Modern plague

Spri ng 2021

Letter fromtheEditors Dear Readers, Welcom e to our m agazi ne, Modern Plague created by 9th grade students of the Li beral Arts and Sci ence Academ y. Wi th the recent outbreak of coronavi rus i n 2020-2021, i t has affected our li ves i n m ore w ays than i m agi nable. We hope that thi s m agazi ne can act as a gui de to people unfam i li ar w i th the detai ls of the vi rus, or w anti ng to k now m ore.

Everythi ng that you need to k now about Covi d-19 i s here.

Creati ng i t together w as such a m em orable experi ence, and havi ng done i t through zoom i nstead of i n person at norm al school i s som ethi ng that w e w i ll never forget. We started w i th getti ng i ntervi ew s, a very di ffi cult experi ence consi deri ng that w e got rejected m ore ti m es than not. We then w rote our feature arti cles after a lot of research. We proceeded w i th creati ng our ASF?s, and putti ng the m agazi ne together.

We all spent countless hours w ork i ng on thi s, and w e hope that our hard w ork , ti m e, and love, i s show cased i n our m agazi ne. Thank you, and w e

hope you enjoy readi ng.

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Meet theTeam Graphic Courtesy of Karenna Caplan

Hello! I?m A gam Z adok and I am a freshm an at LASA. I have li ved i n Austi n for alm ost m y enti re li fe, but all of m y fam i ly i s from Israel. I love playi ng spi keball, traveli ng, sw i m m i ng, and hangi ng out w i th fri ends. My favori te food i s sushi , and m y favori te subject i n school i s sci ence and I aspi re to be a surgeon som eday i n the future.

My nam e i s Yoh annes Hei neman and I have li ved m y enti re li fe i n Austi n, Texas. I am a freshm an at LASA hi ghschool. I li ke to play vi deo gam es, hang out w i th fri ends, and read. I play soccer for both school and for m y club. I enjoy playi ng soccer and hope to conti nue playi ng i n the future.

My nam e i s Ch arl otte Qui nn. I li ve i n Austi n, but w as ori gi nally born i n Manhattan, New York , though I sti ll consi der m yself a true Texan. I am a freshm an at the Li beral Arts and Sci ence Academ y (LASA), here i n Austi n, w here I play volleyball for school and club team s. I love to travel and spend ti m e w i th m y fri ends and fam i ly, w hi ch I cannot w ai t to start doi ng agai n soon.

My nam e i s Henry Hol mes. I'm i n the ei ghty percent of people w ho got i nto LASA i n 2020. I'm a nati ve Austi ni te w ho rarely leaves the ci ty . I have no i dea w hat I'm doi ng w i th m y li fe. I used to be on the cross country team but si nce quaranti ne I can be found runni ng i n betw een m y chai r, w here m y li fe- i m ean com puter si ts, and the snack cabi net.

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Coronavirus v Graphic by Henry Holmes

When people thi nk of Covi d-19 they usually thi nk of the health 9. M odern pl ague

ri sk s. ?Wi ll I be able to see m y fam i ly thi s year?? or ?Wi ll I survi ve thi s?'', com es to m i nd. But, that's for norm al peopele. Nerds only care about som ethi ng i f i t hurts Austi n?s beloved econom y, and lets just say Covi d-19 w as really bad for the econom y. But the ci ty, after a half year i s on the ri se and there i s help avai lable.

s The Econom y

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Coronavirus and t he econom y

By Henry Holm es

Fi rst Infecti ous Months Veronica Br iseño When the pandem i c began, the ci ty of Austi n cancelled Chief economic recover y officer South By Southw est, one of the area?s bi ggest involved in creating the RISE progr am entertai nm ent festi vals, and i nform ed busi nesses and photo by the Austin gover nment the publi c about the panndem i c. There w ere m ask m andates, the occupancy m axi m um of restaurants hi t 0, and alm ost everyone w ent hom e for a year long spri ng break . The ci ty tri ed to adm i ni ster a loan Wi th a fi nanci al cri si s on thei r hands, Austi n?s very program , but m any busi nesses w ere hesi tant to go ow n Econom i c Developm ent Departm ent (EPP) got to forw ard as they w ere unsure w here they w ere goi ng to w ork , accordi ng to Veroni ca Breseño, chi ef econom i c be fi nanci ally w hen they had to pay that loan back . recovery offi cer.

Those w ho couldn't pay back ended up havi ng thei r debts reli eved anyw ays. Betw een March 1st and July ?We had a seri es of engagem ent sessi ons w i th 10th of 2020 Yelp reported that 1449 Austi n-Round com m uni ty stakeholders w i th sm all busi nesses, large Rock busi nesses closed perm anently busi nesses, w i th organi zati ons that represent or tem porari ly w i th a peak of busi nesses and creati ves,? Breseño 130,000 people losi ng sai d. ?We talked to m usi ci ans and a peak of 130,000 thei r jobs i n May arti sts and really a di verse group of 2020. people.? people losing their

Pi ck i ng i t back up

jobs in May 2020 ?We really bui lt the plane as w e flew i t thi s year and I thi nk w e di d a stellar job,?

Breseño explai nedOne of the thi ngs that cam e out of thi s w as the R.I.S.E. or Reli ef In State of Em ergency program i ntroduced i n Septem ber of 2020 w hi ch

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Graphi c for the ri se reli ef program provi ded by the Austi n governm ent

di stri buted $10 m i lli on dollars to resi dents i n need. ?On the busi ness si de of thi ngs restaurants becam e alm ost reli ant on deli very servi ces, as I'm sure m ost people noti ced,? Breseño sai d. Nobody could di ne i n at restaurants w i th thi s pandem i c goi ng around.

Those w ho could not get thei r servi ces out to thei r consum ers w ould go out of busi ness m ore often than not.

We saw places li ke Luby?s, Alam o

Draft house, w ho reli es on people occupyi ng seats i n thei r theatre for m oney, to tem porari ly close. The Draft House opens a servi ce w here people can rent out theater room s and soci ally di stance w atch m ovi es together, but i t i sn't enough. Alm ost a year later on March 3rd, 2021 the franchi se fi led chapter 11 bank ruptcy. It closed i ts 6th street locati on i n Austi n, one i n New Braunfels, and canceled the constructi on of an Orlando locati on. Good new s i s the Drafthouse i sn't closi ng all locati ons and w i ll sti ll requi re all locati ons to soci ally di stance and w i ll not be fully openi ng despi te m any states openi ng 100% back up.

Help i s here

drafthouse Ri tz, and Dartbow l close or declare bank ruptcy leavi ng holes i n parts of Austi n's com m uni ti es. ?Im very hopeful. In the case i n restaurants w ere k now n for bei ng a eaty com m uni ty i ts a foody com m uni ty so i thi nk that there w i ll be a space for that creati vi ty and that developm ent of restaurants and i m hopeful and just try parade dow n strong,? ?We w ere the last to be hi t and the fi rst to com e out,?

Breseño sai d.

Follow i ng The Draft House Founded i n 1997, the Alam o Drafthouse i s an Austi n m ovi e theater chai n, di fferenti ati ng i tself by servi ng m eals and dri nk s duri ng the m ovi es and offeri ng m any m ovi e-related foods and dri nk s li ke the ?suprem e leader shake? and ?lava planet popcorn? i nspi red by The Last Jedi . Entertai nm ent Week ly nam ed the Alam o Drafthouse Ci nem a i n 2005 "The #1 m ovi e theater i n the country doi ng i t ri ght". Just talk i ng about a busi ness can be bori ng so com i ng around February 2020 busi ness w as as usual, but w e all k now the story. Covi d-19 hi ts and everyone goes hom e to quaranti ne, m ask m andate com es dow n, then the state clenches dow n on occupancy rate forci ng the

The vacci ne i s out and soci ety i s slow ly goi ng back to w hat w as, k i nd of. Whi le busi ness has been slow ly openi ng up a good 5.1% of Austi ni tes are sti ll left unem ployed w i th 6.8% statew i de. Thi s segm ent w i ll just go over w ays you can help yourself i f you fi nd that you are i n a ti ght space because of Covi d-19. ? I Would look to our w ork force recourses, or look for soluti ons as our local enti ty that provi des w ork force developm ent resources they are provi di ng trai ni ngs and chi ld care so i f and i ndi vi dual w anted to take the opportuni ty to learn a new trade thi s i s a great ti m e to do that,? Sai d Breseño.

Fi rst I w ould li ke to start w i th the austi n Reli ef of Em ergency Needs for Tenants (RENT). The RENT program helps i ndi vi duals and fam i li es i n need pay for up to 12 and 15 m onths w orth of rent. It covers rent that i s overdue and any late fees along w i th that as w ell as rent i n the future. To be eli gi ble for thi s program you m ust li ve i n the austi n ci ty li m i t and m ake 80% or less of m edi an household i ncom e. For m ore i nform ati on resi dents can go to austi ntexas.gov/ rent. ? Austi n energy has a com m uni ty assi stance program ,that's the plus one program ? Breseño offered.

Detai ls for thi s can be found i n bi lli ng and paym ent under austi n energy?s w ebsi te. The ci ty of austi n keeps thei r w ebsi te up to date so alw ays m ake sure to check i t every now and then i f you need help. Just go through qui ck ly here are a li st of resources you can use: The helpi ng center, Central Texas Food Bank , and the Austi n Creati ve Alli ance. ?

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Covid- 19 econo A S Y M P T O M A T I C

Graphics by Henry Holmes

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om ic sym pt om s S Y M P T O M A T I C M odern pl ague.14

Ed u c at ion Sys t e m : Cov id - 19 Ed it ion How s c h ool s h av e ad ap t e d t o t h is ne w w ay of l iv ing

By Ag am Z ad ok

Graphic Courtesy of Agam Zadok

S

tudents and teachers all across the

the most knowledgeable

classroom with students at

globe have been met with a

people or government

desks. A large part of their

school year like no other,

officials knew what was

jobs consists of interacting

facing the challenges of

going to happen. No one

with students one on one,

learning during Covid-19. In

had answers, everything

forming bonds with them,

March of 2020, millions of

was unknown. How has the

and being able to help them

schools closed their doors

education system adapted

hands on.

and shut down campuses.

to accommodate this new

This makes the switch to

Students, the recipients of

way of living?

virtual learning particularly

the news, were just as taken

Teachers are used to

difficult on the educators?

aback as school district

standing in front of a

ends. ?I make so many

administrators. Not even

whiteboard in the

adjustments in the

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classroom based on body

year

language and facial

virtually

expressions and that is

in the

gone right now.? Said

same

Wheeler, an English teacher

way that

at Anderson High School in

you

Austin, Texas. ?Of course, I

would

have some strong

normally.

participants in every class

Anderson

and that helps, but if those

High School,

few kids get it, it doesn?t

along with many

mean everyone else does.?

schools in the

The shock of this new

Austin Independent

pandemic resulted in rocky

District, have introduced

start with online schooling.

Asynchronous Fridays. ?Kids

their

?It?s been a lot of trial and

have some type of check-in

time as well. ?I have time to

error.? said Wheeler

or short assignment for

grade, make contact with

?There?s plenty of learning

their classes that day, but

parents, and plan lessons.?

on our parts as teachers,

we don?t have Zoom class.?

said Wheeler. ?This has

because we want our

said Wheeler.

been the biggest help for

lessons to be engaging, but

These work days give

we don?t all have the

students flexibility, and the

The Round Rock

knowledge about how to do

option to move their school

Independent School District

that all the time in a virtual

time to accommodate their

opted for a different way of

setting.?

personal schedules. The

integrating flexibility. They

With such a large transition

concept wasn?t only catered

break up the school day,

in the education format,

to students though. As hard

alternating between

there have to be some

as it is to be a student,

asynchronous work time,

changes made to how

some may argue that it?s

and synchronous classes to

things are done. There is no

even harder to be a

give students breaks

way to conduct a school

teacher, and they need

throughout the day.

me as a teacher.?

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Another concept that they

Everybody is ultimately

there are class sizes of 35

have incorporated is smart

waiting for life to go back to

kids. There?s no way to

boards.?We provided large

the way it was, and this was

keep distance from each

interactive flat panels to

something to bring back a

other.? Many parents and

each classroom to support

sense of normality into

students agree with her

hybrid teaching. These flat

their lives again. It was a

when she says ?Until

panels allow the teachers to

surprise to see so many

vaccination rates are high,

be away from their

high school students

campuses aren?t safe

computers and be in front

places.?

of their classroom.? said Mary Bone, a member of the

?Our chi ldren are resi li ent, our educators and staff are superheroes, our com m uni ty i s stronger together w hen w e support each other through i t all.?

board of trustees in Round Rock ISD.

Dana DeLorenzo, Executi ve Di rector of Eanes Educati on Foundati on

In Fall of 2020, the city of Austin went into Stage 3 of Covid-19, with Stage 1 being the best having little to no Covid cases, and Stage 5 being the worst having Covid cases growing rapidly.

decided

Keeping everyone protected has been proven to be a large reason why

so many high schoolers are deciding to continue with virtual, but a good portion

to remain at home. Over

of online students are not

80% of teenagers attending

concerned with safety, and

public high schools in Texas

have different reasons for

opted to keep attending school online. Why is this?

their decision. ?Having to wear a mask for eight hours

Once the number of cases

?The biggest issue is safety,?

a day in person versus not

started to decrease, Texas

said Wheeler. ?A lot of our

having to wear a mask at

school districts were quick

classrooms don?t have

and eager to reopen in

windows, schools have poor

moderation.

ventilation systems, and

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home is a major factor in why Middle and High

Courtesy of Michael Minasi

School students stay

whether biological or not,

connections and

remote.? Bone said.

means more than we

conversations. We are not

Students are ?fully hybrid so

realize. It has shown us new

meant to be alone, but we

the students in person are

realms of technology that

got through it. If we can get

still learning through the

have revolutionized our

through this, we can get

computer even when they

future. And it taught us

through anything, and that

are in the classroom.?

never to take every day

is some reassurance that

Fitting in with the topic of

actions in life for granted.

everybody could use right

education and learning,

Humans are not built for

now. ?

what have we learned from

isolation. That?s just how it

this pandemic? It has

is and we can?t change that.

taught us that family,

We thrive off of building

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1. Tak e Break s

2. P A tten

4. Bri ng Snack s!

5. Ch your E Freq u

Pay nti on

3. Use your A sync Ti me

h eck Emai l uentl y

6. Stay Posi ti v e!

Graphics Courtesy of Agam Zadok

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How s c h ool s h av e ad ap t e d t o t h is ne w w ay of l iv ing ?

"It is so nice to finally see the hopeful light that is within a small syringe at the end of this very ling tunnel."

- Soriya Estes, founder of Estes Audiology

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? ?

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