In My Day... Generational differences, stereotypes reflected Pages 9-12
Volume 11, Issue 8
May 25, 2018
INSIDE: Mueller Probe...Page 2 Sudanese Refugee...Page 8 FFA...Pages 13 -14 Softball Playoffs...Page 19
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News Volume 11, Issue 8
state of the
UNION the DATES Megan Fletcher | Copy Editor
April 2016 George Papadopoulos meets with academic who just went to Moscow. The academic said Russia has dirt on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails. June 9, 2016 Donald Trump, Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort meet at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. July 5, 2016 Former British spy Christopher Steele, paid by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), briefs the FBI on Russia findings. July 2016 The FBI begins investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. July 22, 2016 WikiLeaks releases 44,000 emails hacked from the DNC. Aug. 19, 2016 Manafort resigns. Oct. 7, 2016 The Department of Homeland Security and Office of Director of National Intelligence publish statement that blames Russia for election computer hacks. Nov. 8, 2016 Donald Trump wins 2016 presidential election. Dec. 29, 2016 President Barack Obama expels 35 Russian diplomats and shuts down Russia owned places in NYC and Maryland. Michael Flynn calls Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States.
Jan. 10, 2017 Buzzfeed publishes Steele “dossier” about collusion between Trump and Moscow. Jan. 20 2017 Trump is sworn in. Feb. 13, 2017 Flynn resigns. May 9, 2017 Comey is fired.
After one year, Muller probe still under scrutiny the FACTS Megan Fletcher | Copy Editor
For a year, Robert Mueller III has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as a special prosecutor. The probe has widened divisions in the country’s political spectrum, with the left supporting the probe and the far right dismissing it as a “witch hunt.” Unrelated to the probe, a raid on President Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen’s office related to payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels was conducted last month, sparking more debate on the FBI and attorney-client privilege. To date, 15 people, including Trump campaign employees, have pleaded guilty or have been charged with a crime as a result of the probe. Earlier this week, Trump tweeted that he wants the Department of Justice to see if the FBI “infiltrated” his campaign in 2016.
the VIEWPOINTS
May 17 ,2017 Mueller appoints special counsel to investigate collusion. Oct. 30, 2017 Papadopoulos pleads guilty to lying to the FBI. Feb. 16, 2018 Mueller charges 13 Russians with conspiracy to mess with the 2016 election.
Camryn Sadlier | Reporter
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“The Mueller investigation is warranted because it’s important to maintain the integrity of democracy. It’s how our government functions.” Eliana Galan, 10
April 3, 2018 First person sentenced (30 days) for lying to investigators. April 20, 2018 The DNC files to sue Russia and the Trump campaign.
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The New York Times obtained questions Mueller has for Trump: How was the decision made to fire Flynn in February 2017? What did you know about the FBI’s investigation into Flynn and Russia in the days leading up to Comey’s leading up to Comey’s testimony on March 20, 2017? What do you know about phone calls that Michael Flynn made with Sergei Kislyak? What efforts were made to reach out to Flynn about seeking immunity or possible pardon?
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“I definitely think that it’s justified. I think it’s really important to know the intricacies of interactions of the person who holds the highest office. Even if the investigation comes up empty of any interaction, the process of the integrity of not only the presidency but also the government as a whole.” Sofia Valdespino, 11
“It is clear that there was an interference with the campaign from Russia and there’s a lot of suspicious activity. I think it’s necessary.” Worth Carlin, 12
News May 25, 2018
BY THE NUMBERS
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Supply of clean water not fully resolved in Flint, Michigan Ileana Perez | Co-Editor
I
TOXIC WASTE
n 2014, the city of Flint announced a new pipeline would be built to deliver water from Lake Huron to Flint in order to reduce the water fund shortfall. While the pipeline was under construction, the Flint River was turned into a water source but shortly after the switch, the water started to look, smell and taste different. Tests conducted in 2015 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Virginia Tech indicated high levels of lead in the water. As of early 2017, water quality has returned to acceptable levels of lead but the water continues to be unsafe for drinking and household use, and residents are still instructed to use bottled or filtered water for their needs.
5,000 ppb
Great Lakes Water Authority Pipeline
Flint, Michigan
2.
Michigan taxpayers have provided more than $350 million to Flint, in addition to the $100 million provided by the Federal government, which have helped improve water quality and replace pipelines.
4.
$
3. 1. The EPA considers anything over 5,000 parts per billion (ppb) to be “toxic waste.� The highest level found in flint water was 13,000 ppb.
Lake Huron
Karegnondi Water Authority Pipeline
Flint is working to replace all affected pipelines by 2020. Only 6,200 pipelines have been replaced so far, but an estimated 12,000 still remain.
Even in low exposure levels, lead can be harmful to human health and especially damaging to young children, infants and fetuses. Lead can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous system and increase the chance of learning disabilities, impaired hearing, and shorter stature.
A B C 5.
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Since residents were advised to not use the water of Flint, free water distribution centers have been open to citizens. However after Apr. 8, 2018, the city stopped providing bottled water at these centers.
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News Volume 11, Issue 8
NEWS BRIEFS
Final exemption rules change to combat absences Anna Schulze | Reporter
With the end of the year approaching, finals are coming up and the ability to be exempt from taking them. Whether or not students are able to exempt from finals is dependent on the teacher, but there are a few basic guidelines if they choose to allow students not to take them. If students have a 90 percentage or higher, up to three unexcused absences are allowed, including parent notes. If students have an 80-89, up to two un-
excused absences are allowed. The grey area remains however, as teaches individual dictate exemptions for students who have 70-79. Many allow students with C’s to exempt if the class is AP and they have taken the AP test, and have no more than six unexcused absences. Student will also no longer be excused from class even if they are exempt from the final, taking away the previous sign and go policy.
Debate coach, Kirstin Nash, poses with students after receiving the Building Tomorrow’s Young Leaders Award from Austin Community College.
Debate coach, teacher Senior Information for graduation day receives recognition McKenzie Quiroz | Reporter
The Class of 2018 will be graduating June 9th. There is a mandatory practice for graduates on that will be held June 5th and 6th. All schools in the PfISD district will hold their graduation at the Frank Erwin Center. Doors will open one hour prior to the first ceremony of the day and will remain open. The graduation ceremony will occur at 3:30 p.m. but is subject to change. Seniors are asked to arrive at Hendrickson at 12:30 p.m.., where they will then leave on buses for the Frank Erwin Center. The 2018 Senior Celebration comittee-Madeline Sheppard, Julie Hartle, Me-
Deutschen Fun Hawk cheer joins in the annul Deutschen Fest Parade on May 19.
lissa Chandler, Dana Whitmire, Michelle Booth-- are looking for volunteers and donations for the night of the event. The senior celebration lock in will be held the night of graduation at 9:00 p.m. for those who have turned in their form. Seniors can pick up and turn in registration forms in the CCC. Class of 2019 will earn tickets for prizes and the sooner they turn their forms in, the more they will earn. Seniors can return their form by June 1 to receive five extra raffle tickets. For each ten dollars individually donated, students will receive a ticket for the prize raffle.
McKenzie Quiroz | Reporter
Debate teacher Kirsten Nash was awarded the 2018 Building Tomorrow’s Young Leaders Award by the Center for Public Policy and Political Studies at Austin Community College. Nash has been a debate coach and teacher for 12 years, teaching a variety of kids along the way. “I believe that debate is transformative, and this is true for me as well,” Nash said. “I think that this activity has transformed me, not only as a speaker, but also as a global citizen. I care more about the world around me and no longer am complacent about my role in creating change.” When teaching debate, Nash is given the chance to inspire her students. She has worked with the kids and gives them her best effort when it comes to coaching. “I know many teachers who are also doing fantastic things for students and their community - I am just the one who got to be in the spotlight that day,” Nash said. “I believe I work very hard and am extremely passionate about helping kids find their voice and become informed citizens.” Nash received the award in front of politicians, community leaders, and business professionals. She then had the chance to
speak in front of them about her values. “Of course it feels good to be recognized for your work, but to be honest, I was pretty nervous,” Nash said. “I respect the leaders at [The Center for Public Policy and Political Studies] immensely - they have done great work in our community to raise awareness and increase civic engagement - so being recognized by them was a huge honor. It was awesome to have an audience with so many policy makers and use that to advocate for public education, the value of communications and civic engagement.” The award comes with reason for Nash. She teaches speech/debate, communications, government and now AP Seminar, helping students find their voice. “I believe it is so very important to find and develop your voice - to discover what you are passionate about and then advocate for that thing with all you have,” Nash said. “I also think that my approach to teaching mirrors my own belief that in our classroom/team, we all have the ability to both teach and learn from each other. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such brilliant, motivated, compassionate young people and learn as much from them as I teach them.”
Students receive awards from Latin exams Maria Torres | Reporter
After participating and competing in the National Latin Exam, the following students placed and received with medals and certificates. The exams, which were taken by the end of March, were comprised of 45 multiple questions in which the competitors will answer for no more than 40 minutes. “The English language is based off of it,” junior Jason Kluge said. There are questions on grammar, comprehension, mythology, derivatives, Roman life, history, geography, oral Latin, and Latin in use of the modern world. Latin is a classical language originally used in the time of Ancient Rome. Many schools across the U.S. continue to teach Latin as a
usable language. “If you’re going into the medical field, it is definitely helpful because you’ll understand all the prefixes and suffixes of certain words,” sophomore Quinten Pursley said. The students who competed and placed were sophomore Peter Bailey, freshmen Reed Tubbs and Emma Cazes who placed second (Silver Maxime Cum Laude). Kluge and junior Peter Heinisch, sophomore Nathan Mills, and freshman Celine Perez. Freshman Kyra Heinisch placed third (Magna Cum Laude). Finally, in fourth place were sophomores Quinten Pursley, Lizzie Lorber, and junior Alyssa Randazzo.
Girls soccer wins TASCO post season honors
Maria Torres | Reporter
In the aftermath of the soccer post-season, many students were awarded recognition from the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches (TASCO). Those who received these awards were given honorable mentions from the positions they played in throughout the season. “It was actually a big deal for me,” senior Brianna Binkowski said. “Whenever you receive the award, I think it meant something to the underclassmen on JV so they can look up and be like ’I’d really like to have that award someday.’” The students awarded were divided by the honors handed out from their roles throughout the season. Junior Kenzie Arrington was awarded All State second team in Region/State Recognition, Defender for
Statesman All Central Texas, and was the District 13-6A Defensive MVP in District Honors. Junior Olivia Draguicevich was awarded for All Region second team and All District first team alongside Arrington and senior Dalton Fish. Fish received All Region Honorable Mention, and Senior All Star game participant. For Academic All State, the following students are seniors: Brianna Binkowski, Kylie Bowlus, April Castellanos, Ana Chittenden, Dalton Fish, Kayla Geren, Jenna Hartle, and Kiersty Shepherd. For District Honors in All District second team are Kayla Geren, sophomore Madison Kusano, and freshman Isabella Cruz. Finally, for District Honors in All District Honorable Mention are senior Jenna Hartle and junior Aysha Ogden.
Journalism staff competes in State, ILPC Spring Taylor Hedlund | Reporter
On Friday, May 4, junior Megan Fletcher competed in UIL State Headline Writing and won fourth place in the 6A school conference. “It was a normal headline writingcontest,” junior Megan Fletcher said. “But it was really cool to compete at UT.” On Saturday, May 5, Hawk Journalism attended the Spring Interscholastic League Press Conference workshop where they received awards for the past year’s issues from March to this February and last years yearbook. Newspaper placed in Entertainment Review, In-Depth News/Feature Package, Student Art, Infographic, Cartoon, Entertainment Page Design, News Page Design, Editorial Page Design, General News Photo, Feature Photo, Sports Feature Photo, and Headlines.
Yearbook placed in Theme Selection and Development, Theme Copy and Captions, Tribute Ad Spread, Class Spread, Club/ Organization Spread, and Photo Portfolio. The newspaper also won three “Tops in Texas” for In-Depth News/Feature Package, Cartoon, and Sports Feature Photo. Junior Megan Fletcher stands with her fourth place award from headline writing.
AWARDS &
News May 25, 2018
5
accolades
Science Olympiad takes on State tournament Kyla White | Reporter
The Science Olympiad Team competed in the State Tournament on Apr. 19-21. Overall, the team finished 14th out of 31 teams in the state. Junior Marc Abdallah and senior Brinda Prasad placed fourth in the event Write It Do It. Prasad participated in the event, which is a partner event where one person sits in a room and is given a structure and they have to build it based off of their partner instructions. “I would’ve practiced more so I could’ve gotten first rather than fourth,” Prasad said. “It’s my senior year, so it was kind of nostalgic. I expected better but we had some setbacks this year, especially with the amount of seniors we
had competing for like seven spots.” Seniors Sam Perales and Christian Boswell placed fourth together in WiFi Lab,where they were required to build a WiFi antenna and boost the signal. “We could’ve done a lot more research and spent a little more time on our event. We could’ve also worked a little bit more on the antenna,” said Boswell. “I was proud of us and the team, we put a lot of hard work into competing because we were against the best of the best. I was just really happy to be there and I wanted to win but I was a little disappointed with our overall place in the competition.“
Speech and Debate earns NSDA Awards Brisa Espinoza | Reporter
The Speech and Debate team members have received state and national recognition for their work in competitions. Juniors Rene Otero, Bryce Hann, Sydney Stogel and Sofia Valdespino received the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) All State Team. The award is given to the top overall point earners in the state. Rene Otero also received the NSDA All American award. The award is given to the top overall point earners in the country. He is also ranked 74th in the nation
because of points earned in competitions. Juniors Rene Otero, Dylan Scott, Sydney Stogel and Sofia Valdespino were named Academic All Americans. Students had to have earned the Degree of Superior Distinction, 5 semesters of high school and a GPA of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale or an ACT score of 27+ or a SAT score of 1300+. The team was named one of the Top 100 Speech/Debate programs in the nation. The team is in the top 2.8% of member schools. Rene Otero (left) with his Extemporaneous Speaking award and juniors Bryce Hann and Sofia Valdespino (middle) with their awards in Public Forum from the Harvard tournament. junior Sydney Stogel (right) with her award from the from the NDCA district meet.
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Opinions Volume 11, Issue 8
Staff Editorial
your TURN
New exemption policy discourages procrastination In the past, students with three or less absences with an A-average or two or less absences and a B-average were exempt from finals as long as they came to school the morning of testing to “sign in” to their classes. In an email sent home to parents and on the school website, principal Daniel Garcia announced even students exempt from their finals would still be required to show up on finals testing days. Requiring all students to come to class on these last few days encourages productivity, discourages procrastination and prepares students for college. When the announcement first came out, students exempt were afraid they would have to sit in silence watching their classmates take the final exam. However, some teachers have already decided they will separate the testers from the non-testers in different rooms. Even if the two types of students are grouped together, this creates a great opportunity for all. Additional days attended provides non testers with a chance to get ahead on summer reading novels, write scholarship essays and study for other finals they may have to take. Through each grade level, the school workload becomes tougher and tougher, so students must learn now to work up until that final bell on the last day. At this point in the year, students become especially checked out, focusing on summer plans, instead of finishing the year out strong. At home, it’s easy for students to simply watch Netflix or answer
Buzzfeed quizzes, but actually being in class makes those means of procrastination harder to do. Making school a place where students must continue to focus up until the last day of school through this study hall type environment teaches students to get ahead on their work. Often times college students struggle to balance classes with studying, a social life and a part-time job. Extra time spent in classes teaches students to use their time wisely, which seniors especially will need to learn now for when they enter college in a few short months. Unfortunately universities charge per class and for every course students fail, they end up costing both their parents and themselves thousands of dollars. Higher education isn’t cheap and Harrison Lloyd | Cartoonist failing to learn the importance of time now could cause an even greater student loan debt. Although allowing students to sign out on the day of finals existed for far too many years, it’s honorable that the district finally eliminated the process. Taking advantage of the $8,861 allotted per student per day, (according to governing.com) was unjust nonetheless, but finally ending this practice took courage on the district’s part. A school as large as Hendrickson, must budget school utilities, funding for multiple award-winning organizations and miscellaneous school improvements. That being said, the school and district should get these expenditures for their budget in the correct manner.
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: 2750 Staff: 269
Adviser: Kari Riemer Principal: Daniel Garcia
www.facebook.com/HawkNewspaper
What is your opinion on the revision of the exemption policy?
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 Granite Printing in Taylor, Texas. 1,500 copies are printed each run, and are distributed to the student body through Talon and newsstands throughout the building.
Editorial Staff Co-Editors: Alex Fulton & Ileana Perez Copy Editor: Megan Fletcher Assistant Editors: Holly Hambleton, Abigail Hill, McKenna Lucas, Kaitlin Mackey
Brisa Espinoza Taylor Hawthorne Taylor Hedlund Paul Le
Reporters
McKenzie Quiroz Camryn Sadlier Anna Schulze Maria Torres
Samuel Perales | Cartoonist
Zachary Valdez Kyla White Carolina Yanez
Harrison Lloyd | Cartoonist
“I think we should be able to leave school because we worked hard all year to be exempt and that was kind of our reward. At the same time, though I understand because we need to be in school a certain number of days.” -Kenzie Arrington, 11
“I think if we are exempt from finals, we should be excused from school, it seems like the smarter thing especially if we worked hard second semester.” -Timieone Jackson, 11
“We worked hard all year, and it’s good we still are able to be exempt from finals. Not being excused though is kind of unfair because they did it in the past, so why not now.” -David Tran, 11
“I think the last couple days we should be out of school, especially since we worked hard all second semester.” -Larenz Wiley, 11
In My Day...
Associations Interscholastic Press League, Texas Association of Journalism Educators, Journalism Educators Association, Columbia Scholastic Press League
Generational differences, stereotypes reflected
Honors ILPC Bronze Star, 2014 & 2015, 2017 Columbia Scholastic Press League, Gold Medalist 2016, 2017 Silver Crown, 2017, 2018
Pages 9-12
Volume 11, Issue 8
May 25, 2018
INSIDE: Mueller Probe...Page 2 Sudanese Refugee...Page 8 FFA...Pages 13 -14 Softball Playoffs...Page 19
Design by Megan Fletcher
HIT or
Opinions May 25, 2018
MISS
Theater department creates art in hallway Tech theater students recently painted a new addition to the colorful wall murals in the art hallway. The school’s emblem, in the classic navy and silver colors, was painted above the black box along with the words “Hawk Drama”. The school spirit and teamwork needed to execute the project makes the new wall mural a hit.
your TURN To the Editors of The Hawk, I wish to speak about the March for Our Lives movement, a protest that has recently sprung up in the wake of the Florida Shooting, which among other things commonly calls for a ban on “assault weapons.” Such an idea is not worth putting taxpayer money into, even if it were justified, for, among other reasons, easy evasion and extreme costs. To cover the former point, first comes the question of what an “assault weapon” actually is. In general, it refers to weapons that have a high rate of fire and a quick reload time, with or without accessories such as bump stocks. To quote the US Department of Justice in 1994 (when a ban on “assault weapons” was passed), “In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.” The vagueness of this definition (both “rapid fire” and “large magazine” going undefined) contributes to the possible problem of ban evasion. Since there isn’t a special meaning to the term, such as what constitutes “rapid fire,” many rifles would be untouched due to technicalities. One imagines the police would have to actively search each house, violating the 4th Amendment (the right against unreasonable search and seizure) and quite likely trashing the home in the process, to look for rifles that look vaguely like they might be of the “assault” variety. Several studies* found little effect in the original assault weapon ban in 1994, suggesting that a similar ban now would make a similarly small dent in the numbers. As for the second point, that the costs incurred by such a ban would be too high for it to be worth it, one goes back to the scenario of police searching homes. The police department would have to compensate the owners of the house for any damage they do. Although it might be a fraction of the average PD budget, one has to remember that this stacks up. If this continues all down a street, even allowing for variance in the amount of damage done, the cost can skyrocket. In summary, the costs involved in a ban on “assault weapons,” along with the possibility of evasion, make any attempt to eradicate gun violence both in general and particularly with AR-15s and the like well nigh impossible. Respectfully Yours, Itai M. Pomerantz *https://www.factcheck.org/2013/02/did-the-1994-assault-weapons-ban-work/
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my STORY Goodbye, Hello
Current editors reflect on year, future editors prepare for new role Alex Fulton | Co-Editor
W
Ileana Perez | Co-Editor
Megan Fletcher | Copy Editor McKenna Lucas | Asst. Editor
hen we both sat at the back of E102, we were scared, naive, and intimidated by the current editors who we thought had it all together. Little did we know we would take on that position three years later. One traditional and one untraditional, our paths to enter into newspaper were different. Alex filled out an application and later found out he was on staff, and Ileana transferred into the class a week after school started with no prior knowledge of The Hawk. However, we ended up sitting next to each other after a staffer (surprisingly) dropped out, but we had no idea we would work together as co-editors senior year. Our time together is coming to an end, but this year we’ve hit important topics like cheating, protests, confederate statues, and so many more. Although a lot of people at this school think we cover these topics because we want to cause controversy, we find it most important to address relevant topics to educate readers and encourage them to find their own opinions. We’ve watched this paper flourish into the award winning publication it is, but we aren’t the end. Freshman year we thought the newspaper was perfect, but throughout the years we’ve seen refinements brought on and learned there’s always room for improvement and growth. While this position is hard, stressful, and grueling we know the new editors will step up and leave their legacy on this paper,
just as we once did. This might be our last newspaper story ever, but our journey continues after high school. We’ll both continue to write and remember the lessons we learned from this newsroom.
A
s the school year comes to a close and graduation looms just around the corner, we bid goodbye to the editors, the role models that grew both The Hawk and ourselves. While we reported on topics both controversial and not, Ileana and Alex were with us every step of the way: from writing our first news brief to designing our first cover, the duo helped us to become the journalists and the people we are today. Ileana made us into better writers, encouraged our coffee addictions, and lightened the room with constant reminders of old, pretty much dead, memes. Alex made us laugh with his brutal honesty and quirky sense of style, while always being an editor we could turn to for help. For this and more, we thank you. And as we step into our new leadership roles, we’ll continue the founding practices of the newspaper and of journalism: act independently. Be accountable. Seek the truth and report it. Minimize harm. It’s our job to share the stories of the masses and give a platform to the individual. With this in mind, we’ll strive to bring new voices to the publication and bring the newspaper to new heights.
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Features Volume 11, Issue 8
Finding Her
Place
Sudanese refugee recalls fleeing home country, Egypt Alex Fulton | Co-Editor
Months after her birth, senior Savia Ali and her family fled Khartoum, Sudan, joining hundreds of fellow Sudanese refugees seeking refuge in neighboring Egypt. “In Egypt there was no fear at all,” Ali said. “Just like here in America, terrorism didn’t exist. All I remember from Egypt was going to church, going to school and going to families’ houses. No fear at all. I could be in the front yard playing soccer and I wouldn’t fear if a man is passing by me that he would harm me or anyone around me.” Looking back, Ali remembers the comradery present between neighbors when major soccer games were being played. Streets would become deserted as neighbors congregated at a single home to watch the tournaments. Those not invited to the watch parties joined others at local restaurants. Never once did Ali see a terrorist while she was in Egypt. “I was always surrounded by family and neighbors we trust,” Ali said. “It could be a five minute walk from home to the grocery store. My brother could come back safely and not have to worry. He would come back safely, nothing’s ever happened to him.” Despite never coming face to face with terrorism, Ali
According to NPR, as of
accepted By comparison, in the
and her family fled Egypt after living there for five years. Ali’s parents coordinated with the United Nations to arrange for the family to move to the U.S. After speaking with U.N. representatives, Ali’s parents decided to travel via aircraft to Austin. “We needed to flee like every other refugee does to stay safe and have a better future,” Ali said. “One thing I remember was taking a train, I don’t know to where. We went to the airport and some two white folks were there: one woman and one man. They spoke Arabic, so I felt a bit safe, because I was like, ‘Oh, they’re not just weirdos trying to tell us where to go.’” Ali’s grandparents were unable to come on the airplane with the rest of the family, so they had to stay in Sudan. As part of Sudanese culture, the eldest son, Ali’s brother Patrick, must stay and take care of the grandparents. Only recently did Ali hear about Patrick and has yet to meet him. “[Patrick’s] in the process of trying to get his papers done and he’s taking care of my grandparents and other family over there,” Ali said. “I plan on meeting him sometime soon. We always call to check up on them and see how it is over there, if there’s any problems in the neighborhoods, if any tribes want to create problems,
April 12, the United States has
11 refugees this year.
same three & a half month period
last year, the nation accepted
790.
anything like that.” On July 9, 2011, South Sudan separated from the North to create two separate nations. The North typically consists of Arabs, while the South consists of Africans. For many years the two groups fought over converting each other to their specific culture, leading to class divides that still affect Sudanese Khartoum people. “I get questions asked sometimes by random people,” Ali said. “When I go to the Arab store to buy something I’m asked, ‘are you Sudanese?’ I say, ‘yes.’ Then they’ll ask me, ‘if I’m from north or south?’ I wouldn’t answer them, just because if I say I’m from the south or north, they’ll judge me based on where I’m from.” Although Ali and her family are Arab, they practice Catholicism. Often Arabs and Muslims can be grouped together as one. However, there are some exceptions to this stereotype. As a refugee herself, Ali encourages the US to reconsider bombing other war-torn countries. “No country should bomb another country,” Ali said. “What’s the point of bombing? Bombing or any type of shooting, any harm just makes it a bigger problem. It doesn’t matter if you’re from America, trying to gain more power in other countries. You should always talk it out. No one should want total power over other countries. We all want peace.” Photos provided by Savia Ali
Sudan
South Sudan
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Features May 25, 2018
In My Day ...
Students, teachers explain definitions of current, past slang words McKenzie Quiroz | Reporter
Money Matters teacher Sandra Wiles (SW) (born 1959), Physics teacher Brett Caswell (BC), 1991, junior Marianne Ayad (MA) (born 2000), sophomore Madison Kusano (MK) (born 2002), and sophomore Sirad Abdi-Yusuf (SA) (born 2002.)
Key Lit: Exciting Tea: Gossip Woke: Aware On fleek: On point Shook: Can’t believe it RT: Retweet, I agree GOAT: Greatest of all time On your head: Someone is roasting you Stylin’: Telling someone how good they look Trippin: Someone freaking out Wacked: Acting crazy Bogus: Ignorant; not up to date Radical: Beyond cool Righteous: Out of this world Bodacious: Admiration for many things Amped: To excite Jive Turkey: Trying to hard to be cool Cool beans: One’s delight and agreement Copacetic: Perfectly satisfactory
Jive Turkey: Crunk: “Getting crazy or having fun” S.A. “A state of mind” M.K. “Drunk” M.A. “Lil’ John’s favorite adjective/verb” B.C.
Wacked:
“Drunk” S.A. “To be crazy” M.K. “Messed up” M.A. “Drugged out” S.W. “Dumb” B.C.
“Fun” S.A. “To light up something” M.K. “Hype” M.A. “Awesome” S.W. “Good” B.C.
RT:
“Retweet” S.A. “Two letters, R-T” M.K. “Retweet” M.A. “Retweet” B.C.
90’s ‘90s slang
Stylin:
“Looking fresh or good” S.A. “To look good” M.K. “Fashionable” M.A. “Cool” S.W. “Looking good” B.C.
Cool beans: “That’s awesome” M.K. “Chill” M.A. “Cool” S.W. “Cool” B.C.
70’s ‘70s slang
Copacetic: “On drugs” S.A. “Something with cops.” M.K. “Work well with” M.A. “Real” S.W.
Trippin: “Messing up a lot” S.A. “To mess up, see something wrong” M.K. “Confused” M.A. “Ridiculous” S.W. “Crazy” B.C.
Tea:
Lit:
“Fun concert” S.A. “Something cool” M.K. “Hyper” M.A. “Beebopper” S.W. “Sandwich” B.C.
“Talking trash” B.C. “Gossip” S.A. “A drink” M.K. “Gossip” M.A. “Drink” S.W.
Shook: “Shocked” S.A. “Past tense of shake” M.K. “Breath taken” M.A. “Shaken” S.W.
Current Slang
GOAT: “Greatest of all time” S.A. “Greatest of all time” M.K. “Old person” S.W. “Greatest of all time” B.C.
Woke:
On fleek:
“Past tense of waking up” M.K. “You are looking great” S.A. “Hype” M.A. “Something cool” M.K. “Awaken” S.W. “On point” M.A. “Aware” B.C. “On purnt” B.C. “Get caught in a mistake” S.A. “On object on your head” M.K. “Roasted” M.A. “Upside down” S.W.
On your head:
Righteous: “Good person” S.A. “Something related to the church” M.K. “Of higher power” M.A. “Cool” S.W.
Amped: “Getting excited” S.A. “Excited” M.K. “Pumped” M.A. “On trend” S.W. “Excited” B.C.
Bodacious:
80’s ‘80s slang
Radical: “Math term” S.A. “Something extreme” M.K. “Wild” M.A. “Awesome” S.W. “Cool” B.C.
“Having fun” S.A. “Crazy idea” M.K. “Crazy” M.A. “Really cool” S.W. “Cool” B.C.
Bogus: “What you’re doing is crazy” S.A. “Something crazy” M.K. “Wild” M.A. “False” S.W. “Dumb” B.C.
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y M In .. . y Da
Features Volume 11, Issue 8
Generational differences, stereotypes reflected
Senior, freshman reflect on generation reputations, stereotypes Holly Hambleton | Asst. Editor
O
ne is tired and ready to graduate while the other is studying a map of the new school and excited for their new schedule. The short separation of four years between seniors and freshmen can feel like a lifetime to some and a blink of an eye to others. Senior Emma Deaton and freshman Michael Ybarra both feel independent within their respective age groups and unique compared to other generations. With the end of the school year approaching, both easily reflect on their generation’s reputation. “People my age all like social media and depend on it to cling to popularity, saying stuff like ‘I have more followers than you or I’m prettier than you,’ to feel good about themselves,” Ybarra said. “Some
people like to use social media to feel better than other people, and I don’t like that part of it. But, I’m sure it validates them and that’s what their happiness comes from, so they’re entitled to that.” Those in their last year of high school contain the last people born in the 1990s, which is a celebrated group self-proclaimed as ‘90s kids. On social media, cartoons and music from this era circulate which bring those who grew up with those childhood memories together to look back. But, being at the end of this formative era puts seniors in a place of transition. “We’re in a weird position [being the last group born in the ‘90s] because we are at the end of that era, and we’re always gonna be the group that is as-
sociated with change,” Deaton said. “I think that’s going to be the case throughout our entire lives because we’re the change from one century to another. We’re learning from the mistakes we’ve seen older generations make, and trying to change those things.” While every generation has aspects they would change, they also have things they feel proud of and want others to know about. Most feel judged by older generations, so they work to be different from the stereotypes placed on them. “Generally we are more accepting of others and their differences compared to older generations. We’re very open minded; I love that about us,” Ybarra said. “But if someone is too different, people judge them and we just need to let
everyone be themselves and have their happiness. Don’t rain on their parade just because you don’t like their opinion, everyone is entitled to their views. Everybody’s happiness is their own and they should have that for themselves.” After reflecting on time in high school, seniors often get nostalgic for the people and the memories they made together. “You go into senior year, look around at everyone and realize you started this journey together and we’re going to end this journey together,” Deaton said. “As we get closer towards the end of the school year, I realize this is the last time I’ll see most of my classmates and I feel happy that I got to experience life with them. It’s just really awesome to grow up with these people.
Millennial English teacher examines generational differences, misconceptions Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor
What is a millennial to you? How do kids act differently now Do you think the word millen- What differences have you noBianca De La O:“To me, I don’t consider myself a millennial, I just discovered I was a millennial two weeks ago. Millennials are go-getters, we problem solve very quickly and find alternative ways to solve any issue, and maybe that’s one thing older generations don’t like because we can just Google anything and figure out something without being certified.”
than when you were a teen? nial has a bad connotation? ticed in teaching between millenBD:“Well, information is a lot more ac- BD:“I do think it has a very negative connials and older teachers? cessible, and I didn’t get internet at my notation, with older generations especialhouse until senior year, so the information is not only easier to get, but it’s a lot faster to pass around. I think that plays a big role in how students are growing up right now. In my day, it took a while for information to be passed around, whether that’s something that happened in school or out in the world.”
ly. They see millennials as these kids that take everything for granted and don’t work hard enough for where they’re at, I also feel like older generations think that we have a lot of privilege just as a generation. I think in the economic aspect of it, older generations had it a lot easier.
BD:“In the previous district I worked at, teachers that were there for 20+ years were used to doing things their way, I feel like we come in more and eager and ready to try new things, but it might just be because we’re younger and have the energy for those things.”
Features May 25, 2018
Time Will Tell
Brisa Espinoza | Reporter
1963
Kaitlin Mackey | Asst. Editor
Anna Schulze | Reporter
Each generation -- the Boomers, Gen-X, the millennials, and Gen-Z-- have significant technologies and events during the time they were born in that influence their lives and how other generations view them. This timeline illustrates these inventions and events that shaped the generation, boomers (born 1946-1964) gen-x (born 1965-1980)
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald.
1966 Contrary to popular belief, Atari was not the first video game console. This year, the Magnavox Odyssey was released, the first game console on the market.
millennials (born 1981-1996) gen-z (born 1997-2012)
1971
In three sizes, floppy disks provided external memory for computers until the early 21st century.
“[The I-Pod] r evolution life, all my song ized my s were a fit on th is tiny b ble to ox.” -Kathry n Gurgan
us
1969
After Kennedy promised to get a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took “one small step for man” on the moon.
1974
President Richard Nixon resigns after lying about personal ties to the break-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel before impeachment hearings could start.
1980
A musical hallmark of the era, the Walkman music player was released. Playing cassettes and 8-tracks, the Walkman provided the generation with new musical freedom.
1984 President Ronald Reagan gets elected for a second term in period dubbed by historians as the “conservative resurgence.”
1991 The Cold War with the former Soviet 1998 Union ends under Soviet President Mikail Gorbachev and US President George H.W. Bush.
to be e s u c x e no use we a c “There’s e b w t nt no ignora es s to the righ cc have a .” answers us n -Kathry
n
Gurga
2011
-iPhone 4S - Introduction of Siri, Apple’s personal voice assistant. This sparked the idea of the personal voice assistants Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana, etc.
2000
-Dashboard GPS became more accurate and widely available - People were able to use a less complex way of navigation compared to the confusing paper map previously used. -First camera phone invented - People became able to take pictures using just their phone, giving their phone more accessibilities.
2016
-MP3 Players were first released - MP3 Player allowed portable music for everyone, which gave the ability to listen to music on-the-go. -Google was created - Throughout the 20 years that Google has been around, it has become one of the most helpful online-search resources. -Nokia phones were the most popular - Since smartphones weren’t around at this time, the popular phones to get were Nokia phones.
2001
On September 11, 2001, thousands of people were killed after the terrorist group Al Qaeda flew planes into the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers.
2010
-Steve Jobs releases the first iPad - Tablets were gradually becoming popular with Apple creating the iPad; an updated version the first tablet released by Apple in 1993.
-Virtual reality came out PlayStation gave video game players a new way to play and enjoy video games by making -iPhone X - The iPhone X gave customers to have them feel a part of the game. “facial recognition” to open their phone rather than using Touch ID or a passcode.
2018
2015
-Apple releases Apple Watch - The Apple Watch took digital wrist watches to the next level; connecting watches to phones, so people can check texts, their health, and other notifications on their watch.
11
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Features Volume 11, Issue 8
Head Over Hooves
Sophomore explains impact horses made on hers, others’ lives Camryn Sadlier | Reporter
As Grand champ and two time Reserve Champion, Ashleigh Fleener soars over the last fence with passion and grace, she is struck with the feeling of accomplishment. Ever since she was 11 years-old, Fleener has been set on the thought of competing in English Riding and now she gets the honorary title of an equestrian. Fleener has spent countless hours at the stables throughout the years that it’s as though she grew up in the barn. She has developed a strong bond with the animals and her horse Franny is her closest companion. She has grown stronger as a person because of all of her many experiences. “Horses have taught me more life qualities than I can count. I could talk about them eternally and never run out of opportunities they’ve given me. I’m a better person because of them,” Fleener said. “I was 11 when I first realized my love for them. My mom was going overseas and when we dropped her off at the airport, the boot store across the street was having an anniversary with retired Budweiser horses. They were offering rides and I got to sit on this huge beast, go in two circles, and get
off. And I knew from that point that it was my passion.” Fleener trains six days a week at multiple stables and manages to balance her education and her athletics. She shows on the local circuit CenTex which is a part of the CTHJA group (Central Texas Hunter Jumper Association), jumping 2’9”-3’ and hopes to go higher soon. Fleener not only trains herself but trains younger, inexperienced horses for kids so they’re safe for others. “It’s extremely challenging to ride that much, go to school, and work at Dover Saddlery,” Fleener said. “I just try to think about one thing at a time and stay prepared. I focus on one job at a time and remember to breathe.” In May of 2016, Fleener had a major accident that broke her clavicle and made her unable to ride for months. “I was starting to warm up with my horse Franny and as we cantered around the first barrel, she bolted and going into a turn she leaned too far, lost her balance, and sent me straight into the sand,” Fleener said. “It broke my clavicle and gave me a minor concussion. If I hadn’t
pushed off last second, she could have crushed my right leg.” Despite this, Fleener trains day and night to achieve her goals of becoming a professional rider at Texas A&M University. All of her time and effort is working towards her big picture. “Right now, I’m in the Equine Science class which helps me learn the little details I didn’t know about vet care and medical administration,” Fleener said. “After high school, I plan to attend Texas A&M - College Station and get accepted onto the equestrian team as an equitation rider over fences. I am hoping for the best and am excited for what has yet to come.” Fleener also has an interest in learning about western riding such as barrels an horsemanship to further her knowledge about horses. She aspires to use that knowledge in Equestrian Science to inspire people of all ages to take up riding for themselves. “My plan is to buy my own property and manage my own business that will offer a summer camp and lessons,” Fleener said. “I hope to provide kids and adults with the opportunity to make a lifelong connection they will never forget.”
Photo provided by Ashleigh Fleener
Uniting Health and Hands
Junior travels to Washington D.C. to attend national conference Carolina Yanez | Reporter
Junior Erica Masi gained the opportunity to meet with other 4-H’ers from across North America at the National 4-H Conference held in Washington, D.C. 4-H is America’s largest youth development organization for ages 9-18 that allow kids to participate in programs to engage youth to reach their fullest potential and putting their time towards group projects. Masi is one of nine delegates chosen to represent the state of Texas at the event and takes part in projects such as Leadership, Citizenship, Beef and Photography through the program, however there are more events to participate in. “For the leadership project, I’ve been Vice President and Secretary for the Travis County 4-H council and I go to different leadership retreats,” Masi said. “For citizenship, I will be a lobbyist at the Texas 4-H Congress where we hold a mock legislative session where we write bills and go through that process, as well
as doing community service. In beef, I participate in contests such as Beef Quiz Bowl and Beef Skillathon and I raised a heifer this last year. And in photography I enter several 4-H contests ranging from country to state level and attend a 4-H photography camp and give presentations to other clubs.” At the conference about five to ten delegates from each state including Puerto Rico send 4-H’ers to the event. To become a Texas delegate, an application must be sent answering short answer questions. The delegates chosen then have to select a topic of discussion to present to federal government officials at a roundtable event. Her group selected the topic of drug abuse in order to raise awareness about the problem. “There were several round table topics to choose but I chose ‘Opioids,’” Masi said. “My group and I came up with a presentation for the National Institute
on Drug Abuse to combat the overdose problem in our communities. I wanted to represent youth in tackling the opioid epidemic by presenting our presentation.” In addition to visiting the Federal National Institute on Drug Abuse, Masi also got the chance to tour the Washington D.C area with her other delegates from Texas. With her team she visited the WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Washington Monument and an abundant of other National monuments and museums through 4-H. Although the conference only occurs once a year, Masi says she may apply to be a mentor and help run the event next year. “The best part about this experience was meeting 4-H’ers from Canada, Puerto Rico, and other states and getting to hear how different 4-H is in each area,” Masi said. “It taught me to work with people from different backgrounds and personalities to achieve a common goal.”
Photos provided by Erica Masi
Costs of raising animals in FFA evaluated McKenna Lucas | Asst. Editor
Judges in FFA competitions evaluate the physical characteristics of each animal. Members spend months raising and taking care of their livestock in the hopes of winning awards and making a profit by the end of the year. Raising animals in FFA is
just like owning any pet: it comes with joy and a fee. The following prices are the suggested minimum for buying and raising FFA animals, according to FFA sponsors. Goat $400 Feed $300 Show Supplies/ Medical expenses $100
Animal Count: 40 Pigs 7 Lambs and Goats 25 Chickens 2 Heifers 5 pens of rabbits
Lamb $400 Feed $300 Show/Medical expenses $100
Hog $400 Feed $300 Show/Medical expenses $100
Feeder Steer $1500 Feed $5000 Show Supplies/ Medical expenses $500
Heifer (Cow) $1500 Feed $5000 Show Supplies/ Medical expenses $500
Rabbits $200 Meat Pen (4) $200 Feed $30
with their animals in addition
Kyla White | Reporter
Upon entering her first year in FFA, freshman Regan Crappell (RC) purchased and raised her first goat. Crappell’s goat allowed her to gain the experience of working with animals in real situations, and direction for her future career. Her companion helped her learn responsibility, and develop her love for animals.
What kind of experience did you have with farm animals before FFA?
RC: I got him [on] Sept. 21st and I chose a goat because it was freshman year, and I wanted to start off with something easy, but still challenging. I’m going to start working my way up to my senior year.
What did you name him?
Mooving On
Senior takes end of year photos with cow Anna Schulze | Reporter
shows, owners prime and prep the cow’s hair in order to show off its coat. “All of the competitions were very nerve
&A
When did you get your goat?
to expenses.
Pets come in all shape and sizes. Senior Baylee Whitt can attest to this, as her former pet Rex was a cow. As a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA), raising large animals is not uncommon. “When I first got Rex, I had to spend an hour and a half a day, walking and getting to know him,” Whitt said. “You have to spend time with them like any other pet, especially when you first get them. I hate to say this, but he was a pain for the first three months, always trying to escape when I would take him on walks.” Whitt spent a year with Rex before his final show during which they competed in many prospect shows, which occur before the main show season. In these
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RC: I didn’t really have experience with animals before FFA, except when I worked at my friend’s farm and she has a lot of goats and a lot of other things. I ended up joining FFA because when I graduate and go to college at [Texas] A&M and I want to be a veterinarian.
Chickens: (per 25 chicks) $25 (per 50 chicks) $50 (per 75 chicks) $75 Supplies $300- 400
FFA students on average spend 4-5 hours a day
Q
Features May 25, 2018
racking, but we placed well in most of them, for the Pflugerville show we actually got first,” Whitt said. “It’s weird to take care of a cow like that, washing and drying its hair, but I loved it.” FFA members who choose to own cows understand that their time together is limited, this however does not weaken the bond the owners feel towards their animals. Whitt, in fact, enjoyed Rex’s company so much that she decided to take her senior pictures with him. “He was so gentle, almost like a big puppy dog,” Whitt said. “He meant a lot to me, I got to spend a lot of time getting to know him, and he turned out to be a big sweet heart, all that time really paid off.”
RC: I named him Romeo because I was trying to figure out some names and my friend suggested Romeo and thought it’d be good for my goat.
Where did your goat end up? RC: Me and two other people gave our goats to this lady who wanted to keep them for her kids and Romeo lives on a farm now. We can go out whenever we want to see him. I could’ve taken him to the Star County Show, but it was a terminal show, so they would’ve killed him right after.
How has FFA and your animal impacted your freshman year? RC: FFA has impacted me in a lot of ways. I joined a lot of the teams I’m still in through FFA and raised a lot of animals and met people. Raising a goat has showed me more responsibility and the compassion you feel for the animals.
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Features Volume 11, Issue 8
Parent-Taught
Teens reveal how parents working at school affects daily life McKenna Lucas | Asst. Editor
Sophomore Micaela Allgood and Counselor Christina Allgood
Are there any benefits to your parent’s job? MA: “It’s really nice being able to have a mom as a counselor at the school, just in case of emergency or even if I’m hungry. All the counselors know me so it is really easy to talk to them about my classes. I love being able to have somewhere to go during school where I feel comfortable and relaxed compared to a stressful classroom setting.”
Are there any downsides?
Junior Loren Mathews and Coach, Math teacher Sean Mathews.
LM: “A downside is that your teachers know your parents. Teachers talk to your parent and they mess with you about it. They know things about your life that they don’t know about other students’ and it’s kind of weird. My teachers make jokes about ‘telling on me to my dad’ or threatening to send me to his room. But I definitely don’t get grading privileges or anything like that.”
Do teachers treat you any differently?
Tilo Garcia: “Everybody knows who your parent is. It’s kind of like you’re an extension of them.”
Madelyn Nash: “Other teachers do treat me different. They often judge me before they get to know me and it’s hard because I never know if they have a good or bad relationship with my mom. I’m also constantly told I look exactly like her.”
Are there any benefits to your parent’s job? TG: “It’s kind of like you always have a friend. There’s always someone there of you need someone.”
Are there any downsides?
Junior Tilo Garcia and Principal Daniel Garcia
Freshman Madelyn Nash and speech and debate teacher Kirsten Nash
Nash expresses devotion for her children, reveals insight on parenting McKenzie Quiroz | Reporter
A teacher’s life doesn’t end when school is over. There are many teachers who continue to teach kids after school. debate, professional communications, and AP Seminar teacher Kirsten Nash goes home to two teenage girls after working with teenagers at school. Before working as a teacher, Nash worked at a child advocacy center with children who were abused. “After having my own children, the emotional burden of that job became too much,” Nash said. “I decided that I still wanted to work with kids, but in a more direct setting and I also liked the fact that my schedule would be similar to my children’s schedules.” Nash puts effort in balancing her life at work with her life at home. Sometimes the line between school and parenting can become challenging to define, but she still finds a way to make it work. For ex-
ample, Nash sets aside four weeks during the summer where the word school is never mentioned--they are solely for lounging and bonding time. “I definitely feel that there are parts of the year where I see my kids less than most moms, because of the amount of [debate] tournaments we attend,” Nash said. “It is a challenge for sure, but during the summer I feel like I am fortunate to get to spend a ton of time with the girls. I also get the same holidays that they do, which many of my non-teacher friends do not.” Being a debate coach, Nash has gained experience in handling teenagers. She has had various students throughout the years and has built relationships with each of them. “The time I spend with my speech/debate kids has caused me to feel like they are my ‘kids’ and I call them that,” Nash
said. “My own daughters know, however, that my love for them is in no way diminished by the fact that I also love my team kids. I think that having so many years of ‘team kids’ has really done a lot to prepare me for the different challenges that you face as a mom of teens, so that has, I think, really been great for our relationship.” Some teachers’ work hours extend the 8-5 work day. This is especially true for teachers who have extra duties -- whether they be athletic coaches, drama directors, club sponsors or speech coaches filling more than the role of a teacher and doing more than grading papers. “I wish that people would give teachers the respect they deserve,” Nash said. “The expectations placed on working parents, especially working mothers, is enormous. You are constantly feeling like a failure on both fronts and the most
important thing that you can do for your kids is love them, and it’s important for my girls to see that you can be both a mother and have a job that you love and are successful at.” Nash recognizes the pressure that is put on her daily for being a working mother. She views her job as a bigger message and sees purpose in what she does. “Being a great mom and a having a successful career are not mutually exclusive, you deserve to have a career that you love,” Nash said. “You are worthy of professional success and should not feel guilty for being good at what you do, because career success does not diminish you as a mom and you should never let anyone make you feel like less of a mom because you have a career that you pursue with passion.”
Features May 25, 2018
Cap It Off
Senior funds college with multiple scholarships, gives advice on how to apply
Valedictorian gives insight on successful school career Anna Schulze | Reporter
McKenna Lucas | Asst. Editor
With every email he sends and application he fills out Senior Cory Gunter feels like he’s one step closer to finally going to college to pursue music. He aspires to be a band director and pass on the skills his directors have taught him to others. To make his dreams more attainable Gunter is finding substantial success in searching and receiving college scholarships. “It takes a lot of time and a lot of energy to hunt for scholarships, but you should do it,” Gunter said. “It makes things a lot easier and it brings down the stress level for you and your family going forward.” After applying for 40 scholarships, he’s received around 5. Some of the scholarships he’s received are from A Plus Federal Credit Union, Star of Texas Credit Union, Bulk Office Supply, Phi Delta Kappa Future Educators Association and the Austin Board of Realtors. Gunter believes that the hardest part is finding the scholarships. “The college and career website is a great resource, but I also just find them on google; sometimes you can find some that are legitimate,” Gunter said. “Fast-
web.com and Kapx.com are both really good websites to find scholarships as well.” It takes Gunter around 30 minutes to
“Just think of it as an investment, you are doing the work now so that you don’t have to pay for it in the future.”
Cory Gunter, 12 an hour to fill out application forms depending on the essays required. Although most applications accept students who are going to public or private school, some won’t consider those applicants going to private colleges. However, Gunter has emailed the organizations and many have actually said that they
would be willing to consider him even though he’s going to the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, a private college. “I always read the essay prompt very carefully for every scholarship,” Gunter said. “Some are just generic ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ ‘Where do you see yourself in ten years?’ and I have one essay that I’ve used for about 23 of my scholarships. It’s just a matter of finding essay prompts similar to ones you’ve already written and editing them down to fit with certain questions and criteria.” Gunter has won $26,000 per year and an additional $8,500 for the first year in scholarship money. Bulk Office Supply has given him school supplies for the beginning of the year. He advises everyone from all economic backgrounds to apply for scholarships. “Just think of it as an investment, you are doing the work now so that you don’t have to pay for it in the future,” Gunter said. “It takes a lot of time to do all these scholarships and write all these essays, but in the end it will be worth it because you don’t have to deal with the debt.”
Gunter’ s Total Scholarships:
Bulk Office Supply Scholarship- $1,000
President’s Scholarship- $15,000 per year
Phi Delta Kappa Future Eduacators Scholarship$1,000
Leadership Scholarship- $5,000 per year Music Scholarship- $6,000 per year
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Within the last four years senior Bennet McCullough has slowly become an academic leader within the Class of 2018. While there is no denying that McCullough is academically gifted, it was his hard work and resilience that has pushed him to become the valedictorian for the senior class. Besides having the highest GPA in his class, McCullough was a section leader for the baritone section and earned the title of All- State Band member both his junior and senior years. McCullough plans on going into business, specifically as a hedge fund manager.
How often do you study, and for how long? These days I study around once a week for 40 minutes including eating so probably 30, not a whole lot but it’s my senior year.
How hard is it to remain first in your class? I think that ties back to the first question, the hardest part is just showing up to class.
How many AP classes are you in? I’m in three AP classes out of six total.
Star of Texas Credit Union Scholarship- $1,000
Rocco C. Caffarelli- $5,000 per year
A+ Federal Credit Union Education Major Scholarship- $2,000
Austin Board of Realtors Scholarship- $2,500
Murchison PTO- $500
What is your worst subject? My worst is subject is probably English, although I still do well in it.
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Entertainment Volume 11, Issue 8
Modern rap, R&B songs, albums reviewed Holly Hambleton | Asst. Editor
Kaitlin Mackey | Asst. Editor
Telling his story through methodical lyrics and smooth production, Kendrick Lamar consistently gains recognition for his hard work and fearless artistry. On his fourth studio album, "DAMN.," Lamar tackles political strife sampling a Fox News Interview with parallelled lyrics about the discrimination African-Americans still face. He also gets personal to analyze pride and self-doubt, while showcasing his masterful rhymes. Because of his genius on "DAMN.," Lamar won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music and was the first person to win this award in a non-jazz or classical genre. This recognition means a lot for Lamar personally, but is also a huge win for the hip-hop community. Critics still do not view hip-hop and rap as an art form and discredit the artists who express themselves through this genre. With this recent award, many will finally realize the well-known truth that artists in hip hop have extensive talent, work ethic and creative vision.
Two years after releasing the album, “4 Your Eyez Only,” J. Cole released his fifth album, “KOD.” J. Cole himself confirmed that the album title consists of three different acronyms: “King Overdose,” “Kids on Drugs,” and “Kill Our Demons.” Looking back to J. Cole’s previous albums, fans can notice that the songs in his albums follow a similar theme. For this album, the message is to convince people to stop all addictions. The album cover shows a man dressed as a king that looks identical to J. Cole, with children using drugs underneath him as if they were looking up to him. At first glance, the album cover looks as if it’s intended to promote drug use. However, also printed on the cover are the words, “this album is in no way intended to glorify addiction.” Fans later discovered that the man on the cover is in fact not J. Cole, but his alter ego, “kiLL edward,” who is also featured in the songs, “FRIENDS” and “The Cut Off.” Even though this character looks and sounds identical, it is not meant to actually represent J. Cole himself. After listening to the album, fans can understand J. Cole is attempting to stop “kiLL edward” from glorifying addiction. Although many people misinterpret the meaning of the album by believing it is against addiction and prefer to believe he is promoting drug use, J. Cole delivered a strong message in his new album that is much needed in our society due to multiplying addiction issues.
Carolina Yanez | Reporter
Childish Gambino released a music video for his song “This is America,” which depicted images of flashy dances and viral trends covering up the background of social issues and violence that occur in the country. His video shows how the public focuses on trendy dances and other social media inspired concepts that distract from the discrimination occurring deep within the public. Throughout his song, he repeats the line “this is America” while showing occurrences involving guns to show the reality of American society. His song emerged through a time of what Americans today associate their country with corruption of power and racial injustice, highlighted through the Black Lives Matter movement. “This is America” reveals the continuation of racism and gun violence since earlier civil rights movements in order to change the amount of brutality occurring within the United States.
Upcoming Albums Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor
Recently, numerous rap and R&B artists are releasing various songs and albums. These are highly antipacted among fans and critics. Provided is a list of upcoming tracks from popular singers.
April 27th Post Malone: Beerbongs &
Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor
The young and popular artist, SZA sparked the attention of people all across the world ever after releasing of “See.SZA.Run,” “S” in 2012, and her album “Z” in 2014. Her mix of soul and hip hop in each of her songs contribute to what draws people to R&B in the first place, the simplicity and emotions expressed within the genre of music. Her distinct voice and quick rise to fame shaped R&B by providing a new, graceful essence through her songs. In 2017, her debut album, “Ctrl,” hit number three on the US Billboard 200, which included artists like Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar. SZA continues to lead the way in music with her lyrical insight and unique sound.
June 1st Kanye West: T.B.D.
June 28th Drake: Scorpion
June 8th Kanye West & Kudi Cudi:
July 13th Wiz Khalifa: Rolling Pa-
Bentleys
May 4th Rae Sremmurd: SR3MM May 25th Pusha T: King Push
Kids See Ghosts
pers 2
June 22nd YG: Stay Dangerous
T.B.D. Travis Scott: Astroworld
Entertainment May 25, 2018
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Hip-hop artists break records, define pop culture through decades Alex Fulton | Co-Editor
1993
2009
With her hit “U.N.I.T.Y,” rapper Queen Latifah shines light on issues of street harassment, domestic violence and slurs against women in the hip-hop industry. Today “U.N.I.T.Y.” remains Latifah’s biggest hit, with a 1995 Grammy Award win for Best Rap Solo Performance and became her only song to enter the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100.
During Taylor Swift’s MTV Video Music Award acceptance speech for her Best Female Video award win, Kanye West interrupts her on stage and praises Beyonce’s music video. After the interruption, West was removed from the ceremony for the rest of the night.
1996 Music producer Suge Knight, along with rapper 2Pac got into a brawl before leaving the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match in Las Vegas. While driving towards a nightclub, the two were shot at multiple times, killing 2Pac. To this day the murder of Tupac Shakur remains unsolved.
1999
Artist Lauryn Hill becomes the first rapper to win Grammy of the Year for her album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” In the previous years, many hip-hop artists pushed for the genre to be recognized in the category. In addition, Hill garnered a total of ten grammy nominations..
2007 New rapper Soulja Boy comes into the spotlight with his hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” The song inspired the dance move of the same name and became the first song, at the time, to ever sell 3 million digital copies.
2012
“Starships” by Nicki Minaj surpasses the Black Eyed Peas’ hit “I Gotta Feeling” record to become the song with the most weeks spent in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Minaj’s song spent a total of 21 weeks in the Top 10, whereas the Black Eyed Peas’ song spent 20 weeks in the Top 10.
2015 Along with the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow,” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” ties for the longest leading rap number one hit for the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which lasted 12 weeks at number one, was featured on the Furious 7 soundtrack to honor Paul Walker after his death.
2018 Confirming rumors from previous months, Cardi B announces her pregnancy during her performance of “Be Careful” on Saturday Night Live. Cardi B’s announcement came just two days after she released her debut album “Invasion of Privacy.”
R&B history discussed, compared to modern day music Ileana Perez | Co-Editor
There’s something incredibly distinct about the production style of ‘90s R&B music, with its drum backed rhythms, smooth jazz arrangements, and lush voice style. Slightly different from rap contemporaries in that decade, ‘90s R&B originated at the end of the disco era, pulling inspiration from the disco dance sound. However, the genre continued to flourish by adding favorable elements of hip-hop to create the ‘90s R&B sound recognized today. Groups like TLC, Boyz II Men, and artists
including Usher, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey brought R&B to the forefront and made an influential impact on the music industry. Almost 20 years later, much of R&B has changed to introduce refreshing ideas, but the same nostalgic sounds remain at the heart of the genre. Artists like Miguel and Khalid produce a slightly pop take on original R&B, with songs like “Pineapple Skies” and “Love Lies” which both incorporate the best elements of mainstream pop. Alternatively, songs including Daniel Caesar’s “Japanese Denim,” Sabrina Claudio’s “Frozen,” and H.E.R’s
“Focus” are reminiscent of slow-burning, gospel influenced R&B tracks of the ‘90s with the addition of modern electronic beats. ‘90s R&B will always hold a strong presence in the shaping of the hip-hop industry. But as generations have passed, modern artists have found a way to refine the genre to include different sounds, separating it from most areas of music. Modern R&B has no specific formula and no particular sound, but rather an artist’s ability to bring new and fresh ideas is the true embodiment of Modern R&B.
Infamous rappers’ conflict causes cultural, social divide McKenzie Quiroz | Reporter
One of the most notorious rap beefs of all time is between Tupac Shakur and Biggie. The rappers started off as friends creating music together, but ultimately despised each other in the end, creating diss tracks to tear the other apart. On Nov. 30, 1994, Tupac was shot and beaten by three
men wearing army fatigues, which Tupac believed were part of Biggie’s group. There is no evidence that Biggie knew about the shooting, but Tupac believed that this was the case, spurring a conflict that would eventually claim both of their lives. The fallout of their relationship caused Tupac to find solace in Suge Knight, founder of the hottest and most dangerous labels at the time, Death Row Records, while Biggie still relied on Puff Daddy,
founder of Bad Boy Records. The issues between Biggie and Tupac grew to be the issues between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records and created an even bigger divide between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop. This is why the drama attracted an audience, as everyone wanted to keep up with the music. Both rappers brought their audience to the table and created a ‘90s cultural phenomenon.
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Sports Volume 11, Issue 8
Drive To State
Junior Madison Silva talks about advancing to 6A State Golf Tournament Taylor Hawthorne | Reporter
Anthony Flores | Photographer Danna Braga | Photographer
Silva putts the ball, hoping to make the ball fall into the hole.
Silva observes where the ball lands after swinging.
What’s your favorite part about golf?
How did you get interested in golf?
M.S: I don’t really have a favorite part of golf; I love everything about it. I love meeting new people, talking to different people about common interests, I love being focused on my shots and I love how golf has really shaped me as a person.
Madison Silva (M.S): I was introduced to golf at three years old by my family. My older brother plays golf, so my family has had a big influence over my love for golf. It’s cool to get to play with my family for fun and for my family when I am competing.
What were your first thoughts when you found out you were going to state?
How will you prepare for the state tournament?
M.S: When I first found out I was going to state, I wanted to run and scream, because I was so happy. I worked really hard for this, so seeing a star by name, made all of the hard work worth it. I was filled with so much joy; I couldn’t even put into words.
M.S: To prepare for state, I will be practicing non-stop to make sure I am ready for the competition. I will practice on the little things, so I don’t mess up on things I can easily do. I am just going to go into the state tournament knowing my abilities and try my best.
Do you feel any pressure to win being the only person from your school going to state?
What are you most excited for when going to the state tournament? M.S: I am excited to see what the state tournament will be like and I am excited to see how I do. I’m ready to get out there and compete. This whole process is really exciting and I can’t wait to play at state.
Natalie Owings | Photographer
Silva lines up her ball with the hole to help decide the best way to hit it in.
Natalie Owings | Photographer
Silva records her hits from the previous round to keep track of her score.
M.S: I feel a little bit of pressure as I get closer to the state tournament, but for the most part I feel pretty good. I am confident in myself and my ability to play golf, so I know I will go out there and play the best I can.
Sports May 25, 2018
Kaitlin Mackey | Photographer
Lexi Walker | Photographer
Elizabeth Drost | Photographer
Lauren Lebakken | Photographer
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(Far left) Junior Anne Johnson dives into the water during the 400m Freestyle relay at the Round Rock Invitational meet. (Middle Left) Senior Cole Mecham hits the ball during his singles match. (Middle Right) Sophomore Gladys Cuevas crosses the finish line during the cross country district meet. (Far right) Sophomore Jalen Phoenix runs the ball during a 7 on 7 spring football practice.
Fall Forward Coaches discuss changes, expectations for 2018 season Brisa Espinoza | Reporter
Throwing the ball, diving into the water, making the ace and crossing the finish line; fall sports are in preparation for the upcoming 2018 season. During the 2017 season, every fall sport made it into the bi-district round of playoffs or the equivalent to it; some sports made it past the bi-district round. Teams are hoping to follow the playoff run and make it again during the 2018 season. Each sports playoffs have a different amount of rounds before reaching the final state game. “I’m expecting growth for tennis, the program has a lot of growth to do,” tennis coach Aaron Holman said. “We have a young team and a lot of players who haven’t played before, so we just need growth.” Once the UIL teams were adjusted for the next two-year alignment, it caused the schools that played in Region 2 District 13-6A to change. As teams participate in the 13-6A district, they will have to prepare to play the new three schools that were added. Leander, Vista Ridge and Vandegrift high schools were added in
the realignment with the loss of Pflugerville High School to the 5A conference. Teams will now have to play eight district games instead of the usual six . “We’re going to have a lot of competition next year. We have to step up our game with all the new schools, some have over a hundred swimmers on their team,” swim coach Justin Oderkirk said. “I’m trying to prepare the swimmers by getting them in shape and have them ready by our first meet in Round Rock to show other teams we’re ready for the competition.” With players graduating, teams have to develop and change with the loss of teammates and the gaining of new ones. Changes for the upcoming season are already in the works as coaches start to figure out how to adjust plays to fit the new team as well as getting the players to fill the shoes of past players. “There’s not any massive changes for next year; we add things, take things away, and tweak things to fit the new players and to replace the players we’re losing,“ football coach Chip Killian said. “We try to find some new guys to fill the
holes of the seniors we lost.” Since the district announced the 20182019 school year calendar in April, the school year is set to start on August 16. Practices for sports will start in the beginning of August, and cannot practice prior to that; football, volleyball, cross country and tennis all start practicing in August before the school year starts. “Tennis doesn’t do summer practices but we could if we wanted to. My thoughts on summer practices is that kids need breaks,” Holman said. “We encourage kids to practice over the summer but we do not have organized practices, since I think the kids deserve to have a break.” With these teams adjusting to the changes for next year, teams and coaches have high hopes for the upcoming season. Expectations “Our expectations are always real high for our season,” Killian said. “We want to go after a district championship and make another run in the playoffs. Our expectations will always stay the same for our teams.”
First Games Volleyball: The first game will be Saturday Aug. 4, at 9 a.m against Georgetown. High School at Georgetown.
Football: The first game will be held on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. against Texas High School at Waxahachie High School.
Tennis: The first game will be on Wednesday Aug. 15, at 4 p.m against Weiss High School at Hendrickson.
Swim: The first meet will on Friday Sept. 21, at Round Rock’s Micki Krebsach Pool. Cross Country: The first meet will be on Thursday Aug. 16 in Temple.
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Humans of HHS Volume 11, Issue 8
A New Chapter
Seniors share future endeavors, life outside of high school Ileana Perez | Co-Editor
Holly Hambleton | Asst. Editor
Danna Braga | Photographer
As the school year comes to an end and it becomes time for students to leave the environment of high school, seniors must decide what their future entails. Whether someone chooses to attend a university, the military, or find a job right away, all paths are accepted
Hector Rascon, Marine Corps
“I went through all branches but the one that grabbed my attention was the Marine Corps. It’s given me the opportunity to go to college for free, as well as [receiving] a better education for future family. I knew I wasn’t going to put my parents through paying college, check after check. The Marines give you a foundation, a strong base for pretty much everything. If you compare one person that has gone through college, and you compare someone who has been in college through the Marines, I think anyone is more likely to pick the side with the Marines because it shows dedication and commitment. The Marine Corps does something really different compared to other branches. They mold you, and they change you. They change the way you think, the way you look at the world. You put yourself through the mental stress of boot camp, and everything you do, blood, sweat tears, makes you learn something and you’re really proud of it. Right now I’m in the delayed entry program and for everyone that goes there it’s called a ‘poolee’ and poolees are set for every Saturday to train, but they also encourage us to train by ourselves. I only have two months left from here on out. Right after graduation, in July, I’ll take off. I think it’s better for me to go now, to actually have my mind set on something before I lose it.”
Sophia Egliht, Four-year University
“I’m going to Pepperdine in California to major in psychology. They have really good academics and smaller class sizes, so you can get one on one with professors. Pepperdine has a good reputation which will help me a lot when I need to go to [graduate] school for psychology. I’m really looking forward to studying things I’m actually interested in and not just taking required classes anymore. I’ll get to figure out who I really am because I have freedom and get to make my own choices, to grow as a person. My brother went to Pepperdine and loved it because he formed a really close group of friends while he went there. The community is something else that drew me into the school because they are kind of smaller, everybody is there for each other like a support system.”
Nathan Tietjen, One year of college before mission
“For my church [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints], we go out and teach what we believe for two years. You get sent on your mission, you go to a training center. Then they send you some place, my brother got sent to L.A. You can’t visit home, you can’t call, you can email but only once a week. They call twice a year, Christmas and Mother’s Day, so my mom is really happy on Mother’s Day. Basically, you’re supposed to be focused on helping others, serving others, and teaching weekly. When I decide I want to go [to the mission] I’m going to submit some papers, talk to my bishop, and eventually they’ll send it back to me and it’ll be like ‘you are signed to serve in this place, in such location’ and they’ll tell you what language you will primarily be speaking. I hope to be assigned foreign, so I learn to speak a different language, and I don’t want to go anywhere where they’ll serve me fish. I’m young, I’ll be 17 when I graduate. One, I have to wait a while anyway because you have to be 18 [to serve on a mission]. But also, I want to go to college for a year and get that under my belt, start living on my own so when I’m on my mission I don’t have to worry about not knowing how to cook or anything like that.”