The Lone Star Dispatch, Vol. 29, Issue #5, 4.04.17

L one Star Dispatch

The

James Bowie High School

INSIDE

In-Depth The people who keep us safe

Effects of ICE on students

Entertainment Spring Shows

A look into the lives of school security See page A4-5

Ways we can help make an impact See page A6

What it takes to put on the performances See page B4

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Commentary

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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Vol. 29

Issue 5

News A2-3 In-Depth A4-5 Commentary A6-7 Photo Essay A8 Athletics B1-2 Reviews B3 Entertainment B4-5 Feature B6-7 Photo Essay B8

New leader takes first steps

Superintendent appoints Lake Travis ISD’s Mark Robinson as principal Violet Glenewinkel Editor-in-Chief After deliberating over this past month, the AISD Board of Trustees completed the long process of choosing the new principal of Bowie. The current principal at Hudson Bend Middle School in Lake Travis ISD, Mark Robinson, will begin the position of Bowie’s head of staff for the 2017-2018 school year.

For most of Robinson’s career as a principal, he has worked in middle schools.

However, his experience working within high schools has given him the confidence and experience to take on Bowie’s principal position.

“I have worked in secondary schools for most of my 20 year career in education,” Robinson said. “As the Associate Principal for Curriculum and Instruction for three years at Lake Travis High School, I was responsible for the master schedule, testing and graduation plans.”

The many differences between working at the middle school level versus high school level is not daunting for Robinson, but rather something he eagerly anticipates “There is always something going on: high-level learning, college and career readiness, athletics, and fine arts performances,” Robinson said. “I am looking forward to supporting all students in reaching their potential and achieving great things together.”

According to Lake Travis ISD’s Superintendent, Brad Lancaster, Robinson is excellent for the position.

“His focus and attention, as well as his ability to tell the many success stories of his students and staff, will serve Mr. Robinson well as principal of Bowie High School,” Lancaster said.

Robinson plans on receiving much feedback, thoughts, and information from AISD staff, students, and community when transitioning to Bowie.

“I know that in making the adjustment to being a high school principal in AISD, I will draw not only on my experience, but also will rely on the feedback from students, staff, and parents as we grow together,” Robinson said.

When it comes to his qualities as principal, Lancaster believes Robinson exceeds in communication above all else.

“Mr. Robinson has a very positive and highly-effective working relationship with his staff, parents, and the greater Hudson Bend community,” Lancaster said. “But most importantly, he has an exceptional relationship with his students.”

Addressing the Staff: During his speech, Mark Robinson explained to the faculty his goals as he takes lead of the school. Robinson will begin as principal in July. Photo by Mia Barbosa

The First Meeting: Incoming principal, Mark Robinson, meets to Katie Gilman, his future secretary, for the first time. On Friday, March 30, Robinson held an assembly where he gave a speech and met some of the staff. Photo by Mia Barbosa

Robinson has many accomplishments from his time at Hudson Bend, including being the principal of a School to Watch in 2014 and 2017. “[Because of Robinson] we are a model middle school, present at conferences, and have teams from other middle level campuses visit to learn about our programs and initiatives,” Hudson Bend Middle School Assistant Principal Amanda Toon said.

Not only has he accomplished much for the school, but also for its community.

“In particular, he has really helped bring the community in to collaborate with the staff and students on campus,” Toon said.

“Our connection with the Parent Teacher Organization [PTO] and the community in general has expanded greatly while he has been principal here.”

When approaching Bowie’s possibilities and challenges, Robinson views it in a broader context involving the whole picture to get to an end goal.

“Mr. Robinson looks at the big picture,” Toon said. “It’s like a map. He knows where the campus needs to go, but also knows that there are many different and interesting ways to get there.”

Staff involvement is vital in Robinson’s opinion when trying to reach such goals.

“Staff know that they can propose ideas and suggest a path on how to accomplish them and be supported while they implement it,” Toon said. “He tells staff often to try new ideas because it is better to ‘fall forward’ than not try at all.”

However, students come first when Robinson leads.

“I believe in providing opportunities so that all students are able to be successful,” Robinson said.

To make this possible, Robinson plans on getting help from everyone.

“Through strong collaboration which includes administration, faculty, students, and the community working together as one, [we will] ensure student learning is

the highest priority,” Robinson said.

In order to be named the new principal, Robinson went through several steps that made up the selection process.

“After I applied on-line, I was selected for a series of three interviews with different groups representing the Bowie school community and AISD,” Robinson said.

“I created an entry plan that outlined my work as principal for the first 100 days,

“I am looking forward to supporting all students in reaching their potential and achieving great things together.”

- Mark Robinson

taking into consideration the campus strengths and current data.”

The selection process was designed by the AISD Human Resource Department and later presented to Bowie’s Campus Advisory Council (CAC) which involved an interview committee consisting of three parents and three faculty/staff members.

“The committee focused its efforts on carefully reviewing and familiarizing ourselves with the staff-and-community-generated profile,” Selection Committee Member and Bowie AP United States History teacher Ruth Ann Widner said.

The interview process was mapped out by what the profile was requesting of a principal.

“Using the profile as a guide, the committee developed interview questions that would allow us to elicit meaningful responses from the applicants,” Widner said.

After the interviews of the six candi-

dates were complete, the AISD Human Resource Department presented the top three candidates.

“The Superintendent and Associate Superintendent interviewed the three final candidates and made the decision to offer the position to Mr. Robinson,” Widner said.

At first, Widner felt honored yet unsure of the responsibility she now held.

“Initially, I was apprehensive about the responsibility and the process, but after participating in the interviews, I was moved by the commitment, creativity, enthusiasm, and passion for students that all the candidates possess,” Widner said.

Despite the final selection and feeling confident in it, Widner understands the change a new principal will bring next year.

“I think change is always difficult, particularly if the new leader is perceived as an ‘outsider’ to Bowie,” Widner said. “My hope is that he will honor the strengths that already exist and offer fresh insight.”

Reflecting on her year as Interim Principal, Susan Leos will continue to support Bowie through the year and welcome Mr. Robinson to the campus.

“I have had the fortune to work with incredible students, caring parents, wonderful teachers, and the best community of learners in Austin,” Leos said. “It is my personal goal in the months ahead to support our students, staff, and parents in working with our new principal.”

As Robinson becomes acquainted with the Bowie community, he keeps in mind what awaits him in the year to come.

“I know that [Bowie] is an outstanding school with great students and a phenomenal faculty,” Robinson said. “I understand that high expectations are placed on a school with so many strengths and I’m confident that we will continue to cultivate a culture of excellence.”

News

The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page A2

Reacting to the impact of ICE

Teachers and staff are ready to help students with immigration problems Fuaad Ajaz Managing Editor

Number of People Seized at the US-Mexico Border

2012-56,565 People

2013-67,208 People

2014-51,091 People

2015-65,562 People

2016-93,405 People

Source: www.pewreasearch.com

safe place for students to come and learn regardless of their families immigration status.

“In February, the AISD

tion issues,” Reyna said.

Having a safe, effective, and bully free schools is something that AISD has always done and are

“They were scared that they were going to go to Wal-Mart and never be able to see their kids again . No person should ever have to go through that.”

- Angelica Aguilar

migrants, it was estimated that Austin ISD lost around $880,000.”

AISD has always considered their schools as a

Board approved a resolution that highlighted the values and beliefs of AISD in relation to students and families facing immigra-

starting to make that clear again.

“AISD makes clear that all students in AISD are entitled a safe and support-

ive learning environment,” Reyna said. “AISD will not support or tolerate discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on “national origin”.”

Aguilar believes that having to deal with ICE all by yourself is too much for someone to have to deal with and having support at school is a good thing to offer for some people.

“Teachers definitely should be trained on how to deal with this because ICE is a lot to handle for one person and for a student to know that there is someone at school that is willing to help them get

Art by Fuaad Ajaz

Throughout the City of Austin, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is conducting raids looking for undocumented immigrants.

The raids started the beginning of February and anyone who was picked up

by ICE agents, and was undocumented was arrested and deported back to their native country.

As the raids were being conducted, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) had teachers wondering what to do to help their students. Some started helping their students in a variety of ways and were eventually instructed by the district on what they could legally do to intervene.

“Although the district has not provided any formal training, all employees were provided a quick reference guide and additional lesson plan resources to assist teachers with tools and information to guide classroom discussions and/ or individual student advising,” Bowie lead counselor Karina Reyna said.

For superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz informing teachers on how to deal with these ongoing problems is not a new thing.

“Training to support all our students, including immigrant and refugee students, is not a finite process -it is ongoing and continuing to ensure we support our teachers and students,” Cruz said.

Senior Angelica Aguilar and her family were fright-

ened by the ICE raids that were happening since her family is a family of immigrants from Mexico.

“In my family I have seven family members that are undocumented who came from Central and South America,” Aguilar said. “ICE was really scaring my family, my aunts and uncles were not leaving there home for days some for weeks because they were scared that they were going to go to WalMart and never be able to see their kids again. No one should ever have to go through that.”

During the ICE raids people got together and had a day of protest called, “A day without immigrants,” during the day people who are immigrants or came from a family of immigrants showed what it would be like without immigrants in this world.

“I found the day without immigrants very important. In my opinion, the most effective way to take action and cause change is to cause financial strain on an institution,” US history teacher Kaylin Brett said.

“For the day without im-

through this is a big deal for that one person who isn’t doing too good right now,” Aguilar said.

For Interim Principal Susan Leos all of her students are important to her no matter what is going in at home or what their immigration status may be.

“All students are important to me and to all of our staff members here at Bowie,” Leos said. “We all recognize that each student here has individual needs, and we are prepared to support all students academically, socially, and emotionally.”

Class of 2017 prom transforming into New York City Kathleen Nguyen Features Editor May. The busiest month in a high school senior’s life. Summer is around the corner, however the stress of their final school year coming to an end is there.

Luckily prom is there to help them have fun.

The senior class this year is having prom at the Renaissance Hotel in north Austin at the Arboretum on Saturday, May 20 from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

“We chose the Renais-

sance hotel as our prom venue because it’s a beautiful hotel that will allow us to plan our prom the way we want,” senior Bridget Alvarez said. “It’s in an excellent location and there’s plenty of parking.”

The theme for prom has changed multiple times throughout the process changing from “Brazilian carnival” to “A Night in New York City”.

“The theme is now going towards a New York City route,” senior Carlyn Crow said. “We had to change the theme because the room has changed and

Assigning jobs: Senior officer Michelle Chahda gives officers tasks to complete for prom. Some of the tasks include creating center pieces, choosing a menu, and creating a play list for the DJ. Photo by Austyn Keelty

New York fit the aesthetic better.”

Planning for prom doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye, it takes time to prepare for the big night.

“We started planning for this ever since the seniors were freshman,” class sponsor Deanna Dellana said.

Preparing for prom was not a solo event. Multiple people contributed with communication being key to making sure everything ran smoothly.

“We’ve tried to delegate a lot of the jobs amongst the class officers so that no one person has all the responsibility,” Crow said.

“It takes a lot of emailing vendors and communication with our advisor and the bookkeepers and our event coordinator to make sure everything is done properly.”

Coming up with a budget is usually first on the list, however the senior officers paced themselves accordingly.

“The class officers are all smart and sensible enough to understand what is absurdly too expensive,” Crow said.

Through fundraising such as spirit nights at restaurants, t-shirt sales, after school concession

sales, and eventual ticket sales the 2017 class raised the funds solely themselves.

“We raised close to $10k throughout the past three years, senior Carlyn Crow said. “We expect to sell approximately 600 tickets so we’re hoping to make between $18k-$24k from tickets.”

With prom coming up soon, tickets will be going on sale starting April 24.

They will be sold for $30 from April 24 to May 5, then increase to $40 from May 8 to May 19.

“The rest of the funds will come from ticket sales,” Crow said. “The leftover money goes towards Senior Breakfast and our Senior Class gift.”

Of course prom isn’t only about breaking a sweat on the dance floor, there’s always plenty more to do.

“To make sure there is fun for everyone we’re literally going to have pool tables, ping pong tables, air hockey, and foosball,” Crow said. “There’s also going to be both a flip book maker and a photo-booth.”

Crow wants all prom attendees to have a great time and enjoy everything.

“We are determined to make sure no one is under-

Speaking up: Class of 2017 sponsor Deanna Dellana speaks to the organization about how some details about proms venue have changed. This will be Dellana’s fourth year sponsoring class of 2017 Photo by Austyn Keelty.

whelmed with it because nothing would be worse than me hearing someone say ‘prom was boring’ or ‘prom is so overrated,’” Crow said.

With all the preparations coming to a close, prom is just around the corner and excitement fills the air amongst the senior class.

“Planning the theme and thinking about decoration gets me excited for

prom because I can see all the components come together,” senior Lauren Noe said.

For Alvarez prom is going to be one of her final goodbyes as she ends her senior year with her friends.

“Prom for me is just a fun night to see all of my friends looking perfect,” Alvarez said. “It’s a great way to end senior year before we all part ways.”

The Lone Star Dispatch

News

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page A3

Thumb-prints bring awareness to bullying Abby Ong Staff Writer

Thumbs covered in ink, students add their fingerprint to the letter of their choice on the banner.

The Thumb-print Project, created by student leadership for the No Place for Hate campaign, took place over the week of Feb. 27.

“Essentially, we are gathering everyone up to thumb-print the poster and give a helping hand to stop bullying,” junior Jimmy Counihan said. “I think the whole idea of the thumb-print really comes back to individuality and being unique and being one and being a part of a larger group.”

Students went during their social studies class to take a pledge

to detract from taking pride in rejecting others and taking pride in being prejudiced.

“We wanted to differentiate what good pride is and what bad pride is,” Counihan said. “We want to work towards taking pride in empowering others and taking pride in being a good community member.”

Everybody in student leadership worked together to come up with this project.

“We tried to come with a project that was unique,” junior Hannah Wolfson said. “We wanted one that would impact people personally on a deeper level.”

The student leadership thought about what they wanted to do for a long time before settling on pride.

“Because the slogan for the school is ‘pride in performance,’

we thought it’d be nice to use pride as a word to promote the activity,” Counihan said. “The reason we decided to use false pride and embrace real pride is because pride is kind of a blanket word that a lot of people use.”

The leadership teacher, Vickie Benson, likes the project they have come up with.

“I hope people really see the negative parts of pride and the positive parts of pride,” Benson said. “Hopefully just by seeing the words up there, the ones they came up with to represent what pride is, people at least think about how they utilize that in their own lives and hopefully they accept the challenge to better one piece of their own life.”

The project has students press their thumb-print to a letter that signifies what they want to im-

prove on.

“I feel like it’s really important for someone to face something that they know they can improve on,” Wolfson said. “I feel like it’s more intimate because you know your own weaknesses, but you don’t ever want to put them out there or face them. Printing your thumb in what you pledge to be better in is really significant to me.”

Benson supported the idea the class came up with.

“I really thought it was a creative of the class to come up with using the thumb-print as a unique identity as opposed to just signing a pledge,” Benson said.

“You sign your name on a million things, but you don’t really thumb-print everything so I like that piece of [the project]. I think it makes it more personal.”

They’ve been working on the project since the start of the school year, and they are excited to see it go up.

“There’s rumor that Bowie is going to start a hall of honor,” Benson said. “I’m not sure where that’s going to be yet, but that’s in the plans. The banner would be the start or end of that hallway, and anybody at Bowie during this school year would be up there.”

The project has a lot of personal significance to the student leadership group.

“I think everyone can relate to having bullying in life and having to deal with high school drama,” Counihan said. “I think this is going be good for raising awareness and increasing inclusivity on campus, because it’s something we can all take pride in.”

Getting to the roots of the tree and all of its problems Jolie Francis Staff Writer

The tree stands as tall and proud as the students surrounding it. The second best tree in Austin sits in the center of our courtyard, always watching the commotion of the school. Now is the time to watch back over it.

In early February, senior Jacob Wallace started a GoFundMe to save the tree in the Bowie courtyard. The tree needed treatment to help it’s roots grow

and stop further rotting in the roots. The original goal was to raise $500, and in less than a day the donors surpassed that amount.

“The one remarkable thing we have to brag about is our beloved oak tree in the middle of our courtyard, but recently it has fallen ill, and the procedures that need to be taken will be costly,” Wallace said.

The oak tree was found to be infested with jasmine this February, and the tree was not getting the nutri-

Don’t leaf us: The Bowie Tree has always been a centerpiece in the courtyard and gave the campus a sense of pride. The tree has lacked nutrition and is bringing the community together to save it. Photo by Douglas Smith

ents it needed as a result.

“When Mr. Ellerbrock explained to us what was going on with the tree, he told us that a lot of the money the tree would need for treatment would probably come from the money we would make at Mr. Bulldog later that week,”Wallace said. “Seeing as I myself was competing in Mr. Bulldog, I just thought that sucked. I created the GoFundMe account because I knew it’d be the easiest way to be seen on social media platforms.”

Many people, from current Bowie students to Bowie alumni, along with their relatives, saw the GoFundMe that he posted and came together to support the fund-raiser and donate to the tree.

“The procedure was costly and I was hoping to just take a chunk out of it, but thanks to the support of the community, we covered over half the expenses,” Wallace said.

“The Bowie community is amazing, and I never expected a response like that. It was touching to see donations come from students, parents, and especially the alumni. We really did something special

here, and it blows my mind away.”

Some of the cost of the tree operations could be cut not only by the fund-raiser, but also by students helping out in order to cut labor cost. Eager volunteers were helping out to better the condition of our oak tree.

“All of the guys in Mr. E’s Contemporary Issues classes had spent all our classes in the courtyard pulling up the jasmine around the tree,” Wallace said. “Mr. E has informed me that the tree has a follow up appointment over spring break, so I’m hoping for good news once we come back to school.”

Bowie’s tree surgeon, Andy Anstrom, has been coming for years to make sure the tree stays healthy.

When he checked on the tree in February, he noticed large dead branches and that the soil under the tree had an excess of water and not enough nutrients and air. To help, the tree got the treatment known as root invigoration, which is used to re-energize older trees.

“When James Ellerbrock called me out recently to look at the Bowie tree, I knew instantly that

something new was wrong.

Since the operation, I have been checking on the tree weekly and it appears to have stabilized, but it will take more time to know for sure if the tree has become healthy again,” Anstrom said. “The Bowie oak has the challenge of being in an urban environment, which is very stressful for a tree.

But with proper care and investment in the tree, it could easily live for a few hundred more years.”

The tree has already received the procedure it needed and after the rest of the clean up surrounding it, the tree will be finished. While this is the first large procedure the tree has received, Ellerbrock believes that everything surrounding the tree has been solved.

“The student council takes care of the landscape for the school and part of that is that I keep an eye on the trees, especially the one in the courtyard,” CI teacher Ellerbrock said. “And that tree is not dying. It was sick, but it’s not dying.

One day that tree is going to die because everything in nature dies. But I don’t care, whatever we got to do we got to do to take care of

that tree.”

Ellerbrock also reiterates that people shouldn’t worry too much about what they see, and that they should leave it to the professionals.

“A lot of people see these balls of moss think that that’s really bad but it’s nothing. The arborist said that stuff is no big deal, that that’s not the problem. That’s just people thinking they know what they’re talking about but they really don’t,” Ellerbrock said. “But it’s about time for him to come back out here and take a look at it again, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that whatever he did is helping the tree.”

Many Bowie alumni donated to the fund-raiser in order to save the tree, according to Wallace, leaving messages such as “Class of ‘03 still cares.” Tristan Rodriguez, a past member of the Bowie student council, commented on the importance of our courtyard tree.

“This tree not only represents the beauty that defines Bowie, but it is also the binding that holds the place together; without that tree there is no Bowie High School,” Rodriguez said.

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In-Depth

The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page A4

The Lone Star Dispatch

In-Depth

Tue. April 4, 2017 Page A5

Bowie officers, SRO’s, and hall monitors: What exactly is their job?

After working at Bowie for almost 30 years, Elaine McBrearty has experienced changes in the school Caitlin Devlin Managing Editor

When most Bowie students think about Elaine McBrearty, they think that she’s a hall monitor notorious for dress coding female students. However, many students don’t know that McBrearty’s job encompasses more than just dress coding and she does more for the school than that.

When Bowie was first being built in 1988, McBrearty applied to do clerical work for the school, as she had 12 years of clerical experience from working in a power plant in San Antonio.

“When I came in, they said that Mr. [Kent] Ewing was bringing in all the office people, so the only thing available would be a monitor,” McBrearty said. “I had never heard of it, and they told me that ‘all the kids are gonna hate you’. I thought that maybe eventually there’d be a clerical position or something come up, so I hired on and I’ve been here ever since.”

McBrearty has stayed as a hall monitor since then.

“30 years ago, kids were so wonderful and respectful, they respected the building. It was a fabulous place to be, kids were amazing, teachers were great, I

loved to come into work for years,” McBrearty said.

McBrearty has been able to watch the school, students, and teachers change as she’s worked here.

“I think because of technology, kids don’t socialize like they used to,” McBrearty said. “I’m not saying that kids don’t talk to each other now, it’s just not like they used to. I used to never have kids that are as disrespectful as most are now. At the same time, however, we have many wonderful and polite kids who are great.”

McBrearty’s job is to enforce campus rules that the principal creates. This in-

Monitor and Officer: Hall monitor Elaine McBrearty and security officer Andy Padgett talk together while watching over students during lunch. McBrearty and Padgett have both worked at Bowie since the school opened. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

cludes dress code, hallway etiquette, and behavior inside the classroom.

“I’m not the dress code Nazi from Hell,” McBrearty said. “The principal wants me to help kids follow the rules, and that’s the only reason why I do it. I feel like if there are other campuses that don’t make students follow the rules then that is the reason is out of control. This campus has always been under control.”

Not a lot of students understand that McBrearty doesn’t create the rules, she just enforces them. McBrearty runs into a lot of disrespectful students while simply just doing her job.

“I’ve raised two daughters and they would never be disrespectful to any adult, I know for a fact that when I run into kids who are disrespectful, when they are at home they have serious problems,” McBrearty said. “We have to have rules in place, and there has to be consequences.”

However, McBrearty says that teachers have mostly been polite and appreciative of her.

“Elaine is a great coworker, she is my savior sometimes, when I need help with a student,” Spanish teacher Kelly Tagle said. “She always backs me up, I think that’s the thing we as teachers appreciate so much,” Despite the disrespect she faces on campus, McBrearty still thoroughly loves and appreciates her job.

“It’s exciting to see kids be successful, even sometimes when you see kids who travel the wrong path and then get back on track, with teachers and counselors and everyone helping them, to be successful and maybe a year or two later they’ll stop by the campus to say thank you,” McBrearty said.

Over: Hall monitor Elaine McBrearty responds to a coworker on her walkie talkie. McBrearty usually stays outside during lunch and passing periods, to monitor student behavior to make sure they are following campus rules. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

From the parking lot to permits, Officer Andy Padgett Officers Covington and Cheney enforce law both on assures campus and student’s safety, one ticket at a time and off of campus, training to keep other people safe Kathleen Nguyen Feature Editor

Merry Monitor: Security Officer Andy Padgett monitors A Hall during STAAR testing, making sure that non-testing students don’t make too much noise. After working at Bowie for 29 years, Padgett has many tasks to do, he is most known for stopping underclassmen from going off campus. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Art by Caitlin Devlin

Patrolling across the vast parking lot of James Bowie High School, making sure that no underclassmen leaves and no one is where they’re not supposed to be sounds easy enough, right?

Wrong.

Security officer Andy Padgett roams the school protecting students and enforcing general safety, while also making sure that students don’t take their cars where they’re not supposed to be.

Since the opening of the school, Padgett has been doing this job for more than twenty years.

“I’ve been here since the school opened, which was in 1988,” Padgett said.

While the school has slowly transformed throughout the years, Padgett says that the most dramatic change is students moving in and out of the school.

“Just the faces have changed, however the appearances of the infrastructure have changed for the

better,” Padgett said.

Padgett follows a strict and regimented schedule every week in order to get all the work he needs finished.

“On Mondays, I issue parking permits for students,” Padgett said.

“Other mornings I watch late buses to determine if I need to hand students passes.”

Working with high school students can become difficult, especially when it comes to more rebellious and disrespectful teens.

“If a student is disrespectful towards me, I say ‘let’s go to the office and talk to the principal,’” Padgett said.

Some students may not be aware of the help Padgett brings to this school, or just may not be aware of what his job is in general. However, junior Crosby LaGrone shares her insight on her opinions of him.

“I mean, yes we need him,” LaGrone said. “He really cracks down on the kids but at the same time he doesn’t help the kids.”

Many students have mixed opinions of him and his duty to the school. Some students think that

his job might be unnecessary or an inconvenience, while others think that he and his job is essential to keep the school running.

“It’s his job to stop us and make sure we are doing what we said we would do,” senior Kristen Poole said. “We, as teenagers, like to make a big deal out of things and blame people for things we can’t have, which in this case is going off campus during lunch or being able to park on campus without a sticker.”

While he often faces disrespectful students and being called a ‘bad guy’, Padgett always appreciates kind students.

“It’s so nice when a student says hi,” Padgett said. “The first time or two, I admit I was suspicious about what they were up to, but they kept doing it so I concluded that they were just a generally nice person.”

Although many students disagree, Padgett explains that he only means to do his job.

“I’m not a mean guy, I just have a bad job,” Padgett said. “Teens will be teens and I’m just the person put in place to enforce that.”

Gigi Francis Staff Writer

The clock rings at 6:30 a.m., lunches are packed and kids dressed by 7 a.m..

Officer Angelica Covington wakes up and helps her kids get ready for school, then puts on her own police uniform and heads down to James Bowie High School to see what unexpected work awaits her that day.

Covington and Officer Darrell Cheney are the two main School Resource Officers at Bowie High School, also known as SRO’s. They are both relatively new to Bowie’s campus and are on campus whenever they are needed to help assist students and staff.

“I have been working at Bowie for the last two school years. SRO Cheney trained here at Bowie, however, this is his first school year as the SRO,” Covington said.

Although students don’t recognize what the officers accomplish, some teachers notice and appreciate all the SRO’s do.

“They provide a safe environment in the hallway and protect against outside infiltrators and are a positive presence to keep students and faculty safe,” biology teacher James Dammann said.

Because the younger students don’t know exactly what the SRO’s job en-

tails or what their duties are, the SRO’s often face disrespect from students.

“I think the officers should be more highly respected by students because they are an important part of our school operation and our school won’t be the same without them,” Dammann said.

Younger students, or underclassmen haven’t been around long enough to realize how the SRO’s help Bowie.

“I feel like more people should know about what these officers do so they can truly appreciate what they do,” sophomore Drew McDonald said.

However, the SRO’s know that they will not be respected by everyone on campus and there have been plenty of times when the student body mistreated them.

“Faculty treats the SRO’s on campus with respect. There is always those individuals that are disrespectful to police but that is going to be everywhere,” Covington said.

A big part of SRO’s duties are to help get trouble making students under control and put them on the right track towards a successful future.

“The hardest thing is dealing with students who don’t believe in themselves as much as we believe in them to make better choices, it is hard to see kids not learn from their own mistakes,” Covington said.

Officers never know what they will be doing each day, each day may be completely different than the last.

“The great thing about police work is that our day is hardly ever the same.

Our day is based on other people’s lack of good choices and/or accidents that are not in anyone’s control,” Covington said.

Covington doesn’t just deal with kids at school, she spends time with children of her own when she goes home from helping teenagers at Bowie.

“I am a mom to two kids and since it is baseball season we are either playing ball or going to dance class,” Covington said.

Outside of Bowie, Cheney has an interest in other police training programs besides keeping teenagers safe.

“I am working out or training police K-9 officers with the other officers since that is my passion,” Cheney said.

Covington says she has always wanted to be an officer.

“Being a police officer is something within my family and I have grown up with the idea and goals to help people,” Covington said.

However, Cheney has more goals as being an officer he wants to accomplish.

“As a K-9 trainer, I knew I could be even more successful not just training them but being an officer with a K-9,”

Securing and Watching: Officer Darrell Cheney watches on as incoming principal Mark Robinson talks to other officers. Cheney has worked as an officer for a while, but this is his first school year working at Bowie. Photo

by Mia Barbosa

Cheney said.

Both officers focus on the important parts of their job in order to become better at what they do.

“We like the communication and positive interactions with the students.

Every job has something someone doesn’t like to do therefore, we don’t focus on that. If we did, then it would grow,” Covington said.

Commentary

The Lone Star Dispatch Tue. April 4, 2017

Page A6

Immigration laws getting out of hand Editorial

AMERICAN IDEAL

they say are justified now. Legal citizens are now fearful that they don’t belong when strangers verbally abuse them about their heritage. When hateful rhetoric like, “get out of my country” or “build a wall” is told to these minorities, fear becomes interlaced within whole communities’ both citizens and non-citizens.

Because of these random ICE raids, immigrants live in fear of deportation.

Up until now, the majority of these people have found jobs and started families with U.S. born children. The deportation process is breaking apart families and disrupting the workforce.

Also, deportation can be very unfair for some because they may have been doing everything in their power to gain citizenship. Despite these efforts, the U.S. gov-

Art by Gavin Farner

Ever since the new president took office earlier this year, a new emphasis has been placed on the topic of America’s immigration policies and enforcement of the law. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is responsible for enforcing federal immigration and customs laws by investigating, arresting, detaining, and removing illegal aliens from the United States. Even though ICE has been in existence since 2003, it is being more heavily enforced under the Trump administration, especially in Austin.

Much of President Trump’s rhetoric was based on demonizing minority groups and casting them as criminals, trespassers, and terrorists. He even said once that undocumented people in the U.S. from Mexico were all involved in rape or drugs.

These started off as angry opinions but now that he’s taken office, Trump is able to act on these hateful stereotypes.

In the past weeks, there’s been new government efforts to increase deportation. Luckily, there’s also been protests and outcries to protect these innocent undocumented immigrants.

Around 11 million in this country are living outside the law, and considered undocumented. They try to live a normal life by providing for themselves and their family. Now, all of a sudden, they are being vilified by the President who views them as “bad hombres.” This large minority are a priority for deportation because they are all viewed as criminals by the rest of the country.

This surge of deportation has made racists and xenophobes believe the things

ICE: DEPORTING PEOPLE UNDER THE PRETENSE OF HOMELAND SECURITY SINCE 2017

ernment is still not very efficient in this specific area because it can take many years to receive a citizenship through the legal system.

It appears as though Austin ISD strives to make students feel as safe as possible at the schools due to the fear of deportation.

An email was recently sent to student and parent emails stating the policy that the AISD board established which is to create a safe, education-focused environment free of insecurity and fear for both staff and students, regardless of immigration status.

The school district is allowed to express this idea because under the United States Supreme Court ruling, Plyler v.

Doe, all children are allowed a public education regardless of theirs or their parents’

immigration status.

On the AISD website, support for refugee and immigrant students can be found.

The AISD Refugee Support Office is there to serve as a language and resource hub, translation and interpretations for families, school registration support, and social and emotional support. The AISD Welcome Center also provides similar support.

If this country continues on this path of demonizing immigrants and refugees, a whiter and less diverse America is inevitable and this is not a good thing in the year 2017. There are most definitely steps in the right direction like school districts protecting every student’s right to education and cities claiming to be sanctuary cities, meaning these cities prohibit police officers from enforcing immigration laws.

However, this may not be good enough because the Trump administration has threatened to cut federal funding as a punishment.

The actions within government may not be enough so it’s important to exercise the right of freedom of speech when there’s evident racist change in this country. By voicing opinions and attending public events like protests, it will inspire others and provide a voice for the vulnerable. This has been proven effective very recently with the airport protests regarding the Muslim ban because Trump’s executive order was not successful so it can be done again.

The United States is the “melting pot” of the world. We should be doing everything we can to reach out to the world’s immigrants in an effort to continue to be the world leader that we have been for so many years.

Betsy DeVos unfit to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education Reagan Wallace Staff Writer

Hi I’m Betsy De Vos and I’m the New Education Secretary! Here Are my Qualifications!

Giving $ to Trump Campaign Hid in my car, waiting for the authorities Having a background in the Education System doesn’t take a stand on any issue is a dangerous one.

DeVos’ conservative views on economics play another factor in her negative responses. She reportedly doesn’t support free college tuition, leading many to believe she doesn’t actually want to help low-income students. Her backing of school choice does contradict this belief, but the fact that she refuses to enunciate her stance on why exactly she doesn’t want free tuition doesn’t shine a good light on her.

Perhaps her most defining negative factor is her failure to separate church from state. In a previous interview with US News, she claimed her goal was to “advance God’s kingdom” via school reform, conversion therapy, and other theistic ideals. Even coming from a Christian writer, her inability to keep religion out of her side of the gov-

DISPATCH STAFF - Vol. 29, Issue #5 Editor-in-chief Violet Glenewinkel Page A1

Entertainment Editor Victoria Newell- Page B5 Kiran Patel - Page B4

Student Life Editors Managing Editor Carissa Duran - Page B7 Fuaad Ajaz - Page A2 Caitlin Devlin - Page A4-5 Kathleen Nguyen - Page B6 News Editor Samantha Knapp - Page A3 Commentary Editors Avy Friedman - Page A6 Ian Miller - Page A7 Athletics Editors Mia Barbosa - Page B2 Shelby Kelly - Page B1 Review Editor Cianna Chairez - Page B3

Photo Editors Cara Andres - Page B8 Ashley Ramirez - Page A8 Website Team Lead Joseph Killeen Assistant Editors Darcy Kanneman Austyn Keelty Abby Ong Adviser Michael Reeves

Dispatch Staff: Jadon Alvarez Madison Austin Jake Brien Maria Demopoulos Gavin Farner Gigi Francis Jolie Francis Yana Krykunenko Justine Lockhart Harrison Louis Sam McPherson Emily Merritt Alicia Molina Mo Orr Shelby Papst Callie Richards Douglas Smith Reagan Wallace Ella Wright Mikayla Zellner

Art by Gavin Farner

Betsy DeVos was appointed U.S. Secretary of Education by President Donald Trump much to many teachers and parents’ dismay Feb. 7. An advocate for school choice, school voucher programs, and charter schools, she has not received entirely positive reviews from either the mainstream media or the Democratic Party.

DeVos has displayed beneficial visions for lower-income students and families, but is simply unqualified for a role in the U.S. Education Department. Her support could be deemed helpful, yet I don’t believe she is prepared to lead a country’s education system.

With a resume as extensive as DeVos’, one might think that education would be an epitomical subject, but she actually has no direct experience in it. The chairwoman of the Windquest Group, the producer of a Broadway show, and a board member of Neurocore, she seemingly has not managed to fit the education system into her career until 2017.

Many news networks have dubbed DeVos as an unfit education leader, but for the wrong reasons. The New Yorker and Detroit Free Press claim she is anti-public school and only supports faulty charter school systems, but they are missing the most significant red flags in her nomination.

For example, when asked by Senator Bob Casey (DPA) about her plans on combating campus sexual assault, she deliberately dodged his questions, implying she does not deem it much of an issue. In a similar interview with Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), she failed to state her position on most topics, from tuition-free college to the errors in her support of charter schools. A politician that

ernment is something that will not give her good reviews, whatever her supporters’ views may be.

There is no undoing the nomination of DeVos because what’s done is done. However, it is the responsibility of all state education boards and committees, teachers, and passionate parents of students to continue standing strong in their views on education and voicing their opinion. If her goal truly is to give education back to the locals, it should not be a tough task.

As a conservative woman in politics, DeVos will need to assert her views in order to be heard. She will need to take a stance on important issues in order to be taken seriously by those that oppose her. She is an influential woman, but she was given an opportunity to lead a sector of politics she is unqualified to lead.

EDITORIAL POLICY • The Lone Star 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.

• The Lone Star Dispatch is an open forum for student expression. The Lone Star Dispatch is not reviewed by school administration prior to distribution, and the advisor will not act as a censor.

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

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

• We will 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 will 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 Lone Star Dispatch staff or administration as a whole.

• The Lone Star Dispatch welcomes reader input. Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to bowie.journalism@gmail.com, call (512) 841-7825, or 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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Commentary

The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page A7

Our great tree is worth saving Ian Miller Commentary Editor

R

of-year graduations, this tree has been there for it all. To see it go would be like seeing a piece of Bowie itself leave.

I’m sure many past-graduates can agree with me when I say that this tree needs to stay in Bowie.

There are ways you can help save this tree without being in an agricultural class or donating any money yourself.

All you have to do is spread the word that the tree is sick and could use a little help.

Spreading awareness for the tree is ultimately going to help it.

102 This tree really is worth saving, even if it will cost our school some money. It holds the memories of many past-graduates, and so many people are working hard to This tree has been a part of Bowie since make sure this tree gets well the first years that the school itself was again. It’s in everyone’s best benefits if built. From Homecoming dances to end- our tree is saved.

Art by Ian Miller

ecently, as I’m sure most students have seen, activity has been happening around the giant tree in the courtyard. Cars are parking next to it all the time, and student leadership classes have been digging up most of the jasmine around the tree. The truth is, the tree is dying, and the school is trying its hardest to save it.

Unfortunately, the cost of saving this tree is not cheap. The school is investing a lot of money for the project. A student named Jacob Wallace even set up a “Go Fund Me” page to raise awareness. The question is, is the money really worth spending to save the tree?

In my opinion, it’s absolutely worth the price to save it. This tree has a title of its own, it’s essential for our courtyard, and it hold the memories of many people.

If you ever look at the sign next to the tree, you’ll see that the tree is rated as the

second best tree in Austin, Texas. That’s a pretty big title for a tree in a school courtyard. To have a tree as large as ours suddenly disappear would be a huge change, not only for the students of Bowie, but for the community around the school as well.

What would happen if the tree disappeared?

Our courtyard would seem so much more empty. If you eat outside, you probably know there isn’t much shade aside from sitting underneath the two trees or from the canopies that connect the buildings.

Taking the second best tree in Austin out of the courtyard is losing a lot of that shade that students rely on to sit outside.

Going above the norm for college Importance of physics class C

Jake Brien Staff Writer

SUCCESS

Art by Ian Miller

Abby Ong Staff Writer

W

ith the release of House Bill 5, several changes were made to the graduation requirements.

One of these changes is that students no longer have to take physics and chemistry courses.

At Bowie, chemistry is a prerequisite for the advanced sciences, so most students take it anyway. However, physics is only required for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students, as it is needed to fulfill their endorsement.

This decision has many students wondering if they should bother taking physics or not. I believe all students should take it regardless of endorsement or future career choice.

If you plan on majoring in a STEM field, physics should definitely be taken. Most students wonder if they should take it even if they know for sure they aren’t going into a STEM field, and I think they should consider it.

Most colleges prefer applicants

who have taken it, so taking it helps a student be more competitive. Even if you’re not planning on majoring in a STEM field or other competitive fields, physics is still applicable to everyday life.

Physics is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a science that deals with matter and energy and its interactions”. It is considered one of the three major sciences, alongside biology and chemistry, and having basic understanding of physics helps out greatly.

Physics is much more than just a math based science.

It helps us understand everything from how we walk, how force works, and to how cars work. All of this is useful knowledge for everyone to learn at some point in their life. To those who only ever want to learn the fundamentals, I think it makes more sense to take it for free in high school than to pay for it in college.

If there’s another science class that interests you a lot more, then I’d encourage you to take that class, but don’t brush off physics just because you don’t want to do the work. It may not be a required class anymore, but students should still consider it.

Art by Callie Richards

ollege is the defining moment in our lives.

It solidifies our hopes and aspirations, giving us the tools necessary to decide what we want to do with our lives. Unfortunately, for such an important event, it’s very hard to get in.

Gone are the days of our elders, when according to gradeinflation.com, the average GPA accepted by most colleges was a 2.9, and moderately well on the SAT with a score around 1000. Today, colleges have upped their game. Texas A&M University allows for anyone in the top ten percent of their class to be automatically accepted in. If you’re not in the top ten percent, well you’ll have to make a 1360 on the SAT, along with extracurriculars like art to set yourself apart from the other fish in the sea looking to get accepted. Not only this, but the tuitions for colleges have skyrocketed.

In the past 30 years or so, the United States has become synonymous for having very expensive colleges in tuition. By comparison, tuition debt in most European nations is virtually non-existent. Even public school colleges

in the U.S. can cost up to $63,000, for a school like NYU, and that’s not factoring in expenses, vacations, and learning abroad. It seems that getting into college is not only a hefty price to pay, but also requires the utmost diligence and perseverance from high school students.

While college may be very hard to get into these days, there’s still the option of a community college such as Austin Community College (ACC). When enrolled in a community college after two years, students can then transfer into the college they want, as long as they stay in the State of Texas.

While college is stressful, the night is always darkest just before the dawn. Yes, preparing for college, finding the right scholarships, and achieving prestigious grades isn’t an easy thing to do. But by going into college, students gain important life lessons and build on their strengths to discover themselves.

Whether it’s becoming a doctor and attending medical school, or becoming a circus performer and attending the Circus Conservatory of America for a degree in circus arts, college is essential. However, with the U.S. being ranked so low on the global scale in public school systems, it begs the question: if our colleges are so prestigious, then why don’t our high schools ‘prepare’ students for some of the hardest Universities, such as Stanford, Oxford, or Harvard.

The answer is simple: the public school system will not likely get you on track to scoring high on your SAT and getting into college. It remains that students who go the extra mile, to take SAT prep courses, to study SAT level vocabulary to improve their English level, or by studying through the excellent free Khan Academy have that chance to get into any college they want to. It’s not about starting to study the night before a test; it’s about self-perseverance and a determination to succeed beyond the norm.

BULLDAWGS SPEAK OUT

If you could request a new class to be available, what would it be?

9th

10th

11th

12th

TEACHER

Katie Cole

Haley Peck

Connor Guinn

Jack Lewright

Emily Davis

“Probably marketing. I’m interested in it as a career.”

“Definitely novels of the early 20th century.”

“Astronomy, because of the relevance of NASA in recent years.”

“Either a computer or another technology class.”

“A class to help students with adult life skills.”

Photos by and interviews by Douglas Smith

Photo Essay The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page A8

Day in a life: junior lieutenant

Future 2017-2018 Silver Star captain Morgan Andrews steps into her new boots Ashley Ramirez Photo Editor

All Smiles: Morgan Andrews teaches junior members the next eight counts of the team kick routine. Andrews looks up to captain Hannah Parson. “She is just a really great captain and dancer and everything she does is for the team,” Andrews said. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Waking up for early morning practice, learning routines, and preparing for the upcoming Spring show, junior lieutenant Morgan Andrews starts every day with dance.

Since Andrews was little, she always had a passion for dancing.

“My mom put me in classes when I was around four or five and I fell in love with it and I have been in classes ever since,” Andrews said.

Like any other sport, a dancer must be physically fit.

“Physically, it takes flexibility,” Andrews said.

“You have to be able to have open hips and be able to kick, run, and leap so you have to have powerful legs as well as good upper body strength.”

Warm ups, stretching, and running through the dances is normal during the average practice day.

“We check roles in our squads, which is a group of dancers that belong to a specific officer,” Andrews said. “Then we warm up, kick across the floor, then

practice technique across the floor, and during a show or a spring show season we’ll run and clean our dances.”

Silver stars have been preparing for the annual spring show since February.

“We start right away, learning all our seven extra pieces that will be in the spring show,” Andrews said.

Being a Silver Star is a big commitment, so being able to do other extracurriculars is not always possible.

“I have given up a lot of theatre. I still like to dabble in between but I have to give up the class and I had to give up student leadership,” Andrews said.

Although she has given up extracurriculars, her future is dance.

“I do plan on pursuing a career in dance,” Andrews said. “More on the musical theatre dance side and performing arts and not so much drill team.”

Silver Stars director Courtney Allison has seen how theatre has impacted Andrews as a dancer.

“Morgan has taken on more of a choreographic

role this year, not only with Silver Stars, but within the theater department,” Allison said. “This change in perspective forces any dancer to view themselves through a different lens, which in turn not only helps her, but the people that surround her.”

In the past weeks Andrews was named 20172018 Silver Star Captain.

“It is a lot of work and pressure to take in but I am really excited to lead the team of girls,” Andrews said.

Current Captain, senior Hannah Parsons has seen how Andrews makes the team strive for bigger.

“The best quality about Morgan is her ability to dream,” Parsons said. “She is always coming up with new ideas for the team and it’s great to have someone who wants to do something bigger and better than what we did before.”

Allison has noticed the way Andrews has changed as a performer.

“Morgan is an incredible performer. She puts her everything into making sure the audience is clear on her character,” Allison said.

Picking Tunes: During warm ups Morgan Andrews stretches and picks the next song.

Since being a Silver Star, Andrews has learned the importance of being on a team.“Being selfless as a dancer and realizing that its not just you out on the floor and learning to dance as a whole not as a individual,” Andrews said. Photo by Ashley Ramirez Stretch It Out: Morgan Andrews listens to direction from Silver Star Co-director Emily Davis as she finishes stretching.

Being a Silver Star has taught Andrews a lot. “I’ve learned to always hold up for my self and make sure I am being a great individual,” Andrews said. Photo

by Ashley Ramirez

Kick Line: Morgan Andrews runs through the eight count to the cover of the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Freischwimmer. Andrews dedicates a lot of her time to being a Silver Star. “Silver Stars is what absorbs my life and all my dedication and thought process,” Andrews said. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Future Leaders: Junior Callie Bedrich (left) and Morgan Andrews (right) step into their new roles as captain and first lieutenant. Bedrich and Andrews created part of the finale kick dance which will be preformed at the upcoming spring show.“Its a big shock that I have gotten were I am today; its been a huge impact on my life,” Andrews said. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

James Bowie High School

Athletics

4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin, TX 78749

INSIDE

www.thelonestaronline.com

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Section

Vol. 29

Issue 5

B

Athletics B1-2 Reviews B3 Entertainment B4-5 Feature B6-7 Photo Essay B8

Sticking it to their competitors

Girl’s lacrosse finds success through a strong team bond and a feeling of unity Shelby Kelly Athletic Editor

Smiles exchange from one side of the field to the other as the ball is passed between each lacrosse player, and a feeling of unity is felt through the team.

This team’s strong bond has helped team member Julia Krebs survive through some health issues.

“A specific moment that really stuck with me during this season was when I dealt with some health issues a little while ago, and everyone was genuinely concerned about my well being,” Krebs said. “I was overwhelmed with all of the concern and support from everyone. It meant a lot to me to know that they all cared if I was okay.”

The Bowie girl’s lacrosse team is made up of girls from all grades and is a fast-paced and exciting sport where experience is not necessary.

This team has made players feel like they have a place while creating some impactful memories, especially for a junior foreign exchange student Luana Lopez in a game where she helped secure a win.

“The minute my coach put me on the field the song ‘Hell’s Bells’ from AC/DC was playing and that means a lot to me because they play it when my favorite soccer team, St. Pauli, steps on the field,” Lopez said. “It gave me goosebumps.”

Some look at lacrosse as a rare combination of many different sports such as soccer, hockey, and football, too.

“It’s sort of similar to soccer, but we use sticks to carry the ball and throw it around,” Krebs said. “It’s

really fun and it’s very unique in a way that no other sports can emulate.”

As of March 25, the team’s overall record is 4-0 in their district.

“Most of the people on the JV team played lacrosse for the first time at the beginning of this school year, and we’ve won against many teams where the girls have played all throughout middle school,” Krebs said.

The team is full of hard working girls who practice on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, Varsity Coach Jesse McCarthy explained.

“Bowie lacrosse is a community of incredible people (players, parents and coaches) who are truly focused on the success of all who are involved, both individually and as a team,” McCarthy said.

Although lacrosse isn’t the biggest sport and therefore not as known, it is growing in enrollment.

“Most of the girls on the varsity team this year are seniors, so we may not have as many players in years to come, but I think we can still be successful if we work hard enough,” Krebs said.

At Bowie, the interest of the club is growing, junior Veronica Cruz explains.

“I just got into lacrosse this year, it’s my first year to ever play, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Cruz said.

The lacrosse community couldn’t be complete without the work of the coaches and their goal to impact their players in more than one way.

“I continue to coach because seeing each girl grow and start to believe in herself and her capabilities is

one of the most rewarding things I could imagine doing,” McCarthy said.

The goal for McCarthy goes farther than just coaching.

“I can only hope to impact my players in a way that carries well beyond lacrosse.”

The team is built upon the foundation the coaches have developed, goalie Brianna Martinez explains.

“They really have showed us the best and worked on our weaknesses and made us better individually,” Martinez said.

For Martinez, she wouldn’t have her coaches any other way.

“I am very grateful to have them as my coaches and mentors and I’m very proud to say that they are my coaches.”

The team bond is very strong, which one of the reasons they have traditions that include team dinners on most Fridays, and on most game days there is a team breakfast at school that consists of donuts or breakfast tacos.

“Anyone can join lacrosse, even if you aren’t particularly athletic, like me, but the coaches still did a super great job of getting us in shape and creating a very strong team,” Krebs said.

Although it is nice to win, the coaches main goal

is to teach them life long lessons that they can use beyond the sport.

“My true expectations are that every player learns something new every day

and performed amazingly on the field,” Lopez said.

Many people are starting to understand the beauty of lacrosse, vice president Rosa Heim explains

“Seeing each girl grow and start to believe in herself and her capabilities is one of the most rewarding things I could imagine doing.”

- Jesse McCarthy

and is excited to play every time they step on the field,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy looks forward to what the program can grow into as well.

“My hope is that this excitement promotes a dedication to continued improvement and commitment that builds a program that all current and future players feel is fun and successful,” McCarthy said.

The memories from the times with this sport are some of the most important tokens the girls can take away from their experience on the team, as junior goalie Sam Lopez explains one of her favorites.

“The best part of this season was probably the first game we had against Dripping Springs it was our first ‘real’ game and we won, we all came together

the increase in interest in the sport all over the country.

“It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country and although most popular in the Northeast

and East Coasts, it is gaining steam in Texas,” Heim said.

Even though lacrosse is getting more popular, it is still a sport that not many know of. Despite this, it has affected people in more ways than just keeping them in shape.

“As a coach, my favorite memory was off the field when a player texted me to say thank you, not only for teaching her lacrosse but for teaching her to believe in and trust herself,” McCarthy said.

Having faith in one’s self is what the sport is truly all about.

“That is what this is all really about, and is something I will carry with me forever.”

Art by Shelby Kelly and Mia Barbosa

Defending home: Freshman Melina Teufel plays as a defender in a game against St. Andrew’s Episcopal school. Lacrosse is a face-paced sport that is a combination of soccer and hockey. Photo by Mia Barbosa

Catchin’ and Throwin’: Freshman Sydney Heim rushes the ball to center field to try to help make a goal. Lacrosse at Bowie is technically a club that has two teams, JV and varsity and is available for both girls and boys. The girls practice two to three times a week mostly at Bailey Middle School and have at least one game a week. Photo by Mia Barbosa

Athletics

The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page B2

The never ending fight to stay on top Grace Lemm and Christian Moreno reflect on the end to their bittersweet season Mia Barbosa Athletics Editor The eyes of a little kid sparkle as they watch the wrestling match of their older sibling unfold in front of them.

Afraid to miss even a split second they can’t tear their eyes away from the intense play in front of them and already they can feel the desire to be a wrestler and becoming a state champion pull at them.

After many intense trainings, strict diets, and an intense toll on their bodies, senior Grace Lemm and junior Christian Moreno continue their strive on the journey to state this wrestling season and are leaving a lasting impression not only on the coaches but on each other.

“The whole time I was growing up around wrestling as I saw my two older brothers being successful and my goal was to go to and place at or win at state,” Lemm said.

For Lemm and Moreno they both grew up around an other brother who wrestled at Bowie, but for Moreno that wasn’t all that motivated him.

“What inspires me the most is watching other wrestlers at higher levels compete in big matches,” Moreno said.

Keeping this in mind, wrestling coach Glen Lewis will bring in past state qualifiers to talk to the wrestling team as a form of mental preparation.

“It’s a whole different level of competition when you get to the state tournament,” Lewis said. “It’s great to hear from former qualifiers to get a grasp on how big it really is.”

No matter how much the wrestlers prepare mentally and physically for state the pressure of being great enough to become number one never goes away.

“Once you’ve wrestled everything else in life is easier, wrestling is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do because of the amount of work that you have to put in to be successful,” Moreno said. “You have to make the right choices on a daily basis, even from when you wake up you think of what will help you to be the state champ.”

Part of the pressure the wrestlers have is to make the right dietary choices that will help them become a champion in their weight class.

“Usually during the season I eat very healthy and have a lot of lean meats and vegetables,” Lemm said.

During winter break, Lemm allows a “two-pound allowance” where she can reach 121 pounds, instead of 119.

Moreno and Lemm both agreed that making weight is their least favorite part of the sport.

“The lack of food and water in your body makes it hard to compete on a high level and wrestling is really hard on all of your joints too,” Lemm said.

Lewis also recognized another part of this season that brought stress to the team but also helped them to become better.

“We had some really tough tournaments in the second semester,” Lewis said. “It’s tough to travel around the state every weekend in January and February to seek

Bending Over Backwards: Junior Christian Moreno practices his throws on the thick mat with sophomore Cory Silguero while at his freestyle and greco training during the school’s off season. Moreno first started to get involved with wrestling when he was five years old but began to become more serious about the sport when he was around 10 years old when he found how much he loved the mental and physical shape it got him in. Photo by Mia Barbosa

out the best competition and while it gets a little tiring, it helps our team compete on the highest level.”

The wrestlers were very glad once state had come and they felt all of their hard work and sacrifices paying off.

“I felt pretty confident going into state, I felt like there was no more work that could’ve been done to prepare me for that moment,” Moreno said. “I just had to have faith in my training and wrestle the best that I could in every match competed in.”

While the teammates did everything possible to be the champion, Moreno finished a heartbreaking second, while Lemm finished in fifth place.

“At the end of the tournament I was disappointed how I placed because I had already beaten the person who took second, the week before at regionals,” Lemm said. “I was told by a retired coach that I was truly the best wrestler in my bracket and that I deserve to have taken first. “ While supporters of the two wrestlers believe that going to state is a huge deal in itself for the two that isn’t all they want out of themselves.

“It’s disappointing to me to not have gotten the state title yet but going into my senior year I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure I get that title,” Moreno said.

Despite the disappointment Moreno and Lemm faced with how they placed at the state tournament the season overall still held a lot of good memories including one that stood out to Lewis from when Lemm got Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Hurricane Classic Tournament in Houston.

“It was such a surprise to her and she was beaming when she got the award,” Lewis said. “She’s fought through so much with injuries the last few years, it was

great to see her be rewarded for her hard work.”

Moreno’s favorite moment was being part of the parade of champions which is when the finals of the state tournament is held and the two finalists walk around the gym on their way to the mat.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of since I was a kid and it was awesome getting to walk out and everybody be looking at us and having the spotlight on us,” Moreno said.

While these big moments had an impact on the wrestler’s lives the team did as well and for Lemm this is something she’ll miss when she is attending Texas A&M next school year.

“My takeaway from being a wrestler at Bowie will really be how close I can be with people,” Lemm said. “The team spends so much time together during season that we’re all family and we all love each other.”

Everyone on the team is close from practices and tournaments spent together, but for Moreno and Lemm their bond goes back even further since they grew up training together.

“It’s tough seeing her go because we’ve always been on the same team since we were little and this is the end to what we started and the end of our careers together,” Moreno said.

The team and coaches were used to seeing Lemm at the wrestling events since she was little since her brothers were on the team and now that she’ll be leaving the year coming to an end is hard for them too.

“I haven’t known the wrestling room without Grace being there,” Lewis said. “She’s provided great leadership in the wrestling gym and her leadership, and quirkiness, will definitely be missed.”

“It’s tough seeing her go because we’ve always been on the same team since we were little and this is the end to what we started and the end of our careers together.”

- Christian Moreno

Throwing It Down: During their wrestling class period in off season seniors Grace Lemm and Christine Gautier have a leisure training while some of the other wrestlers play a game of kick ball. Lemm competed all season in the 119 pound weight group as well as during the state tournament in which she placed fifth. Photo by Mia Barbosa

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The Lone Star Dispatch

Reviews

Tue. April 4, 2017

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A tale as old as time re-imagined Shelby Papst Staff Writer

Beast nd the a y t u a Be don Bill Con Stevens n, Dan o s t a W Emma Art by Cianna Chairez

I thought going into the movie, I would get a story identical to the original, and for a while the movie seemed to do just that.

Towards the middle of the movie when Belle is wandering the castle some new elements came into play, such as new songs and comedic scenes between her and the Beast.

I’m so glad as it added depth to some previous scenes in the classic I thought little on as a kid and made me realize there was something there that wasn’t there before.

Something I found very unlike the Disney classic was the darker themes.

No one’s quick like Gaston, or as brave as Gaston, and especially not darker.

His fanatic love of war and torture methods raised a few eyebrows in the theatre as a new scene is added in which Gaston ties Maurice to a tree to be eaten by wolves when he refuses to give Gaston his blessing for marrying Belle.

However, the dark elements did not take away from the mystical feel of the story. With all the iconic movie scenes, the overall feel remained the same as the classic: magical.

I’m not a person prone to crying often, but when the iconic ballroom scene played I found myself in tears.

Magical was the only way I could describe it. As soon as the golden dress appeared on screen I was sure I was in love with this

Art by Callie Richards

A tale as old as time comes back to the big screen in Bill Condon’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

The story is still true as it can be with all the same characters and songs from the classic movie plus some new features that create a whole new layer to the Disney world.

Follow the beauty Belle (Emma Watson) once again as she saves her father Maurice (Kevin Klein) from the hideous Beast (Dan Stevens) and finds an unlikely love in a castle cursing all those in it.

Belle is no longer a damsel though, she’s now an empowering village girl who isn’t afraid to tell the arrogant Gaston (Luke Evans) ‘No!’ and risk her freedom for what she loves.

I found Belle so much more likable than the original. Her charisma, intelligence, and fearlessness made her a heroine that partnered so well with the fearful and hopeless Beast, along with making their

love all the more endearing.

Right from the start, the movie made me their guest as I sat back and marveled at the new rendition to a story I loved.

Each song was revamped and made it a struggle not to jump up and sing along to the classics I heard as a kid and sit dumbly at the new numbers that were never second best.

One number in particular that stood out the most was the new ‘Be Our Guest.’

Lumière (Ewan McGregor) is my favorite character in “Beauty and the Beast” and his portrayal of the song gave me such a sense of nostalgia at the familiar plates and spoons dancing, I felt like I was seeing it for the first time since I watched the cartoon on VHS. A selfish prince in his castle is cursed by a witch and turned to a beast, Belle wants more in her village, Maurice tries to get her a rose and is captured, Belle takes her father’s place and slowly falls for the beast.

movie.

There is one particular instance which occurs when the Beast grasps Belle around the waist and lifts her into a spin. The spin continues round and round the ballroom and the tears welled almost instantly in my eyes.

The dress, the golden chandelier above, the Beauty and the Beast song

blasting; the whole effect of it all was honestly and truly one of the most magical scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie.

For a huge Disney fan, this movie went above and beyond my standards. I went in with some expectations and left with any expectations I had shattered like the Beast’s spell. The music and scenery brought

this old story to life more than I thought possible.

I give this movie five out of five stars.

I’m usually very skeptical on movies, but this one I could not be more sure of. Remaking a classic is hard to live up to, especially Disney, but “Beauty and the Beast” truly is a tale as old as time, but never loved more.

Powering Through Theaters ‘A Cure for Wellness’ thrills Shelby Kelly Staff Writer

Art by Dispatch

It’s morphin’ time. A superhero reboot of the childhood classic “The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” came out March 26, telling the story of adventurous teens learning to use their infused superpowers and save the world.

Don’t go into this movArt by Callie Richards ie expecting high-quality writing, effects or acting.

Directed by Dean Israelite, were a team of misfits, not all of them this movie was never meant to be an exseemed to have a great reason to go from ample of film making excellence and does zero to hero. not compete with the blockbuster action The action was decent. The high budof superhero competitors. get was somewhat evident, and the cenIt focuses on the drama of relatable tral theme of unity is expressed which is a teen issues good central combined Power Rangers message. @ThePowerRangers with superT h e natural ficIt’s time! The #PowerRangersMovie forced plot tion. These is filled with is NOW PLAYING! Who’s seeing it misfit teens many holes. today? ended up in It seems like detention the writer and were John Gatins united because they were outsiders. tried to build the characters’ story up to I was interested to see what they could forgive or even celebrate the ridiculousdo with the misfit idea because of films ness of everything else and distract from like the “The Breakfast Club.” However, the haphazard plotting, connect-the-dot I was disappointed to see that each charcharacterizations, the interesting camera acter was very stereotypical and never work and the over-edited film making had too much development, leading it all Overall I would give this movie a two to feel very forced knowing they could’ve out of five stars because of the forced plot, done much more. weak character development, and plot The team consists of the red ranger Jaholes. Although the computer generated son Scott (Darce Montgomery), the pink imagery (CGI) was not bad and it was a ranger Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), the ‘Power Rangers’ product, this stereotypyellow ranger Trini Kwan (Becky G), and ical movie had more potential than what the black ranger Zach Taylor (Ludi Lin). was seen.

Although we got a peek into why they

Yana Krykunenko Staff Writer

A business trip that was only supposed to last a day ends up being a much longer stay with unexpected turns.

A Cure for Wellness, directed by Gore Vebrinski (The Ring), was a roller coaster of plot twists and confusion. There was a universal message of mental health behind the story line, but it didn’t stay consistent throughout the whole plot.

The movie starts out with imagery of a large gray city, showing luxuries that don’t have life to them. It sets the mood for the movie and gives the viewer an idea of what to expect.

The main character is a young and ambitious company executive, Lockhart (Dane DeHaan). He is sent to a wellness center in the Swiss Alps to bring back the company CEO Roland Pembroke (Harry Groener) who is a patient at the center.

As Lockhart arrives at the eerie wellness center, there are polished people in white robes playing games of croquet and eating brunch. It’s a disturbing utopia.

All the patients are successful, powerful, and old, yet because they have dedicated their entire life and energy towards

their successes, they have ignored their health and mental state of mind.

The film shows that in this generation, people overwork and are striving for social hierarchy, putting aside their well being.

As the film moves along and more characters are introduced, it’s apparent that the movie is going in a different direction than what the viewers originally thought.

When Lockhart meets Hannah the “special case” (Mia Goth) and Headmaster Volmer (Jason Isaacs), there are new secrets uncovered about the treatment facility.

Volmer and Hanner are searching for “the “cure” — not for the patients, but for themselves, and the patients are being used to produce the cure.

The treatment of hydrotherapy that’s introduced at the beginning is the ide-

al symbol of purity, water.

It is then ironic that the water is what is causing the sickness to the patients.

The poisoned water is a symbol of perceiving wrongful actions as pure.

These successful CEOs and business leaders once had the power to do more harm than good.

There will be a strange feeling left when walking away, and even some unresolved confusion.

It’s not a bad movie, but at the same time it is not a masterpiece.

Movies are supposed to make the viewer feel something. This film induces emotions, even if the majority of those emotions are uncomfortable.

No matter what genre appeals to the viewer, “A Cure for Wellness” is going to reel them in. In the most grotesque way possible, it’ll make them want more.

A CURE FOR WELLNESS

Art by Callie Richards

‘Power Rangers’ hits the big screens

E ntertainment

Theatre springs into action The Lone Star Dispatch

Shelby Papst Staff Writer

This year theatre is putting on three shows for spring, a show about the trials of life, a war-time tragedy, and a dark comedy about the complications of relationships, two directed by teachers and the third produced by a guest director.

Journey Directed by teacher Hannah Huerta, “Journey” emphasizes the adventure that is life. Along the way there are multiple paths to take, but in the end it all leads up to one long and winding adventure. Love, sadness, anger, betrayal, hurt. The journey life takes us on is different for each individual.

The story follows one girl’s journey through the expanse of her life through bunraku puppets instead of traditional actors.

“People will like our show because it’s new and different from what you typically see in the Starlight Theatre Company, as it’s focused more on movements and the way you can convey a story without words,” sophomore Lauren Collins said.

“It’s an abstract show, so you need to pay attention, but I think everyone who sees it will really enjoy the spectacle and message.”

The show involves the actors moving the puppets in unison to portray actions, and the moving of the girl’s story through time.

“What makes my show special is that it’s a series a new technology that progressively gets more advanced,” sophomore Joe Morales said.

Huerta created the show herself and has had the great opportunity to portray the show she’s been wanting to bring to life for a long time.

Tue. April 4, 2017

“Our show is special because it’s never been done before. It started out as my original idea and we’ve collaborated as a cast and crew to bring it to life,” director Hannah Huerta said. “Everyday something new and interesting happens in rehearsal, the story expands and that’s all due to the hard work from the students.”

Through the movements of the actors, the technicians, and everything all orchestrated by Huerta, the show is able to bring the story of one girl and Huerta’s ideas to the stage and the audience.

“The overall message of our show is that life is a journey,” Collins said.

“Journey is about how each human life is unique and difficult, but through hardships and your journey you can live a fulfilling life. The show is very poignant but uplifting as it really evokes a lot of feelings in those who watch it.”

Front This year’s UIL show “Front” directed by the numerous Bowie theatre teachers delivers the tragedies of World War II from

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war into new light. The story follows three families who are dragged into the war in different ways, each connected to each other in a horrid series of events.

“I think this show is special because it is based around a historical event.

That makes each character’s journey resonate more with the audience,” director Kalyn Holloway said.

“Even though this event happened before I was born, I think of other similar events that have taken place since I have been alive and it makes this story and characters so real.”

The show focuses on everyday life during war and how it is literally destroyed around the families with set breaking and flying apart through the show.

“My favorite part of the show is the first bombing scene. The cast is on stage singing an old English hymn, as a bombing raid starts. It is a very abrupt change,” sophomore Matthew Bosnyak said. “And the bombing sounds are so loud and so shocking that it makes the audience feel as though they are in the actual bombing.”

“Front” is a tragedy focused on a real event with an emotional story to bring the audience to the event and make the historical travesty all the more real.

“I think the overall message of the show is hope,” Holloway said. “Even though war brings heartache and struggle, they can persevere and make it through the hardest of times, looking forward to the days of happiness ahead.”

Wonders of the World

“You’ll find yourselves rooting for the characters, hoping they all get what they want,” - Courtney Hall

the perspectives of multiple unfortunate souls. Explosions quake the earth, the whistle of bombs sing through the air, the screams and cries of all the people wrapped up in the madness; the ever-present sounds of war. “‘Front’ is really special because it offers a wide variety of characters, and how they respond to traumatic events, creating a dramatic and beautiful play,” junior Avery Helder said.

The actors portray numerous roles throughout the play, bringing each character’s experience with

“Wonders of the World,” directed by guest director Courtney Hall, is a dark comedy where a protagonist finds out something new about those around her, leading her to question

Look into her eyes: Junior Maddy Sparkes and senior Chloe Byars hold onto each other as they practice a scene from their UIL competition play Front. The Starlight Theatre Company has advanced three times at UIL this year. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

if her life is really the life she wants for herself and if she should keep going with the one she has.

Who are you? Who are the people around you? Do you really know them? By finding out something new, could that change your relationship forever? In the end, do you really have anyone?

“I think people will like my show because it’s comedic and plays to teenage humor,” sophomore Rebekah Peel said. “It also conveys dark themes through the humor, bringing attention to issues such as depression, alcoholism, and relationship problems, in a way people will laugh about.”

The show has a variety

of characters with explosive personalities that audiences can laugh about, along with moments of breaking the fourth wall that mesh with the dark themes and secrets behind the characters.

“My favorite parts of the show are whenever we are all practically shouting wars with each other,” senior Shane Scandurra said.

“We also all love doing the huge fourth wall breaks throughout the show. It is so much fun to do and watch.”

The show is riddled with explicit humor teens can relate to and find amusing, but not enough to distract from the more serious topics relating to the character’s back stories and the

struggles they face.

“My show is special because of how invested you become in each character’s life,” director Courtney Hall said. “You’ll find yourselves rooting for the characters, hoping they all get what they want.”

“Wonders of the World” is a play filled with fun elements to invest the audience and leave them curious and hoping the characters’ lives and relationships with each other will turn out for the best.

“People will like it because it is an incredibly funny play with a lot of heart and a whole ton of fun,” Scandurra said. “The message of the show is that no matter where you go, someone will be there.”

The show features a combination of freshman and sophomore students.

“I auditioned because I wanted to be a part of a show so that I could grow as an actress,” freshman Anika Scoma said.

Every year Bowie puts on a monologue project to involve the underclassmen, especially the freshman.

This year the Starlight Theatre Company is trying something different.

“This experience will help the actors grow because of the realism of the show,” Moyer said. “It will help actors totally portray another character and fully develop a real life character, a chance the underclassmen might have not gotten before.”

Directing the Laramie Project will give juniors a chance to audition for senior directing.

“I would love to be a senior director because ever since joining theatre

at Bowie, I want to share everything that I love about acting with as many people as I can,” Robinett said. “There are so many beautiful literary and dramatic works that I desperately want to put on stage because I believe that their story deserves to be told.”

For many of the junior directors, theatre is something that they want to pursue as a career and directing is the first step to accomplishing that.

“My dream would be to be on a production team for a major production or to become a professor of theatre, because no words can describe the joy I receive when I’m able to share my insight with fellow artists and see it developed into something of a phenomenon,” Robinett said.

“That’s truly what it is: the preservation and presentation of a culture. I look forward to seeing where my senior year takes me.”

Juniors guide students to perform under the spotlight Kiran Patel Entertainment Editor

For the first time, blazing hot lights shine on the underclassmen. They step out from behind the curtains and stare at a sea of smiling faces. The pressure is on to tell the tragic and life changing story of Matthew Sheppard.

The play tells the story of the hate crimes committed against Matthew Shepard, in Laramie, Wyoming, through a series of interviews conducted by members of the Tectonic Theatre Project. The show is being directed by juniors auditioning to become senior directors the following school year.

“What’s unique about the show is detail of the hate crime. The show gives a insightful depiction of the hate issues that are still prevalent today,” junior director Blake Moyer said.

The junior directors are

Holding back tears: With solemn faces freshman James Heckler and sophomore Morgan Sanders gaze into the crowd. The students have been preparing for weeks to develop their characters and stay true to the real events. Photo by Fuaad Ajaz

faced with the task directing true event.

“Sometimes, we forget that all of the people and scenarios included in this show actually existed, which just adds to the gravity of it,” junior director Emily Robinett said. “We

are trying to portray such an earth shattering event so my primary goal is to simply do it justice. We cannot make the situation graver than it is, so it’s our job to share it to its full extent.”

Each of the junior directors have been assigned

specific actors to guide.

“I’ve been working with Gillian Griffis, who is an actress who very much focuses on vocal variety, which I love because I think that it adds a whole new level of depth to her characters,” Robinett said.

E ntertainment

The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

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Students tackle college auditions Victoria Newell

Entertainment Editor A young Chloe Byars lingers behind a group of students, all of them taking their bows in front, while the audience stands and cheers for them, in January of 2015.

She takes a deep breath and walks out into the roar of the audience, side by side with Maddy Sparks and Paige Bradbury, all playing the lead, Evita. Family, friends, and strangers all cheer for her performance.

It was in that moment that she knew she wanted to act for the rest of her life.

A group of five seniors, Byars, Jackson Walker, Shane Scandurra, Hunter Fransisco, and Elizabeth Delgado-Savage all came to a similar conclusion during their time in Bowie’s theater company. All of them decided to pursue an acting major in college.

“Being 15, I mean I was literally 15, and seeing everybody in the audience just clapping for something I was a part of was like, ‘yeah this feels good.

I want to do this forever’,” Byars said.

However, the accep-

tance process for potential theater and musical theater majors is very different than a typical college application. “[College auditions are] still the worst thing that’s ever happened to me,” Delgado-Savage said. “It’s stressful, but when you’re actually auditioning; it’s still stressful but kind of fun, but still terrifying... it was fun, but definitely not for the weak of heart. It’s a lot of working, and the worst part, I guess, is waiting to hear back.”

To be a theater or musical theater major, students have to audition for the school’s program as well as get academically accepted into the university.

Students have to prepare monologues and music for their auditions, and every school’s requirements are different.

“It is a grueling process to get prepared for the audition beyond what anyone can ever imagine, especially for college auditions,” Elizabeth’s mother Veronica Delgado-Savage said.

“She has to get all her music and songs, monologues, and dance audition pieces selected to best match up with her as a person, skill

Hello Chicago!: Senior Elizabeth Delgado-Savage poses in front of the Bean in Chicago. She was there for Unifieds auditions. Photo provided by Elizabeth Delgado-Savage

Taking A Break: From left to right, seniors Jackson Walker, Hunter Fransisco, and Chloe Byars take a break at Rainforest Cafe. They were in Galveston for Texas Educational Theatre Association College Auditions. Photo provided

by Chloe Byars

set, and what colleges are looking for, and then cut the pieces down to meet the time requirements for each college.”

Sometimes students travel to the school’s campus for auditions, other times they have huge national conventions with dozens of schools represented.

One of the conventions Bowie students went to was Unifieds in Chicago.

Bowie students often travel together for college auditions.

“It’s nice to talk to someone who’s going through the same exact stress as you, because for me and Jackson, every audition that we’ve had, he’s basically been there,” Byars said. “Having someone from the same town, the same environment that you’re from, and having that person with you there is really nice because you can just bond over all the stress, and the craziness that happens.”

Many students are encouraged daily by their

family to pursue this career.

“I think I would have to say that my mom is my biggest encourager because without her support I would not even have been able to attempt to make my dreams come true,” Walker said.

Most students say that parents are usually the largest supporters of their theater dreams.

“Jackson wouldn’t be where he is today without the encouragement and support from so many directors, coaches, teachers and friends,” Jackson’s mother Patti-Lynn Walker said.

The audition process can be very difficult for students.

“Honestly, Jackson Walker has to be my biggest cheerleader ever... because throughout all of our audition process we’re always texting each other or snap-chatting each other like, ‘good job, good luck’,” Francisco said. “If either of us gets down, we’ll have our little pep

talks with each other, and it’s so nice having someone you’re so close to being so supportive of you.”

Going through the same experience, in such a small group of people, has bonded these theater students.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that this process has been one of the most stressful and overwhelming times of my life,” Jackson said. “We have had to create a family because without each other’s support I think we would have all gone insane by now.”

Over the course of just a few years, these students have made a life-changing decision to go into this competitive field, many of whom had no idea they would embark upon until recent years.

“My freshman year, I had never truly allowed myself to sing in front of people that weren’t my family,” Jackson said. “I didn’t really think that I could sing very well and had no idea how to dance either. So at the time I had

absolutely no idea I would be pursuing a degree in musical theatre.”

For some, the realization for their passion for theater came as a happy mistake.

“I was supposed to be doing Tech Theater II, but I accidentally got put into a Theater II class,” Francisco said. “It was the biggest shell shock I had ever experienced, I freaked out, and I had no idea what anything was, I had no idea what a monologue was. But yeah, the reason I got into theater was actually an accident.”

Despite the challenges, stress, and the uncertainties of pursuing a future in theater, students press through it all to embark on a career path they have true passion for.

“If I don’t go for it, then I know I’ll regret it later, and it’s something that I really love to do,” Byars said. “I would rather do something that I love and possibly fail, rather than do something that I don’t like and be miserable for the rest of my life.”

Kong: Skull Island, cash grab or quality monster movie?

Jake Brien Staff Writer

At first glance, Kong: Skull Island is a mediocre crash grab for Warner Brothers. But in actuality, it’s more than that - sort of. Never before have I gone into a theater and come out thinking, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

While that may not be saying much, the film itself has some decent action, okay character development, and a script that passes with a mid-stopping thumbs up.

The action sequences in Kong: Skull Island are all started by a jump scare. I’m not kidding. I jumped in my seat until it stopped surprising me and I could tell when it was coming in those three seconds of utter silence. Once the ‘scare’ happens, the film quickly shows its similarities with Toho’s legendary Godzilla franchise.

The action is fast-paced, thematic, and well done. It’s the one thing the film has going for it, and for that, I commend it.

It is, after all, a monster movie. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. decided to plan the action sequences first and think about the plot later, meaning the script suffers badly.

Another thing that seemed apparent

Kong: Skull Island were the moments when things would “jump out of the screen” during an action sequence. Kong: Skull Island felt like it was trying to be a 3D cash grab.

Kong’s script is awful, it’s the worst part of the movie. For probably the first 45 minutes or so, I had no idea who anyone was until it was restated multiple times by the characters.

The truth is that this movie should have been a book. The many characters don’t have very much time to be given development (except for one guy but I’ll get to

Art by Gavin Farner

him later), so the majority are just killed off by monsters.

Fortunately, once the film hit the hour and a half minute mark, I found myself liking it more and more. The characters began to take shape, and there was depth to what they were doing. The objective of this plot is simple: escape the island.

That’s it.

This isn’t Citizen Kane or anything, nor should it be, I came to see giant monsters punch each other. However, the good thing is that unlike the 2014 Godzilla re-

boot movie, the plot tied the characters to the monsters, so there was death. It wasn’t too much monster focus or too much human focus; it hit somewhere in between.

The best part of this movie was one man: John C. Reilly’s character as a forgotten World War II veteran that crash landed on the island. He is hands down the only thing that kept me going when all else (cinematography, acting, etc.) went south.

Reilly is probably the only character in this film that has some decent development. Unlike Samuel L. Jackson who played Samuel L. Jackson.

As a whole, Kong: Skull Island is not a very great movie, it was sub-par. The cinematography was that of a 3D movie that tried to be 2D at the same time, the character development and script was awful, and the action sequences - were decent.

Please, if you’re the kind of person that goes to see a movie only every few months or so, then don’t go and see this, there’s so many better options. However, if you’re a fan of those old Godzilla movies, or monster films, you might get a kick out of this.

Kong: Skull Island is a cash grab… with a bit of care put into it.

Features

The Lone Star Dispatch

Tues. April 4, 2017

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Senior captain rises to the top Mikayla Zellner Staff Writer Every club has that one person who inspires others.

In Speech and Debate, that person is Caleb Newton.

The senior debate captain has been a three-year state qualifier for the Texas Forensic Association, twoyear state qualifier for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Speech & Debate, has twice advanced to the Tournament of Champions, and has been ranked 11th in the Nation.

He may be exceptional at debate now, but this wasn’t always the case.

“When he was first in my Debate 1 class, I did not think he would amount to anything. I didn’t think he would even take Debate 2, nor did I really want him in Debate 2, because all he did was sit in the back and talk,” debate coach Bryan Alford said.

Newton expected the debate class to be much different than it was, so he was planning on dropping the class.

“I joined debate because I literally thought it was going to be like a mock trial-lawyer type thing, and I was sorely mistaken,” Newton said. “Throughout my entire first year in debate I was like ‘this is not mock trial, I do not like this’ then I learned what congress was and they said

Practice makes Perfect: Caleb Newton practices his debate speech until it’s perfect. He plans on attending the University of Texas in the fall semester.

Photo by Gigi Francis

I was very good at it, so I stayed in debate and here I am.”

As defined by UIL, Congressional Debate is an individual contest within a large group modeling the legislative process of the United States Congress. In the UIL competition, contestants draft legislation and research a list of cases for bills and resolutions dealing with real world political and social rules.

“This form of debate models our government, and its really interesting to me,” Newton said. “We get to debate a lot of topics that actually matter and that are being passed through our U.S. Congress right now.

It’s just cool and relative to recent politics.”

Newton’s first few competitions freshman year were a little rough. But with the encouragement of former senior debate captain Ethan Roberts, Newton learned many debating techniques, and has since become one of the best debaters in the state.

“It’s definitely a manner of keeping up to date on practicing all the time, which makes it difficult but the competitions themselves, as long as I put in the work beforehand, are easy,” Newton said.

Many students on the debate team respect him because he works very hard with his classmates, but he also knows when to cut loose and have fun using Russian, which he learned from a few of his Russian friends.

“It’s kind of fun whenever he’s screaming in Russian or whenever he makes us pray in Russian,” sophomore Alexus Harris said. “I think that whenever that happens it just brings a whole new level of energy to the debate competitions.”

Newton helps the underclassman with the policy research, writing cases and structuring arguments to help them persuade the judges effectively.

“He’s always helping us and he’s always trying to make us better,” sophomore Lauren Warhola said.

Key to Success: Senior captain Caleb Newton shares in his tips and tricks into achieving success at tournaments in his speech and debate teacher’s room, Brian Alford’s, this past week. He has practiced religiously earning him the rank of 11th in the nation. Photo by Gigi Francis

“Like I need to work on my speaking sometimes and he helped me find techniques and ways to practice to become better.”

In addition to serving as the debate captain, Newton is also president of the Red Cross Club and president of the Junior Statesmen, while also working a part time job at Sonic.

“If I get home from work at like midnight, I either sleep or I’m like, ‘This seems like a good time to practice a debate speech,’” Newton said. “Every single weekend since my first week of sophomore year I have gone to a debate tournament, so my life is consumed by it. I don’t have a weekend life really.”

Even though Newton can be tough on the debaters at times, they know that he has their best interests at heart and that he’s trying to improve their skills so they can collect more state points for themselves and bring home more trophies for the school.

“I would say Caleb Newton is a good captain because he works really hard in debate and he gives us someone to look up to,” Warhola said. “Whenever we look at his speeches we know what we need to fix, and whenever we’re around him he’s always helping us.”

Debaters need to win 12 State points determine if a person qualifies for State and later on, Nationals.

Newton has 86, setting the record for the most in the state and most state points won at one event.

“His first couple of tournaments he did alright, but he’s qualified for state every year that he’s been competing so that’s pretty good,” Alford said.

For the congressional debate, winning students receive gavels, instead of trophies.

“Someone could build a desk with all of the gavels that he has,” Alford said.

As the debate captain, Newton has a lot of respon-

sibilities, whether he’s just helping students improve on their cases or getting the debaters back on track, he always seems to find a way to do it while keeping their spirits up.

“I’m a teacher’s assistant in a Debate 1 class, so I can teach them all the events and help Alford out in case he’s gone for a tournament or something,” Newton said. “I have to be the leader, and make sure everyone’s morale is up and just make sure everything is going as planned and everyone is behaving correcting and making sure everyone’s succeeding.”

In addition to his logistical duties as the senior debate captain, Newton has boosted the morale of his fellow debaters whenever they were having a bad time at competitions or stressing about whether or not they could go to tournaments due to budget cuts.

“He’s really useful especially in this stressful

year with all of our budget cuts, he’s been a really strong leader to the group,” sophomore Maggie Bisone said. “At tournaments, he’s always there for us if we had a bad win or we need encouragement.”

Being in debate has taught Newton so many valuable things and shaped him into the driven, strong willed person he is today. “[Debate has] taught me to be a better citizen, because now I’m much more involved in politics and I care about people,” Newton said.

He will be attending the University of Texas and double majoring in government and international relations, a decision Alford supports.

“I definitely see him doing something on the legal side or something involving talking, because God knows he’s good at it — whether it’s debate or just talking when he’s not supposed to be talking,” Alford said.

Twins balance school, extracurriculars and themselves Soccer

Basketball

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feeling stressed daily and that on average one-third of study time is spent feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed. Stress upon students can also affect the parents because they feel responsible to help their children cope.

“They don’t have a lot of responsibilities at home.

They don’t have chores to do. I just try not to add extra responsibilities for them to do,” Taylor and Brooke’s mother Janine Folliard said. “So, their focus is on school work and doing well in school.

The American psychological association says that twenty-percent of high school students could be diagnosed with clinical depression, and although there are many factors playing into this, school stress seems to always be

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be in top ten percent and hopefully be able to go to my college of choice,” Brooke said.

Although sports can seem like a big time commitment and a lot of dedication, playing sports and growing close to their teammates have also helped them through the stress of school.

“We all know the struggle of having a ton of homework and still having practices and games so we all just help each other,” Taylor said. “I think I’m probably face timing a teammate of mine every night to either help them or have them help me.

According to the American psychological association stress is taking over high schools all across the world, for over fifty-percent of students report

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Almost every student in high school recognizes with the struggle of having to balance extracurricular activities with high level classes and the maintaining of good grades.

And wouldn’t it be ideal if everyone had a sidekick to help you get through that impossible math homework or English essay over a book you didn’t read? For Brooke and Taylor Folliard that fantasy is a reality.

Sophomores Brooke and Taylor are twins and both participate in multiple sports and weighted classes. As twins, they are able to help each other through the stress of school and support each other on the sidelines as well.

“It’s super helpful be-

cause even after late night games/practices when we are both super tired we both just have to push each other,” Taylor said. “And we’re like okay we can get this work done together if we both just focus so it helps to have an encouraging sister,” Taylor Folliard said.

The constant pressure to excel in school and outside activities sounds like enough, but as high school students getting into a good college is added onto the already full plate. Even though as sophomores college is fairly far away, the twins are already preparing for their futures.

“I stay motivated in school because I’m always determined to set up a good future for myself so I know that if I do good in school and get good grades, I can

Art by Jake Brien

Austyn Keelty Staff Writer

AP classes

one of the top components.

Sometimes that weight falls onto the teacher.

“I definitely think that teachers need to take into consideration the amount of AP/Pre-AP classes that the students take as well as all the extra curricular activities that students do,” Brooke said. “I think most classes give out too much work and should at least cut down on the homework

a little bit.”

Through the pressure of everything the twins will always have each other to fall back on and can always rely on each other to support them through the rough high school experience.

“Juggling everything can be very stressful. But I always try to stay positive and never give up,” Brooke said.

The Lone Star Dispatch

Features

Tue. April 4, 2017

Page B7

DJ spins his record right round Sophomore Derek Patel turns Christmas present into a successful job Austyn Keelty Staff Writer

Art by Gavin Farner

Commonly rappers and singers will take all the spotlight for songs and albums they produce, but what about those people behind the making of the song? The catchy beats and head-throbbing bass that people can’t get enough of can be credited to DJs. On the side, Derek Patel took up DJ’ing, and it’s all thanks to a Christmas gift he received two years ago and all the support he receives from the people surrounding him.

“Two years back Christmas morning, my parents gave me a toy DJ board and I decided that this was actually pretty cool and then I decided to get more serious last summer,” Patel said.

However, Derek was not alone on this journey, as his brother Vinay Patel also took up DJ’ing. Vinay being the older brother, took on the responsibility of learning the basics, setting up their company, and teaching Derek everything he had learned about DJ’ing.

“My brother influences me the most because he DJs with me, and we basically do everything together,” Derek said.

Although DJ’ing is not a full-time job because of school and other priorities, Vinay and Derek earn enough money to pay for all their own equipment and keep the extra money for themselves.

“At first it was a hard process trying to even get the company started,” Derek said.

After receiving his gift, it was all Derek’s responsibility from there on.

“My parents just got me the first board and after that we got a job and we just started paying for our own

stuff.”

As Derek got the basics down, he began to expand his talents by creating his own unique remixes and teaching himself exclusive tricks that expanded Vinay’s expertise as well.

“It’s incredible with him having so much practice and overtime of him learning new things,” Vinay said. “He teaches me new things everyday, so his progress has been really amazing and he is one of the good DJs now.”

Vinay and Derek are always helping and teaching each other new things.

However, sometimes the competition can get intense between them, affecting their relationship not only as co-workers, but as brothers too.

“It affects us because we always love pushing each other to a new level,” Vinay said. “We always compete with each other when it comes to the type of DJ gigs we get and also who is better at DJ’ing.”

One of the most important things when it comes to growing into a young adult is the approval and support from parents. Derek receives endless support from his mother Tina Patel, for she hopes he takes his talent and turns it into a future career.

“I’m really proud of him because this is one thing I didn’t have to force him into,” Tina said.

Because of the passion he holds for his talent, Tina believes her son will go far with DJ’ing.

“He could take it as a career if he wanted to because he is so driven by it and so into it that I would let him. I feel blessed to have a child that loves what he does.”

Being a full-time DJ is not an easy lifestyle.

According to Digital DJ

Source: www.promobiledj.com

tips, on average a starting full-time DJ makes about $25,000 a year all depending on how many gigs one will perform. Many DJs practice this career as a side job because it is so difficult to take on DJ’ing as a full-time career.

what it takes.

“The potential for Derek is endless,” Vinay said.

“I really do believe because he puts in constant work every weekend he is doing something that involves music for the future.

I think he can really help

“He could take it as a career if he wanted to because he is so driven by it and so into it. I feel blessed to have a child that loves what he does.”

- Tina Patel

Austin offers many opportunities for rising musicians. However, just like rappers, singers, and producers, it’s rare to go big and sometimes it can all be thanks to luck. The brothers believe with their combined talents they have

me expand our company beyond Texas and out into other states.”

It is extremely difficult to make it as a full-time DJ and although the potential is there, Derek sees a future that involves careers other than DJ’ing as well.

“Well I definitely want to continue expanding our company, but I don’t want to do this as a living,” Derek said. “I plan on having a primary job and then having my DJ’ing be a side job or a secondary job.”

Not only do DJs create their own music and remixes, but they also collaborate with rappers and singers. Derek collaborated with Lil $cotty, a fellow Bowie high school student who produces his own raps, performs at parties and collabs with other rappers, last year to produce their own mash-up, reaching just over 24,000 views.

“Derek can become a DJ for future upcoming artists, he really possesses those talents,” Vinay said.

Continuing to push each other and expanding their talents and skills, Vinay and Derek are booking more and more gigs and expanding their company to new artists. Recently,

Derek and Vinay performed for two local Austin rappers, Young Water$ and Tw1$t.

“I love having people hyped in the crowd and just playing songs that are popular at the time,” Derek said.

For Derek, it is the vibe he gets from the crowd that really makes DJ’ing live worthwhile.

“It’s actually pretty dope because you get to experience other people and you get different types of crowds when you go perform with other people,” Derek said.

Many people support Derek in DJ’ing, and through the dedication of Vinay and Derek, their company continues to expand.

“Derek is so driven and compassionate about DJ’ing,” Vinay said. “He is a very quick learner, he will progress very well and do something big.”

Traveling down to the country of kangaroos for college For each high school student it seems like an impossible thought of the day where one has to pack up their belongings and start their new life in college.

With a blink of an eye it’s time to toss up the high school graduation cap and say goodbye to friends and families.

From hopping from one continent to the other, the hugs and goodbyes will be a little more emotional for senior Keila Galan than for most students. Galan will be flying across the globe

to attend Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney, Australia to pursue her dream of music.

“The moment I realized I wanted to go to Australia was sophomore year, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to God and pursue my calling for music,” Galan said. “Bringing music and Jesus to the world, helping in missionary’s and just being an impact on the world in a positive way. The move is big, but it isn’t something that I can’t handle.”

Galan being involved in youth worship bands at a young age is what intro-

ABROAD IN AUSTRALIA

Source: www.studyinaustralia.gov.au

Art by Abby Ong

- 3rd highest number of international students in the world - Over $200 million international scholarships awarded each year - Ranked 8th in the Universitas 2012 - Australia has produced 15 Noble prize laureates

duced her to the love and she had for music, which then carried into a passion that she had to pursue.

“My whole life I’ve grown up in the church,“ Galan said. “I started to play my guitar when I was eight years old and I’ve played in the youth worships all my life. It’s what I know best and what makes me happy.”

The move from one continent to another is not just a dramatic change for Galan, but just as big it is for her, it’s a change for her parents as well.

“When she had mentioned to me she had been thinking about Hillsong leadership college I thought it was temporary and it wasn’t too serious,“ Keila’s father Jonathan Galan said. “Here she is today, 100% going through with it and I support her 100%, along with my wife. She has made us very proud and I know she will do great in all her plans and dreams.”

Music has been in Keila’s life since she was a little girl, it has been inspir-

ing her and impacting her ever since.

“I feel like music has not only given Keila something to do, but it has given her an outlet to everything happening in her life,” senior Briana Gonzales said.

“She always talks about music with such a passion that at first I was surprised because she’s so silly that I’ve never seen her focus so much.”

Keila’s church is the largest inspiration for her deciding to move to Australia.

“I could tell she had an eye out for the worship area of the church, she started playing in a kids church band at eight years old,” Jonathan said. “I think that impacted her a lot. I could say having all these experiences made her stronger to judgment and being more experienced helped her grow musically and spiritually growing closer to God.” Keila would not be able to make this move without the gracious support that she has been receiving.

“People’s reactions to-

Art by Ashley Ramirez

Carissa Duran Feature Editor

wards my decision was both shock and super happy,” Keila said. “My family has been beyond supportive. It’s been hard that I’m gonna be leaving for four years, but they know it’s for a good cause and something I have always wanted. My friends are also very supportive. I couldn’t ask for better people in my life.”

The drastic change of this move is worth it for Keila because she will be pursuing her dream.

“I grew up in Austin, it’s my home,” Keila said.

“The only thing that will make me sustain all of it and the new changes coming my way is doing what I love to do, it’s all worth it in the end. ”

Photo Essay The Lone Star Dispatch

Tue. April 4, 2017

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Helping care for homeless pets

Petting the cats: Junior Luisa Quinchia sits next to an adoptable kitten. To adopt a cat, potential parents have to fill out an APA application in person. “I’ve never adopted an animal from APA because I already have two dogs of my own, but I love getting to take care of the pets,” Quinchia said. Photo by Cara Andres

Junior Luisa Quinchia lends a helping hand to non-profit Austin Pets Alive Cara Andres Photo Editor Throughout the month of March, Junior Luisa Quinchia has contributed her assistance to Austin Pets Alive (APA), a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing care for pets.

“I decided that APA would be something I definitely wanted to put my time towards,” Quinchia said. “I’ve always loved animals and it makes me happy to know that I can help out.”

APA’s mission is to advocate resources, programs, and education needed to abolish the killing of animals. Since 2008, they have rescued more than 25,000 dogs and cats.

They cater to animals with ringworm, parvovirus, and those with additional behavioral or medical condi-

tions.

“It makes me happy to volunteer for a place that actually gives animals a chance,” Quinchia said.

“I need volunteer hours for National Honors Society, so I figured that APA would be the best place to get them done.”

To become a volunteer, she had to submit an on-line application and complete the mandatory orientation. Once she completed, she received a free APA t-shirt and the privilege to help out.

“The application process goes by pretty quickly,” Quinchia said.

“However, since I’m not eighteen, my mom had to fill out an application too.

It cost around $50 in total.”

Although it was mandatory for her mom to become a volunteer herself, Quinchia usually visits the animal shelter with a friend

or on her own.

“I already have two dogs at home,” Paola Quinchia said. “It would be a hassle to leave them at home so that I could volunteer with my daughter.”

When Luisa visits APA, her tasks tend to vary. A few of her responsibilities include cleaning cat cages, washing dog toys and bowls, and cleaning kennels.

“I’ve volunteered with Luisa a few times,” junior Seraya Vasquez said. “An employee will usually tell us what we need to do.”

Overall, Luisa has enjoyed every visit at the animal shelter. The APA staff has been very friendly and welcoming to her.

“My favorite part about volunteering is knowing the fact that I’m putting time towards something that’s important to me,” Quinchia said. “I’ve had

Getting to work: Luisa Quinchia grabs two kennels as she heads over to a table. Quinchia’s volunteer work consists of cleaning kennels, toys, and syringes. “I usually ask an employee what they need help with and they’ll give me a task,” Quinchia said. Photo

by Cara Andres

Cleaning kennels: Using cleaning solution and paper towels, Luisa Quinchia cleans up the cat and dog kennels. It normally takes Quinchia 10 minutes, depending on how many she has to clean. “It’s a pretty simple job,” Quinchia said. Photo by Cara Andres

Prepping: Luisa Quinchia grabs paper towels and other supplies to clean kennels and toys. She usually gets supplies from the cat adoption building. “APA consists of several rooms,” Quinchia said. “There’s a room for laundry, a cat adoption center, and a front office where volunteers check in.” Photo by Cara Andres