The Lone Star Dispatch, Vol. 29, Issue #6, 5.19.17

L one Star Dispatch

The

James Bowie High School

In-Depth Mental Health and Bullying

Commentary

Equal Pay Day

Entertainment Tech Theatre UIL

When to get help when bullied or harassed See page A5

The pay difference between men and women See page A11

Students compete in technical theatre See page A4

4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin, TX 78749

www.thelonestaronline.com

Friday, May 19, 2017

Vol. 29

Issue 6

PALS fight against abuse INSIDE

News A1-2 Entertainment A3-4 In-Depth A5 Athletics A6-7 Student Life A8-9 Reviews A10 Commentary A11 Photo Essay A12 Senior Tab

Cianna Chairez Staff Writer

Music blaring throughout the courtyard, the rhythmic clapping of hands to the beat, and the occasional chorus of cheers are all familiar sounds to anyone who was on campus during lunch on Friday, April 21. April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and students were encouraged to wear blue that day to show their support.

History teacher Alejandro Garcia leads “Blue Out Bowie,” a movement that promotes Child Abuse Awareness through the month of April and invites students and teachers to donate supplies to the Austin Center for Child Protection.

“Since my PALS class focuses on working with kids we always want to set aside a day to kind of remember victims of child abuse,” Garcia said. “It’s just a day of remembrance and honoring people who have sometimes fallen victim to the actions of people older than them.”

The Bowie PALS were in charge of promoting the drive and handing out cookies to those who wore blue on that Friday. Junior Julian Haddad was at both lunches to hand out treats.

“It was a big mass of kids at the start of each lunch, that’s when the en-

PAL Pep Talk: History teacher Alejandro Garcia and incoming principal Mark Robinson congratulates PALS on this year’s drive. This is the 5th “Blue Out Bowie” at Bowie High School. Photo by Douglas Smith

ergy was the highest and the pit in the courtyard was nearly full,” Haddad said.

“All the PALS were just moving to the music and handing out cookies as best we could.”

The donated supplies are collected in Garcia’s room. At the end of the month, Garcia and several students load up trucks with the donations and they are carried to the Aus-

tin Center for Child Protection.

“I don’t offer any extra credit for bringing any supplies or stuff like that because in my mind, to give is to give out of your heart,” Garcia said. “I’m not going to give you something to force you to give. That’s not the intention of the whole day or meaning of the event.”

The drive began in

2013, when Garcia, inspired by the No Place for Hate parade, decided he wanted to have a day to honor the victims of child abuse. Since then, it has grown exponentially. Last year, the large number of donations required two trucks in order to transport to the center.

“It kept getting bigger and bigger and more teachers started to buy into it,”

Garcia said. “So it started off of a little idea that has now become, five years later, a really, really big and powerful fundraising drive for a very noble organization.”

One way students were encouraged to show their support was through a contact at the Austin Center for Child Protection. Child Development teacher Jean Frazier brought in a rep-

resentative of the center to talk to her students and raise awareness.

“I realized that was something that I really wanted to share with my students so they agreed to come and speak to my classes and that was about three years ago,” Frazier said. “We have been working with them since.”

The Austin Center for Child Protection is based in Travis County, which means that everything donated stays in the Austin area.

“We’re helping our neighbors and there are so many that are in need that we have no clue,” Frazier said. “We all tend to hide behind a facade sometimes and it could be someone sitting right next to you in class and you’d never know.”

With help coming from all sides of the Bowie community, students and teachers continue to make a difference in raising Child Abuse Awareness.

“To see people, not only my own current students, but former students and kids in other classes bringing stuff in, I know it’s because they wanted to give,” Garcia said. “It’s because they heard the announcements and saw the signs and were excited about what that meant to be able to participate in a fund raiser like this.”

Campuses role in AISD zero waste policy

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Austin residents have heard this for years, but how does this apply to the schools in the Austin area? Austin is working towards becoming a zero waste city by 2040, how will this affect the school’s recycling policies?

Currently the school recycles everything that they can. Since Bowie does not have a compost system items such as pizza boxes and used paper towels are thrown in with the regular garbage.

“We do not have a compost bin for food items and pizza boxes or anything else that food was directly placed in. This is something the school district does at the elementary schools and may sometime in the future roll out at the high school level,” head custodian Theresa Bachmann said.

With the issue of global warming being such a largely discussed topic these days, one wonders how much good comes from just recycling alone and what are some measures that can be taken to improve policies that are already in place.

“AISD is working toward a “Zero Waste” policy. This is not completely in effect yet but should be within a few years. Less stuff going into the landfills means fewer landfills over time. Less stuff is decomposing under ground to potentially poison our water and land,” Bachmann said.

Many of Bowie’s students do not know that there are even rules to follow when it comes to recycling or were unaware that

Bowie recycled.

“I was not aware that Bowie had a recycling policy in place, I always just throw out what I do at home which I assume is the same thing that is in place at school,” junior Brianna Garcia said.

Some teachers were not even aware of the recycling systems in place.

“I actually had no idea that we even had a recycling program, no one ever told me about that,” physics teacher Cara Willig said. “I have a recycling box, and it keeps getting emptied so I assume that it is being recycled.”

Bowie follows the same recycling schedule as the rest of the Austin area, the only difference is that Bowie’s recycling is in bulk.

“We recycle almost everything here at Bowie. We have the blue recycle bins in some classrooms and around the campus for cans, bottles, and any paper items. This is picked up from the recycle bins and put in the recycle dumpsters two or more times a week as the bins fill up,” Bachmann said.

As AISD is working towards becoming zero waste, it is important to understand exactly what that entails.

“I would assume that zero waste means that the person/place produces no waste meaning that they send nothing to the landfills in the surrounding area,” Garcia said.

If Bowie were to create a compost system there would be many more opportunities for the Bowie community to not only recycle but creating a compost would allow the student council to use it in their gardens or to use in the greenbelts, there

Recycling in the United States:

-Every three months, Americans throw enough aluminum in the landfills to build our nation’s entire commercial air fleet.

-Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

Art by Fuaad Ajaz and Callie Richards

Madison Austin Student Life Editor

-Americans throw away enough office paper each year to build a 12 foot high wall from Seattle to New York.

could be many benefits.

“We do not recycle any paper towels or restroom trash. It goes to the trash dumpster. Later if the school chooses to compost, used paper towel would be included in the compost dumpster for pick-up later,” Bachmann said.

Source: www.recycleacrossamerica.org

As Bowie continues to explore options regarding recycling, students and staff will continue to recycle as many items as possible.

“It is a work in progress. Reduce, reuse, recycle is a life lesson we should all learn early,” Bachmann said.

News

The Lone Star Dispatch

Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A2

Choir cruises to Cozumel

Singers take a trip to perform aboard on the Carnival Valor Shelby Kelly Staff Writer The stage rocks with the water as a melody explodes from the mass of the choir. The skin of the group is a little bit tanner and the smiles a bit wider. Their bags are weighed down with passports but their spirits rise with the growing time spent together.

The cause of all of this was a cruise on the Carnival Valor to Cozumel Mexico with the choir. Sophomore Lauren Stuart explained that the choir goes on a trip every year and although this year was supposed to be a small trip year Carnival gave them a good deal since they were performing so they were able to go on a five day cruise from Galveston to Cozumel, Mexico.

“I have been on a trip with choir previously, it was in my freshman year to New Orleans and that one wasn’t as fun because New Orleans is not a big thing for teenagers and it was as good as it could be but I like this one better,” Stuart said.

The original idea was to go to Dallas but because of the more affordable offer, the choir was able to do much more.

“On the ship we got to swim around, hangout almost anywhere and we performed on Sunday and that went well. A few people went up to me and told me that

Coming home: Exhausted from traveling, the choir students carry their luggage off of the ship. Sophomore Megan Farnell prepares to return to school after a four-day cruise. Photo by Shelby Kelly

Waiting to board: Restless and excited, the choir students await the arrival of their cruise ship. Sophomore Lauren Stuart (left) and senior Lucy McMan (right) along with their fellow classmates were surprised by the trip’s exotic location. Photo by Shelby Kelly

we did a good job,” junior Lily Ang said.

Considering the group was so big there was some safety precautions but there was a lot of chaperons including assistant principal Larry Britton and director, Catlin Gasco.

“Mrs. Gasco did a great job of organizing it so our job was easy,” chaperon Alicia Ang said.

Chaperon Gina Rollman explains that a key factor in the success was the communication through an application and constant check in from chaperons every two hours.

“I was only nervous about the normal safety precautions but I think because we had the carnival hub which was a way we could chat with the students as well as the chaperons could chat with each other we really kept track of everybody and I think it turned out to be a really safe environment,” Rollman said.

Considering the destination was in another country it was nerve racking for all but the organization kept the group in tack.

“The only safety precautions that we

were nervous about was when we went into Mexico because we were nervous about making sure everybody got into the country together,” Alicia said.

Once arrived in Cozumel the students could decide between different excursions, staying on the boat, going to the museums and shops, or going snorkeling and going to the beach.

“The best part was actually getting to Cozumel because the beach was beautiful and it was very refreshing and we got to swim and snorkel and go shopping and meet a bunch of new people and they were super friendly,” Lily said.

Although in another country with fun activities the student’s job was to perform and represent their school.

“I think the kids really represented Bowie well, they were very polite and courteous and helpful, I saw them help others all that time, they just seemed to have a good time being themselves,” Rollman said.

Sophomore Alexa Long emphasized that many students were excited to spend

time with their friends while getting to do what they love, sing.

“I thought it was awesome because I got to go with my friends and I got to meet new people that I hadn’t gotten to know in choir and I got to get tan,” Long said.

Chaperons could be any family member of a choir student and all students from each of the choirs were eligible. Every member worked together to enjoy the trip.

“The overall experience was excellent, I was so pleased because the weather cooperated, the kids were great, I got to know the other chaperons, the ocean was beautiful, and of course Cozumel was great,” Rollman said.

For many students this was the first trip for them out of the country and furthermore, on a cruise and for many it was filled with unforgettable memories.

“It was definitely a good experience because nothing bad happened and it was to a really cool place in my opinion,” Lily said. “It was costly but considering all of the memories made it was worth it.”

Students stand up for science with march at the capitol Cara Andres Staff Writer

ar

ay D th

E On

Promotes the validitity of science, and promotes diversity of race and origin

Will begin at the capital and end at the Hudson-Tilotson university

easily cast aside and questioned for political purposes,” Pfeiffer said. “The fact that the world of academia and earnest, dedicated scientists who have devoted their lives to this body of work can be so easily questioned and dismissed by politicians with no scientific background of any kind is hard to stomach.”

Many are optimistic that the marches will spark reform. The march came to an end at the Huston-Tillotson University campus, where an Earth Day celebration

Art by Gavin Farner

Thousands of individuals surround the Texas Capitol with one main statement: science is real and it needs to be noticed.

“After taking APES, I became aware of the changing world around us,” junior Avery Helder said. “I felt that it was important to protest recent claims that climate change isn’t real.”

The day started off at 9 a.m., with several “science-teach ins” hosted by local scientists. There were interactive science activities, daytime telescopes, and even an interactive comedy robot named Annabelle. The day proceeded with a special musical performance by the Wyles Band. However, the actual march started at around noon.

“I was pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm,” English teacher Amanda Pfeiffer said. “More importantly, I was especially proud to march knowing that 600+ cities around the world were participating in it too. The solidarity and unity was astounding and uplifting.”

The march consisted of creative posters, speeches from local professors and scientists, and empowering phrases. Many felt inspired to be surrounded by so many like-minded individuals advocating for an important cause.

“The march was very impactful because I was able to realize how many people are willing to take a stand,” Helder said. “I now understand that many people

are needed to make a difference and every voice matters.”

People in more than 600 cities around the world participated in marches Aside from Austin, other cities that participated were London, Berlin, Washington, Sydney, and New York.

“I decided to march because I believe that these issues and the need for science should be on the forefront of everyone’s mind,” junior Tasha Anslyn said. “I really believe that taking away opportunities for scientists means losing preventive measures to protect our environment and inhibiting advancement in cancer research, among other issues.”

Throughout the past few years, climate change has grown to be a major issue within politics. During the march, many addressed how important it is to take action and speak up against denialists.

“It’s important to speak up about climate change because it’s the greatest threat to life on this planet,” junior Reed Syzdek said. “I feel that politicians who deny it are getting in the way of progress, but also are getting in the way of finding a solution to probably the greatest challenge known to humanity.”

Many individuals are deeply disappointed with how political leaders are addressing climate change, and they feel as if scientists deserve recognition for their significant discoveries.

“As a teacher, I feel saddened and frustrated that the sanctity of the scientific method and decades of meticulous research regarding climate change can be so

was hosted. There were many booths organized by local and national organizations that allowed the public to advocate for scientific advancements and issues.

“I think events like these will help with what’s going on,” Syzdek said. “Just how the women’s march drew attentions to women’s rights and Donald Trump’s blatant misogyny, the march for science draws attention to the fact that evidence must be considered when deciding policy and how it currently is not.”

The Lone Star Dispatch

E ntertainment Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A3

Silver Stars’ success at Spring Show The Silver Star’s Spring Show took the audience on a journey through the sea Victoria Newell Managing Editor Throughout the year, the Silver Stars have strapped on trademark uniforms with white boots and red skirts, danced on a gym floor before a panel of judges, and gotten countless grass stains. But at the end of the year, they trade off the unconventional venues for the stage, and showcase their work this year.

The Spring Show is an annual, end of the year performance by the Silver Stars, in which they welcome new members, say goodbye to seniors, and perform this year’s dances.

“Spring Show highlights the Silver Stars and the amount of effort put into this past year,” dance instructor Courtney Allison said. “Seeing it all come together and performed is simply stunning.”

Every year, the Spring Show has a different theme.

“The theme of this year’s spring show was ‘Two if By Sea’. Thematically, I was really interested in a nautical idea,” Allison said.

The Spring Show strikes a balance between football season’s drill, and contest season’s air of competition and is more performance oriented.

“Spring Show is our recital, so during contest season were competing against different schools, so it’s more of a competitive feeling and vibe to it, and then football season is very drill and there’s not a lot of performance, but spring shows it just completely different because it’s like we get to be in character and dance more,” junior Morgan Andrews said.

This is one of the few times a year that Silver Stars get to perform on a stage.

“Spring Show is different because it’s

Among the Waves: Dancing in unison, the Silver Stars perform a nautical themed kick dance together. A new theme is implemented into the Silver Stars’ Spring Shows each year. Photo by Abby Ong

the one performance that we get to do on the stage, verses like football season we perform on the field and contest season we perform on a gym floor,” sophomore Catarina Chavanne said. “We get to showcase all of our dances that we worked on this contest season, plus more, and it’s like a true performance in a theater.”

Spring Show is a chance for Silver Stars to portray through dance the past year.

“The Silver Stars have grown leaps and bounds (pun intended). There is a sense of personal accountability, responsibility, and love that has grown in the last year.

Ms. Davis and I couldn’t be more proud of how this year turned out,” Allison said.

As Spring Show draws to a close, Silver Stars look back on the bonds they made this year.

“Silver Stars is fun because we’re just a body of sisters, and we all get along, and we all just get to dance together and perform as a whole,” Andrews said.

AP art students express freedom in their final portfolio Abby Ong Student Life Editor

Viewing their art with critical eyes, the students evaluate the pieces they have chosen to submit.

Throughout the course of a year, AP Studio Art students have been working hard to put together their portfolios to be sent to the college board for judging. Each student must submit three portfolios, consisting of 24 pieces total.

The concentration portfolio, dedicated to a specific theme, is made up of 12 unified art pieces.

“My concentration this year is doing the planets as people, like doing portraits of each of the planets as a person,” senior Hailey Algoe said. “It’s been really cool.”

Senior Miki Iida’s favorite piece comes from her concentration portfolio.

“It’s watercolor that’s of this girl, kind of like a bust portrait because it’s shoulders up, and she’s floating in the water,” Iida said. “I feel like I succeeded in how I portrayed the hair that’s in the water.”

Also made up of 12 pieces, the breadth portfolio shows the student’s skill in a variety of mediums.

“I get to challenge myself to work with other mediums,” Iida said. “Before this I was kind of like ‘I’m only going to work with graphite pencil drawings and I’m not going to travel with different mediums’ but with the breadth

part you need to, so it’s good practice on getting out of your comfort zone a little bit. It’s kind of useful because I’m probably going to have to work with other mediums anyway in the future.”

The quality portfolio consists of five pieces chosen from the 24 pieces of the other two portfolios.

“Students pick their five strongest, most sophisticated, impressive pieces,” AP Studio

Portfolio Process: Working on a piece, senior Juanita Salazar finishes up her final AP portfolio before graduation. All year, seniors have been working on their portfolios. Photo by Reagan Wallace

Art teacher Laura Hartford said.

“Those five quality pieces not only get submitted digitally, but they also get matted and sent out to the college board as well.”

Senior Hannah Casey, though not submitting her portfolio for AP grading, works hard on her portfolio. “[My concentration] is about being aware of your own anatomy,” Casey said. “You don’t think about the fact that you have organs inside of your body and their functioning all the time and keeping you alive. It’s kind of pulling that into light, and I have a lot of pieces that are about what happens when you do something damaging to your body.”

Students are given a lot of freedom with their portfolio.

“I like the free reign a lot,” junior Avery Oh said. “In the classes leading up to this, your teacher will give you an assignment, and you still have a lot of room for creativity but this one really lets you do whatever you want.”

There aren’t many restrictions to what subjects students are allowed to cover.

“Your topic can be really

gruesome, and it’s totally okay,” Casey said. “You can have nudes, like nude paintings, and you can do pretty much anything you want to, it’s nice.”

Hartford enjoys seeing what her students choose to do.

“I don’t necessarily think that being the most photo-realistic in their drawing or painting is the most impressive, but they really surprise me a lot with their different styles,” Hartford said. “Each one of them truly does, they all have their special talents.”

The artists must work hard daily to get things done in time.

“It’s very self motivated,” Casey said. “You have to plan stuff out from the beginning and realize that 24 pieces in the length of the school year is a lot to get done.”

Each student has a unique style of art.

“I learn a lot from them too, you know with their different styles, maybe their style of anger, their style of watercolor,” Hartford said. “I can learn from them too with the techniques they’ve gathered through the years.”

One Direction star makes his first single and it’s a hit Sam McPherson Staff Writer

away from his former boy band.

The album has been listed as pop, but there are rumors of a new sound.

The leaks that have gotten the most attention online sound like ballads. However, there is no way to know if they’re legitimate.

Being for vocal on social media about the release, Harry Styles has shared the tour dates for the upcoming concerts.

It is an international tour lasting from Septem-

ber to December, with a show here in Austin on October 11th. As of now, most of the dates are sold out.

Styles has also been branching out and working in the film industry. He’s starring Christopher Nolan’s new movie, Dunkirk, coming out July 21st this summer.

With many fans awaiting the release of his album, and upcoming movie, it should be a profitable year for Harry Styles.

Art by Callie Richards

One Direction’s Harry Styles is back in the music business with a new self titled album coming out May 12th. His single, Sign of the Times, was released in advance to get everyone excited for his solo debut.

The song hit the number one spot on the Billboard chart and the Twitter Top Tracks chart as well.

The song has been

compared to some of David Bowie’s later sounds mixed with more acoustic vocals.

Lyrically, it is very powerful. He includes this passage, “Just stop your crying, have the time of your life. Breaking through the atmosphere, and things are pretty good from here. Remember everything will be alright. We can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here.”

Fan speculation has tied it to his attempts to break-

E ntertainment

The Lone Star Dispatch Friday, May. 19, 2017

Page A4

Seniors shine in One-Act Plays Shelby Papst Review Editor

Four years on the stage. Four years memorizing the essentials of the theatre.

Four years learning how to bring a show to life.

The senior one-act plays are directed by members of the Starlight Theatre Company (STC). Among some of the shows are ‘Fugue’ by Hunter Francisco, ‘Shadow Box’ by Chloe Byars, ‘Find Me’ by Bronwyn Neale, ‘Spring Awakening’ by Jackson Walker, ‘Drowning Girls’ by Jake Anderson, ‘Thieves’ by Marley Neth, and several others. These shows are the seniors’ final productions of the school year before they graduate.

“No matter how the performance goes, I just want to know that they have had an enjoyable time working on this show,” STC president senior Emma Haschke said.

“The ultimate goal of this process is to create a fun environment with a tight knit group of people where they can learn and grow in new ways.”

Each senior director is in charge of every aspect of their show and they have been working on them for years.

“These directors have technically been preparing for these plays since they were freshman, watching other actors, experiencing acting ensembles, listening to sound cues, watching how the lights change, etc,” theatre director Betsy Cornwell said. “Everything they have learned in rehearsal, construction, and performance of a show translates to the choices they make on their own productions.”

The actors, like sophomore Ben Harmon who is working on Shane Scandurra’s

Spring has sprung: Sophomore Matthew Bosnyak and Junior Grace Widner star in Jackson Walker’s production “Spring Awakening.” All plays were directed by seniors before graduation. Photo by Gigi Francis

show ‘The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940’, recognize the amount of work the seniors have put into their last shows at Bowie as well as the actors’ last show of the school year.

“It’s an interesting feeling because it is sad that it’s the last show of my sophomore year,” Harmon said. “But looking back on all the shows the STC has put on this year is a great feeling because of all the hard work everyone put in to make those shows come together so well.”

The one-acts are unlike all the other shows since the seniors are not acting, but orchestrating the show without the theatre directors.

“The seniors involved have been working since January in preparation for the May performances by choosing a title, cutting the length, doing research on the time period, making decisions about costumes, etc. It is a very big project for them,” Cornwell said. “This is not the same as performing in a play or working

backstage on a crew. This is different from anything else they’ve ever done in theatre, so you can’t compare it to their other performances.”

Haschke who is directing the show ‘Pretty Theft’ is content with this show being her last with how much has been contributed this year.

“I’m very happy with how I’m leaving the company. It’s been a very positive year and I think all the officers and upperclassmen have done an amazing job of creating a welcoming environment for new members,” Haschke said. “I’m just glad I was able to play a small part in making someone’s high school experience more enjoyable.”

Not all of the directors are continuing theatre arts after Bowie and the one-acts are their last time being involved with theatre, but according to Cornwell it does not mean their experience in the STC will not carry with them.

“Only a few of the directors are actually pursuing careers in theatre, but those who aren’t are getting the opportunity to make conceptual decisions, to manage a company of actors and technicians, to organize rehearsals and workdays, and to communicate their ideas through direction,” Cornwell said. “You can’t trade that experience.”

The senior one-acts are an experience for students who have dedicated themselves to theatre for many years to take on a production as their last project.

“Theatre is a home for so many students that leaving it would be hard for a lot of people so I’m sure it’ll be hard for the seniors,” Harmon said. “But it is bittersweet because they’ll remember everything that theatre has taught them.”

Tech Theatre gets to shows off their creativity for UIL Jadon Alvarez Entertainment Editor

Lights...Camera...Action and the crowd goes wild. The theatre is where all rising stars shine, but a hidden figure in an actor’s success is the tech crew that you’ll find backstage. The tech crew gives the play the alluring background, the marvelous costumes and the lighting that leaves the crowd in awe.

Into the Woods: This is one of Teal’s poster that advertises for people to come see their mock production “Into the Woods.” Photo by Shelby Papst

Recently Bowie’s Tech Theatre crew competed in UIL, a contest where academic, athletic and the fine arts are judged by their performance.

“This competition had two levels to it where you submitted your work to an adjudicator who looked it over and decided who the top finalists are and those top finalists are the ones that advance to state,” tech theatre teacher Holloway said.

The tech crew was required to make a model that would make mouths drop.

“We did it as a group where you had to come up with a concept and if you had a good concept, you made good products and if the product is really well, you’ll go through regionals and then they’ll send you on to state,” sophomore Teal Waid said.

The tech theatre students each had a different job for their model, one of them being a makeup design.

“I drew portraits called renderings of what my makeup design would look like, and applied the designs to my models,” sophomore Julia Cabrera said.

An advertisement also had to be made along with the model that would grasp the viewer’s attention.

“I did theatrical design for marketing which is the campaign to get people to see the show which includes the poster, the program, and the budget,” Waid said.

The tech crew was given a prompt that had to tie the play they choose with millennials and they choose an interesting concept.

“The play that we did this year was ‘Into the Woods’ and the prompt that they had to go off of was that they had to gear into the woods towards millennials and all

of my students in my class wrote really interesting concepts for that,” Holloway said. “One concept that made it into state was ‘Time’ and how time drives a millennials day and lives.”

But minor struggles ensued as the project progressed with the fast-paced timing they had to adjust too.

“I think with any project there are struggles. There weren’t too many but I guess deadlines. There’s always a struggle to meet the fast paced part of the competition,” Holloway said.

Settling on one topic for their model was also a hassle.

“It was difficult to settle on a solid concept that made sense but would still turn heads. Luckily, our judge thought our “time” was very clever and loved it,” Cabrera said.

But as the day of UIL came, stress was set aside and fun was put into action.

“It was a lot of fun,” Waid said. ”You have one five-minute interview where they talk about your project and give you a critique then you have to wait until the ceremony and during that time you could go see the other concepts.”

The tech crew also learned about the improvements they could make next time they compete for first place.

“Going to state UIL was such an educational experience, we got great critiques and wonderful advice on how to make our designs even better next year,” Cabrera said.

Although they were one of the finalists, they weren’t in the top-six.

“Sadly, we did not end up placing in the top-six at state. However, we were still one of the top schools in the entire

The Model: This is a diorama of pictures and paintings that would go into their mock production “Into the Woods.”

Photo by Shelby Papst

state area, so I’m proud of us regardless,” Cabrera said.

Holloway was proud of her students and was impressed with how they achieved a difficult task.

‘I think it was really good for the students to see a design go from just reading a play to actually having a final product that they themselves thought of and created,” Holloway said.

As time flies by, the tech crew hopes to grow larger as a family and win more.

“We’ve actually grown. Last year, we took two people to state and this year there were five people that went to state so hopefully next year we will have more,” Holloway said.

3601 Wil. Cannon (W of Brodie)

512-891-6782 1807 W Slaughter (at Manchaca)

512-282-2255 www.thundercloud.com BHS Lonestar

Expires: 6/15/17 11/15/16

BUY ONE GET ONE

BUY ONE--GET ONE FREE! Buy any SUB and redeem this coupon for a FREE sub of equal or lesser value. Limit one coupon per customer.

Not valid with other offers.

Valid at 1807 W Slaughter OR 3601 Wil Cannon

make the move Lindsey Fenton 512-839-5137 Lindseyfenton@realtyaustin.com www.LindseyFenton.com

The Lone Star Dispatch

I n-Depth

Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A5

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, bullying is defined by the abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful, etc.

On campus, the topic of bullying is taken seriously with the creation of programs such as No Place For Hate and Stand Up Bowie to help prevent bullying from escalating.

For students who are being bullied and just need a place to talk to someone, campus provides a variety of resources.

“The Vida Clinic is an on campus mental health center for students,” Child Studies coordinator and AP Stephanie McGraw said.

“It is not a part of Austin ISD and it’s counseling sessions are based on a referral process from counselors where you can freely talk to another person.”

Assistant principal Lawrence Britton believes investigation towards a bullying act is vital and action should be taken immediately.

“When a student comes in with a concern about bullying or harassment we listen to the student and have them write a written statement,” Britton said.

“We investigate to find out if the concern is accurate

and, if there were witnesses, we get their statement.

Then we see if there is any cooperation to be done and we notify the parents of the complaint.”

As students grow older, they can become more disillusioned with their actions towards others.

“For this age group, bullying tends to be a fairly common situation,” counselor Katelyn Williams said. “However, on our campus, we work really hard to minimize the number of bullying instances we have.”

Williams explained how being a counselor shows a different side of dealing with the people involved in bullying.

“My job is to really look at the emotional and social effects of bullying,” Williams said. “Working on restoring the confidence in an individual who has been bullied and working with that individual to process those feelings and appropriately address that situation.”

The anti-bullying programs in place are more than just parades and simply stamping a finger on a poster.

“They are really amazing programs to help our students not only to see model behavior that is very positive but also feel like they are able to join in with a group who is making good choices,” Williams

-20 percent of U.S. students in grades 9-12 reportedly have experienced bullying or are feeling bullied -Over 3.2 million students are victims each year

-30 percent of U.S. adolescents admit to bullying themselves at some point -74 percent of bullies were found to be boys

The VICTIM said.

The amount of people actively participating and recognizing bullying is a major factor towards preventing future instances.

“I think that having as many programs on our campus is very valuable because we have strength in numbers and the more people that join and participate in programs like that really help our students and identify that this is not a place that tolerates bullying or misbehavior,” Williams said.

With more students active in anti-bullying campaigns, the less of problem it will be across campus.

“It really gives students

The BULLY

an outlet so that they don’t have to partake in bullying and that they can be part of the solution and not the problem,” Williams said.

Not only are students continuing to be involved, administration takes an active role in dealing with the effects of bullying.

“We also have an amazing administrative staff who wants to help students from our principal and assistant principals who want to address the discipline side of things,” Williams said.

All together, this creates a community bound to strive towards an anti-bullying campus.

“To our counseling staff,

social work staff, as well as teachers that want to help be there to support students who may have been bullied or maybe students who are trying to change their ways and have been bullying others,” Williams said.

However, the anti-bullying programs only come around once a year which will requires a solution to promoting all year long.

“Our student leaders, such as PALS, who are trying to promote no bullying are making more covert impacts,” Williams said.

A consistent campaign towards anti-bullying is a solution currently in consideration.

“I think that having

Art by Kathleen Nguyen

Kathleen Nguyen In-Depth Editor

Source: dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-bullying

The serious effects of bullying

something to remind students each and every day to not bully would be a great asset on our campus,” Williams said.

According to Williams, students helping each other is ultimately the most important role in changing the way bullying is viewed.

“A big part of bullying has to do with group mentality and deciding we are going to stand up against it,” Williams said.

Overall, bullying and any behavior like it is looked down upon on campus.

“It’s not acceptable behavior and that’s it’s not what a Bulldog does,” Williams said.

Bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time when bystanders intervene Source: americanspcc.org/bullying/statistics-and-information

Art by Kathleen Nguyen Source: opheliaproject.org/facts/LevelsofAggression.pdf

Levels of

Art by Gavin Farner

THE BYSTANDERS

AGGRESSION Responses to bullying must improve

1 2

-A person may feel like a target, but the perceived aggressor did not intentionally hurt anyone -Physical, verbal, relational, or cyber -Each situation involves a target, an aggressor, and bystanders.

3

-Aggressive behaviors that are unsolicited by the target -Repeated aggression -Imbalanced power or strength of aggressor over the target

4

-Aggression tends to be isolated incidents where bullying describes a pattern of behaviors that repeatedly hurt a target

5

-Threat to immediate safety of the target/others -Involves weapons -Target contemplates selfharm -Legal consequences

Commentary

Kathleen Nguyen In-Depth Editor The answer is easy. Just don’t bully. That’s what we’ve been told since our young minds could comprehend the concept of malicious acts towards others. However something deemed so simple is in fact far more complex.

Bullying does still happen in upper level education and doesn’t just mean pushing kids around on the playground. Cyber bullying has become increasingly common because it allows the bully to say whatever they feel behind the safety of their screen. Whether it’s done in person or done online, bullying is a very real problem. According to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, more than one out of every five students are bullied.

The feeling it creates in the victim is one of self-doubt and that their life is insignificant. The things you say do matter. Little jokes and jabs at people may not seem like much to you, but to someone dealing with it constantly it can take a toll on how they view themselves and the world.

Cyber bullying especially falls true

to this with people hiding their faces behind hateful words that real people on the other side of the screen are receiving.

A comfortable setting to talk to about the issues a student is facing is the first step towards resolving the problem. According to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, school-based bullying prevention programs decrease bullying by up to 25 percent. Introducing an area where students can come anytime during the school day when they’re having a problem or just need to escape can be beneficial in the long run.

One solution that always tends to be the answer is to talk to an adult about the bullying you’re experiencing. However, in high school, students view asking a person of authority for help as ‘weak’ and the bullying is seen as ‘not that big of a deal’. This mentality is what leads to students not having the courage to accept the fact that they need to talk to an adult about what they’re going through instead of trying to just avoid the bully and their tactics.

According to Stopbullying.gov, only about 20 to 30 percent of students who are bullied notify adults about the bullying.

Studies show on Dosomething. org, over 67 percent of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of

students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective. Following that, another statistic shows that one in four teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene four percent of the time. To prevent this viewpoint from reigning true, perhaps having teachers and faculty attend an anti-bullying seminar with tips on how to handle a situation when a student is being bullied should become mandatory.

Students should take responsibility and assist the victim whether it’s intervening with the bully directly or just being there for the victim to talk to. Studies found on Stopbullying.gov, shows that when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within ten seconds 57 percent of the time.

Witnessing the harm being done and not taking action is just as bad as doing the bullying yourself. How many times can you honestly look at yourself and say that you stepped in and didn’t just ignore the situation?

The answer is few and far between.

But why is that? Why can’t we intervene and help?

The issue of bullying and how it’s handled is mediocre at best and without a collective effort from the teachers, faculty, and students it can never be improved.

If you or anyone one you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

Athletics

The Lone Star Dispatch Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A6

Tennis sisters aiming for state

Francis duo work to finish their first and final season playing together strong Mia Barbosa Managing Editor For sophomore Gigi Francis and senior Jolie Francis, growing up they were always around the tennis courts. Both girls started to play the sport at the age of five and they would even play against each other over the years at their grandma’s house for fun. However, over a decade later, the two play together in matches as a duo more often than not.

After competing together for the entire school season and working hard to get past regionals, sophomore Gigi Francis and senior Jolie Francis are going to the state tournament to compete in doubles tennis.

The tournament is in College Station and is on May 18th and 19th.

Gigi had quit playing tennis for a few years to play softball instead but she came back to be able to play with her sister on the school team.

“Before it was only me and my mom and my sister and I wasn’t really on a team or anything,” Gigi said. “When I got to school I really started to enjoy it because the atmosphere of being on the team and having a bunch of supportive friends around.”

Last season, when Gigi joined the team, her and Jolie had different partners so when the sisters found out they would be playing together this season they were unsure of how to feel about the arrangement and even were left a little nervous.

“When we started to practice together we realized that we did pretty good as a pair, but then we went to a tennis tournament to play together and when we won we were like ‘oh my God we’re actually really good player together’,” Gigi said. “After that we started to win our other tournaments as well and that’s when we got enough confidence in ourselves so that going into regionals we could actually win.”

The fast connection that Gigi and Jolie shared on the court may seem like it would be expected. However, many people were surprised at the way they were able to be as successful together as the were.

“I’ve been practicing with and against my sister ever since we were little kids and people might

Serving It Up : In a practice, senior Jolie Francis serves the ball to the opposing players as her sister and partner, sophomore Gigi Francis stands in a ready position. Gigi and Jolie started to play tennis when they were each around five years old when their passionate mother introduced the sport to them. Gigi took a few years off from playing tennis and came back to the sport to be able to play with Jolie. Photo by Mia Barbosa

think that would make two people enemies but I really do believe that it made us more tolerant of each other,” Jolie said. “Playing with each other has forced us to learn to compromise

a team and how they are able to cooperate, which is not easy to do with someone that you are comfortable with,” Kristi said.

“Familiarity often breeds contempt and this is more

“Mentally a big weakness I have is playing alone because if I’m out there by myself I start getting anxious.

Having someone out there with me, especially my sister, helps me stay focused on the game instead of what’s going to happen after.”

- Gigi Francis

and understand each other because if we don’t, we’ll lose.”

The girls’ mom, Kristi Francis, thinks that the girls’ ability to play together so well is admirable.

“When I watch them play I think about how well they work together as

Sister Serenity: In between practice doubles matches, sisters Gigi and Jolie Francis reflect on their last match.

They are competing in the state tournament May 18 and 19 in College Station together. Photo by Mia Barbosa

often true on the tennis court.”

After spending so much time together on the courts the girls have been able to study each other’s style of play in order to improve their chances against opposing teams in their matches.

“We really understand what our strengths and weakness are so we can help each other based on that,” Gigi said. “My forehand is better than my backhand and Jolie knows that so she’ll help with that by trying to get the ball going towards my forehand instead of my backhand.”

While Gigi and Jolie have helped each other by being able to read each other so well, they also aren’t shy to tell each other when they need to do something better in the match.

“Our arguments on the court are much more common and catty than if I was playing with any other

teammate,” Jolie said. “But we are usually able to look past our frustrations and focus on our match and winning.”

Gigi agrees that the two of them may yell at each other on the courts if they feel frustrated because they feel more comfortable with each other to be able to be more honest about the others playing.

“At practice when we start getting mad then our coach will just start laughing at us and then he just walks away,” Gigi said.

“Practice is when we get the most angry but during a match I try not to get too upset and I try to be as supportive as I can so we can do well.”

Going into state the girls are making sure to continue their hard work and teamwork, but for Jolie she is more focused on other aspects of the state tournament than just winning.

“At state I hope to make it to the semifinals but I’m not too stressed about it because my greater goal is to have fun,” Jolie said.

“Sometime during state will be my last tennis match and it doesn’t matter when it happens for me because I know I’ve had a great run during my high school tennis career.”

For Kristi, she also has Jolie’s mentality of not only being concerned about whether or not the girls win and has some words of wisdom to give to them as they head into the tournament.

“Making it to state is an accomplishment in and of itself, so celebrate it and don’t put undue pressure on yourself to achieve more,” Kristi said. “When you are relaxed and having fun, you play better. I real-

ly think that you can beat your first round opponents if you play smart and relaxed.”

Being able to relax is something that Jolie is capable to do more easily now that she has acquired a stronger comfort on the court.

“When I was younger I was always so nervous whenever I stepped on the court to play a match,” Jolie said. “But after so many years of experience I’ve become more confident and relaxed during a match.”

Gigi thinks that their compatibility is what gives her a sense of calm when they head into a match.

“When we play together

on the court it’s very helpful because we both go out there and relax, we don’t take long warm-ups and we get out there and start playing,” Gigi said.

Jolie’s goal heading into her senior year of tennis was to make it to the state tournament so for her she is already satisfied with how far she’s come this season.

“I know the competition at State will be much more difficult than anyone else we’ve played this year but I’m going there knowing that I’ve reached my goal of making it to State,” Jolie. “I know that it’s a great accomplishment that we’ve made it so far so I hope to just try my best and have fun.”

Eye On The Ball: Receiving the ball from a serve, senior Jolie Francis prepares to hit the ball back over the net to keep the other team from scoring a point. Jolie will play her last tennis match on the court alongside her sister at the state tournament. Photo by Mia Barbosa

A thletics

The Lone Star Dispatch

Friday, May 19, 2017 Page A7

There’s no base like home Varsity girls softball get rowdy for their advance to the fourth round in playoffs Mia Barbosa Managing Editor The string of chants that are yelled at the top of the varsity softball team’s player’s lungs is filled with energy. The clanking of metal erupts from the dugout as the players drum on the gates and ceiling creating an intimidating atmosphere for their opposing team. The team is in the playoffs and they are not holding back.

The varsity softball team first played Stoney Point High School the weekend of April 27th, and won their first game 7-1 and their second game 4-2. Next in round two of the playoffs, against Houston Memorial High School the weekend of the 5th, Bowie won both their first and second games by a score of 4-2. Lastly in round three of playoffs against Hendrickson High School, Bowie won their first game 1-0 and their second game 3-2.

Going into their fourth round against Oak Ridge High School the girls’ and coaches’ excitement for the game is high because the seniors on the team have never made it this far into the playoffs before.

“We’re feeling pretty confident about next round, we actually played them last year in playoffs 2nd round and beat them at their place,” junior Tiffany Licon said.

After last weekend when the girls came together to win both of their games in the same night, senior Sarah Williamson feels good heading into the game against Oak Ridge.

“I’m feeling really confident going into next round because we’ve showed extreme perseverance and I know we can do whatever we want if we come together like we did last round,” Williamson said.

The girls have spent the past few months playing and after multiple reflec-

Throw It Back: The first pitch of the night, senior Alex McLennan throws to the best of her ability knowing that this is one of her last high school playoff games.

Pitching involves a combination strength, technique and the ability to focus under intense pressure. Photo by Mia Barbosa

Varsity Starters

tions of their games they know what they need to focus on going into round three in order to be successful.

“For my next couple games I need to work on being focused on every single pitch,” McLennan said. “I can’t take any pitches off, I can’t just put one in there because as the teams get better they’ll be able to execute on missed pitches so I just need to make sure that I’m locked in every single pitch.”

McLennan is the starting pitcher for the team and Williamson is the starting catcher making their roles on the team very important.

“Personally I need to be filled with confidence and composure,” Williamson said. “If I do that then our pitcher Alex and I can have our weird psychic connection that’ll allow us to become a power duo against their batters.”

The connection the players have on the field is one of the key aspects to being successful and their coach, Liz Wissel, recognizes this.

“Nikki Gil is the catalyst of this team; this young lady truly works her butt off to

Tiffany Licon (11)- SS

gloves in the middle.”

Superstitions aside, assistant coach Karl Lauer knows that the girls will be able to go far in the playoffs if they girls are able to recognize that they have earned their spot in round three and have the talent to win it all.

“I haven’t noticed that they’ve been more nervous now that it’s playoffs because I think these girls really excel when put in a spot to perform,” Lauer said.

“There’s times I feel like it’s really tough to get up for some of the games just because it’s been a long grueling season, but once it comes to a must win game they came out ready to play.”

The girls know they have a tough opponent to face in round four but they also know they are able to do what has to be done to continue their progression in the playoffs and hope to have support at the game to help them win.

“It means a lot to us having the stands filled, we definitely build off the energy the fans bring,” Licon said. “So I hope next week we have a lot of fans cheering us on.”

Nikki Gil (12)- 2B

Alex McLennan (12)

Meagan Ramos (12) - 3B

Deja Hubbard (12) - RF

Sarah Williamson (12)- C

Jackie Ramos (12) - CF

Photos by Mia Barbosa

Marisela Gil (10)- 1B

make sure we look a team and I don’t think she gets recognized for it all the time,” Wissel said. “Without her there would be a lot of holes that were not filled in the sense of the team.”

The girls have noticed how the feeling of being a part of a team is stronger on the school team than on select teams.

“Here at Bowie it’s an environment where you play more for your team than you do for yourself and just being with your team as often as we are you just develop a lot of friendships and relationships,” McLennan said.

Part of how the team bonds is having a running joke about the crocs they wear but along with that there is a lot of superstitions that have kept the team together in the playoffs.

“I have to have my hair in two braids otherwise it’s bad juju on the team and recently if we eat gushers in the dugout that brings good mojo,” Williamson said. “Before the game starts we have to play hacky sack and when coach Lauer calls lineup we have to be in a circle, the same order every time, with our toes touching and our

Art by Mia Barbosa and Austyn Keelty

Katerina McLennan (10)- LF

Swing Batter Batter: Playing against rival team, Hendrickson High School, senior Sarah Williamson feels the pressure of the crowds’ eyes on her as she bats. Williamson specializes in catching, as she is the starting catcher; however, the team likes to explore all their strengths on the field to create the most exciting game possible. Photo by Mia Barbosa

S tudent Life The Lone Star Dispatch

Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A8

Summer hike goes to extremes

Junior David Goeller and friend take on the Appalachian Trail this summer Douglas Smith Staff Writer Cars are driven, planes are flown, and trips are taken to all different areas of the globe for vacation, work, and school. The summertime allows staff, students, and their families to spend time doing what they want and going where they wish.

For many students, the summer break means traveling from Austin to some other location either in the United States or abroad.

Junior David Goeller is no exception, as he gears up for a several month trip to hike the Appalachian trail. The trail spans from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine and was completed in 1937.

“I’m hiking most of the trail with a friend so I’ll be traveling all along the east coast, about nine or ten states I think,” Goeller said.

“We’re hiking through a few states I’ve been to before but I really haven’t been to most of the northeast so that will be new to me.”

Goeller is hiking the trail with close friend Matthew Warwick, whom he’s

hiked and camped with before due to their time in the Boy Scouts together.

Although they will spend most of the time together, Warwick is setting off sooner and coming back later.

“Me and Matthew are both really experienced hikers, so I think we’re prepared but it will definitely be challenging and unlike anything we’ve done so far,” Goeller said.

“Matthew is leaving in a little over two weeks but I’m meeting up with him around when school is out and I finish a few days before school starts.”

The 2,200 mile long trail is an experience to hike, and can often wear out and pose threat to participants along the way. It’s important to have the right kind and right amount of equipment when hiking, as it could be the difference between life and death.

“We’re doing about 20 miles a day so my pack’s base weight is about 12 pounds and with food and water and other stuff that goes over time it’s about 30 pounds,” Goeller said.

“We’re stopping in quite a few towns because the trail goes through a lot of

Geared Up: Prepared to hike, junior David Goeller grips his walking stick. Goeller first started hiking and camping at the age of 11, and his longest hike so far was almost 250 miles. Photo by Douglas Smith

them and we’ll also have to resupply once or twice a week.”

Part of the experience is also a mental one, as hiking such a long distance day after day can consume the mind of the person walking.

“The trail will definite-

TOP TEN SUPPLIES TO BRING ON A HIKE 1. Appropriate footwear 2. Map and compass/GPS 3. Extra water (and ways to purify it) 4. Extra food 5. Rain gear and extra clothing 6. Safety items: fire, light, whistle 7. First aid kit 8. Knife/multi-purpose tool 9. Sunscreen and sunglasses 10. Daypack/backpack Source: www.americanhiking.org

Photo illustration by Douglas Smith and Abby Ong

FALL & WINTER

ly change me but I have no idea how,” Warwick said. “It will be one of the hardest things I have ever done, both physically and mentally.”

The trail itself follows along almost the entire East Coast of the United States and some say it the most beautiful views in the country. The climate of the region is impacted by the elevation which spans from 124 feet to 6,643 feet.

“I think the views will be pretty nice because it’s heavily mountainous,” Goeller said. “The weather will be very moderate most of the time because it’s in the summer and a lot of it is pretty northern, between 60s and 80s most of the way.”

After a long days hiking on the trail, relaxation and rest are necessary to go right back into hike the next day. Activities include pitching camp, making food and entertainment.

“I won’t be doing much

besides hiking along the trail, enjoying the scenery and relaxing,” Goeller said.

“I think the independence and proximity to nature will be amusing enough

Goeller said. “I’m not sure if I would have had the determination at their age.”

Overall, the trip offers an experience of a lifetime to the boys and poses

“I normally hike for at least a few weeks every summer.

I’ve never done anything of this scope though.”

- David Goeller

but we’ll also probably bring a frisbee to throw, and I’ll listen to music as well.”

Both Warwick and Goeller have the support of their family and friends who all wish them the best on their trip. After all, many of them have helped in planning and scheduling the venture.

“I’m really proud of the boys for taking this on,” David’s mothers, Morgan

a new and unique challenge. While their peers are working and vacationing, Goeller and Warwick will be marching up the East Coast.

“I think I’ll enjoy it, I love hiking and I normally hike for at least a few weeks every summer,” David said. “I’ve never done anything of this scope though, so it’ll be an interesting challenge to be sure.”

LOVE THE SKIN YOU’RE IN

If you like current, trendy and designer fashion but hate paying retail, you’ll love Uptown Cheapskate. Get the brands you love and vintage at up to 90% off the original retail.

Some of our favorite brands: • Anthropologie • Free People • Urban Outfitters • Levis • Project Social • Ralph Lauren • American Apparel • Dooney & Bourke

models

•The North Face •Vintage & Designer

$5 OFF

Jennifer Gordon, MD Board Certified Dermatologist

any $30 purchase *Cannot be combined with other offers. Limit one per customer.

06/15/17 CPNMT1016QA Expires 10/31/16.

Debra Gauthier, FNP-BC Nurse Practitioner

3005 S. LAMAR BLVD IN AUSTIN |    

5301 Davis Lane

(512) 615-2730

The Lone Star Dispatch

S tudent Life

Friday, April 19, 2017

Page A9

Debate, President, what’s next Gigi Francis Staff Writer

From Silver Star performances to debate competitions to meetings art club, then running for student body president. These are only a few jobs Jimmy Counihan balances out while still being present in the classroom.

Counihan is running for student body president at school. While Counihan is already extremely active, holding many titles around school and soon hoping to become more involved, he still feels he can do more to fix this community.

“With one year under my belt, I’ve realized that the people I know and the relationships I’ve built are worth the world, so I decided to run for President during Thanksgiving of 2016 because I thought as president I would be able to help people get the same amazing experience I’ve had getting to know people and getting to build life long friends at Bowie.”

Counihan said.

Over the years, Counihan has always been a friend to all and destined to govern, always wanting to make a difference.

“Ever since I have known Jimmy, he always was trying his best to help everyone around him and he still does today,” junior Zachary Houdek said.

Not only students have recognized Couihan’s

behavior around school, teachers and faculty have taken notice to how Counihan acts around the community.

“Jimmy treats everyone with respect and keeps it light. I do not think there has been a day this year where he has not made me laugh. The number of times I have shook my head while saying “oh, Jimmy” are numerous,” teacher Brian Alford said. “He relates well to faculty and peers alike.

I really with I had students with the unique, outgoing, witty personality that he has. He really is one of the most interesting people I have ever met, and that is saying quite a bit,” Counihan has also grown over his years at Bowie, he has been able to keep track of his ideas and plans.

“Jimmy has been in my classes for three years. I first met him at a District Advisory Council meeting.

(He is a student representative),” Alford said. “Over the past three years, Jimmy has become much more responsible and has become much better at expressing himself.”

Counihan has created things such as Snapchat filters at school to bring smiles during a hard day of work.

“I first got the idea of making a filter because I was with friends and laughing about how iconic it would be if someone made a Snapchat filter over

Bowie that lasted for an hour. To us it seemed like a fun unexpected thing that would make people laugh,” Counihan said.

Counihan puts himself out there with creativity, he also honors the students and faculty, earning their respect.

“Jimmy is Jimmy. He is pretty much unclassifiable.

He has a very unique personality, and a very unique sense of style. He can adapt to just about any situation, and still throw in that Jimmy flair and keep it interesting,” Alford said. “He has the respect of fellow students and the staff at Bowie. He definitely keeps it interesting,” Counihan tries to see everything from everyone’s point of view to completely understand all parts of the issue.

“Jimmy is unique. He does excellent work, but his casual relationship with deadlines has caused me stress. But he always gets it done....Eventually,” Alford said. “The work is almost always pretty good. Jimmy is very good at looking at different aspects of a situation/assignment.”

“I’m putting up over a dozen posters around school, passing out T-shirts that I’ve hand dyed and drew printed,” Counihan said.

Along with preparing to run for president has Counihan has also put in overtime at school to fix and work on improving

Paint is ever where: as Counihan prepares for the up coming student council president, he is working to make shirts for those who are going to represent him on election day. Photo by Gigi Francis

things at around school. He is involved in so many time consuming organizations.

“Before I ran for president Mr. E told me I have the same 24 hour long day as everyone else and I told him that it depends on how you use those hours that matters. He asked how long I sleep, to which I said, none,” Counihan said.

Counihan is trying to reach students individually to show he cares about each student at school.

“I’ve made a video announcing my candidacy, and now I’m meeting with student individually to let them know I have their best interest at heart,” Counihan said.

With many ties with the

Bowie community Counihan believes that he can really make a difference at this school because of these ties.

“I decided to run for president because I thought Bowie needed someone that not only had roots in the community but wanted to better the relationships in community. I’ve served as a District Advisory Committee member, a Campus Advisory Committee member and my Mom is the principal of Baranoff elementary,” Counihan said. “I knew that holding these positions and several others I’d be able to work with different organizations and really make a more pro-

found impact because I’ve come to know the people that make decisions, I’ve come to learn the processes in place, and I’ve come to love our campus.”

Couihan’s friends believe that Counihan could make a real difference at this school and he hopes that he becomes president.

“Jimmy has a drive to make Bowie much better than it is. He is extremely involved in many aspects of AISD (CAC, DAC),” Alford said, “He was one of the few students that went to the parent/student meeting with new principal Mr Robinson and asked several questions. He has many ideas on ways to improve things at Bowie.”

Geography teacher moving to a new continent to teach in Asia Harrison Louis Staff Writer Students know of friends moving to new places over the summer, but not many people think of their teachers moving away and especially not out of the country. But geography teacher Nicholas Stamper will be moving to Kazakhstan over the summer to next year to teach overseas.

Kazakhstan is a country in Central Asia. Kazakhstan was formerly part of the Soviet republic. It’s largest city, Almaty is a trading hub and full of historical artifacts and cites.

“I am going to work at a small private school in Atyrau,” Stamper said.

Stamper is not sure what he will be teaching yet but it expects it to be similar to what he teaches now.

“I believe my assignment will be secondary social studies and cultural studies,”Stamper said.

Stamper will be teaching to a variety of middle school and high school age students in Kazakhstan where these students will learn English which is not their native language.

“Teaching overseas has been a goal of mine since I got into teaching a little over a decade ago,” Stamper said. “This is the fulfillment of a long-term dream of mine.”

Stamper will start off with a year teaching contract, expecting to extend to two years through Quality Schools International.

QSI has many other campuses around the world campuses from Asia to Europe, and even South America and Africa, so he has potential to transfer to somewhere else if he wants to stay overseas.

“My contract is for a year with the expectation of extending to two years, and if I do well with this school organization then I can potentially transfer to another one of their campuses which they have all over Asia, Europe, South America and even Africa” Stamper said.

Teaching abroad may not be for everyone but for Stamper it is the perfect experience.

“I wasn’t specifically drawn to Kazakhstan.

Teaching abroad was the goal, and this happened to be the best fit opportunity that I was presented with,” Stamper said. “Many teachers I know who have done this kind of work typically spend a couple years in one place and then move on to a new city, country, or continent.”

This is not the first time or last time that Stamper will be visiting another country in the European region .

“My experiences in Russia, specifically Siberia, made me more comfortable accepting this position.” Stamper said. ”I feel like I have a little bit of experience in this kind of environment, although I am aware that moving to Kazakhstan will be a new and unique experience all its own.”

A new job in a new country: Stamper is moving to Central Asia, he has been offered a teaching job in the country of Kazakhstan, a small country located between Russia and Uzbekistan. He is hoping to be teaching human geography to the local middle and high school students. Photo by Austyn Keelty

While the official language of Kazakhstan is Kazakh, the language of business and government is still Russian due to the country’s former ties to the Soviet Union during the communist era. Stamper is working on his Russian, so that he can better communicate with his new students and the people in his new town.

“I’ll miss him because he’s a cool teacher and I like the way he taught,” freshman Julianna Dicochea said.

Stamper teaches Dicochea in a world geography classes this year .

“He explains things

thoroughly and makes sure we get what we’re learning,” Dicochea said. “I like when he relates things that we’re learning to things we’re interested in.”

Many of his students are excited for him to have a new experience.

“I think it’s really cool that he’s trying something new and I think it will be a really cool experience in a new place with new people,” Dicochea said.

Just as Stamper’s students will be sad to see him go, so is his family.

“This has been a plan for so long that my family has accepted it and are excited for me,” Stamper

said.

While his family is excited for him, he knows that it will be a difficult transition for them to get used to.

“But I know we’re all sad to be separated from each other,” Stamper said.

Stamper is not the only member of his family to be living overseas currently his sister lives in Southeast Asia with her family, so family members overseas is not a new experience for his the rest of his family.

“I’m going to really miss all of the wonderful students, teacher, and staff here at Bowie,” Stamper said.

The people at Bowie were one of things that came into play when Stamper was making his choice on weather or not to take this new opportunity or not.

“My experiences here are what made me delay this move as long as I did, so it’s a hard thing to say goodbye, but I felt like I needed to make the move or I might not ever do it,” Stamper said.

The food is also something that Stamper will miss very much.

“Also tacos. I’m definitely going to miss tacos,” Stamper said.

R eviews

The Lone Star Dispatch

Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A10

Thirteen reasons why to watch Maria Demopoulos Darcy Kanneman Staff Writers ‘13 Reasons Why’

fects that bullying, gossip, peer pressure, and rape has on young adults. The show doesn’t just graze over these issues. The series goes deep into these problems that happen everyday.

The show helps create the space for our society to realize that these serious problems are harsh realities for many.

The series isn’t pleasant watch by any means, but it does raise vital issues that can inspire valuable discussions between parents and teens.

There are two disturbing forces at play throughout the story, the first being Hannah’s downward spiral and the circumstances that instigated it. Serious matters like cyber bullying, rape, and sexual assault are addressed unflinchingly and these scenes may be too difficult to watch for some and can be too mature for the targeted teen audience.

For instance the onscreen suicide of Hannah might inflict some strong emotions, and maybe scar some young teens in the process.

However, it provides a clear message. That you never know what someone else is going through, and you should always be careful of what you say and do to people.

The show demonstrates how the actions of others can have a big or small impact.

As we watch Hannah tell us what each person

Art by Ayden Lumbley

There was a time when the shows about regular, everyday high-schoolers were the bread and butter of young adult television.

But now unless you have a murder mystery to solve, have a vampire or werewolf boyfriend, or a dystopian future to survive it’s as though the inner lives of teens aren’t important enough to take seriously on their own.

However, Netflix’s new drama “13 Reasons Why” is here to change that. “13 Reasons Why” was released on March 31.

Based off the book by Jay Asher, it tells the story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), a girl who made tapes for 13 different people, each person being a reason of why she killed herself.

The story starts when Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette), a shy high schooler, receives the tapes and the show revolves around his struggles and discoveries of listening the tapes.

Hannah described what all those people, including Clay, did knowingly and unknowingly to push her over the edge.

I was hesitant to watch this show in the beginning because of how serious the plot is. But after finishing

it, I’m glad I got myself to watch this remarkable show.

After watching all the 13 episodes, I have to say it was an emotional roller-coaster. Because you know of Hannah’s fate at the beginning of the series, it’s interesting to watch the story unfold. I really liked it.

The use of flashbacks in the show is very useful.

We get to see what Hannah was like when she was alive and how the characters around her made her feel.

You can tell when there are flashbacks due to Clay’s cut on his face in the present and the different lighting in each one. It turns to a warm yellow-orange color when Hannah was alive, symbolizing that Hannah was filled with life, and a dull blue to the present when she isn’t.

The show doesn’t simply state each reason Hannah committed suicide, but graphically shows the brutality of it all within the episodes, making it the top reason why I liked it. The main purpose was to give the public a somewhat real experience of what high schoolers go through almost everyday.

The characters tell us what they feel, and I can relate to what some of these characters are feeling. “13 Reasons Why” accurately portrays drama that teenagers deal with on a daily basis.

The show reveals the ef-

did to her, we see things that could have been easily prevented and things that are just terrible.

I got mad at most of these people for being jerks and couldn’t believe the hate in people’s hearts.

Finally, the series shows us that there are plenty of

reasons to keep living. The show even shares a suicide prevention hot-line number you can call (1-800-2738255). Parents, counselors, friends, family, members, and this hot-line are always available.

Overall, you shouldn’t need a show to know how

to treat people with kindness.

I’d give this show a four out of five stars. This show is an eye opener for the truth, and just aides the saying that everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about, and that you are not alone.

Coming back, back from the past, Samurai Jack

The series revival season releases to Adult Swim after long hiatus Shelby Papst Staff Writer

‘Samurai Jack’

In a future swarmed with ruin and chaos, one man has gotta get back, back to the past. And now we can find out if he does.

In the fifth and final season Jack (Phil LaMarr) continues his journey of saving the world in the Adult Swim series ‘Samurai Jack’.

The revival season of the animated series aired on March 11, after 13 years since the final episode of season four. The fifth season marks the end of the series and Jack’s journey.

Jack is back and 50

years have passed in the realm of Aku (Greg Baldwin) the embodiment of evil and darkness. He’s still on his journey to return to his time period and help all the people he can struggling in Aku’s future, but now without his magic sword.

The revival has very polished art that in a way almost reflects the time change in the storyline.

Jack has changed, while not physically mind some longer hair, the clearer 2017 animation seems to enhance the fact that while Jack may be different and time has passed, he’s still Jack and the show is still the same ‘Samurai Jack’ as it was 13 years ago.

After so many decades, Jack is falling into madness.

He starts seeing people he feels like he let down such as his family, his younger self who reprimands him on losing his sword, and innocent strangers he feels he couldn’t save.

The show portrays very clear themes of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) along with mania.

The show has a much more grim feeling of hopelessness and lacks in some of the lightheartedness the previous seasons had.

I really like this season especially for the reason that this show has a very serious theme and I feel as if they are finally showing how desperate and serious Jack is about leaving while not overdoing it to keep the fun cartoon vibe.

During Jack’s infamous

journey, Aku is hiding his growing desperation to find Jack. He sends people to go looking for Jack or any sight of the samurai he can get his hands on.

Over the fifty years Jack has gone off the radar and Aku can’t stand not knowing where the samurai is as Jack is the one constant obstacle in Aku’s goal for his future to become permanent.

One thing I really feel is anticlimactic about the action series is Aku. Compared to the funny, fearless, and super strong hero of the series, Aku is an exceptionally bland villain. His humor is far from striking and even though it’s supposed to be a cartoon, he does not give off an evil vibe at all.

Art by Callie Richards

With one of the greatest animated protagonists I’ve ever seen like Jack, one would expect an equally dynamic antagonist and Aku is not that.

However, Jack has some new opponents to face such as Ashi (Tara Strong) one of Aku’s daughters, who after being saved by Jack, joins him in order to find out whose side she should really be on. Should she join her father, the being of despair who has completely destroyed the future, or Jack who showed her kindness and fights for the light?

Her choice should be obvious, but Ashi was raised on Aku’s word being the truth, so she doesn’t know who the real villain is, despite Jack constantly assuring her it is Aku. Ashi’s addition to the show brings a strong girl-power I thought was lacking previously in the show. She brings this no-nonsense attitude with this underlying naivety that gives her character so much charm I couldn’t help but love her right away.

The relationship with Jack and Ashi was almost certainly my favorite part of the season.

The chemistry between the two was so enchanting with Ashi’s confusion of the world and Jack’s odd spiritual knowledge to answer her questions. I feel like Jack and Ashi are very alike in the sense that they

both don’t belong in Aku’s future.

My hope for the finale is that Jack and Ashi return to Jack’s time period together either romantically or as platonic companions. The duo should stick together because at this point in the plot I don’t think Ashi or Jack could survive without the other.

Jack wasn’t ever supposed to exist in the time period to begin with and Ashi never ended up fighting for Aku, the only reason she was created in the evil time-line. And both of them, especially Jack are going to change that by hopefully defeating Aku. After all Jack’s been put through; the trauma, loss, and heartache, I’ll be really pissed if he doesn’t get the happy ending he very much deserves.

The original Cartoon Network shows like ‘Teen Titans’ and ‘Codename Kid’s Next Door’ were my favorite thing to watch on TV when I was younger, and seeing a classic like ‘Samurai Jack’ continue on an even greater note can’t even be described.

‘Samurai Jack’ hasn’t finished streaming yet, but from the episodes released so far I can give the season a deserved 4/5 stars.

Season 5 took me back to the past and while Jack may not be there yet, he is back on the screen and he is better than ever.

Commentary

Women cry out for equal pay The Lone Star Dispatch

Friday, May 19, 2017 Page A11

Editorial

Businessinsider.com

Art by Callie Richards

Equal Pay Day, April 9, is a day that advocates for the 1963 passage of the Equal Pay Act. This act prohibits the sexbased wage discrimination between men and women performing similar types of work in similar environments. The rising conflict comes from the fact that many women, despite the law, are being underpaid for the same jobs when men are paid for the exact same work.

As a result of the 2016 election, the controversy of equal pay for both men and women has received an increased amount of attention. Some argue that both groups should be treated equally and paid according to their standard of work. However, opponents contend that females are paid less than their male co-workers because their work ethic isn’t as strong as men.

Equal pay is an ongoing dilemma that society needs to change. The inequality in pay is not a matter of pride for women, but a matter of appreciation. If women are completing the same jobs as men, they should be paid the same. Plain and simple. Both genders are putting the same effort and drive into their work. Therefore, women should be appreciated equally.

Due to the display of disrespect for women by those with power, many advocates have rightfully come out in support of both women’s rights and equal rights.

People have shared their stories of unequal conduct in the workforce, and many statistics have come out to stand up for women

and the quality of their work.

The opposition argues women are less educated so subsequently their pay wage is deducted. However, according to the Department for Professional Employees, from 1976 to 2014, the enrollment of women in college has increased by 120% and now surpasses the enrollment of men by 3 million. Consequently, this suggests that women might in fact be more educated than men - rather than less.

Additionally, women have been mislabeled as a small, possibly insignificant, part of the workforce and often take time off for personal reasons. These individuals argue that women should be reprimanded for taking time off.

What are these personal reasons? Maternity leave, an essential period for a child’s development cycle. A time that decides quite largely to the roles in society that future generations will give to the world. The Department for Professional Employees reported that women makeup 47% of the workforce. Additionally, 58% of said women work either part time or full time, all while having a child under the age of one. Being the mother of an infant and working a full-time job should be commendable, and a not a way to depreciate the importance of women and their work ethic.

Most people think of equal pay as a topic that either doesn’t affect them or

something that is too difficult to get rid of.

However, we as a society have to come together and fight for equality in all aspects because though they may not affect us directly, they will affect our families and friends.

Simple ways to get involved are to become educated about unequal pay and supporting the cause to stop it. Many feel that large scope controversies are out of their reach. However, simple contributions can make a big difference.

Recognizing the ongoing dilemma of unequal pay and finding solutions to diminish the problem will lead to a positive and respectful society for future generations.

The sickness that plagues Hollywood’s box office Jake Brien Commentary Editor

DISPATCH STAFF - Vol. 29, Issue #6 Graduating Seniors Fuaad Ajaz Caitlin Devlin Samantha Knapp Alicia Molina Jolie Francis

Review Editor Shelby Papst - Page A10

Editor-in-chief Violet Glenewinkel

In-Depth Editor Kathleen Nguyen - Page A5

Managing Editor Mia Barbosa - Page A6 Victoria Newell - Page A1

Student Life Editors Abby Ong - Page A8 Madison Austin - Page A9

News Editor Kiran Patel - Page A2

Photo Editors Mikayla Zellner - Page A12

Commentary Editors Jake Brien - Page A11

Website Team Lead Joseph Killeen

Athletics Editors Austyn Keelty - Page A7

Adviser Michael Reeves

Entertainment Editor Ian Miller - Page A3 Jadon Alvarez - Page A4

Dispatch Staff: Cara Andres Cianna Chairez Maria Demopoulos Carissa Duran Gavin Farner Gigi Francis Avy Friedman Darcy Kanneman Shelby Kelly Yana Krykunenko Justine Lockhart Harrison Louis Sam McPherson Emily Merritt Mo Orr Ashley Ramirez Callie Richards Douglas Smith Reagan Wallace Ella Wright

e

r efo

B

Art by Fuaad Ajaz

Sequels and reboots of classic movies are plaguing the modern film industry. The classic horror film “Friday the 13th” is being rebooted a third time. Why? Because today, Hollywood is more interested in people’s wallets rather than making good movies.

The golden age of film making is gone.

With movies playing such a vital role in telling breathtaking stories through film, it begs the question: Do sequels and reboots of old movies have any place in Hollywood?

Hollywood has decided that movies are a business, not an art. Retaining a director’s artistic vision comes second place to making as much money as possible. Sequels of “Jaws” 1-4, “Rocky” 1-6, “Planet of the Apes” 1-5, and the list goes on.

Eventually, people grew smart and stopped caring for sequels. A sequel should serve to tell a story. The director of “Planet of the Apes 2” never intended for the there to be a sequel, but 20th Century Fox pushed him down a path which would ruin a once great idea, stretching it as thin as possible to make money.

Although, a sequel isn’t always a bad thing. The “Star Wars” trilogy is a prime example of this. George Lucas had a vision that there would be a story told through three movies. Spielberg, on the other hand, originally had no intention of having a sequel to “Jaws,” and it shows.

In short, if sequels are made with the idea of chronicling a journey than it belongs in Hollywood. Contrastingly, a reboot isn’t quite as black and white of a concept.

Reboots are tricky. The idea of a reboot is to re-imagine a film/character through the eyes of a new director. But there’s a fine line that many people don’t seem to see when it’s crossed. If a reboot is bad, it not only slanders the name of the original movie, but it demeans the story as well.

The thing that made the original “Friday the 13th” special was that director Victor Miller sought to tell a simple story.

However, Miller then made nine sequels to “Friday the 13th,” and it was soon rebooted. In this instance, a reboot is a means to revitalize the fans of the franchise. But to reboot the franchise for a third time is ridiculous.

In contrast, the “Batman” films have seen numerous reboots. Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy has even been debated as one of the greatest trilogies ever made, showing how reboots have the chance to create fresh and amazing stories.

A reboot is either a re-imagining, or an effort to make a lot of money.

Hollywood has been plagued with this sickness of countless sequels and reboots for decades. It’s a safe way to ensure a profit, but unfortunately, with that profit came a disease. A sickness descended upon Hollywood that ensured they put money before artistic vision.

What is this sickness? Greed. It’s human nature to want more and more, but ironically, making countless sequels and reboots have left moviegoers desiring less

Aft e

r

and less.

Don’t see it? Look no farther than the current lineup of Hollywood’s sequel filled franchise: super hero cinematic universes. Home to Marvel and DC competing with movies like “the Avengers,” “Suicide Squad,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” just to name a few.

This cinematic universe trend is a testament to how Hollywood will stay the same with their sequels and reboots for a long time. While DC’s movies subsequently followed Marvel’s for the sake of money, Marvel Studios has given moviegoers

countless movies which continue to show with the right writers and respect for the original source material, movie sequels will always shine brightly.

Sequels and reboots of old movies do have a place in Hollywood. Sure, they may have overstayed their welcome, but countless sequels give rise to the possibility of a reboot, and reboots can breathe new life into a franchise. It’s an endless cycle of both profit for Hollywood, and new adventures for moviegoers.

The golden age of film making may have died, but there’s always a reboot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• The Lone Star Dispatch welcomes reader input. Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to bowie.journalism@gmail.com, call (512) 841-7825, or mail them to 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX 78749 or drop them off in room F-203 with adviser Michael Reeves or any editor. Letters must be signed, and emailed letters will require verification before publication.

We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

• The Lone Star Dispatch does not necessarily endorse the products or services of advertising.

Photo Essay The Lone Star Dispatch

Friday, May 19, 2017

Page A12

Cowey makes profit from upcycling

Discovering a hidden gem: Charles Cowey converses with other passionate central pickers over a find. His bright smile and large name tag inviting people into conversations.

What some consider to be junk found in an antique store, Cowey finds the value in every item he sees during his search amongst auctions, estate sales, and junk yards across the U.S. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Algebra teacher spends his weekends buying items from garage sales to create new products Cara Andres Staff Writer During the school day, he assists and educates his students with arithmetic. With his extra free time, he re-purposes and resells vintage and mid-century modern pieces. Charles Cowey, an algebra 2 teacher, is known as a Central Texas Picker.

“I visit garage sales, auctions, estate sales, and junk yards,” Cowey said. “I find items that other people don’t really know the value of what they have, so I purchase it and resell it.”

Cowey has been participating in these activities for around two years now. He’s made birdhouses from old toy parts, hosted city wide garage sales, and

participated in Fredericksburg trade shows.

“I like finding old rusty treasures and making them shine.

It’s a lot of fun,” Cowey said.

“I started off building different kinds of birdhouses and re-purposing different types of furniture.”

While partaking in these weekend activities, Charles’ wife, Louisa Cowey, tends to tag along with him. They have different tastes from each other when it comes to picking out furniture, but it adds variety to his garage sales.

“We usually go shopping together,” Louisa said. “Sometimes I pick stuff out, sometimes he picks stuff out. I don’t really help out with re-purposing items though.”

Charles has purchased furni-

ture and antiques from multiple places, such as the Austin Motel on South Congress. He usually sells the items on craigslist, sometimes within only a few hours.

“I’ve sold every piece that I’ve gotten from the Austin Motel within three days,” Charles said. “I also sold a SXSW bud light guitar for $385. I only had it for thirty-six hours.”

Although his wife and daughter try to pressure him into keeping every piece he has re-purposed, Charles tries to not get too attached to them. He does keep a few pieces for himself though.

“I love his creativity and ingenuity,” Cowey’s daughter, Christina Sheridan said. “He has a gift for finding the best deals and selections!”

In search of potential: Standing by some of the items in a show he is at, Charles Cowey searches for something of value he could reconstruct between the hundreds of antiques that are at the auction in front of him. Picking the right materials is a crucial step in refurbishing antiques and Cowey is determined to find the most suitable materials for the projects he is planning on creating in the near future. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Divide and Conquer: Charles Cowey and his wife sort the money they have made so far from their items. Afterwards, Cowey and his wife split up to find some new item they could re-purpose. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Showing off his work: Charles Cowey demonstrates how he fixed up his vintage Dr. Pepper machine. After learning the old Dr. Pepper machine was sold, the customers was disappointed. “[He has] fantastic customer service and no overly inflated pricing,” Said Coweys daughter, Christina Sheridan. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Samantha Knapp

Jolie Francis

Alicia Molina

Metamorphosis Fuaad Ajaz

Caitlin Devlin

The Lone Star Dispatch Senior Staff 2017

~30~

Fuaad Ajaz Senior year came by so fast, it feels like it was only a couple of weeks ago I was a freshman being offered fake maps of the school and being sprayed by vinegar.

My high school years have had tons of high and low moments that have shaped me into the person I am today.

There are many friendships that I have made over the years. Mikayla Lyles my sister from another mister who is always with me and there for me, Angelica Aguilar and Alex Reyes we will never escape TLC, my Lone Star Dispatch staff there are too many of y’all to name but thank you for being fun on those late night deadlines (Babushka loves y’all!) and many more who I would name but can’t fit into this, you all know who you are.

Managing Editor

You all helped me make memories that I will cherish forever and carry on.

As for all of the adults on campus there are so many of you guys. First off, Mr. Michael Reeves, thanks for dealing with me for four years. You have taught me everything I know about the journalism world. Mrs. Whitney Shumate, thank you for everything you have done for me and thank you for being a great friend and YA Lit teacher. Mrs. Vicki Hebert, thank you for everything ranging from cookie Fridays to watching cat videos on your computer. You remind me of my grandmother every time I am with you. Ms. Patricia Maney, thanks for coming to all of my adoption events and being a great Bowie Buddies sponsor. Ms. Kaylin

Brett, fourth period was one of the best classes I had junior year so thank you and also Beyhive buddies for life. Lastly, thank you Ms. Jennifer Mullins, thank you for all of the help with college and helping me find the right pathway.

Thank you all. Thanks for the endless venting sessions, thank you for supporting me in everything I do, and thank you for believing in me because you all made high school memorable.

As I move onto a new chapter in my life I won’t forget the memories I made: in Seattle and San Antonio, in room A212, room B218, at Huston- Tillotson, in Ya Lit, in Street Law, the day of the reverse lock down, the day with no running water, and many more.

Caitlin Devlin Managing Editor

My high school experience looks a lot like a heart rate monitor: a lot of ups, a lot of downs. However, if I learned anything in high school, it’s that the only way to survive through the downs is to focus on your past ups.

Various ups include: performing in front of thousands in Indianapolis for my last ever band performance, submitting my art portfolio I had spent a year on, becoming a newspaper editor, and two years a later a managing editor, leaving class to go talk to friends during second lunch even though I definitely had more important things to be doing, being accepted into my first choice college in my major, and all of the amazing friends and memories I’ve made in my time here.

In the future, when I look back

on my time at Bowie, I’ll definitely be thinking about what I learned from my time here. Not necessarily the things I learned while studying for AP exams or in my various core classes, but all the little life lessons I’ve learned from the people here. I went from being an 8th grader with almost no friends to being a senior that was constantly talking to people with a complete confidence in myself.

The people of Bowie taught me how to love and appreciate friendship, work hard to get where I want, and to speak how I feel without fear of judgment.

Bowie itself taught me how to dress in layers, make my hair look acceptable even with 50 KM winds outside, and how to steal sink taps. I’ve also learned what kinds of people I want to be friends with for life, I’ve

adopted my own sense of style, personality, and taste that’s inspired from the people I’ve met here.

Bowie has also shaped me for the future and helped me figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. Specifically, the newspaper program introduced me to a lifelong love of writing and design, and the AP Art program helped me to develop my skill and love of art.

In the fall, I will be attending the University of North Texas and studying communication design to combine what I loved from both of these programs for my future career.

They always say that school is a learning experience, and they were right. I learned so much in my time here at Bowie, and I can’t wait for the rest of my learning experiences in life.

Jolie Francis Staff Writer

This year marks the end of an era for me, the era that played a crucial rule into shaping me into the person that I am today. After this I will be going to Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, majoring in Urban Studies. From the clubs I joined, to the teams I was a part of, I wouldn’t want to go back and change a thing about the life I involved myself in at Bowie High School.

My time on the Bowie Tennis Team was interesting to say the least. Some of my closest friends have come from my high school tennis team, and it hurts to have to leave them and go our separate ways, but I have other things to take away from being on that team. My close knit team and my experiences taught me to

Samantha Knapp News Editor

As senior year comes to a close, it’s time to look towards the future and new beginnings. My parents graduated from Bowie in 1994 and 1995 and I got to carry on the legacy of James Bowie High School graduates one last time.

As a child, I remember coming to Bowie every year for the annual Halloween carnival until it stopped about ten years ago. The booths were run by students and you could play carnival games and win prizes, get your face painted, and have a lot of fun. While we were at this carnival, my parents had a science class together and they would take me to visit their anatomy and physiology teacher, Mrs. McCormick, every single year and I was

so excited when I got to high school and got to have her as my physiology and anatomy teacher and my chemistry teacher. I got to learn from her and hear her stories like my parents did and I am so thankful to have experienced that during my high school career and I will never forget it.

I got to spend three years in the JBHS choir, one year in concert band and color guard, and four years in the journalism program. I started in yearbook and decided it’s not for me and moved to newspaper and I’m so glad I did. Mr. Reeves became not only my advisor, but my friend. Newspaper inspired me to think about pursuing a career in journalism because I loved that class so much

and I got to meet so many interesting people through journalism and I want to continue that in the future.

I’m not sure where I would be and what path I would be taking if I didn’t go to Bowie, but I wouldn’t be anywhere without the support of my parents and my boyfriend. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m planning on going to ACC and transferring to another college when I’m ready and hopefully I will get a job where I can pursue journalism and science, like an environmental writer, and eventually move out into the adult world. I have no idea when any of this would happen, but without Bowie I wouldn’t be on this path and I’m ready to see where it takes me in the future.

be brave and work hard, helping me to become determined and strong headed.

My closest friends came from out of nowhere. Obviously I have to mention Ciara Cera and Caleb Newton because you can’t name a more iconic trio than us. I want to thank them for befriending me when I was in my awkward phase and for helping me experience life and create memories that matter. They helped me find myself and then be confident with who I am, so thanks y’all.

Many important teachers, Mrs. Vicki Hebert, Mrs. Carlen Floyd, and yes, even Mr. Michael Reeves, have helped me to find my interests. Mrs. Hebert helped me find my enjoyment of creating stories and poetry and overall is

such an amazing and kind lady, helping me during junior year and onwards. Mrs. Floyd helped me realize that government isn’t boring at all, but that it’s something that makes me think and draws intense emotions from me.

And Mr. Reeves, who I had my freshman year and now again my senior year. I was put onto the Newspaper staff mostly by chance, but I’m very grateful that it happened. This opportunity helped me realize another one of my interests, writing stories.

So thank you Bowie, and to all the people who are there. I hope to keep these memories as I grow up and move onto to the next chapter of my life.

Don’t forget me, because I won’t forget you.

Alicia Molina Staff Writer

As my time at Bowie comes to a close, I look back at all of the things I have done and all of the amazing teachers I have met here. I participated in the art program for two years, tech theatre, animation and graphic design but the one program that has touched me the most has to be newspaper. When I was filling out my choice sheet for my sophomore year I saw journalism for the first time, I didn’t know what it was so I decided to give it a try, I had no idea what I was getting into. I guess I was pretty good at what I was doing, so I decided to move onto newspaper. I have been in the

boy

bye

program now for two years and those were the best years of my high school experience.

I have done a little bit of everything from taking photographs, to making art but what I was best at was writing stories. I started out by writing for our online paper and transitioned to being on the print edition. This helped me come out of my comfort zone because I am very introverted and this made me unafraid to speak to anyone and I am much more confident when I speak. I am very glad to be surrounded by such talented journalism students, they helped bring out my creative side.

All of my teachers here have been wonderful and it’s going to be hard knowing that I won’t see them every day. I made so many friends and kept in touch with a lot of my middle school friends here. I am sad to leave Bowie, but I am glad that I have four years of great memories. Thank you to all of the teachers and staff that have helped me along my years in high school and have helped paved the way for my future. I am excited, anxious, nervous and ready for what is to come, and with the help of everyone here I am also well prepared for my adventures ahead.