The Hawk April 2022

The

Hawk

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 15, Issue 6 April 8, 2022

The Man in the Mirror April brings acceptance, awareness to autism Pages 8-9

In this Issue...

6

New Transgender Legislation

12

14

Baseball vs Softball

Robert Pattinson reviews

2

News Volume 15, Issue 6

state of the

UNION Nations Respond to Russian Invasion of Ukraine Landon Self | Asst. Editor Since Russia launched a full-scale military invasion into Ukraine on Feb. 24, fighting has caused over 900 civilian deaths and pushed millions of Ukrainians to flee to neighboring countries. On March 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a joint session of Congress via video conference. On March 23, President Joe Biden traveled to Europe in the hopes of rallying the global

community in support of Ukraine.

Over a month into the war, the Russian invasion has led to one of the largest refugee crises in modern history. Approximately four million Ukrainian refugees have fled into neighboring countries. Modern weapons such as cluster bombs, rockets and artillery shells, and armed drones are a few of the weapons used in the war, proving the devastation of modern war equipment.

Attorney General Ken Paxton faces George P. Bush in Republican Runoff Landon Self | Asst. Editor Incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been forced into a primary runoff election with Land Commissioner George P Bush. Paxton came in first place in the March 1 Primary Election, coming in with 43 percent of the vote. Bush came in second with 22 percent followed by Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and Congressman Louie Gohmert. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent, the top two advance to a runoff, which is Paxton and Bush.

Bush announced his challenge to Paxton in June of last year where he cited indictments and other legal trouble for Paxton. Bush ran in the primary and touted his endorsements from the Texas Young Republicans, National Border Patrol Council, and many sheriffs and local leaders across Texas. Paxton had the endorsement of Former President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association and cited his legal victories as a reason for why Republican voters should keep him in office. In the end, 57 percent of

Republican voters voted for a different candidate, and Paxton is now in a fight for his political life in the runoff election.

Since the Primary, Paxton has secured the endorsements of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and members of Congress from Texas. Bush is running with a message that he will bring integrity and honor back to the Attorney General’s office given Paxton’s legal trouble.

The Attorney General’s office is the top lawyer for the State of Texas. The main responsibilities of the Office of the Attorney General are defending the State of Texas and its duly elected laws by providing legal representation to the State. Paxton was first elected in 2014 and narrowly re-elected in 2018.

Democrats Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski will face each other in the Democrat runoff after beating Lee Merrit in the Primary. The winner will face either Paxton or Bush in the Nov. General Election. Runoff elections are scheduled for May 24.

Russia/Ukraine War leads to refugee crisis, higher gas prices Federico Guardia | Reporter Russian Forces entered Ukraine on Feb. 24, beginning what is now a month-long conflict. As Russia officially declared war on Ukraine, Belarus, a country neighboring Ukraine has since sided with Russia, sending troops through the west of Ukraine.

Out of the 190,000 total combatants sent by the two nations into Ukraine, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reports that roughly 42,000 have been killed, in comparison, an estimated 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or lost in action, among these casualties are around 5,000 civilian deaths. In the wake of civilian casualties, the US has accused Russia of committing war crimes. In a meeting with NATO allies President Joe Biden stated that there was substantial evidence that Russia has violated the Geneva convention on numerous occasions.

In response to the war, 3.6 million Ukrainian civilians have left their war torn country to neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania and Moldova. Among

these refugees are African students and scholars, who have been stopped at the Ukrainian borders. Polish and Ukrainian Border officials have denied these events, but there is an overwhelming amount of people who have spoken out about their experiences at the border.

The effects of the war have not stopped at the borders, Germany, one of Europe's most prominent powers, mainly relies on natural gas for energy production.

Due to the war, Russia, the world's largest producer of natural gas, has closed its main gas pipeline to Europe. This has caused intermittent blackouts in Germany, although they were prepared for such an event, Germany's natural gas reserves have already dropped to under 30 percent.

Another issue that has arisen from the gas shutoff is the subsequent closure of oil exports to the U.S., which has caused gas and oil prices to skyrocket to all time highs. Compared with the low prices seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national average has risen from $1.70, to $4.50, and in urban areas like California, almost $7.

Supporter displays George P. Bush yard sign in Blackhawk for runoff election.

Photo provided by | Landon Self

Commissioner Wayne Christian against “Unicorn” Lawyer in Runoff Landon Self | Asst. Editor Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian has been forced into a runoff with Sarah Stogner. Christian, who was elected in 2016, came in with 47 percent of the vote on March 1, just shy of the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff. Stogner gained traction in the Primary after posting an inappropriate video of herself on top of an oil pump, which caused some endorsements she had to withdraw their support. Stogner identifies as a “Unicorn”

Lawyer, and uses a unicorn as the symbol of her campaign.

The Texas Railroad Commission is the oil and gas regulator for the State of Texas. The agency does not have any business with railroads as the function of the agency has evolved but the name has remained the same.

For the Democrat side, Luke Warford ran unopposed and will face who prevails in the Republican Runoff in the Nov. General Election.

News April 8, 2022

3

UIL Academic team sweeps district competition Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor The UIL Academics team competed at their District meet on March 26 at Hendrickson High School. Multiple teams were able to sweep the competition away, taking the Academics Sweepstakes in the process.

In Journalism events, coached by Kari Riemer, senior Angelyna Rosales was District Champion, senior Seth Deaton got second, and junior Yael Behar got fourth in Headline Writing. In Editorial Writing, Deaton got second again and Rosales got fourth. Deaton got second, Rosales got third and Behar got fifth in Feature Writing. In News Writing, sophomore Lilliana Moran was the District Champion, Behar got third, and junior Natalia Zavaleta got fourth.

Coached by Kirsten Nash, Accounting competitors were able to get the top three, with senior Afsaneh Masoumi being District Champion, junior Dat Phan getting second, and freshman Simon Alvarez getting third.

The Computer Science team, coached by Terri Thompson, was able to get second place team with senior Nguyen Ly placing

third, sophomore Christian Cottle placing fourth, senior Samuel Brown placing fifth, and junior Seher Taneja placing sixth.

In Calculator Applications, coached

by TJ Johnson, Brown was the District Champion, senior Minhea Thomas placed second, sophomore An Dinh placed third, and sophomore Helia Nguyen placed fifth.

Another second place team was Mathematics coached by Johnson with Brown being the District Champion and senior Le Vu placing fourth.

Another team coached by Johnson was Number Sense with freshman Kathryn White getting second, Brown getting third, Vu getting fourth, and freshman Sreehari Nair getting fifth.

The Current Events team, coached by Nash and Aly Mithani, had senior Audrey Fife placing third, junior Shauri Yedavalli placing fifth, and Masoumi placing sixth.

Another District Champion was junior Rudolf Bendixen in Computer Applications, coached by Mithani, with Phan placing second and Alvarez placing fifth in the same event.

In Literary Criticism, coached by Jordan

Smith, junior Kaitlyn Nash was District Champion, junior Neon Brown placed second, junior Rome Williams placed third, and junior Nadia Johst placed fourth.

In another event coached by Smith, Ready Writing, Nash was District Champion, sophomore Zion Onwujuba placed second and senior Kiauna Dunbar placed fifth.

Spelling and Vocabulary, coached by Emily Hall, had junior Devin Nguyen placing fourth, Yedavalli placing fifth, and junior Aiden Artes placing sixth.

Coached by Tim Bayliss, Science had multiple students place, with junior Nigel Norman being the District Champion, junior Elena Alvarado placing third, senior Pich Chea placing fourth, and Bendixen placing sixth. Alvarado also got Top Bio and junior Tyler Marchese got Top Physics.

Sara and Tom Lucas were able to make their Social Studies team second place with senior Fernando Cruz-Rivera second, sophomore Campbell Wright placing third, and junior Isabella Gangle placing fourth.

The Speech events were coached by Nash, Mithani, and Michael Fisher. In Informative Speaking, sophomore Maya Hay was District Champion, Nash placed second, and junior Lucas Flores placed third. In Persuasive Speaking, Fife was District Champion, sophomore Cecilia Acosta got second, and junior Melanie Garza got third. In Lincoln-Douglass Debate, Masoumi was District Champion, Hay placed second, Flores placed fourth, and sophomore Brianna Williams placed sixth.

In Poetry, senior Chloe Lemley was District Champion, sophomore Allison Chavarria placed second, and senior Max McGuire placed fourth. In Prose, sophomore Addison Villegas was District Champion, sophomore JohnPaul Buwale got second, and freshman Hadley Wimmer got third.

The top five individual point earners were also Hendrickson students, with Brown getting 46 in total, Nash getting 42 in total, Deaton getting 36 in total, Masoumi getting 34 in total, and Rosales getting 33 in total.

Science Olympiad team advances to State Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor While Science Olympiad might not be the most well known club on campus, the team made their mark at the Corpus Christi Regional tournament at Texas A&M Corpus Christi on March 12, placing third overall. After competing in 15 out of the 22 total events, the team secured their bid to state.

Science Olympiad consists of a series of team events in which students test their knowledge of a multitude of science courses, including biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, and technology.

Senior Pich Chea and junior Elena Alvarado placed first

in chemistry lab and third in forensics. Senior Pranit Arya and junior Nigel Norman placed first in detector building and solar TX. Seniors Marah Kluge and Emma Sheffield placed first in Dynamic Planet. Junior Ambereen Haq, Kluge, and Sheffield placed first in experimental design.

Freshman Madeline Allgood and Kluge placed second in green generation. Junior Rudolf Bendixen, Norman, and Sheffield, placed third in codebusters. Freshman Aneesh Kaur and junior Seher Taneja placed third in gravity vehicle. Senior Janessa Kumpati and Kluge placed third in remote sensing.

Gavin Hawkins | Photographer

4

News Volume 15, Issue 6

Art students advance to next level in VASE competition Yael Behar | Copy Editor As a requirement of art classes, students must enter competitions. One such competition, Texas High School Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE) had two students enter and advance to the next level for their art pieces. Sophomores Sarah Curran and Aubrie Saari, who are in Art 1 and 2 respectively, will be heading to State championship VASE April 29-30 after placing in Regionals last Feb. “It’s genuinely really exciting,” Curran said. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would be able to do it. I didn’t know what [VASE] was at first, so entering and advancing

was stressful for me, but at the same time it was also really awesome for me. I couldn’t really process it.”’

The competition is graded on artistic merit and ability, as well as concept, execution, and description of said concept. All of the works are to be placed in an exhibition to be judged, where competitors can receive different medals.

“I tend to like to do abstract works,” Saari said. “Lots of mixed media. I like doing painting, but mostly I just really like doing little bits of pieces of different kinds of materials together. My piece was kind of trying to show what it feels like to have a spotlight put on you, and what it feels like to have all of this attention on you. Feeling like you have eyes on you all the time, and having no privacy.”

Saari’s piece was a 2D painting on canvas, titled ‘Let Me Be.’

“The title ties in with the meaning of the piece,” Saari said. “How it feels like people are constantly watching you, you don’t ever have privacy. Being judged by how you do things. It represents the social spotlight on you.”

Curran’s piece was titled ‘Lively,’ and is a 3D work made of paper mache.

“It was my midterm project for Art 1,” Curran said. “We had to make a letter, and I chose the letter L. I added stuff to the letter that was important to me and my Colombian heritage, and some things that just make me happy. I titled it Lively, mostly because of the colors I used to make it. I figured it looked lively, and since my letter is an L, it makes sense for the name to also start with L.” VASE is typically done as an inperson competition for all levels, including Regionals, but for the last two

competitions, it has been virtual. State will continue normally this year, inperson, at San Marcos High School.

“It’s been my dream since I was little to enter into live art competitions,” Saari said. “I’m really hoping that it doesn’t go online. I’d really like to be able to do an actual competition in person and I want to see other people’s art.”

PfISD has four students attending State, which can only be done if a student receives the rating IV during Regionals.

The Gold Seal is the highest level a student can place in State.

“It would be awesome to get anything at the next level [of competition],” Curran said. “Even just going to the next level is cool. I’m excited about it.”

Sarah Curran’s ‘Lively’ Photo provided by | HHS Art Department

Aubrie Saari’s ‘Let Me Be’ Photo provided by | HHS Art Department

FCCLA members advance to state leadership conference Yael Behar | Copy Editor Four students advanced in FCCLA Regionals to State late last Feb. and will be attending the Leadership Conference in early April to compete. Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America is a program that encourages students to pursue careers in public service and volunteer work.

“We mostly do community service, we also do activities together during club meetings like volunteer work,” senior FCCLA member Minhea Thomas said.

“Last year I took a nutrition class and my teacher advertised it on google classroom.

A big part of what we do is stuff for the community.”

The program has competitions and meets centered around topics that help

local communities and discuss prevalent issues. Thomas, and her group with seniors Navnoor Kaur and Ilwaad Mohamed competed in Public Advocacy, placing fourth in Regionals. Junior Jeanne Vunguyen competed in Food Innovations – a competition centered around creating recipes, and creating marketing strategies – where she took silver.

“Our group was advocating for more gun control,” Thomas said. “We brainstormed methods of advocacy, like sharing it on social media, getting in contact with our government – Texas governors. We did interviews and we also made flyers and shared them in our neighborhood. The end result was a presentation where we shared everything.”

This year, the Leadership Conference

will have thousands of students from all around Texas visit Dallas to compete in their respective competitions - individual or group - with workshops and guest speakers in between competitions.

“It’s a good way for students to learn leadership skills,” FCCLA coach Nicole Siler said. “To prepare for the conference, we would have meetings after school and workshops. We also had runthroughs of the presentations where the parents are invited, and the students present in front of them. After that we give them feedback, which they use to improve their presentation.”

FCCLA is a program that goes directly with the consumer sciences courses, classes that focus on the development of real world skills like finance, but any

student is allowed to participate.

“We’ve been to nationals several times, and the students get to travel, which is really fun,” Siler said. “It also looks really great on college applications. Not a lot of students know about it, but it is a really great organization.”

Students interested in joining can visit Siler or Kristen Sutphen for more information. “[My students] are amazing,” Siler said. “They always advance, we always have somebody advance. FCCLA helps students learn, even though it doesn’t get a lot of recognition. There’s a lot of categories for competition, and it teaches kids life skills.”

News April 8, 2022

5

Debate team competes at TFA State Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor The fresh beach breeze is all the speech and debate kids smelled as they made a splash at the Texas Forensics Association (TFA) state tournament on March 9-13.

Before even competing at State, the debate team was able to spend time together after they traveled on the bus to Corpus Christi.

“I really liked Corpus Christi because it gave us a chance to experience fresh air after having a full semester of just hard work,” junior Melanie Garza said. “It was very relaxing.”

The traveling wasn’t just about competition, but the connection between the students on the team as well.

“We really did have a lot of team bonding, especially on the first day of the trip because we visited a beach, we ate at a local site, and we were able to visit the Selena monument,” senior Afsaneh Masoumi said.

Competing in a wide array of events, 15 students woke up early the next day on March 10 to speak in their first preliminary rounds at Gregory Portland High School.

“We showed up on Thursday for the beginning of our preliminary rounds, and then after we each finished our preliminary rounds; since there’s a different number for

each event, some of us advanced Elim rounds,” senior Audrey Fife said. “Then from there, we were able to move up as far as we went in the competition. We competed until Saturday.”

Because the event was so competitive, a lot of nerves were involved for Fife, who competed in International Extemp, Oratory, and Informative Speaking.

“It’s always stressful to compete,” Fife said. “At one point, there was not any Wi-Fi at a time where we really needed Wi-Fi which was not great but for the most part, the tournament ran pretty smoothly.”

For the sophomore and junior debaters, this was the first State tournament they got to go to in-person. Only a few of their tournaments this year were actually inperson because of the re-emergence of COVID-19 and the Delta variant.

“The transition was really interesting because my first year of debate was all online so I was entering into this new world of in-person tournaments, learning more about the debate culture, and being able to experience something new that I never experienced before,” sophomore Maya Hay said.

Only three students were able to make it past preliminary

rounds at State. Masoumi and Garza made it to DoubleOctofinals and Fife made it to Semis in Extemp and Oratory and Finals in Informative.

“I was just reminded how much I love doing what I do in speech, and also how much I love the people that are in speech, because it was nice to actually interact with people that I hadn’t seen in a long time, and meet some new people and share the love of what we do together,” Fife said.

The students returned early Sunday morning after the award ceremony on Saturday night. Though it wasn’t all trophies, Hay believes she got a lot of experience from State.

“When I got back, it was interesting to reflect on what had happened at State because it was my first time going,” Hay said. “I did learn a lot of valuable things such as making sure to come to different tournaments more prepared. I also learned how to deal with new, different debating styles and tactics. It was a phenomenal experience and I can’t wait to go back to state again next year and slay the whole tournament.”

BPA members qualify for nationals Nosa Osakue | Reporter The Business Professionals of America competed at the State Leadership Conference on March 7. Four members of the program placed at the event; freshman Joseph Kumpati placed second in 3D Computer modeling, junior Nigel Norman placed ninth in Ethics and Professionalism, junior Jake Garcia placed fourth in Digital Marketing Concepts, and junior Seher Taneja placed fourth in SQL Database Fundamentals and qualified for Nationals. All four members put in hours of work to prepare for their events.

“I looked online the best I could to find resources and tests to help me study for it, and basically tried to memorize the manual that they provided,” Norman said. “I also practiced my speaking skills by redoing speeches over, over, and over again.”

Norman said that even though he had success he dealt with nerves before the event started.

“Before the competition, I was very stressed out because I wasn't confident in my speaking skills and I joined this event in order to become a better speaker,” Norman said. “But I actually did really well so my confidence skyrocketed.”

After winning their event, instead of going out to celebrate or party to reward themselves for their performance Norman

took to a more humble celebration.

“I had fun on the bus ride home I guess, but I didn't really celebrate that much to be honest.” said Norman.

Despite his successful placement at the event, Norman is striving to place better.

“I have been trying to work harder on speaking and my speeches because I do stutter sometimes, which is what I’m really trying to get rid of,” Norman said.

“I am also trying to improve my speaking skills over the summer and next semester and as of right now, as well.

While requiring extensive preparation, Norman believes the competition to be very personally rewarding.

“I love the competition since I’m a competitive person,” Norman said.

“So I really enjoy being able to win a trophy because it gives sort of a physical representation of your hard work. I would definitely recommend this event to anyone but I would have to warn them that you have to prepare for this type of competition. Otherwise, you will do terribly because there are some other participants that are not only really good but have been doing it since a very young age. Oh, and have a very competitive spirit.

www.thundercloud.com

Fresh Made Submarine Sandwiches Salads / Soups / Smoothies Offering drive-thru, takeout, 3rd party delivery, and dine-in.

1700 Grand Avenue Pkwy ThunderCloud

Subs

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE One coupon per customer. Free sub must be of equal or lesser value.

Not valid with other promotions. Must present coupon at time of purchase.

Expires 5/1/22 Expires 4/1/22 Good at 1700 Grand Avenue Pkwy, ph. 512-990-8871 Hendrickson HS The Hawk

6

Opinions Volume 15, Issue 6

• Your Turn

• Staff Editorial

Discriminatory legislation spreads across US Not only that, but heteronormative society Only seven years ago did the United States formally legalize all same-sex marriage in all 50 has been able to force the idea that all children states. Only a few days ago the same sense of are straight and cisgender for years without any rejection and shunning is felt throughout the nation retribution. We are all split up into groups based on as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which disallows gender in classrooms all the time. For Valentine’s teachers or other third parties from talking or Day, children are encouraged to gift each other teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity presents to the “boy or girl” they like. Ironically, from Kindergarten to third grade, was signed into when LGBTQ students start advocating for more Florida law by Ron DeSantis. It also prohibits awareness and inclusion of all types of sexualities lessons in other grades unless they are “age- and genders in classrooms, it becomes a problem. appropriate and developmentally appropriate.”

What is so dangerous about these movements is that it affects all children.

Such legislation is First, LGBTQ students, harmful and hypocritical who are four times more on many levels. Firstly, likely to commit suicide, it teaches children from a very young age that are left without any talking about gender resources, acceptance, expression or sexual or tolerance away from orientation is wrong and their homes that might should be punished with not accept them. LGBTQ legal action, therefore people, who are already ostracized from the scaring exploring minds public, will end up feeling back into a dangerous ashamed for who they are closet that contains because their government self-hatred and shame. taught them to be.

It also leaves room for Not only that, but any harmful and disturbing student, LGBTQ or not, interpretation because of is at risk of having their its non-specific wording, civil liberties taken away. allowing intolerant These bills state that individuals to further they are not allowed the disincentivize LGBTQ freedom to be educated on students from getting the Illustration by | Daniel Mendoza any subject they please. resources they need to be No matter how young, every person in America themselves.

It also forces teachers to out students to parents as should be allowed their freedom of thought and it prevents teachers from withholding information children everywhere are at risk of having that taken about a student’s gender identity from parents by away from them. Where does the stripping away of threatening legal action if they do not, taking away rights stop?

LGBTQ people are going to exist no matter yet another safe space LGBTQ students need to thrive. what. They have survived through centuries of This is not the end and certainly not just a small discrimination and just because we stop teaching speck of hate. Kansas is set to follow in Florida’s about them or talking about them doesn’t take away footsteps as they have already introduced a bill the fact that our friends, our peers, our parents, our that would make it a misdemeanor for teachers coworkers, are a part of the LGBTQ community. to use materials depicting homosexuality in any To leave them out of the conversation is to leave a way, not just if the depiction is sexually explicit or gaping hole in our history. celebratory. Tennessee is also debating a bill that Every child deserves to be able to safely understand would make any books with LGBTQ figures in who they are without fear of retribution. Because what is education if it doesn’t include everyone? them prohibited in schools.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editorial Staff

Reporters

Kate Hayes Inez Moreno

Artists Yael Behar, Daniel Mendoza

“I don’t really like [Abbott’s] policies. [Trans children] have the right to do what makes them happy and they have every right to exist. [The solution] is about raising people to be tolerant of all people, regardless of background, gender, sex, and anything else.” -Jake Dossing, 12

“I respect whatever anyone decides to identify as. Administrators and people with authoritative power need to take charge to stop these types of problems from happening, or aid people who need the help in the first place. I wish we had a different governor, or someone else be elected in his place. ” -Yousor Mohammed Ali, 12

“[Abbott’s] a bad person and he’s damaging other people’s rights, especially trans children’s. He’s taking away [people’s] free liberties. I think [everyone] is equal, I’m super accepting. We need to become more progressive and understanding.”

-Jenna Donley-Beyers, 10

“Protect trans kids. I think people just need to be educated and realize what these kids are going through and how this affects them everyday. It’s horrible to see that people can’t be themselves, especially since it affects their health care.” - Cassie Rivera, 10

Associations

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

“[Abbott] really tries to discriminate against other people and create [orders] that shouldn’t be created. He’s not for [the] kids, he’s doing this to discriminate against children. If you don’t feel comfortable with who you are, then you should do what makes you feel comfortable. People need to mind their own business and let people do what makes them happy.”-Zoe Jimenez, 11

Nosu Osakue Sarah Schulze

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

Honors

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

Photo by Daniel Mendoza Model: Wade Bowers

• Hit or Miss Grebb promoted to principal following Garcia’s retirement

Principal Daniel Garcia announced that he will be retiring after the 2021-2022 school year in late February, and on April 1, it was announced that Associate Principal Michael Grebb will be promoted to principal at the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Grebb has been the associate principal under Principal Daniel Garica since 2014 and has been acting as the associate principal at Weiss due to the staff shortages on their campus.

Although Garcia will be missed, there is no one more deserving to take his place than Grebb. He’s beloved by both the staff and the student body and was the desired candidate for principal among the staff. He was even given his own segment, Grebb and Friends, on the video announcements which quickly became a fan favorite. This new hire is a hit.

Prom timing, date leaves little room for preparation A high school year wouldn’t be complete without the traditional prom dance. It brings excitement and joy as the end of the year approaches. However, what used to be a day of preparation and fun has been shortened down to a stressful few hours filled with final anxiety and rushed appearances. Prom is being held on Friday, May 20, the same day as senior finals. This is a recipe for a disaster, as the timing hinders room for getting physically and emotionally ready. Not only does the day of the formal event create unnecessary academic and social stress, but it also dampens the entire experience of prom. Prom is supposed to be an event that you’ll always remember, not one that follows a grade-defining exam for the end of the year. Overall, the date and timing of prom is a miss.

Teachers receive pay increase At a meeting of the school board on March 31st, it was announced that teachers would be receiving a 3% raise in pay across the board, beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. While failing to close the gap between teachers’ cost of living and their income, this is a welldeserved boost to the income of PfISD’s hardworking educators.

The incoming pay raise is a hit.

Multiple women’s athletic programs advance to respective regional play-offs Four women’s athletic programs, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and tennis, have all advanced to the regional tournament in their respective playoff brackets. This success demonstrates strong leadership within each program, from both coaches and athletes. The performance of previous teams has created a legacy for current teams to inherit and creates an intense desire and drive to win. This years achievements by the women’s athletic programs is a hit.

• Retraction In the last issue of The Hawk, we failed to give proper credit to the photo accompanying the Irish dancer feature story. It was taken by junior Amelia Paraso.

• Our Turn

Opinions April 8, 2022

7

Reporter explains experience with mirroring Nadia Johst | Reporter When it comes to the topic of empathy in the autistic community, there are many diverse experiences. Some autistic people have hypoempathy (an inability to experience certain amounts of empathy) while some others find themselves experiencing hyperempathy (characterized by having an excessively large amount of empathy).

Mirroring, a mental health characteristic that isn’t frequently talked about in everyday conversation, is a common experience for those who struggle with “too little” or “too much” empathy.

For me, mirroring is something I constantly found myself asking doctors about before requesting an assessment. Mirroring is characterized by the ability and need to “mirror” or project similar emotions, beliefs, or expressions that others around you are displaying.

Mirroring is a serious trait in which an individual aligns with another human beings’ facial expressions and emotions in order to appear more neurotypical-passing. This phenomenon can occur physically and emotionally. For me, this trait can be connected to the term “masking,” which is a ritual an autistic person performs in order to hide their neurodivergent traits and behaviors.

Personally, my mirroring is exhausting. While some other autistic individuals may not experience this form of obsessive empathizing or conformity, it’s something I frequently deal with. It started when I was a child. I would constantly search for an emotion I should be feeling because I wasn’t sure if mine were correct. Autistic children are often told that their emotions or expressions are invalid, dramatic, or simply incorrect.

The way I thought as a child was complex, and I found refuge in copying the emotions and movements of those around me. Mirroring can vary in intensity; sometimes it’s little behaviors like copying a tone pattern. Other times, you’re overwhelmed with processing everyone else’s emotions to the point where you have rage rushing through your body, but your brain is disconnected.

I have a lot of experience with mirroring, but one specific time I remember was when I was in a treatment facility and experienced overstimulation.

I had been trying to stay quiet in order to not bother anyone by telling them I was on the verge of a

Illustration by | Yael Behar meltdown. I copied everyone else’s emotions; their expressions, their composure, and more. I made sure to make frequent eye contact and stopped myself from rocking back and forth. However, the longer I attempted to control the incoming flood of emotions, the worse I got at doing so. I eventually was launched into a full blown meltdown complete with hyperventilation, sobbing, sudden movements, and dysregulation. I had been trying so hard for people to not notice to the point where I made the entire situation more stressful for myself and others.

The experience is extremely mentally draining, and large amounts of intense mirroring can lead to confusion, misplaced emotions, social backlash, and even autistic meltdowns (as I mentioned earlier). It’s so stressful to adopt every single emotion of those around you.

I try to sit still and mirror everyone around me by acting composed, but on the inside I’m screaming.

Mirroring can look different in children and teens, but the symptoms may exhibit differently in each person. For me, I have more of an understanding of myself and my needs as I’ve grown. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned different coping skills that seem to be beneficial during stressful moments.

Allowing myself to move freely and focus on something calming always helps. I find refuge in slowly opening up my true self to people, and I hope in the future I can continue to make progress towards being comfortable with expressing my authentic traits and emotions.

8

Feature Volume 15, Issue 6

The Man in the Mirror April brings acceptance, awareness to autism Students move through 504 plan process Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor A 504 plan is an educational plan for students who need extra help in the classroom or getting around school. These accommodations can be requested for students who have ADHD, bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy, depression, anxiety, epilepsy, diabetes, and many more.

“Accommodations can be used for children who have a disability,” assistant principal Joshua Colvin said.

“That disability doesn’t necessarily have to align with academics. It could be health or basically anything that deters the student from accessing the curriculum. The 504 accommodations come into place to ease the access of instruction, the overall classroom environment itself, or access within the building.”

However, the process of getting a 504 always comes with the request of one. The staff has to have certain pieces of information to decide whether or not a student gets a 504 plan. For each diagnosis a student has, a different 504 plan is provided.

“Normally there’s a parent survey that goes home where parents have to answer some questions about the student’s home life and things they’ve observed,” Colvin said. “Then, there’s a teacher form that goes out where teachers have an opportunity to get feedback as far as

what they’ve seen and what they’ve experienced with the student. There’s normally a physician’s assessment that is also given. You put those three pieces together and then you kind of weigh whether or not a student qualifies.”

For junior Regan Greene, the process has been a strenuous one, as it has taken two months for her 504 to get to its hearing. She states that students need to know their rights and follow up with staff so the process goes faster.

“You have to look up the laws and know your rights,” Greene said. “It’s a really long process. Then once your 504 is submitted and fully filled out, it goes to a hearing to see if they want to do it. That’s where I’m at right now. Eventually, it will get put into place and you get extra accommodations.”

Similarly, Colvin stated that a student needs to be able to be well versed in what they need and what they want in their plan.

“I think for the most part, especially in high school, being an advocate for [yourself] and understanding that you being a part of the meeting and expressing what works and what doesn’t because, at the end of the day, it really helps when it speaks to and is tailored to [you] versus anyone else,” Colvin said.

Though it is rare, a problem some students come across is a teacher not wanting to follow their 504. As a solution to wherever a student has this problem, Colvin states that there is a process one can take to solve the issue.

“There’s a process that you can go through with the district to say ‘Hey someone is refusing to provide accommodations,’ which then you will go back and have a meeting to review what is actually being done and not done,” Colvin said. “That’s why at the beginning of the year, we’re sure to make sure that teachers have access and they have to actually go in and make sure they have everybody’s 504s for the classroom roster and to review those before school starts.”

In any case, both Greene believes that the process to get a 504 needs to be easier for students and parents to work through.

“I think they should make the process a lot smoother and a lot easier for people who need accommodations because a lot of people don’t have parents and people around them who will continue to push for it,” Greene said. “504s are a very important thing. They’re something that helps a lot of kids with disabilities and accommodations and it’s necessary to have them and have them be effective.”

Autistic student shares importance of special interests Kate Hayes | Reporter The rhythmic beats of drums and the bugles’ calls echo throughout the stadium, and junior Raven Galvis is captivated by the beautiful shows performed non-stop at their first viewing of the Drum Corps International. Eight years later, the same dramatic musical performances repeat in their head, having captured their attention ever since.

“At first, I thought I was going to pursue color guard,” Galvis said. “But, when I saw the drumline and front ensembles steal show after show with their stunning displays, I knew what I was going to do.”

After they attended the show, music would quickly become one of Galvis’ special interests. According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, one of the core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder is “highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus.” These “special interests”, as they are colloquially named by the autistic community, are widely considered a signature tendency of autism.

“My special interests consist of music and animals,” junior Raven Galvis said. “I’d say my biggest special interest is marine animals, however, and learning about them through marine zoology. My main focus at the moment is trying to finish out my last year in high school marching band with a bang, and preparing for college to study marine biology.”

Studies suggest 75 to 95 percent of the autistic population

have one or more special interests, potentially lasting years to a lifetime. Any object, field, or person may become the subject of an autistic person’s absorption, and they tend to be all-consuming of autistic people’s conversations, thoughts, and behaviors. Galvis’ special interests have retained their attention for virtually their entire life.

“I developed my love for music as early as the womb, however, my love and passion grew from playing my dad’s drum set, to being fully immersed in middle and high school band,” Galvis said. “With marine life, I remember watching a SeaWorld show when I was three, falling in love with the animals and the idea of being able to care and treat such beautiful animals.”

Because of autistic people’s intense preoccupations with their special interests, the psychiatric field has historically treated these special interests as obstacles and hindrances to education and allistic norms of living. Recently, however, more teachers and therapists have begun to acknowledge them as providing valuable outlets of stress, sources of motivation, and career prospects, gradually incorporated into educational programs as awareness increases.

“By getting accommodations, I can use music as a way to hyperfocus on work,” Galvis said. “Listening to certain types of music helps my productivity, depending on the task. Cleaning and other physically exhausting tasks pairs well with fast paced Latin music, whereas studying or testing pairs well with slow Lo-fi.”

Similarly to other autistic people, Galvis has career

ambitions centered around their interests.

“I’ve made it my life goal to work in the field of my interest, and my life wouldn’t be nearly the same without music,” Galvis said. “Music and the ocean are things I couldn’t live without, so I’m happy to be able to dedicate my life to them. It’s been my dream since that first SeaWorld show to pursue marine zoology. The possibility of being able to work my dream job keeps me fired up when I need to be.”

Outside of just future career paths, Galvis notes the relevance of music and the ocean in their day to day life.

“Special interests are a keystone in many autistic people’s lives,” Galvis said. “Not only is it something that you can count on to bring you joy, but it’s something that allows you to express yourself, and I think holding something dear to your heart is very important for the development of any human. I spend most of my time listening and practicing music when I’m not taking care of animals.”

For Galvis, given the importance of their special interests, they can induce highly emotional experiences.

“I can only describe it as a swarm of intense emotions,” Galvis said. “Most of the time it’s joy and euphoria, but when people share common misconceptions or hurtful information about my interests it can be physically painful. It’s truly a spectrum of feelings, and it can be a gamble sometimes. But, when it’s a good feeling, nothing can beat that thrill.”

Feature April 8, 2022

Student expresses opinion about language regarding disabilities Nadia Johst | Reporter Terminology preferences are bound to change as the decades pass by, and while it can be a complicated process of research, it’s important to adapt language to an appropriate standard.

There’s been a strong disagreement regarding the way an individual should address someone who is seen as “having autism” or “being autistic.” “[Autism] is my identity. I think it’s hard to separate,” junior Danny Sullivan* said. “You can’t unclip autism and not take it to work or school. It’s a part of everything.

It’s me, it’s a part of how my brain functions.”

Sullivan expresses that you cannot separate autism from an autistic person, as autism affects every single area of how they can function.

“Society’s view of autism is negatively impacted because it’s very hard to get diagnosed nowadays, especially if you’re assigned female at birth,” Sullivan said. “A lot of times you get misdiagnosed as other things because it’s taught to you [by society] to act a certain way. I’ve learned my whole life just to observe what other people do.”

Other than the argument that there’s an inability to separate the diagnosis from the person, there’s the

position that Sullivan assures and confirms; there is nothing bad about the word autistic.

“I feel very strongly about this,” Sullivan said. “[Allistics] use person-first identity because they’re reminding themselves that they are a person and that they’re separate from their diagnosis. But I’m not separate. I can’t take it off or leave my autism at home. I think it’s really important to say ‘autistic person’.”

Doctors and adults who push person-first language often are accused of talking over autistic people.

“I think it’s harmful and they are pushing autistic people down, speaking over them, and not listening to what they think and feel,” Sullivan said.

Of course, the specifics of an individual’s identity vary depending on the person, but due to the recent spread of autism awareness and acceptance, more and more autistics are becoming comfortable with identity-first language. “[Autistic] isn’t a bad word,” Sullivan said. “It’s how my brain functions and it’s okay that that’s different from other people’s.” *Pseudonym

AP Research student explores alexithymia

Kate Hayes | Reporter In the beginning of the year, students enrolled in the intensive investigative AP Research course will have to make a crucial choice: the topic that will be the object of their research.

This decision is one that will shape the course of their studies for the remainder of the year, culminating in the course’s AP exam, a five thousand word academic dissertation. For junior Hannah Jayes, her path to choosing her topic of study was synthesized from her own personal interests.

“I’ve always been really into sports, and originally my research topic was going to be about sociopath versus psychopath,” Jayes said. “I found an article talking about the difference between psychopathy and alexithymia, and the morals behind it. I thought alexithymia was really intriguing, and I like sports, so I combined the two.”

Alexithymia is a broad descriptor for subclinical problems with feeling, identifying, and describing one’s emotions. Difficulties can extend to identifying others’ emotions as well. While the condition remains obscure, studies suggest it is highly prevalent, occurring in 10-19 percent of the general population.

“The main attributes of alexithymia are not being able to bond the same as other people and not being able to read people the same way that others would,” Jayes said. “In team sports, you have to have those attributes in order to have a good team, so I’m trying to find if alexithymia affects their success.”

People with alexithymia often face the interpersonal

struggle of difficulty expressing empathy. In her research, Jayes has studied the concept of empathy itself, and how alexithymic versus non-alexithymic people process and express it.

“There are different parts to empathy,” Jayes said.

“One is called active empathy, understanding that the other person is feeling a certain way, and the other part is actually taking it onto yourself, feeling that emotion, and understanding it. People with alexithymia are able to understand that you’re feeling a certain way, they just don’t know how to react to it.”

Autistic people have similarly been stereotyped to universally lack empathy. Recent research suggests, however, autistic people do not lack empathy, but have much higher rates of alexithymia than the general population: around 65 to 85 percent. Jayes has explored the two conditions’ common comorbidity in her research.

“It’s usually associated with people with autism spectrum disorder,” Jayes said. “It’s what people call their low empathy. I think it’s really interesting and helps people understand more about people on the spectrum and how they communicate with people, or can’t communicate.”

Through her research, Jayes emphasizes the significance of understanding the struggles of people with alexithymia, and who they really are at their core.

“It’s good to know they’re trying, but they’re not going to respond in the way that you expect,’’ Jayes said. “I think it’s important to know that those people understand you and are trying to help best as they can.”

65% - 85% 10% - 19%

of autistic individuals experience alexithymia

of the general population experience alexithymia

9

Autism keywords and terminology Allistic: A non-autistic person.

Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): The limitation in the amount or types of food one consumes. Unlike other eating disorders, ARFID does not develop from a fear of weight gain or body size dissatisfaction. Due to an emphasis and preference for ‘safe foods’ (sensory-friendly and preferred foods that autistic people tend to stick to, non-safe foods are usually avoided), autistic people are more likely to develop this disorder.

Meltdown: An intense response to overwhelming stimuli or a situation that results in the short-term loss of behavioral control. Despite their common association, meltdowns are not the same as tantrums, it is not ‘bad’ behavior, rather, it is a way of expressing that a situation is triggering.

Neurotypical: Allistic patterns or behaviors, often not expressed by autistic people. Was commonly used as a synonym for allistic in the past.

Prosody: The patterns of intonation and tonal emphasis in a language, such as sarcasm. People with autism often face difficulty identifying a person’s tone as well as controlling their own.

Special Interests: A specific hobby, topic, or field of interest that an autistic person may heavily pursue, research, or invest in.

Stimming: A repetitive sensory motion that is often a result of exposure to some form of overstimulation. A multitude of reasons can be behind why autistic people may stim, for many, it can be a positive experience and a way to reduce stress, however, some movements could be self-injurious such as intense scratching.

Echolalia: The repetition of sounds and words heard. Echolalia is commonly used as a form of stimming as well as a method of communication if that person faces speech delays.

Masking: Masking, also known as camouflaging, is the act of suppressing or changing one’s authentic self in order to be perceived as neurotypical. Masking is often expressed through repressing stims, modifying body language, and hiding special interests.

Asperger’s syndrome: A neurodevelopmental condition, once commonly placed under the Autism category, that is no longer an official diagnosis. While the condition itself is common among Autistic people, the term itself is outdated as it promotes stigmas of ‘highfunctioning’ autism vs ‘low-functioning’ autism.

10

Feature Volume 15, Issue 6

Bright Bulbs Burn Out

Juniors deal with academic stress, college admissions, parental pressure Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor With the year coming to a close and seniors making their final decisions as to what they’ll do after high school, the spotlight is beginning to be placed on juniors.

Submitting SAT and ACT scores, keeping a full AP class schedule, getting volunteer hours, joining extracurriculars, making lists of colleges to visit, staying on the lookout for scholarships and offers.

For many, this pressure has begun to physicalize itself and slowly take over everyday life.

“I am held to a very high standard because my parents and teachers have eyes on me all the time,” junior Amanda Thai said. “I do put in a lot of work to reach those high expectations that people have of me.”

Thai, like many other juniors, has begun to take a multitude of prep classes to improve scores and learn test-taking skills for the national exams.

“My parents especially are making me sign up for SAT prep and SAT classes,” junior Devin Nguyen said. “I am trying to focus more on the philosophy about worrying about scholarships and college opportunities next year, but as of now I am trying to get my ACT and SAT stuff out of the way.”

Counselors are beginning to involve themselves more in the college preparation process, making sure each student has a plan to follow during their senior year.

“I definitely feel pressured by counselors mostly to get good grades as they are telling me what I need in order to boost my GPA and what test scores I need to get in order to go to schools I want to go to,”

junior Melanie Garza said. “I am trying to live up to their expectations but also trying to live up to my parents. Coming from a background in which education wasn’t really prioritized for them, but now is prioritized for me. I definitely feel as though I owe it to them to be successful, especially because they did a lot to get me here to get these opportunities in the first place.”

Besides p a r e n t pressure, juniors feel pressured by themselves as well to live up to their own expectations and standards.

“I feel more pressure from my parents than my teachers and counselors,” junior Cash Deibert said. “They really want to push me to have a great education and a great career after college. And college is one of the many ways to do that. But I feel like I put more pressure on myself because I have a lot of say in the process.

And I care a lot more than other people do about my success and growth.”

There are many ways juniors are dealing with all of this pressure; working, time management and finding the perfect balance between academics and social life.

“I work in order to deal with the stress of college,” Nguyen said. “It’s nice to be in a position where I can make money as opposed to not

working and having to deal with only schoolwork and not having any real compensation from it until years later.”

Preparing for college now allows for less stress in the upcoming senior year.

Joining extracurriculars such as the National Honor Society and sports allows students to demonstrate to colleges their level of academics and leadership.

“I’m involved in multiple varsity sports,

Boy Scouts, NHS, and my church’s youth group,” Deibert said. “I do mostly community service activities mainly because I think it enhances my view on a lot of different situations and also gets me working with different people and different perspectives, which prepares me for a college type setting where I could be meeting people from different areas of the country, and also people from diverse backgrounds. I also do them because I feel fulfilled when I participate in activities like that because it gives me a sense of belonging and strength in certain situations.”

Aside from building a résumé for college, juniors are additionally seeking out opportunities to better prepare themselves for college.

“I am looking into different internships that I can apply to for the summer and where I can volunteer,” Garza said.

“It’s the right time to be thinking about college, especially because you need to be considering the application process and what scholarships to apply to but also what you need to have on your résumé; what extracurriculars you need, how many volunteer hours, etc.”

Expectations and stress accumulate as each year of high school goes by, each building up to the final moments up until graduation.

“Pressure makes diamonds,” Deibert said. “I let the pressure happen and I react to it in a normal way that makes me better.

Completely ignore the issue and focus on stuff that you want to do at the moment.

Because you, yourself, and your wellbeing in the moment is more important because you can always figure out the future.”

Illustration by | Yael Behar

What should juniors be doing in preparation for college?

2. Volunteer Hours 1.Take the SAT 4. Look Up Professors 3. College Visits 5. Look Up Application Deadlines

Feature April 8, 2022

Major Musical Madness

11

Seniors talk about application process for becoming a music major

Ethan Tittle | Asst. Editor After working on their applications and practicing audition material for months, students who are applying to be music majors in college are just now receiving their results on acceptance while most other majors have already heard back and decided what school they are going to.

For most majors, students have to fill out an Apply Texas application asking questions about class rank, GPA, household income, and other questions specific to the university. Following the application, students have to submit an essay consisting of 500-750 words. If you meet the standards of the school you're applying for and get admitted, then you are able to enroll. Music majors, on the other hand, have to turn in another application to the Department of Music to get accepted there along with the university they want to go to.

“I applied to a few schools, but the only program I auditioned for was the music production program at the USC Thornton School of Music,” senior Mason Smith said. “I had to upload three MP3s of my work, as well as a resume, repertoire list, and then three videos of me playing.”

Usually, students start writing their college essays and filling out the application to their colleges a month or two after their senior year starts, but the music majors

have to start preparing all of Smith said. “I wouldn't call this a their audition material and pre- failure, though, because of what screening videos on top of all the experience I had earned as a result university applications all before of the process. I was fortunate to Dec. 1 of their senior year. read a few of my judges’ notes, “For one video, I had help which was an honor in itself setting up and recording a knowing their credits are on professional video of a snare records with Michael Jackson, drum etude that I had learned throughout the course of the fall. The second and third videos weren’t as intensive, only requiring me to introduce myself and showcase how I've studied music production thus far. The hardest part of the audition p r o b a b l y would’ve been learning that it’s extremely hard to walk away with a perfect recording. We probably took 20 takes of full uncut runthroughs of that Photo provided by | Jake Dossing etude and I ended up choosing a Queen, Madonna, etc. The main good one from five decent ones.” takeaways I got from it all is that Sometimes though, things overall my audition was great, don't go as planned and students aside from the MP3s that I had aren't accepted to be able to submitted of which were too come to a live audition. experimental to be accepted into “Just a few weeks later, I a school for pop music.” learned that I was not accepted,” Even though a student can

Taylor Chase, 12 Q&A

What does the audition process look like for you?

What is the hardest part about the process?

"The hardest part of the process for me was committing to bassoon. The bassoon frustrates me to no end, and it sounds like a constipated duck when I play. I’d much rather study trumpet, but I am nowhere near the level required to compete for a spot in the music program at any college."

'The audition process was pretty easy.

There was a list of audition requirements based on instruments. I just recorded myself playing all my major scales and two of my region studies. My future professor then emailed me informing me of my acceptance, and we had a zoom meeting together discussing my future at BYUI."

get accepted into a university, if they don't get accepted into the Department of Music, they won't be able to study there. This would mean that the student would have to change their major or choose a different school to attend.

“After college, I'd like to enter the workforce as an engineer in the music i n d u s t r y, ” Smith said.

“The perfect fit would be jobs like integrated s y s t e m s engineers or software developers for technology that audioprofessionals would utilize.”

On the other hand, if things go well and the student is accepted to do a live audition, they continue their college application process into the next months continuing to practice the audition material to perform in front of the professors. Senior Jake Dossing is also auditioning for a music major to become a music educator. For students wanting to do music education, they also have to have an

interview with the professors on why they want to be an educator.

“When I got to Texas Tech for my audition I walked into the music building and they had booths set up at the front about their marching band, financial aid booth and just a general information booth,” Dossing said. “After I went to one of their meetings where they talked about why you should join their school and stuff like that, I headed to my audition location. Mine was in their band hall and I warmed up and played my music for them. After I finished playing, they had a mini-interview with me about why I want to be a music educator and what made me want to teach.”

At this point in the process it would already be late March and music major students just now found out what schools they got into after working on the applications and auditions since the beginning of the school year.

Once you choose what school you decide to attend, you fill out a form stating your commitment to that school and then start the enrollment process.

“Once I heard back from Texas Tech that I had gotten accepted into their program I was very excited,” Dossing said. “I had already been talking with some of the professors over email and Zoom and I really like them. I can't wait to go to school there next year”

Ethan Tittle, 12 Q&A

What is the hardest part about the process?

"The hardest part about the process for me was knowing if I was competitive enough to get into the program. When I talked to a professor at Texas State he told me that I probably wasn't going to get into any of the schools I was auditioning for because he thought I hadn't practiced enough. That was one of the big motivators to get as good as I could in time for my audition, and ended up getting into UNT."

What does the audition process look like for you?

"When I showed up to the UNT campus I had an interview with one of the music education proffesors.

After that I warmed up on my trumpet and played all 12 major scales and a grade one solo for the the trumpet professors."

12

Feature Volume 15, Issue 6

Worst Vampire Ever?

Staff reviews Robert Pattinson roles in movies through the years

The King Sarah Schulze | Reporter The movie The King is a great historical film to invest some time into. The King follows the life of a young Prince Hal, played by Timothee Chalamet, from his days of drinking and gambling to his eventual rise to the throne of the King of England, from which he must navigate politics, betrayal, war, and the chaos his father left in his wake.

Captivating the audience from the start, with an excellent story, and structure, it’s ensured to keep you engaged the whole time. A strong talented actor grasped the role of Louis, Duke of Guyenne, played by none other than Robert Pattinson. Pattinson is an English actor portraying a French character.

He is known for his dialect work.

Pattinson has shown he’s capable of sounding completely different based on a film’s setting and completely convincing his audience.

The King is a rather demanding period drama, and Pattinson was able to deliver an outstanding performance.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Robert Pattinson is significantly younger in his role as Cedric Diggory and is not the main protagonist of this movie. This results in a limited amount of screen time, however, his scenes are still significant in terms of the movie’s plot, and the way he expresses emotion in such little time. Diggory is a cocky teenager who competes against Harry in the Triwizard tournament, but he is inevitably indebted and thankful to Harry for helping him multiple times throughout the games. Pattinson is able to perfectly balance Diggory’s arrogance and gratitude with his acting skills making Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire one of Pattinson’s most successful and enjoyable works.

Poster Credits: Warner Brothers, Netflix, Summit Entertainment

The Batman Seth Deaton | Co-Editor The latest revival of Batman had Robert Pattinson portraying the role of Bruce Wayne, but this isn’t the Bruce Wayne the audience has seen before. He plays a much more edgy and emo Wayne than the previous actors have, which perfectly fit the atmosphere of this movie. The Batman could arguably be the biggest movie Pattinson was ever a part of, and he played his role in it to perfection. His dark energy as Wayne made his Batman even more intimidating and made it easy to see why he was a nightmare for the scum of Gotham city.

Although the dialogue was a little cheesy at times, Pattinson’s execution of the script was the best anyone’s could have been. His best scenes were the ones where he had very little dialogue and was able to be an intimidating presence just simply by being there. Robert Pattison may not be everyone’s favorite actor, but he definitely should be everyone’s favorite Batman.

Twilight

Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor One of Robert Pattinson’s most known roles is Edward Cullen in the cult classic romance-fantasy film Twilight. As one of his very first film roles, Pattinson plays the mysterious and gloomy vampire who falls in love with Bella Swan, the ordinary teenager.

For being one of his first roles, Pattinson portrayed Edward from the books accurately in the movie. Many believe that his acting was terrible, however, Edwards character in the book series is a killjoy and is rarely seen smiling. Pattinson perfectly portrays these emotions and highlighted every time Edward smiles or frowns in the book. He put so much effort into being able to portray him as accurately as possible in the movies.

Besides his acting, Pattinson also fits the “Twilight” look. As a vampire, Edward is described as pale and almost sickly looking. Pattinson’s strong and well-defined facial features allowed him to be the vampire we all know and have fawned over at least once .

Overall, Pattinson does a good job of pulling off the sulky vampire in the saga. While not his best role he has done, he completes the movie and I couldn’t see anyone else playing Edward in the series.

Spectrums on the Big Screen

Feature April 8, 2022

13

Autistic representation in media varies in accuracy What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor We are living on one of the most infamous movie sets and hardly anyone knows it. If you have ever walked around the Austin suburb of Manor, Georgetown, Pflugerville, or Lockhart, you may have walked where both Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp did.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is the story of a struggling family with an obese mother who can’t leave the house and 25-year-old Gilbert Grape, played by Depp, who has to care for his mother along with his three quarreling siblings.

Chief among his concerns about his siblings is his brother 17-year-old Arnie, played exceptionally well by DiCaprio, who has an intellectual disability.

Gilbert deals with his young adulthood,

Music

Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor The musical drama film, Music, produced by the widely popular singer-songwriter, Sia, starring Maddie Ziegler, Kate Hudson, and Leslie Odom Jr. has garnered an infamous reputation throughout the film world, and for good reason. The movie centers around a nonverbal autistic girl, Music (played by Maddie Ziegler). The plot is carried through the perspective of Music’s older, drug dealer sister, Zu, who returns to her life after the death of their grandma (Music’s main caretaker).

Throughout the film, Zu works to straighten out the complexity of her old life and adjust to her new circumstances.

Here, she meets their neighbor Ebo and together they work to take care of Music, allowing them to quickly become friends.

While the film mainly focuses on the themes of family and developing selfworth, the movie’s portrayal of autism is extremely offensive. Critics have

his family, grappling with a new girl in town he loves, and his affair with an older taken woman. Depp portrays this struggling young man beautifully, making us understand just how much he was forced to grow up rather than live his life.

DiCaprio’s acting, however, is on another level. The emotion he was able to express in his character Arnie at just 19 is absolutely amazing.

He is able to make an accurate depiction of a neurodivergent and autistic character who is left with little resources to thrive. The portrayal of the lower-middleclass family helping Arnie with the limited amount of money and help they received was very on point and heartbreaking.

continuously pointed out the film’s inaccurate depiction of autism and the normalization of improper treatment towards autistic people, such as when Ebo sits on Music to suppress a meltdown.

This action is known as prone restraint, a dangerous and scarring experience for both parties.

Moreover, Ziegler’s role as Music is problematic in and of itself, since she is not on the autism spectrum herself and lacked the proper acting skills to authentically perform the role. Instead, it comes off as an offensive mockery of autism. Furthermore, many autistic people cannot even view the movie since the bright colors and noises constantly demonstrated throughout the film can easily be overstimulating.

This movie not only incorrectly portrays autism, but feels like a mockery towards a disability that is already surrounded by misinformation and prejudice.

Criminal Minds

Sarah Schulze | Reporter Criminal Minds averaged 5.88 million viewers in 2021 alone. The show is popular among teenagers for a multitude of reasons. Dr. Spencer Reid, played by Mathew Gray Gubler, seems to be a fan favorite. Reid wows fans with his photographic memory and high IQ. He is a beloved star of the show due to his kind nature and intellect.

Reid was considered incredibly valuable at the Behavioral Analysis Unit throughout his time working for the FBI thanks to his unnatural skills.

Reid’s character is one who didn't have many friends growing up and didn't fit into the typical crowd. He was generally prided on his intellect, to the point where he sought

most of his worth in academics.

Fans with diverse life experiences identify with the character of Reid. In an interview with LiveAbout, Gubler talked about the makeup of his character.

He describes Reid as an eccentric genius.

Gubler’s portrayal of Reid includes hints of schizophrenia and autism. The directors of Criminal Minds have hinted at shades of schizophrenia with Reid. They affirmed that his mother was schizophrenic and he has a high chance of becoming one himself.

Representation is important, underrepresented viewers are searching for stories that reflect their own. Criminal Minds does just that.

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay

Nadia Johst | Reporter The TV show Everything’s Gonna Be Okay surrounds the family dynamic of a family consisting of three siblings who recently experienced the loss of their father. The first episode’s setting takes place right after their father’s death, immediately sending the viewer into the life of Matilda, Genevieve, and Nicholas. Matilda, Nickolas’s 17-yearold sister, is not only autistic in the show, but her actor is also autistic (Kayla Cromer).

She is an excellent representation of autism in young women for many different reasons.

Firstly, the absence of functioning labels is quite refreshing. The basis of functioning labels (high-functioning and low-functioning) surrounds how much of someone’s disability is “noticeable” and inconvenient for neurotypicals.

This show does an amazing job of leaving functioning labels out of the

dialogue, therefore acknowledging that autism isn’t just an absence of abilities, but different levels of skills in various areas. She is also witty and funny, conquering the stereotype that people on the autism spectrum lack the ability to make jokes and be lighthearted. Not only is Matilda humorous, she also experiences many teenage emotions neurotypicals find themselves dealing with. For instance, her desire for a romantic relationship and a fun college experience is a great representation of how autistic people may think differently, but doesn’t mean they don’t have similar goals and aspirations as neurotypical teenagers.

Overall, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is a great watch and representation of an autistic woman, this show does an impeccable job of covering sensitive emotions and character development in a calm and supportive manner.

Poster Credits: Paramount Pictures, Touchstone TV, Freeform TV

14

Sports Volume 15, Issue 6

Step up to Debate

Baseball, softball players compare sports Seth Deaton | Co-Editor Two fields. Two opening pitches. Two swings. Two base hits. Two different sports.

Baseball and softball are often grouped together because the sports are very similar. The basic rules are the same, and for the most part the differences are minor, but there are a few main ones.

“The key difference between the sports is the size of the field and the ball,” senior varsity softball player Makayla Donnelly said. “A softball is much bigger and baseball fields have about an extra 100 feet of depth.”

The players within both sports are in constant debate over which is more difficult to play.

On the baseball side, people argue the pitches are much faster

and therefore are more difficult to hit.

“Personally I think baseball is harder,” senior varsity baseball player Connor Arndt said. “We play with a smaller ball so it’s harder to hit. The game speed is also a lot faster and our fields are bigger so it’s harder to defend the gaps in the outfield.”

However, on the softball side they argue that the bigger fields actually make baseball easier to play.

“I believe softball is harder than baseball because a softball field is smaller which also means the pitching mound is closer and the base path is a shorter distance,” junior varsity softball player Avery Tomastik said.

“With such a short distance the speed of pitching is faster and the reaction time for hitters and

Sofia Dodd | Photographer JV softball player freshman Nayeli Buck batting against Conally on March 25.

fielders is a lot less.”

Since the sports are so similar many of the skills needed to be successful in one would help athletes be successful in the other.

“Hypothetically, if I were to try out for the softball team I believe I would make it,” senior varsity baseball player Ethan Doggett said. “Mainly because of watching some of their practices I know I could play along with them, and if I can play along with them then I should be able to make the team.”

Tomastik said that she believes that she would be capable of making the baseball team if she were to try out.

“It wouldn’t be impossible to make the baseball team but it would be very difficult,” Tomastik said. “Guys are known

V S

to be stronger and faster than girls.”

The simplest way to see which team is truly better would be for the teams to scrimmage and see who wins. However, the sports aren’t exactly the same, so it makes the logistics of trying to scrimmage difficult.

“I think it’s a little different, because how would we decide who gets to pitch,” Doggett said.

“Would we face them and have our aces throw against them, and how would we decide whether we played by baseball or softball rules? If we had rules in place baseball would win for sure.

However there’s no disrespect towards the girls or how they play.”

The competitive spirit between the teams is solely driven by individuals within them, and the

programs as a whole do what they can to support each other.

“I wouldn’t say that baseball and softball are competitive with each other but we’re competitive with our own teams,” Tomastik said. “But the baseball and softball teams always support each other when it comes to games.”

Even though the athletes are competitive with each other, one thing that’s the same between them is their love of the game and the chemistry within the team. Donnelly and Doggett agree that what truly makes the sports special is your teammates.

“The best part of the sport is the team by far,” Doggett said. “Sure playing is fun, but being able to do what you love everyday with a team you love and you all get along is just the best.”

Samaria Phillips | Photographer Varsity baseball player junior Jaden Bahl pitching at a home game against Pflugeville on March 28.

15

Sports April 8, 2022

Seniors navigate recruitment process amidst pandemic Angelyna Rosales | Co-Editor Many young athletes dream of being recruited to play in college. However, only seven percent of high school athletes compete at the collegiate level, according to the NCAA. Nine seniors have currently verbally committed or signed an official letter of intent to play a sport in college, all of which will compete at an NCAA division one school.

“I have such relief and a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Tarleton State volleyball commit senior Isabella Martinez said. “It’s a great feeling to know you are going to continue your education and the sport you love for longer.”

The recruitment process consists of many steps including phone calls, game footage, and college visits. Along with this, for most sports, college coaches are not allowed to initiate contact with athletes until the summer before their junior year per NCAA regulation.

“I didn’t become super involved until mid sophomore year,” University of Washington gymnastics commit senior Lilly Tubbs said. “I would send emails of videos and comp results but I wasn’t allowed to actually talk to coaches until June 1 of my junior year. From that day

on, I began to have weekly calls with occurrence in the process, current commits coaches to talk about their coaching styles, were also left to navigate recruitment team values, actual recruitment, and learn during the pandemic. more about what their college has to offer.

“COVID-19 made the I remember this process being stressful; recruitment process very difficult,” Tubbs I would have to write down notes about said. “Before COVID, coaches would each school to remember who was who. travel to different states to meet their After building a relationship with the recruits, [however], these college coaches coaches, I began to were not allowed to visit colleges I was travel. However, this truly interested in.” almost worked in my However, advantage because during this time of the summer going communication, into my senior year I many athletes was recovering from experience rejection. an injury, so I was “Throughout given time to recover my recruiting process, while not having to I experienced so worry about visits.” many ‘nos’ and a lot Though the process of the time I wouldn’t Photo provided by | Isabella is sometimes hard for even get an email Martinez athletes to process, both back from coaches,” Senior Isabella Martinez signing her high school and club University of Houston National Letter of Intent to Tarleton coaches are able to help volleyball commit University. their athletes navigate senior Ella Wendel the recruitment world. said. “I think learning to keep my head up “Most of my recruiting was and constantly text, email, and express my through my recruiting coordinator at my interest really changed the game for my club who helped me send out emails and process.” make highlight videos to send to colleges,” While rejection is a regular Martinez said. “High school coaches help

by giving an insight on who the player being recruited is, on how they are as a player, but also a person. They have been very supportive and have helped me not lose faith in my goal and to not get discouraged by rejection and wait for the right college to come.”

Committing to a college involves many outside factors besides the school’s athletic success including location and size.

“It also took me a long time to make a decision,” Tubbs said. “Prior to committing to the University of Washington, I actually never had an interest in them, I was only looking at SEC schools. So, when Washington had reached out to me about a spot on their team, I was still very unsure about moving all the way to Washington, but I knew their new coaches were super good. I went to visit the campus, meet the coaches, and practice with them last August. As soon as I stepped foot in that campus and gym, I just knew that was the place for me. The camp was a threeday practice and on the final day, I was asked to stay a little bit after the camp had concluded. In that conversation I was officially offered, I accepted on the spot, and from that day on I was an official D1 commit.”

Varsity winterguard’s competition season comes to an end Lilianna Moran | Asst. Editor The varsity winterguard made it to finals at the Winter Guard International (WGI) Austin Competition held at Glenn High School in early March.

“My team had a really good run during both prelims and finals,” senior varsity member Tani Terroba said. “WGI is a very competitive competition, teams have to earn their spot to go.”

This event marked varsity’s third competition of the year, and their first WGI competition of the season. Despite the team placing last, their performance had allowed them to qualify for finals.

“There were nine groups there, and only seven were supposed to make it to finals,” Terroba said.

“But, because all the groups did so well and scores were so close, all nine groups ended up performing again which was a great experience for us.”

The team performed their season long dance “Near”,

initially choreographed by their former instructor who quit earlier in the season, since then, the group has slowly incorporated in their own meanings.

“The concept was originally by our director for his dead mother, but then he left,” senior varsity member IIeyana Bertheola said.

“We’ve been making up the concept on our own. It’s like fallen angels and their growth and them moving past their struggles.”

The team has worked consistently to perfect their performance.

“The varsity team practices eight hours a week, not including class time,” Terroba said. “We work on our show every minute making changes and adding new work to make it the best version.

On show days we have at least two hours of practice and make sure to stretch and do mental runs leading up to the performance.”

These adjustments in instructors and the choreography have taken

some time to recover, however, Terroba views this as a learning curb.

“Overall, our team was a little overwhelmed from recent changes to the show which messed us up a little,” Terroba said. “But we still did very well considering it was our first time at WGI and earned our place in finals.”

The varsity team’s final competition took place on Sat, March 26, at the TCGC College Station where they placed seventh overall.

“Though we haven’t exactly medaled at any competitions, the amount of work and dedication we have all given to this show blows my mind,” Terroba said.

“This show is legitimately the most tiring and hardest thing I’ve done in my high school career and we have all grown immensely performing and perfecting it.”

Eriqua Williams | Photographer Sophomore Ysabella Uranza and freshman Tracy Huynh performing at winterguard State Championships.

16

Feature Volume 15, Issue 6

UIL One Act Play competes at Area, deals with abrupt changes Natalia Zavaleta | Asst. Editor The cast and crew of UIL One Act Play Big Love came home after putting on a historic performance at Area Competition in Bastrop. While not advancing to Region, the cast, crew, and directors, pushed through with only 16 of 24 members present. With COVID exposure and quarantine, 40% of the cast had to either be re-cast or replaced, including directors Nicole Malone and Mike Fisher.

“We ended up re-casting and changing the approach to the show multiple times,” Fisher said. “Things would shift around as we would lose people, or a new idea would come to our minds about a new way to change or approach the show.”

Roles were moved around, actors had to learn and rehearse new material just days before the competition. Sophomore Addi Villegas stepped up to play the lead and memorize a completely new role in order to avoid the show getting canceled.

“For the two days I had to learn the part I was on game mode,” Villegas said. “I put my whole self into the work I was doing to memorize the part.”

The cast and crew had several virtual rehearsals over Zoom to avoid everyone gathering together.

“We really didn’t know what was going on,” Fisher said. “Frankly, I didn’t think it was going to be a big issue. If you watch the news, all the case numbers are as low as possible.”

As roles were being figured out and new blocking was added and scenes changed, the directors faced the problem of who was going to direct the show off-screen.

Robert Malone, Malone’s husband, and theatre director at Weiss, Manny Gamez, head of PfISD Fine Arts, and Kirsten Nash, Speech and Debate coach, stepped in to take the cast and crew to the Area competition. Schools are allowed a have a 50-minute technical rehearsal where they get to go on stage to set up and spike all props and go through all the light cues.

“Malone, Gamez, and Nash don’t really know this show, luckily our kids did,” Malone said. “The contest manager let me zoom in during the competition and during the tech rehearsal in order to help give instructions and set things up.”

Three OAP members received individual awards at this contest: senior Chloe Lemley, All-Star Cast, junior Kyra Carr, Honorable Mention All-Star Cast, and senior Zoe Scott, All-Star Technician.

Nonetheless, the cast and crew of Hawk

Drama’s musical Once on This Island will be attending the Heller Awards for Young Artists. Receiving a total of 10

nominations, the cast will be performing at the Long Center on April 14.

Photo provided by | Nicole Malone Big Love cast and crew after winning Disttrict Champions. Indivdual awards went to junior Kyra Carr- Best Actress, junior Tori Ybarra- All Star Cast, senior Sam HillHonorable Mention All Star Cast, senior Chloe Lemley- Honorable Mention All Star Cast, and senior Zoe Scott- All Star Technician.

Staff honored with annual teacher and humanitarian awards Kaitlyn Nash | Managing Editor Every year, in order to figure out Teacher, Humanitarian, and Rookie Teacher of the Year, the administration sends out a list of every single teacher for teachers to vote on who they believe deserves the title.

This year, English teacher Kathryn Gurganus received the Teacher of the Year distinction, administrative assistant Frances Rendon received the Humanitarian of the Year distinction, and math teacher Ashley Campbell received the Rookie Teacher of the Year distinction.

Gurganus believes that all teachers have worked hard these past two years.

“I think in a year of the pandemic and the craziness, it’s very meaningful this year just because we’ve had to adapt and adjust and make sure that students feel secure and safe here and making up for the last two years and trying to get us back into a normal environment,” Gurganus said.

Rendon has worked at Hendrickson for nineteen years and comes every day in order to do the job she has been assigned.

Kathryn Gurganus Teacher of the Year

“My job means a lot to me. I’ve been here since we opened in 2003, so I think I have a lot invested here at Hendrickson High School,” Rendon said. “It’s important to me.”

As an administrative assistant, Rendon works makes sure students have the correct qualifications to graduate from high school.

“I know a lot of kids don’t like me right now because they have makeup hours but it’s important to me that kids graduate so we want them here at school,” Rendon

Frances Rendon Humanitarian of the Year

said. “Watching kids walk across the stage is ultimately what we want them all to do and I’m always honored every year to be at graduation and watch the kids make it through. I try to connect with them.”

Receiving the title came with honor for Rendon and Gurganus as their fellow colleagues voted for them to receive their titles.

“I felt very honored and I just come to work every day,” Rendon said. “I try to do my job as best as I can and be here to help out anybody that needs help.”

Ashley Campbell Rookie Teacher of the Year