmo, will try and destroy the rest of the gremlins. Overall, Gremlins is a nice change of pace from regular Christmas movies, because the only aspect of Christmas within the movie is the fact that it takes place during the holiday season and Gizmo is technically considered a Christmas present.

Edward Scissorhands

Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor Because the end of the movie is set It seems that all of society collectively around Christmas, it makes sense that decides to watch the same Christmas people would view it as a Christmas movies every single year. However, there movie. They’re not wrong for thinking so are some movies that get thrown into either; the movie is pretty family-friendly the list that, when in for being about a man accordance with the with scissor hands and the rules of needing to be beginning of the movie is a love story with snow hilarious. If someone were and hot chocolate, do to watch this movie for not fit in.

Christmas, they would not In this odd list falls be disappointed.

Edward Scissorhands; The only problem with a story about a man this movie is the end. who had scissors for During the movie, you can hands and is taken feel something is about to away from his dark go wrong as it progresses, tower on the hill but there is hope that directly into the ‘90s maybe, just maybe, it can townhouse aesthetic be only cheery. However,

by Avon saleswoman near the end, one starts to Peg Boggs. His odd realize just how wrong that and gloomy appearance clashes with the prediction is. colorful and zany features of the homes All in all, Edward Scissorhands, though found in the ‘90s, making him stand not a classic Christmas movie, is a great out to neighbors who are curious about movie to watch with family or by oneself how Edward got to their small suburban when it’s cold outside and there’s nothing neighborhood. better to do.

Poster Credits: Twenieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, Universal Pictures

Nadia Johst | Reporter When it comes to Christmas movies that aren’t technically holiday-themed, Krampus almost immediately comes to mind. This film focuses on the daily holiday-season activities of the Engel family. The family finds themselves in the center of a chaotic Christmas season, filled with family arguments, political differences, and physical fights.

One of the younger children, Max Engel, begins to lose his spirits after a disagreement with his cousins, leading him to hate Christmas. This is where the ancient tale of Krampus comes in; the loss of holiday spirit invites the demon into their lives.

Throughout the movie, it is abundantly clear that the family does not get along.

There’s far too many cultural differences, strict political views, and social drama.

The film highlights the fact that the holiday season can be stressful for the average family due to the gathering of

relatives. It’s hard to remember how to stay thankful throughout the Christmas season, especially when there’s a demon Santa Claus involved. Plus, that’s not even considering the possessed Christmas toys attempting to kill the entire family.

Alongside the gore and scary themes, Krampus validates how hard holidays can be while also reminding the audience that it’s normal to not always get along with those close to you.

While watching the movie, I was intrigued by how accurate the film seemed to portray large family gatherings (minus the blood and guts). It was equally funny, scary, and chaotic. I believe that each movie holds significant symbolism, and Krampus certainly didn’t disappoint with the emphasis on the hardships of the holidays. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a unique Christmas film.

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor My family has a holiday tradition of binging Christmas movies during the holiday season. We do the classics like Rudolph and the Polar Express, and although it’s not a typical Christmas movie Die Hard is always on our list.

Die Hard is a Christmas movie unlike any other, it’s more of an action movie than a movie about the holiday itself, but nonetheless it takes place on Christmas Eve so it qualifies for any holiday movie session. It’s the perfect combination of holiday cheer and Jason Bourne level action.

The movie is about Officer John McClain and how he heroically saves the guests of a Christmas party from the criminals trying to rob the company they work for. After starting

with only a pistol and his wits he defeats the criminals one by one, or occasionally by two, as he works to save the guest, now hostages, from the criminals. He overcomes every obstacle thrown his way during his action packed Christmas Eve The story of John McClain is entertaining for anyone who loves a good action movie.

However, it’s definitely targeted towards an older and more mature audience. The action scenes can get violent and graphic, so it’s not a movie to watch if that makes you uncomfortable. But for those that are looking for a suspenseful action packed movie to add a bit of flair to your holiday session Die Hard is the perfect choice.

Die Hard

15

Sports December 10, 2021

Flying While on the Ground

Two high school skateboarders describe their experiences with the sport Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor At the top of the concrete ledge, she looks down and can see the outcome of her trick’s failure. However, one small leap of faith allows her to take advantage of the wonderful feeling of flying while still on the ground.

Senior Macey Rodriguez has been interested in skateboarding for a long time and has developed a deep connection to the activity. Her connection to her board goes way back.

“I have been on and off [the] skateboard since I was 5 years old picking it up and putting it down throughout the years but more recently I think I have just grown a deep appreciation for the joy of skating which has inclined me to do it more,” Rodriguez said.

However, not all people who skate have considered it a long-time talent. In fact, junior Hazel Burton got into skating only a few years ago, following in her friend’s footsteps.

“I got into skateboarding because a lot of my friends skated and it gave me a chance to gain friends and a hobby,” Burton said.

For Rodriquez and Burton, skateboarding is a lot more than just riding down the pavement.

“I enjoy the freedom and the feeling of zooming around on my board, feeling my board respond to the commands my legs and feet give it,” Rodriquez. “It almost becomes like an extension of my legs.”

In fact, skateboarding usually takes a lot more thought than just using the board to travel to other places. For Burton, being able to master a new skill on her board is a lot more satisfactory than just riding.

“What I enjoy the most is working really hard to learn a new trick and getting the satisfaction of completing it,” Burton said.

The experience of skateboarding gave Rodriquez many memories, especially ones where she got over her fear and tried out a new experience.

“My favorite memory I have of skating is probably the night when I was at the skate park and at the skate park I go to, there are two huge grey vert ramps,” Rodriquez said. “One is around 13 feet and the other is about 17 feet. I worked myself up to drop in on the 13-foot very ramp and almost [pooped] myself standing up there. But the feeling of riding down that vertical wall to flat was so

amazing that I had to try [the] 17 footer. It took a trashcan and two of my park homies to help me to the top of the wall. I stood up there for about 20 [minutes] just staring down at the ground before I finally made myself do it. I went in and my board slipped out from under me and I ate it so hard. I got [a] road rash up the length of my left leg and elbows.”

On the other hand, Burton likes to recall the memories that relate more to her and her friends.

“My favorite skateboarding story is probably staying until the lights shut off and getting smoothies after,” Burton said.

However, Rodriquez has been wary of some of the problems that surround the activity and how she feels about where skating is headed.

“I love that skating has become more mainstream but don’t like how skating has become a trend,” Rodriquez said. “People treat skating like a photo op for their Instagram and snap chat and I believe takes light away from the actual skate community. The friends and families we form at the park or on the street just bonding through skating is something you can’t get from posing with the fresh board you just got from Zumiez.”

Nonetheless, both Burton and Rodriquez agree that more people should get into skating and offer some advice for newcomers to the activity.

“Don’t give up,” Rodriquez said. “You’re going to fall and absolutely get hurt. You’re going to look dumb for a while, and you’re going to be giving weird looks from older [or] more experienced skaters. But no matter what, practice makes perfect and as long as you keep skating, the skills, the friends, and the respect will come with it.”

Powerlifting team starts new season Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor The powerlifting season is starting up again and is the first real season since COVID. Practices started early December and the competitive season starts early 2022.

At the practices they start working out and developing their form for the competitions. The competitive season goes on through February and can even last till April depending on if they advance towards state. Senior Bianca Soledad is a member of the Women's Powerlifting team and has won several medals and competed in over 15 meets.

“At the meets there are usually racks lined up and people warming up,” Soledad says. “They are separated by weight class and usually, they group 2 or

3 weight classes into each rack depending on how big the meet is. They get nine lifts in total, 3 bench presses, 3 squats, and 3 dead lifts.”

The lift is determined by three judges that have experience In powerlifting, each get a light, red or green. Majority rules, two green is a good lift, two reds is a failed lift. If done correctly and get two or three green lights, weight gets added to their next turn, whatever their best bench is at the end of the three is the one they write down to sum up the total.

“Sometimes it gets really hectic,” Soledad said. “There’s a ton of chalk, pre-work out, and sweat in the air. Some people wouldn’t like it but I’ve done it for years and though I’m not the best lifter I love the atmosphere.”

Bianca Soledad participating in a powerlifting meet durring her freshman year in 2018.

16

Feature Volume 15, Issue 3

‘Tis the Holiday Season

Staff members review popular holiday activities, offers suggestions Zilker Park Trail of Lights Kate Hayes | Reporter The Trail of Lights is a local Austin holiday festivity that has continued to be a wildly popular seasonal attraction for decades, even in a new era of social distancing that forced the Trail to begin operating as an exclusively drive-thru event in 2020. The event itself is a maze of lights, holiday trees, and extravagant displays scattered along paths throughout Zilker Park during late November, operating until the end of December.

For the second time, despite the prolonged difficulty of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers have continued to hold the event, demonstrating persistence if nothing else. As one of Austin’s most popular holiday attractions, the Trail of Lights has a long history to live up to; the challenge lies in attracting the same recognition and praise it has earned in previous incarnations. Having already experienced the Trail of Lights for the first time in 2019, when it was still an in-person event, I had high expectations in spite of the social distancing factor. Needless to say, the Trail of Lights meets those expectations, but not excessively so. Wait times have been an issue with the Trail in the past, but this

Baking

issue has worsened with the introduction of drive-thru entertainment. Our waittime was thirty-five minutes, well over the time it took to drive the Trail itself, which was about twenty-five minutes. However, considering the incredible volume of people the Trail attracts annually, it seemed to be well managed with the dozens of cars that could be seen filtering into Zilker Park.

The ride along the Trail was, even for the wait, an enjoyable and relaxing experience. Free from the chaotic crowds of visitors from previous years, it is much easier to take in the colorful sights without distraction.

Austin’s glowing skyline provides the perfect backdrop for the vivid displays that line the park. A radio station providing curated music for the ride can be tuned into, making the experience both visually and auditorily coherent and thematic to the winter holidays. I think the ride was much more pleasant in a socially distanced manner, and although this presents logistical issues, it was an outing that provided fun holiday entertainment with little stress.

Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor As a self-labeled baker, I love the idea of getting together with friends or family in the kitchen and making a mess while attempting to make brownies from a recipe you found on the Food Network website. I think that baking is the best holiday activity there is; you get to stay home and go through the joyous process of measuring and mixing things, which in the end, results in delicious cookies or cakes which you can share with people (or keep them for yourself). One of my favorite things to make during the holiday season is peppermint bark. It is incredibly easy to make and there are so many recipes to follow online.

The recipes usually produce a lot of bark so I like to pack it up in cute baggies and hand them out to my friends as part of their gifts. It’s the perfect treat and easy activity for the holiday season and who doesn’t love the smell of sweets fresh out of the oven.

Ice Skating

Nadia Johst | Reporter With the winter season upon us, holiday activities are growing in popularity, one being ice skating.

Personally, growing up I looked forward to the times when we would drive to a rink and spend a few hours on the ice. This is why it was such an amazing feeling for me to research and visit the Chaparral Ice Rink in Austin. While looking at the website, I immediately grew excited reading all of the café and skate options.

They offer skate lessons, camps, holiday events, parties, and more.

Feelings of nostalgia washed over me as I arrived, the cold atmosphere reminding me of the holiday seasons from when I was younger.

The staff helped me get my skates correctly fitted before I went out on the ice.

After a little while of gliding around, I found myself quite hungry and thirsty.

They had everything from café foods to hot drinks, and I was

pleasantly content with the variety of food offered. The food was fairly reasonably priced and affordable. I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate, which left me feeling very comfortable.

Unfortunately, it was rather hard to contact the business, as each time I called no one picked up.

Overall, my experience was mostly positive with some small critiques about online services. I enjoyed visiting Chaparral Ice Rink, and I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a fun holiday outing.

Illustrations by | Yael Behar

Small Business Shopping

Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor Holiday shopping is one of the most popular things to do around the holidays.

Big retailers make thousands of dollars a year, profiting mostly from gifts. This year I decided to support small businesses instead. Buying from local markets or places like Etsy, helps people provide for their families or themselves.

It might even help them buy presents for others.

Buying from small businesses has made me feel better about the gifts I am giving and I know that they were handmade with love. Supporting a good cause, especially around this time of the year perpetuates feelings of joy and Christmas Spirit.

I will continue to purchase from small businesses even after the holidays and recommend others to do so too.