The Lone Star Dispatch, Vol. 29, Issue #3, 12.14.16

L one Star Dispatch

The

James Bowie High School

INSIDE

Athletics Ables’s 100th win with team

The Dakota Access Pipeline

Entertainment The Mannequin Challenge

Football conquers 11 teams for the year See page B1

What is the controversy and solutions?

See page A6

Cheer uses the trend in a surprising way See page B4

4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin, TX 78749

Commentary

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Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Vol. 30

Issue 3

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

A fight for the crown continues

Band and Color Guard tackle the national competition held in Indianapolis Kathleen Nguyen Student Life Editor

From the blazing Texas heat to the freezing Indianapolis chill the James Bowie Band has experienced it all. The past fall semester has been anything but a breeze.

Having practice every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday while also attending every Friday night football game is no easy feat, but with the pressures of Grand Nationals and State, there was no time to slack.

The start of the season began in early August, preparing for the season to come.

“I was kind of nervous when we first started the season because we were getting new directors in such an important year, and I knew that we were going to have to work really hard in order to have our show ready for Grand Nationals,” junior Emma Kunkel said.

Throughout the journey, every performance was a practice for what was ultimately the end goal, Grand Nationals.

“It’s always good to treat a run as a performance and to get in the mindset of doing a performance,” senior Santiago Aguilar said.

Having practices be like performances isn’t done for no reason though.

“When an important performance comes up, a competition for example, we can be focused and energized to have a great performance,” Aguilar said.

Ultimately less than pleased with their placement at state, eighteenth in semi’s, band members and directors reflected on their mistakes from the performance.

“I was a little shocked about the state results because I definitely know we belonged in finals,” band director Jennifer Hanford said. “However, our prelims performance wasn’t at the highest level as we have performed so I understood why we didn’t advance.”

Although the national trip

Making an Entrance: Starting the show, junior Shannon Ross makes her way among the trumpet aisle as tension for the show builds up. The color guard has put time, effort, and lots of preparation into their show since July. Photo by Violet Glenewinkel

was a first for 99% of the band students, Aguilar has previously been for a different organization.

“Going to Indy for the second time was great,” Aguilar said.

“Thanks to my Drum Corps experience, I already knew what Lucas Oil Stadium was like.”

Aguilar’s previous experience

Winds of Band: Focused on the audience, senior Marcela Palomo guides the flutes through the half-time show. Palomo has been with the flutes in band all four years of high school. Photo by Violet Glenewinkel

at nationals was beneficial to him and the people he works with in band to producing their best performance they could produce.

“Being the only marcher to have marched there before, Grand Nationals definitely was a privilege and thanks to that, I was able to spread any information that was needed about acoustics, field design, etc.,” Aguilar said.

Overall this was a positive accomplishment for him.

“I felt so happy walking onto the field again and being able to perform with the organization that shaped me into who I am today,” Aguilar said.

The sole focus of Indy was centered on competing in Grand Nationals, however, consequences of working so diligently, was the exhaustion aspect.

“My experience in Indy was a lot of fun but definitely exhausting,” senior Kristen Poole said.

“Not many people got much sleep but we still got up and had lots of fun.”

While the band watched other schools perform, mixed emotions were running through their heads.

“Seeing the other bands perform was a love/hate experience because I wish I was one of the marchers on the field but see-

ing how amazing and cool their shows are I was proud to have competed with them,” Poole said.

The stark silence when announcing winners and runner-ups was anxiety-producing and a heart-pounding experience for musicians, marchers, and guard alike.

“The first time performing in Lucas Oil Stadium was so nerve-racking,” Poole said. “The stadium is so dead, meaning you could only hear yourself breathing and the faint cheers of the crowd.”

The entire season has been unforgettable for the band members, with so many memories and friendships being created.

“My most memorable moment of the whole season was honestly just getting to know and be closer friends with the clarinets and a few more,” Poole said.

Despite not getting the results they wanted, the James Bowie Band kept their heads high.

“I honestly don’t really care about results,” Aguilar said. “I get that they aren’t our ‘standards’ but I think that the way we felt about those performances was what mattered.”

No matter the results, Aguilar believes the actual performance was what stood out amongst

them.

“We all felt like we had the best performances of our lives and having that thought was better than worrying about placement,” Aguilar said.

However, just knowing that the ensemble gave it their all in that semi-final run, was satisfaction for some.

“Walking off the field at Grand Nationals after prelims and semi-finals was such an amazing, exhilarating feeling that I knew was the best I could do,” Aguilar said. “And no matter what the outcome would be, I would be proud of myself and everyone around me.”

With the hectic season thrown together at the last minute, band director Jennifer Hanford pushes to improve next year. ”I am looking forward to being a part of designing the show and be able to start the season in a much more comfortable environment,” Hanford said. “Meaning, not having to rush in at the end of July like the entire staff did this past year.”

Now with the upcoming Christmas season, the entire band director staff have grown together through all the obstacles they’ve faced.

“I was very happy with the whole season,” Hanford said.

“The best part was having a brand new staff who got along very well and worked together as a team.”

Throughout the season, the obstacles that came their way were fixable with each other’s support.

“There were very few bumps in the road, and anytime those showed up, we all worked to fix them as best as possible,” Hanford said.

The trip to Indianapolis was a tribute to all the blood, sweat, and tears that have been shed by these students this past fall season.

“Overall this season was amazing and my favorite show by far over the past four years I’ve marched,” Poole said.

Being her final show, Poole reflects back on the season.

“I am going to miss this season, show, and people so much,” Poole said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group to perform such an amazing show.”

Soloist: In the spotlight, senior Josh Owens plays the oboe alone as a solo in the color guard show.

Besides a soloist, Owens is also a drum major in band. Photo by Violet Glenewinkel

News

The Lone Star Dispatch Wed., Dec. 14, 2016

Page A2

New lunch options arrive soon

Austin ISD purchases a food truck that will rotate around the high schools Fuaad Ajaz Managing Editor

Cost to run a Food Truck: P A C O S

T A C O S

Food Truck + Wrap & Equipment $25,000 – $100,000 Initial Product Inventory $1,000 – $2,000 Permits and Licenses $100 – $500 Register / POS $200 – $1,000.

Plates, Napkins, etc. $200 – $300 Pots, Pans, etc. $1000 – $2000

Art by Abby

A new lunch option will be coming soon for all AISD students, and the food will be served from a food truck. The “Nacho Average” food truck will rotate through all AISD high school campuses every day and will be serving a variety of menu items to choose from.

A food truck has been purchased and will be visiting school campus and other AISD events.

“The Nacho Average Food Truck will rotate each day between all Austin ISD high school campuses, visiting each campus approximately every 12 days,” AISD marketing specialist for nutrition food and services Lindsey Bradley said. “The food truck will also be available for rental for AISD events after school hours, such as sporting events. When the truck is at Bowie, students can visit the truck for a healthy breakfast and lunch.”

Principles of Hospitality teacher Jean Frazier is concerned that students won’t enjoy the food due to it being something that AISD already offers or has offered in the past.

“I’m excited to hear that they are open to the idea of a food truck, but my concern is who is going to be the one in charge of distributing the food that is in there,” Frazier said. “I feel like it would be better if it was some of our

neighboring businesses like Torchy’s Tacos or other companies that use food trucks and not just more AISD food. I eat in the cafeteria every day and it’s not really much of a treat because some days are good and some are just not so good.”

Some of the food that the food truck will be serving is already being served on campus in the cafeteria like several different tacos.

“The food truck that is going around will be offering what we offer on our Taco Tuesdays,” cafeteria manager Stephen Hendrickson said. “It will be the pork carnitas, fish tacos, veggie tacos, or the barbacoa. I think the truck will be a great idea for schools to offer to students who may not be able to go off campus.”

For junior Alyssah Lugo having a food truck on campus could really help with underclassmen who have stay on campus.

“I feel like having a food truck will just offer more diversity in the lunch choices we have here on campus,” Lugo said. “So many people sneak off every day and some of the things people do to sneak off campus is just so crazy and dangerous that having an on campus choice from an off campus food place will impact us positively.”

One of the reasons that the food truck was purchased was to offer a on-campus option for underclassmen who are not

www.foodtruckempire.com

allowed to go off campus.

“By creating a menu that focuses on the types of food students may leave campus for, we hope the food truck will provide options on campus, for all grade levels to enjoy, in a safe and convenient location,” Bradley said. “We also know that the food truck menu will also offer tasty items often healthier than the food they may choose off-campus. The meals are also a great value for all that you can select; a student breakfast is just $1.50 and student lunch is

$2.85, much less than outside options.”

For Frazier, her concern is that not all the food will taste as good as it usually does on some days compared to others.

“The most popular day is the Taco Tuesday and it’s delicious and there are days when the food is good like the taco day and days when they serve the vegetable lasagna,” Frazier said. “But there are days when it’s just gross, so what’s gonna be the advantage of putting the food on a truck versus a line and that is what con-

cerns me. They just need something different from what they offer in line.”

For Lugo the food in the cafeteria has never been something she has enjoyed.

“The cafeteria food has always been gross to me,” Lugo said. “It just never tastes good and I feel like students would enjoy the food more if the cafeteria offered more better tasting options. I really hope this food does that.”

For Bradley the food truck is also going to be teaching students about culture and have something

on campus that is a big part of the Austin culture.

“We’re committed to providing increased access to tasty, healthy food for all students. By introducing a mobile food truck, we hope to expose students to new global flavors in a contemporary way,” Bradley said. “Food trucks are a part of the Austin culture and by bringing this innovative service method to Austin ISD students, we hope to create more excitement around school cuisine.”

Young and new inhabitants arrive on the FFA farm Yana Krykunenko Staff Writer There’s a different world behind the school a place where many students consider their second home, the FFA farm.

FFA is the Future Farmers of America Organization available on campus and is the largest of it’s kind among the Austin Independent School District.

The animals come from various places all over Texas and some even from Oklahoma.

“When the animals arrive they are all small and young,” agriculture teacher Brad Pierce said. “The students take them immedi-

ately once I place them on the farm and then it is all in their hands.”

There is always a surplus of new animals because different species are brought in different seasons. The most recent additions have been the pigs which came in October and the just recent arrival of turkeys.

This year there was a significant increase in turkeys, with a total of 275.

The project is aimed at freshmen in principle agriculture so they can become familiarized with the process of care taking.

“This introduces them to the farm and they are able to see larger animal projects and can decide if

Jake or Jenny : Two week old turkey hatchlings investigate the camera. Male turkey hatchlings are like Jakes while females are called Jennys. Photo by Mia Barbosa

they want to get involved in such a deal,” Pierce said. “Freshmen are usually where we start and then they build up to where they want to be as seniors.”

According to Pierce, FFA is much more than simply taking care of an animal. It is an environment where life skills are taught that will benefit students years after they’ve worn their cap and gown.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to build character, to build responsibility, to build work ethics, and to build teamwork,” Pierce said. “Because when you get out of high school, you’re going to have to know these skills and those are the things we want to instill in our kids.”

Senior Kaila Carrillo who has been a part of the organization for all four of her high school years can relate to the growth she has experienced over the past few years.

“When I joined FFA, I didn’t know what it was about at first,” said Carrillo. “Once I started getting more involved I realized this was a huge industry to be in and you gain a lot of experience from showing animals and raising them yourself.”

Carrillo had always taken care of goats, and parting with them at the end of the journey had always

Cleaning the steer: Senior Cameron Petrash grooms his steer Gamboer. Gamboer is two years old and has been with Petrash for almost one year. Photo by Mia Barbosa

been bittersweet, but this year she decided to switch it up.

“This is my first year having a pig, and it’s quite different,” Carrillo said.

“I had to get totally new supplies and basically start from ground zero. It was funny because I had to feed my pig marshmallows and candy corn in order for it to like me.”

A big part of Carrillo’s life outside of school is presenting her animals in shows, where they are judged on their form and fitness.

“Pigs show much differently than goats at the shows,” Carrillo said.

“Goats are much active which is what I am used to, but with pigs you have to guide them with a whip and it’s a completely different process.”

Senior Julia Buerkle is a close friend of Carrillo who has also been part of the organization for all four years.

“I got my pig through my agriculture teacher. He goes to auctions and breeding farms to purchase pigs, the same goes for my tur-

keys,” Buerkle said.

But she had gone through a different process to acquire her rabbits.

“My dad has been breeding the ones I showed sophomore year as well as my siblings,” Buerkle said.

According to Carrillo getting her new animals every year is just as exciting as the previous years.

“Getting my animals feels like getting a present for Christmas. It’s my passion and I know I’m going to get so much out of caring for these animals” Carrillo said.

The Lone Star Dispatch

News

Wed., Dec.14, 2016

Page A3

Classical guitar starts plucking Emily Merritt Staff writer

This year a new guitar class has been added to the course list.

“It’s mostly classical guitar. I wanted to start it because I love guitar and

playing in ensembles,” guitar teacher Jody Moseley said. “I majored in it in college and I want to give the opportunity to kids to learn what I’ve learned.”

This new class focuses on teaching students how to play classical guitar.

“We learn how to read

music which is something people playing don’t ever learn how to do,” Moseley said. “We don’t just stick to the classical genre. We go out and do some blues, jazz and sometimes pop.”

The class is primarily for beginners, although more experience students

Striking a chord: Strumming along to the music, freshman Bryson Reimer watches as teacher Jody Mosely helps the class practice their music. Classical guitar prepared for their last concert in class and outside of school. Photo by Austyn Keely

can still take it and be able to learn.

“I played guitar for eight years at the Austin School of Music, but I learned how to play electric guitar,” freshman Haley Pearson said. “I’m learning how to read music, because I had never learned reading notes even though I can play.”

Students learn how to play in ensembles and solos.

“We all get parts and we all play together and help each other,” freshman Sean Carins said.

The class also performs both inside and outside of class.

“As of this semester, we’ve only performed here at Bowie since we’re a brand new program, but once they’re more experienced, I hope to play at the Performing Arts Center

and maybe in some coffee shops around town,” Moseley said.

Classical guitar had a concert back in November, which was their first time performing as a group.

“Sometimes it can be stressful performing because of nerves, but I enjoy playing guitar,” freshman Adam Algarin said.

Students learn a variety of different pieces of music during class including classical and modern.

“Usually we come in, grab our guitars, jam out and then we’ll work on music and sometimes we do solos or just have free time,” Carins said.

The growing guitar program provides many students with a sense of community “In other classes it’s kind of solo but here, a lot

of my friends are here, and I can play with them and they can help me or vice versa,” Carins said.

Students are given songs to play and are able to learn together and help each other with learning new pieces.

“We all work together and it’s just one big team,” Pearson said.

When working on ensemble music, each student is given a different part.

“We switch parts a lot,” Algarin said. “I mostly play second or third.”

Many students plan to return to the class next year and in years to come.

“You become more musical and the teacher makes it really easy for beginners to learn,” Pearson said. “I enjoy classical guitar a lot, it’s exciting.”

The Earth club promotes bee awareness across campus Callie Richards Staff writer

Imagine saving a species or making a change for the better. That’s what the earth club is doing; the 14 members of the club are working together to raise awareness for bees due to a decline in population.

The club works each Tuesday and some lunches, tending to the beehive, watering plants, and making sure everything is in order.

“I am quite proud of these students for helping make Bowie more eco-friendly,” earth club sponsor Nicholas Stamper said.

“Not only are they helping out Bowie but reaching to try and make a change in the bee population.”

Members of the club garden and help out to make our environment cleaner.

“I joined earth club because I enjoy gardening, I like that we get to raise awareness about bees and gardening,” earth club sophomore Elliot Nelson said.

The club wants people to realize bees aren’t out to go after people.

“I think some people are against the bees because they don’t understand and realize what they do for us;” earth club leader sophomore Siena Rae said. “People think that all they do is create honey and sting you for no reason, which is not true.”

Members have created posters, put

recycling bins, and plans to speak to the school about how to help nature out and help out the bees.

“We tried by making posters but by the next day some were torn, taken down, and even had gum on them,” assistant earth club leader sophomore Marina Flores said.

Many people do not like bees due to their sting.

“I think some people are against raising awareness because they aren’t aware themselves,” Nelson said. “They think if we ignore the decline will just go away.”

The earth club is making progress in each meeting by researching new ways to help bees and come up with new ideas.

“We chose bees because they are one of the top pollinators so we are able to make a difference,” Nelson said. “Bees are going extinct which would hurt the environment so we are working to make sure this doesn’t happen.”

The club is contributing by taking care of nature on campus.

“We tend to the Bowie bee hive,” Nelson said. “We also tend to one of the greenhouses where we grow fruits and vegetables.”

According to Greenpeace, a website that gives information on bees and what you can do to save them, bee-killing pesticides are the most direct threat to the pollinators.

The main reasons for global bee-de-

cline are linked to industrial agriculture, parasites/pathogens, and climate change.

“Bees cross pollinate which allow flowers to reproduce,” Rae said. “The flowers that are produced allow for the earth to get rid of carbon dioxide and give us oxygen which living things depend on.”

Bees fly around to each one, helping reproduce all sorts of plants and foods.

“Bees are our best pollinators and los-

Art by Mia Barbosa

ing them is more complicated than some people think,” Flores said.

According to Bee Informed, we have lost 44% of the bees in the United States from 2015-2016; scientists continue to try and identify the cause of a sudden bee dieoff.

“Bees play a big role in our society and it’s important that everyone knows that,” Flores said.

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In-Depth

The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed. Dec. 14 2016

Page A4

The Lone Star Dispatch

In-Depth

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016 Page A5

Electoral College: A disaster or desired for democracy?

Madison Austin Staff Writer

Art by Callie Richards and Caitlin Devlin

The Electoral College is a process for electing the president. The Electoral College is a collection of representatives from each state. The majority of 270 votes decides the President elect. There are groups of electors for each state republicans and democrats, only one of the two groups can vote.

The popular vote of that state decides which group of electors will be voting. The electoral college is the deciding vote on who becomes the next President.

With a strange and drawn out election this past year the result of this election was highly anticipated by the majority of the country as well as debated and even fought over. When the president elect was not the same as the popular vote there was tons of backlash and for a good reason. Many were confused on why the results were not the same.

The electoral college was useful at one point in time when states very divided in size and population, but today when the population is so widespread across the country it serves no point and just causes unrest and aggression.

If there was no electoral college the only thing that would elect the president would be the public, one vote per person, which means that the election would depend on voter turnout.

This past election was the lowest voter turnout in twenty years. So far, there has been 126 million votes counted so far meaning that of the voting age population only 55% voted in this past election.

In order to reach the highest voting group there would need to be 18.7 million more votes counted, making the voter turnout 64% of the voting population.

The electoral college was made to give the smaller states a voice so that their votes would make an impact just like the larger states did. Three of the largest states are California, Florida and Texas. These states would run the election if there was no electoral college. But if voter turnout was close to 100 percent then the smaller states would have a chance to have their voice heard.

When and if the electoral college is disbanded there will be a lot of backlash, but I think that in the long run that it will benefit the country.

When it’s gone the public will directly impact the presidential race and have to go through a third party. The general publics voice will be louder and more prominent than ever. If the electoral college is disbanded than there will not be as much backlash after an election that did not reflect the popular vote.

The electoral college no longer benefits the government in a good way. The public reacts in a negative way every time that their voice and their choice is not reciprocated.

Harrison Louis Staff Writer

Op inio n

Art by Abby Ong

Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States. Not through popular will, but through the electoral college was his election made possible.

The Electoral College is defined as, “a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.”

It is simply a system of delegates pledged to a candidate based on their performance in the state elections.

It comes from the constitutional convention in 1787. It was designed to give smaller states more leverage, keep the presidency independent of congress, and prevent political manipulation.

It is very similar to the system used during the primaries to determine which candidate will go on to receive the nomination for their party, which was ironically praised by the democrats for making Hillary Clinton the nominee for the Democratic Party but bashed by them now that it elected Trump.

The Electoral College, while not perfect, gives each state a bigger voice in the elections.

If the election was determined by popular vote, states like California and New York would stomp out states like Nebraska and Louisiana.

The needs and wants of Californians are very different than those of Nebraskans, so a system based on popular vote fits the needs of one state while suppressing the other.

If you go even deeper, state elections are decided by the cities.

New York City would swing elections whichever way it voted, considering how close most elections are.

Clinton won the national popular vote by 1,322,095 votes, in New York The majority of the states wanted Trump and the electoral college gave them a greater voice in picking their candidate.

While Trump has said horrible things and I don’t agree with everything he says and does, I’m rather pleased with the results of the election.

I believe our country was on its way down the wrong path, with racial and gender tensions on the rise and leadership on both sides that refused to do or even say anything about it.

As a potential candidate for the draft/military, I did not feel comfortable with Hillary’s positions on the Syrian Civil War, among many other things. I refuse to fight in a war I don’t agree with.

I do however support Trump’s stance on ISIS, and I would voluntarily sign up for the military if he followed through on his promise.

Overall, I believe the electoral college is a very crucial part of protecting states’ rights. Protecting the rights of the states gives each citizen a larger voice in the government.

Art by Callie Richards and Caitlin Devlin

Students attend protests to fight for what they believe in In wake of the November presidential election, there have been many mixed responses at the results. People have been expressing their thoughts in many ways, including by protesting.

Bowie students have traveled downtown to participate in the protests. Such protests started at the capitol and people, reaching around 300, walked all throughout downtown chanting their beliefs.

Junior Rose Eichelmann attended an anti-Trump protest in mid-November, following the election. Like many others, Eichelmann protested because she was unhappy with the outcome and the president-elects policies.

“My reason for attending the Trump protest was that I am unhappy with his election. His campaign brought out a lot of the hatred and ignorance within American people,” Eichelmann said. “Trump and Pence have both said and done many things to promote racist, sexist, islamophobic, and homophobic views, and I refuse to support any presidency that encourages these extremely harmful values.”

Many Americans are fearful for their futures with the president-elect Trump as their future president. Eichelmann shares the

fearful sentiment, both fear for herself and for others.

“As a Latina woman, I understand that Trump’s presidency could and will affect the future of myself as well as many other people. Trump’s plans for the future during his campaign included policies that could be very harmful and detrimental to many people,” Eichelmann said. “These policies and prejudices have brought out violence and hatred within his supporters, who now believe they are entitled to act upon this hatred due to his election. It is disheartening for me to have a president elect who does not respect me or my ethnicity, and his election could spark a wave of injustices against women like me as well as other people of various racial minorities, religions, and sexual orientations.”

Protests don’t stop at the city level though. They came all the way to Bowie high school. Junior Jimmy Counihan organized a walk-out at Bowie to protest Trump. For students who wished to participate, the plan was to release balloons and sign a petition for electors part of the electoral college to become “faithless electors,” according to Counihan.

“It was my idea to do a Trump protest at Bowie but I was inspired by the national movement and what was happening in Austin.

I had friends that participated in protests downtown and I thought

that something similar could be done at Bowie,” Counihan said.

“The protest at Bowie was in part because of my dissatisfaction with Donald Trump but also with my dissatisfaction at the cultural shift at Bowie.”

But, Counihan then reconsidered the walk-out and decided to cancel it. He stated that the reason for the cancellation was based on a conversation with principal Susan Leos and his belief that a nonpartisan institution is not the right place to protest.

“I ultimately decided to put an end to the walk out because of the personal conversation I had with Ms. Leos that was not only productive, but extremely respectful and personable,” Counihan said.

“She was more than willing to listen to my grievances and did a great job handling the issue using patience, trust, and honesty. Leading me to reach out to those who were going to take action with me and notify them that there are better actions to take to share their voice and concerns.”

Other ways for people to share their concerns is by social media, according to U.S. Government teacher Carlen Floyd. But she believes the most effective way to make change is by voting. ¨I do not think these protests are being particularly effective -- at least not in changing anything. They may make students

Make America Great Again

Art by Caitlin Devlin

BULLDAWGS SPEAK OUT

9th

How did you feel about the results of the election?

10th

11th

12th

Allie Grooms

Cassidy Bertrand

Aliciana Saucedo

“Our family all voted for Trump, so we were all pretty happy.”

“It’s kind of shocking that some-

“I think people are overreacting about what’s happening.

We don’t know what Donald Trump is going to do but eventually we’ll get used to it.”

Art by Gavin

Jolie Francis Staff Writer

feel less isolated, and they may be cathartic. But there are already many other tools at their disposal by which they may express their opinions, particularly social media,” Floyd said. ¨As always, I believe the most effective tool US citizens have is the right to vote.

So, if these same students who are so vocal right now about the election will mobilize, continue their interest in politics, and actually vote in 2020, they could see actual results.¨ Students continue to encourage everyone to do what they can to

share their beliefs. But also urge people to keep their actions peaceful.

“To everyone that wants to make a difference, continue your work,” Counihan said. “We must unite under Bowie as a place of education and admiration through pride. As human beings it is our responsibility to bring truth to where there may be error, and to bring harmony to where there may be discord. If you see either I urge you to correct them but do so respectfully, courteously, and responsibly.”

Mathew Horner “I wasn’t really paying much attention to the elections, I didn’t really care for either of the people, I didn’t really care who won.”

body that is as bigoted as Donald Trump could actually win the election, when the majority of people voted for Hillary.”

Photos by Fuaad Ajaz, question by Caitlin Devlin

Commentary

The Lone Star Dispatch Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page A6

Standing Rock victory has finally come

Months of nationwide protesting has paid off but the fight is not over yet

A

Editorial

People Over Profits!

Water is Life!

Art by Gavin Farner

major victory occurred in early December regarding the efforts to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.

On December 4, the U.S. Army Corps denied a permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline to drill under the Missouri River because of the country’s outcry against the pipeline. This decision is forcing pipeline construction to be temporarily stopped. Many believe the denied permit will result in the rerouting to a safer location.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile pipeline that stretches from North Dakota to Illinois. This proposed project violated sacred burial grounds and if it were to break, it could have contaminated a large population’s drinking water.

Despite what seemed to be an inevitable project because the majority of the pipeline had already been installed, many indigenous people and protesters came together across the country. They gathered in large numbers at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and in major cities across the country to stop the project that put profits over people. Another impactful group assisting in fighting the protest were 2,000 veterans who appeared at Standing Rock a week before the permit was denied. This nation-wide controversy brought many diverse groups together. Even students from Bowie participated in local protests.

This accomplishment symbolizes a lot for this country.

It proves that our voices really do matter and we can use it to bring positive change. Many people believe that protesting and speaking up about the concerns for the United States is pointless or inconvenient. It is hard to believe that the government would’ve ever denied the pipeline if it weren’t for the countless protests. This major change was a direct result of the outcry from indigenous people and activists. It’s important to acknowledge that the protesters did this and their actions heavily influenced the government choices.

However, it is alarming because it took almost a year for this change to be made despite the fact that there has been heavy media coverage for months. It’s important to give credit to the Army Corps of Engineers and not Barack Obama. He is the president who created National Native American Heritage Month yet he stayed silent when Native Americans were facing harsh police brutal-

ity because they were fighting for basic human rights. As a liberal president who respects diversity and fights for environmental issues, Obama should be able to say he chooses a group of people over business.

Progress could be lost with president-elect Donald Trump in office. Trump has claimed that he has supported the pipeline’s completion. It is very clear that he is in favor of this project because he has a large personal investment in the company who is building the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners. These financial ties should make it clear that this victory is not truly complete with the upcoming change in office. Legally, this permit can be

easily overturned.

Protesters have also been advised to stay on site at the Sioux Reservation due to fears that construction will continue as planned despite the denied permit. However, it is safe to say that if they were to do this, outrage would be heard across the country and it would be hard to get away with it.

This is not the first time Native Americans have been oppressed in American history. History repeats itself and this controversy is far from over. However, it’s important to celebrate this victory because it is important step in the right path.

Dying coral reefs could be a bigger issue than expected Avy Friedman Commentary Editor

T

Too Hot!

Just Right

Too Cold

DISPATCH STAFF - Vol. 29, Issue #3 Editor-in-chief Violet Glenewinkel Page A1

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

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

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

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

Climate change causes a serious issue called coral bleaching. Because coral reefs are extremely sensitive, they have greatly fluctuated because of warmer temperatures from global warming. When the temperatures stay high for an extended amount of time, the zooxanthellae they rely on for their food leaves their tissue.

Without this, coral loses their color and turn white which gives it the name coral

Art by Gavin Farner

he Great Barrier Reef has always been an image that perfectly embodies how fascinating and complex Earth and its biodiversity can be.

Until recently, this image has been shattered by Outside Magazine’s “obituary” for the Great Barrier Reef. This shocked and scared social media and scientists. But is it really dead like everybody thinks?

The author for the impactful article was a writer not a scientist which makes it a little hard to believe. It would be easier to believe if it were their own studies rather than an analysis of someone else’s where the meaning can be misunderstood.

Many scientists argue that it is in fact, not dead but in serious danger. This should still act as a wake up call as the world’s largest coral reef system is dying.Even though it may not be gone like we thought, we still need to not only conserve but make large steps to save this valued ecosystem.

As humans, it is our responsibility to

preserve the world because if we continue our habits, this planet will not be able to handle it for much longer.

Some people blame tourism for this natural suffering. However, this is far from true because this industry actually promotes the idea of conserving it and are trained to support it. Much of the harm is done by global warming and the pollution created by humans.

bleaching.

This can be disastrous because this means these coral reefs are unhealthy. This means they are weaker and cannot combat disease as well.

Another issue is ocean acidification.

The ocean absorbs the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but high levels of carbon in the ocean causes it to be acidic. This causes coral reefs to not be able to absorb calcium carbonate which is responsible for maintaining their skeleton. If their skeleton does not properly function, it eventually dissolves away.

These are not just things that could eventually happen because have already happened and they won’t stop until we decide to change something. It is too late to prevent ocean acidification and coral bleaching but we can definitely slow the process.

It is important we protect the Great Barrier Reef because it provides great amount of biodiversity and assists in the economy by providing fish for fishing.

It also supports local businesses through tourism. We need to act soon to save the natural wonder.

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.

Commentary

The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page A7

David’s Law design combats bullies Ian Miller Commentary Editor

O

n January 4, 2016, David Molak committed suicide in Bexar County, Texas, at the age of 16; it was found that cyberbullying was the lead cause of the suicide. Molak attended Alamo Heights High School prior to the death.

Molak’s parents, Matt and Maurine Molak, promoted a bill to stop cyberbullying called “David’s Law” on November 14, 2016. This bill would make it a misdemeanor to harass and/or bully anybody under the age of 18 through texting, instant messaging or on social media. With a little bit of help, this bill could pass sometime in the future.

In my opinion, cyberbullying shouldn’t be allowed in any part of the world, which is why I support the passing of this bill.

Schools need to do more to combat the growing danger of cyberbullying, and I think the people getting cyberbullied need to speak out more.

A teenager’s brain goes through many changes as it develops. As teenagers experience lots of emotional stress, their growing brains amplify the stress and project it in extreme ways. As I’m sure you can imagine, cyberbullying causes lots of stress for a teenager with a growing brain.

This is what causes them to self-harm themselves and/or commit suicide.

Many students getting bullied won’t tell anybody about it; they bottle up their emotions until it becomes too much. Even at this point, many students refuse to get help from their parents, friends or counselors.

This is where a teenager’s emotions lead them to do drastic things, often times suicide or self-harm. It makes it hard for anyone to step in and help the student when the student doesn’t reveal what he/ she is thinking.

When I was in the 8th grade, a girl named Jasmine Sanchez committed suicide at my school due to a mix of both cyber and traditional bullying. She didn’t tell anyone about the cyberbullies the entire time she was getting bullied.

On the week of her suicide, my school

Immobile challenge not disruptive

The mannequin challenge isn’t half as annoying as someone flipping a partially full water bottle into the air to see if it lands upright, meanwhile making a bunch h e n of noise while doing it. checkThe challenge brings people ing social media, I together to create creative enterhave noticed a new trend; people tainment. This doesn’t disrupt stand still in poses, completely people much because the mannesilent, while the person filming quin challenge is just made up of slowly shows the whole room of no noise and staying still. people struggling to stay in the I think same posiit would tion. be betI find ter to see this interfreshmen esting beMANNEQUIN doing this CHALLENGE cause peorather ple can get than bottle really creflipping, ative with whipping, their poses or dabArt by Abby Ong and interbing. acting with their surroundings.

Past challenges have been People have included their pets, dumb, dangerous, and disruptive, children, and props. but this one, however, isn’t as danWatching celebrities do the gerous or annoying. It is a dumb challenge is particularly fun to challenge like all the others, but it watch because they go over the is extremely entertaining. top and use their fame and monI myself wouldn’t do this chaley to entertain people. Blac Chy- lenge because I usually don’t like na, Ellen DeGeneres, Adele, and to jump onto bandwagons because Britney Spears just to name a few, it isn’t unique. have done this challenge.

However, I do enjoy watching This challenge is nicer than the others do this because they have other challenges that have gone interacted with each other and had viral because they aren’t as ob- to think creatively to create, in a noxious or dangerous. way, art.

W

00:01:02

r.com tw tte Please...

just

kys.

DAVID’S LAW Art by Ian Miller

week, all because she wouldn’t tell anyone about her problems and instead took them to the grave with her.

We can help prevent the spread of cyberbullying and, by extension, the suicide of teenagers by promoting David’s Law. As for the ones actually being cyberbullied, almost every social network website includes a block/report system that you can utilize to push the cyberbully out of your life.

If someone is being cyberbullied, I suggest they seek help from a counselor, a friend or your parents if they feel comfortable doing so.

A counselor’s job is to help people who feel this way, so take advantage of their professional advice. They can be found in the main office on campus. I suggest talking to a friend about the issue, especially one you’ve known for a while, as they can sometimes be more understanding. Even just talking to a teacher or another adult about the issue will help; it’s certainly better than no help at all.

I want to see cyberbullying become a thing of the past, which is why I support the passing of this bill.

Teachers take mid-year leaves Ian Miller Commentary Editor

M

any teachers take leaves mid-year, and the school year of 2016-17 is no exception. I even had a teacher myself who decided to quit just right before Thanksgiving break. Are these leaves acceptable, or should they be looked down upon for leaving their classrooms vacant?

I believe that teachers are obliged to teach their students for a full year; it only seems fair to the students of their classroom. The only exception to this might be if the teacher has to leave due to family issues or illness.

I feel like teachers who quit in the middle of the year begin to think of school the way a student will - a place, much like prison, where you’re forced to attend every day and do the same things over and over, days on end. At least, this is what I will sometimes think about school. It probably gets so bad they no longer enjoy returning home; their home starts to reminds them of grading homework, tests and answering endless emails. As you can imagine, I wouldn’t want to be a teacher.

Despite all these feelings that might revolve around a downbeat teacher, I still feel

EXIT

like they owe the students they teach a full year of continual teaching. After leaving their post, the classrooms they used to teach now feels foreign, and the new teacher/long term sub never does nearly as good of a job as the previous teacher who quit.

On top of that, the new sub always end up getting confused on what to do, which can drag a student down with their homework and the end-of-year final exams.

That being said, there are a few exceptions to this idea.

For example, if a teacher takes an extended absence because either they or their loved ones get very sick, obviously there’s nothing that can be done about that.

I had a great English teacher, Henry Bostwick, who decided to leave his post just right before Thanksgiving break this year due to family issues. Apparently, his parents received unfair treatment, so now he’s moving on to become a lawyer to defend their rights. The substitute that

Don’t leave your students behind!

Art by Ian Miller

Darcy Kanneman Staff Writer

experienced the effect that cyberbullying puts onto a community. People who didn’t even know Sanchez felt depressed that

replaced him is good, however I don’t think there’s any teacher who can beat Bostwick.

I consider this to be an acceptable excuse to leave midyear because it wasn’t really his choice to leave the school - he was forced to.

For the teachers who want to quit because they think of school like a prison, I recommend you try to connect with your students more.

The most memorable teachers I’ve ever had made their classrooms into an entertaining, familiar environment, and all the students were able to connect to the teacher. These teachers also seemed to be the happiest, most cheerful ones; they certainly didn’t seem like quitting their job anytime soon.

Teachers have a commitment to teach their students for a whole year, and quitting in the middle is the same as leaving a job half-done. Please consider what will happen to your students if you leave mid-year.

BULLDAWGS SPEAK OUT Will you remember high school as the best years of your life?

10th

11th

12th

TEACHER

Eric Munjack

Wolfgang Burst

Peyton Moreland

Brian Folkers

Rachel Tennen

“No. I’d say when I’m in, like, college.”

“I don’t think so. I think college will be the best years of my life.”

“Yeah, some. It’s only four years; there’s more to look forward to.”

“No. I think there is probably something better waiting for me.”

“For me, they were not.

I had much more fun and made much better friends in college.”

9th

Photos by Douglas Smith, questions by Douglas Smith

Photo Essay The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page A8

Culinary thanks staff with lunch For the tenth year, the culinary department has prepared food to school staff Ashley Ramirez Photo Editor With finals coming up and the first semester coming to an end, the culinary department is providing a lunch for the school’s staff.

Culinary students prepared a Italian meal for this event.

“Two appetizers,we have a tomato topped brochette and also an artichoke version, we have a Cesar salad, we have an Italian white bean soup, three pasta with different sauces,chicken Parmesan, sautéed squash two breads, and four desserts tiramisu, biscotti, Italian cream cake and Italian stuffed cream puffs, one chocolate and one lemon filled,” Chef Winemiller said.

Second year students helped create the menu for the lunch.

“You map out what you want to do, so you pick out a theme then you decide what recipes you what to do and what recipes go with what,” senior Ian Good said.” It took probably a couple of weeks.”

Leading up to the lunch, first year, junior Kieran Barrington was expressed

how nervous he was.

“Just a little bit, I don’t know how it’s going to go but I’m pretty sure it will go well,” Barrington said.

Students were excited to see current and former teachers.

“My best friend, Mrs. Tennen,” Barrington said.

Senior Lexi Nines hopes that this will make the culinary department stronger.

“I hope everyone likes the food but I want to build the culinary department and get the others to really care about it,” Nines said.

“I want to spark their interest a little bit more.”

Nines hopes the event will help create a stronger bond between her and her group.

“As a second year you cannot be focused on your task you have to focus on the first years in you group and helping them learn,” Nines said.

The lunch runs during first lunch and second lunch were teachers and staff were more than happy to go.

“The food was amazing the, service was superb,” English teacher Dede Garrison said.

Culinary student prepped early for this event

in order to meet the needs of how much food there needs to be.

“We started prepping on Tuesday,” Good said.

Good hoped to improve personally.

“I hope to improve on my all around skills, coordinating things, planning , and being prepared,” Good said.

Chef Winemiller hopes to see good things from his students.

“I hope they learn the value of hard work focus and determination and being able to apply that in their life,” Winemiller said.

This treat for the bowie staff was paid for by the PTSA. “The PTSA pays for it then they invite the entire bowie staff to come as like an early Christmas present,” Chef Winemiller said.

Barrington was glad the event went well and was not surprised on the amount of people that showed. “ I think it went really well,” Barrington said.“I was not surprised on the amount of people that showed up, I mean who doesn’t like love Italian food made by their own students.”

All smiles: Junior Madilynn Golden greets and manages food being served to school staff. During the event most of the culinary staff was working in the kitchen while only six or seven student manged food being served to the staff. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Chop it up: Help preparing for the staff lunch in is senior Lauren Conley, chopping up garlic. This is Conley’s second year in the culinary program. “We will probably serve 250 to 275 people by the end of the day,”Chef Winemiller said. Photo by Ashley Ramirez Tenderize: Senior Angel Martinez tenderizes chicken in preparation for the staff lunch. The chicken will be used in the entre of the meal. “I helped make the chicken Parmesan,” Martinez said. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Line out the door: Teachers and staff eagerly serve themselves food prepared by the culinary students. The lined up out the door, staff waited the chance to grab a plate of Italian food. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Lending a hand: Helping clean the chicken is junior Alana Paterson. Paterson helped prepare for this event during sixth period. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

Desert: Junior Kieran Barrington fixes imperfections on each pastry. As a first year, Barrington looks up to second year students. Photo by Mia Barbosa

James Bowie High School

Athletics

4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin, TX 78749

INSIDE

www.thelonestaronline.com

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Section

Vol. 29

Issue 3

B

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

Football makes school history

Coach Ables hits his 100th win taking the varsity team further than ever before Shelby Kelly Athletics Editor The feeling of comradery washes through the air as the rough brown ball lands with the thump in the hands of someone who runs with a smile of confidence. The ball gets passed from hand to hand and although nervous energy shoots through the veins of a player a grin also forms because he is prepared.

Bowie made some history after an eventful 2016 season. Varsity coach Jeff Ables hit his 100th win mark, winning ten games for the first time in school history then winning eleven games by district championship and area championship. Ables, the hardworking staff of bowie football, and the players help unite the bowie football community creating lasting memories and lifelong lessons, senior and player Ronnie Garcia describes.

“We have had a very successful season and we have made many improvements throughout the season,” Garcia said.

Senior Collin Macias has felt more confident going into the games because of all the hard work put in from the coaches and players.

“Through the long season we have maintained focus and enthusiasm by having fun at practice and treating every game like it could be our last,” Macias said. “We go well prepared into every game because of the prep the coaches put into each opponent and it really helps us be calm when it comes to game time because we already know our jobs when we get into the field.”

The cause of the wins was from the leadership from the head coach, Ables, who has dedicated 29 years of his life to students at Bowie, assistant coach Bowman Branyon explains his hard work.

“Nobody cares more about the players in our program than he does. He coached me and five other of our coaches as high school players and he is a big reason of why we all decided to be coaches. It is really nice to see him get recognized for his accomplishments,” Branyon said.

For Ables, being a coach comes with its own rewards.

“The best part of my job are the kids and the players and the relationships you build with them and we have a great staff here,” Ables said. “Also it’s what I love to do, I think it’s was what I was meant to do, and I don’t know anything else I’d rather do.”

Senior and quarterback Wade Smith is honored to be a part of Coach Able’s success and is thankful for the improvements he has

caused.

“Coach Ables is a very kind, serious, and trustworthy man, and this has made him have so much success in his career,” Smith said. “It was only a matter of time before he earned that 100th win, and it was an honor and very special to me to be able to win that game for him all the way up in Abilene.”

Ables has reached a rare attained achievement but says his real prize are the relationships he has made.

“I reached the 100th win by the players no doubt and my coaches, I mean it’s a neat deal buts its not something that I dwell on or a situation where I was counting the wins,” Ables said. “It’s nice but the most important thing is the relationship you have with your players over the years and your coaches.”

Winning is important to many but others also gain a lot more lessons out of the sport.

“Some things that have made the season memorable in addition to our wins, is having made lifelong friends with my team-

Helping out a teammate: Athletic trainer Pablo Rivera helps player Shea Reuter with coach Gary Pittman and Jeff Ables. The team maintains focus by taking it one game at a time and learning new lessons. Photo by Mia Barbosa

tality and teaching me and the team to always push past our limits,” Garcia said. “It’s great that we can help coach Ables get his 100th win because he’s helped us so much in our football career at Bowie.”

Smith has been impact-

“Bowie is a special place to all of us and our desire to do well and make our community proud is what motivates us all season long.”

- Bowman Branyon

mates,” Garcia.

Not many has reached 100 wins in a career therefore it takes strong leader mentality and lots of devotion and dedication.

“Coach Ables has affected me as a player by giving me a no quit men-

ed very much so by Ables this season because of the lessons he has taught.

“Coach Ables has been one of the most influential people I’ve met at Bowie because of his emphasis on having good character and his determination to

improve all of his players in any way that he can.”

Smith said. “He has made me a better player by emphasizing the importance of discipline in life and on the field, and these teachings have carried over to the team as well. I’m very blessed to call him my coach.”

This last year could have presented difficulties because of the change of districts but the team powered through and worked hard to adapt to the alteration.

“The change in districts was something we had to adjust to because although we lost very good teams to other districts, we welcomed in new teams that were very good, and it was a challenge for us to play these new teams, but it was also very exciting,”Smith said.

Without the coaches and the players comrade-

ship through the season nothing can be accomplished to Bowie’s higher standards.

“Bowie is a special place to all of us and our desire to do well and make our community proud is what motivates us all season long,” Branyon said.

The overall goal through the season is just to try there best and grow as a team and then to win.

“It is our non district season and we are going to use that to get better every week and use that to prepare for districts because that’s when it really matters, you really want to win all those games,” Ables said. “But the bigger deal is that you want to get better and grow you want to get your team to where they are playing at their best towards the end of the year and I think we did that.”

The football team could

Landing on the line: Senior quarterback Wade Smith makes a touchdown against the Spring Lions, winning the game 37 - 14. The Bulldogs won a total of eleven games this season, including district and area championships.

Photo by Mia Barbosa

not have had its winning season without the unlimited backing of the community.

“The Bowie community has been pouring out love and support for the program and team, and we wouldn’t be where we are without this unconditional support,” Smith said. “Whether it be fellow classmates, teachers, or people seen at the grocery store, people are quick to congratulate us on our season and wish us good luck, and it is a blessing to have so many people in our corner as we try to keep our season going strong.”

Without the staffs devotion and players love of the sport the football team couldn’t have had such a successful season.

“The Bowie community is awesome and is a big role to the team’s success,” Macias said. “It has been a great year to be a Bulldog.”

Because the season can be so grueling the team had to stay united to advance.

“Bowie is a family. In particular, our football program is a family,” Branyon said. “There are six former players on staff as well as three coaches that have been here since the school opened and it is really unusual to have that type of chemistry on a staff, Bowie is a special place to all of us and our desire to do well and make our community proud is what motivates us all season long.”

Overall this season’s outcome is one of the most successful seasons in the school history and will always be marked by the leadership, hard work, and determination of the players and coaches throughout the football Community.

“This season has been really special,” Branyon said. “We accomplished many milestones for our program such as Coach Ables’ 100th win, 11 wins, District/Bi-District/Area Championships.”

Athletics

The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed., Dec. 14, 2016

Page B2

Athletes empower themselves

Students put in extra hours in the weight room to be in their best shape for their sport Joseph Killeen Online Editor Heavy breaths and clanking metal can be heard as students in Bowie’s weight room repeat and defeat the workouts planned for them that day.

Sophomore Seth Leifheit finds the weight room to be a productive and important place to gain strength.

“The workouts definitely help make you stronger.

The squats and the bench press especially. You see results with your body decently fast,” Leifheit said.

As a varsity cross country runner, Leifheit finds the workouts to be challenging, but nothing that he isn’t capable of.

“During the workouts, I usually feel pretty good.

After a while, I start getting pretty tired and worn out, but I still enjoy it,” Leifheit said.

For sophomore Alexis Bobbitt, she feels that the workouts are a great way to grow stronger, but she often finds herself adding on to her workouts.

“I find that sometimes I have to use a little extra weight on the programs or do a few exercises that involve certain muscles,” Bobbitt said. “But I believe that’s just because every-

Picking Up the Weight: Making sure to maintain her focus, junior, Megan Henry leans over grabbing the bar in the start of her power-clean. Athletes have been allowed to come in to the weight room before school. Photo by Austyn Keetly

one’s bodies are different and some people are stronger in certain areas than others.”

While the weight room seems pretty simple, the athletes must inspire themselves and pay attention to the goal ahead of them if they are to succeed in growing strength.

Bobbitt finds that the weight room is one of the places that allows her to become a better athlete in her sports.

“Mainly, the sports I do inspire me to work harder in the weight room because I know that whatever

I do in the weight room will help me in mountain biking and running, those definitely help me in the weight room and visceral,” Bobbitt said.

The same inspiration is found in Leifheit’s who also does parkour and free-running.

“Parkour is a tough sport that requires a lot of agility, leg strength and upper body strength. So I use my love for the sport to keep me motivated to give my best in the weight room,” Leifheit said. “Because I have to say in the best shape I can to be able

to do what I love.”

Although Leifheit pushes himself in his workouts, he still feels like something is missing.

“I think the program is pretty good at making you stronger if you put in the work. Personally, one way I think that the program could be improved is if body-weight exercises were added,” Leifheit said.

“Body-weight exercises build lean muscle, which is beneficial in many sports.”

Yet, Bowie’s weight room isn’t only blood, sweat, and tears. Senior Dawson Warnken feels that

the weight room is a great place to be with his friends.

“I have a very fun time working out since I am close to my friends and I get to workout with them,” Warnken said. “I am also inspired by the fact that I am getting better by trying hard in the weight room to be faster and stronger for track season.”

Even with years of cross country and track under his belt, Warnken still thinks that the weight room has a positive effect on his athletic performance.

“I feel that the workouts are making me stronger.

Specifically the squats.

Getting my legs in shape for the track season,” Warnken said. “I do palates and that benefits my flexibility in the weight room and it also teaches me to use the correct muscles when working out.”

The weight room is a place intended for encouraging attitudes, and Bobbitt definitely agrees it’s a place filled with positivity.

“The environment of the weight room is very fun and encouraging because all the people in the weight room always want to help you and see you do your best,” Bobbitt said.

This setting allows for Bobbitt to perform well and do her best while working out alongside her friends.

“While working out I feel good and myself getting stronger with every workout and I also love to see everyone else doing the same,” Bobbitt said.

Leifheit perspective is quite similar to that of Bobbitts, as he feels inspired by his teammates and fellow athletes.

“The thing I like most about the weight room is the encouragement I get from my friends and others around me. The people motivate each other to finish that last set, or do that last rep,” Leifheit said.

Sophomore competed in national tennis tournament Gigi Francis Staff Writer

The ball paints a line as a thump echoes through the court. The crowd cheers as the match ends and the team advances. Players celebrate with hugs and high fives. The captain cheers in disbelief as a dream comes true.

Bowie High School is

Anticipation: Sophomore, Gilby Camacho, prepares to hit the ball. Camacho recently went to nationals with his USTA league team. Photo by Austyn Keetly

full of high spirited teens eager to get out and play.

Some students even play tennis outside of school with leagues and teams for extra experience.

As a sophomore, Gilberto (Gilby) Camacho is the number one boy on the Bowie tennis team and has been competing in International tournaments since he was just a kid.

“When I was eight years old and lived in Seattle, I came to Austin to play the Little Mo International tournament,” Camacho said.

Camacho had taken an interest in the sport as soon as he began playing which his dad, Gilbert Camacho, recognized.

“I noticed when he grabbed a tennis racquet and a tennis ball and started to hit, I knew he was going to have a passion for the sport,” Gilbert said.

Gilby is well liked and is always trying to help others on the team focus and be the best player they

can be.

“Gilby is supportive during a match, like whenever I mess up he helps me move on and focus on the next point. I would say he’s a good doubles partner, he has a good doubles eye,” Carlos Canepa said.

He might be a good doubles player, but in singles his team mates say he is even more deadly.

“I enjoy playing doubles with him because he is a good doubles player, especially at the net, but I hate playing him in singles because I hate slicing and he is really good at it,” Canepa said.

Recently Gilby traveled around 1,200 miles away to compete in a national tournament with his United States Tennis Association (USTA) league.

“Nationals was in late October and I had to fly by myself to Palm Springs, California where nationals was this year,” Gilby said.

His team had to win other major tournaments in

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Perfecting His Form: Camacho works on his forehand hit during practice. He and his teammates are preparing for the spring tennis season. Photo by Austyn Keetly

order to be able to compete at Palm Springs.

“They had to win sectionals then regionals here in Texas. It was tough winning in sectionals they had some close matches,” Gilby said.

Gilby is only a sophomore and has to play against older opponents

regularly at the national event.

“There are about 15 players in total, only about 10 went to nationals. And most of them are 45 year old men with only me and another junior on the team,” Gilby said.

Although Gilby gained many experiences on the

team, he still enjoys playing on his own team here at Bowie High School.

“The people are definitely more mature on the league but, I have a lot of fun playing at Bowie, we love to joke around and we always have a lot of fun,” Gilby said.

Gilby has been playing tennis for a long time and has been able to maintain a great stance in all aspects of the game.

“From the beginning Gilby always made me proud of his tennis, not only for his amazing skills for the game but also for his great attitude in and out of the tennis court,” Gilbert said.

After playing tournaments continually weekend after weekend, Gilby began to grow out of all the competition, but never grow out of the sport.

“While I have already quit playing tennis seriously, I will always play and hold a special place in my heart for it,” Gilby said.

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The Lone Star Dispatch

Reviews

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page B3

Fantastic Beasts New Netflix show stuns audiences scares viewers

Black Mirror a Twilight Zone revival

Shelby Papst Staff Writer

Jadon Alvarez Staff Writer

easts B c i t s a Fant ng li J.K. Row E

r

n Fogle yne, Da a m d e ddie R

FUT URE IS BRI GHT ./ Art by Callie Richards

sessed with having a good rating.

However, I thought some of the plot lines could have used work, like the episode “The National Anthem.” The plot line was too weird for me.

In this episode, Princess Susannah is kidnapped and the Prime Minister must fulfill a strange task. The Prime Minister does everything to avoid fulfilling the task while trying to get Princess Susannah to safety.

I liked the message that many things can slip over our noses, but I was bored by the plot line and I didn’t like the way the episode ended.

The actors in every episode used different emotions and characteristics to make their character unique. The characters in each episode give the viewer a real aspect on how all minds are different and how technology affects our everyday lives.

I would give the show 3.5 out of 5 stars because I loved the actors and some of the plot lines were unique and clever. However, some of the episodes made me yawn and wonder when it would be over.

One of the things I love is how this show explores the unease of the world, just like the psychological hit The Twilight Zone. Netflix is planning on a season four.

Disney comes out with a new princess Sam McPherson Staff Writer

Art by Callie Richards

The new Disney adventure film, Moana, has been highly anticipated around the world. Audiences everywhere were awaiting a more ethnically diverse Disney animation, but did they get it?

Moana has been a success in box offices since it’s release on November 23, but the takeaway may not be what people expected. The focal point of the movie was Moana’s self-discovery.

The movie is set on an island in Polynesia where Moana is preparing to become the next chief of her tribe, but she has always been called to the sea.

After discovering a key secret to her past, she sets sail in search of legendary demigod, Maui, to help her restore prosperity to her home island of Montuini. While Moana ventures out to find an island, she ends up finding herself.

The themes created a feel-good movie for kids and teens that prompted thoughts of fate and purpose. And yes. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sings. The recently voted

Art by Ashley Ramirez

FANTASTIC BEASTS

HE

reunite the creatures, more and more attacks threaten the city leaving the watcher in suspense to what was really causing all the mayhem.

The escaped wizard Grindelwald mentioned at the start of the movie? One of Newt’s fantastic beasts?

Or one of the women of an anti-witch orphanage protesting in New York?

All the multiple scenarios of this movie lead up to a shocking conclusion that things were not as they had seemed.

While the movie was PG-13, there were very dark themes I was not expecting in the film.

Along with seeing the movie, I found on my ticket that children under six were not to be permitted into the movie.

This was understandable though as there were instances of child abuse and torturous methods that made me squirm uncomfortably in my seat.

The whole movie gave off these dark undertones I had not been expecting to see and left me wanting to almost look away from some more of the intense scenes.

I give this movie a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Overall, I loved to once again witness the magic of J.K. Rowling’s work. I can’t say I loved much of the movie aside from Newt, who is by far one of my favorite characters among movies in genera.

It was an enjoyable experience that brought me as a huge Rowling fan back to the magic she’s made me fall in love with.

Netflix is a popular entertainment company that is known for showing popular TV shows found on cable. However, it also releases its own original shows.

Recently, Netflix has released a new show called “Black Mirror” which was previously on Channel 4, a British broadcasting TV network, but Netflix helped them revive the show and release a new season.

Black Mirror is like The Twilight Zone with stories that explore human psychology. Each episode has a different plot line and unique characters.

Although I did love the original Twilight Zone and the idea of exploring human psychology, I thought that this show was okay. I thought that some of the episode plot lines didn’t reel me in while other episodes had me watching until the credits.

I loved some of the stories lines that director Charles Brooker made. In one of my favorite episodes “Nosedive,” the episode is set in a futuristic world where the world runs on friends and strangers rating each other based on their social media and everyday actions.

The viewer follows insecure office worker Lacie Pound, who becomes ob-

>>T

things mythical creatures, on his voyage.

Newt was by far my favorite character of this movie from his easy on the eyes appearance, to his adorable fascination for his creatures.

Comparing him to Rowling’s original series I found him far more likable than the angsty and temperamental Harry. I can say honestly I would not like this movie near as much as I did if it wasn’t for Newt.

Upon his arrival to America, Newt doesn’t quite get the chance to adjust to his new surroundings before unfortunate circumstances lead to his mystical beasts being set free.

At the same time he arrives though, a mysterious force had been raging attacks on the city, leading to destruction and confusion among the people.

Newt is joined by a NoMaj, formerly referred to as a Muggle or non-magic human, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a struggling man trying to set up a bakery. Jacob manages to get twisted up in Newt’s crazy antics and the two men become a team.

Throughout the movie, Jacob served as an extremely relatable character with his confusion to all magic things and comical fear towards Newt’s seemingly more intimidating beasts.

I found myself really enjoying the addition of a non-wizard to the story and the way it wrapped up all the supernatural elements to everyday things of reality.

Along their journey to

Art by Cianna Chairez

In the latest installment of author J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world comes the tale of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The story follows an ex-Hogwarts wizard by the name of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and serves as a sort of prequel to Rowling’s world renowned series Harry Potter.

Newt was the one to write the book ‘Fantastic Beasts’, which Harry was required to read for his Magical Creature studies at Hogwarts. And from the first few minutes of the movie, I was infinitely certain I prefer Newt as a protagonist to Harry.

The story takes place in America in old school New York, unlike the Harry Potter series taking place in the U.K. Despite the change of location, the story still managed to entrance me with other methods of wizard devices and buildings famous in Rowling’s original series.

While I preferred the London setting, the story taking place in America lets the fans see a whole other side to the wizarding world.

The movie started very slowly, then suddenly dumped a lot of information on the audience. It throws all the facts of the magic side of reality at the watcher and expects them to understand it all.

If I hadn’t been a big fan of the Harry Potter series, I would have been extremely confused at the complex society wizards developed and all the minuscule ways it melded with ‘normal’ society.

I think that, as a fan who knew the world from Rowling’s previous series, the way she tied up her wizarding world with new characters, plot, and mannerisms appropriate to the older setting was executed pretty well.

The movie follows Newt, an avid fan of all

“Sexiest Man Alive” was practically the model for his character, Maui.

The Moana soundtrack is also topping charts post release. The music is co-written and sung by Hamilton star, Lin Manuel Miranda.

The highest grossing song is “How Far I’ll Go,” which is Moana’s song anticipating her adventures on the sea. It is sung by the voice of Moana, Auli’i Cravalho.

The songs not only bring an empowering aspect to the film, but they set the tone for many character relationships. The variety of inspirational songs

adds to the personal growth of Moana throughout the movie.

During the movie Moana’s grandmother told some of their culture’s ancient stories and performed dances and songs meant to honor the sea and the island. She encouraged Moana to accept her calling to the sea.

The mysticism of the film was inspiring instead of unnecessary. Even though I found the movie enjoyable, viewers will have to decide for themselves whether Moana contained some extreme portrayals of the Polynesian culture.

E ntertainment The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page B4

Ready, set, strike a pose Bowie cheer hosts a pep rally; students take part in the mannequin challenge Alicia Molina Staff Editor

For people not aware of what has been sweeping the Internet for the past few weeks they may not be informed on what the mannequin challenge is.

The mannequin challenge is where you are at an event with a group of people, like a party or a typical day at school, and everyone is doing something, like playing basketball or video games, but they are standing completely still like a mannequin.

The whole group is recorded and the videos are anywhere from 30 seconds to around two minutes.

A couple of organizations at Bowie have done the mannequin challenge.

Some that you may have seen on-line are the Silver Stars’ and the cheerleaders’ video. The Silver Stars did the challenge video solo.

The Silver Star video, which can be found on The Silver Star Twitter page (@JBHSSilverStars) as of right now has a total of 40 re-tweets and 92 likes on

twitter. It features the Silver Stars during practice, some of them are serious and some are striking a funny pose.

“We thought that this challenge was funny so of course we decided we had to do it. It turned out really good and I was kinda surprised at how much attention the video got,” senior Sierra Webb said.

The cheerleaders also did the mannequin challenge but they did it at a pep rally. The mannequin challenge was a perfect mix for the pep rally, it was something new and something popular with students.

“We usually try to do something in the rally that is trending at the time.

We did the mannequin challenge at the pep rally before the second playoff game (Bowie v. Spring) ,” cheer coach Amie Roggemann said When planning a pep rally, they always try to switch stuff up but still try to keep the traditions, the pep rally, which is usually held in the gym, was in the courtyard that day so that

Freeze: Tennis player Jamie Forst films Emily Leeke and the rest of the tennis team. The students stood still to participate in the mannequin challenge before practice.

Photo by Gigi Francis

Standing still: Bowie students come together for a pep rally to show support for the football team. The cheer team, football team, and other students struck poses and for the mannequin challenge, which has recently become popular. Photo by Gigi Francis

they would be able to do this challenge easier.

“Coach Roggemann and I are the ones who plan out the pep rallies together. I usually come in to the planning session with a few ideas in my head for the rally,” Senior Spirit coordinator Ilona Poole said.

The planning process for these events, like pep rallies, is much quicker than what you may think, it also takes some creativity.

The spirit coordinator and cheer coach come up with ideas that they can both agree on.

“We usually meet up

during a fit session early in the week of an upcoming rally, like on Monday or Tuesday. If the pep rally is for a big game I bring in a few supplies to the planning session as well,” Poole said.

The Bowie Cheer twitter page (@Bowiecheer) tweeted out the video that was taken at the pep rally.

The video, as of right now has 22 re-tweets and 38 likes. It featured everyone that attended the rally including people that were performing like the band, the cheer team.

“Everyone was able to

participate in the challenge that wanted to, as long as they were present they had the chance to be in it,” Roggemann said.

Alongside the other performers, the entire varsity football team also participated in the rally. They were a big part in the rally because the students are there to cheer them on and give them support for an upcoming game.

“All of the varsity football team was featured in the video, we got notified of what we were going to be doing right before the pep rally,” senior Jackson

Gall said A big part of the mannequin challenge is videotaping it. A lot of people participate in the challenge so that they can get a few laughs out of people and post it on social media so the videographer’s job is very crucial.

“Coach Roggemann was the one who videotaped the challenge at the rally.” Poole said. “We got it set up pretty quickly, we only had about 10-15 seconds to get set up for the video which was fast for a lot of people,” senior Jordan Maywald said.

Vintage clothing making a comeback Gavin Farner Staff Writer

Clothing generates a first impression and with all the styles in the world to choose from it’s not hard to get the distinct style that says “you”.

There is no easy way to define vintage clothing.

Our modern clothing styles could become the new vintage for the future and we wouldn’t know.

“It depends on how you define vintage,” physics teacher Cara Willig said “many people just like to romanticize vintage clothing or older clothing styles”.

Many large companies that are making vintage clothing use slave labor in countries without laws prohibiting it and buying these brands supports these companies to keep using forced labor.

“I ethically buy vintage clothing,” Willig said “I choose to buy second hand because it does not support slave labor and it isn’t going to support a corrupt company so it’s not as risky”.

Most vintage shops are clustered around both college towns and older neighborhoods, there are

always the outliers though.

“There’s the high-end $400 Chanel from SoCo, then there’s the resale at things like the Buffalo Exchange,” Mrs. Willig said “but staple vintage would be Goodwill and the Salvation Army”.

Different styles appeal to different people and finding the perfect style is part of making who you want to be.

“I like vintage because when you buy a sweater covered in cats you can

the 1920’s is considered antique.

“Its interesting many companies are trying to make clothes that look vintage,” Willig said “Goodwill after Macklemore made his thrift store song had people that wanted clothes with a second story to them and that’s the appeal for vintage clothes”.

People have plenty of places to choose from when it comes to obtaining vintage clothing.

“I shop at thrift stores

“I choose to buy second hand because it does not support slave labor and it isn’t going to support a corrupt company so it’s not as risky.”

- Cara Willing

make up a story about a crazy cat lady that used to wear it” Willig said.

Typically vintage is a style that mimics a previous era’s style. Vintage would usually be described as being from around 20 years ago, anything before

and vintage shops,” freshman Riannon Cozette said.

Although most genuine vintage clothes are not for the general public, many shops sell imitations to choose from.

“I liked that at thrift shops I could choose the

era of clothes I will be wearing,” Cozette said.

Environmentally wearing vintage clothing is recycling so by using second hand shops and thrift stores people can make the earth greener.

“There’s the 80’s, 90’s, and the 50’s, that are all considered vintage,” Cozette said “Vintage is a broad term, although I believe the 80’s to 90’s are more common” Differences in genuine vintage clothing and modern clothing include seam type, care tags, and metal to plastic zippers.

“I enjoy the look of vintage clothes and being different even though it’s a style now,” Cozette said Many people will have different views on what the cost of looking vintage is, for it could both be formal vintage and simplistic styled vintage.

“I don’t own any vintage clothes,” junior Ryan Mitchell said “I have no money to buy it”.

Being thrifty doesn’t necessarily mean you buy from thrift shops or retail stores.

“I think that things like Adidas and old band t-shirts count as being vintage,” Mitchell said.

Vintage returns: Sophomores Lilly Russell and Gabe Rodriguez show off their unique vintage style. Rodriguez gets his style from his dad, while Russell shops at thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange and Goodwill. Photo

by Cara Andres

A common theme for vintage clothes is the generations before yours style.

“Anything before the 2000’s is vintage to me,” Mitchell said.

Vintage clothing is a more prominent style in

certain social groups than others, for example, in the artists.

“I see it happening a lot especially in the hipster communities,” Mitchell said “older styles are their own unique thing.

E ntertainment

The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed, Dec. 14, 2016 Page B5

The Who’s Tommy begins rehearsals Theater gets rid of outdated tech

Cianna Reviews Editor

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for the Starlight Theatre Company. From the props, to the choreography, to the singing, the school musical requires all aspects of theatre. After all, it is the biggest theatre production of the year.

This year, the Starlight Theatre Company will present The Who’s Tommy, a rock musical about a boy who is blind, deaf and dumb. The musical is open to audiences in January, however preparation is well underway.

The directors cast senior Jackson Walker as the lead character, “Tommy.”

“This year, as far as preparation goes, this part is more vocally challenging so it’s more about getting prepared for that,” Walker said. “So because this year it’s a rock musical, it’s written more for that kind of style of voice which is going to make the notes higher in many cases vocally.”

The annual school musical easily is the biggest production the Starlight Theatre Company puts on.

With rehearsals starting immediately after school and ending around seven pm, every student and faculty member participating has to make a commitment to be there.

“You really have to commit to learning your characterization and your choreography,” Walker said. “If not everybody has practiced their parts before rehearsal, then as a team we all sort of collapse. So that the production can keep moving and be as good as it can possibly be, it has to be very rehearsed. ” This is the second year Walker has been the lead in the school musical. Specific to the leading character, there are certain prepara-

Emily Merritt Staff Writer

“Captain Walker Didn’t Come Home”: Senior Sam Cole and junior Blake Moyer prepare for their shared role, Captain Walker. Some students say they spend more time at school then home during musical season. Photo by Reagan Wallace

tions he has to make.

“I take voice lessons and I also, on top of taking voice lessons, I have to make sure that I’m always warming up correctly and that I’m always drinking tea,” Walker said. “I have to stay hydrated to preserve my vocal health.”

With rehearsals after school, homework from eight classes and family affairs, students in the musical have to manage their time. Junior Rebekah Wood plays the “Acid Queen” in the upcoming musical and has to dedicate a lot of time to her role while balancing everything else.

“I try to balance my time between fun and homework,” Wood said.

“Theatre is fun for me so it doesn’t feel like work when I am memorizing lines, songs, choreography and blocking.”

But there is more that goes into the production of the musical than just the

actors and actresses singing and dancing on stage.

Matthew Humphrey is one of the three teachers that teaches technical theatre. He is in charge of lights and building the many different sets. He works to make their visions a reality.

“You start with these big, enormous dreams,” Humphrey says. “This is our baseline. This is our big dream. And so we are now at the point where we are kind of figuring out the logistics to how we’re going to do this.”

From the technical theatre side of things, this means more sets than they’ve ever had before.

“It’s a really exciting story that lends itself to a variety of locations,” Humphrey said. “So much of the musical happens inside Tommy’s mind and so that means that we can go a little more abstract with it. In fact, we can go very abstract with it.”

However, the production of Tommy has some tricks up their sleeves this year. The technical theatre crew has built a set in which it makes it easier to use projections, which are images or videos presented on a screen, as a part of the production.

“It is the first year we’re doing projections on such a large scale,” Humphrey said. “We’re going to be projecting, I want to say, through the entire show.

But luckily we have identified some really incredible students that have picked it up like that.”

With help coming in from all sides to prepare for Tommy, students and teachers that participate in the preparation look forward to the performance.

“We have such amazing kids in this department that are so ready to do anything that is asked of them,” Humphrey said. “The show is going to be pretty incredible.”

This year, the tech theater department purchased a plethora of much-needed new equipment to use on upcoming productions.

“The technology we now have access to is a great challenge for the technical theatre students and better prepares them for equipment they will utilize in college and also professionally,” technical theater teacher Matthew Humphrey said.

Tech theater is in charge of running sound, lights, and other effects for the theater shows. Junior Sam Searles, who has been involved in tech theater for three years, has been exposed to the new equipment.

“Everything we do is sort of a humble and quiet type of job. You don’t join tech to be the star of the show,” Searles said.

“We’re behind the scenes building sets, doing lights, finding sounds for certain cues, and doing everything to make the show run smoothly.”

According to Humphrey the new equipment is something that has been desired for a while.

“The new light board is

an ETC Ion with a 40-fader wing, which was purchased through funds raised by the fantastic parents of our Starlight Theatre booster club,” Humphrey said. “It replaces the light board which was nearly 20 years old.”

The old equipment that was replaced includes not only a light board, but also multiple other pieces of high quality equipment.

“We have also added 15 new LED Lighting Instruments to replace our box lights and strip lights, which were here when the theatre was opened in 1989,” Humphrey said.

Additionally, in our fall “shows, we were experimenting with using projected images on our sky cyclorama in preparation for this year’s musical, The Who’s Tommy.”

They were also able to replace more things other than effects equipment.

“We got new curtain, and new light board and we installed a button to drop a fire curtain down,” junior Jet Hyde said.

The new advancements bring forward more effects and opportunities.

“It definitely improves my work and many other people’s work in tech,” Searles said.

Brand spanking new: Senior Ben Wheeler uses the brand new light board. Tommy will showcase this new technology. Photo by Reagan Wallace

Dance department showcases teachings from semester Victoria Newell Entertainment Editor

On a cold December night, dance department students warm up and stretch, trying to calm their nerves. They apply bright red lipstick, get into sparkly and brightly colored costumes, and run through every eight counts in their head, preparing for the bright stage lights. The Winter Concert is underway.

Each year, the dance department puts on two showcases, one in the winter, and another in the spring. Students begin learning the dances in class to showcase what they had learned over the course of the year.

“My Dance 2 class has two pieces that they’re doing, my Dance 1 class had an awesome upbeat piece, and my Musical Theater class, oh my god, their piece is so much fun,” dance teacher Courtney Allison said.

However, Allison did not choreograph every single piece. The Composition Improv class was challenged to choreograph and preform their own dance piece.

“We actually choreographed our dance, our class, we all worked together. Each student got their own eight count and we’re dancing to Cheer Up Char-

So what did you learn at school today?: Dance students showcase a modern dance through a difficult stunt. To help with potential stage fright dancers also worked on self-confidence this year. Photo by Ashley Ramirez

lie, by Leslie Odom Jr.,” Jones said.

The girls then put all their eight counts together, and the complete dance was formed, all that was left to do was practice.

“It turned out beautifully, watching that- and watching them work together, was incredibly refreshing,” Allison said.

Allison also stressed the importance of believing in oneself and performing to the best of one’s ability in all her classes.

“She does a bunch of self-confidence exercises as well. One day we spent a whole day and did things that nobody ever thought they could do and it was really cool whenever you did because

everyone would cheer you on,” Dance 1 student freshman Aurora Trevino said.

Allison believes that dance is an outlet for students to get to know themselves better, and be open to new experiences.

“I try to stress the importance of being present and engaged, because that whole process is re-

ally them getting to know themselves better,” Allison said. “It’s still in that process where they’ll say ‘oh I like that! Oh I don’t like that,’ it’s really about appreciating what it is, for what it is and being able to soak it in, whatever is out there. And that is first and foremost what I am really impressed with seeing.”

The showcase was on Thursday, December 1, and admission was free. However, the department encouraged donations so dance students could broaden their artistic horizon.

“We ask for donations so we can do things like take field trips, so I can kind of expose them to what the fine arts are like outside of Bowie,” Allison said.

On the whole, students describe their experiences in the dance department as overwhelmingly positive, and the Winter Concert is a chance for them to show all the things they learned over the semester, to bond with new friends, and overcome stage-fright and insecurity.

“I met my best friend, Grace, in dance class the second semester of sophomore year, so we’ve been able to grow and do this together, so it definitely impacted my life because I got my best friend out of it,” Jones said.

Features

The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page B6

Living the best of both worlds Sophomore Luciana San Esteban shares her life being Mexican-American Shelby Papst Staff Writer A flag beats to the wind, red and white stripes flying above beside the fifty white stars in a square of blue. A stark difference from the green and red stripes framing the brown eagle of her previous flag as she and her family ascended down the plane ramp into the airport of America. Her new life begins.

Luciana San Esteban is a sophomore who was born and raised in Mexico for eight years before coming to the United States. She’s lived half her life in the US and half in Mexico, and has become accustomed to both cultures and involving them in her everyday life.

“Even though I consider myself more Mexican, I still feel some American,” San Esteban said. “I think one of the best parts of being Mexican-American is that I get the best of both worlds.”

San Esteban feels as if American culture has influenced her life quite a lot despite her upbringing beginning initially in Mexico, but does not completely override her Mexican culture.

“American culture is a big part of my life, the way I learn at school and the way I talk to my friends is a lot more American than Mexican. My family still retains a lot of its Mexican culture, especially my parents,” San Esteban said.

San Esteban is the oldest of three sisters in a family of five who moved to Texas, both her sisters being raised in Mexico City as she was. San Esteban feels equally tied to Mex-

Around the Table: Luciana San Esteban and her family sit around the dinner table enjoying their meal. They immigrated to the United States when Luciana was eight years old. Photo by Darcy Kanneman

ico and the US, shares a similar opinion as her middle sister, Maria Rene San Esteban.

“I think my sister is the same as me, both Mexican and American. I don’t think one culture overrides the other because on one hand we have our roots at Mexico, the basis of our cultural knowledge comes from Mexico,” Maria Rene said. “Because we lived here for such a crucial part of our upbringing, I believe America and its culture have also had a very

big impact on both of us and because of that we also share a connection to the USA.” America and Mexico have many differences culturally. How they interact with people, learn, and hobbies can be dependent on where they live. Many of Luciana’s sophomore friends such as Stephen Do and Teal Waid disagree.

“She is in Pre-Ap English yet English is her second language, which is funny yet kinda cool too,” Waid said. “She is real-

ly smart and works hard for her grades, and I don’t think that being from Mexico had anything to do with that. She gets better grades than I do and I’m from here. I don’t think that it really affects her life choices either.”

Do also sees Luciana more as a person who merely has grown up on different aspects of life.

“I think that the American culture has changed her by showing her new ideologies that may not be seen by people who have

only experienced that way of life in a single place,” Do said. “I don’t think of her differently because to me all that really matters is your character, who you are as a person, and not where or how you were raised.”

Luciana’s sister Maria Rene thinks differently, in the sense American culture does make them different people.

“I think American culture has definitely structured the way my sister’s interests are directed. I

believe the people that are part of this culture have also shaped the way she’s grown up and the way she sees herself is definitely reflected by the standards in our society,” Maria Rene said.

America is special in the sense that as a country it possesses people of many varying origins.

Many argue that culture defines a person. However, despite living in the United States presently, such as Luciana’s case, it’s the way others view her because of the fact that she’s Mexican.

“People will always learn based on the experiences that they have,” Do said. “The idea of a family and being loved by the people around are universal ideas.”

There are many difficulties with moving from one country to another and adapting to the new change of pace, such as discrimination and the attitude of the people Luciana has to interact with in everyday life.

“In Mexico, you have to watch yourself a lot more,” Luciana said. “As countries they both have problems, it’s what America is dealing with Trump now, except it has been happening in Mexico for a lot longer.”

Despite not being born on American soil, Luciana San Esteban and her family believe she is still living the American life, with the conclusion coming to America was the right choice in terms of her life despite her origin.

“In my family culture is a dynamic thing,” Luciana said. “We’re not American, but we are always some of both.”

Senior plans on studying abroad in Italy next semester Austyn Keelty Staff Writer As the end of senior year approaches students must prepare to leave home and start a life on their own.

Some students are eager to go straight to college, however others may have the desire to take a different and more daring route and get a taste of what the outside world is like before settling down for school yet again.

Aubrey Janowitz is a senior at Bowie High School who plans to graduate early

this December and spend a semester studying abroad in Italy. Knowing no one and not knowing what to expect, Janowitz is jumping in head first to get her first hand experience of cultures and education outside the United States.

“I knew I wanted to go abroad and experience other cultures, but also wanted to continue my education so I did some research and found ISA,” Janowitz said.

International Studies Abroad (ISA) is a program that makes it easier for students to earn the opportunity to study abroad by

helping plan their trips and offering excursions and cultural activities in different set locations that the students can choose from.

“I chose Italy because it has always been my dream to go there,” Janowitz said. ”I chose Florence because the school, Florence University of Arts, offered classes I wanted to take and that correlate to what I want to major in during college [journalism].”

Graduating early is not for everybody and only few students actually follow through with the plan all throughout high school.

14 and a half hour trip from Texas to florence with 2 stops

This covers 5638 miles Art by Gavin Farner

Doing this takes a lot of dedication and time management and only few students can actually handle the extra workload.

“If the student starts out and plans it and they are mature, they’re organized, they’re focused and there is a real reason why they want to graduate early, they have plans, definite plans, then it’s a good idea,” counselor Nona May said.

In order to achieve this plan, lots of preparation and planning has to be made, for graduating early is a very complicated process that requires major qualifications and readiness.

“The process is difficult because there are courses that have to be taken in order to graduate,” May said. ”It has to be a decision that’s made in freshman year and then you tell your counselor and you follow a very highly structured course selection process so that you have everything by the time you graduate.”

Moving away from home to a different country can be scary for the exchange student, however it can also take a toll on the

parents.

“What scares me most is knowing that she’s navigating her way around a strange place all by herself,” her mother Sally Janowitz said.

Staying in a different country requires a lot of cultural preparation beforehand to allow a smooth transition into a completely foreign lifestyle and atmosphere.

“I am trying to learn the basics of the language now and I will be taking Italian at the university,” Aubrey said.

Not only will Aubrey be spending her time in Italy studying, but she also has other plans to explore and experience cultures outside of Florence.

“After the three and a half months of studying at the university I will be backpacking by train to five other countries including Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark for two weeks,” Aubrey said.

Airbnb is a company that offers short-term housing and vacationing homes that are privately owned, mainly used by people who

are traveling long distances looking for cheaper and easier places to stay.

“I’ll be using Airbnb and I’m going by myself,” Aubrey said. “But other people are doing the study abroad program all across the US, so I will meet those people and be living with some of those girls I am roomed with, but the backpacking I am doing by myself.”

Graduating early can open many doors for students and not only will it be a valuable experience to look back on, but it also sets students ahead of their peers.

“You’re starting your adult life a semester early, go for it,” May said.

Putting aside all the nerves and uneasiness, there are many things to look forward to in a new place with different people, food, and opportunities.

“I’m more excited than anything,” Aubrey said.

“I’m looking forward to experiencing a different culture and seeing what else this world has to offer, while gaining college credits and of course, eating the authentic Italian food.”

The Lone Star Dispatch

Features

Wed. Dec. 14, 2016

Page B7

Leaping with passion, twirling with elegance

Born a natural dancer, sophomore puts forth hours of practice each week Abby Ong Staff Writer

Her feet push off the floor, coming up into a split leap pointed and turned out. Aware of the positioning of every muscle, she relaxes her face despite the tension in her body.

Dedicating almost all of her free time to her dance team, Sarah Rolan spends around thirteen hours a week at Balance Dance Studios.

“All of [the time spent] is worth it,” Rolan said.

“Dance is fun, and I don’t know how to describe what it feels like to dance. It allows me to forget about the world around me for a second. It allows me to think freely and move how I want to move, plus it’s a good exercise.”

Rolan has a lot of fun on the team, making friends with her fellow dancers.

“My favorite part of being on a team is the social aspect of it,” Rolan said. “I love all of my team members and we have a lot of fun together in class. I love knowing that they always have my back and they’re all really good friends.

We’re all really close.”

The dancers spend a lot of hours together, and keep each other entertained during classes. Team member Annika Lopez has fun making laughs with Rolan.

“I do get a kick out of it when we sickle our feet at the barre just to annoy our ballet teacher sometimes,” Lopez said. “Sarah and I always make funny faces at each other during combinations too, which crack me up.”

Rolan’s ballet teacher, Katie Parr-Smith, enjoys working with her.

“Sarah is so much fun,” Parr-Smith said. “Her

best quality is her personality. She keeps herself light-hearted but is also a hard worker, and that’s not always easy to have in one dancer. It keeps her learning much faster than other people.”

The other dancers at her studio also admire Rolan.

“I think that Sarah’s best qualities as a dancer are her determination and focus on technique,” Lopez said.

“She really does focus and do her best in every combination and she gets so much better so quickly because of it. I wish I had her level of focus.”

Her ballet teacher explains all the work that goes into dance.

“To be a dancer, it takes a lot,” Parr-Smith said.

“You have to not only learn the steps, but you have to learn the techniques to the steps, which takes years to accomplish. Then you have to add onto the steps and you’re also having to stay on the music, so there’s a musical aspect to that too.

You also have to try to look pleasant while doing all those things and thinking really hard about the combination.”

Rolan agrees that there is a lot of work for dance.

“Dance is really hard, which a lot of people don’t believe,” Rolan said. “It’s really tasking on the body, and on top of that you have to make it look easy so that there is no strain in your movements. It takes a lot of strength to do the things that we do, and it’s just a challenging art form.”

Her mom believes that Rolan has gained a lot from dance.

“It has given Sarah character and development in the areas that she may not have experienced not participating in an activity,”

Plié and Extend: During a daily warm up, sophomore Sarah Rolan holds her head up, making her focal point to improve basic dance technique. The plié and extend exercise focuses on improving balance. Photo by Mikayla Zellner

Rebecca Rolan said, “Even with the positives and the negatives, it is worth it.”

Being on a team adds on even more to being a dancer.

“If you’re on a team, you’re doing so many extra things,” Parr-Smith said.

“You’re kind of dedicating all of your extra time to dancing and learning the choreography. During the weekends, they are constantly going to these workshops or competitions, so they give up all of their weekend time. Then they have to go to school the next day.”

Sarah has to stay on top

of things in both dance and school.

“It’s very difficult to balance,” Sarah said. “I dance a lot, and school gives out a lot of homework, so I’m often up really late doing my homework. It’s really time consuming.”

Sarah has been dancing for eight years, and her father, Jesse Rolan, appreciates how much effort she puts in.

“It takes a lot of work,” Jesse said. “You have to be dedicated to that team, you have to show up for all the practices, almost no matter what. It is teamwork, and if everyone doesn’t get it

right, it is simply not correct.”

Despite loving dance, Sarah does not want to pursue dance as a professional career.

“I don’t have a dream of being a professional ballerina or anything,” Sarah said. “It’s an unsteady source of income and I don’t want that type of life, where you never know if you have a job or not. I actually want to be a veterinarian, because I have a love and passion for animals.”

Part of Sarah being successful in dance is because of the emotion she carries

when she dances.

“She dances positively, Parr-Smith said. “You get a lot of people who don’t realize they are doing it, but they look kinda mad when they dance, and she doesn’t. She has a positive energy.”

Sarah’s energy that she creates when she dances proves that she is a true dancer at heart. Rolan has a unique dance quality that makes her the passionate dancer that she is.

“When she’s really dancing, she has an energy that not everybody has,” Parr-Smith said. “She has a really positive energy.”

New orchestra director brings hope and encouragement Justine Lockhart Staff Writer Sitting on the edge of their chairs with their back straight, bows moving sharply in the same direction, their fingers getting sore from the pressure of the strings, tapping their foot to the beat of the song, while glancing up from their music stand to look at the director conducting.

As of last year, the orchestra program has been improving, thanks to the new orchestra director David Chisum.

Chisum came in with a storm of energy and motivation.

“I think with our new director our motivation was refreshed,” senior Sabrina Whitney said.

Since arriving at Bowie last year Chisum has been working hard to create a higher standard of achievement. He increased the difficulty of music and expects his students to work hard.

“We had been playing music that didn’t push us too much in previous years, so it was a huge startle,” Whitney said.

Playing challenging music means the students have to work hard, but Chisum helps them as best he can.

“He’s really blunt about things and so he tells you exactly what you need to work on,” sophomore Jiwoo Suh said.

Chisum pushes his students for perfection, but he knows he must also trust them.

“Successful concerts require good teaching and good learning which takes trust,” Chisum said.

However, Chisum’s tough teaching and high expectations are improving the Bowie orchestra.

“Because he pushes our orchestras so much, and has so much determination to make us the best we can be, we’ve been able to play better than I think we’ve played in a long time,” Whitney said.

Although perfection is not easy to reach, it’s what motivates Chisum.

“It rarely happens but, when it does happen, it’s the best feeling, the best adrenaline rush, and pure satisfaction,” Chisum said.

It’s this feeling that makes Chisum strive to perfect his performances.

“Skydiving, which is awesome, didn’t give me as big of a rush as some performances I’ve been a part of as either a player or a conductor,” Chisum said.

The emotions of his past performances still live with him today.

“Some of my greatest memories have come from performing great works with my friends,” Chisum said.

His passion bleeds into his teachings.

“He’s always telling us that we need to play the music not play at it and we need to be on edge when we play,” Suh said.

“He means don’t only focus on your part and play what’s on the page, you need to be aware of everything that’s happening around you.”

Although he love for music he has now, Chisum started playing the violin just as something to do.

“I had a friend tell me not to pick violin because he didn’t want any competition so, of course, violin was the only choice,” Chisum said.

Chisum’s love for music did not happen right away. Instead he grew into it.

“I wasn’t sure this was what I wanted to do until my second semester of college,” Chisum said “We played Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, ‘Titan’ and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Although Chisum didn’t know he wanted to be a music teacher for sure until college, he had an idea of what he wanted to do for a living.

“I knew I either wanted to be an orchestra director or a civil engineer. I love the idea of building something from nothing and both professions allow you to do this,” Chisum said.

Resting Position: The new orchestra director David Chisum focuses the students before they perform the first song of their winter concert. The concert was held Tuesday Dec 6. Photo by Justine Lockhart

After he made his decision to be a music teacher, Chisum had a rough first year as a director at a school in California.

“I completed the semester but had told them I wouldn’t be returning for the next school year three weeks into the semester,” Chisum said.

Teaching at Bowie has been

more enjoyable for Chisum.

“The students work hard, I have good parent support, and the administration is great, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Chisum said.

Chisum striving for, and have always striven for, a perfect performance.

Photo Essay The Lone Star Dispatch

Wed., Dec. 14, 2016

Page B8

Day in a life: English teacher An inside scoop of Bree Rolfe’s journey from an editor to an educator Cara Andres Photo Editor

Bree Rolfe, a creative writing and academic English 2 teacher, has been apart of the Bowie staff for four years now and works hard to instruct necessary skills to students.

“I think my most important duty is to teach my students how to communicate effectively so that they can go out into the world and be good citizens,” Rolfe said.

Long before she became an educator, Rolfe participated in a study abroad program in London during her last semester at Boston University. While visiting, she scored an internship at a magazine that covered the London club scene and became and editor. Once she returned to Boston, she spent her time writing about music for a local newspaper.

“However, being a journalist, especially one in such a coveted, niche market like music, is not a lucrative career,” Rolfe said. “I had to have a regular day job if I actually wanted to eat and pay rent in a city like Boston.”

After realizing that her work wasn’t fulfilling in the slightest, she started to tutor voluntarily in Boston. Her tutoring took place in both a homeless shelter and a housing project in Cambridge that served many Haitian immigrants.

“I liked tutoring so much that, ultimately, I made two important decisions that totally changed the trajectory of my life—I decided to go back to school to get a Master’s of Fine Arts in writing and to become a teacher,” Rolfe said.

She started a new chapter in her life by becoming a yearbook and journalism teacher in Del Valle. Af-

ter a few years, she joined the Bowie community and has received pure happiness from her students.

“When your students make you laugh or when they express sincere, unsolicited gratitude for your help or they say something outrageous that makes the whole class erupt in laughter, there is no better feeling,” Rolfe said.

Rolfe considers one of her proudest moments to be when a student finds their voice in their writing,

but when it’s the weekend and you have a stack of a hundred essays you have to grade, yeah, that’s not fun. Also, I am not a big fan of standardized tests and the way that the whole system has affected myself and my students,” Rolfe said. “We make the best of it, but these tests are by no means a measure of who we are as people.”

To plan her lessons, Rolfe works quite often with Whitney Shumate, who also teaches sophomore English. They both write curriculum for the district, so most of their work is done is over the summer and abides by district guidelines.

“I work very closely with Mrs. Shumate on almost all of my lessons for my English classes and it’s a magical experience,” Rolfe said. “It involves a lot of laughing and sometimes crying over children singing on America’s Got Talent and a deep and abiding love of tea and Anne of Green Gables.”

Throughout the span of her career, Rolfe has learned the importance of flexibility and loving her work. In addition, she’s become less judgmental due to many years spent in a classroom.

“I’m continually surprised by my students and colleagues and so I learned that maybe I should be open to surprises in all aspects of my life,” Rolfe said.

Rolfe was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis about two years into her teaching career. Her lung function was so low that she was very close to needing a lung transplant.

“I got the care I needed and I am doing much better now. I do know that it can all change pretty quickly and I could be in that situation again. So, I am just proud that I am still here doing the best I can,” Rolfe said.

“I work very closely with Mrs. Shumate on almost all of my lessons for my English classes and it’s a magical experience.”

- Bree Rolfe

which is something she believes a writer has to find on their own.

“Those moments when they finally drop the artifice or stop trying to sound smart or like their favorite writer or what they think I want them to sound like and find who they actually sound like inside, are my most proud,” Rolfe said.

Aside from her students, one of her favorite parts about being a teacher is the colleagues she has met. She’s received lots of support and comfort from her fellow English teachers.

“I have known some of the most fascinating and gifted educators and being able to work and learn alongside them has been truly wonderful,” Rolfe said.

Although her job contains many positives, she still faces obstacles and rejects certain aspects of the teaching industry.

“I really hate grading essays. I like teaching, writing, and interacting with students about their work,

In the classroom: Rolfe checks her laptop during her 6th period class. Her sophomore students were working on an assignment in Google Classroom. “My students are just some of the most interesting, kind, and hilarious people that I’ve been honored to know. In my career, I’ve been lucky to meet students from all kinds of backgrounds and places and getting to know them has been a gift,” Rolfe said. Photo by Cara Andres

London, UK: Rolfe stands at the Tower of London in an oversized flight jacket. This photograph was taken in 1997.

“The London club scene was extremely vibrant at that time,” Rolfe said. Photo courtesy of Bree Rolfe

Assisting her students: Rolfe helps her students choose stories to put into Bowie’s literary magazine. Vicki Hebert, a junior English teacher, brought it back after a long hiatus. “We have so much talent at Bowie, and I really want to showcase that talent,” Rolfe said. Photo by Cara Andres

Side by side: Rolfe stands next to her fellow colleague, Whitney Shumate. They’ve been on the same team for four years. “Ms. Rolfe is Lady Mary, and I am Lady Sybil, and our brains become one to produce delightful things,” Shumate said. Photo by Cara Andres

Lit Society meeting: Senior Sydney Frideley, one of Rolfe’s students, reads a story submitted to Odyssey. She is a member of the lit society and attends meetings during FIT. “Ms. Rolfe is hilarious, entertaining, and passionate about writing. She’s an amazing writer who stays humble despite the fact she knows it,” Frideley said. Photo by Cara Andres