The Hawk November 2019 by Kari Riemer

down SIZING

School likely to move down to 5A next year

Ikram Mohamed | Asst. Editor Every two years, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) reclassifies schools’ alignments. Recently, Hendrickson’s student body population has dropped dramatically, due to the opening of a fourth high school and graduation of last year’s senior class, opening up the possibility of the school dropping alignments. On Oct. 25, the UIL will take a snapshot of all Texas high schools, and from there will decide where Hendrickson will fall for the next two years to come. “Everybody's enrollment data will be pulled at the exact same time,” principal Daniel Garcia said. “And so that's the criteria that they will use. So based on that, they'll make decisions. There's a little bit of formula because there are certain groups that are counted in different ways.” Due to the variety of high schools present, and the multiple ways of organizing all these schools, it is not certain that Hendrickson will drop down alignments. “Folks are making assump-

tions that we might be a 5A school,” Garcia said. “And it's based around what occurred last year or a couple of years ago, because we're realigned every two years. But until they pull this snapshot at the end of October, then realign us in February, we really won't know where we're at.” Though as of now it’s not considered a given that Hendrickson will drop alignments, Garcia believes if the school were to it would provide both the school, and the district with more opportunities and experiences. “If we were to move down, we would then have four 5A schools in the district,” Garcia said. “So you would have some naturally occurring rivalries that would be fun and intense and all that, if we were placed with those schools. It would be good, because the community would get to see the district’s kids all playing together.” While Garcia believes the potential drop will open up opportunities for students across the district to enjoy, he believes that Hendrickson

the Hawk

students specifically will truly benefit from the potential realignment. “I think that if we were to move down,” Garcia said. “The quality of the programs at Hendrickson would really be demonstrated. What occurs is that if we are classified with schools our size, it gives our programs the opportunity to shine and for people to really see the high quality that our students perform at.” In February, the realignment decisions will be released, revealing Hendrickson’s fate for the next two years. Though some view the potential drop in a negative light, Garcia believes it will allow students insight to a new experience and open them up to new, possibly beneficial, opportunities. “I really look forward to the announcements in February, and to see kind of where we land,” Garcia said. “I'm really excited for y'all, because I think it'll be some really, really awesome opportunities. I'm excited and hope that it works out, and that we have the best opportunity for our students.”

In This Issue: Volume 13, Issue 2 November 1, 2019 Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville, Texas 78660

Mayor candidates, page 2 Vaping statistics, page 3 Disney live action movies, pages 14 & 15 Day of the Dead traditions, page 20

News Volume 13, Issue 2

state of the

UNION Questions and answers with the mayoral candidates Landon Self | Reporter

Abigail Hill | Co-Editor

• Victor Gonzalez • Brad Marshall What inspires you to be mayor?

• The Candidates What do you hope to achieve if elected as mayor? VG “We will always have infrastructure challenges and that is streets, roads, sewer lines and so forth and those are the necessary elements of any community but to me it’s about people I have a senior advisory committee made up of senior citizens that are in a committee discussing whether or not there’s a feasibility, and there is certainly a need for a new senior activity

community center, that’s one of the projects I hope to see pass during my next three years in office because the senior community goes to the recreation center and they have a small little room, we did expand it a little bit more but they probably don’t have any more than 600 square feet so visit, to socialize, to play games, they need much more so that’s important to me.

BM “What I want to do is, I want to make Pflugerville a beautiful and economically diverse community. I want people that live here to have a sense of pride when they talk about Pflugerville. So that diverse economy is bringing in all kinds of different jobs, not so people can work here, but live here.”

If you win the election, what is the first thing you’ll try to do? VG “If I win re-election the first thing I will certainly try to do is to bring a new decorum to the city council chamber. We talked in the candidate forum about a new city hall. That is certainly a reality for me but it’s going to be three to five years before we really see that, so in light of that the decorum I’m talking about is the relationship with the city council and the community and keeping that engagement positive and productive”

BM “The first thing I want to do if I’m elected is reach out to the community and encourage community input and rapid feedback between the citizens and the council and city staff on things that are most important to them. There’s a decisiveness that can oftentimes come with politics. So I want to encourage our community and elected representatives working together toward common goals.”

How has your family supported you during this process? VG “My wife in particular basically gives up her life for me because I give my life up for the city so a lot of times we’re at events like the candidate forum today and she’ll be at the one tomorrow at lunch and so they do sacrifice. When I was on the city council starting back in 2006 I had smaller children at home I didn’t spend a lot

of time home as I could have with my younger children so they gave up their connection with their dad. But my son is 24 now and as a matter of fact, looks back and he really appreciates the fact that he had a father that was committed to the community and making a difference, and I think that I’ve inspired him to follow the same role”

BM “They’ve been extremely supportive. Before I decided that I was going to run for mayor again we talked about it as a family, and they said they would love for me to run because they know it excites me and they would be behind me, but at the same time if I didn’t decide on that, they were happy for me to be at home more and be a dad, so they’ve been nothing but supportive through all of this.”

VG “People inspire me to be mayor. Anytime I’m out in the community I learn more about Pflugerville just by being out and talking to people and some of the day to day challenges they have and sometimes there’s little problems that can be easily fixed but they don’t know where to go, who to call, or maybe they have called city hall and they’ve gotten the run around but maybe they have and they don’t know they can call on their elected officials whether it’s me as the mayor or city council members, they can call them and get their attention to get whatever their challenge, need, or problem is fixed. I’ve done that many times before and that’s important to me.”

BM “My biggest inspiration was witnessing strong policy changes that we implemented during the five years I was on city counsel under the leadership at the time with Jeff Coleman. It was extremely gratifying to see policies take effect and citizens recognizing the benefit of those policies and decisions that we were making. My biggest inspiration was during that time period under that leadership.”

Is there anything else you would like to add? VG “I grew up in Pflugerville, population 272 now it’s population 71,000 and in the next 20 years or sooner it will be 100,000 people in this community. That is an enormous growth pattern for any city. We have to be prepared in terms of infrastructure and tax base revenues to take care of those needs. Roads and streets are always going to be stressed out by repair. We’ll always a number of parks we have to maintain so there’s a lot of maintenance that has to go on in the city. Those are the things we, and certainly I have to guide, over the next few years to make Pflugerville as we say where quality meets life we have to commit to that statement. If we do all of those things I think we get there.”

BM “My ultimate goal in running for mayor is to reduce our high property tax burden that our citizens are faced with. I hear over and over from people that the high property taxes in Pflugerville are driving them to look to other communities to move to. So between our taxes and being more proactive with our infrastructure like roads and water, those are things I want people to know our going to be my priorities because our population is growing tremendously and no sign of that slowing down, so we just need to be aggressive about planning for this higher pressure being applied to all our infrastructure. “

News November 1, 2019

â&#x20AC;˘ By The Numbers

In the midst of a vaping rise, shocking statistics unfold What are E-Cigarettes?

What is Vaping?

Devices that operate by heating a liquid solution to a high enough temperature so that it produces an aerosol that is inhaled. Solutions, sometimes called e-liquids, typically include nicotine, flavoring and a humectant, such as propylene glycol, to retain moisture and create an aerosol when heated. While using an e-cigarette is often called â&#x20AC;&#x153;vaping,â&#x20AC;? the devices produce an aerosol, not a vapor. Unlike vapor, which is simply a substance in gas form, the aerosol from an e-cigarette can contain tiny chemical particles from both the liquid solution and the device

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. The term is used because e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, but rather an aerosol, often mistaken for water vapor, that actually consists of fine particles. Generally a vaping device consists of a mouthpiece, a battery, a cartridge for containing the e-liquid or e-juice, and a heating component for the device that is powered by a battery. When the device is used, the battery heats up the heating component, which turns the contents of the e-liquid into an aerosol that is inhaled into the lungs and then exhaled.

60 2.7x 65% 11.7% 37% 3.3% 40% 200 63% There are now

Some e-cigarette products deliver nicotine almost as efficiently as a cigarette. For example, the maker of JUUL e-cigarettes claims the product has a nicotine content like traditional cigarettes, and that it delivers the nicotine up to

FASTER

DEATHS IN 10 STATES

The 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that

At least

chemical compounds have been found in e-liquids, and more are present in the aerosol produced by e-cigarettes.

In 2015

A recently published Truth Initiative study found that among current youth and young adult JUUL users, only

of high school students and

of youth who had used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days also reported using another tobacco product in the same time frame.

knew that the product always contains nicotine.

A 2015 report from the National Health Interview Survey states that

of middle school students used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. Compared with 1.5% of high school students and .6 percent of middle school students who reported current use in 2011.

CIGARETTE PUFFS

of young adults who use e-cigarettes every day or some days were never smokers before trying e-cigarettes.

SOURCES: https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobaccoproducts/e-cigarettes-facts-stats-and-regulations https://www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes/recreational-vaping/ what-vaping https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/9/3/20847219/vapinghealth-risks-2019-lung-damage-death

According to the product website, a single JUUL cartridge is roughly equal to a pack of cigarettes, or

of JUUL users did not know that this product always contains nicotine.

News Volume 13, Issue 2

Bathroom locking causes confusion, anger for students Kaitlyn Nash | Reporter

Seniors Oneza Vhora and Kosi Otutu discussing club with new members at The International Cultural Coalition’s first meeting on Oct. 16. Photo provided by Oneza Vhora.

Students form club to discuss cultural differences, gain knowledge on others cultures Ikram Mohamed | Asst. Editor In a school rich with diversity, students are not always able to focus on each others backgrounds and the culture that comes with it. Seniors Oneza Vhora and Kosi Otutu, two students of different backgrounds who felt as though their identities weren’t being as represented as they’d like, have decided to combat this issue by forming The International Cultural Coalition (TICC), an organization which focuses exclusively on the cultural identities of their peers. “Every year I felt as though something was missing,” cofounder Vhora said. “I felt this ignorance sometimes. People will sometimes ask me questions that are kind of rude unknowingly, so I just wanted to create something that works toward fixing that issue” The two decided to take matters into their own hands, and provide students with a safe space to question and comment on the cultures of their classmates. “I felt this need to educate people more,” Vhora said. “I wanted people to understand more about me. I want them to know me through me, not just through Google or within

their classrooms. I want it to be more personal than that.” Through the club, Vhora and Otutu hope to facilitate an environment where students will be able to exchange information about each other’s cultures in a fun, digestible way. “Our first meeting of the month will be purely informational, and discussion-based,” Vhora said. “We want to give people the ability to put a spotlight on current issues, or talk about cultural literature. Whatever it is they’d like to discuss.” Though, Vhora believes to completely immerse members in learning more about each other’s cultures, there should be a certain balance between information content and practice. “I’m Indian and I’m also Muslim,” Vhora said. “I love celebrating the idea that I am someone different, our differences should be celebrated not something to be fought over. I wanted to incorporate this into our club. So our second meeting of the month will be when we watch movies, listen to songs, and share our cultural food and snacks.” The club also hopes to expand their meetings outside of the classroom, where they

will be able to not only impact the school but potentially the world. “We are planning to host a diversity fair later into the year,” Vhora said. “Where different people get to showcase their traditions, beliefs, clothes, food, and way of living. We also plan to use the money we make from the fair as a donation towards international non-profit charities such as UNICEF, Aid Africa, H2O for life, etc. In a minuscule way, we can still be impactful outside of school. It would be greatly beneficial to numerous kids and adults who do not have the opportunities that we receive on a daily basis” On Oct. 16, the new club had their first meeting. Following this date, the club plans on having meetings on the second and last Wednesdays of each month. “We just want to create a safe place for students to come to promote communication and focus on bonding,” Vhora said. “We want to spread awareness and encourage non-judgemental views, and overall just celebrate diversity and the differences that we may have.”

Even though the bathrooms are now open, there is still question of the bathrooms being locked again since their original shutdown on Sept. 15. “We’re not locking bathrooms anymore,” associate principal Michael Grebb said. “The only bathrooms that we’re locking during the day are the ones in the cafeteria because there’s no reason for anyone to be in the cafeteria so we unlock them every lunch and then lock them back up when we leave.” Though students were not given specific reasons for the locked bathrooms, most assumed that vaping and fighting were the causes. Though, in the beginning, the locking of bathrooms was to try and help teachers in need. “We started to lock bathrooms to help alleviate supervision, places to hang out and not go to class, and just to help cleanliness,” Grebb said. “Really our idea of locking it wasn’t anything other than supervision and making sure that we had adults in high traffic areas where if there was an issue in the bathroom someone could respond. One

of the complaints we were getting when they were locked is that some bathrooms were getting really dirty just because they were overused.” Another issue regarding the bathrooms is the effect that it has had on the school. It was in place to make some actual change, no solution is clear to Grebb. “I think we were trying something out to see if it would have an effect and honestly, it didn’t have an effect either way,” Grebb said. “There wasn’t more problems when we unlocked it and less problems when they were locked.” To help with the problems that weren’t solved with bathroom locking, Grebb feels that enforcing rules would be

a better solution. That way, no bathrooms will have to be locked in the future. “I think teachers enforcing fifteen minutes when class starts and fifteen minutes towards the end of the bell and just use their passes, have a procedure in their classroom for bathroom passes [would help],” Grebb said.

Tutoring program allows students to receive assistance Angelyna Rosales | Asst. Editor The After School Academy helps students access academic help from teachers on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Students have the opportunity to take the late bus home at 5:35 if they utilize the Academy. A similar tutoring program used to be in place, however it has not been implemented over recent years. “We wanted to bring the program back, but enhance it and make it part of our regular academic program,” assistant principal Scott Ford said. “Administrators and counselors also wanted to have tutoring opportunities available that we could direct

students to more easily than trying to coordinate with each teacher’s individual tutoring times, which may fluctuate. Consistency is our goal.” Staff and faculty also hope to offer other tutoring opportunities within the Academy throughout the year. “We hope to have science available to students on Tuesdays in the very near future,” Ford said. “We are also trying to develop peertutoring and mentoring possibilities with the National Honor Society that we hope will add effectiveness to the After School Academy.”

News November 1, 2019

Choir students advance in UIL competition on road to State Kaitlin Curtis | Reporter The choir had students who qualified for the second round in the All-State choir competitions, on Sept. 14 at McNeil High School. Breean Arrant, Caedran Yeidel, Harlow Hurley, Janessa Kumpati, Kelly Abels, and Liberty Haude competed on Oct. 7 at Stony Point High School, where Yieldel, Abels, Hurley, and Kumpati will advance to the third round. “It went amazing,” sophomore Harlow Hurley said. “I got sixth chair, and as a soprano one, I felt really

recognized by the judges for my hard work.” At the competition, there were only 350 spots students could make it into. All-StateChoir features students from all across the state of Texas. “It’s definitely scary to be one of so many,” Hurley said. “But at competitions you are surrounded by hundreds of people who love and feel the music as much as you do. It’s incredible.” Junior Kelly Abels has been attending voice lessons and has been working with choir director Abigale Archy-Foxley to perfect her audition pieces.

“I was nervous that I might mess up,” Abels said, “But I channeled that nervousness into positive energy instead!” Around 10,000-15,000 compete to make the All-State Choir, and with round 3 coming up, the students will attend it to possibly become the first AllStater from Hendrickson in ten years. “Regardless of what happens, we are incredibly proud of our students and all the hard work they put into preparing the music for each round of auditions,” ArchyFoxley said.

Sophomore Harlow Hurley performs a solo during the choir’s fall concert on Oct. 24. Aric Anguiano | Photographer

Teacher inducted into Hall of Fame

Special Education teacher and former NFL player Earl Cooper was inducted into the Rice Hall of Fame Oct. 26 for his football accomplishments. Photo provided by Maggie Jashinsky.

Bands invited to perform at Disney The band’s two new Jazz ensembles, conducted by James Hairston and Weston Scholten, were selected to perform at the Disney Performing Arts invitational at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The ensembles submitted recordings of songs in order to be considered to perform. This is the first year of the official Jazz program.

Front Row: Abbi Hinds, 10; Mia Ancira, 11; Macy Burnham, 12; Abigail Hill, 12; Hazel Bruner,9; Alyson Ashlock, 9. Back Row: Lauren Lebakken, 11; Ikram Mohamed, 12; Ian Falkenbury, 11; Journalism teacher Kari Riemer, Briton Larsen , 9; Kaitlin Mackey, 12; Katie Cox, 9 attended the 2019 TAJE Fall Fiesta Oct. 19-21.

Newspaper, yearbook staff members attend conference Members of the yearbook and newspaper staffs traveled to San Antonio for the Texas Association of Journalism Educators annual conference on Oct. 19. While there, students attended classes

Buy a yearbook.

and competed in various competitions. Senior Kaitlin Mackey earned an Honorable Mention for her photograph in the category "Fiesta" and a Superior in the photo category "Motion."

Junior Ian Falkenbury earned an Honorable Mention in the category "Motion." Additionally, this year's first issue of The Hawk newspaper won Honorable Mention, Best of Show.

www.balfour.com

Opinions Volume 13, Issue 2

• Staff Editorial

Whistle blower complaint leads to mixed emotions about impeachment inquiry As we inch closer to the 2020 Presidential Election, a new controversy concerning President Donald Trump broke out, which is now known as “The Whistle blower Complaint.” On Sept. 24, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi called for an impeachment inquiry against Trump due to his actions regarding a phone call that Trump made to Ukranian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, convincing him to place in an investigation on former Vice President and Democratic candidate for the upcoming election, Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. While many people do have mixed feelings about President Trump, pursuing the inquiry is unnecessary because of how soon the upcoming election is. At least 224 House Democrats are pushing for an impeachment inquiry, they’re arguing that impeaching Trump will help our constitution because what he did was against his presidential oath as well as interfering with the upcoming election. Should Trump have gone out of his way to call Zelensky? Probably not. Instead, he could’ve simply asked someone else in the oval office to investigate Biden, but he’s the president of the United States. He should be focusing on other things rather than Biden. It wasn’t the brightest thing to do considering that he represents our country. Does that mean he needs to be

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

impeached and removed? No, not necessarily. The impeachment process could take up to four months, however this case doesn’t have much going for it, meaning that is could take longer depending on how long the House wants it to last. On the other hand, the Republicans are against the inquiry. They believe that the reason behind the impeachment inquiry is a b surd; that

Vy Bui | Artist

there’s no reason for an impeachment because of a phone call made to another country. Instead, they side with Trump in the case that Biden and his son should be investigated for pushing the Ukrainian government to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, to dispose of an investigation having to do with a company his son has connections with. Now as we really think about things from both sides, are the two really that

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.

different? Trump pushed President Zelensky to investigate Biden for his actions. Biden pushed the Ukrainian government to terminate the top prosecutor in an investigation regarding his son. While the two have different motives behind pressuring Ukraine into doing certain things for both our country and Ukraine, they still attempted to persuade the Ukrainian government to do something for them by giving them large sums of money. Both of their actions were questionable across the nation. Republicans questioned Biden’s actions while the Democrats questioned Trump’s actions. Both were in the wrong. Regarding the impeachment inquiry however, in doing so would just complicate things. It would cause more political drama than there already is. Does that mean that they should just get a slap on the wrist and everyone should move on? No. Rather, President Trump and Biden should be redirected and should handle these investigations without interfering in one another. If Trump certainly wishes to have Biden investigated, he should have someone internally investigate Biden instead of a foreign president; we all know he has the money for it. On the other hand, while it’s understood that Biden was trying to protect family, his son is an adult and should handle this himself without any extra help with the use of money and connections.

• Your Turn How do you feel about President Trump's impeachment inquiry? “I support impeachment because I think President Trump has gone to a limit and that he’s kind of broken American sovereignty by looking to foreign nations for help against his 2020 rivals and I don’t believe his claims of corruption.”

Max Garcia, 10

“The impeachment inquiry is not smart to go through with, because there’s not enough evidence when it comes to the whistle blower complaint being released and the transcript of the call with Ukraine. There’s not enough evidence to support that President Trump did anything wrong or illegal. Also, the Senate has majority Republicans so impeachment is not going to happen at all nor should it happen.”

Isis Camacho, 11

“I think impeachment is a waste of time. All it is, is the Democrats not having faith in their 2020 candidates, so they feel like they have to get Trump out of office.”

Ryne Schlesinger, 11

“I do agree that the president made a dumb decision, but right now impeachment is not super needed, because while there are some instances where the president made a dumb decision, and all presidents make dumb decisions. Trump has admitted to doing it at least, compared to other presidents, but what Trump did is not treason.”

Payton Impson, 12

Editorial Staff Co-Editors: Abigail Hill & Kaitlin Mackey Assistant Editors: Seth Deaton, Brisa Espinoza, Ikram Mohamed, Angelyna Rosales, Bryan Ross

Reporters

Hannah Brubaker Kaitlin Curtis Kaitlyn Nash Hector Santos

Artist Vy Bui

Landon Self Ethan Tittle Zachary Valdez Kyla White

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

Honors

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

down SIZING

School likely to move down to 5A next year

In This Issue:

the Hawk Design by Abigail Hill Volume 13, Issue 2 November 1, 2019

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville, Texas 78660

Mayor candidates, page 2 Vaping statistics, page 3 Disney live action movies, pages 14 & 15 Day of the Dead traditions, page 20

Opinion November 1, 2019

• Hit or Miss

• My Turn

New Talon schedule gives break

No Accountability, No Eligibility

As of this year the Talon schedule changed, moving Talon between first and second period. The reason for this change was to prevent tardiness in Talon by giving them more of an incentive to make more of an effort and show up to class. It also gave seniors a longer lunch time if they were excused from Talon. This policy is effective and an improvement on the previous schedule because it helps people build a habit of doing work ahead of time and waking up early enough to get to class. It also provides a short 30 minute break in between classes so it allows students to refresh their mind and they still get the chance to work on homework and for seniors that have A lunch this means they have a longer lunch. If students are having trouble with their first period class and can’t get work done in time they can still go and ask the teachers for help or to stay after school. Having more reason to do homework and a short break before going to second period is a hit.

School restricts use of courtyards Now that the weather is starting to cool down, the courtyards would be a perfect place to enjoy lunch, do some homework, or even just to hangout, but the school doesn't let students utilize the courtyard. This is unnecessary and is wasting the courtyards by not putting them to use. The school could easily place monitors in the courtyards before school and during lunch just like they do inside the school to make sure there is supervision. Students could use the grass area and place plants to decorate the area, eat their lunch outside, do homework before school or just hangout outside to get some fresh air. Having the courtyards unavailable to students is a miss.

Calenders result in difficult choice Pflugerville ISD has sent an email to students and teachers to vote for the calendars for the 2020-2021 school year. Calendar A would start school on Aug. 13 and gives us two four day weekends, one in October for Columbus Day and another in February for Presidents Day. Calendar A also gives us Christmas Break from Dec. 18 to Jan. 6, the Friday before Spring Break off, and ends the school year on May 27 with Good Friday and May 28 as bad weather days. Calendar B would start school on Aug. 20 and not give us any four day weekends. Calendar B also has Christmas Break from Dec. 18 to Jan. 5 and does not give President’s Day off. Calendar B doesn’t give us the extra day off before spring break and ends the school year on May 27. These choices are difficult because they put students and parents in a place where they have to choose between starting the school year later and having days off during the school year. The proposed 2020-2021 school year calendars are a miss.

Dress code reminders waste time Every day during third period, an announcement goes on after the pledges reminding everyone of the weeks’ focus for dress code. The announcements aren’t excessively long, but they still take up class time, are repetitive, and never provide new information. Having a dress code isn’t a bad thing, and the dress code isn’t excessive, but the continuous announcements are. And while having an announcement about dress code every day would seem to imply that it would be enforced consistently, it still isn’t. The repetitive announcements without any enforcement behind it is a miss.

No Pass No Play increases work instead of responsibility

Seth Deaton | Asst. Editor Every nine weeks marks a time of panic and distress for anyone involved in any UIL activities. Those who are failing try desperately to raise their grade while those that are at the edge, barely passing, try to keep their grades up to pass. The reason for this panic is the UIL eligibility cut off. At the end of every nine weeks anyone that’s failing loses eligibility and can no longer compete in any UIL activities such as band, sports, theatre, and choir. This is known as the “No Pass No Play” rule. This rule is intended to help give those students incentive to pass their classes but all it really does is create a stack of papers for teachers to grade at the end of the nine weeks as missing assignments Vy Bui | Artist are turned in from failing students trying to raise their grades to stay eligible. It’s not working the way it was supposed to. The “No Pass No Play” rule was meant to increase accountability, but all it’s done is increase the amount of work teachers have to do at the end of the nine weeks. That’s because many of those involved in UIL activities don’t worry about their grades until a week before the cut off. Until then, they’re fine having a failing grade. The only reason they even attempt to

bring up their grade is because they want to stay eligible. The problem is that they start trying worrying about their grades too late and by that point the damage has already been done. All the missing assignments and failed tests that were never retaken have brought their grade too low and there’s not enough time to bring it back up. As a whole, this rule mainly affects athletes because they dedicate more time to their sport than to their classes.

Those in band, academics, debate, and other UIL activities dedicate just as much time to their activities as athletes do, but the difference is they put just as much time into their school work. Athletes as a whole care more about their sport than they do about their classes and schoolwork. However, that doesn’t mean that every athlete is affected by this rule. Many athletes dedicate hours of time after practice studying for tests, and pass their classes without ever coming close to fail-

ing, but as a whole athletes are affected by the “No Pass No Play” rule more than any other group. The issue is the rule isn’t relevant until a week before the cut off when UIL participants realize they’re about to lose eligibility, but if the rule was put into effect every three weeks instead of every nine weeks it would keep the rule relevant throughout the entire season instead of a week before the cut off. This would help prevent stacks of late papers being turned in at the last second that teachers are expected to grade before the deadline. It would also give students a reason to keep trying in their classes even if they failed b e c a u s e there’s an opportunity to regain eligibility right around the corner. By changing the cut off to every three weeks it will help give greater incentive to stay on top of grades and help keep stacks of late papers off the teachers’ desks. Regardless of whether or not there is a risk of losing eligibility, grades should always come first. The reason it’s called a student athlete is because academics should come before anything else. Having the cut offs every three weeks would help make grades important to everyone involved in UIL activities and make grades a priority like they should be.

Feature Volume 13, Issue 2

Song Of The Hawks

Foxley takes over as head director of choir program Hector Santos | Reporter

This year is the beginning of Abi Foxley’s next step in her career, as head choir director. Foxley has been teaching choir for seven years. She spent her first four years teaching at Manor elementary and two years as assistant director for both Pflugerville High and Pflugerville Middle School. Now she is starting her first year as head director of the choir. “I have been playing and singing for as long as I could remember,” Foxley said. “I had a private student I taught in my college years and it’s just always felt like the right path for me.” Foxley received her col-

lege degree in Ohio and decided to pursue her career in Texas after hearing about the states good music reputation. She came to Pflugerville because that’s where her sister was living at the time. After seven years of teaching different grade levels her fine arts director encouraged Foxley to take a job opportunity at Hendrickson. “I have known Ms. Tolleson before coming into this job,” Foxley said. “She was very kind and helped me transition into this job position. She sent me emails about the class and introduced me to the students’ parents.” There are three choir groups. Varsity treble, Non-

Varsity treble, and men’s choir. There is also the music club Hawkapella which is music with no accompaniment. It mainly focuses on popular music that is more modern. “I consider it easier only because it is something that most kids are familiar with,” Foxley said. “So it is more fun for the students to practice.” It is an after school only activity however, any student can join, whether they are in choir or not. Varsity, Non-Varsity, and Men’s choir focus more on traditional classical music. Varsity and Non-Varsity are the groups of girls who must audition in order to be in the class but Varsity it is more advanced than Non-Varsity. At

the moment there is only one men’s choir but Foxley is hoping to have a Varsity men and a Non-Varsity men’s choir as more boys join in the future. “The students are hard working and intelligent,” Foxley said. “They have been so open to new experiences.” Foxley has an non-traditional style of teaching compared to other choir directors. Her methods consist of active games and interaction between the students. “I taught every single grade so I know the progression of growing up,” Foxley said. “But at the end of the day, kids are still kids. You would be surprised at how many high school-

ers like the games we play.” Foxley uses this method in order to get the students active in singing. This way of teaching seems to gain a positive perspective of the students. “I feel like she is like a new fresh breath of air,” senior Marnique Neille said. “Our last teacher was good, but a little too technical. I feel that Ms. Foxley goes more into detail about the material.” Foxley is hoping to bring more students into the choir program and make it well known in anyway she can. “She is really energetic, and she has a huge passion to help us succeed and grow as musicians,” senior Colten Wilcox said.

Alexander Vasquez | Photographer

Matthew Medina | Photographer

Sophomore Kayla Alfonso sings at an after school jam session while Choir director Abi Foxley plays a slide whistle.

Senior Colten Wilcox plays piano with new choir director Abi Foxley during an after school jam session.

Feature November 1, 2019

The Student becomes the Teacher

Former pupils reunite with past teachers as co-workers Brett Caswell Bryan Ross | Asst Editor English teacher Aaron Holman and Physics teacher Brett Caswell both were here in 2009, and both currently teach here now, with one key difference: Instead of going to his AP Physics classroom to prepare his lessons for the day, Caswell would go to Holman’s class to take English IV. “Caswell was a good student,” Holman said. “Did he always apply himself? Well, no, but who always does? We have this running joke currently about what he read and what he didn’t read.” For Holman, having former students is a relatively common occurrence. He says that he enjoys seeing them grow as

people from being a student to taking on the responsibility of being a teacher. “I like having former students as teachers,’’ Holman said. “He’s not the only one, with [Mackenzie] Guthrie and last year [Taylor] Johnson. It’s cool, you get to see the full spectrum of life in many ways, plus they get to see where you come from in terms of expectations and they tend to carry those same expectations.” While in title, Caswell and Holman carry the same level of authority, Caswell says that he still doesn’t necessarily see himself at the same position as Holman. “I’m not sure that I feel like I’m on the same level as him,” Caswell said. “It’s a little bit weird working with him. I’m still

not ready to refer to him as Aaron, he’s still Holman to me. But it is interesting to be on a similar plane of existence to him.” Caswell says that going from being a student to a teacher has helped him see the value putting in more effort in and out of class. “It’s been a massive change,” Caswell said. “I imagine if you asked this to any teacher they’d be able to tell you this but I view study habits differently, I see the necessity of doing work outside of school. It’s changed my perspective a whole lot. It makes me wish I was a better student when I was in school.”

Audrey Saathoff Kaitlin Curtis | Reporter German teacher Audrey Saathoff was taught by Journalism teacher Kari Riemer in the eighth grade at Westview Middle school. Riemer at the time was an English teacher for Saathoff. “She was an excellent student,” Riemer said. “One of my very best.” One of the memories the two had was when they were competing to get into the thousand AR point club first with Saathoff’s best friend. “We were trying to see who would get in first,” Riemer said. “And the three

of us actually made in on the same day if I recall. It got to be pretty cutthroat there.” Looking back at her middle school days, Saathoff said that Riemer has influenced her into being the teacher she is today. “She also really helped me see the need to discipline myself in school,” Saathoff said. “She was strict about us practicing out skills so we could master them and use them to build higherorder skills and think bigger. One of the best things about her class was the logic puzzle warmups, she gave us so

many ways to build our skills in not just reading and writing, but critical thinking. I still remember so much from her class because it impacted me so much.” As the years went on, the two kept in touch when Saathoff went to college. When Riemer started working with Saathoff, Riemer can say it was not awkward at all with her. “I was so happy to be able to work at the same school as her and see her every so often,” Saathoff said. “She’s definitely a mentor that I treasure.”

Mackenzie Guthrie Kaitlyn Nash | Reporter For Mackenzie Guthrie’s teachers, Kirsten Nash and Jeffrey Martindale, working with Guthrie gives them an easy way to see how their old pupil turned out after she graduated high school. Now they don’t have to wonder, they just have to take a look. “I don’t think It’s weird to work with my former students,” Nash said. “It’s more cool because as a teacher sometimes you don’t really know what they turn out to be. It’s cool to get to know them in a different perspective as peers and coworkers.” When reminiscing back on her old memories of the school, Guthrie remembers the certain anecdotes that have stuck with her when remembering

her class with Martindale. “Martindale probably doesn’t remember this, but there was a kid named Nick Dillan and I think he just needed an extra elective and he decided that AP Euro would be a good blow-off class even though it was an AP class,” Guthrie said. “I think Martindale just shook his head a lot at him. I definitely was the type of student who likes my teachers more than my peers.” When Guthrie was younger, she participated in many activities that are held here at school. It’s one of the things that her teachers remember most about her. “She had a pretty good role in High School Musical her sophomore year,” Martindale said. “I remember she was in Fiddler on the Roof and she

also performed in a talent show with her sister. I remember that more than anything in class.” Guthrie’s teachers remember her so well because of her vivid personality. She is remembered as always making everyday fun for everyone and bringing smiles to her teachers and peers faces. “My best stories of her are just her making goofy faces,” Nash said. “Being a goofball is the type of person that she still is, but you love her so much. [Guthrie] was always an old soul so she would always come hang out during lunch or before school or sometimes she would come if she was avoiding her other teachers and not going to their classes sometimes. I’m so proud of her as a person. You miss kids like that because they make teaching and coaching fun.”

Feature Volume 13, Issue 2

DOWNSIZING

BAND Band directors expect to continue success despite shrinking population Bryan Ross | Asst Editor

In the years that the school has been 6A, the band reached the state marching competition in two of their three opportunities, achieved sweepstakes at the UIL concert festival consistently, and performed in locations such as Chicago for the McDonald’s Thanksgiving parade in 2013, the Midwest clinic in 2014, and New York for the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in 2016. But as the school likely approaches a 5A classification for the 2020-2021 school year, it’s reasonable to wonder if the band can continue its UIL run of success. “Being categorized as 5A doesn’t change that much for us,” assistant band director Sean Phelan said. “The only thing it directly affects is who we compete against when we try to go to the state contest. If that happens next year, because this year is 5A’s turn to go to state and next year is 6A’s turn, so if we switch to 5A next year then we would have a two-year period in a row where we’re not going to state.”

Every year, the band competes at the UIL Region marching contest, where they are judged and graded on a one to five scale, with one being the highest rating and five being the lowest. Every other year, achieving a one at that contest qualifies them to go to UIL Area, where they compete against other qualifying bands for a chance to compete at the state marching contest. 6A and 5A schools rotate having that opportunity, and since this current year is a non-state year, dropping to 5A would mean that the band would miss that opportunity two years in a row. “Missing the state year is the only thing where the classification change substantially affects us,” assistant band director Sean Phelan said. “The rest of it is that as the school gets smaller, the band gets smaller as well. There are fewer students enrolled in band then there were last year or the year before that because the classes are a little bit smaller but that has nothing to do with the classification we’re in. The classification reflects

Choir anticipates difficulty level to rise being in 5A

Kaitlin Curtis | Reporter Possibly changing from 6A to 5A next year will affect the choir by changing the level of difficulty of their music. “We will still be expected to perform three pieces of music and sight read but the rigor is slightly eased for 5A,” choir director Abigale ArcheyFoxley said. At the Choir UIL concert and Sight Reading Evaluation, varsity singers have to learn a grade IV piece instead of a grade V piece. Anyone else who is not on varsity will be required to perform a grade I piece instead of a grade III. “We will still strive to

continuously improve and reach excellent and superior ratings at UIL. Because the choir program is still small and growing, [changing to 5A] will be a good thing for us,” Archey-Foxley said. “We will have a little more leeway with the rigor and level of challenge with our performance and sight-reading which will allow us to develop our student's skills more thoroughly as we continue to build the program. Eventually, we will have all our singers performing at a 6A level and beyond, but the switch to 5A gives us time to build to that level and still experience success as a program.”

CHOIR

the numbers, it doesn’t create them.” As the amount of overall members in the band gets lower due to the smaller population of the school, the amount of marchers that are able to perform on the field during a show goes down as well. While a slight change of marching spots may seem insignificant, it can have a larger effect than may be expected. “As the program gets smaller, we’ll probably write for a smaller number of people,” Phelan said. “So instead of 64 woodwinds and 64 brass, we might do 60 and 60 or 56 and 56. Would I like to see the band program a little bit bigger than it is now? Yeah, because for someone writing the marching drill, 64 is a really nice number to work with because it’s a perfect square, which means you can set up an eight by eight block, and there’s a lot you can do with that. You can divide it in half and it’s even numbers and you can divide that in half and it’s even numbers. You can draw all kinds of numbers that are easy to work with in terms of designing

formations from 64. So if we go smaller than that, it makes it less convenient there.” Going down to 5A affects more than just marching band. It also affects where students audition for the Region and All-State band processes, where members individually prepare music to compete against members from across the region and state in order to be selected for the All-Region or All-State bands. “Region band is one thing where if anything 5A schools have a little bit of an advantage,” Phelan said. “For the All-State audition, 5A students can opt to audition in the 6A track. So if the school gets a little bit smaller, then the individual can go through the exact same process that they would have otherwise. They’re also welcome to audition for the 5A track. They make their choice at the beginning of the audition whether they audition for 5A or audition for 6A. That’s just about that person. It opens up an option that wasn’t there before, and it doesn’t take away anything that they could have done before.”

In the spring, the band prepares music in a concert setting to perform at the UIL concert and sight reading festival. 5A bands have less strict requirements than 6A bands do, but head band director James Hairston says that won’t change anything the band does. “Becoming a 5A, according to UIL, we can play easier music, but we’re not going to do that,” Hairston said. “We’re still going to play the same amount of challenging music as if we were a 6A. I don’t think that’s going to change at all.” No matter what, Hairston says that he will push the band as hard as he can to make sure that it doesn’t miss a beat. “The only thing that it affects is that we would be doing the 5A state competition,” Hairston said. “Other than that, the rigor of the program is still going to be at the highest level, the expectation of the program is at the highest level, and I’m still going to treat the program like it’s a 6A program, we’re just going to be at the 5A classification.”

Speech and debate expect little change for next year

Kyla White | Reporter The change from 6A to 5A will affect many UIL organizations whether it means going against easier teams, or even playing less games. Even though many programs have to go through this big change the Speech and Debate team barley gets affected. “The only time the switch to 5A would affect us is when it's specifically Speech and Debate but that's only like three tournaments a year out of the 25 that we go to,” debate coach Kirsten Nash said. Despite the future change, some UIL events compete

against everyone regardless of rank like speech and Debate. With the school moving down a rank it only impacts bits and pieces of UIL as a whole, but things like Speech and Debate, which is an all-inclusive activity, Nash believes it doesn't take too much from them and who they go against. “Stepping down from our 6A ranking down to 5A does little to affect the UIL debate and speech team,” Nash said. “Most of the time we’re completely unaffected, because we already compete against everyone.”

DEBATE

Feature November 1, 2019

Multiple sports to get ready for adjustment as school moves to 5A Seth Deaton | Asst Editor The sports programs have had success in 6A, as district banners decorate the gyms, wall plaques and first place awards decorate the trophy cases, but now the programs will have to build a new name for themselves and reestablish their dominance in a new conference. At the end of this year we will likely be dropping down to a 5A conference due to the decrease in the population over the past few years. This means that all sports programs will now compete against other 5A schools and with this comes a new set of difficulties and challenges, there are even programs that are struggling to fill all the spots necessary for their teams. "Because we have less students, our team is very small and we don’t have enough players to make a full JV team,” sophomore tennis varsity player Ava Saad said. "We barely have enough to make a varsity team. In fact we don’t really have a full varsity team either. Having fewer students is making it really hard to have people on our team." Head girls soccer coach, Angela Fulton, says that the change in district will help keep the programs more

competitive because the other schools will have a larger population, but the programs will have to adjust. “The number of students to pull from will decrease but the team size will stay the same,” Fulton said. “It’s not as though our team size will be bigger or smaller because we make adjustments, but as the population shrinks the talent pool to pull from gets smaller. Last year the freshmen class was 21 girls, this year's freshman class is ten, and the junior class has around 16 girls in it and that’s saying over the course of two and a half years 16 have stayed but the freshman class only has ten. So what are those numbers going to look like when that class is seniors?” While having a smaller team can help athletes on the team build better chemistry than they would if the team was bigger, it also creates other issues “Having a smaller team makes us closer together sure but it’s also really hard because we can’t push ourselves if we don’t have people to play against,” Saad said. “Playing against the same people every single day doesn’t push you as much as having a bigger team and more diverse levels.” However, according to head volleyball coach Carrie

Sulak, the programs will be used to facing smaller, less competitive teams so dropping to a smaller conference should keep the programs more competitive. “5A still has some competitive teams around the area,” Sulak said. “But it’s going to be a little easier because not all teams are going to be as competitive as we are now. This team will be fabulous at 5A because they’ve been playing together at 6A for two years so they know what to do and what the expectations are, because the expectations don’t change, we expect to perform and do our job.” Not only will the teams be less competitive but the change in conference will bring back many rivalries such as Battle of the Villes. Fulton says that the girls soccer team has a different energy and focus on the weeks where they play a rival school. “We scrimmaged Pflugerville high school in preseason just to have a game where there’s something at stake, there was pride on the line even before the season starts,” Fulton said. “Now we’ll get two chances to do that, we’ll have two chances where our pride is at stake, and there’s always pride when you play another team but Battle of the Villes is another level. The whole team has this energy and

mentality of ‘we’re not going to lose this,’ it’ll add more preparation and dedication to our practices that week. Even just walking off the bus there’s this buzz and we get that twice now.” According to Fulton the issue with having a smaller pool of athletes is that not only is there a smaller pool of talent, but the athletes within that pool no longer need to have the same dedication and desire to win a spot on the team because there are less people to compete with for the spot “The challenge is going to be for athletes in the program to never feel like they’ve fully arrived at any place or any point during the season,” Fulton said. “I don’t want them to ever feel like they’ve peaked in their skills, and the problem that rises with a smaller population to pull from is you’re no longer just a big fish in a big pond with other big fish but you’re a big fish in a small pond and everyone else sees you as a big fish, so you’ve arrived you don’t have to try and prove you’re special. People have to decide to show up and prove that they’re special, that’s what separates the good teams from the great teams. Even if the entire school is in agreement that they’re special they still should feel like they

need to prove it.” Fulton says that the competitive spirit and drive is what truly makes a team special and that making sure that the teams keep that competitive spirit is going to be one of the most difficult obstacles the programs will face over the next few years. She says that the smaller class sizes can lead to a feeling of complacency. “Having a class of 300 people and having a class of 900 people is very different,” Fulton said. “You have to compete to prove that you’re the smartest in a group of 900 much harder than you would in a group of 300. To put it clearly, even if you’ve got something on lock down ask yourself daily how can I compete against myself, how can I prove to my teammates and my coach that I deserve to have this label of starting varsity, and it’s hard because as human beings we want to have this end destination and be able to say that we got there, and then not really try. It’s not like as a coach I have any specific answers for that because the answer is to continue to have the conversation for it day in and day out and ask yourself who are you being today.”

SPORTS UIL Academics predict new challenges as school goes down to 5A Landon Self | Reporter While not the Friday Night Lights of football or the Saturday spectacles of a band competition, UIL academics has a similar work ethic required and competitive drive. UIL academics will face new challenges in 5A but in a different way than sports and other extra-curriculars like band and theatre. Unlike sports where numbers can make a big difference in the outcome of the game, academics is largely affected by individual performances. "Unlike with sports where I think they are pretty excited about the shift down UIL academics is weird and so is speech and debate, which is under the academic umbrella, in that 6A and 5A doesn't necessarily matter

as much as individual programs and their success in that particular thing," UIL Academic coordinator Kirsten Nash said. "Success in those events is tied to individual coaches who are extremely passionate about what they do and them caring more than other people." According to Nash, changing conferences won't mean that they will face better or worse competition, it all depends on who the coaches are, so it doesn't mean expectations will change for any events. "There are a lot of events that I don't see changing dramatically from us going from 6A to 5A," Nash said. "I think there are a couple of powerhouses in specific events in our 6A district that I wouldn't mind not facing. For example, I wouldn't mind not

being with Westwood in math anymore because they're very strong in math and science and they almost always win. Not having to be with them anymore would be nice but in 5A there are some really strong speech and debate coaches. We're just going to do what we always do which is doing our best to try and recruit the best kids that we can and do our best at the meets. Some events will do better when we drop down to 5A but others will do a little bit worse but our strategy doesn't change depending on the classification that we are we do the best that we can and try to get the best people in the right places and that's when success happens." For academics not only does the conference change from 6A to 5A, but because of that

change they will no longer compete in the Waco region. "We've been in the Waco region for a while and you kind of get used to your region," Nash said. "Each region operates a little differently, especially in speech and debate and other big events. Getting used to the type of grading that you get for a specific site may take a little bit of time. I'm more concerned about where we will be placed regionally because that's something that will affect the way that we coach our kids especially in writing and speaking events." One thing that has remained the same across the board for sports, band, academics, and theatre is the excitement about competing with other Pflugerville schools. Nash says that facing your peers

and people that you know on a personal level can help drive you to do better and prepare more thoroughly. "We haven't been with any Pflugerville schools in a while," Nash said. "Moving back down to 5A means we would encounter Weiss and Pflugerville so I'm excited to see what happens because we've all been in different classifications and it'll be interesting to see us competing with kids from our own area because that heightens the competition. We're going head to head with our peers and that makes it more intense. It's been a long time where all the Pflugerville schools are in the same conference, and I think that all of our rivalries will become more intense."

ACADEMICS

Feature Volume 13, Issue 2

Sibling Goals

Twins share experiences taking same rigorous classes, while planning their futures in the same field of study Kaitlin Mackey | Co-Editor He wakes up and goes to school with his twin and has just about every class with her, causing him to see her both at home and all day at school. This has been a reality for seniors Jay and Janvi Patel since middle school. “Having the same classes as Janvi doesn’t really affect me much,” Jay said. “If anything, it makes things easier because me and my sister can remind each other of the work we have for a class be there for each other.” Although Jay is currently ranked number one in the class, Janvi is not far behind, being ranked fourth out of all the seniors. The siblings are taking a total of seven AP classes and one honors class including AP Computer Science and both AP Physics II and AP Physics C. “School is sometimes stressful but it’s mostly because of the workload. This year is less stressful because college admissions will be over before this school year ends. Mostly though, I can easily grasp scientific concepts and so some work becomes easy.” Like most siblings, there is of course, the famous sibling rivalry. They compete against each other to see who can get a better grade on an assignment and who can do better in the class as a whole. Except this sibling rivalry over who can get higher grades doesn’t stop them from helping each other. “Most of the time we

try to do our homework on our own,” Janvi said. “But if anyone of us needs help on something the other [person] definitely helps out, but sometimes Jay and I are competitive to see who can get higher grades. Both Jay and Janvi are both hoping to attend either the University of Texas at Austin or Texas A&M, with University of Texas at Dallas as a backup school for Jay. They are both wanting to major in Electrical and Computer Engineering. “I really enjoy math and science,” Janvi said. “Also technology is improving so much and I want to get an in-depth knowledge of [technology].” Everybody has different reasonings behind why they care or don’t care about school. For some people it’s in their culture, for s o m e

people their parents encourage them to make good grades, and some people want to go to their dream school and work hard for it. Same goes for Jay and Janvi, they push hard and try their best to reach their goals, knowing that the schools they want to go to are highly competitive. “I try so hard mainly because I wanted to be able to get college credit,” Jay said. “By getting college credit it means I don’t have to spend so much for college.” The year before Weiss opened up was this year’s senior class’ freshman year. The school’s population was about 3,000 students. The freshmen classes had about 35 students in each class. This made competition for class rankings easier because the quartiles became bigger. However the next year, Weiss opened up and the amount of students in the then-sophomore class had gone down significantly, making increased competition and rankings were harder to get. “There used to be competition when I was a freshman, sophomore, and junior because I wasn’t first,” Jay said. “After getting first, there is some competition but not as much pressure due to the fact that I’ll already have applied to colleges before senior year ends. For grades, there is some internal competition with my sister, but I don’t usually compare grades for the purpose of competition.”

Jay and Janvi Patel make slime in their AP Physics class, just one of the eight classes they share. Jordan Viscani | Photographer

AP Research t AP Governmen BC Calculus AP

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uter omp e C AP cienc S II s c i ys Ph C cs i s y Ph

Feature November 1, 2019

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Teacher brings dogs to help students gain experience Angelyna Rosales | Asst. Editor Every Friday morning agriculture teacher, Pilar Gonzalez, loads her three dogs into her car, but they’re not going to the vet, they’re going

to a high school classroom as a project for her students. Gonzalez has started to bring her dogs into her classes every Friday to help her students in small animal management

and vet med classes get animal experience and get rid of the social stigmas around her dogs breed. “Some kids have the mentality of wanting to be a

Ian Falkenbury | Photographer

HOSA hosts therapy dog meeting Hannah Brubaker | Reporter Two dogs come into a classroom of 50 plus kids to educate health science students on therapy dogs. On Sept. 25, the HOSA meeting included therapy dogs from the Dog Alliance and their owners Marlene and Jerry Coffman to give a lecture about the different services that therapy dogs provide compared to service dogs. “A therapy dog is a dog for anybody and everybody,” Marlene said. “They go to nursing homes, hospitals, and school functions like this, anything that there is a group of people, that is what they’re there for. A service dog is for one person, where it can be for someone who had a disability, allergies, and stability issues.” Therapy dogs go through predictable and complex training so that they can be certified to help people in different environments. “Lexi, is able to visit the patients and staff because she is able to handle the complex environment with the yelling and chaotic crowds and movement at the hospital,” Marlene said. “The dogs are both certified in the predictable training meaning situations

that are able to be controlled and are usually always the same.” Therapy dogs go to places where people would like comfort, or something to help the stress in their environment. “We go to court on Tuesdays, we sit out on the benches and let the dogs visit the people before they go up to the judge to relieve some of the stress,” Marlene said. “We’ve also gone to jail, on Thursdays, we let the people play with dogs when they are released from the holding areas before they are called onto court.” The dogs know what their jobs are, to be around people and do their best to bring joy to the people. “Lexi is very good at detecting stress of any type,” Jerry said. “We were at this garage in Thorndale, and Lexi sensed that this man that had walked in was undergoing a lot of stress. Eventually we walked over to this man and I had explained to him how Lexi was a therapy dog and the man agreed and said ‘I actually am having a lot of stress at the moment.’ Even at the hospital, Lexi would walk around and say hi to everybody, but she was with this one patient and she didn’t want to leave.”

vet but they have no animal experience,” Gonzalez said. “So I started to bring my dogs so kids who don’t have pets could interact with them and get more hands on experience. I have two boxers and a boxer pit mix, and my breed of dogs has a very negative connotation associated with them that they are aggressive dogs. So I started to bring my dogs in to help get rid of that stigma and help people to understand that they’re not an aggressive breed but that it’s a learned behavior.” Gonzalez plans on providing a grooming service where teachers can bring their dogs into school within the next few months. The program will provide basic things such as baths and walks. Teachers will have to provide updated medical records for their dogs if they want to bring their dogs in for boarding as a safety precaution. “With those records of vaccinations the dogs have to have a Bordetella shot because Bordetella is for dogs that are boarding and we don’t want them to get kennel cough which can be very deadly,” Gonzalez said. “We will also sterilize everything after every visit, not only to keep the pets safe but also the kids because I wouldn’t want to have a dog who hasn’t had their rabies shot in three years to be around children.”

In addition to grooming services for teachers, the program will also provide student-led job opportunities, and the fees charged will go back to students in the animal science programs. “We are going to charge for these services because the money that we generate is going back to the kids in the animal science program,” Gonzalez said. “We will use that money to buy things for the vet med labs, or small animal management. Kids will also be able to get more hands on experience where they will be almost working at a job and hopefully in the future they can put that on a resume.” Students who took the vet med class during their junior year, are eligible to become a certified vet med assistant through the practicum of agriculture course, which also gives students the opportunity to participate in clinical internships. “This program will help to get them ready for an internship if they decide to go that route, so they feel more comfortable going into these clinics and they’re confident,” Gonzalez said. “When we send these students out to these clinics they are making the school look good, they’re making the district look good, and they’re getting certified which is always our goal.”

Entertainment Volume 13, Issue 2

Where Dreams Come True Staff compares Disney movies to live-action remakes

Lady and the Tramp Kaitlin Mackey | Artist

Kyla White | Reporter In the trailer of the new upcoming live action version of the beloved Lady and the Tramp (1995), with Tessa Thompson voicing Lady and Justin Theroux as the Tramp, shows a new kind of realism to the story that wasn’t shown before. Set to be released on Nov. 12, it looks like the live

Lion

Aladdin Hannah Brubaker | Reporter There was a lot of anticipation for the new Disney’s Aladdin 2019 variation of the original Aladdin that came out in 1992. The original had made over $504 million, while the new version had produced over $1 billion in the box office. There are many changes to the new movie, like new characters, changes to the characters history, and a new song. Disney had just started coming out with live-action versions of their cartoons

action version of Lady and the Tramp is staying true to the original, a romance between two individuals on different sides of the track, and an awaited sound track to reminisce the past. A movie that so many people can reference without ever watching, gives people a chance to see it in a new light.

Cinderella Abigail Hill | Co-Editor

King

Ikram Mohamed | Asst. Editor The Lion King, which originally came out in 1994, was recently turned into a liveaction movie this past June. The movie has been a classic within Disney’s animated enterprise, capturing the hearts of fans for generations, and the release of a liveaction version sparked excitement within all ages. The live-action version maintains a lot of the vital scenes which truly make The Lion King what it is, such as

the opening scene of the ‘Circle of Life’ and ‘Hakuna Matata’. Though, many of these scenes are stripped of what made them so magical the first time around. For obvious reasons, the animated version allowed for the scenes to be more fun and comical, though within the live-action version characters are more limited within their abilities. The most noticeable of which being Pumbaa and Timon, as their comical antics are nowhere to be seen. Though the live-action

dating back a couple years ago starting with The Jungle Book in 2016. Then Christopher Robin came out in 2018, and Aladdin was one out of the three movies that premiered this year. The remake was better than expected, since it was live action it involved more of a reality to it, even though it included genies, magic lamps, and sorcery. However, the cartoon is still an impressive feature film that came out during the Disney Renaissance.

version differs a bit from the original version in some ways, it retains a level of beauty and excellence which viewers continue to enjoy. From Beyonce’s vocals to the scenery presented, the live-action version contains aspects of the original, and additions of its own, to provide viewers both young and old with a joyful experience, proving The Lion King to be the timeless classic which we all know and love.

Cinderella is the story of an only child having to adapt to her new stepmother when her father dies, against all odds, becomes a princess when prince charming meets and falls in love with her. Both the live action and animated version of Cinderella have now become one of the most loved Disney princess stories

of all time. The live action version came out in 2015, and the original one came out in 1950. So, the fact that the live action one came out 65 years later only means that the story of Cinderella never gets old. The beautiful story line and romantic moments make Cinderella a forever classic and long lived Disney movie.

Entertainment November 1, 2019

Lilo & Stitch Kaitlin Mackey | Co-Editor The movie Lilo & Stitch tells a story of a young girl named Lilo that doesn’t fit in and befriends a dog-like alien named Stitch. In the movie, the duo that were both seen as outcasts and were lonely go through a journey where the two aren’t so lonely anymore. Lilo teaches Stitch how to behave better as a companion rather than being destructive to everything. Lilo & Stitch manages to show a rather humorous and entertaining journey of the outcasts going through obstacles together ranging from fighting aliens to social workers. It has been announced that 17 years later, Lilo & Stitch will have a remake which will be written by Mike Van Waes (writer of The Crooked Man) and produced by

The Little Mermaid Lin Productions - the same company that produced Aladdin in May. The movie will be a combined mixture of live-action and CGI. It is currently in development, but the release date has not been announced yet. When the announcement first went out about the movie, there was a controversy due to what was a potential leak of what Stitch would look like. To many, the image of Stitch was very Gremlin-like and would seem too scary to appear in a family movie. Luckily, it is believed that the drawing was just a fake drawing that a random person drew and put on social media. While other details have yet to be released about the remake, it would be interesting to see exactly how the remake would turn out.

Beauty and Mulan the Beast Bryan Ross | Asst. Editor

Kaitlin Mackey | Co-Editor

The iconic Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, tells the story of a young woman named Belle who’s father was captured by an arrogant elite that was turned into a beast and then takes her father’s place as his prisoner, but they begin to fall in love. The French film was originally a novel written by French novelist, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. Nearly 200 years later, the film filled with romance and bits of comedy was released in 1991. Following up with a live-action

remake in 2017 starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast. However, there was one change in the remake that caused quite a controversy. LeFou (Josh Gad), the sidekick of Gaston (Luke Evans), was portrayed as a gay character. This led the film to be shelved by Kuwait and Malaysia, was given a stricter rating in Russian theaters, and was boycotted by one Alabama drive-in. Other than this change, the movie was similar to the original version, and was well made.

One of the centerpieces of the 1990’s Disney renaissance, Mulan is a mix of action, drama, and comedy that has become one of Disney’s most beloved classics. A film about a strong female lead, before every Disney film became about a strong female lead, it told the story of Mulan, a girl struggling to fit into what is expected of her, deciding to disguise herself as a man in order to join the Chinese army to protect her aging father from having to fight. Aside from the dramatic plot, Mulan features some of the best music from any Disney movie along with incredibly

Angelyna Rosales | Asst. Editor Disney will be creating a live action remake of The Little Mermaid the release date is yet to be set but it will be sometime in 2021. The original 1989 movie is about a 16 year old mermaid, Ariel, who dreams of becoming human and living on land. Eventually, she saves a human, Prince Eric, from drowning and ends up falling in love with him. She then turns to the sea witch, Ursula, to help her become human. However, Ursula takes her voice and says that she has to find true loves kiss within three days to get her voice back and remain human. In the live action remake Ariel will be played by Halle Bailey, a black R&B artist. This has been controversial in the media because the original film portrays Ariel

as a white teenager. Some fans have even used the hashtag “#notmyariel” in response to the casting. Bailey has ignored most of the negativity and seems excited to be playing the role. Other roles have yet to be casted, however, there is speculation of Melissa McCarthy playing Ursula, and Awkwafina playing scuttle. Harry Styles was the top pick to play Prince Eric, but he had turned down the role to focus on writing music. Lin Manuel Miranda, also known for writing and performing in the Broadway hit, Hamilton, is currently working with directors to create new songs for the movie. The remake is set to be very similar to the original with a few changes in characters and the possible addition of new songs.

funny side characters, namely Mushu the dragon, to make an incredible movie. As a result, there was justifiable excitement when a live-action remake was announced, but the project has not been a smooth process. Plans were announced as early as 2010, but the movie didn’t begin to come together until 2015, when Niki Caro was announced as director. The movie will be released March 27, 2020 but will have some noticeable differences. For one, the songs from the original will be removed. While some will play as instrumental in the background, it will be nothing more than a nod to the

original movie. Mushu, who is arguably the movies most popular character, will not be a part of the movie. These changes are being made for a couple of reasons. For one, the movie is attempting to better align with traditional Chinese culture, and try to avoid any concerns of cultural appropriation that have been raised about the first movie. Disney will have to work hard to ensure that the new movie’s action and emotional value is effective, or else the movie could fall flat as a lifeless shell of the first one. While a Mulan live-action movie presents a lot of potential, it has yet to be seen whether the changes will work out.

Entertainment Volume 13, Issue 2

11+1 must-do’s

Staff reviews entertainment released in October Immunity by Clario

Rhythm + Flow

The album Immunity by Clairo was recently released on August 2, 2019. The Immunity album is Clairo’s debut album consisting of 11 songs. Although the album has a lot of good songs there are a 2 or 3 that don't match the same feel that the rest of the other songs give off. However, the Immunity album is a very well produced album, and is fun to listen to.

The brand new Netflix Original Series, Rhythm + Flow is a must watch for all who like rap or hip-hop, it features Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, and T.I. as the judges, on the search for new hip-hop stars across the country. The contestants are judged on their ability to lyricize, perform well, and entertain the audience.

Fandom by Waterparks The new album, Fandom, by Waterparks, came out on Oct. 11. The alternative album features 15 songs, and is perfect to add to any play list. The catchy choruses and upbeat and punk like background music sounds great to your ears. Starting out small from Houston, the trio are making their way up to the charts.

Bluff City Law is a new legal drama that premiered on Sep. 23, on NBC showing a well known Memphis family known for dealing with legal matters. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Bluff City Law has an average audience approval of 87 percent. For those interested in shows such as Law and Order or Madam Secretary then Bluff City Law would be an enjoyable show to watch.

Looking for Alaska John Green’s best seller, Looking for Alaska, was turned into a Hulu original in late October. The eight episode mini series has minor deviations from the book in the casting but overall is a good representation of the book. The series has been highly anticipated by readers for several years and is enjoyable for all.

Euphoria Soundtrack

El Camino Following the Breaking Bad series ending in 2013, Netflix has recently released El Camino, a movie that continues the shows plot after its ending. The movie has many of the original cast returning to be featured in the film, such as Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. The movie will answer many questions that left the viewers longing for more following the series ending and will tell them what happened next.

The HBO original TV show, Euphoria, came out Jun. 16 of this year, however many songs on the show were not out at the time. On Oct. 4, the songs from Euphoria were released, all by the artist, Labyrinth. The album is composed of popular hits including, “I Still Don’t Know My Name,” and “When I R.I.P.”

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

The recently released Disney movie, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, is a follow up to the first movie, showing how Maleficent and Aurora’s lives have changed. They begin to question their family ties, and all chaos breaks loose. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, was released on Oct. 18, receiving a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes for the audience score.

The Addams family

Lights Up by Harry Styles Harry Styles released his new single Lights Up on Oct. 11 as the first song in his second studio album. The song has a soft, slow groove and has a relaxing feel. It’s not the most exciting song, but is a good song to listen to in the background of homework or something of the sort. The song was highly anticipated, with restless fans trending the song on Twitter before it was released. The song was received well, reaching No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 just a week after its release.

Buff City Law

The Joker DC released its controversial new movie The Joker on Oct. 4. The movie has an interesting and insightful take on the Joker’s backstory. Joaquin Phoenix’s acting and character development is perfectly portrays the sick and misunderstood character that Joker is.

Somebody to Love

One Republic released their new single, Somebody to Love, in early October. The song is an early release for their new album Human, which is coming out sometime in 2020. The song has an upbeat, happy tune with lyrics that have a deeper meaning as they tell a story about how life changes and people come and go.

The well known and famous movie, The Addams Family is making its way into the hands of Paramount Pictures. The movie is about an unusual family preparing their household for their relatives visiting. When a TV host Margaux Needler (Allison Janney) finds out that the Addams Family refusal to sell their mansion is interfering with her dream to sell all the houses in the neighborhood she does everything she can to get them out. There are a few messages to the film like as we shouldn’t judge others for being different, and we need to be accepting of who we are and is a great family movie to watch.

Sports November 1, 2019

Running State of Mind

Cross Country runners describe what they think about when running Brisa Espinoza | Asst Editor

Meghan Weber | Photographer

Why do you think it’s important to keep your mind off other things during the race? “If all you think about is running, the race will go by slower. You have to think about other things or else you’ll get more tired and you’ll fall behind.”

Miranda Viegra, 11

“You have to keep your mind off of other things when running. If you’re focusing on how your shins are hurting during your race, it may cause you to only think about that and make it harder for you to finish.”

Taylor Adamek, 10

Why do you to think about certain things when you’re running? “Having a good race is all about your form and keeping a clear mind. You have to stay calm and not tense up during a race because it wastes more energy if you’re not.”

Kevin Castruita, 11 “Cross Country is pretty hard so when I’m running, I’m just looking forward to the end to get that feeling of accomplishment.”

Marianna Evans, 10

What do you think about when you’re running in a race? “I just think about how to stay strong and know that the finish line is near. I make sure to pace myself throughout the race and not to use too much energy all at the beginning.”

Katie Rzepniewski, 11 “I think about how much longer I have to run and what I’m going to eat after the run is over. I also play music in my head sometimes to keep me going because it can get boring sometimes.”

Meredith Nelsen, 12

What keeps you focused? “Before the run, while we’re warming up, being able to think about the race and getting prepared for it keeps me focused.”

Tony Brackelsberg, 12 “When i’m racing, I usually focus on making this race my best race I can run. It passes the time quicker if i’m not thinking about how much this race is hurting and instead i’m thinking about what I can do to make myself be the best runner I can be.”

Konner Faust, 11

Sports Volume 13, Issue 2

Fight To the Finish

Varsity Football players discuss playoffs, end of the season Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor The words,”We’re not going to playoffs,” haven’t been said for the football team in 12 years, not until this year when the Hawks were unable to secure a playoff spot in their 2019 season. This is the first time the football team hasn’t gone to playoffs since 2007 when the team went 3-4 in district. Every year for 12 years, Hendrickson has made an appearance in the UIL football playoffs. The team lost their chance at going to playoffs when they lost to Vista Ridge 32- 35 on Oct. 25. “When we lost, it was tough on the whole team,” junior Aidan Keith said. “Walking into the locker room at the end of the game you could just instantly feel the sadness throughout everyone.” Last year, the team was able to make it to the first round of the post district playoffs before losing to Cypress Ranch 10-24. After the 2018 season, many of the team was made up of seniors that graduated in 2019. The underclassmen had to step up this season and fill the positions that were left open once the class of 2019 left. “It’s heartbreaking that we couldn’t secure a playoff spot this year,” senior Ramses Gonzalez said. “Our season ends in two weeks and some of my brothers won’t get to experience playing in the playoffs and the rush you get when you step onto the field. Some of us won’t ever touch the field

again which is the saddest part about everything.” Despite that after the team plays their final games of the season against McNeil on Nov. 8, they won’t be continuing on to playoffs, the players all want to finish their season off strong and have it be a lesson for them to go off of next season. “We’re going to play through the rest of the season and keep our heads

held high,” junior Xavier Lucio said. “It’s our chance to make our statement that we aren’t laying down next year and we aren’t going to make the same mistakes.” For many of the players, they have never experienced a football season where they would not be going to playoffs. Going to the playoffs has been something that has been expected of the team to achieve.

Breaking a tackle, senior Duce Hester runs the ball during the homecoming game against Leander. “The team and everyone are sad, especially the seniors,” Hester said. “It was our last year playing together as a brotherhood, next year we won’t be playing together like we have been the past four years.” Ian Falkenbury | Photographer

“With us not making it into playoffs it proved that everything is earned, we can’t take anything for granted,” senior Duce Hester said. “It shows us that no matter what’s happening in the game, win or lose, we have to finish strong.” This season has proven many things to the team that they do not want to have repeated in the following season. After the loss to Vista Ridge, the players have a new mindset already installed and hope for it to stick. “Moving forward for next year we’ve learned not to be satisfied in anything we do,” junior Brennan Dees. “We need to find the key piece that we’ve been missing this past season to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.” The team never wants them not to go to playoffs again and want for them to have this season be what pushes them next year as they continue to grow and develop new skills. Though despite everything that happened, they’re still grateful for the opportunities they were given and the memories they made. “It’s rough not being able to make playoffs but I have made some amazing memories and friends in the course of the season,” senior Noah Issa said. “I wouldn’t trade anyone on this team because they truly are my family. I can’t wait to see the younger guy I got to play with ball out next year and show everyone that we can come back from this.”

JV teams suffer loss in players due to grade cutoff Ethan Tittle | Reporter

Many programs face a shortage of players whether it’s from failing grades, lack of attention, or just not enough people joining. This problem of a low amount players can affect the team’s performance and season. Sophomore Caden Campos is on the JV football team, and is one of the few people that remained eligible this past six weeks and has to play on a team that has about half of the players it did before. “Having such low numbers of players has affected the team by having to have multiple players playing both sides of the ball and going from position to position,’’ Campos said. This year, cheer only has enough

players to make one team instead of having a Junior Varsity and Varsity team. Even with only having one team they still don’t have the full amount of players they need to be successful, which is going to affect their season. Senior Danielle Corn is participating in her fourth year on the Hendrickson cheer team and is going to be affected by the lack of people. “This year we only have four stunt groups compared to

the normal six or seven, which means that the other people that don’t have the same physical abilities are left on the outside, and have no purpose,” Corn said. “Because of that we don’t have enough groups to make the pyramid that we usually do at nationals this year.” Every year the UIL organization pulls grades for the “No Pass No Play” rule at a six week grading period instead of a nine week grading period during

the first cycle. This gives students less time to bring their grades up to passing, this affected programs like, Band, Choir, Cheer, Football, Tennis, and other programs at the school causing many people ineligible. “This is affecting our season because every game we play, we are already at a disadvantage with only having a small amount of players compared to the other larger teams,’’ Campos said. “I think for us to be able to succeed in both academics and football we should have time before or after practice to go see our teachers to work out your grades.”

Sports November 1, 2019

Failing, But Not Falling JV football loses athletes to grades, continues to compete Seth Deaton | Asst. Editor The ball snaps and the quarterback scrambles trying to save the play. A whistle blows the play dead and the subs come in giving the starters much needed relief, but no subs come in for the home team. There’s nobody to sub in. The bench is empty. Over the last three years, since the opening of Weiss High School, enrollment has steadily gone down, and as the overall enrollment decreases, so does the number of athletes. This drop in athletes has led to a rapid reduction in the size of the junior varsity football teams. This plus eligibility cutoffs has caused the teams to drop down to barely over 20 people, and while most coaches would combine their JV teams, head football coach William Killian says that he believes in his athletes and in their ability to compete against larger teams. “We will always strive to have two JV teams because I really want the athletes to get real

playing time,” Killian said. “They really work hard in practice to get the opportunity to play, so while a lot of schools in the area will cancel a team just because they’re down to 18 kids we will find every way to get those kids on the field because having 60 kids on one team means that not everyone gets to play and you really learn by playing.” According to Killian, one of the biggest problems with having smaller teams after the cut off is that you have to find a way to get eligible players practice time while still making sure that ineligible players also get time to practice and prepare them for future seasons. “What we try to do as far as giving eligible athletes practice time in the team setting is the students that are passing are going to get a majority of the reps,” Killian said. “We see it as a positive side because it lets the athletes play more especially at the junior varsity and even the freshman level because we don’t know exactly where

Junior Joseph Dela Rosa stands on the line of scrimmage waiting for the ball to be snapped while playing against Stony Point. Kyla White | Photographer

they’re going to play at the varsity level. They might have a position change so we need to see what the best fit is because our goal is always to get the athletes on the field as much as possible. In some ways it’s tough and challenging, but there’s also a positive side to it in that that young man, that athlete, gets to learn and play a little bit more of both sides of the ball.” Killian says that the other issue with having smaller teams due to eligibility is that other schools will cancel their teams will cancel one JV team to add depth. This means that he and the other coaches have to go and find other teams to play against. “We always try to find a game,” Killian said. “Coaches get on the phones, text messages, emails etc. We have a games needed board to keep track of how many games we need to find. We’ve had a couple of teams cancel our silver games this year and we’ve been able to find them games. Sometimes it’s

a private school sometimes it’s another district team that’s playing a school that doesn’t have another silver (JV B) team. We may end up playing the same team two or three times. One year I think we played Vandegrift or Lake Travis three times three times. We make sure that our athletes get to play.” Killian says that he likes having smaller teams because he likes getting to see his athletes compete and overcome challenges. He loves seeing his JV teams compete against the varsity. “The big thing is the coachability, because a lot of times the athlete doesn’t understand that by being in the scout team they’re getting that many more reps and that much more evaluation,” Killian said. “So when we go and break down film with the varsity we’re breaking that film down at the same time to see who’s really doing a good job at that and a lot of times the position coach will watch that and he’ll be able

to help that player out just by what he saw on scout team. I try to always go down and watch scout offense and scout defense to try and find out how those guys are doing but ultimately it’s film where I get to watch those guys play the most.” Killian says that he’s looking forward to competing against schools closer to our size next year with the drops down to 5A because it helps his athletes compete especially on the JV level. They won’t be fighting against teams with an extra 30 kids on the bench to sub in. “The big difference between 5A and 6A is really depth, it’s not so much the quality of the athlete, because we’ve competed at every level in the time I’ve been here, and we look forward to being able to compete with schools more our size,” Killian said. “I like it just for the athletes because it levels the playing field.”

Combined JV football teams discuss the game against Stony Point during half time, and prepare for next half. Kyla White | Photographer

Back Page Volume 13, Issue 2

Dia De Los Muertos

Teacher, Students explain why they celebrate Day of the Dead Brisa Espinoza | Asst Editor

Drew Keller

Meghan Weber | Photographer

“Day of the Dead is a celebration of life. It is traditionally celebrated over a three-day period and begins with the building of an altar or offering for the loved ones you are honoring. This is something I do both at home and in my classroom. Having an example of a traditional altar in my room is a way for students to better understand the symbolism and beauty behind this unique holiday. In addition to the altar, I dress up as “La Catrina” every year. “La Catrina” is a classic figure that is seen as a symbol of the joy of remembrance. The first day is typically a day of preparation and the events can vary. Families will visit the graves of loved ones to clean an decorate them with marigolds. They will sometimes have music as well and share a meal alongside the graves. It is also a popular day

Gabriel Valdespino, 11

“It’s a day where I can remember the good times I had with my late relatives and relive all the memories I spent with them. Day of the Dead is where everyone can come together with family and friends to celebrate those that have passed away. We set out their pictures, favorite food and things they liked while they were alive. Then for dinner we eat their favorite food in celebration of them. The holiday is celebrated so people can remember their relatives that they cared about; it’s important to remember people after they’ve passed so we can remember the memories we have with them and keep their legacy alive.”

Abigail Hill | Artist

for entire towns and communities to celebrate together. They will hold parades and festivals to honor those who have passed away. Nov. 1 is dedicated to children who have passed away and Nov. 2 is dedicated to all others. 14 years ago, I lost my grandmother suddenly. We had a very close relationship and I was really affected by it. I did not learn how to cope with it until eight years ago when I began student teaching during my last year at Texas State. I was placed in a classroom with a wonderful teacher named Mrs. Pardi. It was the first time I saw a Day of the Dead altar in person, but more importantly, she wanted me to help construct it. Over four days she explained the tradition to me and we built a beautiful altar to honor her brother who had passed away the year prior. We really

connected and I was so inspired to build my own. Ever since then, I celebrate Day of the Dead to honor the lives of my loved ones who have passed away. Every year I add more photos of loved ones to my altar and it brings me so much joy to be able to honor and celebrate them. Day of the Dead is celebrated to honor those people in our lives to have passed away but who’s life and memory carries on within us. Rarely do we have the opportunity to reflect on those who are no longer with us but do so in a way that honors and celebrates who they were and the impact they have left on us. For this reason, I think it is a refreshing approach to the topic of death. It allows for us to confront it, knowing that we can find comfort in begin celebrated, even after we are gone,”

Alyssa Vargas, 11

“Day of the Dead is where families honor their loved ones with photos, gifts, gatherings and lots of food. My family has little ofrendas at the entrance of my house, they’re filled with pictures of people from my dad’s side and my grandma from my mom’s side. We traditionally make sopas, tamales and pozole when all my family gathers on Oct. 31. The past two years, my relatives and I have gone to the Day of the Dead parade in Austin so we can celebrate with the community. It helps us recall the memories of my grandparents and the time they spent with us. I think it’s celebrated to remind us that family is important and permanent in our lives, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.”