The Dispatch, Vol. 32, Issue #2, 11.01.19

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FALL FESTIVAL FUN Students Leadership hosts school wide party after PSAT

STRIKE A POSE Former student Parker Swett launches modeling career

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DROPPING IN A TRAIL Mountain Biking team dials it in for competition season

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coming UP

Nov. 3 Daylight Savings Time Ends Nov. 25-29 Thanksgiving Break Dec. 6 Late Start

Vol. 32, Issue 2 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin TX, 78749

THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Pride in Publishing

Students lead conversation on acceptance Dylan Ebs Dispatch Reporter

A video plays on the projector in class. The video spreads an anti-bullying message, but it seems corny and generic. The video ends, and the teacher goes back to the curriculum for the day. Student Leadership is changing the way tolerance is taught.

Student Leadership has been collaborating with the administration and teachers to administer “Speak Up” lessons to all students. The lessons will be taught by students from Leadership in assistance with teachers and will be occurring in English classes this semester.

The goal of the lessons is to promote tolerance and unite the school in solidarity against all forms of hate.

Student Leadership teacher Vickie Benson says Student Leadership wanted an opportunity to teach the Speak Up lessons.

“The students thought since they are putting in the work to make the lessons, they could be the ones to teach,” Benson said. “Peers leading peers with the assistance of teachers and administrators would perhaps unify the events and show the importance of what our campus is striving for.”

Principal Mark Robinson supports the plan and has been coming into their classroom to observe and give input on the lessons. Robinson says that he hopes the lessons will make it easier for students to speak out if they ever are bullied or see someone being bullied.

“I was having [conversations] with parents where parents would say, ‘My child came home to say

Behind the Fence Peter Dang Editor-in-Chief

Construction crews have made significant progress in the last five weeks. The site has up to 30 workers on location now that concrete work has started. The weather has been permissive of the construction and the project is on schedule.

All 91 piers have been drilled and poured. Crews are currently constructing columns. There will be about 80 columns once the project is completed. The columns support the floors of the garage.

“Production has been efficient,” JE Dunn Senior Superintendent Tim Wright Said. “We are right where we planned to be, and that’s always a good thing.”

A crane will be erected early November to aid construction as the structure gets taller. The crane will be 121 feet to the bottom of the hook and have 229 feet of reach.

SPEAKING ASSERTIVELY: Seniors Chris Lamm (left) and Erin Rannefeld (right) watch as senior Samuel Hayek (center) speaks about the importance of the role of seniors on campus. Seniors attended an assembly while other grades took the PSAT on Oct. 16. PHOTO BY Marisa Salazar

that this either happened at school to them or saw it happen’ and they don’t feel like they can speak up,” Robinson said. “They don’t feel like they can address it with their peers and that really concerned me because I never want anybody to feel helpless.”

Leadership student Will Heise said that student leaders recognized the need for improvement at Bowie, which gave them the idea of the Speak Up lessons.

“In our discussion we found that there is a lot of bias-motivated actions at Bowie,” Heise said. “The

ing,” Robinson said. “This thing just happened or they just saw it and it bothers them, but they don’t know how to deal with it, and so that’s where the Speak Up training came in.”

The Speak Up lessons were started by Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center whose dedication is fighting against all forms of hate. Teaching Tolerance’s mission is “to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.”

“The Speak Up lesson introduces

Concrete comes pouring in by the truckload “There aren't many fixed cranes in this area, there's a lot of mobile cranes in the area,” Wright said. “I think it will be exciting for students to see it.”

The crew uses forklifts to raise concrete buckets to pour concrete into the column forms. As the columns get taller, the crane will be used instead of forklifts to lift the concrete buckets. The crane will also help bring materials and concrete forms up to floors high off the ground.

“The crane will help us be more efficient,” Wright said. “It will be a bit quicker and smoother to set concrete forms, pour concrete and strip the forms.”

After parking lot A was opened, the traffic light at Slaughter Lane was reset.

The light cycle was only 10 seconds long, causing drivers who were turning left on Slaughter to have to wait significantly longer. Traffic on the entire campus was backed up.

ART BY Peter Dang

Equipment Facts Crane:

121 feet of vertical reach 229 feet of horizontal reach

Forklift:

56 feet of vertical reach 42 feet of horizontal reach

INDEX

idea is to bring awareness to the issues that Bowie's culture has, and to equip the whole student body to combat them.”

Researchers at Brown University found that over half of teenagers who are bullied do not report it. This stems from various factors, including not wanting to be seen as a tattletale, or being told to just toughen up. In order to address these concerns, Robinson believes that the Speak Up lessons will make reporting bullying easier for students.

“A lot of times in the student mind that looks like tattling or tell-

students to the Pyramid of Hate to emphasize the importance of challenging all manifestations of prejudice and discrimination,” according to The Bowie Star Newsletter. “It teaches students the four speak-upto-hate strategies, ‘interrupt, question, educate and echo’ and allows students to discuss and role-play the four strategies.”

While the rest of the student body was taking the PSAT on Oct. 16, Student Leadership held a panel for seniors. In the panel, a group of student leaders spoke and created an open discussion, allowing other students to weigh in and share their own experiences.

“The student panel gave students the opportunity to share their experiences either by saying, this happened to me, I saw this happen to someone, and being able to just be really transparent about their experiences,” Robinson said. “Now, [we decide] how do we address that, and how do we avoid those mistakes in the future, so having both of those components was really important to yesterday morning [Oct. 16] being so impactful.”

As members of Student Leadership introduce the Speak Up lessons to individual classrooms, Benson believes their presence and knowledge could create a substantial impact for the entire student population.

“The goal is to present information true to Bowie, process the changes we want to see, and have steps in place to use student voice along with the support of teachers and administrators to make a positive, unified campus,” Benson said.

“It will be a process, but I believe the plan and steps are headed in the right direction.”

News 1 , 2, 3 Reviews 13

"The light issue was very frustrating, the light changed so quickly" senior Natalie George said. "I am so glad that it has been resolved."

After the fix, the cycle is about 30 seconds long allowing for more drivers to leave Bowie efficiently. Traffic engineers on the construction team worked with the Austin Department of Transportation to fix the issue.

“We got the traffic engineers who know how the light is supposed to work to work with the city to fix this issue,” principal Mark Robinson said. “It really helps to have such skilled people working on this project.”

The administration and construction company has started planning for next school year. With many camps planned over the summer, the administration and construction company must plan meticulously to prevent issues between students and crews.

“The work that's going to start next year is going to be a whole lot more intensive,” Robinson said. “We need to plan this early in advance when such dramatic improvements are happening.

The parking garage is on schedule for completion at the end of the school year.

Construction of athletic facilities starts afterwards.

“We have all these highly skilled and highly trained people that are coming together to build a better Bowie for all of us,” Robinson said. “It is going to be worth it.”

Feature 4, 5 In-Depth 6, 8, 9

TOTAL TEAMWORK: Construction workers set up a concrete form for a column.

Columns are poured on top of underground piers. PHOTO BY Peter Dang

Photo Essay 7, 16 Sports 10, 11

Entertainment 12 Commentary 14, 15

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2 NEWS

Students petition for homework reform THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Cade Spencer Managing Editor

Sample Schedule: 4:30 p.m.: School ends 5:30 p.m.: Volleyball 7:00 p.m.: Dinner 8:00 p.m.: Math work 9:00 p.m.: Reading guide 10:00 p.m.: Spanish work 11:00 p.m.: Chemistry 11:30 p.m.: Sleep 6:30 a.m.: Wake up

Between school, extracurricular activities, and homework, students find little rest in a constant daily grind.

Although hefty workloads can cause students to feel overwhelmed and fatigued, it is their perception of the work that can create the most stress. With hours of work, students commonly see their homework as meaningless busy work, a belief that has caused some teenagers to call for homework restrictions.

As of October 25, a Change.org petition hosted

by Dripping Springs junior Ian Stinson had 5,258 virtual signatures in support of implementing new limitations on homework.

“My teacher asked us to write a Ted Talk, so my friend and I wrote an abridged version of what is in the petition and presented it in her class,” Stinson said. “I went home and revised the Ted Talk into the petition as a protest to the large amount of work we were receiving.”

Stinson posted his petition on Change.org, a website that allows individuals to create petitions concerning any subject they care about, such as reforms in homework policy.

“Homework is beneficial because it lets you practice skills you need for tests,” junior Alex Johnson said.

“However, it harms students by taking too much of their free time with work that is sometimes unnecessary.”

In order to promote change in the community, the petition has been addressed to Governor Greg Abbott and the City of Austin.

“The absence of repeti-

A SEA OF PAPER: Senior Elizabeth Cluchey poses as a student overwhelmed by hoards of test preparation, work, and study material. Substantial workloads are a driving cause behind student movements for homework restrictions and policy reforms. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY Cade Spencer and Reagan Zuniga

tive homework would grow student’s love of learning,” Stinson said in his petition summary. “They would be able to pursue their own interests, help out with their family chores/responsibilities, and grow up in a healthy way without homework.”

As a consequence of a substantial workload, senior Sarah Israel spends about two hours and thirty minutes on homework every night.

“I think homework can add unnecessary stress when I’m given busy work,” Israel said. “I think the most effective form is any interactive assignment because it makes learning fun and helps you retain stuff better.”

As a teacher of three PreAP math classes, Jeff Henson is familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of homework.

“I understand where students are coming from because there are a lot of assignments given in high school that could be perceived as busy work,” Henson said. “We try to keep homework manageable, but there are the topics we cover in Algebra II that require practice.”

After three years of high school, Israel has found that homework is more beneficial when used in certain academic settings.

“I think math should have homework every night be-

cause that’s something you have to continually practice to get good at,” Israel said.

“In [other classes], studying the way you feel is best for you should be your homework.”

Shari Blevins, who teaches Academic English I, uses independent reading and reflection assignments as activities to improve students' reading and writing abilities.

“When you do English homework, you are building collections of writing and skills in order to create larger pieces such as essays,” Blevins said. “If you were to eliminate homework, I would worry how those [skills] would be developed because there is simply not

enough time in class.”

Math teacher Kelly Flickinger wants to change how students perceive work.

“I want students to use homework as a place to figure out what they know, what they don’t know, and where to go from there,” Flickinger said. “If I can have students say that homework is meaningful and a safe place to fail, then we know we are doing something right.”

If there is reform in the district homework policy, Israel believes that students should have at most one hour and thirty minutes of homework a night.

“I had a project in anatomy that involved making a poster, looking up pictures,

and presenting to the class,” Israel said. “I thought it was beneficial because I had to teach my class about it, and I had to make pictures and research a topic.”

As a result of potential homework limitations, Johnson believes that high schoolers could achieve balance in their AP and Pre-AP classes.

“I personally think schools should mostly make homework optional,” Johnson said. “If schools do this, the work would be meaningful for students because they are doing it by choice, and the overall workload would be more meaningful for all.”

When considering a universal homework policy, Henson acknowledges that individual student's needs would make it difficult to develop a plan that benefits and serves all.

“In my class, we try to walk a fine line between not giving too much and just enough work to where we feel kids can practice the skills they need to know,” Henson said. “I want homework to be a place where students feel safe to make mistakes and learn from them.”

As students from around Austin sign the petition, it has an end goal of 10,000 signatures.

“I don’t think I would sign a petition like that because I think in certain situations homework can be a useful tool,” Johnson said. “I definitely agree that homework needs to be decreased, and I would sign a petition to place limitations on the quantity of assignments each class can give.”

Despite his desire for homework reform, Stinson realizes that such change would require curriculum adjustments at all levels of education.

“Logistically, homework expedites learning, allowing for fewer years of schooling and more efficient class time, and if it was used correctly and in moderation, it would not be as troublesome,” Stinson said. “That being said, I would not protest not having homework.”

Autonomous cars in Austin fuel concerns for driver safety Samantha Thompson Dispatch Reporter

Austin: a city overflowing with live music, bats, and “Keep Austin Weird” stickers, can soon add self-driving cars to its growing list of unique sights.

Austin is the third city to be announced by Ford in their Autonomous 2021 plan, following Miami and Washington, D.C. In their plan, Ford has aimed to create a fully autonomous car by 2021 that will be available for commercial uses, such as ride-sharing and delivery. They are partnered with Argo AI, an artificial intelligence company specializing in autonomous vehicles.

In a statement to the public released Sept. 25, Peter Rander, President of Argo AI, described what preparations will be made in Austin, starting as soon as November of this year.

“Over the coming months, our vehicles will be manually driven through east Austin as well as downtown, mapping the city’s main corridors in preparation for autonomous testing,” Rander wrote. “Eventually we will expand beyond these areas, but these initial mapping trips help us develop a comprehensive understanding of the environment around our vehicles.”

The car created by Ford and Argo AI will register as a level four on the autonomous vehicles scale, meaning that the car will be able to drive itself in almost all situations without a driver’s assistance. No vehicles of this level have been produced for commercial use prior to this plan.

According to a statement on Ford’s website, “The vehicle will operate without a steering wheel,

gas pedal or brake pedal within Geo-fenced areas as part of a ride sharing or ride hailing experience.”

It is very evident that these vehicles have the potential to change the transportation system of Austin. However, many people have opposing views on the topic of autonomous vehicles, specifically on their safety and effectiveness.

“I think self-driving vehicles are a very exciting innovation, that if used wisely and regulated carefully, could change our society and the way we travel for the better,” junior Conner Petru said.

Other students are more wary about how these cars will affect the dynamic of Austin traffic.

“I think this will impact Austin traffic negatively since [it] is already so bad,” sophomore Jessie Schafer said. “People are more irritable and don’t want to deal with any mistakes a self-driving car may make.”

There are many cars today with partially autonomous features, such as cruise control or lane assistance. These capabilities give a glimpse into what is to come with Ford’s Autonomous 2021 project, but they also do not require as much of the user’s trust as the autonomous Ford vehicles will.

“It was a very surreal experience, knowing that the car was in control,” Petru said on his personal experience in a partially autonomous car. “But at the same time, it was comforting to know that the driver could take back control at a moment's notice to steer clear of an obstacle or change in the road.”

The lack of human control in a vehicle without a steering wheel, gas pedal, or brake pedal has raised many concerns about the vehicle’s safety, specifically how it would re-

DRIVING AUTOMATION LEVELS

1

What abilities can the car perform?

2

3

Although The driver is The driver has control of the the car can able to control perform basic the car; car with tasks such as however, limited steering and complete assistance such as cruise accelerating, driver focus is driver focus is not required. control. required.

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The vehicle can safely perform all driving functions in many conditions.

The vehicle can perform all driving functions in all conditions.

ART BY Sumin Kim and Cade Spencer

act in a split-second decision.

“It's troublesome to think unempathetic machines will be driving in situations that require ethical decision making,” Petru said.

“I worry that these self-driving cars would have trouble making split decisions that could injure the driver or other people.”

Other students are concerned that the cars will disrupt how normal drivers operate on Austin roads.

“I am concerned that self-driving cars will be introduced and available before they are perfected,” sophomore Jessie Schafer said.

“This could make people more nervous on the roads, leading to more crashes.”

In their public statement, Ford

and Argo AI addressed these concerns and expressed a desire to share their project with the Austin community in order to increase the safety of their product and the benefits it provides.

“Self-driving vehicles are a potentially transformative technology, but we understand that in order for them to be truly successful, we have to build confidence in their safety,” Rander wrote. “Working with Ford as well as city, state and federal officials, we look forward to engaging the Austin community as we aim to build a safe vehicle service that expands access to jobs, transportation and communities.”

Even when autonomous cars arrive, Schafer believes it will take time for them to reach Southwest

Austin.

“I don’t think self-driving cars will affect the Bowie community very much because I don’t think many teens will get self-driving cars to drive to school,” Schafer said. “However, some Ubers that are called could be self-driving cars, causing potential chaos."

As Ford develops the vehicles for the autonomous 2021 program, they plan to make them hybrid-electric, which would give the cars the ability to work and be rented out all day without extended charging times.

“These cars will definitely give Bowie students and staff an interesting taste of how AI might change our lives in the future,” Petru said.

“For better or for worse.”

NEWS 3

Dawgs declutter the lots

CLEANING UP FOR GOOD: Tye Frnka and Evan Mallett discard litter from the West Oak Woods Baptist Church parking lot with fellow club members. Various clubs have been cleaning up the parking lot for the past month in order to maintain parking lot privileges. PHOTO BY Brianna Lopez

Clubs are now encouraged to contribute to the cleaning effort Brianna Lopez Dispatch Photographer

off. It’s good leadership and the kids I have cleaning like doing it,” Maney said. “They volunteer and like doing it, they have hearts of service.”

The excess amount of trash around campus has been an But they were not the only ones who felt the need to ongoing issue that the administration has constantly been help. Students who participate in clubs also feel that the trying to address. But in September, the school improve- excess amount of litter was an issue that needed to be adment team sent an email to all club leaders asking them to dressed. pick a day they want their club to clean the parking lot.

“I mean I think it is fair because a lot of us forget about "This year we are adding a school service requirement littering, we live in a society where we don’t think about it. for all clubs called Don't Mess With Bowie. Each club will I think we need to be more conservative about the earth. sign up for one week of after-school parking lot clean-up It’s not attractive looking to see a lot of trash,” senior Bailee duty,” school improvement director Ruth Ann Widner said. Watson said.

Supplies for trash pickup (gloves and trash bags) are The administration hope s that the initiative from club available to students in room C102 and the shuttle is still leaders will spread awareness for the ongoing issue of litter available to students who volunteer to clean the West Oak in all parking lots and on campus grounds.

Woods Baptist Church.

“I think it will benefit “We hope that this rou[campus beautification]. tine service activity will We also hope this initiative will create some I think as teens, we just strengthen our relationship leave stuff around and awareness among our students that the with Bethany and West Oak not pick it up. Hopefully, Woods who have undertrashing of the parking lots is problematic. this will try to encourage standably grown weary of others to try and be more the enormous amounts of aware,” Watson said.

Ruth Ann Widner trash left by our students,” Although many stuWidner said. “We also hope School Improvement Director dents participate in clubs this initiative will create every other week, all indisome awareness among our viduals that enter campus should be conscious of throwing students that the trashing of the parking lots is problemat- their trash away, especially in the parking lots as Maney ic.” suggests.

When the clubs started to clean the lots, those who had “Any amount of trash that is not in a trash can is unalready been cleaning weekly were thrilled to find out oth- necessary,” Maney said. “I think if we have trash cans and ers were helping out the school. recycling bins in the parking lot, then this problem might “I think that part of being club is doing community ser- be prevented.” vice, so I think it is important. Not only for the clubs but for In order to avoid conflict with other trash pickup proeveryone to do community service,” government and street grams, students and administration alike have been worklaw teacher Patricia Maney said. ing to schedule times for clubs to volunteer.

Students who participate in clubs are encouraged to pick “We were shown a schedule of clubs and what days they up trash four to six days per year. signed up,” Watson said. “It gives us a chance to bond with “Sometimes in life we have to pick up where others left our members and be more active.”

”

FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

New BOSS center Program helps freshmen stay on track Due to the renovations that have altered campus, incoming freshman have had little time to adjust to the standards of high school. In order to help with this challenge, Bowie is incorporating a new system to support these freshman in hopes to instill good habits in the future.

The system is called Bowie On-Site Support center or BOSS, which is going to be an online resource that both teachers and students can benefit from.

“Coming from middle school, it can be a little daunting to come to Bowie. BOSS is designed to help freshmen who need a little guidance in the study skill area. BOSS is for students who are struggling on how to get started,” BOSS center director Jody Barrett said.

“It is more about making the students feel comfortable and reassured in their core academic classes."

Specifically, the center is a place for teachers

to send students assignments that they may be missing. The center allows a temporary space to complete work in order to stay on top of instruction.

“I love the idea of BOSS. I really enjoy helping students and I love it when I can see 'the light bulb' go off," Barrett said.

"Sometimes it doesn't take much for a student to gain their confidence and that is what BOSS Center is all about,” Because this is an online platform, students can digitally complete and turn in work. Along with this new resource, there will continue to be one-on-one tutoring is accessible through the 9th grade tutoring center or specified FITs. Barrett will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to support students in using this new resource.

“Students should know that the BOSS Center is a quiet, safe, and nondisciplinary place to come and get their home work completed,” Barrett said.

STORY BY Katie Holme

November 5 Ballot Proposed Texas amendments create a chance for change On Nov. 5 of this year, ten amendments for the Texas Constitution, approved by the state Legislature, will be up for election. If a proposition receives a majority vote, it will be adopted as an official amendment.

Although voter registration has been close since Oct. 7 for the Nov. 5 elections, registered voters were able to begin voting on Monday, Oct. 28.

One of the propositions, Proposition 7, would allow the General Land Office and State Board of Education to transfer $600 million to the Available School Fund each year in comparison to the historical $300 million.

If a high schooler is registered to vote, they need to bring a form of identification to their polling site: appropriate identification includes a driver’s license, a Texas election identification certificate issued by the DPS, or a U.S. passport (a complete list can be viewed on dallasnews. com).

Another proposition, Proposition 6, allows the state Legislature to increase the bond amount allocated to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas by $3 billion. In addition, Proposition 8 allows for the formation of the flood infrastructure fund to aid in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.

Before election day, votetexas.gov recommends that registered voters use the site’s “My Voter Page” to discover available voting precinct locations. On election day, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“It is important to vote because if we do not actively participate in our democracy we do not have a government that represents the people,” senior James Hayek said. "It is our duty as citizens to participate in our country's politics and promote the American ideal of democracy."

STORY BY Cade Spencer

4 FEATURE

THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Breeding bulldogs brings in big bucks Mia Folkers Feature Editor

Entering his home, he is greeted by eight energetic dogs, each bursting with happiness due to his arrival.

The excitement from the canines creates a warm-hearted feeling and an immediate interest in their presence.

Settling them down, he removes his backpack and embraces a job that has become part of his everyday life.

Senior Trinadad Sanders has been breeding bulldogs with his father for two years.

“It started when my dad wanted a bulldog,” Sanders said. “While looking around for one he saw on Facebook that they sell for a lot, so he bought one, then another, and now we breed multiple bulldogs.”

Sanders and his dad breed two specific types of bulldogs, each with their own unique color.

“We breed French and English Bulldogs and we have all different colored ones,” Sanders said. “There is Brindle, which is black and gold color, there is a bright white color of bulldog, and lastly the Moreau, which is seen to be really rare and expensive and is a mix of off white, brown and lilac color.”

For the month that the each of these bulldogs breed,

there are specific processes Sanders must follow, such as finding out when the female is ready to breed.

“The females bleeds every four months,” Sanders said.

“Once they bleed you take some of the blood and put it into a progesterone test, which spins the blood and gives you a number which represents if the female is ready to breed, then we choose specific male dogs to breed with our females.”

After 62 days, the female will have puppies, which are taken care of by Sanders and his father, until they are sold.

“Playing with the puppies is extremely enjoyable,” Sanders said. “We get to keep them for about six weeks before we sell, and they are always an exciting part of the breeding process.”

For successful breeding, each bulldog must be kept in good condition and taken care everyday.

“Exercise is the main way to keep the dogs in good condition,” Sanders said.

“We also have to feed them right so they don’t get too large.”

From assisting the females while they breed, to the selling of the puppies, Sanders’ father, Tony Sanders, believes this business is a large role to take on.

“You have to have passion

HOLDING A TREAT: Senior Trinadad Sanders is surrounded by his eight French Bulldogs. Sanders has been breeding multiple types of bulldogs such as Brindle and Moreau Bulldogs. PHOTO BY Mia Folkers

for breeding to continue doing it,” Tony said. “It is a lot for work, and becomes a 23 -hour a day hobby.”

Tony’s part in breeding is

EYES ON HER PUPPY : Senior Robyn Andrews plays tug of war her with small French Bulldog named Winston. Andrews bought two French Bulldogs from Trinadad Sanders when they were only eight weeks old, one them went to her sister, and the other went to Andrews and her family. PHOTO BY Rae Gray

a significant piece of the organized and successful business, due to his prior experience in the process.

“I used to breed German Rottweilers,” Tony said. “I work hard to get puppies with good structure and use my knowledge to most accurately predict on what colors the puppies will end up being.”

Even with the additional work that breeding brings to Sanders’ everyday life, in his family as a successful process financially, due to the location that they sell their bulldogs.

“The business is specifically successful in Austin because not a lot of people breed dogs in this city,” Sanders said. “We sell the bulldogs in multiple ways, Craigslist and Facebook are the most common but I’ve gone downtown and shared my card with people in the streets, that make good business also.”

Sanders’ bulldogs have also been successful in social aspects. With an organized business and well-cared for dogs, it leaves customers pleased with their puppy, according to a Bowie customer, Robyn Andrews.

“I bought two French Bulldogs from Trinidad, one for myself and one for my sister, Ashton, so she would have a companion in law school,” Andrews said.

“Trinidad did a great job, the puppies have grown healthy and are joyful additions to have in the family.”

Overall, the breeding business contains multiple jobs to complete, and requires important roles to be filled by Sanders and his father.

“Trinidad gives suggestions and helps with the overall health of our kennel,” Tony said. “I finance the operation and select which dogs to breed that work best with our kennel.”

Although the dogs are not for the Sanders to keep forever, they work hard to make the bulldogs feel at home “We care about every single dog we breed; we take them all on walks and they all sleep in my bed,” Sanders said. “We had a smaller puppy the one time, and we had to hand feed her. I didn’t think twice to stay up all night to make sure the puppy was okay.”

This loving supervision for each dog they take care of

is seen as a positive method in Sanders’ eyes.

“We have them for six months, so we feel it’s good to get attached and name them,” Sanders said. “It shows we care for each and everyone one even though we eventually give them away.”

With the experience of breeding bulldogs, Sanders sees himself using his knowledge from the business outside of the kennel.

“The bulldogs are teaching me to be prepared for anything and always hustle.”

Sanders said. “It shows me how to take care of animals and the things around me, which connects to my interests in law enforcement agencies.”

Along with knowledge to use in the future, Tony believes the bulldog breeding business has created stronger bonds in the Sanders’ family.

“Anytime you have a hobby with your kids it brings quality time for you and family to become closer,” Tony said. “Trinidad brother Tony Jr. is involved as well in the process, so breeding has become a memorable family thing we all do together.”

Ladden astounds the Internet with his mystical illusions Anna Holme Dispatch Photographer

The idea of magic shows and magicians has been a topic of entertainment for decades. From simple party tricks to sold-out shows, this genre is well-received by many.

But with the advent of social media and it’s proliferation in society, more and more magicians are flocking to use its resources to the fullest. One of those is sophomore Zack Ladden.

Ladden has received some recent attention on Instagram, posting videos of himself performing magic tricks set to music. His most famous video, posted in late April of this year, features Ladden repeatedly making a coin appear and disappear with the simple swipe of his hands.

“I’ve been doing magic for three years,” Ladden said. “I have been making videos for at least a year.”

Chris Ramsay, a YouTuber with over 3.2 million subscribers, created a YouTube video featuring Ladden where he reacted to a trick, titled, “How Are These Things VANISHING?!!” now has over 440,000 views.

“I had one person put it [the coin trick] on a subreddit, and it went on to the biggest magician on YouTube [Chris Ramsay] who reacted to it,” Ladden said. “That got me exposure, and I started gaining more followers and from that.”

The video Ramsay reacted to has over 20,000 views on Ladden’s Instagram, and kick-started his In-

SHUFFLING THE CARDS: Sophomore Zack Ladden begins to preform a magic trick. Ladden has recently has become popular on social media with his card and coin performances. PHOTO BY Arushi Sharma

stagram page, which now has over 1,800 followers. Since that first video, many other larger magic Instagram accounts have reposted some of Ladden’s videos, like @magiaecardistry (who has over 8,000 followers). Jacob Marchbanks, a sophomore at Bowie is one of Ladden’s friends, and has noticed his noticed

newfound publicity.

“I wasn’t sure about his tricks getting that much attention at first, some people who gave him shoutouts had a lot of followers,” Marchbanks said. “I thought it was really cool.”

Ladden’s tricks have gained him thousands of views on his various

videos, which utilize anything from cards, coins, rings, and even markers. But when he started magic three years ago, Ladden didn’t have his mind set on being a social media magician.

“To be honest, I started it as an icebreaker,” Ladden said. “I can interact with people, and make conversation through tricks. And then last year, I just started doing it for social media, and then it kind of exploded, got views, and went from there.”

Ladden has also found friends online as well. Tyler Sherwin, another Instagram magician with over 58,000 followers, is impressed with Ladden’s abilities, and has found social media to be a great outlet for himself.

“Instagram magic is the best way to find who you are as a magician,” Sherwin said. “Instagram is how I get recognized and more importantly all social medias are the best way for free marketing. Magic was meant to enlighten the audience around you with ‘real’ magic tricks.

My reaction [to Ladden’s tricks] was that he has great talent already and he has so much potential in the magic community.”

Creating these videos isn’t a simple task. Cultivating one’s tricks requires extensive use of resources and practice. Ladden finds Instagram to be his main source of inspiration.

“I’m self-taught, so I look at them [the tricks], see how they’re done in slow motion, and out of that I’ve actually created a cou-

ple original tricks” Ladden said.

“That’s how I got my coin trick to go viral.”

Marchbanks has known Ladden for over 2 years, with the first time Ladden showing him one of his magic tricks being on the school bus their freshman year. While Marchbanks actively supports Ladden’s social media endeavors (and even acts as his cameraman at times), he still greatly enjoys Ladden’s in-person magic.

“I personally prefer the tricks he doesn’t do on camera, since the tricks he posts rely on a good angle,” Marchbanks said. “Things he shows at the table are really good and usually confuse us on how he did them.”

But Ladden’s reach isn’t only online. Selling tutorials on how to execute a magic trick is a common source of revenue for up and coming magicians. As for Ladden, he plans to do something similar, in the near future.

“I’ve created my own tricks, those are going to be sold in a couple of months,” Ladden said. “I’m working with a company on it.”

The internet gives people an outlet to express their creative talent on a whole new level.

“Magic is becoming more popular on Instagram because of the amount of social media users there are.” Sherwin said. “Stage magic shows are fantastic to do, but you can reach 100,000 plus people in just one video. This is huge for magicians and is going to help grow the community.”

FEATURE 5

FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

Teen model seeks opportunities in L.A

Parker Swett hopes to boost his career as an influencer by growing his modeling image Miranda Cardenas Feature Editor

With bright lights shining on him as he strikes pose after pose, the camera’s shutter can be heard clicking picture after picture as a crew stands by with various lights and outfits to make sure everything is looking good.

While most students might find posing in front of a camera with bright lights, and a camera crew daunting, this has become the new reality of former junior Parker Swett who has recently entered the prestigious world of modeling.

“I just recently started professional modeling,” Swett said. “But I have always been taking photos and getting them taken of me because for me it’s a way to express myself from like what I’m wearing to like my facial expression in the photo.”

Some of the world’s most well-known models have been scouted in the most unlikely of places like outside their schools, or even at the grocery store, but Swett has a different story.

“My modeling agency actually scouted me off of TikTok which I still think it is really cool and surreal,” Swett said.

The agency that scouted, and signed Swett is based on the West Coast in Los Angeles, California.

“It’s called Bella modeling agency,” Swett said. “I’m really enjoying being signed with them because everyone has been so welcoming and

supportive.”

Being scouted off of the popular social media platform TikTok, has even brought profitable opportunities to Swett.

“I started using the app to further express myself, but then when my agency started to take a look at me, I started to make some money off of my TikToks which was really nice,” Swett said.

The move into the modeling industry has not been a decision hastily made. Swett has also begun making plans for his future while taking all possibilities into consideration.

“I am graduating a year early due to having all my credits so I’m taking a gap year to focus on being an influencer and traveling to Los Angeles to model,” Swett said.

The junior has begun to pursue modeling more seriously. While traveling to Los Angeles for photo-shoots and meetings with his agency, Swett has begun to consider modeling as his ultimate career goal if he can become successful.

“If I become a successful influencer I would definitely make it a career and modeling for sure,” Swett said.

While this may seem like a big lifestyle change for a teenage boy, his is already making decisions to further his career. Swett is now enrolled in online school to pursue his career at a more rapid pace.

“I am doing the online program since I will be go-

LOOKING SERIOUS: Junior Parker Swett poses on the steps in front of Austin City Hall. Swett has only recently started professionally modeling, but has liked having photos taken for years. PHOTO COURTESY OF Erin Gallant

ing to Los Angeles every tally be a model because other weekend starting next he’s got the hair, the eyes, month and it would just be and the love for clothes,” too hard to keep up with Tello said. I think he’s takschool if I stayed enrolled in ing a good opportunity to do the traditional way,” Swett something that not a lot of people do their junior year in said.

Swett has a support sys- high school.”

Tello admires Swett for tem of friends who encourage him in his career moves, his ability to express himself the way he wants to, and his these coming months.

“I think it’s so cool that work ethic.

“I feel like most of us stuhe’s been scouted to be a model,” sophomore Erin dents are too afraid to go out Gallant said. “I’m really of our box, so that’s someproud of him and I really thing special about him, enjoy supporting him, and I he’s not afraid to go after feel like he’d be really good what he wants,” Tello said.

“He’s really good at makat it.”

Gallant has know Swett ing everything fun and infor nearly 10 years and be- teresting, he’s a fun person lieves positive and beneficial to be around and he’s also opportunities await Swett in got some funny jokes up his sleeves.”

Los Angeles.

Even though Tello and “I want to tell him to just keep working really hard for Swett only met this year, what he wants to do in life their personalities blended and to give it all his effort if into a friendship.

“He was in my on-ramps he really wants something English and stay true class, and I to himself no matter what I would tell people to r e m e m b e r the first day anyone else school, says,” Gallant not be afraid to go out of said. of your comfort zone. we got our Aside from Wear something you a s s i g n e d seats right his smile his p e r s o n a l i t y don’t normally wear next to each also shines. in a picture. Be confi- other,” Telsaid. “We “He’s very, dent and just let loose lo were both smart, and and have fun. shy at first, caring, he’s but once we always trygot comforting to give to Parker Swett able with others I reFormer Student each other ally like that we started about him,” talking a Gallant said.

Junior Sophia Tello also lot.”

Tello offers Swett some encouraged Swett to try his hand at modeling and ex- advice as he starts work on the other side of the country plore all his new options.

“I think Parker could to- in the coming weeks.

”

HIGH JUMPER: In the air, junior Parker Swett gets a professional photo taken using high shutter speed. Swett has been enjoying getting out of his comfort zone.

PHOTO COURTESY OF Parker Swett

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POSING FOR THE CAMERA: Not smiling, junior Parker Swett poses for a more serious photo rather than a happy one. Swett has found a way to express himself through modeling. PHOTO COURTESY OF Parker Swett

“I hope he enjoys the modeling industry and the many wonders of it,” Tello said. “Being a model seems super fun and I hope Parker grows from being in the industry.”

Swett believes that those who might be struggling to find a way to express themselves and be who they want to be just need to believe in themselves.

“I would tell people to not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Wear something you don’t normally wear in a picture. Be confident and just let loose and have fun,” Swett said.

Ultimately, Swett wishes to learn as much as he can from these experiences away from home in California, and wherever this potential career path ends up taking him.

“I hope to get more opportunities modeling and becoming an influencer and learning as much as I can as I go,” Swett said. “That has always been my dream of mine to express myself to others and show people how I live my life through my pictures and through what I wear and say.”

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6 IN-DEPTH

Expressing with PRIDE

THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Transgender students find a mixed reaction to their situation when at school Ralph Brown* Guest Columnist

*Ralph Brown is a fictional name used to protect an anonymous source.

Growing up as an LGBTQ+ individual is difficult, from figuring out your identity to being different from other young adults around you.

According to the GSA Network, around 40 states across the country have attempted to create spaces in schools for LGBTQ+ students to express themselves freely, like Gay-Straight Alliances or Sexuality and Gender Acceptance clubs.

SAGA CLUB

The Sexuality and Gender Acceptance club, or SAGA, mainly serves as a safe space for students at Bowie and is sponsored by English teacher Chelsea McCaffery. The club meets on Wednesdays after school in McCaffery’s classroom.

“I know that these students need a space, and if I can be that person, I want to be that person,” McCaffery said. “I’ve seen in my personal life how being a marginalized person, just through my friends and the community that I’m a part of, affect[s] a person and maybe if they had a person or a space like this when they were in school,

their experience might have been different. I just want to know as much as I can and be a person that students can come to, and I would hope that any teacher can, but it is nice to have a safe space where students can be with each other.”

SAGA is led by four main officers, seniors Guy Ashley, Aaron Bohl, Joseph Holder and Willow Stacy, who were elected into their positions at the end of the last school year.

“Now that the older members have graduated, I wanted to teach the younger members something sort of like a history, what counts as good representation in media, that sort of thing,” Bohl said. “There is a quote Malcolm X said, ‘If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there's no progress. If you pull it all the way out that's not progress. Progress is healing the wound that the blow made.’ I think that’s sort of my whole idea of a club. It’s supposed to be taking steps toward healing, and being the [SAGA] president, I feel like I can help people in different ways.”

The officers in SAGA participated in Pride Week, Oct. 15-18, by reading paragraphs about

THE ANATOMY OF IDENTITY GENDER IDENTITY Gender identity is how a person views themselves in relation to their gender and how they interpret their chemical balance, or hormones. Gender identity can range from woman to man, including genderqueer and gender-fluid. A person who identifies with their birth gender is called cisgender, and a person who identifies with the opposite gender is known as transgender. A gender binary is the idea that everybody must conform to either a man or woman gender.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION The sexual identity in relation to the gender(s) which a person is attracted to is commonly known as their sexual orientation. This can range from heterosexual, being attracted to the opposite gender, to homosexual, being attracted to people of the same gender. Bisexual and pansexual are two commonly confused sexualities; a person who is bisexual is attracted to both males and females while someone who is pansexual is attracted to people of any gender. A person who is biphobic or homophobic is fearful or shows hatred toward a person who is attracted to both men and women or a person who is attracted to the opposite gender, respectivly.

BIOLOGICAL SEX A person’s biological sex is objectivly the reproductive organs and chromosomes that a person has. A female is a person who has XX chromosomes and will have female reproductive organs while a male is a person with XY chromosomes and male reproductive organs. A person who is intersex has a combination of male and female characteristics.

GENDER EXPRESSION Gender expression is the way in which a person presents their gender by the way they dress, act and behave. A person can be feminine, masculne or somewhere in-between, called androgynous.

Sources: plannedparenthood.org, hrc.org, smartsexresource.com and medialnewstoday.com

influential members of the LGBTQ+ community on the morning announcements and handing out AISD Pride stickers.

“With SAGA, it’s less of a school space and we’re less connected to AISD, because there’s a lot of students who come in that don’t want to be outed so we try to keep it down low,” Holder said.

“LGBT history is a part of my history as an LGBT person, so I’m very interested in it and I liked being able to share it with other people through the announcements.”

The officers of the club decide what they want to discuss at each weekly meeting, whether it’s a focus on trans issues, bisexual visibility, LGBTQ+ history, or another topic.

“Having a safe space is really important, especially in an environment like this where you can’t avoid certain things,” Stacy said. “The campus tries to be inclusive, but [the SAGA] club and that room is really a place where you can avoid someone who’s being homophobic or harassing you.

It’s full of people who just generally understand where you’re coming from.”

SEXUAL EDUCATION

On Oct. 28, the AISD board passed a new sexual education program for the district that will begin teaching elementary school students about gender identity, sexual orientation and sexually transmitted diseases.

“The information is out there on the internet, but there is also a lot of misinformation. If you don’t know where to look, then you can find yourself in a really bad situation,” Stacy said. “I think it could be a good [idea] and could stop a lot of problems within the community like STIs or AIDS; I think it’s really important to make inclusive sexual education more normalized.”

Students like Bohl and Holder believe that the more inclusive sexual education can improve the program in general and allow it to become more interesting and beneficial to other students.

“I think our sexual education is lacking, to say the least,” Bohl said. “A lot of sexual education programs in schools are bad and making [them] more inclusive is probably the first step toward making them better. You would get to learn about more things and be safer. You would get to learn about things like preparation.”

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT

Discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers is legal in most parts of the United States, and the Supreme Court is currently deciding upon whether people within the LGBTQ+ community are to be protected under the Civil Rights Act, according to the New York Times. As stated by CNBC, this case was sent to the Supreme Court due to a man claiming he was fired from his job on the basis of being homosexual. If passed, the Civil Rights Act will give basic protections in the workplace to LGBTQ+ people.

“I think that people are people and discriminating against someone in the workplace is wrong, discriminating against people in general is wrong, and I hope that as a society we’re evolving but it’s definitely frustrating to see that we’re backsliding like this,” McCaffery said.

SCHOOL POLICIES

Being respectful of people’s preferred pronouns has continuously been a problem in society and on school campuses.

“For the most part, teachers are really good at it, but there are some that are not,” Stacy said.

“As far as teaching, I think that asking students for their preferred pronouns would be great.

From trans students, I have heard that the main problem is from the office. They’ll even tell an administrator their preferred pronouns and still get mis-gendered. Find an administrator or an adult on the campus that understands you and is going to hold other people accountable.”

For some, gender expression is always evolving and the administration has been slowly adapting to become more inclusive.

“As we’re changing as a society and figuring out where this fits in and where gender fits in, whether you’re in the binary or not, we always have to learn and change,” McCaffery said. “I think the administration and teachers are working to maybe stop biased language that happens around campus.”

STUDENT SUGGESTIONS Senior officers of the Sexuality and Gender Acceptance club share their suggestions on how Bowie administration and teachers can be allies and support people in the LGBTQ+ community around campus.

Senior Joseph Holder, SAGA Historian It would be beneficial if teachers who incorporated a ‘Get to Know Me’ activity at the beginning of the year would ask for students’ preferred pronouns as one of the questions. Respecting people’s pronouns and avoiding the use of slurs is just the bare minimum of consideration toward LGBTQ+ people.

Senior Aaron Bohl, SAGA President There are enough teachers here that it would probably be good for them to take to heart that they hold a position of authority over students, and if students hear teachers talk about trans [or LGBTQ+] people negatively, that’s going to affect the beliefs of students. Students need to hear that trans people are respected by adults.

PHOTOS BY Faith Lawrence

Bowie is better than some schools when it comes to trans inclusion, but it still has a long way to go. Teachers might be taught to respect kids’ pronouns, but often times don’t. If they have an explanation as to why, it’s usually attributed to their age but that’s not a good excuse, especially for a teacher.

A teacher is supposed to teach new things and learn new things for new curriculum. They should be well acclimated to learning how to address someone the correct way. I expect teachers to be able to respect children.

It’s not just a matter of teachers failing to be properly respectful but also a matter of children expecting teachers to help them feel safe.

A kid coming to school knowing a teacher won’t respect them is not going to be a good student, nor are they going to enjoy coming to school. They get to class and get called a name they don’t identify with; they get called by the wrong pronouns and are generally misidentified by the person whose supposed to be the authority.

The student usually can’t correct the teacher either in fear of being outed or because they don’t think any change will come of it. It’s a lose-lose situation for the student.

Another argument I hear is that it’s difficult to change. This is false, plain and simple. To make the effort to change how you talk to someone is easy. Respect costs nothing, but the absence of respect has a lot more at stake.

A common statistic is that around 40 percent of transgender teenagers will attempt suicide before their twenties, according to the Human Rights Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics. That’s in the United States alone. This statistic is staggering and should be enough of an incentive to respect trans students alone, but that’s not the end. This rate drops to four percent if trans teens are respected and accepted.

36 percent is what’s at stake.

36 percent of transgender kids’ lives are in the hands of teachers, staff, and peers.

My experience as a transgender student has not been as bad as others because people don’t usually suspect me of being trans since I don’t openly present myself as trans. However, other students have been called slurs not just by students but by the staff as well.

Adults hold a position of power and are seen as role models, so when children feel as though a person they look up to doesn’t see them as a person, it can really affect their self-worth. Also, since teachers are role models, students are likely to follow their example and echo the same transphobic ideas that may be held by a teacher.

It’s a serious problem and can really affect a great number of students. It’s up to staff to be the change in statistics, and to make school a safe space for trans kids.

There isn’t an excuse as to why adults shouldn't be protecting kids.

Faith Lawrence Managing Editor

ART BY Sumin Kim

TRANS EXPERIENCE IN HIGH SCHOOL

PHOTO ESSAY 7

Fall festival is a pumpkin-smashing hit FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

Students unwind after a hard day of PSAT testing with games and treats Rae Gray Photo Editor

CLAP YOUR HANDS: Clapping their hands with the growing crowd in the pit, seniors Lisa Wilkerson and Kendall Oh lead the dance to the Cupid Shuffle. The people in the pit were excited to hear the classic song and dance together. “I really like dancing, and I think that when people see me dancing it gives them the confidence to join in too, so I have to make it big,” Wilkerson said. PHOTO BY Rae Gray

Loud music, games, tickets and prizes awaited students after a long day of PSAT testing earlier this month. The Student Leadership class organized the Fall Fest in order to provide students with a way to unwind after the stressful testing day.

Students work very hard for the PSAT, especially the students apart of the PSAT Team who are working towards National Merit Scholar recognition. Junior Matthew Wash was apart of the PSAT Team, and enjoyed the opportunity that the Fall Fest gave him.

“I liked the Fall Fest because it gave me a way to unwind after the PSAT and relax with my friends,” Wash said.

As well as a way to decompress after the PSAT, the Fall Fest was also used as a way to build up Bowie’s sense of school spirit.

“The Fall Fest I think is a really good way to foster school community,” member of student leadership, senior Kendall Oh said. “It brings everybody together and we’re just playing games and having fun. You also get to see students that you haven’t seen before and I think that’s a really good way to build relationships at the beginning of the year.”

One of the major core values of Student Leadership are building and improving the school community at Bowie.

“I really value that everybody feels welcome at school and has a community of people around them that will support them,” Oh said. “Having a good school community makes

everybody feel welcome at school and makes school a place where students like to go.”

Student Leadership is also important for the people that are in it. Senior Lisa Wilkerson sees the class and it’s activities as an opportunity to let her skills shine.

“Student Leadership helps me build my leadership skills because I am a leader when it comes to being a senior on campus and someone that people look up to,” Wilkerson said. “People tend to look up to me and student leadership gives me an opportunity to be a leader for my student body.”

Student Leadership is very important to the students that are in it because it allows them to be an active part of their learning environment.

“I think that it is important because it gives me an opportunity to be apart of my school community and connect with students here,” Oh said. “Student leadership gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact on the place where I come to learn everyday.”

In the leadership class, students work hard to organize events for the student body that brings students together.

“There really isn’t a typical day in class,” Student Leadership teacher Vickie Benson said. “We vary what we do depending on the objectives for the day. One day we could be working on a deadline for our project and the next may be a lesson on leadership or SEL. We also may be taking a brain break from all of the planning. One class a month we go to Kocurek Elementary to mentor 4th graders and teach them about leadership skills. And that cycle just repeats itself throughout the year.”

GETTING DOWN IN THE PIT: Bowie students join together in the pit to dance together. At the end of the Fall Fest, all of the students outside gathered in the pit to create lasting bonds together. “The Fall Fest is a good way to start off the school year by fostering school community and bringing everybody together,” senior Kendall Oh said. PHOTO BY Abbey Repka

TOSSING UP FUN: With surprising accuracy, junior Kaysa Kerr makes a winning toss on the witches hat. Student leadership had a variety of booths and games set up for students to play. “I had fun doing the ring toss, but I think my favorite game was pin the tie on Robinson because it was funny,” Kerr Said. PHOTO BY Rae Gray

TIE TYING ACCURACY: After being spun around by her friends, junior Amanda Nunez accurately pinned the tie on Robinson. For her accuracy, Nunez won two tickets which she used for prizes. “The game was really appealing and I thought that it was fun to do it with my friends and spin around,” Nunez said. PHOTO BY Rae Gray

CAREFUL GUESSING: Junior Mathew Wash works with fellow students to guess the amount of treats in the various jars. The student with the closest guess won a gift card. “I counted the amount of candy on the bottom layer then I counted upwards to find the layers to make my guess,” Wash said.

PHOTO BY Rae Gray

SUPER SPYDER WED: Sophomores Aubrey Burnett and Cash Peters carefully navigate through the spiderweb maze set out by the Student Leadership group. Although students couldn’t win tickets for the maze, it was still a hit at the Fall Fest. “Doing the Spyder Web Maze was fun to crawl through and it was exhilarating,” Peters said. PHOTO BY Rae Gray

T I E N D U

8 IN-DEPTH

THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

IN-DEPTH 9

FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

Shall we overcome?

Diversity outreach and awareness generates cultural proficiency curriculum for students and teachers Marisa Salazar Editor-in-Chief

On October 16, while underclassmen were tackling the PSAT, seniors were introduced to a lesson on cultural proficiency never before featured at Bowie.

Speak Up is a social-emotional learning (SEL) program conducted by administration in conjunction with the Student Leadership classes to address various situations of discrimination in school settings.

In addition to the student lessons, a number of Bowie teachers received training directly from Speak Up advocates. Those teachers then presented the lesson to the rest of the faculty during a professional development day. Through the work of student leadership the messages behind this lesson will soon reach every grade on campus. STEM instructional coach Cindi Carroll described how the training translated to the campus and into the classroom for students.

“We had some teachers over the summer that were able to go to the Speak Up training and they thought it was really good,” Carroll said. “The concrete steps are things that people can do in the classroom and we can all have a common language.”

Principal Mark Robinson took the leadership reins at Bowie three years ago, and since then he has worked to establish a campaign on teaching the importance of cul-

The Pyramid of Hate

tural proficiency in the social-emotional learning various situations involving bias and prejudice. Securriculum. nior Samuel Hayek is a member of the student lead“I had a lot that I needed to learn in order to step ership class, and he believes that cultural proficiency into leadership here at this campus,” Robinson said. plays a crucial role on campus.

“I definitely identify cultural proficiency and inclu“I think it’s important for everyone to learn culsiveness as one of tural proficiency, the areas that we especially early on,” needed to focus on Hayek said. “We’re as an area of growth going to do lessons I think it’s important that we recognize for us.” later for the freshthe cultural celebrations and celebrate Senior Mishell men and some of the diversity when we have the opportunity.

Magnus-Ducloux other underclassmen was featured on because it’s importthe student panel. ant for kids to learn Mark Robinson During this panel, about it early so they Principal the legacy left by can apply it to the the senior class was rest of their lives.” discussed, along According to Magwith the importance of accepting and supporting nus-Ducloux, the goal of the lessons and the senior people regardless of circumstance. student panel was to create a school environment “I think cultural proficiency is being conscious of that is more inclusive and culturally aware. She said the different aspects that make up a person, which that since there are so many different cultures, ethincludes their culture, race, beliefs, and viewing that nicities, and religions on campus, cultural proficienin a positive way instead of pin-pointing those dif- cy is especially important. ferences because you can’t comprehend them,” Mag“We have so many different aspects that makeup nus-Ducloux said. “Really trying to understand the students,” Magnus-Ducloux said. “I think the goal is different cultural aspects that makes up a person and to just help everybody feel included and aware that trying to learn from it instead of alienation.” what you say to certain people can hurt them. It’s The purpose of Speak Up is to help both students important to just take care of each other and make and teachers understand the appropriate responses sure that we’re conscious of how we’re approaching to compromising situations. To Robinson, the com- those differences.” munication between students and teachers is quintRobinson has been working on introducing a essential to confronting situations of discrimination more prominent cultural proficiency presence in the on campus. school for the past three years. The first year was “Anytime that a student feels discrimination or centered on learning different strategies on teaching harassment of any sort I would encourage them to this SEL concept, the second year on planning how report it to a person in a position of authority,” Rob- these ideas would be put into action, and finally the inson said. “The first opportunity being a classroom current year is focused on effectively communicatteacher or a caring adult so that it can either be ing the gathered knowledge to the staff and student referred to administration or report it to a body. counselor.”

“This is a conversation that we’re having both at

the staff and at the student body level,” Robinson STUDENT LEADERSHIP said. “I think that that’s really great because it shows

The senior student leader- that that’s impacting us as a school community. We ship class presented the cul- wouldn’t have been able to have these conversations tural proficiency lesson in my first year at Bowie. It was only after years of adopted from Speak just learning and spending time with those ideas Up to inform the that we have gotten to the point where we are comseniors on ap- fortable having that conversation.” propriate Carroll believes that diversity awareness is imrespons- portant for students to interact with. She said that es to by experiencing the different characteristics of people, students can broaden their perspective and learn new things.

“I think it’s important to ex-

”

perience different people,” Carroll said. “You realize dents are eager to learn more about. engaged.” that people think differently and work differently “I think that students are hungry to connect with Despite the harrowing statistics, Robinson conand that people experience the world in totally dif- their learning,” Floyd said. “I feel like the step to- veyed the benefits of cultural appreciation and supferent ways than you do.” ward ending discrimination in education is a rec- port, something which he believes can translate to

ognition of both of the student and the actual ed- how we treat each other on campus and in our evETHNIC STUDIES

ucation itself. It’s about empowerment. It’s about eryday lives.

This year, the ethnic studies class made its debut, connection.”

“I think it’s important that we recognize the culwith social studies teacher Carlen Floyd teaching tural celebrations and celebrate diversity when we PRESENT CLIMATE two classes of students. She explained that learning have the opportunity,” Robinson said. “Being able about people who are different from yourself is benIn 2017, a judge found a law banning Mexi- to be comfortable in our own skin and present oureficial in adopting c a n - A m e r i c a n selves for who we are and being able to just be transvarious perspectives. studies in Arizona parent with each other in our interactions with each “You actually public schools as other.” have to have inforunconstitutionThe Speak Up lessons on cultural proficiency, the We’re talking about our brother and mation,” Floyd said. al. This followed senior student panel, and the ethnic studies classsisters, we’re talking about people, we’re “Learning about a seven-year court es all promote the idea of cultivating diversiwhat’s happening case that argued the ty in a welcoming environment. As schools talking about humans. from the people who class promoted race transform to reflect the changes within are affected via news resentment and ex- social culture, diversity awareness is Carlen Floyd outlets is great, but tremists attitudes something where positive changes it also helps to learn against the direct are continuous.

Ethnic Studies Teacher from the people who benefits of the “We’re talking about our are actually expericlass impacting the brothers and sisters, encing problems.” graduation rates of we’re talking about Magnus-Ducloux, who is currently enrolled in those enrolled. people, we’re the class, believes that everyone would benefit from “We’ve had to face the fact that we are not living talking about learning about the topics presented. Additionally, in a post-racial society,” Floyd said. “In many ways h u m a n s , ” as a Mexican-born person, she feels accepted in her we’ve had to confront problems that we either ig- F l o y d school environment. nored or thought we had solved.” said.

“Ethnic studies with Ms. Floyd has definitely According to The United States Department of helped a lot of students see those issues that we Justice, there were 7,106 single-biased incidents have in a different light,” Magnus-Ducloux said. which involved 8,493 victims subject to hate crime “There are a lot of teachers that are really awesome in 2017. This means that one of their characterat making everybody feel welcome and included, re- istics, whether that be race, religion, sexual gardless of where they come from.” orientation, gender identity or other, was In the class, students learn about the celebration targeted in the attack. and struggles of different ethnicities and cultures.

“I just think that proper educaThe goal is for students to take what they have tion is the best way to start,” learned and apply it to their relationships within the Hayek said. “Having teachers school setting and in their outside lives, which is be more open about these something Robinson believes can foster growth. kind of issues and ex“Ignorance leads to a lot of hate,” Robinson said. plaining them in a “When we replace ignorance with learning, then non-partisan way that leads to understanding. I feel like that’s the op- will get kids portunity that we have here at Bowie because we all more income to this space where granted there is not wide- v o l v e d spread diversity but enough diversity that there’s an a n d opportunity to learn from each other.”

The material presented in ethnic studies attempts to deepen the students understanding of the plight of people in starkly different environments and situations than them. This is something that Floyd thinks many stu-

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The Four I’s of Oppression

#1 Ideological Oppression

Any oppressive system that has at its core the idea that one group is somehow better than another, and in some measure has the right to control the other group.

The Pyramid of Hate is a curricular tool developed by the Anti-Defamation League for their “A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE” Institute.

The model shows levels of biased behaviour ordered in increasing complexity and severity from bottom to top.

SOURCE www.adl.org

ART BY Arushi Sharma

The act or intent to deliberately and systematically annihilate an entire people.

V. Genocide Murder, Rape, Assault, Arson, Terrorism, Vandalism, Desecration, Threats Economic, Employment, Educational, Political or Housing Discrimination and Segregation, Criminal Justice Disparities Social Avoidance, Ridicule, Name-calling, Bullying, Slurs/Epithet and De-humanization, Biased/Belittling Jokes Stereotyping, Insensitive Remarks, Non-inclusive Language, Micro-aggressions, Confirmation Bias, Accepting negative or misinformation/screening out positive information

IV. Violence III. Discrimination II. Acts of Prejudice I. Prejudice Attitudes

#2 Institutional Oppression

A network of institutional structures, policies, and practices that create advantages and benefits for some and discriminate, oppress, and disadvantage others.

#3 Interpersonal Oppression

The idea that one group is dominant over another group gets embedded in institutions, and thus gives permission and reinforcement for individual members of the dominant group to mistreat members of the oppressed group.

#4 Internalized Oppression

Oppressed people internalize the ideology of inferiority. They see it reflected in institutions and experience disrespect interpersonally from members of the dominant group. They eventually come to internalize the negative messages about themselves, and members of the oppressed group comes to accept and live out the inaccurate myths and stereotypes applied to the group by its oppressors.

SOURCE www.northeastern.edu

10 SPORTS

THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

ATHLETES ASSERT UT involvement in admissions scandal Jack Vinson Guest Sports Columnist

In March of this year, a series of allegations towards many affluent people arose.

The accusations against wealthy parents who paid for their children’s SAT and ACT scores to be boosted, or that they bribed admissions officers to let their children into prestigious colleges.

The mastermind of the scandal is William Singer, who used the money parents paid him to bribe test proprietors, admissions officials, and coaches to falsify reports on students.

The college admissions scandal was first uncovered when FBI agents received a message from a businessman who was on their watch-list. He told them that he had information regarding the scandal.

The FBI investigated and identified Singer as the leader of the admissions scandal. Notable names in the scandal include Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.

These wealthy people used their money to take admission spots from deserving students who had excelled in academics and athletics all their lives and rightfully earned their places in college.

It was also uncovered that Michael Center, the University of Texas’s men’s tennis head coach, accepted a bribe of $100,000 in order to give a student a tennis scholarship back into 2015.

His crimes were brought to light after the admissions scandal began with the other culprits mentioned above.

Center was immediately fired and plead guilty to having committed mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Even though UT’s men’s tennis team did not have their head coach for most of the season, they never gave up and made it to the NCAA finals against Wake Forest.

Their new coach, Bruce Berque, was able to inspire the team amidst the scandal. With his leadership the team had a chance to win the whole tournament.

All of the tennis matches were exciting, starting with a win for junior Christian Sigsgaard with a score of 6-3, 6-4 in singles. He was down in both the first and second sets, but he came back to win the match. Senior Rodrigo Banzer also won his singles match 7-5, 6-4. Banzer was losing 2-5 in the first set, but went on a five game run to win the first set with momentum.

Senior Colin Markes and Junior Yuya Ito won their singles matches as well. Ito was tied with the reigning singles champion, but he defeated his opponent with a third tie-breaking set score of 6-4 to clench the title.

To everyone’s surprise, the team battled back and persevered without their head coach to win UT’s first NCAA tennis title.

Questions?

Concerns?

Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: bowie. journalism@ gmail.com Room: F203

Tennis team dominates district Reagan Zuniga Staff Reporter

The tennis team played to impress at the district playoffs held on October 7, and they overcame several challenges to advance to the final round.

The first match played in the district playoffs was against Hays and was a 10-1 win for the Dawgs.

“It was nice to play Hays in the first round because we’re fortunate to have a deeper, more talented roster than them and there’s not a lot of pressure on us,” tennis coach James Dammann said. “It allows us to knock off some rust before we play against the high[er] level teams.”

After beating Hays, the team faced Westlake in the semi-finals. The match would determine if Bowie made it to the finals and serve as payback to when Westlake beat the team earlier in the season.

“I firmly believe that we are at that level to compete with Westlake,” senior varsity tennis player Carlos Canepa said. “I think that my mindset was just to play as if it’s any other match...but I have to give it all I had.”

By working hard and following Canepa’s lead, Bowie was able to win the match 10-8.

“I feel as the team really went to work and didn’t [focus on] the results, but on our job,” Canepa said. “With that attitude and determination we were able to come up with a win.”

Seniors like Canepa and Arik Suez felt especially rewarded after the big win because it was their first time beating Westlake in all their years at Bowie.

CROSS COURT: Senior Arik Suez sprints to keep the ball from going out-of-bounds in a match against Westlake.

He said he has really enjoyed seeing the team grow and improve this year. PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

“We just have a bunch of players this year that work really well together and in doubles, [so have been] playing really well.” Suez said.

Canepa and Suez are leaders on the team because of their experience and high rankings, and they are proud of the team’s accomplishments this year.

“Everything [has] really been building up to this over the past few years, and I think this year it just really came together well,” Suez said. “Over the years, we’ve all learned to play with our respective partners. Some of us have new partners and

we’re playing different positions, and everybody’s really settling into that.”

Dammann noted how the team’s hard work during long practices both in and outside of school have allowed them to grow as players and improve their skills.

“The team improved a lot over the season,” Dammann said. “They’ve been playing with the same partners, and all that repetition let them understand what other players are doing on the court before they’re going to do it and they communicate well. We’ve had a lot of really great teams in the past, but I

think we might be [deeper] on the roster this year which allowed us to compete at the higher level.”

The teams relationship outside of the sport has strengthened the bond between different players, which has led to improved teamwork on the court.

“I would say investing in the friendships that we have within the team is critical, because that way we can have good chemistry,” Canepa said. “If I play doubles it’s especially important to have a good relationship with them outside the court as well. That way we can re-

ally click and connect on the court. It also gives a good team environment and helps to cheer each other on.”

Dammann’s high expectations can be reflected in the tennis team as a whole, for Canepa values the team’s future success even though he is graduating this year.

“I hope that the team can continue bringing the energy and intensity we have been this year,” Canepa said.

“I feel it’s something we’ve [lacked in the past]. I hope next year [the] attitude and commitment to the sport and [team] remains [the same].”

Boy’s volleyball club recruiting new athletes Naya Tillisch Sports Editor

Last year, rumors of a boys volleyball team being created spread across campus and filled some athletes with excitement for the future.

Girls volleyball coach Miguel Saenz took charge and created a boys team, but few athletes even know it exists.

“I’ve always wanted to do a boys club team,” Saenz said. “We can’t make an actual Bowie team that’s represented by UIL [because of the Title-9 law], but we can make a club.

What we did last year was have these open gyms and have each school just invite boys and see if we had enough interest to create a team.”

Saenz explained how it’s been hard to spread the word about the club and get new members, but Power Buff, the girls volleyball fundraiser in which a boys tournament is held, has helped in doing so.

“Power Buff has been a huge [factor],” Saenz said. “It’s kind of inspired the boys to realize how much fun it is.”

Two notable members of the team include junior Jaden Davis and sophomore Joey Underwood.

“Jaden is new to the sport, and he’s picked it up pretty quickly,” Saenz said.

“Joey has been playing for awhile, so his volleyball IQ is really high; he understands how to play SET UP FOR SUCCESS: Sophomore Joey Underwood sets the ball to a teammate. He is a very experienced player and a member of the AJV Under-17 National Team. PHOTO BY Rae Grey

the game. They’re both going to do “Being on a club volleyball team well.” has greatly changed my life as I have Davis joined the club last year, and to go out of state for a lot of tourhe enjoyed playing so much that he naments and [practice a lot],” Untried out derwood for the s a i d .

Austin “[It] has My favorite part about being on the g o t t e n Juniors Volleyball boys team here at bowie is that I got me in( A J V ) volved in to meet a lot of new people. b o y ’ s a huge team this commuyear. nity that Joey Underwood “ I is one of Sophomore volleyball player h e a r d the best about the I’ve ever club from been in. the open gyms,” Davis said. “Going AJV is one of the best boys volleyinto tryouts was extremely scary...I ball teams in Texas as we took 5th in had very little faith that I would nationals last year; it is very competmake it because of how much com- itive and fast paced, but it’s so much petition there was. Making 17 Mizu- fun.” no (17 and Under National Team for Saenz has seen both players develAJV) was extremely validating.” op over the last few years, and they Underwood has been playing on both have strengths that allow them the 17 Mizuno team for several years. to succeed in and out of school.

“I fell in love with the game as I “Jaden is quick and very fast and stepped on the court,” Underwood explosive,” Saenz said. “He plays in said. “I’ve made major improve- the back row and can react well to ments from when I started playing different game situations. Joey jumps and where I am now. I’m on a 17s well and has really good hands. He’s team...so I made the team above my going to be a setter for his club team age group.” outside of school. You have to be Both athletes appreciate the Bow- smart to be the setter, it’s kind of like ie club for giving them more oppor- the quarterback in football.” tunities to play and meet other playLast year, Saenz held consistent ers. practices and organized a tourna“My favorite part about being in ment between several other schools the boys team here at Bowie is that I who expressed interest. got to meet a lot of new people who “At least once a week we’d meet at take an interest in a game that [is] different locations, and it was open not widely supported for guys in Tex- for boys from all the schools,” Saenz as,” Underwood said. said. “Westlake, Dripping Springs, Being able to play at school as Bowie, and St. Andrews had enough opened doors for Davis that he to actually form a team, and we wasn’t anticipating. played in a little boys tournament.”

“Being on the volleyball teams has Although the team had enough made me realize how much I love to players last year, many of them gradbe active,” Davis said. “After doing uated, so more players are needed. theatre and nothing else for two and “Last year we had about 14 guys a half years, it’s a good change to get that came to the tournament and 10 back to sports after so long.” of them were seniors,” Saenz said.

Underwood has seen his opportuCurrent members hope they can nities stem from the AJV team. spread the word about the club and

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recruit new people, so anyone interested should not be hesitant to join.

“Going into the team this year I’m hoping that we’re able to get a good amount of boys in the spring in order to get a stronger league,” Davis said. “Acceptance is pretty lenient for the Bowie team because of the current lack of boy’s volleyball players.”

Other challenges the club has faced include finding a full-time coach and fighting the reputation of boy’s volleyball.

“I coach club volleyball, so I’m not available to coach them a lot, so it’s hard finding somebody that can coach them,” Saenz said. “[Another] drawback is the stigma, you know, boys playing what’s perceived as a girls sport. Getting the good athletes that actually play football, basketball, and soccer out to play has been hard to do.”

Despite challenges, Saenz has loved running the boys program and hopes it will keep growing.

“It’s a different game for the boys: it’s explosive, they jump so high, and it’s really fun to watch,” Saenz said. “I’ve always wanted to coach boys and never have, so for me personally, it’s a fun process.”

MIDDLE BACK: Junior Jaden Davis returns a pass from the back row. His passion for volleyball led him to join a club team outside of Bowie as well. PHOTO

BY Rae Grey

coming UP in SPORTS November 1 Varsity football vs. Lehman @Shelton Stadium

November 8 Volleyball UIL Area Game @ TBD

N o v e m b e r 9 S w i m & D i v e M e e t @ Te x a s A & M N a t a t o r i u m

November 22 Wrestling Capital Classic @ Delco

N o v e m b e r 2 7 B a s e b a l l G o l f To u r n a m e n t F u n d r a i s e r @ G r e y R o c k

December 6/7 Swim TISCA Qualifiers @Blossom Athletic Center

SPORTS 11

FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

Riding their way to the top of the podium The Bulldog mountain biking team takes on the challenging trails of Texas together Kateri Jaquette Sports Editor

involves campfires and movies as well as rac- bikes where we ride for an hour or more,” ing. These traditions separate the sport from Doucette said. “We also ride on the trails others at Bowie and make it different. where we practice safety then work on conThe morning sun shines through the “Everyone gets there Saturday morning ditioning and relays.” trees, parents and teammates wait anxious- and we set up camp for the night,” Johnson According to Johnson, safety is the numly beside the trails, while dirt and mud is said. “Parents camp in tents too, and we all ber one priority in mountain biking. There thrown into the air as bikers speed over the watch a movie together that night and sit are hours of practice and special gear to rough terrain to reach the finish line. around a campfire which is always really make every biker as safe as possible.

Throughout the year, the Bowie and south fun.”

“There are special shoes which clip into Austin composite middle school mountain Emily Doucette, a senior at the Ann Rich- the pedals,” Johnson said. “We also have biking team competes in races throughout ards School for Young Women Leaders, is a bike shorts with padding and of course helTexas on challenging trails. Senior Retta mountain biker on the Bowie team with John- mets and glasses.”

Johnson has been competing with the moun- son and despite the fact that she does not atAll of the safety gear has a specific purpose tain biking team since the beginning of her tend Bowie and role in the freshman year and has participated in a num- like many protection of ber of races over the years. of her othI love my team and the experiences I have the biker.

“Many of the people on our team do not er team“We wear had with them. We are one big community glasses go to school here at Bowie,” Johnson said. mates, she be“Two of my closest friends and my favorite still feels who love what we do. cause there people to ride with on the team go to other apart of the are branchschools.” communies, debris, There are a large number of students who ty just as Retta Johnson bugs can fly are on the mountain biking team with vary- much as in your eye,” Senior ing ages and skill levels. The group is divided the other Doucette said. into five teams. bikers.

“There are so “The team is separated into a few differ“There is definitely a lot of camaraderie,” many different factors so it is just an overall ent teams,” Johnson said. “Boys and girls Doucette said. “It’s just this great group of protective measure as well as just protecting race separately and then we are split up into people cheering each other on.” our eyes from the sun.” a middle school, freshmen, sophomore, and While the team does have fun during the The special shoes that are worn are both ROCKY ROAD: Ann Richards senior Emthe JV and Varsity teams.” time the are not racing, the training and work a protective measure and used for physical ily Doucette navigates her way through Unlike football or volleyball games, moun- that goes into mountain biking is rigorous. advantage. the rough trail on her bike. Doucette tain bike races are a weekend-long event that “We have training workouts on stationary “We have shoes that clip into our pedals wears special shoes, padded shorts, a and they are optional but are a huge advan- helmet, and glasses to help keep her tage when going over rocky features,” Dou- safe while she rides. PHOTO BY Rae Gray cette said. “The advantage of it is helping support the musculature in your feet when In past years the team has won a state your pedaling.” championships and consistently does well Both Doucette and Johnson have experi- throughout the season. This year, everyone enced severe injuries while racing as well as has their own personal goals to help improve smaller ones. In both cases they continued themselves and the team as a whole. riding to finish their race displaying the hard “This year I was to see everyone’s hard work and determination the team has. work start to pay off,” Doucette said. “My “My first race I ever did I was catching up goal is to work hard and hopefully win.” to the girl in front of me and ended up goNot only is the Bowie team a group of very ing over a pretty rocky area and falling out skilled riders but they pride themselves on in front of her, scraping up my knee and my how they have created a family over the years. arms pretty bad,” Doucette said. “She ended Between training and races they become very up running over me too but after a while I close. got up and “During finished the those staThis year I want to see everyone’s hard work race. start to pay off. My goal is to work hard and tt ri ao inn ai nr gy Once the riders have hopefully win. workouts prepared we are all with hours encouraging Emily Doucette on condieach othtioning and Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders Senior er to keep practiced going in a their skills very small the racing begins. Everyone participating in and hot room,” Doucette said. “When we’re the race is shown the trail the day before to camping everyone is sitting around together ensure each participant is well aware of the and talking about anything.” terrain and path.

The people are what keep the team com“We do a preview ride of the trail on Sat- ing back together every year. urday afternoon after we set up camp,” John“I love my team, and the experiences I son said. “The next morning the girls ride have had with them,” Johnson said. “It is like first so we have to get up and ride on our a huge community and even though we have trainers before the race at nine.” a lot of people from other schools they are Avoiding all the possible natural obsta- my favorite people to ride with.” cles like rocks and branches as well as other Suzanne Johnson, the parent of a biker on bikers present their own challenges but the the team, recognizes how the sport naturally ride itself it long and tiring. Each race can be brings the students on the team together as between 10 and 20 miles depending on the well as the parents. team you race with.

“We face adversities regularly with flat STARTING OFF WITH SMILES: Bowie senior Retta Johnson and Emily Doucette, a “Each lap of the race is about five miles,” tires, bike crashes, learning to ride over big senior at Ann Richards, begin their ride with smiles of excitement. Bowie’s mountain Johnson said. “Varsity boys race four laps, obstacles or down steep rocks,” Suzanne biking team is made up of students from AISD schools and home schooling provarsity girls race three, JV boys race three, said. “Adventure out on the trail has everygrams. PHOTO BY Rae Gray and JV girls race two.” one looking out for each other.”

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12 ENTERTAINMENT THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Kindness challenge promotes student unity

Silver Stars better Bowie community with weekly acts of thoughtfulness and service Corinne Piorkowski Entertainment Editor

In order to make Bowie a more welcoming community and school, Silver Stars and Star Dancers have begun kindness challenges that the girls on the team participate in weekly.

“Every week, Ms. Bilnoski and I give the Silver Stars and JV Star Dancers a kindness challenge to focus on,” dance director Emily Davis said. “They are a way to intentionally think about doing something kind for others.”

Before this year, the two teams had not participated in any specific kindness challenges, and this year is the first that they’re searching to better the school environment.

“I think that they’re good because if the kindness challenges come from Silver Stars, it gives us a good reputation,” first lieutenant Landry Case said.

As the kindness challenges have only started this semester, the teams are using the affectionate activities to spread love throughout the campus.

“When people hear about these, they may be inspired to do nice things themselves for others,” captain Jade Fattouh said. “That is our end goal with the kindness challenges.”

The kindness challenges were chosen by the team’s directors at the start of the school year.

“They were created by Ms. Bilnoski and I as a way to promote kindness throughout our community,” Davis said.

The JV Star Dancers are also taking part in the challenges, but have their own set of ideas that they are trying out, similar to Silver Stars.

“My favorite so far has been saying ‘thank you’ to the custodians because I don’t think they hear that enough,” JV line sergeant Tipton Baugher said.

The teams come up with new challenges every week, and from there, spend the remainder of that week dedicating themselves to completing the task they’re given.

“I think they’re making our school more inclusive and gracious,” Baugher said. “It also brings the team closer together when we come up with the new ideas.”

The girls involved in the challenges are trying to better the everyday environment for every student at Bowie.

“I think these challenges are an innovative way to get our team involved with the school,” Fattouh said. “They are also used to make our school a better, happier place.”

Specifically, the kindness challenges have included holding open doors for people, sitting with new people at lunch, and writing thank-you notes to teachers.

“I loved writing thank-you notes to teachers,” Fattouh said. “I wrote to a freshman teacher; she really appreciated it, and I missed her.”

The directors of the dance teams intend to see an impact with the kindness challenges around the Bowie community.

“We think the challenges have been very successful,” Davis said. “We’ve noticed a difference in the girls’ interactions with each other and adults in their lives.”

Other leaders from the dance teams experience feelings about the challenges as well.

“They’re a great way to spread positivity throughout our campus,” junior officer Abbie Brien said. “It’s nice to see that organizations are making an effort to connect people at Bowie.”

Team leaders, like officers, are required to be a leading example for other members of the team.

HELP IN THE CLASSROOM: Junior Abbie Brien assists English teacher Kimberly Wiedmeyer with organizing her desk. The kindness challenge for the Silver Stars was to help a teacher around their classroom. PHOTO BY Corinne Piorkowski

“As an officer, I sometimes feel more pressured to set an example and participate in the challenges,” Brien said. “I think this is a positive effect that pushes me to better myself.”

In addition to impacting Bowie’s community, the kindness challenges strive to positively impact the girls on the teams as well.

“We hope to impact the individuals completing the challenges,” Davis said. “We hope that this positive behavior ends up becoming second nature among our girls.”

Even though some people may not know about the kindness challenges taking place, the teams’ intention is still to make someone’s day.

“I think the kindness challenges are doing a lot more than we think,” junior officer Lauryn Armstrong said. “I also think we have made a lot of people’s days.”

The kindness challenges have affected students in their regular school environment.

“I have seen people who used to sit alone at lunch who now have a regular group of people to sit with,” Armstrong said.

The dance organizations are not required to participate in kindness challenges for the school.

“Our ultimate goal is to create ripples of kindness through Bowie so that the positivity extends beyond us and our organizations,” Davis said.

The directors are using the kindness challenges as an extra positivity boost for all involved.

“We think the challenges have been very successful,” Davis said.“They have started showing more gratitude and appreciation towards others.”

The kindness challenges are intended to be positive activities for the girls on the teams and the students in school.

“It humbled me to see my teammates being a good example for the school,” Fattouh said. “It makes me proud to see my team doing good things for other people.”

October’s biggest ink drawing challenge: Inktober Cassidy Pesek Dispatch Reporter

To improve the skills of aspiring artists throughout the country, a drawing challenge was created for the month of October. The challenge, known as Inktober, is an opportunity for interested artists to create pieces on a daily basis.

Inktober has thirty-one prompts for the thirty-one days in the month of October. The challenge was originally made in 2009 by Jake Parker, a short story creator and animator, to improve his drawing skills with ink, and the prompts were then officially made public in 2016 for people to view and participate. Since then, Inktober has been an annual challenge for artists.

“I’m doing Inktober because It’s really fun for me, and it gets me out of my comfort zone,” freshman Abby Carlson said.

Because the challenge is called “Inktober” this means participants are only allowed to draw with ink; the lone exception being the use of pencil to sketch out the drawings.

This creates a challenge and sparks creativity when it comes to using ink only.

“There are many challenges that come with working in only ink,” sophomore Jacob Thornton said. “One of them I struggle with the most is waiting for the ink to dry. It doesn’t take long but I have smudged ink a few times, but when smudges happen, I just keep going and work with my mistake.”

Students at Bowie, especially in art classes, participate in the challenge. For students, Inktober has many purposes.

“Inktober helps students practice drawing without saying it’s an assignment,” art teacher Mindy Le Jeune said.

Inktober also has the option for artists to post work on their social media, including Instagram. When artists use the hashtag #inktober and #inktober2019, they earn chances to be featured on the Inktober official social media pages. It is an opportunity for artists to be recognized and featured.

CREATIVE AND DETERMINED: In her art class, freshman Abby Carlson, draws a symbolic picture of a girl with her hands tied. The prompt for this drawing was “mindless” and her work was solely based on her creativity. PHOTO BY Cassidy Pesek

“I think it’s really cool that you can get “Most art students are interested in [Inkfeatured on their social media. Being able tober] to see their art develop throughout to put your art out the process and also there and being other artist’s work,” able to get criticism I’m doing Inktober to inspire myself Thornton said. “We and compliments is to be more creative and express also really like to conreally beneficial to gratulate each other my form of art. the artist,” Carlson and tell others how said. well they’re doing.”

Many students Inktober offers Jacob Thornton throughout the many challenges to Sophomore school and in art overcome other than classes participate not being able to in Inktober. Art teachers also encourage stu- erase and having to get used to the ink. If one dents to participate and use their creativity is trying to participate in Inktober as a daily to produce something that they cannot erase. challenge, missing a day is a very common

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occurrence.

“The largest challenge of Inktober is making a piece every single day, it can be really difficult sometimes,” Thornton said.

“But Inktober isn’t about rules so taking a break is totally acceptable. Though I’ve had a hard time, I’ve stuck through it and I will make something simple if I’m feeling very stressed.”

While participating in Inktober, it’s very likely to come across a prompt that will challenge an artist more than some of the previous topics.

“Sometimes you’re brought up with a hard topic, instead of giving up you have to keep trying and bending it to your will and eventually you will subside,” sophomore Ronny Hamze said.

Students participating in Inktober have a goal to finish all 31 days of the challenge, helping them improve their ink skills..

“I try very hard to do it every year for the last four years now but I usually give up because it’s a long and difficult process,” Thornton said. “But I think it still brings out my creativity and that’s all I need.”

As students post their work, there comes negativity and controversy because a lot of students’ artwork is personal.

“I think it can impact people in a negative and a positive way,” Thornton said. “People could criticize a person’s work or try to make a competition out of it, but there are also many compliments.”

Learning to make clean lines, drawing things you wouldn’t normally draw, and learning new techniques, such as shading and using different textures to create variety in artwork, are some of the things students learn.

“I’ve been doing it for four years now and I’ve learned so much about how to use ink to my advantage,” Thornton said. “I have learned to use ink like paint and watercolors.

I have also learned how to get very nice looking lines with ink and I feel so accomplished when I finish one of the prompts.”

coming UP in ENTERTAINMENT Nov. 2 BOA San Antonio Nov. 9 Region Orchestra Auditions

Nov. 15-17 Starlight Theatre Children’s Shows Nov. 18 Region Band Jazz Show

Nov. 21-26 Debate Trip to Chicago Nov. 23 Austin Arts Fair

REVIEWS 13

FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

Embracing Austin’s healthy lifestyle Gracie Angeli Reviews Editor

Living in Austin comes with many unique opportunities and experiences. Austin embraces the healthy and organic lifestyle, with options ranging from grocery stores to farmers’ markets.

There are many farmers’ markets in Austin, some with little variation in products, and some with their own original take on a local business.

I went to two farmers’ markets in the Austin area, one at the Burger Stadium in Sunset Valley, and one outside of the Barton Creek Square mall.

Going into this, I hoped to find some kombucha for a good price, and was open to anything else that looked good.

First, I went to the Barton Creek Mall Farmers’ market.

It is located at 2901 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX 78746, and the market is at the back of the mall. They are open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This farmers market is pretty big, with rows and rows of tents and vendors.

Walking in, everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I got many offers for free samples and invitations to come and check out their items.

Just browsing, there were options like bundt cakes, cheese bread, a variety of meats and fresh produce.

There was granola with Dad’s Granola, and potted plants and handmade jewelry with Rasmey’s garden.

“Dad,” the owner of Dad’s Granola insisted that I call him Dad and that no one at the Farmers’ market knew his real name.

He has a few different types of granola, all with different types of nuts and add-ins. The one that I bought had pecans, cashews, and toasted coconut strips.

They were each $10, and he claimed that his granola on top of some yogurt for breakfast would keep you full until lunch time.

Rasmey, with Rasmey’s Garden had flowers and succulents in unique pots, and jewelry made by her two daughters for sale. She had bracelets for $2, which I thought was a really good deal, so I got one of them.

My favorite part of the day

In need of something fun to do around town?

Second street has many entertaining options.

Amelie Hayne Dispatch Reporter

SAMPLE SALES: At the Burger Stadium farmers’ market, Devon Sisneros hands out samples of foods from different vendors to promote options. The SFC Farmers’ Market offers many products, such as local beef, fresh peppers and various jams and honeys. PHOTO BY Kaitlyn Zellner

was Buddha’s Brew. Buddha’s Brew is a brand that makes kombucha, and they had a tent at the market.

They have a few different flavors of kombucha, and allow you to sample all of them before making your decision.

They have three different sizes of glass container, and you can fill up whatever container you choose with one of the flavors, or a mix of a few of them.

I chose the pineapple kombucha that I had never had before, and chose the middle sized jar, which was $7.

I enjoyed the Barton Springs Farmers’ market be-

cause there was a lot of cool options and a lot of things to look at.

All of the people were really nice and helpful, and made the experience even better.

Next, I went to the Sustainable Food Center’s (SFC) Farmers’ market at Burger Stadium, located at 3200 Jones Rd, Austin, TX 78745. They are also open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This market was a lot smaller than the previous one, but still had a lot of good options. They had pretty similar products to the other market, like produce, meat, bread, and Buddha’s

Brew.

This market had a lot of jewelry stands and produce tents.

At the end of one of the rows, there was a woman named Devon Sisneros giving samples for a lot of the different vendors.

I liked this aspect of the market, because she gave you information about a lot of different products and even let you try them, helping you make a decision on what to get. She was giving out samples of meat, and different types of jams and honey.

I didn’t get anything at this market, because I’d al-

ready found everything I wanted at the previous one, but they had just as many great options at the Burger Stadium market.

If I had to choose one, I would say the Barton Creek Mall version, but only based on the wide variety of things they had. They had more tents and vendors, and more opportunity.

The SFC Farmers’ Market was just as cool and fun, just smaller. It had a lot of the same options, and a few of its own original products.

Both Farmers’ Markets were a fun experience, and I want to start going more regularly.

Joker movie sparks multiple controversies in media Dylan Ebs Dispatch Reporter

Starting from Joker’s debut at the Venice Film Festival, Todd Phillips’ dark version has caused massive controversy.

From allegations of the film inciting incel violence, to reported credi-

ART BY Sumin Kim

Around Town with Amelie

ble threats, even closing down movie theaters in some cases, Joker became one of the most controversial movies of the year before it was even released.

Despite the controversy, Joker is a hit at the box-office, and it righteously deserves so.

Joker follows the story of Arthur Fleck, (Joaquin Phoenix) a socially awkward 35-year-old living in Gotham City with his mother, Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy).

Arthur is ostracized from society, and his only joy is stand-up comedy, and watching a late night show starring Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) with his mother.

It’s not hard to tell that Arthur is a deeply disturbed character, seemingly rejected by most of the world, which leads to his gruesome actions later in the movie.

Initially, we feel for the Joker. Everyone in his world disapproves of him in someway, even his very own mother.

Arthur aspires to be a stand-up comedian, but that hope falls flat.

There are many parallels between Joker and what’s going on today in America, and that’s no hyperbole.

Arthur uses seven different medications to treat his brain damage, caused by abuse when he was just a small child.

When his therapist tells him that social services in Gotham City have been cut, Arthur becomes worried about how he can still get his medication.

I was glad that Phillips’ decided to include this scene, because it helps describe the need for mental health services in America.

It isn’t very long into the film when we start to understand why the film is so controversial.

When Arthur stops taking his

medicine, he increasingly descends into a violent state.

I personally think Phillips could’ve taken a better approach to mental health than that. Studies have shown that people with severe mental illness, like Arthur, are more prone to be a victim of violence rather than being the perpetrator.

To be fair to Phillips, we do see Arthur being a victim of violence, but the notion that he is perpetrating his violence because of his mental illness is not completely accurate.

However, the film addresses cuts to social services, and portrays the negative impact it has on the people who need it, was powerful and deserves credit.

One of the biggest complaints of Joker before release was the threat of shootings at movie theaters showing the movie.

Comparisons were drawn to The Dark Knight Rises shooting in Aurora, Colorado, where a gunman took the lives of twelve people at a movie theater.

Rumors spread on the internet about the gunman being inspired by the Joker, but the claims were debunked.

There’s a good chance your opinion of Joker will be based on your opinion of real-world social issues.

That being said, it’s a great movie with important social commentary that can’t be forgotten.

If you walk into the theater with an open mind, you won’t be disappointed.

Second street provides a fun way to spend your weekend.

With a five minute walk from the Austin Central Library, and between Guadalupe and Colorado Street, you will find 2nd Street.

This street is home to some of the best local retail places to grab a bite to eat, and entertainment in Austin.

For those searching out a quick snack, look no further than Flower Child, located at the West end of 2nd Street.

Flower Child makes their food using fresh ingredients and they make sure to provide a variety of options no matter what your diet restrictions are, whether you are vegetarian, vegan, paleo, or pescatarian.

The staff are all very friendly and nice and will help you with anything you need, just don’t be afraid to ask.

If you are looking for some retail therapy, then make sure to check out Urban Outfitters.

They carry a variety of clothing for both women and men, as well as a variety of home, beauty and lifestyle products, perfect for browsing.

Whether you are looking for something specific or just looking around, Urban Outfitters will provide a good experience, from the friendly staff to the wide selection of products you will be able to find something for you.

If you want to check out a new movie make sure to stop by Austin’s locally owned and operated, Violet Crown Cinema.

Not only does this movie theater show new movies, but also has screenings of independent, documentary, international, and studio films.

The ticket pricing ranges from $9 to $15, depending on what show you want to see and what time of the week.

The cinema offers four hours of free parking in their parking garage with a purchase of a ticket, that gives most people some time to spend on 2nd Street before or after their movie.

Craving something sweet?

Make sure to stop in to Yummi Joy, a local candy shop that carries a wide variety of sweets, perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.

The shop carries a variety of options available to customers featuring Sweet Ritual Dairy-Free Ice Cream, Artisan Fudge, Pick and Mix Candy, Nostalgic Candy with vegan, nongmo, no high fructose corn syrup, gluten free and gelatin free options.

Feeling nostalgic? Don’t miss out on visiting Toy Joy, open in Austin since 1987.

Filled with a wide range of stuffed animals, little trinkets and other toys, you will be sure to find something fun to look at.

Make sure to stop by so you don’t miss out on any of the fun.

Questions?

Concerns?

Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: Bowie. jouranlism@ gmail.com Room: F203

14 COMMENTARY THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Senior class engages in Speak Up program

Analyzing the execution of the newly implemented social-emotional learning curriculum EDITORIAL

Hatred, discrimination, and prejudice are all concepts that must be tackled in day-today life as modern society continues to reform these outdated ideas. On the day of the PSAT seniors gathered in specific classrooms to initiate better reform of these notions to spread awareness to the Bowie community.

Specialized activities for seniors included a presentation by leadership students in classrooms over using the Speak Up program, the senior panel that featured Casey Benson, followed by a documentary that addressed specific issues of hatred, and finally college preparation at the end of the day.

Although it is important to spread awareness on bullying, as well as harmful behavior the Stand Up program, as well as the panel, could have been better executed with more personalization, and representation of all students.

The initial drive to address these concerns with seniors was to promote the problems on campus impacting the social environment encompassing social-emotional learning. Although these students had good intentions to motivate them with these senior activities, most of the presentations and activities felt disingenuous and even scripted. To intrigue seniors into becoming better role models for the community, there simply must be better ways of getting the class involved as an alternative to the power point, worksheet, panel, and documentary that was required of all seniors who attended.

Another issue with these activities was the lack of representation of the senior class demographics as a whole. All students who spoke on these issues were the highest functioning of the senior class, which was evident due to their positions as selected stu-

dent leaders. Although these students are a great representation of the best of Bowie, they may not be able to relate to kids who are struggling in other areas.

Reaching the entirety of the senior class on a personal level is an extremely difficult expectation that cannot be met in the matters of a couple hours, but it is important to make efforts to represent all students of all races, religions, etc.

To do this though, students of different backgrounds must volunteer and be willing to talk about issues such as the pyramid of hate. The importance of representation reaches farther than the education of the senior class but can also alter the state of how many feel about their community. As Casey Benson explained, many who hurt tend to hurt others which then spirals into a cycle of negativity and resentment towards others.

By representing students of all kinds, the administration could’ve had a better chance of truly teaching students lessons of tolerance.

With this being said, the activities planned were better than doing nothing. Leadership students could have used activities that better involved all students and shared their personal stories while still creating a comfortable environment.

For example, group activities such as team building at the beginning of the day could have strengthened the sense of safety and comfort amongst their peers, while also allowing seniors to get a chance to use skills that would then be taught by student leaders. Another possibility, that would require more administrative effort, would be to have seniors sign up for volunteering activities.

Students would learn valuable lessons of kindness and tolerance through the act of doing rather than sitting on our behinds all day, half-awake, with a Red Bull in hand.

AFFORDABLE STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

• YMCA of Austin

• TeenCounseling.com

• Mindful Wellness Center of Austin

• TeenLineOnline.org

• SAFE Austin

• Talk Space App

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 SAFEline Austin: 512.267.SAFE (7233) Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741 ART BY Katie Holme

Personalizing a lesson for 650 students can be difficult, but giving students a chance to choose an activity they're interested in, or polling the senior class on issues they believe are most important would hopefully interest students more. To ensure support for the mass of students, the administration should have provided students with other resources that they could utilize such as, accessibility

to affordable/ free therapy services, family services, or self-improvement clinics.

Hatred is a lasting issue that will never fade, but there are effective initiatives that can be utilized to further educate and empower the future of our society. Bowie has an amazing and diverse student body, but change starts with individuals, which hopefully spreads to the whole.

Comprehensive sex education will improve teen safety Maya Amador Commentary Editor

Teachers lead discussions in math, English, and history but one hot button topic tends to turn a few heads. Sex education has been constantly changing program that differs between every state. AISD

has recently proposed new changes for their sex education program which incorporates more comprehensive exploration into sexuality and STI prevention.

The introduction of a new sex ed program could end up being extremely beneficial to teen health.

The current curriculum has caused unrealistic expectations for teens

everywhere and is lacking the information needed to protect themselves from STIs. A new more indepth program could end up vastly improving teen health and safety.

Sixty-five percent of eighteen year olds have had intercourse, according to the National Survey of Family Growth, but due to lack of education only 57 percent of sex-

Do not have sex!

How do I avoid an STI?

ART BY Sumin Kim

EDITORIAL POLICY • The Dispatch is the official student newspaper of James Bowie High School. 3500 copies are published and distributed for free six times a year, generally once per six weeks for the school’s students, staff and community.

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Content represents the views of the student staff and not school officials.

• The Dispatch works to avoid bias and/or favoritism. We strive to make our coverage and content meaningful, timely, and interesting to our readers. Our articles reflect our genuine objective of reporting news and will be held to a high standard of quality.

• We make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process or is an invasion of privacy. We avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph without indicating that the photograph is an illustration.

• Staff editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board arrived at by discussion and will not be bylined. Bylined articles are the opinion of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Dispatch staff or administration as a whole.

• The Dispatch welcomes reader input. Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to bowie.journalism@gmail.com, call (512) 841-7825, mail them to 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX 78749 or drop them off in room F-203 with adviser Michael Reeves or any editor. Letters must be signed, and emailed letters will require verification before publication. We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

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PRIDE IN PUBLISHING Friday, November 1, 2019 Vol. 32, Issue 2 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin TX, 78749

ually active young women and 43 percent of sexually active young men have received formal instruction about birth control methods before having sex for the first time, according to the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Abstinence only, the teaching method required by Texas, has proven to be a harmful method as students often leave the class without any knowledge of contraceptives. If most teens are having sex by the age of 18 but they are leaving sex ed with no knowledge of how to prevent pregnancy, it could explain Texas’s high teen pregnancy rate of 34.6 percent.

Some AISD parents are concerned with the new programs seem to be concerned with the new sexuality aspect of the new sex ed program, stating that it pits students with different views on homosexuality against each other.

In research done by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, they found that most LGBTQ+ youth have a limited number of adults they trust and often turn to peers or the Internet for their sex education. These sources often have misleading information and extremely sexualized information; so regardless of your personal view teaching this information in school could benefit the children who need it the most.

With this new comprehensive sex ed program most parents are concerned about the sexualization

of their children. However, comprehensive sex education, or CSE, have had positive effects with increased contraceptive use, a 30 percent reduction of the frequency of sex, including a return to abstinence, and a 60 percent reduction in unprotected sex.

According to the Advocates For Youth, another concern with comprehensive sex education is not being informed on the topics that are being taught to their kids. There is an option for parents to pull their kids out of the program already offered by AISD. It's very easy to see parents concern when sex education can easily be interrupted as a lesson in sexual and crude behavior. However, knowing this it’s apparent this conversation is avoidable when raising a child and no conversation at all can result in unplanned pregnancy and unsafe sex. This information will be something your child will use for the rest of their life so it’s important they get most in-depth education possible.

Editor’s note - On Monday, Oct. 28 the AISD board voted 9-0 to approve the new sex ed program.

Questions?

Concerns? Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: bowie. journalism@gmail. com Room: F203

THE DISPATCH STAFF THE DISPATCH PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Peter Dang Marisa Salazar MANAGING EDITORS Faith Lawrence Cade Spencer Katie Holme FEATURE EDITORS Miranda Cardenas Mia Folkers

PHOTO ESSAY EDITORS Rae Gray Abbey Repka COMMENTARY EDITORS Maya Amador Carter Scruggs ARTS/GRAPHICS EDITOR Sumin Kim COPY EDITOR Amanda Zinni

REPORTERS Ellie Coulston Dylan Ebs Amelie Hayne Maya Hayne ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Tiera Jarmond Lauren Joy Callie Payne Azul Lin Corinne Piorkowski Isabella May Amorah Schultze REVIEW EDITOR Arushi Sharma Gracie Angeli Samantha Thompson SPORTS EDITORS Kateri Jaquette Naya Tillisch

PHOTOGRAPHERS Lainey Combs Anna Holme Brianna Lopez Cassidy Pesek Reagan Zuniga THE DISPATCH ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kaitlyn Zellner MANAGING EDITORS Shruti Patel Shikha Patel STAFF Austin Civatte Natalie Cullen Bethany Hanson Izzy Rejino ADVISER Michael Reeves

COMMENTARY 15 FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH

AP exams are only getting more stressful Kateri Jaquette Sports Editor

Every year students across the country enroll in Advanced Placement classes hoping to ace their AP tests in May and possibly earn college credit. The teachers of these classes heavily encourage their students to sign up for these tests and focus solely on teaching the material which will be placed in front of their students at the end of the year.

The stress placed upon taking these exams begins the very first day of classes and only increases as the year progresses. Because the material is taught based on what has appeared on the tests in previous years, it is expected that you not only pass test but also receive the coveted high score of four or five.

In previous years students were given the option to register for the AP exam until April. This gave most people enough time to consider whether or not they felt like they could do well, especially because you must pay to register and if you do not receive a score that can get you college credit, it really is a waste of money. However this year the College Board is asking students to register in the fall semester of classes which presents a whole new level of stress because once you register you must now take the exam regardless of whether or not you feel ready. This has increased the pressure on many stu-

TESTING TIPS

Organize a study group

Don't study last minute

Relax the night before

ART BY Naya Tillisch

dents feel to do well and get scores that earn them college credit.

Although we are taught many different strategies to help ease our nerves throughout our primary education, it does little to diminish the sense of impending doom most students feel when walking into those exams. No matter how much you study or how intelligent you are, testing anxiety and stress flood your head with self-doubt and leave you questioning everything you did to try and prepare. If there are students attending class, taking notes, and studying but still doing

poorly, there is clearly a much bigger issue at hand that goes beyond the student.

Despite the number of studies and proof available that support the idea that excessive amounts of stress can seriously affect the mental health and academic performance of students, schools continue to administer exams like the AP tests, that are fueled by it. The way these exams are prepared for and administered has created an environment not conducive for learning.

Between AP exams, the SAT, and

STAAR, it is apparent that standardized tests are the bread and butter of the American education system. Expecting students to retain copious amounts of information and regurgitate it in a timed setting is not an efficient learning strategy or an accurate reflection of what life will be like in the workforce. Your ability to answer up to 100 complex questions correctly in a limited time frame isn't even a situation people face in the real world.

Many students suffer severe testing anxiety and stress that affects

their grades, which in turn, affects how they feel about themselves and their ability to learn. Succeeding on these kinds of tests largely depends on how good you are at taking tests and less about whether or not you know the material. When students receive their grades that are less than what was anticipated, this can leave them feeling discouraged and unprepared despite their efforts to succeed. Testing in itself has become a skill that needs to be taught and learned in order to do well in school.

The pressure placed on succeeding on the AP exam, like many other exams, is just another example of how the education system is failing its students. In high school, we are still only children, and we should not have our worth and intelligence determined by a test that can not accurately assess that when there are so many other factors in play. Significant changes need to be made to these exams and how they are prepared for, taken, and graded if there is to be any real accuracy and purpose to the public education system in America.

Questions?

Concerns? Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: bowie. journalism@gmail. com Room: F203

The importance of preserving Homecoming traditions Callie Payne Entertainment Editor

The Homecoming Dance has been an American tradition since the beginning of the 20th century. One important aspect of the homecoming dance is the court, which is where a girl and guy are voted by students to be homecoming queen and king.

There has been talk lately that the homecoming court is not necessary and should be put to an end. I think the homecoming court is a special part of homecoming and is fun for the students to be able to vote for whoever they want. If we didn’t have a homecoming court, the dance just wouldn’t be the same.

The homecoming court has been a part of the dance since 1930. To take it away now would be unfair to future generations, because they wouldn’t be able to have the same important memories that we have all had. This event has been instilled in high school for years so it would not be right to take it away now.

Traditions shouldn’t be taken away because they were created for a reason. The University of Illinois claims to have had the first homecoming court where the students were chosen based on floats. Universities and high schools then began to choose their court based on their qualities that should be modeled to other students. This is why the court should be kept as a tradition because it motivates students to be the best they can be so they will be able to win king or queen.

People claim that the homecoming court is a popularity contest and ruins the dance for others who don’t win. The homecoming court is announced at both the pep rally and the homecoming game. Since the homecoming court isn’t announced at the dance, it is very unlikely to take away a good experience from a student. Also, there are many activities to do besides just dance. The student council includes a movie, Jenga, Connect 4, virtual reality, and eating options available for students. So if there is a part of the dance a student doesn’t enjoy they can go to the next activity.

The homecoming court is also something that brings the whole school together. Voting for the court brings people together to discuss who they are voting for. Also, the anticipation of who is going to win causes more people to come.

All schools vote differently but the way ours does is voting

GOOGLE FORM Homecoming Court Nominations GOOGLE FORM Ballots

ART BY Carter Scruggs

on a Google form. This makes it way easier for students to communicate with each other.

To eliminate the thoughts of the homecoming court being a popularity contest, schools vote anonymously and anyone can run as long as they fit the needed requirements. This way it is truly up to the student body without the influence of others.

A solution that would be beneficial for everyone involved in the homecoming court would be to vote for students who are passing all of their classes and have good attendance. Because the court was originally a tradition because it modeled good skills to other students, it wouldn’t make sense to have a king or queen that doesn’t follow these same guidelines.

This would not be unfair because they would let the students know ahead of time you would have to pass your classes and have good attendance before voting starts. This will

also bring students motivation to work hard in school and be proud of their academic achievements which is what the homecoming dance is about.

The homecoming court is a huge part of the homecoming dance and should always be included. It brings students amazing experiences as well as motivates them to better themselves.

Questions? Concerns? Want to share your opinion? Contact: Email:bowie.journalism@ gmail.com Room Number : F203

BULLDAWG SPEAK OUT

9th

Cristian Jaimes

"I don't think so, I see people of all races and styles hanging out, I think it's all equal."

Do you think there is any discrimination based on sex, race or religion at Bowie?

10th

11th

12th

TEACHER

Dylan Ford

Cristian Garcia

Mia Montgomery

Tara Walker-Leon

"No, I think a lot of jokes go around, but I don't think there is any true sexism or racism going around."

" It's definitely present but there is a lot of diversity. There is definitely hate based on gender/sex."

"No not really, not that I have seen... I've never heard anything in school that was actually a big problem."

"I'm sure that is an issue in this community but I never really see it."

PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS BY Kateri Jaquette and Carter Scruggs

16 PHOTO ESSAY THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 2019

Behind the scenes: athletic trainers The responsibilities of student trainers that keep players healthy, on the field and ready to win Abbey Repka Photo Essay Editor

Running around finding all the medical kits and refilling all the water bottles they might need is a pretty common pre-game activity for the athletic trainers.

Athletic trainers Brittani Thibodeaux and Pablo Riera make sure that no injury goes untreated while also trying to prevent further injuries.

“Treatments could be making sure that a wound doesn’t get infected, or if someone tore their ACL, we’re going to appropriately diagnose and refer them to surgery and then they come back here for rehabilitative exercises,” Thibodeaux said.

Along with the athletic trainers, the student trainers go along to help them out with fixing minor injuries.

“During the game, my job is to give electrolyte water to a few specific players and give water to the rest of the players along with cleaning wounds, covering cuts, and wrapping ankles, wrists, and more,” sophomore trainer Amy Morse said.

Morse wanted to become a trainer so she could further her interest in sports medicine so she could become a trainer for the NFL in the future.

“My favorite part about being a trainer is the community and the friendships formed with the other train-

ers and the players,” Morse said. “I love how close everyone gets and it begins to feel like family by the end of the season.”

Thibodeaux says that she enjoys her job because of the happiness it brings her.

“When we get to rehab athletes and see them return to their sport and fully participate, brings such joy to the heart,” Thibodeaux said.

According to Morse, being a trainer allows you to bond with the team more.

“There was a game in Lehman for JV and we went and sat on the bus for two hours before we went home,” Morse said. “The players and trainers were all listening to music and I bonded with the players a lot and ended up becoming friends with most of them.”

Trainers have to learn various different skills about how to deal with wounds and cuts on injured players.

“My favorite part about being a trainer is being able to learn different techniques to use when it comes to aiding our athletes,” sophomore Kaitlin Zapata said.

Thibodeaux has worked on many injuries including displaced teeth, extreme breaks in the lower leg, and dislocated toes.

“I have been here for a while so I’ve seen quite a few things,” Thibodeaux said.

“People think that ACL tears are bad, but they’ll get better.”

HANDING OUT WATERS: Seniors Cara Spradling, Sarah Clements, and Caitlyn Sanchez walk off the field from delivering water to the players. Spradling has been a trainer for two years and has seen lots of injuries. “This one kid on the freshman team had bursitis and I got to tape it and when we got back to the trainers got to help pop and drain it,” Spradling said. “I really enjoyed it because I got hands on experience with injuries.” PHOTO BY Abbey Repka

WISHING THE PLAYER GOOD LUCK: As to wish junior Thanio Bright good luck, Jacob Wempe pats him on the head. According to the athletic trainer Pablo Riera, the best part about his job is seeing the athletes return to the field. “I loved sports and science growing up and never saw myself as a pro athlete so I figured working with athletes would be the next best thing,” Riera said. PHOTO BY Abbey Repka FILLING UP BOTTLES: Sophomore Kaitlin Zapata pours ice into the water bottles for the players. According to Zapata, trainers work hard to prevent players from getting injured while also learning new skills. “I enjoy being a trainer because I can further my skills and learn new ones along the way,” Zapata said. PHOTO BY Abbey Repka

FIXING TAPE: Pablo Riera helps to fix Michael O’Connell’s taped up knee during the game. Riera and Brittani Thibodeaux work hard to help treat injuries on the players during the games. “Well my job is as an athletic trainer, we try to prevent injuries before they happen,” Thibodeaux said. “However, if they do happen, we assess and treat injuries properly.” PHOTO BY Abbey Repka

PACKING UP: Senior Caitlyn Sanchez packs medical kits into the trainer’s truck to get ready for the game.

Sanchez became a trainer because in the future she wants to be a physical therapist. “I tried to take classes that would help me [become a physical therapist], so I became a trainer,” Sanchez said. PHOTO BY Abbey Repka

TAPING UP BEFORE THE GAME: Athletic trainer Pablo Riera tapes up senior Jayden York’s arm before the game. It is important to tape up to provide external support for the ligaments before games. “We’ve had dislocated elbows, those are always interesting and fun,” athletic trainer Brittani Thibodeaux said. “Those go down in history for us.” PHOTO BY Abbey Repka