The Dispatch, Vol. 34, Issue #6, 5/23/22

Students finish their pieces for VASE art competition where their creations are displayed

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Bowie's yearbook staff hands out the 34th edition of the Lone Star

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THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

THEATER CLASS GOES BACK TO THE 80S

PHOTO BY Austin Ikard

YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION DAY

PHOTO By Reagan Zuniga

PHOTO By Asher Hagen

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ART COMPETITION RECAP/WINNERS

Theater performs the musical Back to the 80s for Bowie families

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coming UP May 27 Last Day of School and start of summer June 3 Senior Graduation August 15 Start of the 22-23 School Year

Vol. 34, Issue 6 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX, 78749

Pride in Publishing

Education Austin rallies for a better future

AISD staff members join at the districts headquarters to protest and demand better pay Lucille Price News Editor

A sea of red swarmed the Austin Independent School District (AISD) headquarters at IH35 and Hwy 71, chanting and protesting the District’s board meeting.

On April 28, AISD staff rallied together to demand better wages and improved working conditions at the monthly board meeting. Organized

by Education Austin, attendees wore red to show unison and made posters with their demands displayed on them.

Bowie English teacher Bree Rolfe is a part of the member organizing committee for Education Austin and interviewed people at the rally to learn why they attended.

“I did the graphics and I’m on the messaging committee.

We worked as a committee to come up with the messaging and everything that we wanted, I also did the fliers and stuff for the rally,” Rolfe said. “We sat in the meeting, I didn’t speak but we supported our union members who were speaking.”

Education Austin’s “At What Cost?” campaign has five demands published to address the way the district is balancing the budget. They include a $6.50 per hour pay raise for all classified employees, keeping the six of eight schedule for all secondary, giving elementary teachers additional planning time they deserve, reinstate a substitute pay agreement at the elementary level, and to provide a $1,000 stipend to elementary teachers required to complete House Bill Three reading academies.

“We have classified staff in the district who are paid less than fast food workers, which is sick. And to keep the six out of eight schedule for all

secondary teachers and we got that demand and that's great,” Rolfe said. “So, in elementary schools, they have teachers covering for other teachers and they’re not getting paid for it, one of my union colleagues has been covering her co-teachers class for like a month, we just don’t have any subs.”

Principal Mark Robinson touched on the inspiration behind the “At What Cost?” campaign.

“The district did decide to schedule for next year teachers to teach six classes out of eight but that also meant that they would then need to offset those costs that they were potentially going to save in other ways,” Robinson said. “And so that generates a lot more conversation and I really think that's where Education Austin came in, and got very involved in the conversation.”

Rolfe’s involvement in Education Austin is very important to her as she works to help her community and prioritize her students.

“All we want are the people at the top to get feedback and input from students and staff before they make decisions and I don't know that that's always been happening,” Rolfe said.

“We would like to continue and open communication so that we can all work together.”

AISD Chief of Human Capital Leslie Stephens detailed the strategies the district is working on to help combat recapture.

“Our Board of Trustees is very active and is working with Raise Your Hand Texas to develop advocacy strategies,” Stephens said. “In addition, the district is making some specific requests of the legislature that are applicable to recapture, such as an early payment reduction- meaning if we pay our

DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS: Rally participants hold up signs saying "At What Cost?" to show their demands. The rally took place Thursday, April 18 beginning at 5 pm. PHOTO BY Lucille Price

bill earlier than the deadline, we get a discount and we are also looking at advocating an increase in per pupil expenditures across the state.”

The student to teacher ratio greatly affects the quality of learning occurring in classrooms.

“The balancing of classes occurs with the development of master schedules. Once all student choice sheets are in, they run documents called tallies, which show how many total students need what courses and then the courses are built in the system,” Stephens said.

“Once school starts, campuses should look at class loads and balance courses within the schedule.

Bowie specifically has chosen to keep each department staffed at a 29 to 1 ratio. This also means that classes with smaller sizes will be cut in order to correctly balance and absorb larger class sizes.

“And so what I have done with this principle through that process, and working with department chairs and administrators, is make sure that if that those decisions are being made by departments, so that there's not a lower class size, for example, in CTE or fine arts, which translates to larger class sizes in English or social studies,” Robinson said.

Stephens explained the actions AISD has taken to balance the budget to accommodate for more controlled class sizes.

“The district has done a multitude of things to balance the budget, some of those include eliminating central office positions, evaluating and eliminating vacant positions, reviewing contracts, consolidating services within departments, and in some cases eliminating specific departments or services,” Stephens said.

Robinson elaborated what the disadvantages that these changes have placed on administration at Bowie.

“I think the biggest thing there is that it has been a stress on administration in that we still have to get ready for next year,” Robinson said. “And so it's just a lot of staffing to have to manage and prepare for next year and I would like nothing more than everybody to absolutely stay at but I know that that's not realistic.”

District enrollment numbers for the 2022-2023 school year have decreased significantly than in previous years, resulting in a decreased budget.

“86% of the district budget is personnel, so if enrollment continues to decline, once again, the district will have to look at personnel costs and po-

PASSIONATELY SPEAKING: A former AISD office member shows her support for Education Austin in a speech during the rally. The Education Austin Union has around 3,000 members, according to Texas AFT. PHOTO BY Lucille Price

sitions as well as other expenditures, such as contracts, of the new enrollment,” Stephens said. “With an increase in enrollment, that may indicate that we will need more teachers, dependent upon the school, grades, of the new enrollment.

In that case, the additional funds would go towards to increase in teacher positions.”

At Bowie, excellent faculty and students make both Robinson and Rolfe confident that Bowie is sure to overcome hardships brought on by district budget cuts which have been impacted by enrollment issues.

“I think that the Bowie parent community has been largely supportive of teachers

AISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde announced on Thursday, May 19 that she had been named the lone finalist for the same position in Dallas ISD. "It has been my honor to lead AISD these past two years and I am proud of all we have accomplished together," Elizalde said in an email to the district. "Last night, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees named me as its lone finalist for superintendent. Dallas has always held a special place in my heart, and I am not making this decision lightly."

She leaves AISD after just two short years fraught with issues like COVID, Recap-

ture and budget issues, and a looming loss of 100's of teachers.

"We hope the next super intendant allows for schools to make decisions for themselves in the future, instead of pushing one size fits all solutions," social studies teacher Dalton Pool said.

In Texas, districts are required to name a finalist and then 21 days later, they can hire their intended target, according to TEA. "We hope that the selection of the new superintendent will be more transparent and that there will be more input in the school community on who gets selected," English

like our family and I'm very proud to work here and that response has been great. My students and their parents have been great,” Rolfe said.

“Everyone has been so supportive, and we've really band together to make what is kind of a bad situation to the best we can because that's how Bowie functions.”

Elizalde leaving AISD for Dallas job

teacher Bree Rolfe said. "And that they will listen to the students, teachers and parents and that we choose someone that we all support."

Elizalde's legacy will include a battle with the state over masking during the pandemic where she held firm and kept mask use longer than nearly every district in the state.

"I wish her the best of luck in Dallas, I'm hopeful that AISD will move forward in a way that is more positive and collaborative," Rolfe said. "The Bowie community is a big family and I hope we move forward as a big family."

STORY BY Dylan Zellner

Seniors sweeten their high school memories at breakfast Sydney Crum Dispatch Reporter

As the end of the year approaches, there are many events planned for seniors to celebrate the end of their high school careers. One of these senior-exclusive events that took place was the senior breakfast to celebrate the seniors as well as what their plans are for their future whether it's attending a two-year university, four-year university, or any other plans their future might entail.

After a mostly virtual junior year, the Class of 2022 have finally returned back to school for an in-person final year. For senior Christina Canepa, this was a positive change that lead to her taking part in more experiences at school.

“At first it was difficult to get back into the schedule of a regular school day at the start of the school year especially,” Canepa said. “However, I found myself more excit-

INDEX:

News 1, 2

ed to participate in school activities and to even go to school than before.”

As their high school careers come to a close, many seniors are already anticipating next year. Looking forward to her post-high school plans, senior Lizzie Jensen is excited for what next year has in store.

“I am most looking forward to resting for a bit and moving to a new state,” Jensen said. “Ever since middle school it has been my dream to go out of state for college, and now I’m accomplishing it.”

For Canepa, a lot of the excitement for the senior breakfast stems from getting to socialize with friends and classmates and learning about their future goals of where they want to go to school.

“I’m most excited for the senior breakfast because we’re all going to wear our college T-shirts,” Canepa said. “I think it’s going to be really fun to see where we’re all ending up.”

Politics 3 Features 4 , 5 Photo Essay 6

In-Depth 7, 8-9 Sports 10, 11 Entertainment 12

Exclusive events like this one are important to Jensen because of the opportunity for seniors to interact with one another before the year is over.

“I think the special events like the senior breakfast are a great way for everyone to say goodbye and share their plans for next year,” Jensen said. “I love that we do them especially since we don’t have many senior privileges such as senior parking.”

Canepa is in agreement about the benefits of the breakfast and similar privileges for the graduating class and feels that they are a great way to recognize their achievements especially after a unique preceding year.

“I think that events like these are very important for seniors to keep them motivated and to celebrate their accomplishments at the school,” Canepa said.

“They’re a fun way to end a high school career.”

Reviews 13 Opinions 14, 15 Seniors 16

SNACKS AND SMILES: Senior Yuri Lee and Zoya Faisal enjoy their breakfast sponsored by National Honor Society. The breakfast was held on May 18 in the Southwest room. PHOTO BY Arushi Sharma

FIND US AT @jbhs_dispatch

2 NEWS

THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

2022-23 school year brings new changes

Bigger classes, new teachers, and buildings excites students and staff for the next year Lauren Wright News Editor

are a lot of great teachers who work at Bowie who I am sad are choosing to leave or have to leave,” junior Sienna The 2021-2022 school year is almost Szczesny said. “I think it will be harder over, students and staff look forward to to really get to know your teacher and the next school year, while seniors are ask for help when you need it when ready to move onto their next chapter. there is going to be that many people in This school year was the first year back each class.” in person after a year of online school The pandemic has disrupted educabecause of COVID-19, many students tion for the past three years, and has have never had a first year in-person at made the past three years very different.

Bowie until this year.

Seniors were the only students on camThis school year was the first year pus this year who had completed a full that the parking garage was fully used year of high school prior to this year. by students and staff; the construction "I am excited for construction to be of the athletic building was also comover, it has been a five-year bond project pleted and fully functional for students. since the bond passed in 2017. Even This year was also the first year that a before the construction began there was new grading period was implemented a lot of planning that went into [it],” at Bowie and the weight of finals has Robinson said. “I am also encouraged changed from 25% to 20%. by the hope that we may get to have a “The new grading period I think [is semi normal in terms of what we dethe biggest change from this year], we fined as normal before the pandemic.” have made that transition pretty well,” According to AISD’s Bond and Conprincipal Mark Robinson said. “We have struction Projects’ website the Bowie added two progress reports in there fine arts facility is expected to finish because we want to make sure that we construction by June 2022, it is currentare continuing to give feedback every ly 55% completed. The construction three weeks, partly as required by UIL will give modernization to the existing but also we want to lock in those good facility and renovations to include fine grades when you have them.” arts and increased capacity.

At the beginning of this school year “I think that the new fine arts buildevery student, staff, and visitors of Ausing is going to be really beneficial for a tin Independent School District (AISD) lot of different programs at Bowie inwere required to wear a mask at all cluding theater and dance and any other times while at school. Now, everyone program that gets to use the theater at is given the option of whether or not any point during the year,” junior Carto wear a mask because the number of oline Cullinane said. “It's a new space COVID-19 cases has gone down. that will be fully functional and will be “I think that wearing masks was a useful to a lot of programs.” bit of a pain because I couldn't fully This summer all of the construcunderstand my surroundings and I had tion at Bowie is scheduled to finish a hard time communicating in some of and next year Bowie will not be under my classes where speaking is a major construction. Next year students will part,” freshman Ryan Cormier said. “I have access to all of the new facilities am glad we don't have to wear them that are being built: the fine arts facility, anymore because not only is COVID the parking garage, and the athletics going down but we can communicate building. more” “I am glad that the construction Due to budget issues, almost 600 will be done by the beginning of next employees have either been reassigned, year. I will be able resigned, not to use the bathhad their posiroom during lunch tion retained, and people can go or have retired. to the bathroom There are over during shows in the We are finally going 500 jobs listed theater,” Cormier on the AISD to have a stage that said. “I also like that hiring website. this year we were everyone can fit on and On Thursday, able to start using May 19 Superina band hall and a dance the athletic building tendent Stephbecause it allows us hall, performance gym anie Elizalde to host more events informed the that meet our needs as and I like the tennis community that courts on top of the a campus. she has been parking garage.” named as the There are many lone finalist for Mark Robinson new classes coming the same posiBowie Principal to Bowie for the tion in Dallas 2022-2023 school ISD. In 21 days, year. Some of the she can officially new classes include be hired and will mental health leave AISD after and counseling, just two years. Overall, the district is multi-variable calculus, ethnic studies, still working to reduce the budget by and among others. $67 million.

“I think the new classes coming “I think it's really sad because there

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HEADED THROUGH THE HALLS: With less than two weeks left of school Bowie students walk to their second period classes after first lunch. The last day of school will be next on Friday May, 27. 2022 with the 3rd and 4th period finals. PHOTO BY Austin Ikard

to Bowie will be very beneficial to the students because it will offer Bowie students a chance to learn about new things and find new passions,” Szczesny said. “Next year I am taking Multi-variable Calculus which is a new class and its the class following Calculus BC.” Many of the new electives that are coming next year are extensions of current pathways in the career and technical education (CTE) programs that started a couple of years ago at Bowie. There are also some new classes that are for core classes and electives that are not a part of CTE. “We wanted students to be able to participate in those pathways all the way through their senior year. We [also] wanted to offer some more updated course offerings to the jobs that students are now able to get after high school and jobs that we see reflected in the Austin economy,” Robinson said.

“I think that we are always wanting

to make sure that we are serving our students in the things they are interested in.”

Although Cormier’s first year of high school was not what a normal year would look like, he is optimistic about what his future years in high school will look like. Next year, there are currently no plans to change what is happening with mask usage, and as long as COVID-19 cases stay low the hope is school will begin more normally.

“I am looking forward to coming back to school next year because it will be my first normal year of high school,” Cormier said. “This year I started school and we were all wearing masks and next year I hope that we don't have to wear masks and I am hopeful that next year's freshmen will get four normal years.”

The 2022-2023 school year is scheduled to start on Aug. 15, 2022. With the final day of school on May 15, 2023.

In December, AISD proposed a seven-period schedule; where students would go to seven classes and teachers would teach six of them. But, after hearing feedback from families and staff AISD decided to keep the eight-period schedule.

“I am really glad that we didn’t have to switch to the seven period schedule,” Szczesny said. “Having to get rid of one of my classes would have been really stressful.”

Next year could be Cullinane’s first year at Bowie that she will get to experience a full year without COVID-19 changing any of it. She looks forward to next year and is enthusiastic to what it could hold for her future.

“I am excited to come back senior year because I will not have to stress about applying to colleges,” Cullinane said. “I will get to focus on enjoying my classes and spending time with my friends.”

Senior 'Top Dawgs' award ceremony returns in-person Donna Kim News Editor

On Tuesday night, select junior and seniors walked up onto the gym stage to be awarded a Trustees’ Scholar Award for their academic achievements, celebrating all their hard work during the school year.

Juniors and seniors who meet the necessary requirements are invited to the Trustees’ Scholar Awards. This award acknowledges all the students who worked especially hard during their school year to become academically enriched and involved. Juniors Jason Oh and Abby Wile were among the students to have won a Trustees’ Award, and to attend the award ceremony.

“I learned about [the Trustees’ Scholar Awards] last year when I found out I was in the top 10%, and [the school] invited me to the ceremony,” junior Jason Oh said. “It’s nice to receive recognition for academics because everybody in the top 10% has worked so hard for so long to earn it.”

Rank GPA, cumulative GPA, attendance, class rank, and grades are all taken into account for students who are chosen to win the Trustees’ award.

Students must have earned a GPA of 3.0, and recipients must be in the top ten percent of their class rank based on either their cumulative GPA or rank GPA at the end of the first five reporting periods for the school year.

“At first, I didn’t really think anything of winning the award. But then a couple of my friends made me go to the ceremony,” Wile said. “At the ceremony, I realized how proud of myself I am because I’ve been working so hard this year. It’s always nice being celebrated for your achievements, because it makes them seem more worthwhile.”

The Trustees’ Award is supposed to celebrate all the students of Bowie who worked especially hard in their academics, but sometimes, high school can get stressful and stress can get in the way of academic achievement. Oh gives advice on what helped him maintain his grades.

“Besides the obvious things like paying attention and working hard, my biggest piece of advice is to keep track of assignments in some form,” Oh said. “I have a homework app which has allowed me to minimize late or missing assignments.”

Wile also offers useful advice for underclassmen who are interested in receiving a Trustees’

SENIORS SMILE BRIGHT: Senior Zack Kehler, Kristyn I am not sure the, and Madelyn Lopez Ball express their excitement walking off the stage as they get their certificates and medals. The ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 10 2022 in the new athletic facility. PHOTOS BY Austin Ikard

Scholar Award.

“I’d advise underclassmen who want to receive [a Trustees’ Scholar Award] to take classes that they are interested in, as it is much easier to get good grades in classes that you enjoy. I also would encourage good attendance,” Wile said. “I would

advise them to create a big overarching goal. For me, my goal is to get into my dream college. I think big goals like that serve as huge motivation, and make it easier to achieve more short term goals, like winning the Trustees’ Award.”

Right after the Trustees’ Scholar Award ceremo-

ny was senior night, which was hosted by Academic Dean Kaylin Brett. Senior Christina Canepa who received a Trustees’ Award during the ceremony, was also invited to senior night to highlight all her accomplishments throughout her high school career.

“Senior night was the second half of the Trustee Award ceremony where academic director Ms. Brett and the senior class sponsors, Mrs. Uzzle and Mrs. Grandinetti-Johnson presented awards that seniors have earned throughout their time at Bowie,” Canepa said. “We were given chords, buttons, and metals that we got from academic extracurriculars, and teacher awards to wear at graduation. Each kid took a turn going up on stage and being given the awards from our teachers.”

US History teacher Alejandro Garcia attended senior night in support of his graduating students who were a part of his classes and student council.

“When teachers get the chance to recommend one person for their pride and performance award we get a chance to recognize students that don't always get recognized by anyone else," Garcia said.

"It gives them a chance to feel like they've made an impact on Bowie. That's really special.”

With one year being completely online, many seniors agree that they have had an unusual high school experience. Despite this, many still continued to thrive in their academics, and graduate with many academic achievements. This didn’t stop Canepa from celebrating her and her classmates' success.

“The best part of the night was watching my friends receive all their awards. I’ve always been surrounded by hard working friends and it’s so exciting to see them honored and recognized for everything they’ve contributed to at the school,” Canepa said. “It made me really proud of my friends and my classmates for getting through a weird high school experience and continuing to excel.”

According to Garcia, he is excited about what the future will bring for seniors. Even when teaching World History, he gives students the same compassion and advice as his upperclassman.

“Be unapologetic and be you. Never conform to what others want you to be, just be you. Do what makes you happy,” Garcia said. “Things are going to go wrong, when a setback happens you gotta keep pressing forward, those things are what's going to teach you the most in life.”

POLITICS 3

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

New immigration laws spark debate Biden Administration makes changes to American migration policy Mazzy Warren Politics Editor

family in the States while waiting for passionate advocate for immigrants’ green cards. rights. I think people should be allowed “Keeping families together is imto live where they want to live, but that Alien. portant,” Pomytkina said. “I certainly opinion isn’t very popular.”

Reading this word, graphics design think that if I had been separated from Counselor April Giuffre is the teacher Jeni Huereca laughs. In United my parents when we came to the U.S., daughter of two Filipino immigrants, States immigration law, immigrants I would not be in the place that I am and she’s been surrounded by other are referred to as “aliens.” Although today. There’s always more that can be immigrant families her whole life. she recognizes how negative that term done, and Biden’s immigration policies She believes this has given her a good might be, it resonates with her, as her are not perfect, but understanding of experiences immigrating from Great that’s definitely a step immigrants’ experiBritain to Austin were defined by abnorin the right direction.” ences, and therefore mality; she felt like an alien.

The bill also doesn’t agree with Since his first day on the job, Presipromotes integrasome of the current dent Joe Biden has been trying to make tion into American policies surrounding changes to America’s immigration polisociety and culture; migration. cies. January 21, 2021 (having assumed more funding will go “If this is the counoffice January 20), he proposed a bill to organizations that try you want to be in, that would replace the word “alien” promote inclusion don’t give up,” Giuffre with “non-citizen.” January 23, he and English-language said. “Believe in the proposed an immigration bill that would American dream, as instruction. make countless changes to current im“I have the adcheesy as that sounds, migration policy. vantage of speaking it truly worked for my “[To current immigrants,] good English as my first family. We got more April Giuffre luck,” Huereca said. “It’s a long and language, but even opportunities here for expensive process, but if you’re able some of the cultural education and jobs Counselor to do it, it's worth it. Here at Bowie, stuff was a big change than we would’ve I’ve found that it’s definitely worth it. for me,” Huereca said. back home, so I say Austin’s a diverse and cosmopolitan “So if you’re dealing with don't give up.” city; I'm certain that there’s families not speaking English, on top of everyHaving taken presidency after Donthat are going through the same process thing else, I think any support would ald Trump, whose campaigns promoted that I did, and any kind of assistance is be wonderful. It also allows people to the restriction of immigration into awesome, because it’s a big deal coming become part of the community and do America, Biden is making strides to from somewhere with absolutely nothpositive things.” undo many Trump-era policies. One of ing.”

Biden also plans to address the these is Title 42; this code gives health Huereca believes the current procauses of migration: $4 billion will go authorities the right to prevent US imcesses are long-winded, cumbersome, to helping El Salvador, Guatemala, and migration if doing so might prevent the and expensive. She would like to see it Honduras fight violence, corruption and spread of diseases. more streamlined; as people can’t work poverty in their states, aiming to reduce “It’s more hurtful than it is helpful,” during their immigration process, they factors pushing citizens to leave.

Pomytkina said. “A lot of these policies need to rely on someone else, making “I think it’s an interesting strategy,” are very subjective for who gets to deexpenses even heavier. Overall, she Pomytkina said. “The effectiveness is termine who’s healthy enough to enter, thinks it should be three things: quicker, and who isn’t. That person’s internal questionable. At the end of the day I cheaper, and simpler. feel it won’t necessarily help the people biases will probably affect who gets to “Some people come here to escape who are coming to the US and seeking migrate and who doesn't.” violence, and they come here with little citizenship here.”

Implemented in March of 2020, Title money,” Huereca said. “It’s a big thing Governor Greg Abbott, in what 42 was based on a public health law to pay so much money for a difficult Huereca believes was a move of “showmade in 1944; it’s set to expire May 23. process, so I see why people would boating,” has responded to Biden’s new Although she can see the logic behind come here illegally, because there’s no policies by busing immigrants to the preventing the spread of diseases at option to do so legally. People face dancapital at Washington, D.C. At a press the border, Giuffre thinks the policy is ger, injury, and even death getting here, conference in early April, he promised “strange” and subjective. because it’s too that migrant volunteers would be sent “Everybody’s expensive and too to the doorstep of federal lawmakers, going to be in a difdifficult to come ferent state of health where he said the Biden administrain other ways. It tion “will be able to more immediately at any moment,” needs to be safer address the needs of the people they are Giuffre said. “I don’t and fairer.” allowing to come across our border.” know what Trump Special educa“Like most things Greg Abbott does, meant with regards tion teacher Polina it’s a PR move, meant to get people to ‘health,’ do you Pomytkina was to vote for him,” Pomytkina said. “He have to be in perfect born in Russia clearly stated he doesn’t want to health to travel? Do and came to the deal with the issue, you have to be in U.S. when she was so he’s just pushing it perfect health to go three. Her parents off onto other people.” to school or work? moved here on Abbott said his goals were to draw I, personally, don’t a work visa, attention to the “failed immigrant think so.” and they spent policies” of President Biden, but others Biden also wants Jeni Huereca roughly 15 years believe he’s doing so to get on the to introduce a new British immigrant going through the president’s nerves, hoping for chaos. immigration bill process to gain Instead, migrants are giving him thanks that would allow citizenship. for the free ride. Volunteers have been 11 million undocu“I’m the child of immigrants, so my meeting the migrants and taken them to mented immigrants to get full US citiparents bore the brunt of the process– their assigned immigrant courts. zenship. Among other things, the new but had I not been an immigrant, I don’t bill focuses on keeping families together “I don’t feel like singling out individknow if I would have the opinions and uals just because they weren’t born here by raising the limit of visas issued and perspective that I do,” Pomytkina said. makes any kind of sense,” Giuffre said. redistributing unused visas. Immigrants “My history definitely makes me a more “There are actual criminals that are will also be able to temporarily live with

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If this is the country you want to be in, don't give up. Believe in the American dream, as cheesy as that sounds, it truly worked for my family.

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American citizens, but instead Abbott is focusing on people who have done nothing.”

Despite all of the recent debates surrounding immigration, Huereca is proud of her history.

Being British, she gets lots of questions about her accent and where she’s from, and she’s happy to know that it makes her memorable.

“I feel that my accent is a novelty,” Huereca said. “I like being British in America and having a very noticeable accent, because it opens me up to meeting and talking to more people. I also like having the perspective, in education, of having gone to school in the UK and taught here, and seeing a difference. It broadened my experience for sure.”

Although she hopes the process might be improving, Pomytkina still believes the system isn’t perfect. According to her, the current methods produce more trouble and insecurity than they should. Giuffre wishes the government could empathize with immigrants, and Pomytkina wishes immigrants could be guaranteed an easy process to legitimate citizenship.

“After Trump became president, it became clear that there’s a difference between being a born citizen and a naturalized citizen; our citizenship isn't guaranteed the same way that born citizenship is,” Pomytkina said. “There’s a lot of insecurity, even when you work for years and years for citizenship. You still know, deep down, that you're not secure in the place you've made a home, and that’s scary. They [politicians] should make sure that migrants know they can comfortably call the U.S. a home for however long they want, not for however long some federal employee wants.”

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People face danger, injury, and even death getting here, because it's too expensive and too difficult to come in other ways.

ART BY Mazzy Warren

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Voters pass Prop A to change weed and warrant laws Jace Arriaga Assistant Editor

ART BY Jace Arriaga

It’s that time of the year again, its time to vote. As this time rolls around, citizens get to cast their votes in the current set of constitutional amendment elections, which have the potential to change the circumstances of the state’s rules of law.

Every voting season, new propositions are suggested to the public; last year, Propositions A and B discussed expanding funding to the Austin police force and exchanging a plot of public land with a private corporation. This year, there's just one proposition that covered multiple topics: Prop A. If passed, Proposition A would permanently ban “No-Knock” warrants and stop police enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses, somewhat legalizing the substance.

“This could lead to more education about marijuana use, and spread the idea that cannabis isn’t something that should be totally demonized and criminalized,” freshman Mae Thompson said.

Over 51 years ago, in 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon declared a new public enemy: illegal drugs. He passed the Controlled Substances Act, a policy which criminalized recreational drug use. This act broke drug use into multiple categories; placing marijuana at the highest tier of drug classification.

“The war on drugs started a lot of things, and it meant a lot of things,” junior Matthew Zimmerman said. “It was a meaningless war to begin with, because it was really meant

to segregate different groups and races from each other, and all sorts of things. Any sort of means to get rid of that is a positive change in my opinion.”

Many state laws have been passed regarding marijuana in Texas. According to the Texas Health and Safety Code, marijuana is a highly illegal substance; selling or delivering any measure of the substance for recreational use is punishable to at least 180 days in jail and/or a fine of at least $2,000.

“People who use drugs deserve just as much respect as we do,” Thompson said, “We

should stop demonizing people who use drugs in general. A lot of what’s said about people who use drugs, especially people who are in rehabilitation and people who struggle with addiction, is inaccurate. We shouldn’t make these people seem like bad people. We should really empathize with them.”

Were someone caught illegally possessing weed in Texas, they would face severe legal and civil penalties, such as months in jail and fines in the thousands of dollars. Texas law makers label marijuana as a “schedule one” substance, meaning that

this drug has a high abuse risk, and it’s illegal to possess it, grow it, sell it, or drive under its influence; some other examples of schedule one drugs are heroin, LSD, and crack cocaine.

“Whether or not cannabis is decriminalized in Austin, it will still be illegal for minors to be in possession,” English teacher Chrissy Hejny said. “I feel like it's going to be just like alcohol or tobacco; it's going to be regulated and prohibited for kids.”

Some believe this change might impact the punishments leveled on Bowie students as well. The standard punishment

for students caught possessing any amount of marijuana is a stay at The Alternative Learning Center (ALC) or an In School Suspension (ISS.) “The use of cannabis is a personal choice for adults, and it should not be a criminal offense to carry or use it,” Hejny said.

"In the case of students making poor choices, possession of cannabis should be treated like any other substance that's illegal for minors. The consequences should be consistent and provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their choices."

Although recreational weed is illegal, medicinal cannabis was first legalized by the Texas legislature in 2015. It was passed under the Compassionate Use Act, which allows prescriptions of marijuana in low doses to treat certain cases of epilepsy.

“I hope the impact on Bowie, would be that our kids would have the opportunity to see real democratic, societal change in action and on what the use of cannabis actually means to individual adults,” Hejny said.

“There's a variety of reasons people use it, and possession shouldn't result in the destruction of a person's life. There would be fewer non-violent offenders in prison, which means more people contributing to the community which benefits all."

The other section of the proposition discusses “NoKnock” warrants; a “No-Knock” warrant is a specific type of warrant utilized by police officers that must be approved by a judge before being executed. These allow police to enter any building, including private

homes, without announcing their presence to those in the building. These were originally created to allow police to preserve any evidence that has the potential to be tampered with.

“I hate the notion of a NoKnock warrant,” Zimmerman said. “If you are on private property, then you are in your own private land. I’d rather someone give me a warrant if they are going to search my stuff, even if there is probable cause.”

These warrants can sometimes result in casualties from police and suspects. In an investigation conducted by the New York Times, researches found that at least 81 civilians and 13 law enforcement officers have died during search warrants during from 2010-2016; a majority of these deaths were people of color. U.S. departments report that 47.5% of deaths in police custody are people of color.

“This is really important,” Thompson said. “A lot of times we see minority groups getting harsher police punishments than people who are white and have done the same thing.”

Prop A was approved May 7. According to Travis County Clerk, an election official, 57,967 voters wished to pass the proposition, 85.5% of the total votes. The new policy is currently being implemented into Texas law and society.

“I hope that I guide my students to come to their own conclusions,” Hejny said. “I want them to come to their own conclusions and make their own decisions based on the facts.

Don’t be ignorant, do your research, because there's a lot of misinformation out there.”

4 FEATURE

THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

Who’s Who honorees strut the stage Arushi Sharma & Reagan Zuniga Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

As the 2022 school year comes to an end, seniors get the chance to be recognized for their contributions and the impact they have made on the campus during their high school careers. Who’s Who is an annual award presented to seniors to honor their involvement and contribution to the Bowie campus.

The nominees of the award are recommended by staff members, then are voted upon by a committee to end on a total of 24 senior honorees each year. Who’s Who honorees have their portrait hung in the library, as well as receive a plaque.

“All of our students are amazing, but this award is the only one that takes into account all of your teachers from all four years, who teachers nominate you, teachers vote on you,” HONOREES SMILE BRIGHT: On May 16, the 24 Who’s Who honorees attended a ceremony in the school library to receive plaques to recognize their contributions the Who’s Who faculty leader Carlen Bowie campus. These students were recognized by the Who’s Who Honoree committee composed of previous Teachers of the Year and other staff members. Not pictured: Floyd said. “This is the one thing that Danny Rodriguez and Brody Miller. PHOTO BY Austin Ikard we do that is not based on your GPA. This is not based on any single efforts SCAN THE QR CODE and achievements. It is holistic. You of my time at Bowie.” cupcakes and a celebration. that I was selected for Who’s Who, don’t have to be brilliant. You have to According to several honorees, “A friend of mine informed me as there are so many great individTO LEARN MORE ABOUT make us proud.” being awarded as a Who’s Who is an that in previous years the winners uals that have really made Bowie a THE HONOREES: After each staff member has nomhonor that all underclassmen should of the Who’s Who Award had been better place,” Leah Gonsalves said. “I inated five students, the nominated strive for to be recognized as one of announced in a similar way,” Mia couldn’t have done it without all the students have to submit an application support I have gotten at Bowie, espethe most notable and distinguished Brelsford said. “I wasn’t totally conconsisting of a resume and an essay. students in their class. vinced but when I walked into the cially the amazing teachers that have Once the applications have been sub“It’s hard to see the positive impact really inspired me throughout my time College & Career Center at the back mitted, the entries are reviewed by a you’re making when you’re actually of the library on Wednesday and saw at Bowie.” committee of previous Teachers of the leading/making the impact, but it’s the cupcakes, juice boxes, and hidden In order to surprise the students, Year and department heads. Then, the things like this afterwards that can picture frames, the detective side of honorees were invited to a FIT sesmembers of the Who’s Who commitreally tell you,” Kylee Dinwiddle said. me knew something was up. When sion described as “Robinson’s round tee cast votes supporting twenty four “It feels so humbling.” the teachers announced the real reatable” to discuss senior topics such different seniors who are eventually Below is a short biography on each son we were gathered here, I was so as graduation and senior breakfasts. the Honorees for that year. overwhelmed with joy. This has been a of the 24 Who’s Who winners for the When they arrived at the College and “I was really surprised and honored class of 2022. goal of mine since the very beginning Career Center, they were greeted with

EDWARD ALONZI Edward Alonzi is the president of National Honor Society, a PAL, a varsity soccer player, a Spanish Honor Society member,and a fourtime trustee’s award recipient.

Alonzi will continue his education and soccer career at the University of West Florida. He will be majoring in sports management.

MAYA COTTAM Who’s Who honoree Maya Cottam is a fouryear member and senior captain of the Bowie volleyball team, varsity track, varsity lacrosse team, National Honor Society, anatomy club, and astronomy club.

Cotton is a four-year recipient of the trustee award. After graduation, Cotton is attending Utah State University on a full ride scholarship to study Landscape Architecture.

MATTHEW ELAM Who’s Who honoree Matthew Elam is a member of SOAR, Bowie Buddies, National Honor Society, and Key Club International.

After graduation, Elam will be going to Austin Community College for two years and obtain an associates degree in Biotechnology.

After community college, Elam plans to attend a college to get a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology.

LIZZIE JENSEN Who’s Who honoree Lizzie Jensen is the Editor-in-Chief of the Bowie Lone Star Yearbook, involved with the Texas Youth and Government, and a member of the National Honor Society and the French Honor Society.

After graduation, Jensen will be attending George Washington University in Washington, DC. She will be studying International Affairs in the Elliott School of International Affairs.

DANNY RODRIGUEZ Who’s Who Honoree Danny Rodriguez participated in Bowie Varsity Football and Bowie Varsity baseball and was a member of the National Honor Society and the Multicultural Club.

After graduation, Rodriquez will be continuing his education and baseball career at St. Edward’s University. He will be majoring in communications.

TRINITY THOMPSON Who’s Who Honoree is the president of the Multicultural Awareness Club, a PAL, and an officer in local Business professionals of America chapter. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, NSHSS, Amnesty International, SOAR, and Student Council.

After graduation, Thompson will be continuing her education at the University of Texas Austin. She will be majoring in Business.

PHOTO COURTESY OF Mia Brelsford

MALAIKA BEG Who’s who honoree Malaika Beg is the president and founder of Amnesty International, Vice President of the Multicultural Acceptance Club, PALs, and involved with National Honor Society and Choir.

After graduation, Beg will be continuing her education at the University of Texas, Austin.

She will be majoring in Health and Society.

MCKENNA COUCH Who’s Who honoree McKenna Couch is a Starlight theater company officer and senior director, student leadership member, National Honor Society member, and Amnesty international member.

After graduation, Couch will be attending Emerson college and majoring in Communication Studies.

LEAH GONSALVES Who’s Who honoree Leah Gonsalves is a member of Band, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and a Vice President of Student Council for two years.

After graduation, Gonsalves will be attending Texas State to study Political Science and Communications and hopes to use her abilities as a connector to make a difference.

AUSSIE LURA Who’s Who honoree Aussie Lura is the Vice President and a Senior Director of the Starlight Theater Company for all of high school. They have also been a member of National Honor Society, Principal Panel, SAGA, and a Managing Editor of the Literary Magazine this year.

After graduation, Lura will be attending the University of Texas at Arlington and will be majoring in Animation/Gaming.

FIONA RUBIANO Who’s Who Honoree Fiona Rubiano was president of Orchestra, co-president of the Hydroponics Club, involved in theater, cross country, piano, and National Honor Society.

After graduation, Rubiano will be continuing her education at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and majoring in Biological Sciences and Music Composition.

BRODI TOKAR Who’s Who honoree Brodi Tokar is the captain of the Varsity Boys Soccer team, a PAL, and member of Key Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Student Council, and Principal Panel.

After graduation, Tokar will continue his education and soccer career at Trinity University. He will be majoring in Law and minoring in entrepreneurship.

MIA BRELSFOLD Who’s who honoree Mia Brelsford is the president of Fellowship of Christians Athletes, the Lone Star Yearbook Content Editor, Cheer Manager, a PAL, and Bowie Buddy.

After graduation, Brelsfold plans to pursue her love for animals through majoring in marine biology at the University of Miami.

KYLEE DINWIDDLE Who’s Who honoree Kylee Dinwiddle is a PAL, National Honor Society member, Spanish Honor Society member, varsity Swim Team Captain, Student Council member.

She is a four-year trustee’s recipient for being in the top 10 percent of her class, four year recipient of the athletic scholar award for holding a straight-A average while being an athlete.

GRACE GUM Who’s Who honoree Grace Gum is a member of the Bowie Symphony Orchestra, National Honor Society, Tru-Music Society, Amnesty International Club, the Cross Country team, the Starlight Theater Company Pit Orchestra, and the principal violist of the Orchestra.

After graduation, Gum will be attending UT Austin, majoring in linguistics with the hopes of becoming a speech-language pathologist.

BRODY MILLER Who’s Who honoree Brody Miller has been on the football and baseball teams all four years of high school. He is also a member of the National Honor Society.

He has won both academic awards and athletic awards in his four years at Bowie like the Trustees Award and being first team All-District for football.

ARUSHI SHARMA Who’s Who Honoree Arushi Sharma is the president of Key Club and Spanish Honor Society, Editor-in-Chief of the Dispatch, president/ founder of Bowie STEM and CS club, Varsity Girl’s Golf Captain, and member of National Honor Society, SOAR, Amnesty International and Principal Panel.

After graduation, Sharma will be continuing her education at the University of Texas, Austin for Computer Science.

NATHAN ZIMMERMAN Who’s Who honoree Nathan Zimmerman is a technician for the Starlight Theater Company, co-president of the Comedy club, president of the Sci-Fi, a member of the Principal Panel and Fantasy Club, and a Student Mentor.

After graduation, Zimmerman will continue his education at Austin Community College and study tech theater.

CAMILLA COOPER Who’s Who honoree Camilla Cooper is involved in the Student Leadership class, PALS, Student Council, the Amnesty International Secretary, an officer of the Starlight Theater Company, and a member of the National Honor Society.

After graduation, Cooper will be attending the University of Texas at Austin and majoring in Anthropology and double minoring in International Business and Foreign Affairs.

MADELEINE DUNN Who’s Who honoree Madeleine Dunn is a member of the swim team, National Honor Society member, and French Honor Society officer.

After graduation, Dunn will be attending Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

She will be majoring in cognitive and brain sciences on the pre-med track and will be on the swim team.

ANNA HOLME Who’s Who honoree Anna Holme a member of Student Leadership, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Key club, Editor-in-Chief of the Dispatch, a PAL, and Vice President of the Amnesty International Club.

After graduation, Holme will be attending the University of Texas at Austin and majoring in Environmental Science.

VANESSA NGUYEN Who’s Who honoree Vanessa Nguyen is the co-founder of the Asian American and Ally Club, co-President of Student Council, a reference editor for the Lone Star Yearbook, a Pal, and a member of Student Leadership, National Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society.

After graduation, Nguyen will continue his education at the University of Texas, Austin and will be majoring in business.

MACKAY STRONG Who’s Who Honoree Mackay Strong is the captain of varsity cross country and track, and a member of National Honor Society, disc golf, ultimate Frisbee, ping pong, chess, and sand volleyball clubs.

After graduation, Strong will be continuing his education at Brigham Young University. He will be majoring in biology.

REAGAN ZUNIGA Who’s Who honoree Reagan Zuniga is a member of National Honor Society, Key Club, Asian American Allies, SOAR, a former Content Editor for the Lone Star Yearbook, and the current Managing and Photo Essay Editor for the Dispatch.

After graduation, Zuniga will be attending St. Edward’s University and majoring in Communications.

FEATURE 5

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

Students creativity conquers competition at state challenge Two seniors win awards for their art at Visual Arts Scholastic Event Sophia Sanchez Features Editor Colored pencil in hand, senior Trinity Thompson adds the final touches to her self portrait. At the same time, senior Susan Leifker steps back and admires her oil painting of a childhood memory. The next morning both students will submit their work for the Visual Arts Scholastic Event in hopes of receiving an award.

The Visual Arts Scholastic Event, also known as VASE, is a statewide art competition in Texas. The competition is split into different categories depending on the participants’ art skills.

Leifker describes how VASE submissions are categorized.

“There are different levels of competition based on the number of art classes you have taken rather than your grade level,” Leifker said. “For instance I am in the highest category because I have taken a lot of art classes, whereas another senior could be in a lower category if this is their first year taking art, even though we are both in the same grade. I think that’s a really good way to judge art, because age shouldn’t convey skill.”

Artistic ability does not come easily to everyone. Thompson remembers from an early age loving to express her artistic identity.

“I remember first learning from Ms. LeJuene, my former art teacher, about the awesomeness of portraiture and mixing certain colors to create undertones of the skin and finding ways to add texture within my piece,” Thompson said. “This really sparked my love for visual art and portraiture.”

Similarly, Leifker expressed a great joy when creating art from an early age.

“My mom has always been a good artist for as long as I can remember,” Leifker said. “She used to take me to painting classes and drawing classes when I was in elementary school. Her art, and now some of mine, is hung up across the walls of our house.”

Over the years Thompson has practiced her skills and has learned to appreciate different techniques.

“Over the years she seemed to get more into portraits and drawing artists with a social conscience or message like Kid Cudi and Kendrick Lamar,” Thompson’s mother Sonji said.

Behind every piece of art there is a story to tell.

“Most people submit artworks that they are already making for another purpose for VASE,” Leifker said. “I was working on this piece for my AP Studio Art Portfolio. I thought this would be a good work to submit for VASE because the competition

notoriously promotes portraits over more abstract art works, and I happen to like doing portraits more than any other subject.”

Of course, artworks worthy of awards do not magically appear.

Thompson spent about a week working on her art piece for VASE. “I did a piece titled “Who Are You?” which was a portrait of me with a sort of green hue to it,” Thompson said. “[To prepare for submission] I did some writing to explain my piece and made sure the artwork itself was in good condition to be sent off.”

With past experiences with VASE, Leifker felt at ease with this year’s online version of the VASE competition.

“Doing the competition itself was really simple. In past years we’ve had to interview with a judge in person, answering questions about techniques we’ve used when making the artworks, and going deep into the meaning behind the pieces,” Leifker said. “This year everything was online, and the judges chose people to advance to state based on images of the works and of typed up answers, which I preferred. Then they received my piece in real life and judged it at the state level.”

After submitting their pieces of art, the judges of the Visual Arts Scholastic Event look over and distribute awards.

“I got the state VASE Award, basically signifying my advancement to the VASE competition at the state level,” Thompson. “I was really happy and excited to get this award. I honestly didn’t think I would get it and it was a nice surprise.”

Leifker also received her award after the VASE event.

“I was told that there were around 31,000 art submissions this year, and then around 1,100 or so advanced to the state competition,” Leifker said.

“The award I received is called the Gold Seal, which was given to 150 students. The Gold Seal artworks then tour around the state and go to be featured in different places.”

Leifker encouraged herself to keep drawing after she drew a realistic picture of a nose in seventh grade.

“I remember drawing a nose and that it actually looked like a nose, and I felt shocked and excited,” Leifker said. “From there I went on to portraits and to where I am today. That video really was the catalyst for my pursuing art.”

Over the years growth in artistic ability was evident in the work produced.

“I am proud of my growth,” Thompson said. “There is a huge difference between my freshman year

“TROOP 1711”: Huddled together, senior Susan Leifker’s childhood Girl Scout troop participates in a group activity. Art has always been a part of Leifker’s life, and with this skill she has captured a fond memory of her adolescent years, and hopes to continue to do this for many years to come. PHOTO COURTESY OF Susan Leifker

skill-set and my senior year skill-set. I want to continue to create pieces that I really enjoy creating and that I take my time on.”

With the school year coming to an end, the two seniors prepare to incorporate their art with their new lives.

“Trinity has been interested in art since elementary school and has continued to enjoy art ever since. She’s becoming better each year,” Sonji Thompson said. “We are so proud of just how extremely talented she is and we hope she will continue to draw for many years to come.”

Leifker hopes that art stays a prominent feature in her life to come.

“I’m thinking about majoring in Visual Communication,” Leifker said.

“Which is a design degree, because the college I’m planning to attend has a very interesting VisCom program which leads directly into jobs such as Disney animation and video game design, both of which I’d love to try out.”

Saying goodbye to high school, Thompson and Leifker walk out with their VASE awards and their eyes set on the future.

“I created what I wanted to make, and I enjoyed expanding my oil painting skills,” Leifker said. “Even if the first judges told me that my piece wasn’t good enough to go to state, I would feel exactly the same about the work that I do now, because it was what I wanted to make, and that’s what I feel matters.”

“WHO ARE YOU”: Senior Trinity Thompson hand drew a self portrait using prismacolored pencils. Using these tools Thompson was able to add a cool green hue to her portrait and enhance her art with a variety of textures. PHOTO COURTESY OF Trinity Thompson

Lifeguard duty makes a splash amid COVID shortages Sydney Crum Dispatch Reporter

Overlooking the blue water, blazing summer sun beating down on her, student lifeguard Scarlett Crabtree sits in her chair surveying the scene below, ready to jump in or blow her whistle if necessary.

As the summertime quickly approaches, many teenagers have found work at their local community pools by becoming a lifeguard. In recent years, many community pools have faced lifeguard shortages. These shortages , as reported by KVUE news started in March 2020 when the city of Austin stopped hiring lifeguards for their local pools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hiring restarted in March 2021, however, according to Parks and Recreation, COVID-19 has limited the amount of lifeguards who can be trained at one time, to ensure the safety of the potential employees.

“I decided to become a lifeguard because I thought it would be an easy and fun job especially for the summer,” sophomore Crabtree said. “My favorite part is being able to socialize with a lot of nice people.”

Sophomore Mia Schwartz also became a lifeguard after completing the training over spring break to prepare for the test. The training didn’t prove to be too difficult for Schwartz, due to her previous extensive experience in the water.

“I decided to become a lifeguard because I am already on the swim team, so I’m a good swimmer, and was looking forward to a job involving water,” Schwartz said. “My favorite part is being able to say I’m certified and keeping cool outside by the pool.”

Lifeguarding also requires attentiveness and the ability to spend long hours closely watching the swimmers, in order to keep them safe. Crabtree emphasizes the laid back nature and long length of the majority of her

FRESH OUT OF THE POOL: Sophomores, Mia Schwartz, Lily Florence, and Gabby Clopaski wrap up their shift at the Circle C community pool. Schwartz started lifeguarding last summer and feels that this experience brightens her summer. PHOTO COURTESY OF Mia Schwartz

shifts.

“Most shifts are pretty easy. You get on the stand and just make sure people are being safe,” Crabtree said.

“The most difficult part is staying alert for long periods of time.”

Schwartz confirms that the alert-

ness required to be a lifeguard is undoubtedly one of the most difficult parts, especially during times when the pool is crowded.

“The most difficult part is when the pool is really busy and you have to pay close attention to the busy water,”

Schwartz said. “Or when it’s super hot and you just have to sit outside for long periods of time.”

Due to the intense and altruistic nature of lifeguarding, potential employees must go through intensive training to determine if they are

fit for the job, and prepared to take the necessary steps to help someone in danger. One of the main parts of training to become a lifeguard requires becoming certified in multiple life-saving skills. Schwartz recalls the process of learning these different skills.

“The training process was about a week and I decided to knock it out during spring break,” Schwartz said.

“It included water training, out of water with facts and information, and CPR training.”

Crabtree went through a similar process and also describes the timeline of the typical training for lifeguards.

“First, you had to do the prerequisite class,” Crabtree said. “Then you had to do about a week of training before the official lifeguard tests.”

Just like any other jobs that involve interacting with and observing other people, Schwartz attests to how lifeguarding can also lead to being a witness of numerous memorable situations and interesting stories.

“This one family had lost a pair of diamond earrings in the water,” Schwartz said. “We got in and swam looking for it and eventually found it.”

In addition to stressing the importance of staying in shape for the job, Crabtree encourages others to apply to be a lifeguard during this time of shortage, emphasizing that the job, although sometimes stressful, can be fun.

“Make sure you are fit and active,” Crabtree said. “Lifeguarding is really fun and they’re trying to find a lot of people so they would most likely take you.”

Schwartz is in agreement and also attests to the many benefits of lifeguarding. She urges others to consider the job opportunity because of how enjoyable it can be.

“Do it,” Schwartz said. “It’s so much fun and if you like being outside it’s great.”

6 PHOTO ESSAY

THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

Yearbook holds annual Distribution Day Staff resumes its first inperson event in two years Reagan Zuniga Managing Editor 8,317 pounds of yearbooks were hauled into the courtyard to be distributed to students and staff. With over 300 pages, the yearbook staff worked rigorously all year to give students a book filled with the memories of monumental moments of that school year.

“The staff this year had such a different experience creating the yearbook compared to last year, especially because we all had to either learn or relearn how to create the yearbook in person,” Kristina Jeffus said.

Co-Editors-In-Chiefs Jeffus and Lizzie Jensen are responsible for overlooking the progress of the whole book, picking out colors, fonts, and the theme of the book.

“Our biggest monumental moment was actually finishing the yearbook on time and meeting our deadline,” Jeffus said.

“We made this an extremely big deal because the yearbook last year was finished so late, so we were all very proud of ourselves and one another when the book was turned in when we wanted.”

Spreads special to this year include varsity football making it to round three in the playoffs, the new parking garage and gym, and the 2/2/22 “Tuesday” spreads.

“The highlights from this yearbook go along with highlights we witnessed this school year,” Jeffus said. “It is so important to capture things specific to this year in each yearbook, and I am really excited for everyone to see these

spreads.”

After completing the 20202021 yearbook completely virtually, this year’s staff had to overcome challenges such as learning how to conduct an in person interview, learning how to use DSLR cameras, and designing spreads.

“I will miss the energy and the friendships of the yearbook staff,” Jensen said. “While it is a really hard and stressful job, there is so much passion and energy for what we do and it has allowed me to meet so many new people. I will also miss the stress. Even though I really wanted to cry sometimes, I really lived for the high stress situations and the deadlines and the responsibilities. It was all so fulfilling and exciting and the yearbook gave me a purpose in school.”

The two EIC’s said they are so proud of this year’s book and are very excited for students and staff to receive and enjoy it as well.

“The editors choose the theme: ‘Me and you and everyone we know’, because they were struck by the collective experience that had happened and everyone had just gone through together,” Yearbook Adviser Lindsey Shirack said. “And it really just felt like once they came upon that theme, the light bulb went off, thinking we can focus on the collective experiences of coming together and returning all at the same time. But then it also has individual stories and celebrations that highlight different aspects throughout the theme as well.”

SPREADING THE MESSAGE: Cami Demetri attracts students in the right direction to receive their yearbooks. Demetri instructed students to the right line based on last name and reminded them to have their student ID’s out. “I am really proud of the final product of the book this year,” Editor-in-Chief Kristina Jeffus said. “All of the staff worked so hard to make this book the best it could be and I am so proud of every spread that we made.” PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

HEAVY LIFTING: Seniors Ella Maedgen and Brynn Laughlin haul a stack of boxes filled with yearbooks to the courtyard. While they are three year members of the yearbook staff, this was both of their’s first in person distribution day that they’re part of. “The first day of school was super emotional because we have lots of traditions that we do during the first week and it was crazy being the oldest in the class,” Editor-in-Chief Lizzie Jensen said. PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

COME GET YOUR BOOK: Editor-in-Chief Lizzie Jensen hands off a yearbook to Ariana Ritzie during the first lunch distribution. This year’s book, similar to year’s in the past, came in three separate colored covers for students to pick from. “I really like the hidden Taylor Swift Easter eggs in the book,” Jensen said. “We named all of our colors used in the book after Taylor Swift albums which can be seen in the Colophon in the back of the book.” PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

AN EXTRA SOUVENIR: Ana Mairena chooses the sticker she wants from the sticker booth after receiving her yearbook. The stickers are made and designed by members of the yearbook staff, with a variety for every student who purchased a yearbook to choose from on distribution day. “Every year we have a competition called sticker madness where each student makes a Bowie sticker and they go through a March Madness style bracket to get to a final six,” Editor-in-Chief Lizzie Jensen said. “This year one of my stickers won so I am super excited.” PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

SMILING WITH EXCITEMENT: Audrey Sweet receives her yearbook and “sticker ticket” from a member on staff. After picking the color of the book they want, students are given a “sticker ticket” to exchange for one of the custom made stickers at the separate sticker booth. “It’s really interesting to see how our initial plan for the book has changed and evolved over time,” Editor-in-Chief Lizzie Jensen said. “I would say that we have produced the best possible book that we could and I couldn’t be more proud.” PHOTO BY Reagan

Zuniga

BLOWING BUBBLES: Cristina Canepa and Claire Procyk create bubbles and excitement as the yearbook staff prepares for the first students to come get their books. Canepa has been an editor since her sophomore year for the yearbook. “I’m so excited to have a real, in-person distribution this year,” Editor-in-Chief Kristina Jeffus said. “The only distribution I have been apart of was my sophomore year, which I didn’t even help with the process of distributing, so I am so excited to be able to hand over the yearbooks to the campus and see everyones’ reactions to the completed yearbook.” PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

IN-DEPTH 7

THE RACE OF THE RACES MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

Affirmative actions' effects on higher education admissions for those of minority cultures Ava Wong In-Depth Editor

10925. President John F. Kennedy signed the order in 1961, requiring government contractors to “take affirmative action" to ensure that Jane Doe keeps her head down as her college applicants are employed without regard to their counselor questions her about her college plans. race or national origin. The Civil Rights Act of “Jane? Are you there?” says the counselor.

1964 followed, ending segregation in schools The truth is, Jane has no college plans. She and opening a new chapter toward equality for never expected to have the academic ability to all minorities. Ethnic studies and U.S. History go to college, nor the financial mobility. Jane’s teacher Carlen Floyd gives insight on how histoparents immigrated to America a few months ry influences present conflict. before she was born. They opened a small “Historically, laws and policies have been restaurant to support themselves, though the created to benefit those in power,” Floyd said. restaurant struggles at times, putting Jane's "Referring to the ‘top choice’ spot being taken family in a tight financial spot. Jane works at her away from white people and given to those parents' restaurant every day of the week and facing injustice through legislation. It is difficult weekends in order to help support her family. for anyone to feel a shift in power, particularly in When she is not working, she takes care of her losses dealing with persecution, oppression and four younger siblings. discrimination.”

On top of her personal life, Jane is a senior Since those historical changes, diversity at her local high school and attends classes five in higher education has risen. In 1976, white days a week, every week. Though she works students made up 83 percent of all U.S. college hard in school and earns good grades, she has students. That percentage dropped to 57 percent no time for extracurriculars, AP classes or any by 2016. Though many argue affirmative action of the resume building activities her fellow stuin education should be directed more towards dents partake in due to her situation at home. early stages of education, rather than a focus on Jane’s counselor then introduced her to some admissions processes. Floyd gives insight on the college admissions programs and scholarships financial impacts on education overall and as it that help under-represented and low income relates to underrepresented populations. students, it was then that she started consider“Particularly in Texas, education is being paid ing pursuing a higher education. Maybe college for by property taxes. It [school finance] is concould help not only her situation, but her faminected because we’re talking about access to edly’s as well. ucation, access to the highest technology, access Though Jane Doe is not a real person, to the best teachers…there’s evidence today that these are the circumstances for thousands of there are populations that high school students who are have not had access to the applying to college around the best,” Floyd said. “We need United States. These programs to take into consideration and scholarships can be labeled those issues when attemptas affirmative action, the effort ing to create a more diverse to improve opportunities for student population." members of minority groups.

A study done by The Affirmative action works American Council on in employment and governEducation found that in ment, but more controversially, the 2015-16 school year, 52 education, specifically college percent of undergraduate admissions. As stated by Louis students identified as white.

Menand in his article “The While only 19.8 percent Carlen Floyd changing meaning of affirmative of students identified as action,” the topic is vast with Hispanic or Latino and 15.2 Ethics and U.S. History great depth, and can be hard to percent identified as Black.

Teacher navigate.

The same year, The Pew With its benefits of diversifyResearch Center found there ing student bodies and offering were 20 million undergraduate stuunderrepresented students new opportunities, dents, meaning 10.4 million students identified affirmative action is argued to undermine those as white. who have earned a spot at colleges through “Schools that do have a high percentage of merit, regardless of race and socioeconomic minorities are consistently underfunded or poorsituation. Many do not know where they stand ly managed,” senior Brandon Almaguer said. “A on this controversy because of morals belonging fair education system needs to take place while to both sides of the argument. students are still young so that they are provid“I don’t fully support affirmative action ed the resources necessary to thrive in a college because in an effort to correct past socioeconom- setting.” ic wrongs, a lot of people aren’t receiving the The advocation for affirmative action’s admissions and opportunities that they worked redirection to educational access at the grade hard for,” senior Cristina Canepa said. “Howevschool level bleeds into the support behind the er, I also understand that it promotes diversity merit principle. The logic being schools should and provides equal opportunities for underrepre- take away race as a factor and solely focus on sented people.” academic merit. Those who oppose affirmative In the argument against affirmative action be- action believe it undermines that principle being used in college admissions, it is said to be a cause colleges seem to ignore the personal work form of reverse discrimination in which colleges put in by a student and judge them by their race, admit students of color based on their race in a factor they had no control over. the name of diversity. White individuals may feel “Affirmative action may leave some kids woncolleges are excluding white students who have dering what the point of going above and beearned their spot through hard work and merit. yond in high school [is] if their fate is ultimately The process can be perceived as discrimination determined by things other than their personal against white students. Students like junior achievements," Canepa said. "From that aspect, Abby Wile think reverse discrimination doesn't it can undermine the merit principle." exist.

Senior students of color feel their colleges “I don’t think reverse discrimination exists. cared more for their race than their academic Our society has deep-rooted systematic racism, achievement when accepting them. allowing white privilege to remain prevalent,” “I’m Hispanic, and since schools have to junior Abby Wile said. “Affirmative action helps meet certain diversity requirements, I felt like I counter this in college admissions.” was weighted more heavily on my ethnicity than In countering white privilege, affirmative my academic achievements or my extracurricuaction attempts to “level the playing field,” lars,” Canepa said. “I felt like it reached a point by ensuring that non-white individuals are where the qualifications didn’t matter, and it given equal consideration and opportunities. came down to whether they had fulfilled their When choosing between two admits, one white 'quota' or not.” student and one non-white student with equal Underrepresentation of certain races at uniacademic accomplishments, colleges may choose versities leads to diversity factors increasing and the non-white student in order to fit certain their larger desire for said race. diversity requirements.

“Affirmative action played a role in my accep“Even though affirmative action can be unfair tance since the college values diversity," Almato white students when they have equal qualifiguer said. "Hispanics are often underrepresented cations to someone admitted over them, many so I may have been favored over someone who times there are more opportunities out there for was not Hispanic." them to pursue than students of color,” Canepa With college’s specificity on the inclusion said. “It may be a little unfair, but in the big picof certain minorities disregarding equal merit, ture they historically have had more options.” they are also increasing diversity and desegreThe historic exclusion of students of color gation. is recalled when combating arguments of white “Without affirmative action, there may be exclusion, along with the extensive time it has a demographic shift in certain colleges,” taken to legally combat the exclusion of students Canepa said. “Many colleges would of color. Affirmative action in it's current form likely appear segregated in their originated in the 1960’s. represented population.”

According to Nicholas Lemann’s history of meritocracy, The Big Test, the man who coined the term was an African-American lawyer from Texas named Hobrat Taylor, Jr. He worked the flexible phrase into Lyndon B. Johnson’s original draft of what would become Executive Order

23%

fewer students of color were admitted to highly selective schools after affirmative action was banned.

ADMISSIONS

”

There is still a place for affirmative action, it was created to address the exclusion of certain populations from education.

”

ART BY Ava Wong

80%

of all U.S college students were white in 1976. By 2016, that percentage has dropped to 57%.

IN-DEPTH 9

8 IN-DEPTH

THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

The Face of Domestic Violence An ongoing court case showcases the ins and outs of abusive relationships

”

”

75%

Physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse

Of Texans ages 16-24 have experienced dating violence or know another person who has.

1,563

Moving on When theres no hope within a relationship, one is left feeling betrayed or as if their Calls were received in Texas within dreams are shattered.

24 hours, 948 were unanswered.

Coping Strategies The effects of trauma can lead one to avoid reminders of the relationship with alcohol or drugs.

35%

Of Texas men have experienced intimate partner violence

Moody nitpicking, backhanded compliments, criticism, threats, gaslighting, and mind games

SOURCE: NCADV.org

1 in 6

Safety concerns Some people can experience sleep disturbances or loss of self-esteem, causing isolation Men are sexually abused in their lifetime. and depression.

1 in 4

Social Support Empowerment and reconnection in the midst of helplessness can help with recovery.

SOURCE: Deaf Iowans Against Abuse

ion

rse

Ruth

The process of healing

plos x E

mo Re

It’s kind of like Stockholm Syndrome. Even though the abuser hurts you when no one is around, you still try to love them.

Understanding Abuse Guilt, apologies, promises, justification of incorrect behaviors,and excuses

The Cycle of Abuse

on ns i e T

Domestic violence is physical and emotional. It’s a crime to hit someone or hurt them but it’s cruel to emotionally abuse someone.

Statchura said. “There was a bunch of outcry from people saying that male victims were not real and that men weren’t victims at all.

This got the shelter shut down. I definitely think that there are a lot more men that can be victims that don’t get the same amount of representation.”

Fighting abuse in relationships is often viewed as a fine line.

However, it’s not always black and white, more often it’s viewed as a spectrum.

“I really feel like male victims of abuse don’t get the treatment they deserve,” Statchura said. “Female victims are always talked about since we tend to believe the dynamic of male abusers and female victims so when the script is flipped, we don’t have a way to respond to it. We don’t have the same conscience or the same perspective.”

More often than not, domestic violence follows a specific power dynamic between all genders. Power dynamics are best characterized by imbalances in a relationship where one person holds something over the other to manipulate them. According to Psychology Today, men and women’s voices differ when it comes to confronting abuse.

Diminishing one voice over the other continues a cycle of silence.

“With the Johnny Depp trial, we can see ‘hey, even male celebrities can be victims, they can be damaged,” Statchura said.”I hope that this case will change our consciousness about male domestic violence.”

Even when the violence subsides, many are left to pick up the pieces of their mental health. Guidance counselor Hunter Ruffin explains the aftermath of abuse.

“It definitely makes it hard to trust people and feel worthy or secure in a relationship,” Ruffin said. “It can be hard to feel like that person won’t hurt them in any way. It just makes a person feel not worthy of those genuine relationships. Another thing that could happen is that these situations can make someone more hostile to future relationships. If they were never taught an appropriate way to manage their aggression then there is a chance that they could become an abuser as well.”

The pattern of controlling, threatening, and degrading behavior that comes with domestic violence is viewed as just that. But there’s an element of abuse that tends to get overlooked; financial abuse.

“So one of the things, I think happens is a lot of times women get locked into not having the ability to support themselves,” AP Macroeconomics teacher Ruth Narvaiz said. “So the abuser can control everything they do because he’s got all the financial resources.

Therefore, an abused person is stuck and they don’t have any kind of way to escape. Oftentimes, they don’t have their own money. Sometimes they don’t have their own bank accounts. And so they have no way to get out of abusive situations.”

Getting away from oppressive relationships while in isolation is displayed in the media in many different ways. According to Narvaiz, mental abuse makes it also really difficult sometimes to break through abuse unlike how the media shows.

“I always think of movies like ‘Sleeping With the Enemy,’ where the women come back and they’ve learned how to do karate and they have all of these skills,” Narvaiz said. “I think they’ve made it look unrealistic and easier to escape than it really is.”

These preconceptions of abuse created by the public can be grounds for victim blaming. The Atlantic defines victim blaming as the act of invalidating one’s involvement with a crime or accident, favoring the criminal’s rationality over the victim’s experience.

“If you’re being financially controlled, You don’t have a way to go learn how to swim and get away from your abuser,” Narvaiz said.

“The media makes it look perhaps like it’s easier to get out of the situation I have seen people say things to rape victims like ‘Well?

Were you wearing something skimpy?’ or ‘Did you lead them on?’ I think that’s part of maybe an old kind of gender roles stereotype that people still kind of hold on to.”

Barriers caused by financial abuse, according to Women’s Aid, don’t rely on physical proximity so it can continue after separation. These barriers make it more likely for women or men to continue in unhealthy relationships, increasing the risk of danger to the victim.

“They say people choose the same kinds of partners over and over again,” Narvaiz said. “So once you’ve selected an abuser, you’re more likely Ruth Narvaiz to be in an abusive relationAP Macroeconomics ship again. I think it’s almost impossible to recover from financial abuse. Unless you purposefully select an education or a career goal that allows you to build your own financial freedom, you can get stuck.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence around 21-60% of victims lose their jobs due to the effects of abuse.

Speaking from personal experience, Narvaiz addressed how domestic abuse can leave someone trapped.

“My niece was in an abusive relationship and she got out and then I was so proud of her because she went to nursing school,” Narvaiz said “She was able to support herself and graduate, now she’s a physician’s assistant, working in an emergency room and making good money. Unfortunately, not everybody is able to do this.”

Not everyone can say they went to nursing school to pick themselves off their feet. According to WomensAid, About 32% of their respondents stated that their own money was controlled by their abusers.

“Get professional help, not just with the abuse, but with finances,” Narvaiz said. “Find someone who can help you deal with your finances. You probably will have debt so they will need a debt advisor to aid with that. They may even need to declare bankruptcy and move on. They will need financial advice, not just try to figure it out themselves.”

Getting help from other resources is one of the steps one can take to free themselves from abusive situations. Whether it’s financial, legal, or supportive, like therapy, all can aid in the process of moving on.

“Abuse makes someone vulnerable, getting help is a vulnerable thing,’’ Statchura said. “We don’t really see the media portray men getting out of these relationships in healthy ways or in any positive way. It’s always stigmatized. I’m really hoping that things will shift our perspective and make the media believe that ‘hey, getting help, is what needs to happen no matter who’s getting abused, no matter their gender, or who they are.’ It’s okay for somebody to get help.

It’s okay for somebody to be vulnerable.”

”

Each day, you walk down the halls and see the same thing. Regularly you see two people walking close, maybe even holding hands, suddenly you see as they fall into a disagreement. Just before they walk into class, they leave each other with a bitter goodbye. You’re unable to see why they became boyfriend and girlfriend in the first place. But they won’t break it off, they won’t end things before they get ugly. That’s because they already are.

This is the common pipeline of domestic violence for men and women in America.

But it gets more complicated when they have to get out, really, they need to get out. When they finally face their fears, survivors are left wondering, “what now?” Confronting their abuser, only for those to view their relationship like a one-sided dice, seeing every abusive relationship the same. Many are led to believe that men are always the ones who abuse. Or, women are to blame for not getting out of the relationship before things got violent. Before they threatened her about what would happen when she tried to leave, like she should’ve known better.

“I know that controlling and gaslighting occurs in high school relationships,” senior Maddie Savasky said. “Gaslighting is misleading someone and making them question their perception. It’s manipulation. The person manipulating is doing it to have control over the other, and to make themselves feel better, all of which are lies. I feel like domestic violence is physical and emotional.”

Most recently, the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial has put these dynamics in the limelight. In 2018, when the Washington Post published an editorial written

by Heard, Depps’ faced a lot of public backlash on an alleged claim of domestic violence.

While Depp’s name was not mentioned in the article, four days after it was published, Disney removed Depp from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” five-film fran-

chise.

“I think that the worst part is just hearing how horrible Heard has been to Johnny,’’ junior Jake Statchura said. “The fact that Depp’s career was ruined and she was okay with that is disgusting.

She didn’t just ‘kind of ruin’ his career, she totaled it. But then she just went on to star in ‘Aquaman 2.’ Even after all that, she came out saying that she was hurt. It’s not right.”

In Heard’s article, titled “I Spoke Up Against Domestic Violence,” she wrote about becoming a public figure representing abuse. However, in 2022, Depp’s testimony in court against Heard brings light to how her words may not be true.

“There were no repercussions for her behavior,” Statchura said. “She’s not going Maddie Savasky to be anything other than a narSenior cissist. She’s lying to everyone.

She’s not taking it seriously. I definitely feel like he should go back to getting the roles that he deserves. Since she’s getting sued I don’t think she should be getting roles. Instead of roles, she should be getting prison time.”

According to the ManKind Initiative, one in three victims of abuse is male. With the ManKind Initiative Helpline, 64% would have never called if the service was not anonymous.

“I remember reading that there was this shelter made for male victims of abuse that opened in New York,”

”

Isabella del Nido Double Truck Editor

Affection, Adoration, gift giving, and helpful comments to make spouse have empathy for them The

“Honeymoon”

SOURCE: National Library of Medicine

19% Reach out:

Of abuse involves a weapon used against someone else

Domestic Abuse Hotline-Austin: 800-799-7233 SMS “START” to: 88788

Center for Victims of Crime: 202-467-8700 Women are sexually abused in their lifetime.

SOURCE: US Department of Justice

National Dating Abuse Hotline: 866-331-9474 ART BY Isabella del Nido

10 SPORTS

THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

NBA teams begin push for Larry O’Brien Trophy Ben Tillisch Sports Editor Questions? Concerns? Email: bowie.journalism@gmail.com

Tipping off on April 12, the Eastern and Western Conference Play-in games, a 2021 addition to the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff format, prefaced the first round match-ups that officially commence the competitive quest to conquer the NBA and raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

In the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets secured the 7-seed following a disappointing season. Then, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers to solidify their spot in the playoffs as an 8-seed.

The Hawks’ run was short lived though, as the 2020 NBA Championship finalists Miami Heat led by defensive-minded coach Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler bested the Hawks within five games in a best-of-seven series. Similarly, the Nets were quickly sent home, being the only team to be swept (losing the series 4-0) in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans competed for the 7-seed and 8-seed spot in the playoffs.

After an electrifying game between Clippers and Timberwolves, 2021 rookie of the year candidate Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns led their team to the 7-seed with the help of Patrick Beverly’s inducing and charismatic presence. Then, the Pelicans affixed their spot as the Western Conference 8-seed after taking down the Spurs and Clippers.

Like their Eastern Conference play-in counter-parts, the Pelicans managed to take league favorites Phoenix Suns to game six before being sent home, and the Timberwolves fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in a fierce match-up between young talent.

Other Western Conferences first round match-ups include the battle between the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz in which Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to a series victory within six games.

Then MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were bested by the Golden State Warriors in six games as well.

Following their first round victory, the Mavericks duked it out with the Suns. Veteran Chris Paul and elite scorer Devin Booker led the Suns to a commanding 2-0 lead before Doncic rallied the Mavericks, defeating the Suns in Phoenix in game seven in blowout fashion.

Despite Paul’s excellent Hall of Fame career, his resume still lacks a championship.

Then, the Warriors continued their dominance in the playoffs, sending the 2-seed Grizzlies home in six games. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies lacked star player and NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Ja Morant following a crucial injury sustained in game three of the series.

In the East, reigning champions, the Milwaukee Bucks moved on to the second round after beating the Chicago Bulls in a five game series. The Bucks then turned their attention to the Celtics. Lasting seven games, Giannis Antetokounmpo made a historical effort but fell short, as the young core of the Celtics were victorious against the athletically dominant champions.

The 2-seed Celtics will now face-off against the 1-seed Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The young core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart will battle against the established playoff force of Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo. The Western Conference Finals will be played between the Doncic and Brunson partnership of the 4-seed Mavericks and the 3-seed Warriors’ led by the dominant playoff force of the ‘splash brothers’. The winner of each best-of-seven series will compete for the chance to be crowned as the 2022 NBA champions.

Juniors sponsor donation fund Athletes Izzy Detrich and Wes Warmink gather old sports equipment Ben Tillisch Sports Editor

zation sparked our motivation to collect what we could to give girls a fair opportunity in trying Progression of sports’ rules new sports.” and regulation over the years of Inspired to help others, Detlongstanding fierce competition rich and Warmink worked to has inevitably generated more broaden their activism hoping advanced, protective equipment to aid in the indirect developthat grant athletes the freedom ment of young female athletes to perform their craft to the in the greater Austin area. best of their ability without Following a period of estabconcern of injury. lishment and spreading their Junior soccer player Izzy message and ideas, Detrich is Detrich experienced the privconfident that the donation ilege of sufficient equipment has made positive impacts on a on the pitch, as she bolted variety of female athletes. along the sideline carrying the “It was a little hard to ball and dodging defenders. spread the word of our idea Closing in on the goal and her at first,” Detrich said. “And teammate’s shouted motivation without the help of others, we echoing in her ears, Detrich wouldn’t be receiving much raised her eyes, locking in on to donate. But, since then, our the desired target. donation has spread to many of Winding up, Detrich readthe female sports programs and ied to strike the ball but was even some service clubs here at stopped short by an opponent’s Bowie. We recently expanded crushing tackle that left her on to gather gently used donations the turf grasping for her leg. from Gorzycki Middle School The presence of an adequate as well.” shin guard was Detrich’s only After the creation of their defense from a near-broken leg. donation fund, Warmink began Because of this moment, to fully comprehend the imporDetrich, with the help of her tance and privilege of proper mom and junior teammate equipment in sports. Detrich’s Wes Warmink, took action teammate and partner, Warmto improve the availability ink describes the stimulus for of proper equipment for less founding their shared donation. fortunate children with athletic “We started our donation aspirations. The two junior drive mostly because it was my soccer players believed equipfriend’s mom’s idea but we had ment should not be the barrier kind of been talking about the that halts an athlete’s dreams contrast in equipment between and thereby formed a donation some middle schools since we of sports equipment to middle were in middle school,” Warmschool and high school athletes ink said. “I feel like I hadn’t across the city. really thought about how much “Sports have been one of harder it would be to play a my passions for as long as I sport without proper equipcan remember,” Detrich said. ment like “Throughout shoes, athletic my midclothes, etc. dle school Now that it’s experience what we’re at Gorzyccollecting ki, I had a those things lot of fun it’s made me trying out realize how new sports important and playthose things ing against are to have to different get better.” schools. I Warmink was lucky continued the enough to discussion of Wes Warmink have all the the basis and Co-Entrepreneur right equipprinciples of ment needed the donations to perform by mentioning my best in these sports. Howher and Detrich’s primary goal ever, that’s not the case for of allowing younger athletes to all schools. Whenever players experience a sport to its fullest don’t have the right resources, as a result of ample equipment. they are set at an automatic “We hope that the gently disadvantage, which creates an used equipment makes it easier unfair playing field. This realito grow in the sport,” Warmink

”

ATHLETES ASSERT

Students shouldn’t have to make a choice to not compete or not be involved in a team just because of the lack of equipment...

”

MAKING A CHANGE: Juniors Izzy Detrich and Wes Warmink stand by their donation bin for gently used sports equipment in the girls’ locker room. The pair of athletes distribute the equipment to aspiring female athletes around the city. PHOTO BY Ben Tillisch

said. “It’s definitely put into perspective how lucky I am with all the equipment that is offered at Bowie and to me.

Students shouldn’t have to make a choice to not compete or not be involved in a team just because of the lack of equipment availability, so we hope that the donations offer an opportunity for that.”

Detrich builds off of Warmink by specifying that they intend to gather a variety of sports equipment, not just equipment needed for soccer, the sport the two partners predominantly participate in. A donation box located in the girls’ locker room, Detrich wishes for young female athletes to pursue their dreams freely without restrictions such as faulty equipment.

“The purpose of creating our donation drive was to collect as much useful sports equipment from female athletes at Bowie

to then donate to some middle school girls around Austin who may not have easy access to these materials (things like soccer cleats, shin guards, volleyball shoes, knee pads, track spikes, etc.),” Detrich said. “Through this we hope to allow young girls to chase their dreams without interruption.”

Detrich describes the difference between participating in volunteer work and personally forming a platform to help others. The junior furthers this by mentioning the feeling of fulfillment after improving the situation of aspiring student-athletes.

“I have participated in many kinds of community service, but have never started a donation drive,” Detrich said. “It has been an awesome experience so far seeing peers help donate and see our collection of equipment grow. We have made one delivery to a coach

at Bertha Sadler Means all-girls middle school. And it was so nice for us to see young girls excited for a box full of athletic shoes.”

Having created a donation fund to promote the development of young athletes with similar interests to her, Detrich believes that the donation has not only had a positive effect on her peers but has been very impactful in her own growth.

“This donation really made me realize how lucky some of us should feel for having many of these beneficial resources handed to you,” Detrich said.

“It has been an enjoyable experience for us seeing our teammates and friends support us by donating any unused or extra equipment. We will carry our donation into next year as the sports seasons begin again, and we hope to keep expanding so that we can donate to more middle schools.”

Lacrosse senior captain competing in college Natalie Cullen Online Editor-in-Chief

Eyes intently watching the match unfold, girls lacrosse senior captain Reese Wilson stands strong as the last line of defense between the opposing team and the goal. An opposing player glides past her defense and Wilson tenses as the rubber ball hurtles at lightning pace toward her goal.

Bang!

The ball is saved, and Wilson feels a wave of relief after preventing the other team from scoring. Breathing deep, Wilson allows her heart beat to slow, and following the adrenaline rush, Wilson, by rule, has four seconds to pass the ball or run out of her crease before being penalized.

As a goalie, Wilson’s primary role is to prevent the ball from making it into the goal. As a captain, Wilson’s role is even greater, for it is her responsibility to encourage and lead her team on and off the field.

“I wanted to be somewhere more aggressive, plus I’ve always liked the leader dynamic of it,” Wilson said. “I feel like a really big essential role of being on defense is hearing everyone and communicating with everybody else.”

Wilson has been one of the team captains for the past two years. After years of being in division one, the team moved down to division two.

“Last year was hard because I was the only junior captain and we had two seniors after graduating eight seniors,” Wilson said. “It was just like a really big shift for me personally especially after us being like the top team in division one my sophomore year.”

Wilson has committed to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado to continue her academic and athletic career. Wilson made the decision to play on a team in Division 2 in order to focus more time on exercise science, her major.

“I didn’t want to go somewhere super huge like Austin,” Wilson said. “I just wanted to go somewhere a bit more calm so I could just focus on myself and

not have as many distractions. It was really nice being able to find somewhere where I was able to get academic, athletic, and a housing waiver.”

The team is coached by Marissa Eirheart, who believes that Reese made a positive impact on the team and is excited to see her career continue.

“Reese’s passion for the game of lacrosse is above and beyond most,” Eirheart said. “She held herself and her teammates to high standards which made everyone around her better players. Her mixture of fun and seriousness will be missed on and off the field.”

Wilson’s teammates are saddened to see her leave, but are excited to see her begin a new lacrosse journey. Sophomore Maly Janicek thanks Wilson for pushing the team to success.

“I think Reese’s impact on the team has been nothing but beneficial,” Janicek said. “She’s always so supportive and inclusive of everyone. She’s a natural born leader who has a strong sense of personal responsibility for change and success.”

The process of applying and committing to colleges is challenging for many student-athletes. Wilson started the process her freshman year by joining travel club teams and the ​​ Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) program to gain collegiate exposure.

“I didn’t want to wait until senior year to figure all of that out,” Wilson said. “I needed to be committing somewhere for the school and not for the coach. You don’t want to commit somewhere for the coach because you know if they quit you don’t want to be stuck somewhere you don’t want to be just because the coach left.”

In college, Wilson aspires to minor in coaching classes to continue her involvement with lacrosse after graduation.

“When I do go to get my masters or my grad I can go to a school and I can be an assistant coach for a college team which I think would be super fun,” Wilson said. “I feel like I’ll still really miss that whole dynamic of sports and being with teams and stuff.”

PROTECTING THE NET: Girls’ lacrosse senior captain and goalie Reese Wilson prepares herself to block an opposing shot. Wilson plans to play lacrosse at a Division 2 college in the fall. PHOTO COURTESY OF Reese Wilson

After the long process of committing to a college, Wilson describes and atmosphere she prepares for at the collegiate level in Colorado.

“When you are on the field there is like a full 360 degree view of the mountain range and the snow,” Wilson said. “Nothing else in Colorado beats that view.”

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR A VIDEO INTERVIEW:

SPORTS 11

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

End of an era for Bulldog Basketball

Coach Celester Collier retires after 31 years coaching at Bowie Sam Vane Sports Editor CC. When people hear those two letters, CC, they usually think of closed captions, or carbon copy on an email, but in central Texas, CC means something else. It means Celester Collier.

Collier has changed many lives of his players, one of these is sophomore forward Braeden Spinden.

“Coach Collier always expects a lot out of his players so you always had to give it your all,” Spinden said. “He definitely has made me a better person off and on the court because I always have to make sure I am on top of my grades and I have been working a lot harder on the court.”

Collier has been coaching Bowie for a long time, 31 years to be exact.

During this time he’s really figured out how to get the most out of his players.

“I think players have to know that you care about them and that they know that you care about them,” Collier said. “You can get a lot out of your players.”

Spinden can affirm this claim as Collier is always there for his players.

“Anytime someone on the team is sick, coach is always calling them and checking in on them to make sure they are ok,” Spinden said.

Collier, who has over 800 wins is one of the best in the business and knows how to win and connect with players like Spinden.

“You know what’s important is building relationships with students and kids,” Collier said. “The reason why I have that many wins is because I’ve had good students and I’ve had good players, and you know, I got a lot of wins, but it’s because I’ve had good players.”

Coaching has always been apart of Collier’s life as while at Texas State he was the youngest NCAA Division 1 basketball coach.

“I became the head coach. I was the youngest Division 1 head coach in the country at the time: was I ready for that position? No. Was it a great learning experience for me? Yes,” Collier said. “And it’s hard to turn down when they offer you that position, but I learned a lot and it kind of helped mold me and shaped me and humbled me at the same time.”

Many would think the college basketball scene would be completely different than high school, but this isn’t the case according to Collier.

“Basketball is basketball, it wasn’t that big of a difference. The difference

is in recruiting. You got to travel all over the country and find players and you got to convince players to come to your school,” Collier said. “And so that’s the big difference. But basketball is basketball.”

Collier isn’t just an outstanding coach as he is in two ring of honors, Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) and Parish Junior College.

“What a great honor, to have your alma mater recognize you as an outstanding student athlete and player of that college and university,” Collier said. “I was just excited about that opportunity knowing that a lot of the hard work that I put in when I was there, somebody recognized it and it was a blessing because at Southwest Texas State my college coach is the one that introduced me and inducted me into the Hall of Honor at Southwest Texas.”

His induction in Parish Junior College’s ring of honor was very important as Collier’s coach had passed away before his induction.

“When I was at Parish, the Dean of Students who I knew very well inducted me into that Hall of Honor because my college coach at the time had passed away,” Collier said. “So it was kind of bittersweet. But his wife was there and she received his honor.

So yeah, that was a blessing.”

Collier isn’t the only great coach at Bowie as assistant coach Howard Thompson also has what it takes to be a great coach.

“Maybe we might not make the playoffs but you just to see improvement; you see productivity from our work, or what we have done, you know as coaches you want to instill character in an athlete, but you want to instill the mindset of trying to get better, and then accepting what the results are,” Thompson said. “And hopefully the results are positive and productive and sometimes, you know, reaching that high standard goal, you know, you might not reach it, but there are some goals that you did reach that are satisfying, not only to that athlete, but also the coaches also.”

Thompson and Collier go way back as both used to play sports in the Lone Star conference.

“We both were in the Lone Star conference back in the day: I played football for Howard Payne and he played basketball for Southwest Texas in the same conference,” Thompson said. “So he had a lot of friends that were my friends from my hometown and they were talking about me, so he came to football games to watch me

AN ARTIST AT WORK: Coach Collier coaches Bowie to a win against St. Andrews Episcopal School in 2019. Collier was a very vocal coach on the sidelines with his players, leading them to many wins over the years. PHOTO BY Peter Dang play, and when he came to Howard Payne University to play basketball where I was I’d watched him play; we really didn’t know of each other, but just about each other.”

Thompson and Collier are both African-American and because of the lack of minority coaches both are role models in the community.

“I think it comes with maturity and

Quick Stats:

Over 800 wins over 30 years 2006 Statesman Coach of the Year

Led Bowie to first regional tournament in 25 years ART BY Isabella del Nido

age; I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve had some success, I’ve always been taught that if you work hard and you put in the effort, you do it the right way, that’s what I try to tell young coaches,” Collier said. “Make sure that you’re doing things the right way, make sure you always put the students and your players first and if you do that, then everything else will fall in place.”

Collier is no different than everyone else, as he also had many role models who helped him get to where he is today.

“I had good parents, my parents were my role model, my mom and my dad always taught me to treat people the way I wanted to be treated and I had great upbringing and so I owe a lot of that to my parents,” Collier said.

“And when I got older and started playing high school sports, I had really good coaches: My high school coach was a great role model for me and he was the one that got me interested in and maybe becoming a coach, so I was blessed.”

Thompson, who has been coaching longer than Collier at Bowie has

always cherished his time with Collier.

“I was honored that he chose me to be his JV coach because to be honest with you before he came I was a freshman basketball coach, but then when he said, Coach, I want to move you up to be my JV coach, and we’ll get a freshman coach,” Thompson said.

Because of Collier’s long tenure as head coach, he’s had a few moments that stand above the rest like leading Bowie to the regional tournament.

“I guess to name a few is when we played over at Burger center several years ago, against Lake Travis to see who would go to regionals and Lake Travis had beat us twice during district that year,” Collier said. “And it was a packed gym over at Burger center and we ended up beating Lake Travis to go to a regional tournament.”

Collier isn’t alone in sharing great moments as Spinden has already created long lasting memories with the team.

“My favorite moments are either our really in depth post-game conversations, or going out to eat as a team, I will always remember them” Spinden said.

Lady Bulldogs softball continues playoff success Kate Davis Feature Editor

Sitting on the bus on the way to Corpus Christi Texas, music blasting over the speakers, the Bowie varsity softball team prepares to play their Regional Semifinal series, on their journey to the UIL softball state championships.

With district record of 12-3 and a placement of second in district, the team moved onto the playoffs. Their first game was against Vandegrift high school, which they won 8-4.

“It felt great winning that game because it gave us the motivation for our next game. As we move on we can keep perfecting the little things and be able to go far,” sophomore team member Julianna Dankert said. “As a team we feel very confident going on to the next game. We need to keep the energy high, and do the things we know how to do.”

The team played their second game against Judson High School, winning 4-2, making Bowie the area champions. This was the first time the team had beat Judson in three years.

“Coming out on top was the best possible outcome,” junior team member Emmersyn Villa said. “There were a lot of jitters before the game so this win was huge. I feel that as long as we keep playing lights out ball we should sweep the next series.”

Not only did this win allow the team to move on to the next round, it was a large morale lifter for the team, and boosted their confidence going into the next game.

“It was one of the best feelings in the world,” Villa said. “Judson has eliminated us for the past

three years and we finally came out on top.”

Mentality is an important part of softball, and the Lady ‘Dawgs have found that the right attitude towards the game has been a key part of their success.

“We feed off of one another’s energy and our success as a team,” Dankert said. “Every time we achieve a goal we’ve worked really hard for, or beat a really difficult team it boosts our confidence so much and we play better because of it.”

During the next round in playoffs, the team faced Lake Travis high school, where they won the first game of the series 12-6.

“It felt really good to go out there and just play. Our team had so much energy and confidence,” senior member Emma Solis said. “I know that as a team we are looking to go out there today and shut them down and get ready for next week.”

In the next game of the series against Lake Travis, the team won 13-3, advancing them onto to the next round, and giving them the title of Regional Quarterfinal Champs. The team won on terms of the mercy rule, meaning that the game was stopped early due to the team gaining too many points.

“It felt great to beat Lake Travis,” senior team member Olivia Moreno said. “I think as a team after beating Judson we gained a lot of confidence and dominated round three.”

While the team is excited about having done so well in the playoffs this far, some athletes are feeling the pressure to continue their success.

“There is always pressure to do well, and I think this year I have felt it the most,” Solis said.

“Each game I want to do better than the last for

BATTER UP: Senior Lauren Youngblood steps up to the plate in a monumental game for the Lady Bulldogs. The varsity softball team is still actively playing in playoffs, beating Judson, the team they lost to last year in round 5. PHOTO BY Nick Wood

my team and it’s hard to” On Saturday May 21, the Lady ‘Dawgs are scheduled to play their first game of the Regional Semi Final series against Weslaco High School.

Going into the game, the Weslaco Panthers have an overall record of 32-6, while the Bulldogs enter the game at 24-7.

“Going into the sweet sixteen round of the playoffs we feel really prepared,” Moreno said.

“Hopefully all of our preparation pays off and we come out with the win. We want this so bad and we’ve worked so hard for it. We’re all just hoping that we can do what we need to do and come out on top.”

12 ENTERTAINMENT THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

Theatre class takes it back to the 80’s

Bowie Musical Theatre Ensemble showcases their very first student-directed class musical Amilia Velez Entertainment Editor Lights hit the stage and the audience roars. Cast members scramble backstage to put finishing touches on their hair and makeup. The moment to showcase all of the hard work put in by choreographers, directors, performers, and tech crew had arrived.

The Bowie Musical Theatre Ensemble performed four shows of Back To The ‘80s in the Bowie theatre. The musical centers around the main lead Corey as he reminisces on his senior year of high school. He relives his experiences from class elections to prom.

Musical theater teacher, Marco Bazan, describes his inspiration for picking the musical.

“I always try to find musicals, especially class musicals, which feature as many s​ tudents as possible,” Bazan said.

“I want to give them acting opportunities they may not always get in our Fine Arts Musical. It’s a fun show that I’ve produced before, so I knew it would be a good time for both the performers and the audience.”

This show had a unique twist that made its mark in the musical theatre class.

“This was the first class musical that was completely student-directed, designed, and choreographed,” Bazan said. “I was incredibly impressed and proud of what they accomplished.”

Senior Daniel Bamdad was selected to direct and produce the musical alongside his creative team. Bamdad got his start in acting in seventh grade when he performed in his first musical.

“I was always interested in acting just from watching Disney channel,” Bamdad said. “After my mom put me in my first acting class, I immediately knew that performing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Around sophomore year I discovered directing. I still really enjoy performing, but directing is definitely what I feel stronger in.”

With Bamdad being the first to direct a class musical in Bowie history, he knew that it was important to set a good precedent.

“I think directing the musical was a very unique experience,” Bamdad said.

“For me, it was a way of storytelling and expression.”

According to Bamdad, the process of directing and planning a show starts by having a vision and getting it down on paper.

“I like to have the physical movement of the show tell as much of a story as the lines in the script do,” Bamdad said. “It’s definitely a process that takes a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding when you get to see your ideas and concepts come to life on stage.”

After Bamdad had his vision, he got into the details and grunt work needed to pull off the show.

“In some scenes, I knew that I wanted something very specific for blocking/ staging so I would mark up my script before rehearsal,” Bamdad said.

“In other scenes, I liked to go by the natural movement of the actors and allow them to contribute to the blocking.

Directing is definitely a collaborative effort at times.”

Since none of the cast members personally experienced the ‘80s, a lot of planning had to go into portraying the time period in the correct way.

“I knew that the audience would include people who grew up and experienced the ‘80s,” Bamdad said. “It was definitely a goal of mine to give them some nostalgia. I was pretty proud of being accurate to the time period with the mannerisms, dance moves, and costumes.”

According to Bamdad, the roles in

SHARING A SMILE: The cast of the musical performs a dance number. The cast has been preparing for this show for many weeks during their class period.

PHOTO BY Austin Ikard

STRIKING A POSE: Jason Forst and Javier Lozano perform in a musical number for the show. Forst plays the lead, Corey, a man who goes back in time to relive his high school experience. PHOTO BY Austin Ikard

this show were different from most musicals the class performs.

“We all played characters our own age which we don’t get to do often,” Bamdad said. “This show also has more featured characters so it was nice to see people get opportunities they haven’t gotten before.”

Along with directing, choreography is an essential part of any production. Junior Emma Flores shared her experience as co-choreographer for the musical.

“My friend Lucy and I got the opportunity to choreograph a lot of the musical,” Flores said. “We would go through all the musical numbers and decide what we wanted to do. After collaborating on the pieces, we would teach and stage them.”

The musical included many ‘80s pop hits including Total Eclipse of the Heart, Kids in America, Walking on Sunshine, and Love Shack. According to Flores, choreography varies differently in songs and it is important to take into account the rhythm and the message they were trying to portray.

“I was really proud of choreographing Material Girl,” Flores said.

“The other choreographer was out and I didn’t have a concrete plan. The number ended up looking really cool on stage.”

The musical theatre class only meets two or three times a week, so the group had to come up with ways to ensure the musical would be ready in time to perform for an audience. The class utilized FIT sessions and after-school practices. Bamdad also had to take on new roles due to some kids dropping out of the class.

“Putting on a theatre show is truly a team effort and will only work if everyone is a team player,” Bamdad said.

“At the beginning, we only practiced in class, so it forced us to move pretty quickly.”

The spring semester is jam-packed for theatre members. Collectively, they produced senior shows, senior oneacts, and spring shows within the span of a few months.

“Time is always a challenge for any production, but more so with a class

production,” Bazan said. “Because we had limited stage time to prepare, it was extra stressful getting it up and running.​We were able to overcome those obstacles and put on a great show.”

According to Bamdad, a theatre show can only be successful if the cast is bonded.

“As a group, we really pulled it together,” Bamdad said. “We hyped each other up backstage and really made sure everyone was having a good experience.”

Theatre closes a chapter as Back to the ’80s is one of the last shows for the 2021-2022 school year. Next year the theatre program will experience some shifts as they transition to the new fine arts building.

“Overall I think the show was really successful,” Bamdad said. “It wasn’t perfect, but that was never my goal as a director. My goal for this production was just to make sure the cast and the audience were having fun. I feel like I achieved both and that’s all I could really ask for.”

Summer 2022 brings anticipated shows and movies Alex Edwards Dispatch Reporter

It’s summer. The school’s halls are empty, the air is warm, and free time is rampant. One way many teens fill that free time is by watching new movies and TV. But which movies and which TV shows?

One highly anticipated show is Stranger Things 4. After delays to production because of COVID-19, the fourth season of the critically acclaimed Netflix series will be released on May 27. This is not all however, for the first time in the series the second half of the season will come out five weeks later on July 1. With this being the first season in almost three years, sophomore Riley Belkin described her excitement for the upcoming season and all of the potential that it has.

“I really like the show and the plot,” Belkin said. “I’m excited for what the next season is going to bring and what the directors are going to do for it.”

On the same day, May 27, the first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be available to stream. Following the success of the Mandelorian, this series will be set around the classic Star Wars character the show’s named after. The most recent release of The Book of Boba Fett had Star Wars fans divided, so the new series has high expectations. The show will have six episodes released every Friday.

Freshman Ben Gardener-King

ON O S G N I M O C May 27 ason Four-

ings Se Stranger Th e 10 minion- Jun o D d rl o W Jurassic 5 under- July h T d n a e v Thor: Lo

ART BY Alex Edwards

described his apprehension for the release of the new show.

“I am excited but I’m also not,” Gardner-King said. “If they went the way they did with The Mandelorian it’s probably going to be really good, but because of The Book of Boba Fett and how disappointing it was, I’m

worried they’re going to screw it up too.”

In addition to these shows, the beginning of summer also includes the release of Top Gun: Maverick. This movie is a sequel to the classic 1986 film Top Gun, coming exclusively to theaters on May 27. Junior Eva

Moore expressed her excitement as a fan of the original movie.

“I’m excited for the new Top Gun movie because I really enjoyed the first one and the trailers look really really cool,” Moore said. “It looks like a lot of work went into making it look as genuine and exciting as

possible.”

On June 10, a new film in the iconic Jurassic Park franchise releases, titled Jurassic World Dominion. This sequel is a direct sequel to 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and is said to be the last in the series.

Sophomore Skye Farris ex-

plained her experience with the series and her feelings towards the new installment.

“I’m really excited for the new Jurassic Park movie because I’ve seen all the rest of them and they’re really good,” Farris said.

“Every time a new Jurassic Park movie comes out my family all watches it together.”

A little later in the summer on July 8, the new Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder, will be in theaters. This movie sees the return of director Taika Waiti, who directed the previous Thor film and will continue the story set up in Avengers: Endgame.

Freshman Ben Kaplan stated why the Thor films stand out to him.

“I don’t really watch many superhero movies but it looks interesting,” Kaplan said. “The Thor movies have always stood out to me compared to the rest of the Marvel franchise. It kind of has a supernatural aspect about it compared to Spider-Man or Iron Man movies.”

In addition to those releases, this summer’s lineup also includes Lightyear, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Umbrella Academy season 3, and Minions: The Rise of Gru, making this summer an exciting time to watch movies and TV. “Watching movies in the summer is always a better experience because you can meet up with friends any time,” sophomore Noah Bihan said.

“The movies are also usually fun and things we can all enjoy.”

coming UP in ENTERTAINMENT June 8 Machine Gun Kelly Concert June 23-24 Float Fest

June 12 Barton Hills Choir Show June 24 5 Seconds of Summer Concert

June 19 Juneteenth Parade and Celebration June 26 Denzel Curry Concert

REVIEWS 13

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

New reality TV draws viewers in

Austin Adventures with Angela Shows on streaming services are entertaining, yet damaging to mental health

ART IN AUSTIN: People observe the local take on modern art at the Blanton Museum of Art. PHOTO BY Angela Le

wouldn’t even be half as popular if Deemed in the top-five most it wasn’t for Twitter, Instagram, and watched reality TV shows, KeepTikTok. ing up with the Kardashians has From rhinoplasties to breast augtaken America by storm. The show premiered since 2007, has been run- mentations, there is a mass amount of cosmetic surgeries portrayed in ning for 20 seasons, and in June of the show that may create insecuri2021 the show ended . It is currentties within the younger audience. ly one of the longest running reality In just the United States alone, over TV shows in America, and fans just five million people have a Body Dyscan’t keep getting enough of the morphic Disorder, and some major show. The cast of Keeping news sources such as mentalup with the Kardashians health.org argue that reality have contributed heavily TV has contributed to this to pop culture, fashion, statistic. Teens today already and so much more since struggle with body image, it first started airing. and shows such as Keeping Many of the viewers up with the Kardashians are captivated by the aren’t helping. family’s rivalries, Looking back to the luxury outings, actual show, the idea and social media of following around a scandals. rich American family In the show, is very cliché. This the audience wraps back around to watches the the fact that the show lives of a rich is very reliant on American family social media to keep throughout their them relevant. There day-to-day lives are countless reality in Los Angeles, TV shows just like California. The Keeping Up With series revolves The Kardashians around Kris such as Real HouseJenner, Kim wives Of Beverly Kardashian, Hills, Summer Kylie JenHouse, and Lifener, Kendall styles Of The Rich Jenner, Khloe And Famous.

Kardashian, Although Keeping and Kourtney up with the KarKardashian. dashians has a large fan The show has also base ranging in all ages, featured guests there are some aspects such as Oprah Winof the show that outfrey, Ryan Seacrest, weigh the typical need to Addison Rae, and Jeff just have entertainment.

Dunham.

After watching a couAlthough the ple episodes of Keeping show has a plethora up with the Kardashians of positive reviews, and Selling Sunset, there there are some aspects are some memorable to the show that go attributes to take note beyond what the fans of as a writer for this can see, or choose to story. The show is able realize. For one, the to maintain the focus show is heavily reliant of the viewer by always on social media to incorporating current keep it afloat. And in world events into the a different reality, shows.

Keeping up with ART BY Claire Scott the Kardashians

bers of audiences of these shows have.

But for what it is worth, if you think that twenty minutes of a dopamine rush from a reality TV show is more valuable than actually knowing and educating yourself about the struggles behind reality TV for its viewers, then that is your choice.

SELLING SUNSET Streaming on Netflix, Selling Sunset has taken the reality TV world by storm with their 72% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and 6.4/10 IMDb rating. The show has been streaming since March of 2019, with a total of five seasons currently out on Netflix.

Within the show, the series revolves around the Oppenheim Group located in Los Angeles.

The Oppenheim Group is a real estate group made up of eight cast members, and the audience gets to take a peek into their daily lives that are both personal and professional. Chrishell Stause, Jason Oppenheim, Christine Quinn, Emma Hernan, Amanza Smith, Davina Potratz, and Maya Vander are all portrayed on screen through their expensive designer outfits and luxury vehicles as they sell houses in the ever so rapidly growing Los Angeles, California.

Just like Keeping up with the Kardashians, Selling Sunset happens to be reliant on social media to keep them relevant, however, the show isn’t as much of a mainstream topic compared to Keeping up with the Kardashians. You can tell at a glance that while cameras follow around rich people in Los Angeles, the real estate aspect of the show is somewhat more of an original idea.

For a second rebuttal against Selling Sunset, there is an excessive amount of drama that always rett

THE KARDASHIANS

Sco

The culture surrounding reality TV has been growing as more and more reality-based shows are being added to streaming services across the world. For a better perspective on the topic, 68%

fandoms on all social media platforms, including Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

Keep in mind that not all reality TV shows are bad for you. I am not telling you to completely avoid these shows at all costs, but rather to be aware of the mental health issues that some mem-

ire

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, summer. So don’t get fomo, there are still endless opportunities if you’re staying around for the summer.

The summer is a perfect time to visit current exhibitions and museums such as the Blanton Museum of Art. They hold a permanent collection of over 21,000 works highly recognized for their European paintings, prints and drawings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin. All located in the heart of Austin, Downtown. Tickets start at $5 for youth and Thursdays are free. For more information you can go to blantonmuseum.org to plan your visit.

Don’t forget to stop by the Austin pop-up flea market and show your support to local vendors. They’re only open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

The vendors have various selections of locally made original artwork, jewelry, bath & body products, candles, textiles, home decor, pottery, vintage finds, and more. The pop-ups are located on Menchaca Rd. Even if you can’t attend, they also have a virtual flea with all the handcrafted goods. You can go to their website, austinflea. net, to find more information on special events, apply to vend, or browse the virtual flea.

If you’re a bookworm, then summer would be the perfect time to visit independently owned retail bookstores, independent bookstores, such as Reverie Books on Menchaca Rd. What’s special about Reverie’s is that they have a selection of books on their website made by their supporters. Aside from that, they hold events and book releases with special guest appearances. You can check out their website, reveriebooks.com, to find the selections of bookshelves and more information about their future events.

Unlock your inner childhood nostalgia this summer by visiting the Austin Nature and Science Center. They have various interactive exhibits to expand your knowledge on wildlife, the environment, and plants.

Not only that but they have a few art installations with the Arboreal Passage welcoming you at the front entrance.

They’re open everyday and it’s free for everyone. To find more information about their hours and current exhibits visit www. austintexas.gov/department/ austin-nature-science-center.

As usual, going paddle boarding or kayaking down the river is always a safe bet in Austin. If you love the water or want to cool off from this Texas heat, going to the Texas Rowing Center will guarantee a good time. They’re located on Ladybird Lake-Lamar Beach Metro Park and open everyday.

Tickets for single paddle board and double kayaks start at $20 an hour. For more information on rowing pricing and hours go to texasrowingcenter.com.

Summer’s a great opportunity to bring a few friends or family to join you on a triple kayak.

Saved the best one for last and one that everyone can enjoy. Salt Lick has always been a Texas hotspot for their BBQ. The drive to driftwood is worth it for all of their bbq and inviting atmosphere. Occasionally, they will have live music playing. They are pet friendly with even a couple cats roaming around the vicinity and you are welcome to bring your own drinks. For more information about their hours, location, and menu you can go to their website saltlickbbq.com.

Summer will be top notch no matter what activity you choose to do in Austin, Texas.

of Americans from the ages of 18 to 49 watch about two to three hours of reality TV daily, thus supporting that 78,000 hours in one’s life are dedicated to watching reality TV. Shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians, Selling Sunset, and Summer House are exceptionally popular, as they are supported by their

Cla

bowie.journalism@gmail.com

Claire Scott Reviews Editor

T BY

Questions? Concerns? Email:

AR

Angela Le Dispatch Reporter

flects back to the audience. This issue has the potential to impact the daily lives of young viewers, and make it seem okay to want to desire conflict within all types of relationships. Obviously now when the issue is put into words from a viewer’s perspective, it seems like something that can be detrimental to the young viewers not just of Selling Sunset but of all reality TV shows that portray drama and conflict as a healthy occurrence.

After watching a couple episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians and Selling Sunset, there are some memorable attributes to take note of as a writer for this story. For one, the shows are able to maintain the focus of the viewer by always incorporating current world events into the shows, and the cast is always in touch with current fashion and pop culture trends.

This makes the show almost disable to some because it seconds as a some type of news source for the audience. In conclusion, with overall opinions of reality TV aside, Keeping up with the Kardashians and Selling Sunset are good shows to watch in your free time as it provides inspiration in fashion and helps the viewer to not repeat mistakes in terms of relationships in regards to the show. Don’t let these highly rated shows consume your time, as tempting as it might be.

2022 ACL lineup brings a variety of genres Emily Loewe Reviews Editor

As the end of the school year rolls around, many know that the ACL lineup was recently released on May 10. This got many people excited for the annual Austin City Limits music festival and there are a few things you should know if you have never been, or even if you have.

This year the festival will be hosted in Zilker Park, as always, on October 7-9 and October 14-16.

Tickets went on sale on the Austin City Limits website on May 10 at 12 pm. The tickets start at a price of $295 for a weekend pass and the price increases for add ons. The additional types of tickets along with GA, are GA+, V.I.P., and Platinum which will range from $295-4750 for either weekend.

There are also hotel packages for out-of-Austin visitors coming in to be a part of this annual music festival. These prices are all found on the official ACL website where you can also purchase tickets.

You can get tickets from May 10 through the weekend of the festival. While it will be more difficult to get a ticket closer to the festival date, tickets are still available for a similar price on resale sites such as Ticketmaster and SeatGeek. These resale sites are great if you forgot to buy your ticket or had a change of plans.

Given that Austin City Limits hosts around 450,000 people each year so you can expect a lot of traffic getting to ACL and leaving, so give yourself plenty of time to sit in downtown traffic. As many

know parking can also be a mess when it comes to ACL, it’s good to be aware of road closures and additional detours while getting to the festival and plan around that. Things like carpooling and uber’ing are good ways to help you escape the traffic each night After the last performances have finished.

Whether you’re more into country music or R&B, Austin city limit will have it all. When you arrive at the festival you’ll be surrounded by many artists of all different genres so everyone has something to listen to.

For example if you’re into some classic 90s rock hits you might recognize Red Hot Chili Peppers who will be one of the main headliners at ACL this year.

Some other artists who are also performing include Conan Gray, SZA, P!NK, Kacey Muskgraves, The Chicks, Paramore, and Lil Nas X. These performers will be the few of many to perform at Austin City Limits this October.

You can find more information about the lineup for this year’s security, tickets and any of your other Austin City Limits related concerns on the official Austin City Limits website, aclfestival.com.

Upon seeing the release of th 2022 Austin City Limits lineup, I was excited for performers like Conan Gray and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but while the lineup does have a diverse selection of genres this lineup does not compare to other years, performer wise. None the less, ACL will be a fun festival whether or not your favorite bands are playing.

LIVE MUSIC IS BACK: On May 10, the 2022 ACL lineup was released, consisting of anticipated headliners such as SZA, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Kacey Musgraves. Weekend One tickets are already sold out, but Weekend Two tickets can still be bought at aclfestival.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF aclfestival.com

14 COMMENTARY THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

Supreme Court draft sparks concern Leaked opinion draft of Roe V. Wade displays a frightful possibility for abortion restrictions EDITORIAL

ART BY Lillian Hoover

A woman walks up to a Planned Parenthood clinic, feeling nervous about having an abortion procedure even though she has weighed her options and decided that this is the best one for her. Before entering the building, she is bombarded by pro-life activists shouting various obscenities and threats at her.

Even though she’s uncomfortable at this moment, she is eternally grateful for her ability to have this choice to terminate the pregnancy, regardless of the push back she may receive from others.

On May 2, this right to choose was suddenly jeopardized when a Supreme Court majority opinion draft was leaked that could potentially overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that ensures the right to medical privacy, including abortions with some restrictions in later-term pregnancies.

This leaked draft has caused uproar throughout the country, as women fear that their rights are being infringed upon by the Supreme Court. Protests and social media posts have been used to spread awareness on how detrimental the radical right decision to overturn this law would be.

We wholeheartedly disagree with the potential decision to overturn Roe v. Wade because it eliminates the right to bodily autonomy and a woman’s right to choose what she wants to do with her own body.

Although the Supreme Court aims to com-

pletely eliminate abortions with the overturning of this law, overturning Roe v. Wade will only get rid of access to safe abortions for the mother.

According to an article in the National Library of Medicine, around 68,000 women die of unsafe abortions annually as of 2021, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality at 13%. With the overturning of this case, unsafe, botched procedures will be the only way for women who choose abortion to make the choice

that is best for them, and they will sacrifice more to get them. Because of this, the mortality rate will inevitably rise. If the majority of the Supreme Court is truly pro-life, they should not want more mothers to be dying of these unsafe abortions.

Another issue we believe the pro-life agenda has is the empathy for the effects of what banning abortion would cause. Once these babies are born from mothers who may not be able

to support them, they would have to be placed into the foster care system. Around 1,000,000 kids in the foster care system report abuse in their foster care homes, according to Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers. This issue is one of many that fails to be addressed by the Supreme Court, and one that will only get worse with the banning of abortions. In addition, the support for pregnant women that are financially unstable or addicts is virtually nonexistent in the government. Rather, they are shamed for their situations and forced to keep an unwanted child in a potentially dangerous environment.

A common misconception that many have regarding pro-choice activists is that they would prefer women to have an abortion rather than carrying their pregnancy to full term in any case.

In reality, we believe pro-choice means just that: a woman should have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. Even if one, personally, would never have an abortion, being pro-choice means that if someone else’s life has different circumstances than theirs, they support their right to choose to have an abortion. We believe that the confusion between pro-choice and pro-abortion blurs the lines of the real goal: to keep women happy and healthy.

The Dispatch Leadership Team ultimately disagrees with the leaked draft to overturn Roe v.

Wade. We believe that women deserve bodily autonomy and the right to choose what they want their future to look like; the government should not be able to interfere with this decision because it should be between the woman and her doctors only.

NASA scientists rightfully protest our climate problem Lillian Hoover Commentary Editor Questions? Concerns? Email:

bowie.journalism@gmail.com

When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its study on the mitigation of climate change in April of 2022, it reaffirmed what scientists around the world have been trying to tell us for years, if not decades. We have frightening little time left to change our habits before we find ourselves on an irreversible path to destroying our precious planet, our home.

Over the past few decades, the effects of climate change have become increasingly more apparent, and scientists are continuing to sound the alarm. NASA climate scientist James Hansen is one of the many activists around the world who has been advocating for changes to solve the world’s climate crisis. In 2011, Hansen and other activists took to the White House in protest and demanded for the Keystone XL Pipeline construction to be stopped, as it would further perpetuate our country’s reliance on fuel sources that add to global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. Along with this, the pipeline would also cut through important ecosystems and threaten those ecosystems with the risks of leaks and spills. And the Keystone XL pipeline is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to climate destroyers.

The overwhelming urgency of Hansen and other scientists, as well as the growth of media coverage and activism is a tell-tale sign that climate change needs to be addressed now. We must pay attention and listen to these scientists’ pleas. Otherwise, more extreme weather, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystems, and ultimately loss of human lives will only intensify and accelerate. If we don’t come together now and fight against climate change, we will soon be living in an “unlivable world."

So, what is climate change and why is it so important? Well, climate change is the long-term shift of temperature and weather patterns on Earth. As described by NASA, it is mainly caused by “Human Activities (primarily the burning of fossil fuels) [which] have fundamentally increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere, warming the planet. Natural drivers, without human intervention, would push our planet toward a cooling period.” These changes can lead to an increase in the temperature of our oceans, the shrinking of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, as well as sea level rise and more extreme weather events. NASA notes that the majority of global warming has occurred within the past 40 years, and the seven most recent years have been the warmest. How do scientists know this? They have been able to study and compare atmospheric samples in ancient ice cores dating back for millenia. Evidence supports the fact that CO2 levels have increased dramatically since the Industrial Revolution, and humans have been the primary driver.

The recently released IPCC report detailed that our efforts to limit warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, as set by the Paris Agreement, will be impossible “unless there are immediate and deep emissions reductions in all sectors.” On April 6, two days after the IPCC study was released, over a thousand

scientists from around the world protested the continued use of fossil fuels, many chaining themselves to government and other business buildings. Many of the scientists are part of a global organization called the Scientist Rebellion.

Organizers described the protest events as “the world's largest ever scientist-led civil disobedience campaign.”

Peter Kalmus, a NASA Climate scientist who took part in the protest in Los Angeles, chained himself to the doors of the JP Morgan Chase building. The company was targeted as being one of the most significant private funders of oil and gas initiates around the world.

Kalmus went on to write an op-ed for The Guardian about his experience, pleading with the world to pay attention, and wrote “if everyone could see what I see coming, society AR TB would switch into climate emerY Lill gency mode and end fossil fuels in ian just a few years.”

Ho ove There are so many ways in which we can r assist in stopping the human-led factors of climate change. Most scientists agree that change needs to begin with governments around the world coming to a consensus on how to approach climate change, and how to enforce and bring about change. The Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, was a starting point.

President Biden did bring the US back into the Paris Agreement on his first day in office. The goal of the agreement is to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius this century.

Ultimately, this can be achieved by switching to renewable energy sources as quickly as possible, which can only happen with worldwide focus and cooperation. The US, one of the largest emitters of carbon-dioxide should lead by example, involving both the public and private sector.

Federal, state, and local governments should lead the way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop climate change. The most important step that governments around the world can take is to regulate, tax, and penalize companies that contribute to

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pollution and carbon emissions. Governments should also offer incentives to encourage responsible corporate environmental behavior to reduce emissions and other pollutants. There are also different sectors of the economy that require specific changes. For example, our electrical grid has long focused on carbon-intensive fuel sources.

Renewable sources such as wind and solar should be incorporated into the grid, with the goal of eventually replacing sources such as coal and natural gas.

Our agricultural sectors should be encouraged and incentivized to capture carbon in the soil and increase nitrogen efficiency.

Our transportation sector must shift to cleaner fuels over time.

And with this, the U.S. should set an example for the rest of the world, as we are responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

There is a lot that can be done by individuals as well. First of all, we as individuals frequently have the option to choose a utility company that generates more than half of its power from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. Second, we can make our homes a more energy efficient place by weatherizing and using energy efficient appliances. Even things that seem small, like switching to LED light bulbs can make a huge difference over time as more people make the switch. Third, we should work to reduce our water usage. Water uses a lot of energy to treat and heat, so the less unnecessary water usage that can be eliminated, the better. Finally, we can and should think about how we travel and commute, and make individual changes to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency.

I can’t stress this enough; the issue of climate change is not something that we can put off anymore. Changes need to be made and they need to happen now. We have the technology and brainpower to make it happen, all that is missing is willpower.

THE DISPATCH STAFF GRADUATING SENIORS Anna Holme Corinne Piorkowski Arushi Sharma Sammie Thompson Reagan Zuniga Dylan Ebs Nicole Rooney Anna Bea Heise Izzy Rejino Riley Payne DOUBLE TRUCK EDITOR Isabella Del Nido IN-DEPTH EDITOR Ava Wong NEWS EDITORS Lucille Price Lauren Wright Donna Kim POLITICS EDITORS Mazzy Warren Jace Arriaga

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FEATURE EDITORS Kate Davis Sophia Sanchez

DISPATCH STAFF Colin Barnes Lauren Bogard Lily Bourgeois Oscar Campbell Mars Canepa Sydney Crum Alex Edwards Alli Ekrot Austin Ikard Angela Le Rachel Maddox Nick Wood

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COMMENTARY 15 MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022 THE DISPATCH

The Depp v. Heard case is a big mess A defamation case between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard sparks controversy Questions? Concerns? Email:

bowie.journalism@gmail.com

On December 18, 2018, The Washington Post published an article entitled “Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” This was an op-ed article written by Heard that would not only change her life, but the life of Johnny Depp. Accused of abusing Heard in 2016, Depp is Heard’s ex husband (m. 2015-2017) and was never specifically named in the article.

Nevertheless, soon after the article was released rumors circulated the internet and Depp was quickly dropped by a lot of brands. Because of this Depp filed a defamation suit for $50 million in 2019. Heard then counter-sued Depp for $100 million on the same grounds saying that he defamed her when Depp’s lawyers said that her abuse claims were false. And, for the last three

years, people have been awaiting the trial to take place. Finally, on April 12 in Fairfax, Virginia, the trial of Depp v. Heard began its first session in a long process that’s expected to take six weeks.

In my opinion, the entire trial is a mess, but then again it was always going to be a mess. It’s an expensive court case between two people suing on the grounds that they defamed each other. I think that before it even started, people were already tired of this case. I know I’m tired of listening to Heard’s lawyers.

One of Heard’s lawyer is Ben Rottenborn who is a principal attorney at Wood Rogers, a law firm based in Virginia. It is a running joke that this man’s favorite word is “hearsay” mostly because he says it all the time. Rottenborn most famously said hearsay to a witness on the stand during his own line of questioning. Because it was his line of questioning he shouldn’t have said objection and instead should have asked for the question to be stuck from the record.

In addition to this, a lot of other weird things have happened in this trial. For example, Heard was caught in a lie about using makeup to cover up the evidence of abuse that her now ex husband caused her. She said she used a color correcting kit that she called her “bruise kit” on multiple occasions from the brand Milani Cosmetics. She said that she used this product from 2012 to 2016. On the same day, Milani Cosmetics put out a video on TikTok of all places calling Heard out on a lie and saying that the product she’s talking about came out in 2017.

This means that Heard would have had no way to have access to the product to cover up any alleged bruising. In addition, some people have pointed out that in the pictures of Heard’s bruised eye, it looks like the kind of bruising you would get after getting botox injections.

I honestly don’t know who is going to win this case and as of right now there are a lot of moving parts. I do think however that on the grounds of

defamation Depp definitely lost a lot more than Heard. It is true that Heard played a main role in the 2018 movie Aquaman and that directors have shortened her screen time because of this situation, but I don’t think that’s because of Depp defaming her. There are recordings that have come out about Heard and Depp talking in private about the abuse that went on between them. In the recordings Heard says that she didn’t punch Depp, she just hit him. According to the ex-couple’s old marriage counselor, Heard and Depp both had bruises on them whenever they would see her. The counselor claimed that she thinks that they were mutually abusive. Heard also has a past arrest for domestic abuse with a past partner. Therefore, I think that companies aren’t avoiding Heard because she was abused, they’re doing it because the whole situation is a mess and most people are starting to believe that it was actually Heard that was abusing Depp.

I think that this case has so much wrapped into it. Not only does it touch on topics such as domestic abuse, but it also goes into the bigger topic of mental health and disorders. On April 26, a forensic psychiatrist named Shannon Curry, who was hired by Depp, testified that Heard showed no signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and instead she showed signs of two personality disorders including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Curry came to this conclusion after spending 12 hours with Heard.

Curry testified that people with BPD had the potential to seek external blame and seek attention from people. She even said that this means that Heard has the potential to be faking abuse claims.

Less than a week later, another forensic psychiatrist named Dawn Hughes, who Heard’s lawyer accidentally called Dr. Curry a couple of times on the stand, spent time with Heard and diagnosed the exact opposite of what Curry did. Hughes concluded that Heard did have PTSD and found no signs of personality disorders. Regardless of who is right I have some

problems with Hughes. Hughes claims that even if Heard did abuse Depp, Heard is smaller than Depp and it is different when a smaller person hits a bigger person. She also refers to abusers as men and victims as women several times in her testimony. I have a big problem with this terminology because it perpetuates the idea that men can’t be abused, which has been proven wrong many, many times. Hughes was also was reading off a script for part of her testimony which was really weird and kind of sketchy.

There is nothing about this case that makes sense and seems logical. Celebrities have the privilege of money, and with that privilege comes the ability to do pretty much anything you want and get away with it. This includes suing people for a legitimate reason and having that person counter-sue you out of spite. In the end, I want Depp to win this case.

ART BY Asher Hagan

Asher Hagan Commentary Editor

Lily Bourgeois Dispatch Reporter Questions? Concerns? Email:

bowie.journalism@gmail.

On Monday, April 25, the world famous social media platform Twitter board of directors agreed to sell itself to billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk. Musk is well known as a very high profile and controversial Twitter user for several years. The price Musk proposed and is planning on buying Twitter for is roughly $44 billion.

Musk buying Twitter is going to cause more harm than good for him and Twitter stakeholders. Musk says himself his main reason for purchasing Twitter is to allow more freedom of speech, which I think can be very problematic and will end up causing a negative use of freedom of speech.

Musk has shown to have very erratic behavior in the past and I think his motives in purchasing Twitter are very questionable. Musk is also one of the richest men in the world and I believe he should not get more power than he already has. I also believe this deal will not go through as Musk is known to be an attention seeker.

Musk has continuously criticized Twitter on their content moderation policies for being “too censorious.”

Musk wants the new Twitter to have “freedom of speech,” however, many industry experts think that this freedom will lead to more hate speech.

Musk has a long track record of causing a multitude of issues for Twitter. In 2019, Musk was taken to court for defamation because of tweets about British Cave Diver Vernon Unsworth. Musk was also sued on other occasions for making tweets that hurt the company. Before Musk offered to buy Twitter, he was originally going to join the Twitter board. In a turn of events and at the very last minute, he reversed the plan and offered to buy Twitter.

Many government officials are worried that Musk buying Twitter could lead to Trump regaining control of his account and start causing chaos. Along with former president Donald Trump, many other users have been banned from violating Twitter’s policies. “Permanent bans should be extremely rare and really reserved for accounts that are bots, or scam, spam accounts…

I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump,” Musk said at FT Lives Future of the Car conference. Musk taking over could mean all of these people getting their accounts reinstated.

Musk is the CEO of the popular electric car company Tesla and many other very well known companies. In Musk’s Tesla market alone, capitalization has hit the $1 trillion mark multiple times and keeps growing. Musk’s net worth is at $265.4 billion and it keeps climbing. Twitter’s total assets is $14.06 billion. Musk buying Twitter adds more billions to his net worth and power to him overall, which can

be very dangerous in the long run.

On May 13 Musk tweeted “Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users.” If Musk backs out of the deal, he would owe Twitter a $1 billion breakup fee.

Unfortunately, there is little known about what Musk plans to do with Twitter. His latest move seems to be to either pay less for Twitter then his original offer, or walk away if Twitter doesn’t cave.

Ever since this deal arose the stock market has been impacted.

Tesla’s stock has been drastically affected at a drop of 28%, shedding $300 billion in value over five weeks and Twitter has also been heavily affected at a drop of 23%. It wouldn’t be surprising if Twitter’s current stakeholders bring a lawsuit against Musk if the deal falls through.

If Twitter’s sale does not go through, future chaos could be avoided. Musk could have just joined the Twitter board and then he would not gain full power and access to the company.

Musk is going to cause a lot of issues by buying Twitter. Musk wants to open up freedom of speech but that could lead to a lot of hate speech and unwanted people reinstated on Twitter. Musk has made very poor decisions with Twitter in the past and I think his intentions for buying the company are very questionable.

ART BY Asher Hagan

Elon Musk is buying Twitter for all the wrong reasons

BULLDAWGS SPEAK OUT What do you think about the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade?

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY Asher Hagan

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I think the overturning is a bad thing especially for teens because they are the people most effected by abortion laws. They need access to safe abortions because pregnancy’s can be really dangerous for teenagers and you don’t have the emotional responsibility to have a child.

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I think that Roe v. Wade is a good thing and that the fact that they’re planning to overturn it is bad because it just takes away our rights to our bodies. Everyone should have that ability to get basic healthcare and abortions.

Overturning Roe v. Wade opens a huge gate for men to continue to take away people with uteruses rights.

Noble Spear Sophomore

Hunter Sharp Junior

I believe that it’s a stupid decision by a group of judges that are not interested in representing any people and only care about their own personal biases that are backed by religion and Christianity.

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Lily Florance Sophomore

Kyle Goss Sophomore

I do not support the overturnment of Roe v. Wade because women should get that choice and it should be up to them to decide what they want to do with their bodies.

”

16 SENIORS

SENIOR THE DISPATCH MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022

REAGAN ZUNIGA Managing Editor, 3 years St. Edward's University, Communications

ANNA HOLME Editor-in-Chief, 3 years University of Texas, Environmental Science

ARUSHI SHARMA Editor-in-Chief, 3 years University of Texas, Computer Science

CORINNE PIORKOWSKI Editor-in-Chief, 3 years University of Texas, Journalism

SAMMIE THOMPSON Managing Editor, 3 years Baylor University, Biology: Pre-med

a message from the leadership team We started off this year unsure of what it would bring.

Having experienced our junior year in newspaper completely online and not knowing each other very well, we didn’t know how we’d work together or if the Dispatch would continue at the high level it's been. Regardless of these uncertainties, we can now say without a doubt that this year has been one of the best. By learning to work together, we have become an unstoppable team that has put forth our best work in the print edition. We wouldn’t have won the awards we won without the teamwork and bond we have created, as well as the support of many others.

To Reeves, thank you for giving so much time and energy to us and to this program. No matter how much you say it's “our paper,” we know it wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you for pushing us to try new things and become better writers, photographers, designers, leaders, and people. We’re so grateful that you saw each of our potentials and gave us the opportunity to work with you to make this program the best it can be.

IZZY REJINO Online Editor-in-Chief, 3 years Clemson University, Early childhood education

Thanks for all the little gifts you’ve given us over the course of the year and the donuts you’ve consistently brought!

To our wonderful Dispatch staff, we are so proud of how much each and every one of you have grown this year. You came in with less InDesign experience than ever before, and you took that challenge in stride and improved so much, and we’re so glad that those improvements have been shown through the Directive and Drive. We know you all will continue to keep growing under the new leadership team and continue the prestigious legacy of the print edition. We love you all so much!

Lastly, we would not have been able to make the memories or develop the skills we did without the support and cooperation of our community. Thank you so much to all of the Bowie students that allowed us to cover their unique stories and those that opened up our papers to read them (even if it was just to cut out the ThunderCloud coupons). Thank you to all of the administration and staff members for their support as well.

We want to extend a special thank you to Mrs. Brett for helping

DYLAN EBS Feature Editor, 3 years George Washington University, Journalism

us get our funding to print the paper that we love so much. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without you!

Although the five of us are incredibly proud of all that our staff accomplished, we know that as we go our separate ways in life, the things we will look back on are the experiences that we’ve had. Stealing a mattress from Reeves’ hotel room in Philly, going to Starbucks for our first awkward meetup to do contest entries, and spending Saturdays at Bowie cranking out the paper are things that we will never forget.

We're so excited to see what the next year staff will produce and will accomplish in the years to come.

We'll miss you all so much.

Love, The Dispatch Leadership team <3

~30~

ANNA BEA HEISE Photo Essay Editor, 1 year Texas Tech University, Early childhood education

SCAN HERE

NICOLE ROONEY Entertainment Editor, 2 years Texas Tech University, Finance

RILEY PAYNE Writer, 2 years Austin Community College, Journalism

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