The Hawk May 2021

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Post-pandemic plans in beginning stages

The

Hawk

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 14, Issue 7 May 21, 2021

In this Issue...

Wild Weather - Page 5 Editor Farewell - Page 7 Sports Recap - Page 15

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News May 21, 2021

state of the

Violent incidents against people of color continue during, after Chauvin trail

UNION Kaitlyn Nash | Asst. Editor

March 29

March 29

April 8

April 20

April 20

April 21

First day of Derek Chauvin's trial for the murder of George Floyd with multiple witnesses supplying testimonies.

At the beginning of the trial, the defense side argued that Chauvin’s knee was not the cause of death, but drugs and other conditions that were responsible.

After the lunch break, Floyd’s nephew Brandon Williams said on the stand that either Chauvin was not “trained and qualified to do [his] job, or they intended to take his life.”

The same day that the Derek Chauvin trail started, 13-year-old Latino Adam Toledo was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Eric Stillman. On April 15, the body cam footage from officer Stillman was released and showed Toledo holding his hands up, tossing his gun away from his body and behind a fence near the scene, and complying with officers. Toledo is reported to be one of the youngest people killed in Illinois in years.

Ten days later at 5 a.m on a Monday, 32-year-old Dominique Williams and 38 year old James Lionel Johnson were shot by an off duty Pentagon officer after they "appeared to be breaking into a car," and when they attempted to flee the vehicle, Johnson shot them. As it was reported, no shots were ever fired at Johnson.

Both died in the hospital a little while after shots were fired. Both were shot in the back and both had no weapons, which caused speculation on why they were killed.

Around 20 minutes before Derek Chauvin was charged on all counts, a Columbus city police officer named Nicholas Reardon fatally shot a 16 year old girl named Ma'Khia Bryant after she called the police for help as someone was attacking her. Body footage from Reardon showed Bryant lunging with a knife at a girl and attacking her while on top of her. After Reardon asked what was going on and prompted the other girl to run away, he fired four shots at Bryant.

Derek Chauvin, the man who knelt on George Floyds neck for more than nine minutes, was found guilty of all counts he was charged with, including second-degree murder.

With that sentacing, the trail was ended. The charges against Chauvin collectively amount to 75 years in prison. However, the judge must focus on the most serious charge which is second-degree murder, which carries around of 40 years behind bars. Chauvin's conviction can still be thrown out on appeal.

Only a day after the trail Chauvin ended, a 42-year-old Black man named Andrew Brown Jr. was fatally shot in coastal North Carolina. Brown was sitting inside his car, hands on the wheel, when gunshots were fired. He did not appear to be holding a weapon, and was driving away as the police shot him. A local prosecutor said the body footage released of the crime showed that Brown was trying to escape and that his car struck deputies, who then began shooting.

Pflugerville ISD Police Department members discuss use of force policies Weston Schlesinger| Schlesinger Reporter

How are police trained unfolding in the fraction Police. They are reviewed through the leg which is a What makes the to ensure the use of force main artery of the human of a second.

Officers are to handle a violent difference in shooting trained to respond and was reasonable, within body. If the femoral artery suspect? a suspect vs. another react to situations that are the law and department is severed, a human can "Officers are extensively often ever evolving and regulations but also to bleed out in seconds. There means of apprehending trained in use of force, not ensure that the use of force is not a safer place to shoot the suspect? fluid." only at the beginning of their career but throughout their career as well. Officers learn what is authorized by state law as well as what is authorized by department policy or regulation.

Practical training/scenario based training in use of force is done to ensure the officers are mentally prepared for these encounters. Every situation is different and must be assessed by the responding officer with some situations

How are use of force incidents reported?

"There is a general offense/ incident report completed by all officers involved along with a response to resistance form (see attached). Body cameras, in-car video cameras, and school videos are uploaded to the report. All videos and reports are reviewed by a Sergeant, then Lieutenant and then the Chief of

was not excessive force or unnecessary."

Why don't officers aim for the legs when a shooting happens?

or be shot on the human body. A shoot to wound mandate would not be legally valid as a standard as that would be beyond what has been set forth in the US Supreme Court case Graham vs. Conner regarding use of force cases and the objectively reasonable standard of the Fourth Amendment."

"The suspect’s actions typically dictate the response of law enforcement. As stated above, State Law and department regulations dictate when deadly force is authorized. If the situation does not dictate the use of deadly force, but other force is reasonable due to the circumstances, then only the force that is reasonable at the time can be used."

"If deadly force is authorized the Officer must stop the threat to preserve life. The legs would not be a suitable target due to the fact that it is a smaller target that if hit may not stop or incapacitate the threat. The femoral artery also runs Statements issued jointly by PfISD Police Department

Volume 14, Issue 7

News

3

Track stars both take third at state meet

Senior Monty Thompson and Junior Suzane Ogunleye placed third in their respective events at the UIL Track & Field State Championships. Thompson ran the 100m, while Ogunleye participated in the triple jump.

Photos provided by | Marcial Guajardo

Quarantine protocol changed with vaccinations Yael Behar | Reporter Vaccine distribution has started to become commonplace, particularly with the development of vaccines for people ages 12-15, as well as the earlier released 16 and up vaccination. These new vaccines, developed by Pfizer, account for the ages of high schoolers, and with the gradual introduction of it into the high school scene, changes in COVID and quarantine protocol have updated accordingly.

Prior to the development of vaccines in general, a 10 day quarantine period was required for any in-person student or teacher should they come in contact with COVID. These protocol changes allow for vaccinated students and teachers to bypass quarantine if they are asymptomatic.

“For school, quarantine rules have been in place since September,“ school nurse Ronda Ruiz said. “The quarantine changes for vaccinated

individuals began a few months ago. Essentially, If you have had 2 COVID vaccines and it has been 2 weeks since your last shot, you do not have to quarantine. The school needs to have a copy of your COVID shot on file.”

As a part of the protocol needed to waive the quarantine period, a COVID Intake form needs to be filled out.

“A COVID intake form is a form that staff receives from Human Resources if they have been identified as a close contact individual,” Ruiz said. “This also applies if they have been exposed to someone outside of school.”

The intake form will require a copy of the vaccination record in order to verify the dates of the COVID immunization.

“These rules will be in place for the remainder of this school year,” Ruiz said, “No announcement has been made on how this will be

handled in the fall semester.”

The guideline changes are made

by Austin Public Health, which had also partnered up with the PFISD school district in months prior to provide vaccines for teachers. Yet despite the new regulations and the vaccine development, it is still highly recommended to continue being aware of the virus, and take precautions.

“COVID may be spread by people who do not have symptoms or by people that have not been vaccinated,” Ruiz said. “You still need to be cautious when you’re around others. According to the CDC, once you are fully vaccinated, outdoor visits and activities are safer than indoor activities, and fully vaccinated people can participate in some indoor events safely, without much risk. Get vaccinated!”

Pflugerville ISD to award scholarship to students for overcoming adversity Landon Self | Asst.

Editor Pflugerville ISD and The Pflugerville Education Foundation announced in April the creation of the Provan & Lockhart Scholarship, open to current PACE and Provan Opportunity students. The Scholarship is designed to be awarded to a single student based entirely on persevering through adversity.

“I have not seen a scholarship that rewards students and is entirely based on overcoming great adversity. Many times, it is based on a GPA or athletic ability,” Founder Michelle Provan said. “I wanted to create a scholarship that acknowledged students and rewarded them for their perseverance and

resilience.”

The Provan & Lockhart Scholarship was named after Robert Provan and Lolly Lockhart.

Robert Provan was a disabled attorney at law who practiced in Texas and is most noted for bringing the first lawsuit of its kind in the United States against an HMO on behalf of physicians using the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

“There is no GPA requirement. Currently, a student is nominated by themselves or by a teacher,” Provan said. “They write an essay describing their challenges and how they have overcome them. It is then graded with a rubric by a panel. We plan to announce the recipient on the 24th of May.”

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News May 21, 2021

Aguirre elected to school board in close election Landon Self | Asst. Editor Voters in PfISD went to the polls May 1 to cast their ballots for Place Once and Place Two on the PfISD Board of Trustees.

For Place Two, Incumbent Tony Hanson went unopposed and was therefore re-elected to another three year term.

However, for Place One, David Aguirre and Marc Garcia faced off in what turned out to be the closest election in PfISD School Board history.

On Election Night, Aguirre was leading Garcia by two votes, but when absentee ballots arrived the following week, his lead increased by one vote. David Aguiree was elected to the three year term on the School Board by three votes out of nearly 6,000 votes cast.

“We are so grateful for the support we received throughout the election process to the Pflugerville ISD school board,” Aguirre said. “I am incredibly excited to begin contributing to Pflugerville ISD.” In a social media post,

Garcia conceded the election to Aguirre.

“The fact that this race was so close speaks to the fact that my competitor was indeed a strong candidate,” Aguirre said.

“I’d like to congratulate Marc Garcia on a race well run, and I’m hopeful we will have the opportunity to work together.”

“I look forward to working hard for the community and making sure the voice of our teachers, administrators and parents are heard,” Aguirre said. “I look forward to working with the board members on enhancing and creating conditions for students’ success.”

PfISD becomes trauma skilled school district Yael Behar | Reporter Awareness for social issues has become more emphasized with the internet and social media, allowing equal opportunities for people with disabilities and mental disorders. This extends to the school district as well, with PFISD working to educate and train teachers and staff to become trauma-informed.

“Being a trauma skilled school district means that we are committed to learning and training staff about the effects that trauma has on students,” school counselor Lori Carl said. “We have already been a trauma-informed district, and it is beneficial because it allows us to look at each student individually and makes us more aware of how to teach and support the whole student. We want to strive to always learn the best ways to support and empower our students now and in the future.”

Trauma skilled means being aware of possible experiences students may have undergone, It will address certain behaviors to best support those students.

As a part of the process required to become trauma-informed, staff will be specially trained.

“Training includes information about how the brain works and the effect that trauma has on the brain and development,” Carl said. “There are a lot of definitions and tips

Freshman Ian Vizcarra, Sophomore Tori Ybarra, Senior Micheal Ybarra, and Freshman Addi Villegas act out the “Snack Break” Scene in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical which was performed May 13, 14, and 15 to a limited audience. Monty Thompson | Photographer

on how the teachers/trainees can identify risk factors, and how to support and foster resilience in students.”

Trauma-based policies have been instilled in order to best achieve a trauma-skilled school district.

“A policy is something that an organization implements to address the issue of trauma,” Carl said. “An example might be to provide training, to identify and provide services to students. Policies about discipline practices to avoid secondary trauma are also examples.”

An estimated 1 in 4 students have experienced some form of childhood trauma, Carl added.

“I think awareness about the number of students who have experienced childhood trauma made it inevitable that the school would want to address this,” Carl said. “ It is very hard to learn if a student is going through or has been through traumatic experiences that have not received therapeutic services to address them. It affects their school day and the schools are seeing the benefit of helping staff understand and identify such needs. It is helpful for the teachers as well.”

A committee has also been made in order to best handle this process. Like staff, they will also be trained on trauma, and work with PFISD

administrators across schools with plans to move forward.

“There is a committee formed that are skilled in this area and are reporting to the Administration about ideas and training that will benefit teachers and staff to better serve students who have experienced trauma,” Carl said. “PFISD has hired social workers for their campuses and has been training teachers about trauma-informed care for years. The steps have already started and the committee will continue in the efforts to make sure we have the most current information and resources.”

PfISD and the school administration hope that becoming trauma informed will address some of the issues students face, and begin helping.

“HHS has already been a school that has focused on the individual needs of students and employs restorative practices when it comes to discipline and the way they approach students,” Carl said. “I hope that as more teachers are trained and see the importance of TraumaInformed or sensitive schools, that you will see students who feel empowered and cared for, and safe. It will also affect peer relationships and school culture as well.”

Cast Members perform “Spelling Rules” in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. “In this scene, Panch (me) has explained the spelling bee rules to the spellers, and they have approached the judges’ table,” Senior Jeremiah Gorman said. “As Panch is wrapped in fear, Rona calms the spellers to get them to sit down.”

Monty Thompson | PhotographerWW

Volume 14, Issue 7 News

Under the Weather

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People recall experiences of extreme climate conditions Lilianna Moran | Reporter Texas weather has always had a reputation for being quick to change, from being sunny one moment to being rainy the next, but locals never expected to wake up to their town drenched in snow and ice or mid-day be bombarded with ice plummeting from the sky.

From a week-long snowstorm to golf ball sized hail, odd weather has not been a stranger to Texas as of late.

“This year, on top of the COVID pandemic, we experienced some really crazy weather,” AP human geography teacher, Bruce Johnson said. “It snowed twice in Austin with accumulated totals that I have never seen before in the 30 years I have lived in Texas.”

Winter Storm Uri was a large ice and snow storm that spread across the United States Feb. 13-17 and left some effects on Texas especially. Unlike the areas that consistently deal with these cold conditions, Texas was unprepared to deal with weather involving extreme snow and ice. Many houses, buildings, and water pipes were not properly insulated to handle freezing temperatures. As a result, the storm left the majority of Texans powerless, waterless, and heatless.

“We lost power for almost four days,” Johnson said. “When we lose power, we lose our heat because we do not have natural gas in the house. We spent time

in front of the fireplace feeding it until we almost ran out of wood. The coldest temperature inside our house was 41 degrees. When the power was turned back on and the water returned, we found out that two pipes in our kitchen froze and burst.”

Johnson recalls feeling a mixture of emotions during this time.

“At first it was a fun feeling, seeing the snow, but then it became a struggle with the loss of power and water,” Johnson said.

“We all felt cold and quite helpless at the time of the shutdown.”

Junior Lawryn Delgado also remembers facing difficulties during the storm.

“My family didn’t have water and had on and off electricity for a couple of days,” Delgado said. “I was bored and cold.”

Nearly two months later, on April 15th, Central Texas fell victim to another large storm, a quick but troublesome hail storm. Some of the hail was as big

as a golf ball, while other areas reported seeing hail as large as tennis balls. The storm left many with broken windows or dented cars and roofs.

“I was driving to work and unfortunately my car was being hit with golf sized hail,” Delgado said. “I know some of my friends said their cars were hit worse and even had their windshields broken.”

Delgado recollects feeling caught off guard by the storm.

“I was panicked at first for my car, ‘’ Delgado said.

“It came out of nowhere, still a little peeved but my car could’ve been damaged much worse”.

Johnson was also on the road during the storm.

“I left school and was on the frontage road of 130 driving toward Gattis School road when the first hailstone hit my vehicle,” Johnson said. “I parked by the trees on the boundary of the gas station, hoping for some type of barrier to deflect some of the hail. It worked, kind of, after the storm passed, I went

out and checked the damage to my vehicle and there were a lot of dents on my hood and roof ”.

These recent changes in weather resulted in questions of whether climate change had anything to do with the surge or extremities of these storms.

Though, the answer remains unclear.

Climate change is the extreme changes in weather conditions at a continual rate, with these conditions having happened only a few times, scientists cannot clearly mark climate change’s effects on these storms yet.

“I’m sure it is not a coincidence,” Delgado said. “I can’t guarantee that it is the direct or only cause either.”

Despite the hardships of these events, Johnson said it has also shown the value of community and strength.

“Looking back, it is just another thing that we endured and got through,” Johnson said. “The event itself proved to us that we can get through anything if we all band together. I saw incredible acts of kindness during this event. People picking up groceries and water for others and delivering, perfect strangers coming to the aid of drivers who were stuck on the road and many groups and organizations coming to the aid of the needy. Because of these actions, I look back at the whole situation as proof there is good out there.”

Yael Behar | Illustration

Seniors top off year with state and national awards Weston Schlesinger| Schlesinger Reporter Senior Bryan Ross, the head editor of The Hawk Newspaper won second place in the state UIL journalism competition in the editorial writing category.

“I was really excited to represent Hendrickson.

Pulling up with a big ‘H’ on my chest,” Ross said. “It feels really good advancing to the next round because I’ve had a lot of competitions where I advance one round and then the next I come in last so it feels really good to do well with good competition, it wasn’t like I had weak competition so that felt good.”

Ross advanced to state in three areas: Feature Writing, Editorial Writing, and Headline Writing. He was the first student to advance to state in 3 of the 5 journalism categories.

Abraham Siyoum | Reporter Seniors Amber Pride and Diego Segura placed fourth in Animation the Business Professionals of America national competition.

“It felt amazing to get fourth place,” Pride said. “I could hardly believe it when I got past the State finals so you can imagine how happy and surprised I was to make fourth in the nation overall.”

The animation project was titled Goldrush.

“I really liked the experience of BPA Animation overall and it has really encouraged me to keep pursuing my dreams in the world of the animation industry,” Pride said. “ I'm so excited to see what the next big thing is that awaits for me in my journey to becoming a successful animator.”

Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter Senior Alyssa Vargas placed fifth out of the 29 competitors in UIL State Theatrical Design Meet.

Vargas’ designed a set for ‘Man of La Mancha’.

“State was a roller coaster of emotions. ” Vargas said.

Nicole Malone, Vargas’ sponsor, celebrated the victory while watching the online ceremony alongside musical cast members on Monday evening.

“When I placed,” Vargas said. “I was overwhelmed with feelings of humility and joy.”

Her portfolio included a written justification of her design, an inspiration board, a 3D scenic model design, scenic renderings, and a ground plan.

6 Opinion

May 21, 2021

Editor discusses hopes for a normal future Ever since the start of quarantine the goal has been to achieve a “return to normalcy,” and finally that seems achievable. With the Pfizer vaccine now being distributed to teens the battle against the COVID-19 virus seems to be coming to an end and things may be returning to a preCOVID life.

When the COVID-19 virus first hit back in spring break of 2020 most people assumed it would all blow over in a week or two. The two week lockdown at the end of March gave the world a surreal feeling, and made life feel like a fever dream. Then businesses and schools began shutting down, a n d with them went the rest of the country.

As time went on and the lockdown continued it became apparent that things were going to change for the foreseeable future, and possibly forever.

Once it became clear that COVID-19 was not going away anytime soon, everyone became determined to find a “new normal” in life amidst a pandemic. Masks and social distancing became the norm, and slowly businesses were forced to open up again to avoid going out of business. As time went on COVID safety protocols were established and people slowly began to venture back out into the world.

In the fall, school reopened virtually, but over time more and more people were allowed to come back in person. By the end of the first semester half of the school was signed up on the in person roster. However, at the start of the second semester another wave of COVID hit and dozens of students got quarantined as cases skyrocketed. With those quarantines many other students chose to stay home to avoid the risk of

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 being exposed. Once again normal seemed like an unachievable goal.

It wasn’t until the Pfizer vaccine started becoming mass produced and distributed that normal actually seemed like an achievable goal. In April the vaccine became available for 16 and up, and as more people got the vaccine classes started filling up and kids started coming in person again. As time has gone by and this school year has come to a close it’s looking like normal is finally an achievable goal.

Last summer it was understandable for the world to be in lockdown. Everything was very new and uncertain, but this year things are different. COVID has been around for over a year now, and vaccines and protocols have been put in place to make sure that people are as safe as possible. At some point the world will need to accept that COVID isn’t going away anytime soon. It will probably be something that everyone will live with for the rest of their lives, so we can’t let it keep us from living them.

This summer needs to be the transition back to normal.

With the vaccine being distributed and available to the general public, schools and businesses should be able to start to lighten their COVID protocols to allow the world to t r ans it i on b a c k i n t o a pre-COVID life.

Quarantined life should be nearing an end, and although it wouldn’t mean the end of COVID, it would mean an end to the pandemic.

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.

Yael Behar | 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

“I’m anxious for life to go back to normal.

I barely remember what a normal life feels like. I don’t know what to expect.”

-Natalia Mancini, 10

“It’ll take a while for things to be normal probably. I don’t imagine things will ever be the same as they were before but I’m happy about it slowly turning back.”

-Gabrielle Pearce, 10

“It worries me, because even if you gotten the shot, you still have a chance of getting COVID, because with more people around I feel like there’s more of a chance to get it. It will be nice to see some new faces though,” -Julia Browning, 10

“I’m excited at the thought of life being able to go back to normal and hangout with people.

Although, realistically we haven’t reached herd immunization yet and there are still frequent Covid-19 cases. As much as I would like normalcy it’s important that we’re actually prepared for that and unfortunately we haven’t reached that point yet. All we can do is hope for the best and stay safe.”

- Maya Hay, 9

“I think would be really good for students overall to finally get to go back and actually enjoy being with their friends in person and not have to worry about stressing more so about grades and kind of focus more and they can be relaxed again. Yes, at some point I do, I do think it should go back to normal at some point, because we all need some normalcy in our lives at this point, this new normal isn’t normal for us.” -Jonathan Vasquez, 11

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, 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: Alyssa Rodriguez, 11

• Hit or Miss Boys’ bathrooms continue to lack toilet paper, respect

If this Hit or Miss looks familiar, it’s because it is, just like the feeling of opening three stalls in the same rest room and finding toilet paper in none of them. Overall, the problem with not having soap, paper towels, and toilet paper in bathrooms hasn’t been as bad this year as it has been in the past, but it’s still around.

Not helping matters is the insane amount of trash left around in the bathrooms by students. At least in the boys’ rest room it’s honestly embarrassing. A high school custodial staff shouldn’t have to deal with a floor covered in loose paper towels and toilet paper in a lot of places it shouldn’t be (talking to you, whoever put an entire roll of toilet paper in a toilet.)

Both the inconsistency restocking necessary supplies and the messes left in bathrooms by students are a miss.

Mass testing site runs smoothly

Over the past several weeks many STAAR, EOC and AP tests have taken place. These tests were all done in-person, so students who have been in virtual learning had to come to the school to take them.

Many people were able to see friends they haven’t seen since the COVID-19 pandemic started forcing a vast number of students to stay home.

Although these tests were draining and caused a large number of room relocations and confusion, with all of the tests being done at the same time including AP tests and setting up Chromebooks for those who needed them and keeping COVID protocols, the organization and administration of these tests were a hit.

Test week assignments a strain

As the end of the school year draws near, STAAR and AP tests have arrived. Because of this, many student’s anxiety or stress have undoubtedly risen.

Unfortunately, even with the weight of these tests being on student’s shoulders, teachers are still giving out class work and even projects to do. This only increases student’s work load and gives them less time to study for the STAAR and AP Exams.

Teachers giving out school work and projects on test weeks is a miss. miss

Inconsistent test formats cause in-person disadvantage

One effect of COVID-19 in accordance with school is that all tests that teachers have assigned have been online through Eduphoria! or other platforms. However, since many students have gone back to school, a few teachers have started handing out paper tests for the in-person students.

Unfortunately, this means in-person students aren’t allowed to use their notes on tests while online students do. This is unfair because it disincentives students to want to go back in person and allows for online students to get better grades than in-person students.

It can also give students anxiety if they do not know beforehand.

Teachers beginning to give out paper tests while students are still online is a miss miss.

• Our Turn

Volume 14, Issue 7 Opinion

7

Editor says goodbye, thanks after three years as a staff member Bryan Ross | Co-Editor This is a column you never really think you’re going to write. Sure, you notice as your sophomore and junior year end and you think “huh, I’m getting pretty close to being done with high school,” but it never really sets in until you’re writing the first draft of your last story on staff of The Hawk.

I’m going to start by saying I’m extremely proud of the staff this year and what we’ve been able to accomplish. Obviously it’s been difficult to do what we normally do, but this staff didn’t let that stop us. Putting out seven full issues (our goal in a normal year) and printing four of them is a legitimate accomplishment with the challenges we’ve had to work around. This staff is in good hands for the future. Seth and Lyna are going to be amazing in charge of the staff next year, and I hope with all my heart that you guys get to deal with the challenge of coming up with things to write about other than COVID. Of course I have to thank Mrs. Riemer. If you’re reading this and don’t know Mrs. Riemer, I’m going to let you in on a secret: if you’ve ever read or seen something in an issue of the paper that impressed you, it’s because of her. She pours her heart and soul into teaching us about journalism, pushing us to be better, and when we need it, taking over the layout and fixing it hours (or minutes) before it goes to the printer. Sure, we get the bylines, but without Mrs. Riemer, there is no The Hawk.

To Mrs. Riemer: thank you.

Thanks for teaching me, thanks for

pushing me, and most importantly, thanks for caring about me and always being someone to talk to when I needed it.

To anyone who helped me with a story, thank you. Anyone who responded to an email, text, or Instagram DM and gave me a quote or an interview. Anyone who didn’t block me after I texted you seven different times on a Sunday Workday asking for clarification about something related to one of my stories. The newspaper wouldn’t be possible without stories to tell, and so I sincerely thank anyone who allowed me to tell them.

Thanks to the administrative staff for being so supportive of us. For letting us complain about the goings on at school, being available for interviews, and letting us write about any topic that we felt was important.

Finally, To anyone reading this right now, thank you. Even if I’ve never talked to you before, you raising your hand during Talon or picking the paper up off a stand means the world to me.

To my friends who all picked up the first issue I ever worked on without me saying anything, I noticed, and I can’t express my appreciation enough. I hope that in my three years on staff, I’ve written something in some issue that you appreciated, whether it was a news brief about your club, a feature story that interested you, or just me complaining about the lack of toilet paper in the bathrooms. The three years I’ve had on staff have been a joy for me, and I hope that I’ve been able to give some of that back.

Yael Behar | Artist

8 Feature May 21, 2021

BACK< to > future the Travel plans change in light of vaccine Liliana Moran | Reporter The school year is nearing to a close as summer finally approaches. For many, summer can mean a chance to relax and take a vacation, but after the COVID-19 virus began spreading globally earlier last year, peoples’ chances of a calming break were squashed. Now with the increased distribution of vaccines throughout the United States, people’s hopes of a normal summer are starting to return.

“There might be fewer cases but I think there still might be some restrictions,” sophomore Nanda Prasad said. “I hope we can start going back to what it was like before the pandemic”.

Last year, many travel and vacation plans were put to a halt after the implementation of national lockdowns and travel restrictions as a way to slow the spread of the virus, along with peoples’ overall worries. During that

time, the global travel and tourism industry experienced a significant decrease in profit and spending, having witnessed a loss of US $4.7 trillion from the previous year according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

“A lot of people didn’t feel it was safe to travel, especially in the beginning of last year when we were just starting to handle Covid and figure out what it is and its different variants,” freshman Maya Hay said. “People were really unsure, so there was a lot less traveling”.

With the development and releasing of COVID-19 vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna, earlier this year, the American tourism industry is hoping to see an influx in travel spending by 23.2% in 2021 according to the U.S. Travel Association.

“I think this year, there is going to be a lot more people traveling,” Hay said.

“I think people are starting to feel more safe now that they have a vaccine”.

With summer break just weeks away,

“Well, how I’ve made this year as normal as possible was really by just sticking to what I normally do in my daily routine, except I change one thing, the in person school factor, but other than that, I just overall keep my same routine throughout the day, I still attend classes, I still talk with friends, I still do homework, and I still go to places outside, though it’s not as often because I never really did that much, so mainly throughout this year all I do to keep it as normal as possible is just simply stick to my same routine and do what I’d normally do, except at a distance and virtually.”

Will Schulte, 11

people are taking advantage of this time to set up vacation opportunities.

“I’m going to Savannah, GA and I am also probably going to spend time with family in my hometown, Texarkana,” biology teacher Mackenzie Glover said.

“I’m excited. I can't wait to relax and spend time outside”.

Freshman Vivian Crow also feels excited for her plans, though she has some doubts.

“Over the summer my family is hoping to travel to California to visit my sister.

She moved there for her job a couple months ago and it would be really nice to see her,” Crow said. “However, I am worried that the pandemic may make traveling to see her hard to do.”

Even as case numbers and restrictions fall, some plans are still being affected.

“Ms. Keller and I were going to chaperone a trip to Europe in the summer of 2020, postponed to 2021, and now 2022,” German teacher Audrey Saathoff said. “I knew I wouldn’t travel

internationally any time soon when the pandemic started, and there are currently more lockdowns going into effect in Europe because of rising case numbers. I don’t feel comfortable traveling right now, and if I did, it would be a road trip to somewhere outdoors”.

Despite these downsides Saathoff still is hopeful.

“Most of my family and friends are now vaccinated, so I will feel more comfortable socializing than I did last summer,” Sathoff said. “As the sun comes out more, I hope spirits lift a bit”.

Crow has also witnessed some changes to normalcy compared to last year and is hoping it continues.

“We couldn't go anywhere last year, and now we have a safer opportunity to travel,” Crow said. “I am hoping that over the summer more people will get vaccinated and that cases of COVID-19 will go down dramatically.”

“To make this year as normal as possible, I tried to keep the same schedule I had before the pandemic started. I tried to do the same things I would do before like waking up early enough to get ready and prepare for the day. Then, I would go to class and try to do the same things I would if everything was normal such as going to a teacher’s talon if I needed help on homework.”

- Nanda Prasad, 10

Volume 14, Issue 7 Feature

9

Superintendent discusses plans for next school year

Bryan Ross | Co-Editor As the end of the school year draws nearer, logistical questions surrounding how to run extracurricular activities, STAAR and AP tests, and school in general have been mostly cleared up for the 2020-2021 school year. But as those questions are answered, new ones pop up to replace them, particularly regarding how the 2021-2022 school year will look.

“We’ve got a lot of different teams working on [the plan for next year,]” superintendent Douglas Killian said.

“Everything from curriculum to HR, and also our finance officers working on some things. At this point, probably one of the biggest issues is we haven’t heard from the state or TEA what next year would look like. And that’s part of our problem. We’re making plans without the guidance of the state organization to figure out what we’re even allowed to do next year.”

One of the unknowns for the fall semester is what online school will look like. School districts have to apply to be able to do virtual education at all.

Pflugerville will be applying, according to Killian.

“We’re also hearing that there’s going to be a lot more restrictions, and a lot more requirements [for virtual education], so the situation that everybody’s used to right now where you can go virtual or come to school

will look a lot different,” Killian said.

“There’s always been virtual education in Texas, or at least there has been for a long time, and it’s normally done through the virtual schools learning network, but instead of you logging in

next school year more normal is the guidelines set by Austin Public Health and the Texas Education Agency. Austin moved down to Stage 3 within APH COVID-19 Risk-Based Guidelines March 13, having been at either Stage 4

that they expect students to be able to be vaccinated in large numbers this summer, and they’re already kind of moving in that direction.”

According to Killian, over 50% of district faculty and staff have reported to the district that they are fully Monty Thompson | Photographer vaccinated.

“It’s really important for us to get immunized because there are people out there in our community that don’t make antibodies, so even if they got a vaccination, they’re not protected because they [can’t] fight the disease,” Killian said. “If everybody else gets vaccinated, then they’re safe. But if some people elect not to get vaccinated, when they can, they have the potential of spreading it to someone who would have a reaction no matter what.”

Killian said that there currently isn’t a timetable on when information about next school year will be released.

Daily temperature checks were required for all in person students this school year.

“I wanted to make that decision a In addition to this administration added multiple lunch periods to enforce social month ago and tell everybody what distancing. Students and staff were also required to wear masks to reduce possible we’re going to do, but I keep stalling COVID-19 exposures. because I don’t have the guidance from the agency or APH as to what they’re and getting counted for attendance in or 5 since Nov 18. going to require us to do,” Killian said. that one, they actually only account you “I see a lot of school districts outside the “The last thing I want to do for our for funding purposes if you complete a Metroplex areas that have unmasked,” community in our schools is tell them course. So that’s a big shift into what Killian said. “I see the possibility of that we’re going to do X, and then come to we’re doing right now, because you can being optional next year. It’s going to find out that the state of Texas or the [currently] log in and get credit for the be up to APH what that guidance is. I agency or APH says we can’t do that. day and then get funding.” see probably a lot more in person than And then we have to change all our Killian said that the key to making we’ve had in the past. APH has told us plans.”

Transitioning from all virtual teaching after a two week period. Since then teachers and students have had to navigate hybrid teaching with some students virtual and some students in person. Students were able to chose to come in-person or remain virtual every nine weeks. Monty Thompson | Photographer

10 Feature May 21, 2021 Sports protocols remain awaiting updated guidelines

Makaya Smith| Smith Photographer Students were able to cheer for the football game against Cedar Park in the student section on Oct. 15, however they were required to wear masks and get temperature checks at the gate.

Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor With the uncertainty of the coming school year, one of the biggest questions is how sports will be handled.

This year, if any player tested positive on a team, everyone would be quarantined for a minimum of two weeks, and the positive player would need to have a negative test result after 14 days.

Moving into the next school year, this is expected to stay the same.

“We are still wrapping up this current year athletically and are operating with the same protocols that we have all year,” District Athletic Coordinator Todd Raymond said. “We are planning on continuing until our health authority says that we can change.”

As requirements for vaccines now include those 12 and up, there are hopes that a return to a more normal sports season is in the near future.

“It will definitely lower the impact of a potential quarantine issue,” Raymond said. “We hope that numbers continue to drop and we are able to have seasons that are more like they did before.”

Many of the additional things like halftime performances weren’t allowed at this year’s sporting events.

“Honestly [I missed] all of the other events that go along with games,” Raymond said.

“Our cheerleaders weren’t allowed at indoor events, and things like student sections, band performances, dance teams, and so on really impact the atmosphere of games.”

There are still a lot of things up in the air with the upcoming sports seasons and how COVID-19 procedures will potentially change.

“It’s really difficult to say at this point,” Raymond said.

“We learned not to get ahead of ourselves because things change so quickly at times.”

Students navigate summer jobs during pandemic

Seth Deaton | Co-Editor After over a year of a life amidst a pandemic the end might finally be in sight, but until then the world will still have to deal with COVID-19 protocols.

Last summer the world was still getting used to a life in a pandemic, so a lot of businesses had to implement new rules in order to help keep employees and customers safe. According to junior Trent Blahuta, all the COVID-19 protocols created a lot of annoyances for him at his job.

“Last summer we definitely had to stress more about the social distance and the mask mandate,” junior Trent Blahuta said. “Making sure that we're staying safe with the Coronavirus compared to a normal year where anything is fine and there's no reason for social distance. This year with the vaccine and people being a little more used to the pandemic ideally things would be a little more loose.”

However, not all jobs were heavily affected by all of the added safety measures. Junior Matthew Coffelt says he didn’t have to change much for his job even with the extra rules.

“I work in park services for Typhoon Texas so I deal with the equipment and not the customers,” Coffelt said. “Which means besides wearing a mask COVID protocols didn’t change much for me, so whether or not we still have them this year won’t affect me. My job will pretty much be the same as last summer, but I won’t have to worry about wearing a mask everywhere I go.”

With the vaccine being available to the majority of people it’s possible this summer more people will venture out of their houses and enjoy a more typical summer. This would mean places like water parks and movie theaters would have bigger crowds than they saw last year, and lighter protocols would allow for more interaction between the employees and the customers.

“I would love to be able to have more interactions with each individual customer,” junior Lily McPherson said. “That would allow me to make my job more fun and improve the experience of the water park, but that all depends on what COVID looks like this summer.

There’s always the possibility it will be the exact same

as last year.”

For people with less typical high school jobs, like Blahuta, COVID protocols are a little different.

“I install furniture into schools,” Blahuta said.

“There's not a lot of people around in general, just me and my crew, so it’s easier and harder to socialize.

Yeah there’s less people around, but you also have to work very closely with the crew so COVID just makes things kind of weird. For us wearing a mask isn’t a crazy important deal because there are not a lot of people that it would affect.”

Coffelt said that it’s hard to tell how vaccines will affect people’s summer plans.

“It’s possible more people will be out which would help the park's attendance, but people might be afraid to go out because less people will wear masks,” Coffelt said.I think a lot of people are also tired of caring and are ready to get back to normal life so they might go out more. It’s just really hard to say. I’m just ready for a life without COVID and I’m hoping that by the end of this summer we’ll be there.”

Volume 14, Issue 7 Feature

Concerts for Charity

11

Counselor raises money using musical skills for those in need

Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter It's Saturday night. The audience settles in to enjoy a benefit concert. But there is no jostling to seats or long lines at the bathroom, merely log in to Facebook and enjoy one of counselor Andy Harvey's muscial benefit concerts.

After being a musician for a long time, Harvey decided to use his skills to raise money for various charities and people.

He has been able to help the community in various ways. He sings and plays his guitar in order to raise money for them. Harvey has raised money for non-profits like Camryn’s Serenity Foundation, Chris Templeton’s Friends Helping Friends, Blue Santa Pflugerville, and Restoration Blessings Pflugerville as well as small businesses in Pflugerville that were affected by the pandemic like Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue, Red Rooster’s, Growler Bar, West Pecan Coffee, The Continental Club of Austin.

“I have done 20 total concerts,” Harvey said. “11 for different small businesses and non-profits, and two for individuals that needed help. We also raised money

give the money that we have raised away for individuals in need.”

What once started as in-person to people that need it, but I can’t take playing was moved to virtual concerts a ton of credit for that,” Harvey said. due to the pandemic.

“Generous people here in Pflugerville “After I had a concert cancelled at and beyond are the ones that deserve the last minute, I decided to do the the credit for that. I just give them a place to donate and show on Facebook try to get the word instead,” Harvey said. “My friend John out.”

Through his Brotherton suggested Mostly I look around concerts, Harvey that I do a virtual tip jar to raise money was able to raise and see a need money to buy gift and either keep it if I on social media. cards for teachers needed it or find a local Facebook has been a at Highland Park place that needed the great tool for me."

Elementary. With help and donate it to them. Since I was not a goal of $2,125, he Andy Harvey, was able to raise out of work and was counselor $2,425 in order to just doing it for fun, I decided to donate the buy $25 Amazon gift cards for 85 staff money.”

Harvey said that he doesn’t always set members.

“Whenever there is a worthy cause specific goals, and hopes to just raise enough for the people he is helping. He out there, people are rarely hesitant sees a need and decides to help. to help where they can,” Harvey said.

“Anytime that I get to make music is a “It was also special that we chose to great time for me. I do love being able to raise money for every staff member at

“

Highland Park, including custodians, aides, and principals, because those on the staff that are not teachers and get left out of things sometimes. It was great that we could include them as well, and they were very grateful that they were included.”

Over the course of his concerts, Harvey has been able to raise a total of $10,000 for people and groups.

“The biggest concert raised $2,425 for Highland Park Elementary School teachers,” Harvey said. “We had another that raised $1,127 to help with my friend’s dad who is going through cancer treatments.”

Harvey said that he would recommend helping out where you can.

“If you see a need and have the means to help, fill it,” Harvey said. “I think it is a huge blessing to be able to do that, I would hope that if I needed help, someone would be kind enough to help if they could. It shows how generous our community is.

Photo provided by | Andy Harvey

12 Entertainment May 21, 2021

Sick Games Pandemic boredom allows for more gaming freetime Minecraft Kaitlyn Nash | Asst.

Editor Minecraft was initially released Nov 11, 2011 and has steadily gained popularity since then.

It now has over 126 million people playing on its server. The next update that Minecraft has coming out is scheduled for mid-2021 and is highly anticipated.

In this game, the main goal is to beat the game by defeating the Ender Dragon in the End. Although this is the game’s main goal, there are many more choices to choose from when deciding how to spend your time on your server. You could make a railroad out of redstone,

fight off Pillagers from ransacking villages, tame wolves or cats to be your new lifelong friends, or even brew your own potions. The best thing about the game is that you don’t need to do what others do, you have the free choice of roaming wherever you want and doing whatever you want to do.

Additionally, Minecraft also helped me gain friends.

Whenever I started talking to someone new, I always asked them if they had Minecraft and if they did, we could bond over the shared love for the game, which made it way easier to become closer to people. We would create

Fall Guys Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Fall Guys is an online game for PlayStation and PC where you compete against other players to be the last one standing.

It’s free on PlayStation if you have a subscription to PlayStation Plus.

Otherwise it costs $19.99 on both PC and PlayStation. The game starts off with 40-60

players and through various competitions the numbers get dwindled down until there are 5-10 players left and they compete in one final competition to try and claim the championship.

Each individual competition is almost like a mini game within the game. Some of the games are played as a team and some you compete as individuals. A few examples of the games are obstacle courses where only a set number of players get to advance to the next level. Or team games like soccer where the winning teams players advance and the losing teams players are

worlds together and work together as a team to build cool worlds.

If you’re on the edge about whether or not you should buy Minecraft on your devices, I say go for it. It’s a fun alternative to take a break, to gain more friends and join a healthy community of online gamers.

For PCs, Java Minecraft is $26.95 USD, and only Minecraft Bedrock Edition is available for Windows 10 at $26.99 USD. For Nintendo Switch, Minecraft Bedrock Edition is $29.99 USD. If you wish to download the mobile game, it is $6.99 USD for both Apple and Android devices.

eliminated. There’s over a dozen mini games and they’re used in different combinations to make each overall game unique.

You can play Fall Guys by yourself or with an online party on whichever console you’re playing on. However, even if you’re in a party you still compete on your own to win, but that doesn’t mean you can’t team up and make sure at least one of you makes it into the championship level.

If you and your friends are looking for a new game to play, Fall Guys would make a great addition to your gaming library.

Genshin Impact Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter Genshin Impact is an open world, action RPG with over 21 million users across the world.

The game is available to download on mobile devices, PCs, and Playstation 4. As someone who spends a lot of time playing this game, it never gets boring. From beautiful graphics to an amazing soundtrack, this game has it all.

The game follows a storyline with new quests coming out every new update.

Genshin can be played in two ways, F2P or P2W. F2P means “free-to-play” and P2W means “pay-to-win”. It is considered a gacha game, encouraging players to spend money in order to buy in-game currency to “wish” or obtain new characters and weapons.

The game can be just as equally fun without the need to spend money, and the same characters can be obtained through hard work. The wishing system is a luck-of-thedraw, the characters or weapons you can get from the banners are completely random.

Though it makes wishing

Bryan Ross | Co-Editor Jackbox is a video game developer based in Chicago, known for their “Jackbox Party Pack” series. Each pack contains five separate party games, and there are currently seven party packs. The first four party packs currently cost $24.99 each, and the most recent three cost $29.99, although they can be purchased in bundles.

Jackbox games all work in a similar fashion.

One person pulls up

the game on a screen, and everyone else who’s playing goes to jackbox.tv

Jackbox

more exciting, it can also be frustrating not getting the character you worked very hard for.

Genshin Impact is best enjoyed as a singleplayer, but others can join your world and help fight

on a phone, computer, or tablet and types in a code.

All games involve some amount of competition, although they vary on how competitive they’re

world bosses. During new version updates, there are always fun and unique events and challenges players can participate in with friends.

There are many different concepts that can be hard to understand at first but once you learn the basics, leveling up characters and weapons is incredibly easy. There are lots of strategies that players can learn in order to make the best of their 4 character team; having different elemental abilities and being able to combine them to get the best reactions and do the most damage being one of them.

Genshin Impact is constantly making sure players remain engaged with the story and make the most out of their time playing.

intended to be. The games are generally fairly selfexplanatory and don’t take very long.

Jackbox is a top-tier virtual gathering option.

The games are easily customizable and can be as family-friendly as you want. Even as it becomes less necessary to gather virtually, the Jackbox Party Pack series is a convenient way to hang out with friends and I would highly recommend giving it a try.

Volume 14, Issue 7

Pflugers’ Food Trucks

Entertainment

13

Staff gives opinions on local food truck selections Ray’s BBQ & Fixins’

Larb Thai

Natalia Zavaleta | Reporter Ray’s BBQ & Fixins’ is a barbeque food truck located at the Old Gin Food Court in Downtown Pflugerville.

Their menu features a variety of different meats and food items served with meat. From their Loaded Nachos to their Sausage Wraps, everything is made right there in the food truck. The prices are incredibly reasonable for the amount of food you are getting. I ordered the Loaded Nachos with Brisket, and they were amazing.

As soon as I stepped in the car, the smell overtook my senses and my stomach started to grumble. As I opened the box, I was became so excited to take a bite. It tasted like authentic, home-cooked barbecue. The staff is incredibly friendly and the food did not take long to get. I would recommend going on a sunny day with family and sitting down and enjoying the food at the court. It is a great way to support local and POC owned businesses and I would definitely come back again.

Liliana Moran | Reporter Within the cluster of food trucks that reside on Pecan Street, toward the very front visitors will find the bright and welcoming restaurant, Larb Thai. Upon closer inspection, visitors will discover a variety of meal options, from savory appetizers and entrees to sweet drinks and desserts. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekdays and from 12 to 8 on the weekends and is closed fully on Mondays.

One of the many items on their menu includes an appetizing green curry. The curry comes neatly packaged and hot, and like many of their entrees, it comes complete with a side of rice along with an eggroll.

The curry itself is packed with flavor, incorporating a tangy and mildly spicy taste, along with just a hint of sweetness.

The additional eggroll provides a crunchy and savory flavor to the meal. Overall the dish, and service is worth the wait. Larb Thai is definitely a hidden gem of Pflugerville.

Food from Ray’s BBQ & Fixins’.

Kings n Queens Little Munchies Jamaican Cuisine Taco Truck

Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor Down at the Old Gin Food Court, Kings n Queens Jamacian Cuisine brings Jamaican taste to Texas. Kings n Queens is a locally owned and operated food truck that caters at weddings, festivals, birthday parties, and other events. At the food truck I got the Jerk Chicken and the Jamacain Wrap. The Jerk Chicken contains: Jerk Chicken, Rice and Beans, Veggies, and cooked Plantains. It came with a lot of food and was so delicious, I wish I had more. The Chicken had a good amount of spice and a lot of flavor. The Jamacian Wrap had Jerk Chicken, Bell Peppers, Lettuce, Avocado and an assortment of sauces, all wrapped in a fried bread type of thing. This was full of different flavors and textures and every ingredient worked together to create probably the best thing I have ever eaten. I recommend that every person who gets the chance to, goes to eat at Kings n Queens Jamacian Cuisine when they get the chance.

Kaitlyn Nash | Asst. Editor If you’re looking for a less mainstream and corporate business to get your tacos from, then I would suggest heading over to the Old Gin Pfood Court on Pecan St. There, you’ll find Little Munchies Taco Truck nestled between Suga’s Cakery and the main road. This small business, POC owned food truck is the perfect place to stop by if you have the “munchies’’ and are tired of fast food tacos. I got a taco filled with carnitas, lettuce, onions, and chives and it was only $7. The green sauce that came with the taco was super spicy and a great addition to the meal, but I would avoid it if spices aren’t your thing. Other than tacos, they sell a wide variety of Mexican food that is cheap and delicious including breakfast tacos for $3 tortas for $7, antojitos for $3 and special items for $8. So if your stomach is rumbling and your craving Mexican food, head over to Little Munchies Food Truck.

Suga’s Cakery Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor Suga’s cakery is a bright pink food truck located at the Old Gin PFood court off of Pecan street. Suga’s offers a variety of baked goods, like cupcakes, mini cupcakes, cake pops, custom cakes, peach cobbler, and banana pudding. Their cupcake flavors range from Very Vanilla to Heavenly Italian Cream. Each cupcake is $4. Some of their other flavors such as their spiced carrot cake, guiltless chocolate, or strawberry de la creme offer dietary accommodations and are vegan-friendly, sugar-free, or gluten-free. The Heavenly Italian cream flavor is a regular vanilla cupcake filled with toasted pecans and topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut. I got there a little after they had opened so I was able to get freshly made frosting, which was light and fluffy with just the right amount of cream cheese. Suga’s Cakery is the perfect place to satisfy your cupcake cravings in Pflugerville.

Food from Larb Thai (top), Kings n Queens Jamaican Food from Suga’s Cakery. All photos provided by Cuisine (bot. left), and Old Gin Pfood Court (bot. right). staff members reviewing establishments.

14 Sports May 21, 2021

A Successful Spring

Girls track team breaks school records, wins Area Championship

the practice time to work on field events or those not day of the Region 3-5A meet was a great example of all Angelyna Rosales | Copy Editor This season the girls track team had a successful competing in field events would focus on coming out the work they had put in by breaking the school record in the 4x100 relay as well as the 4x400 relay with many season, winning every invitational meet and breaking of blocks.”

After regular-season meets ended, the team wanted PR’s in individual races and throws.” a total of four school records.

Junior Suzan Ongunleye qualified to compete at the The coaching staff set expectations for the team to be to win the district championship and continue their state meet and placed 3rd for triple jump. successful throughout the season.

“Qualifying to state was not really “We started off the season with a bang surprising for me since I’ve been doing in Copperas Cove by winning a tough really well during the season, but it track meet and setting a new school definitely boosted my confidence,” record in the triple jump,” head coach Ogunleye said.

Sean Matthews said. “The expectation for Matthews plans to continue this success this team was always ready for your races, onto next season by being a supportive finish your races, but always support your coach and hopefully recruit more runners teammates in their races. Every young in the upcoming school year. lady did a great job of cheering on their “My job as the head track coach is to make teammates.” sure each young lady that participates feels With these set expectations, the team good about themselves individually, feels a was able to progress their success at each part of something bigger than themselves event, according to Matthews. and learns how to compete for something “Each meet we had almost every lady they want,” Matthews said. “Track is one better their times and distances because of those sports that you can’t hide behind of their ability to treat every day, and someone else when you are on the track. every practice as a day to get better no matter the weather or workout we were Coach Patrick Forester assisting sophomore Layla Chapa with her pole vaulting You must have enough confidence to walk out on that track with everyone watching doing,” Matthews said. “They wanted to warm ups at the Weiss track meet. Natalia Zavaleta | Photographer and do your best. I will continue to try be the best they could be.” and instill these qualities beginning with the first day Matthews designed a practice schedule to help each success in post-season meets.

“The girls accomplished their goal of winning of practice, but I will also support all other sports to runner focus on their individual events.

“It was all up to them to treat every day as a day to the District 18-5A Championship, then the Area try and get to know many athletes in order to have as give it their all and get better at their craft,” Matthews Championship,” Matthews said. “We ended up 5th many track participants as possible.” said. “One or two days a week they would have half place in the Region 3-5A Championships. The final

Baseball team wins district, goes to second round of playoffs

Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor After having the last season cut short because of COVID-19, the baseball team made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017 this year.

Although the numbers of confirmed cases are declining, the team is still required to follow COVID-19 guidelines while going through the tryout phase.

“The practice was run the same as the years before,” sophomore Nicholas Lechler said. “The only difference is the coaches would do daily temperature checks at the beginning of practice and masks were required when we

were less than 6 feet apart so we had to slightly modify some of the activities. I would say that this season is definitely better and more efficient than last year.”

While most of the things about the baseball season only being slightly affected

by COVID-19, like having to wear masks while in the dugout and social distancing while in huddles, the games were the most impacted. A whole day’s worth of plans could be changed in mere seconds just by one person being sick.

“This season games could be canceled in an instant with players and sometimes whole teams getting quarantined,”

Lechler said. “At the beginning of the season we really struggled because most of our outfielders got quarantined and with most of our players being dual-sport athletes it affected football too but as the season progressed we got better at wearing masks and making sure to stay a safe distance away from each other when we were in close quarters.”

After defeating Crockett in the first round of the playoffs, the team fell to Porter in the second round. Still, it was an the first time any of the current seniors reached the second round of the playoffs.

“As a team this year I wanna help my seniors go as far into

the playoffs as possible,” Junior Ethan Bell said. “Our goal as a team was to of course win district but also go far into

playoffs. We are trying to make that goal a reality by putting in work everyday.”

Junior Ethan Doggett batting against Crockett during the first round of the playoffs. Sofia Dodd | Photographer

Foray into 5A

Volume 14 Issue 7 Sports

15

Teams make deep runs, earn awards first year back in old division The boys and girls basketball teams both advnaced to the fourth round in the playoffs. The boys went 25-5 and the girls went 24-3, and both teams won district.

Senior Aaron Arroyo takes a shot against Friendswood in the fourth round of the playoffs. Makaya Smith | Photographer The boys soccer team went 17-2 this year and were district champions. They made it to the fifth round of the playoffs. The team had two players named second team All-State, two named first team All-Region, five named first team All-District, five named second team All-District, and three were given All-District honorable mentions. Mason Munoz was named Midfielder of the Year, Xjavier Martinez was named MVP, and Jacob Stern was named Coach of the Year.

The boys basketball team had four players named first team all All-District, one named second team All-District, and one given an All-District honorable mention. Ke’Shawn Williams and Jaden Williams were named Co-MVPs, Michael Montgomery was named Defensive MVP, and Dustin White was named Coach of the year.

The girls basketball team had five palyers named first team All-District, one named second team AllDistrict, two given an All-District honorable mention.

Aliyah Carter was named Newcomer of the year, Zoe Nelson was named MVP, and Norma Sierra was nmed Coach of the Year.

Senior Jaden Williams, who was named District CoMVP, goes up for a floater against Manor.

Sofia Dodd | Photographer

Junior Erika Suarez, who was named first team AllDistrict, dribbles the ball up the court against LASA. Makaya Smith | Photographer

• By the Numbers

11

6

First team All-District players

Player of the Year Awards

Team district championships

Additionally, soccer players Joshua Caceres and Jordan Franco were named second team All-State while Erick Rios and Xjavier Martinez were named first team Allregion

Including Co-District MVPs Jaden Williams and Ke’Shawn Williams (boys basketball), District MVP Zoe Nelson (girls basketball), and District MVP Xjavier Martinez (boys soccer)

31

Volleyball, boys and girls basketball, boys soccer, baseball, girls track

16 Photo Story

May 21, 2021

Unmasqued

Parent group hosts Prom replacement for senior class

Natalia Zavaleta | Photographer

The Masquerade Ball was organized by Hendrickson Senior Celebration as a fundraiser for the event. It was held May 8 at Kalahari Resorts Texas.

“It was surprisingly more fun than I thought,” senior Jeremiah Gorman said. “Everyone was just excited to see one another after over a year. I was definitely hesitant to attend, but I’m glad I went and was able to have fun and let loose for the first time in a while before everyone goes their separate ways.”

“I was originally planning on not going but I’m glad I changed my mind. Best night I’ve had in a long time,” senior Levi Edwards said.

While the Masquerade Ball wasn’t school sponsored and didn’t count as a prom, many seniors treated it as if it was.

“Prom was an amazing experience,” senior Zane Edwards said. “I really enjoyed the whole prom and if I could relive that moment I definitely would. Once in a life time experience and I’m glad that all of us seniors were able to experience that moment.”

“I loved being able to see my friends who had done virtual school all year.” senior Faith D’alfonso said.

“I’m so incredibly grateful that we were able to have [a prom] and that I could have at least one normal high school experience,” senior Isabelle Cano said.

“It was truly a night to remember.”