The Lone Star Dispatch 2015_16 Issue #4

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James Bowie High School

the

Lone Star Dispatch Vol. 30

Issue 4

4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin TX 78749

Friday, Feb. 12, 2016

SL Parade on March 10 Lauren Blevins Editor-in-Chief

Coach Vickie Benson’s student leadership class is planning a parade on March 10 as their No Place for Hate project. The parade will take place during an extended FIT that will be 45 minutes. The parade will start in the courtyard and end up going around the whole campus. The class has been planning since September and hopes they have done enough planning to get the entire school involved. “This event could be really neat if Bowie students embrace it,” junior Aleka Neptune said. “I’m hoping this will be a positive influence.” The goal is to bring awareness to a serious topic that occurs at the school on a regular basis. “The leadership class is trying to bring awareness to bullying issues,” Neptune said. “We want to promote and celebrate differences and to fight discrimination.” Before the parade, there will be a rally to get students pumped up to march. “The class is trying to unite our students and bring awareness to our campus that we have students who are isolated,” Benson said. “By participating in the parade, the idea is to keep that from continuing to happen.” Other organizations, like the drumline, Silver

www.thelonestaronline.com

A new policy for transfers takes effect Fuaad Ajaz News Editor

Paper chains: Junior Miguel Gomez cuts colorful sheets of construction paper that will have a pledge about discrimination on it. The signed pledge stripes of paper will hang from the float made by the student leadership students. Photo by Granger Coats

Stars, and cheerleaders are going to march in the parade, but first the leadership class had to get the parade plan approved by principal Stephen Kane. “I helped present our plan to Mr. Kane to get our idea approved and I’ve been contacting a few Bowie organizations to see if they want to march in the parade,” Neptune said.

Students of all grade levels will create a banner about a certain topic that has to do with discrimination in their social studies classes. The winning banner for each teacher will be given the opportunity to march in the parade. “I think the competition is a great way for my classes to bond,” social studies teacher Patricia Maney

said. Even though some planning issues occurred, the class is determined to make this new tradition a success. “I love being able to put together something that hasn’t been done before,” Benson said. “I really love a challenge, and this project definitely has its challenges.”

Starting the school year of 2016-2017, AISD will be implementing a new transfer policy that will impact many high schools in the area, including Bowie. Interim Director of Student Services and Discipline of AISD Andri Lyons sent out an email on Monday, November 23 informing staff that a new policy will be taking effect. “Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, in an effort to relieve overcrowding, majority to minority transfers will only be accepted at campuses where space is available,” Lyons said in the email. “Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, in a continuing effort to relieve overcrowding, in addition to the majority minority priority transfers, sibling, and tracking transfers will also only be accepted at campuses with space available.” There are three different ways of transferring to a school: sibling transfer, tracking transfer, and a majority to minority transfer. “If a school has a population with an ethnicity rate 50 percent or more, some students have the option of moving over to a school where the ethnicity rate is less; students will be placed on a waiting list so they can be transferred,” said assistant executive to Kathy Ryan, Jessica Torrez. “Sibling transfers are where if one sibling gets into a school, all the siblings can got to that school, they just have to be on the same campus. Lastly, the last transfer option is tracking where if the student has two unbroken years of attendance, the student has to option to go to another school for the two latest years offered at that school.” On campus there are just over 400 students on transfers from other schools in the district. Senior Michaela Gero and sophomore Yelenna James are one of the few people on transfers. “I’m on a sibling transfer here with my brother; we got the transfer from my brother who was able to come to Bowie for the special needs department,” Gero said. “If we had not gotten the transfer, we are zoned to Akins, so if this new policy takes effect, my brothers junior year might be at Akins.” Bowie and Akins are two frozen schools in the south which means no one can transfer into either of these schools if the new policy is enforced, which is something that will remain to be seen.

Rewards created for good attendance raises questions Casey Shrout Entertainment Editor After a change in Texas law stated that all schools must require attendance of at least 90 percent of class days to earn credit for the course, all absences still must be documented by either doctor note or parent written note, Bowie administrators came up with a strategy to boost overall campus attendance. Incentives will now be offered to students if certain attendance requirements are met each semester. The incentives include minor privileges like off periods and selected exam exemption, but the most talked about of the three is the option, strictly for seniors, to have a designated and personalized parking spot. “The reactions I saw to the new policies at first were a bit shocked and confused,” freshman Grace Little said. “But now that we’re all used to it I don’t think anyone even thinks much of it.” Beginning the second semester the administrators set up a video presentation to explain the new policies and incentives to

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Off Periods art by Kamryn Bryce

all students simultaneously during a mandatory FIT session, creating a build up of mixed emotions campus-wide. “When my older brother Andrew went to Bowie they started and ended school at different times, had longer passing periods and lunches, and FIT didn’t exist,” senior Madi Little said. “He thinks some of the changes have been good but there have definitely been a lot just in the past few years, by the time Grace graduates who knows what it will be like.” According to austinisd. org, every day a student is absent from class costs

AISD $45 in revenue from the state. If that was to improve by just one percent district-wide, it would result in $5.9 million per year in increased state revenue. “I think the school’s decision [for the incentives] was definitely influenced by money,” junior Mason Kendrick said. “But that doesn’t mean our school doesn’t have a problem with attendance.” There were multiple pushes for this change all throughout AISD to create an overall healthier educational environment, however, the administration added a little intrigue for the students.

These incentive ideas are attempting to appeal to all students. Whether it be the painted parking spot pulling at one’s natural drive for creativity or the opportunity for exam exemption shining before one ambitious scholar striving for straight A’s. “I hope that people take the incentives seriously and really take advantage of the opportunities being handed to them,” Madi Little said. “I mean, having your own personal parking spot would be pretty cool and so would a diploma.” According to austinisd. org, a diploma has an economic value. High school

Athletics

The dangerous and risky sport, Parkour, takes a new spin on getting fit and healthy.

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graduates earn 38 percent more than those without a diploma, and college graduates earn 140 percent more. “The craziest thing is, and it happens year after year,” US History teacher Ruth Widner said. “When students become seniors they just decide that school is optional, that class is optional, but it isn’t. Not if you want to graduate.” In retrospect, it’s not impossible to survive without a standard high school diploma but the case of not graduating due to attendance is extreme and not common. “It is true, I think, that

school just isn’t for some people but there’s definitely a difference in that and just being lazy,” senior Lauryn Kendrick said. “I know someone who dropped out of high school, got her GED, and directly went into the film business. But I also know people that have dropped out of high school with no ambition and no concrete support that waste away all their unused potential.” According to austinisd. org the five main reasons students drop out of school or fail to graduate are: the classes weren’t interesting, the student misses too many classes to catch up, the student spent time with people not enrolled in school, the student was given too much freedom, or the student was continuously failing. “We are simply trying to help students want to come to school,” Widner said. The incentives will be offered fully to the classes following 2016. “I mean, you can ask anybody and I’m sure they’ll tell you high school is far from exciting but just showing up can get you so far,” Mason Kendrick said.

In-Depth

The Disney musical, Tarzan, is brought to life on stage

An exclusive Q & A with junior Jackson Walker reveals facts about his first, unique experience as the lead in a STC musical. See page A4 and A5 for more details

Commentary

Freshman Seth Leifheit spends his time training and testing his endurance to pursue his true passion.

The Netflix documentary was filmed over a ten-year period about the story of Avery and his sentence behind bars after being accused of a murder.

See page B2 for more details

See page A7 for more details

“Making a Murder” creates controversy about the verdict.

News A2-3 In-Depth A4-5 Commentary A6-7 Photo Essay A8, B8 Athletics B1-2 Student Life B3-6 Entertainment B7


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