The Dispatch, Vol. 30, Issue #2, 11.3.2017

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TRAINING WITH A BOXER Junior Evan Janowitz prepares for his boxing competition

pg. 6

CONCERN OF STUDENT STRESS Students under dangerous levels of stress and what solutions are at hand

pg. 8-9

DAY IN LIFE OF A ROCK CLIMBER Chris Lomeli climbs to new competitive heights as a boulderer

coming UP Nov. 7 AISD Bond voting day Nov. 20-24 Thanksgiving Break Nov. 30 Late Start Dec. 4-5 TFA State Qualifying Tournament

pg. 16

Vol. 30, Issue 2 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin TX, 78749

FRI. NOV. 3, 2017

THE DISPATCH

Climate survey reveals student body attitude Bullying, teacher-student respect, student engagement, and academic confidence are just a few of the areas that the AISD climate survey, a poll administered to AISD students, targets.

In the spring of every school year, AISD conducts a student climate survey to gather statistics on the environments of each AISD school. The report assists district officials and Bowie administration to understand what areas need improvement. The area that garners the most concern is under student engagement, specifically in regards to a student’s level of enjoyment in school.

“I think the reason that many students claim they do not enjoy the work they complete in class is that format is antiquated and feels disconnected to the rest of their lives,” school improvement facilitator Ruth Ann Widner said.

Using the survey, administrators and teachers come up with ideas to improve student’s school experience.

“I think that we could offer some more engaging courses at Bowie,” principal Mark Robinson said. “I feel like...we haven’t added new courses in a while, really hands on classes that have college and career connections.”

Bowie plans to develop technology-based learning

by introducing personal student computers in the spring semester, as well as the recently implemented ‘Blend.’

“I think that there’s a lot that we can do with technology and instruction that make it more engaging to students,” Robinson said.

“That is really where I feel like there was promise with blend that maybe hasn’t been fully realized, we still have to work out the kinks, but I’m hoping that we’re growing in that direction.”

Student feedback is the main purpose for taking the climate survey, and it serves as a way to give adults a deeper understanding of a student’s needs to obtain a positive learning experience.

“Work would be much more enjoyable if it were personalized projects, experience based learning, and engaging assignments,” senior Jimmy Counihan said.

“I’m confident when I say the large number of people that don’t like class work transcends GPA and class rank, because even AP classes are teaching to a test so the class work can be bland and extremely serious.”

Although the numbers are not drastic, there was a decrease in students feeling recognized and praised for their work.

“I think letting kids know they are making a difference in our school community will help, and we see that done now with morning announcements- hopefully this can expand,” teacher

2017 Student Engagement Climate Survey Results 6.6 students out of 10 like to come to school

4.7 students out of 10 enjoy doing schoolwork 6.7 students out of 10 think that homework helps them learn things they need to know

ART BY Victoria Newell

Kiran Patel

News Editor

7.3 students out of 10 have fun learning in class Jessica Davis said.

As a primary area of concern, low student engagement, is something that both administrative officials and students want to find a solution to.

“Bowie administrators can improve engagement by finding additional funding for field trips and better classroom materials, giving teachers more professional development days to im-

prove their craft and create new lesson plans, and inspire connectivity between classes,” Counihan said.

While staff and students solutions to these problems differ slightly, their end goal is the same; that students enjoy coming to school.

“One thing administrators can do to improve the overall climate at school is to thoughtfully plan the course offerings each year

to ensure that students have options to take courses that allow for student innovation and creativity, and that match the student’s’ interests,” Widner said. “Our school leaders should also promote activities that support the social and emotional well-being of students.”

Although the climate survey shows a few clear areas that need more attention and improvement , the over-

all results name Bowie as a welcoming and respectful environment.

“I describe the classroom as this collaboration of learners, with the teacher as a learner and with the students as learners,” Robinson said. “Us learning from each other to understand what it takes in order for students to be able to learn and feel like that they are having fun.”

Post-game Whataburger enacts additional security

Due to the chaotic post-game student surge, Whataburger management has hired an officer Austyn Keelty Photo Editor

The post-game Whataburger tradition has been around for years. Either bonding over a win or grieving over a loss, students always have Whataburger to look forward to after any game. However, when traditions become a threat to students and other citizen’s safety, management is required to take precautions.

Previously the Whataburger on Slaughter Lane had a part-time security detail and 24/7 live video running both in and around the premises. After a fight broke out between a customer and a student after the LBJ game, Whataburger decided to make some changes.

“We decided to basically use security to prevent that from happening again. It’s mostly for safety, the reason being even though it’s a high school football game, high schoolers aren’t the only customers we have,” Whataburger manager Marcus Casillas said. “And as we saw during the first game, there was an altercation that occurred and could’ve been prevented if we did have security detail.”

Every game night there will now be a security guard present the entire night after sporting events to ensure that laws are being followed and no more fights break out. Although it’s a high school related festivity, the reality of getting arrested or prosecuted is still possible.

“Fewer people want to provoke altercation with a presence of a police officer, so not only do the

FOCUS IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS: A Whataburger employee stays focused on checking people out despite the post-game buzz. New security has been added by the restaurant to keep customers safe after sporting events. PHOTO BY Austyn Keelty

customers feel safer, but the employees feel safer as well,” Casillas said.

Due to the fact that Whataburger is off school grounds, Bowie High School has no liability in possible future violence; however, the overall actions of students, in or outside of school, still reflect Bow-

ie High School as a whole.

“I feel like it reflects poorly on us as a student body because they feel that we need an officer there,” junior Rylee Holder said. “But I don’t think we need one there; we are all adults.”

However, some students do not see a need for the extra security,

and that the security officer’s presence is a little stifling on the original post-game atmosphere.

“I do not feel as if it’s necessary, maybe the staff at Whataburger does, but I don’t really think that we’re that disruptive or anything, just trying to have fun,” Holder said. “I don’t feel anymore safe,

because there was nothing scary happening in the first place. But it’s a little annoying having him there because he just stares at you and it’s kind of weird.”

Nevertheless, the security officer has already aided some students trying to enjoy the postgame tradition.

“He helped me jump my friends car after a game at like 12:30 in the morning, so that was helpful because her car was completely dead and it wouldn’t start and I needed help,” Holder said.

Many students like the security officer.

“That guy is super chill, he’s awesome,” junior Levi Ander said.

Transitioning from total freedom to restrictions like a security officer has either had a negative or positive impact on students; moreover, the Whataburger tradition will have a different atmosphere from here on out.

“My experience really hasn’t changed. It’s still just normal Whataburger,” Ander said. “He’s just really there to protect students from getting hurt, but it’s a little different because people are scared and it’s not as fun when people are nervous and scared to be around that environment.”

Due to the positive results the security officer’s presence has made, Whataburger management also wants to keep the officer there for basketball season if possible.

“One altercation is one too many. We want to make sure that we feel safe, the customers feel safe, and that everyone gets their food and is happy,” Casillas said.

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Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

The Dispatch

News

2

Design students tackle a new project

Students get a chance to design a pediatric exam room for Baylor Scott & White clinics Cianna Chairez News Editor

Four years of experience put to use in a project that could change lives. Senior graphic design students have the opportunity to make an impact in the South Austin community. Their talent could impact children who attend the new Baylor Scott & White hospital clinic for years to come.

Graphic design teacher Judith Cooper was contacted this year by a representative from Baylor Scott & White with the opportunity to design the pediatric examination room for their new South Austin clinic.

“They’re new in the neighborhood and they reached out to Bowie because their office is new and asked if we had any students who would be interested in the project,” Cooper said.

Students that have been in graphic design all four years had creative freedom to design the way the room will be decorated. They drew ideas from their own experiences as a kid and as a designer to help them come up with ideas.

“We went for a vibrant color scheme and designed it around cute animals to make kids feel comfortable,” senior Jared Letourneau said. “I know kids are afraid of the dark, so we went for more bright styles.

After much deliberation and collaboration between the graphic design students,

DESIGNING FROM SCRATCH: Junior Felix Contreras works on a design for the Baylor Scott & White Pediatric Exam Room. Every student had to come up with original ideas to decorate the walls of the exam room. PHOTO

BY Mia Barbosa

a representative from Baylor Scott & White showed up to hear the ideas. It was the seniors’ job to pitch their ideas and ultimately sell their product.

“We gained experience in speech and the way you want to present yourself for a pitch, trying to get your ideas across,” senior Jarett Stinson said. “I thought the

best way to get someone interested in yours is to make them laugh or show comedy, so I tried to make myself as funny as possible to capture their attention.

Next thing you know, our project got picked.”

While in the end, the seniors landed the project, it wasn’t easy getting there.

Preparation and practice

Theatre Company tours to perform children shows Shelby Kelly Sports Editor

Fresh, round faces, with big eyes look upon the performers dressed in bright colors. The performers have traveled from afar to bring a whole new world to the growing minds that are watching them.

As cooler temperatures approach, it is time for the annual children show performances. The shows are directed by seniors who submit their show and get approved to travel around to different elementary or middle schools to perform a story that is around 10 20 min. There are 15 senior directors this year, which is a very high number compared to normal, who are working on producing their shows while the technical theatre two classes make their set.

“15 plays is a big challenge, but because of that, we were able to cast everyone who auditioned. I’m sure most of the technicians who interview will also get to help build and run a show too,” theatre teacher Betsy Cornwell said. “We also will be able to reach more students in AISD. As of today, there are 37 performances scheduled - that means we could be reaching 4000 students or more.”

Based all on their own original ideas, the teacher’s leave the shows all up to the senior directors and are there just for support.

“I’m here for any and all brainstorming. If student directors are stuck on a

The shows are about

10-20 minutes long

There is a total of 15 senior directors & a total of 15 different shows

15

Jack and The Bean Stock

senior directors shows

Director Rebekah Wood

There are a total of 37 performances which could reach a total audience of

4,000

students

ART BY Preston Rolls

problem and need advice I am always willing to sit with them or stay for a rehearsal and together we can come up with a solution,” theatre teacher Courtney Hall said.

As the company grows, the need for roles has grown too, therefore the increase to 15 shows this year might be necessary.

“I love going to the elementary schools and seeing the little kids react to live performances. So few kids get a chance to see live theatre, and I watch them more than the plays sometimes,” Cornwell said.

Step On a Crack is a play chosen by senior director Avery Helder that focuses on family values and that you can still have a family even if they are not biologically connected.

“One of the key factors that went into choosing my show is that it had a limited amount of characters and for children shows you really want to have the least amount to tour with you as possible,” Helder said. “I also I looked at some pre-

“ I love going to the elementary schools and seeing the little kids react to live performances. ” - Betsy Cornwell

Assistant Director Matthew Bosynak

vious shows that some seniors had directed and I researched and went pretty far back and I found Step On a Crack and I liked it.”

Excited to play a twist on a memorable novel, actor and senior Sarah Ann Ramsey, is new and is excited to be a part of tradition.

“The show is a new take on the book because the characters in the play are going to be playing multiple parts so my character Susan, is also playing the part of the witch,” Ramsey said. “So I’m going to be visibly changing characters in the show and going to be portraying two different parts while telling the story to the audience.”

With many more plays, 15 in total, each with their own interpreted ideas and styles, they are all excited to perform and entertain the youth, providing many with this rare opportunity of theatre with a message, that not may other high schools get to do.

“I’m most excited about seeing the actors change between the different characters and work together on stage to bring the show and the imagination elements to life,” senior Lauren Norris said. “I am also really excited about getting to tour the show to elementary schools because that’s always really fun.”

were required to pitch their idea.

“Preparing what I wanted to say was hard because we had to make a slide show to present to Baylor, Scott and White,” Stinson said.

“That was difficult because I had to figure out what I wanted to tell them, and it was difficult for me to get an actual set speech down. The

hard part wasn’t making the project. It was the new part of presenting your project to other people and trying to sell the product.”

It became apparent for students as they progressed into the project that this wasn’t like anything else they had ever done. This was something different entirely, according to Letourneau .

“It’s very different from school projects because you’re just trying to get an A on the project,” Letourneau said. “With this, you’re trying to sell the product, so you have to go that extra mile to make sure they’re interested.”

While the seniors were focused on making an impact of their own, little did they know the impact the project was having on them.

“It felt like our first internship,” Letourneau said. “Being seniors, it’s like taking our first steps to going to college and being on our own like an adult. It’s an early step for us to feel what it’s like to have a real job in the real world as a graphic designer. It helps us get experience. It helped us mature as people because it was a real life situation.”

For seniors, this project is one of the last that they will participate in while still in high school.

“Once you become a senior, you get a confidence boost,” Letourneau said.

“You come out of your shell and you want to do bigger things.”

Collaborating with Baylor Scott & White gives students real life experiences, according to Stinson.

“We’ve enjoyed collaborating with another group off campus,” Cooper said. “It’s also nice to have something that’s real. It allows students to give back to the community. There’s a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of giving back to the community.”

SAT TESTING TAKES PLACE

SAT Testing will take place in upstairs E Hall on Nov. 4 for all students who registered for the test SAT Testing will take place Saturday, Nov. 4 in upstairs E hall. The testing will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. This is the third SAT test for the 2017-2018 school year.

There are opportunities for students to get SAT preparation on campus through a program called More Than a Teacher.

More Than a Teacher focuses on the math and English portions on the SAT and provides helpful tips for students who plan on taking the test.

“I thought it was very effective because they taught us tricks and secrets to do our best,” junior Belle Benavente said.

The campus registrar, Genette Sagesar, is the one who regulates most of the SAT administration.

“A lot of colleges require it,” Sagesar said. “The the biggest reason is when

you start applying to colleges, they require for you to either take the SAT or the ACT.” Most students find SAT Preparation Classes to be very effective when taking the test. A perfect score is 1600 on the exam and there are key pieces of advice to remember while taking the test to get students closer to reaching that goal.

“Don’t second guess yourself and skip questions that you aren’t sure about,” Benavente said. “Just relax and don’t cram study.”

The SAT is administered seven times an entire year. Students get three hours and fifty minutes to complete the test.

The next SAT test dates are Dec. 2, March 10 and May 5. Registration for the March 10 test ends Feb. 9 and registration for the May 5 test ends April 6.

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The Dispatch Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

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News

Austin City Council votes to remove curfew Caitlin Worthington Staff Writer

For years teens have been forced to follow a set of strict rules regarding curfew, but these rules have been reevaluated due to a rising concern about how beneficial the law really is.

The “Juvenile Curfew Law” allowed the Austin Police Department and School District officers to ticket students who were out between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and at night between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

However, as of September 28, 2017 the Austin City Council voted to remove

both the day and night time curfew in place.

The curfew allowed officers to be able to give young adults a ticket classified as a Class C Misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500.

“Although a Class C misdemeanor can be expunged from your record it causes a major headache for both the person ticketed and anyone else involved,” Austin City Council member Ellen Toxclair said.

However this curfew proved to be difficult for some students to follow.

“Going straight from school to work definitely reduces the amount of free

time I have each day to hang out with friends or get errands done.” junior Han Vo said. “Before the curfew was removed, it was almost impossible to get home before eleven and get everything done.”

So far the curfew removal has proven to be very beneficial for students.

“Now that the curfew is removed I have a lot more wiggle room to do the things I need in a timely manner after an evening shift,” Vo said.

“I don’t have as much stress this year as I did last year surrounding time management and work.”

The curfew removal

wasn’t implemented just to benefit students, but also to help out officers.

“Public safety resources are really valuable and our police time is a really valuable commodity and I want [officers] spending their time addressing violent crime in Austin, not ticketing kids because they were walking on a street at a certain time,” Vo said.

Austin officers have yet to see a correlation between a jump in crime and the curfew removal, making them believe the change has been justified.

“The curfew removal has been great because now I

don’t have to fear getting in trouble if I had to leave campus because of an emergency or if I get home a little later because of work, most of my friends have felt the benefits of the removal as well,” Vo said.

Studies have shown that most crimes committed by minors don’t even happen during the curfew hours, and they never have.

“I don’t think it’s good public safety policy to preemptively criminalize children who had no intention of committing a crime,” Toxclair said.

The city doesn’t intend on changing the removal

e e tim r o C rs m . ts a class ficecrimes f o et studen k c ti s t to e rs iv en ed office al gon viol law allow ne v w fe o r u c 0 fi The old rem cus and a $50 few to fo emeanor r d is u m C

anytime soon, unless they have to.

“This is a permanent change. The council can bring it up again if it chooses, but their is no requirement to do so,” Council member Jason Stanford said.

So far the council has seen no change in crime rate among minors, but response time around the city for other crimes committed has improved.

“I’m really happy the council is accommodating to everyone’s needs and actually taking steps to improve the community,” Vo said.

Facts of FREEDOM ART BY Kiran Patel

Curfew la were co ws allowed fo ming fr r om a sc students to b hool fu e nction o out only if th e r paren t isssue y

PSAT benefits uncovered New teachers take over Katie Holme Staff Writer

All students must face testing and it is a major part of academic lives. Nationwide, sophomores and juniors took the PSAT on October 11, 2017 including students at Bowie.

“PSAT is a strong predictor of how students will perform on the SAT,” school improvement facilitator Ruth Widner said. “Students who

Predictor of SAT scores Scholarship opportunities Clarifies strengths and weaknesses prior to SAT

ART BY Madison Austin

take the exam will also start receiving information from universities, which makes it more likely that students will start to more carefully consider their options for the future.”

The PSAT is a timed test that simulates the SAT in preparation for the exam in the future. Although the test is does not affect students’ GPAs, it benefits students in other ways. “[The PSAT] helped [me on the SAT] because it gave

Reading- 47 questions in 60 minutes Writing- 44 questions in 35 minutes Math- 47 questions in 70 minutes (45 min. with calculator and 25 min. without

me a grasp of how to take a test with longer magnitude of time and questions,” senior Kandace Blackburn said.

The exam is also known as the National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test (NMSQT), which is a program that, if qualified for, can reap many benefits.

“For juniors the PSAT can be very important because scholarships are available to those who achieve high scores,” Widner said.

Sophomores at Bowie are required to take the PSAT as an introduction to the years of assessments ahead.

“I think the PSAT is pretty pointless for me personally but I can see how it may be beneficial to students who are clueless in these kind of assessments,” sophomore Mandy Pedneau said.

Preparation for major exams such as the SAT and the ACT are strongly encouraged and provided to all Austin ISD students.

“AISD pays for its sophomores and juniors to take the PSAT because it believes every child, regardless of their economic status, should have the opportunity to consider applying to college,” Widner said.

Ellie Coulston Staff Writer

Agriculture, also associated with FFA, is a course at Bowie that lets students interact with animals and learn more about helping and caring for them. They work on principles and small animal management.

This year new teachers were appointed to teach this course after Tiffany Black left to work for Hays High School. Shelby Fisher and Amber Dickinson are the new teachers and they are taking over the agriculture, or AG, course.

“I love teaching, I love my kids. I really like the culture [at Bowie High School] it’s really tight knit, especially in AG it’s a really tight nit group of people so I enjoy that,” AG teacher Shelby Fisher said.

Sophomores Jenni Cootes and Grace Benton have been in agriculture for two years now. They are also in FFA and both say they would like pursue veterinary studies “We are definitely more involved this year than we were last year which is really fun and exciting because there are a lot more oppor-

WAITING AT THE GATE: The agriculture teachers Shelby Fisher and Amber Dickinson check on farm animals.

They must check up on the animals and make sure students are caring for them. PHOTO BY Austyn Keelty

tunities,” Cootes said.

Numerous students have an suggestions on how to change up the class to improve their experience in the class.

“I would really like some more interactive activities.

There are so many things to learn and do in the class and I feel like there are some good opportunities to put more mobile activities,” Cootes said.

The new AG teachers are looking to bring about changes in their classes.

“I really wish we had

some greenhouse classes.,” Fisher said. “We have a greenhouse already but it’s not the best, so I would really like to fix that up and get that moving.”

Countless students who take agriculture feel very strongly and passionately about the class.

“AG has taught me so many things from responsibility to just knowing more things about animals,” Benton said. “It has also shown me what I want to do with my future which is to be a vet.”

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F

Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

The Dispatch

4

Feature

Hurricane Harvey drives student to move to Austin Janna Beardsley settles into the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ Natalie Aman Staff Writer

On August 25, Hurricane Harvey came barreling into Texas coast lines. 130 MPH winds caused billions of dollars in damage and many families’ homes were destroyed. Unaware of her future in Austin, senior Janna Beardsley was focused on her friends and family staying safe during the storm.

The day before the biggest surge of the hurricane hit, Beardsley evacuated to Austin, where it remained safer than her neighborhood in Aransas Pass.

“My dad and brother are the ones that moved all our stuff up here a couple of days after the hurricane,” Beardsley said.

She later found out that her home was beyond repair, and she would become a permanent resident in Austin.

“Half of the roof was caved in, and my dad didn’t want to spend the money to fix it, so we moved up here,” Beardsley said.

After living with a family friend Tree Glowka for a short time, Beardsley and her father moved in across the street from Glowka.

“We met them about five years ago,” Glowka said.

“And our families became friends right away.”

From the beginning, there were many unfamiliar changes that Beardsley had to adjust just to in her neighborhood alone.

“I used to live in the country, and now I’m in the suburbs, so that’s pretty cool,” Beardsley said. “And I like my neighborhood. There’s a bunch of old people everywhere and it’s so nice.”

Beardsley’s house was in much worse shape than the houses of her friends in Aransas Pass, so she was the only one to leave.

“Leaving my friends back in Aransas Pass, that was the worst part,” Beardsley said.

“They’re all staying, so it’s hard that none of them are moving.”

Beardsley’s closest friend, Vincent Jimenez, talks about the damage done to Aransas Pass High School, Beardsley’s former school.

“The damage was significant,” Jimenez said. “But not as bad as our middle school or the schools in Rockport.”

Once the school finally reopened, the students and faculty had to quickly adapt to the altered schooling conditions.

“It took our school six weeks to open,” Jimenez said. “And they are shortening our breaks and taking away days that we would normally have off. Our classes are strangely 30 seconds

How to ADULT Preparing for Emergencies

A

t one point or another in your adult life, you may find yourself in a state of emergency. It is best to be prepared before this occurs so you can focus on being safe rather than being worried.

1 2 3 STRUMMING THE STRINGS: Beardsley messes around on her ukulele. She has been playing the ukulele and guitar for approximately three years, and she also enjoys singing and songwriting. PHOTO BY Natalie Aman

or so longer.”

In addition to the new schedule, APHS has taken in middle school students.

“Eighth graders are attending the high school currently because the middle school hasn’t reopened,” Jimenez said.

The school has also found ways to aid students who lost their school belongings continue with their education.

ricane Harvey actually destroyed the coastal bend,” Jimenez said. “Just taking in the amount of catastrophe and loss that people have experienced is heartbreaking.”

As her friends in Aransas Pass readjust to life on the coast, Beardsley is focusing on adapting to life at Bowie High School.

“The education is more difficult,” Beardsley said.

“ The most difficult thing is grasping how much Hurricane Harvey actually destroyed the coastal bend. Just taking in the amount of catastrophe and loss that people have experienced is heartbreaking. ” - Vincent Jimenez “Our school gathered donations from around the country as a way to help students with school supplies,” Jimenez said. “They even bought some of the dual credit students their college books.”

The storm left lasting effects on the entire coastal community as well as the schools.

“The most difficult thing is grasping how much Hur-

SMILING AWAY: Beardsley laughs as she sits on a swing in Glowka’s backyard. Glowka’s and Beardsley’s family have been friends for a long time. PHOTO BY Natalie Aman

“At AP it was kind of a pushover school and everything was so easy. I still get good grades here, but I was number 11 out of 118, and that changed when I got here.”

The workload at Bowie also came as a slight surprise to Beardsley, who never had much homework at her former school. On top of school work, Janna also balances a good share of extra curriculars at Bowie, such as choir, theatre, and a psychology class.

“This school is so much harder,” Beardsley said. “But I do like it, it’s preparing me.”

It also didn’t take long for Beardsley to connect with her influential teachers here.

“Ms. Flick, she’s the best,” Beardsley said. “I hate math, but she’s the best teacher.”

Outside of school, Janna is soaking up the uniqueness of Austin and exploring the new opportunities that living here offers.

“Ever since I was younger I always wanted to live in a big city,” Beardsley said. “So it’s really cool to have everything so close.”

Beardsley is surrounded with new friends and neighbors as well as the tons of fun things to do in Austin.

“I don’t have to go far to go anywhere,” Beardsley said. “Back in Aransas Pass you had to go all the way to Corpus to get somewhere, which was like 45 minutes away.”

With music being one of her passions, Beardsley has had the chance to pursue her love of playing guitar and ukulele since she moved.

“My neighbor that we stayed with, she’s the best,” Beardsley said. “She has this other neighbor that is a music producer and she is helping me with a bunch of stuff, so hopefully I’ll be continuing with that.”

Glowka, the neighbor Beardsley stayed with for a short time, has been a large support system for Beardsley and helped her first get introduced to the music industry.

“My neighbor and friend Peggy Jones is in the music industry,” Glowka said. “I introduced Janna to her and had her sing for her.”

Jones and Glowka have since helped Beardsley pursue her singing and songwriting interests.

“It was helpful to learn where to continue with her music,” Glowka said. “And Peggy has her own company which gives us great contacts in the industry.”

With a strong support system made up of friends, teachers, and neighbors, Beardsley has been able to explore her artistic talent more since the move.

“What I think is very unique about Janna with her music is that she has a natural and raw talent that most don’t have,” Glowka said.

“She hears and feels music, and then is able reproduce with it without much effort because it is like second nature to her.”

Moving to the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ has been a silver lining throughout this time in Beardsley’s life.

“In Austin it’s especially cool, it’s a big music town,” Beardsley said. “So that’s one of the things I’m trying to focus on.”

4 5

Keeping your head in the game will improve your statistics of being safe in any natural disaster or other emergency, and all you need to do is follow these steps.

Column by Avery Shelton

HAVE A PLAN: Sit down with the people who live with or around you and discussing what to do in time of an emergency. Plan an escape route or designate the locations in your home where you will go for any scenario. For example, find the room you would stay safest in during a tornado.

PRACTICE: Practice the plan you came up with so that you are ready to go at any point in time. These should be discussed and practiced a couple of times per year. Remember to stick to the plan.

MAKE A KIT: Every home, workspace, and even car should be equipped with an emergency kit, containing supplies that can keep you safe for a number of days.

This should contain the following: water - enough for each person for three days, used for drinking and sanitation food - non-perishable, enough for three days battery operated flashlight battery operated radio extra batteries first-aid kit maps of local area LEARN FIRST AID: Being CPR certified can come in handy, you never know when you’ll need it. This skill can buy precious time for somebody who needs it and is affordable and available to those who wish to learn it. The American Red Cross periodically offers classes on this in the Austin area.

STAY UPDATED: The final step in being prepared for an emergency is being aware of your surroundings. The type of environment you are in can really affect how something might turn out. Stay updated and well informed on what might be heading your way or what type of situation you may find yourself in.

Librarian aims for welcoming space Abby Ong

Feature Editor In between shelving books and other tasks, the new librarian, Steffanie Persyn, helps students out with various homework needs.

Persyn wants the library to be a welcoming and useful space.

“The main goal for our library is that I want it to be a warm, welcoming space that is viewed as a communal space, that people come not just to get information or access to resources, but where people can come and have a sense of belonging,” Persyn said.

To accomplish this, Persyn has many ideas to implement.

“As a more strategic, specific goal, I want to update the library,” Persyn said. “I think it needs a little bit of TLC, tender love and care.

I want to update the collection, add more digital resources for students, and bring in some more technology tools. And just on a really basic level, we need some comfortable seating, really comfortable and informal seating areas, and some charging stations, maybe a coffee bar.”

Persyn has already done a lot to improve the library.

“I’ve completely updated the library website, which I think is much more user-friendly and accessible,” Persyn said. “I’ve also gotten rid of a lot of books that are irrelevant and full of harmful stereotypes or erroneous information. I’ve ordered books to update the collec-

SCANNING BOOKS: Persyn checks out a book.

She began working at the school this year. PHOTO BY Violet Glenewinkel

tion, specifically we’re adding to our manga or graphic novel section based on student input and requests.”

The new changes were noticed by students who use the library.

“They’ve definitely changed the layout,” junior Emily Breach said. “The new librarian is also more lenient about working in the library with friends and talking.”

Students appreciate Persyn’s friendly personality.

“I like the new librarian,” senior Hana Dole said.

“She’s really nice and interacts with students by asking for suggestions like the charging stations.”

Persyn wants students to make use of the library.

“I want students to know that everyone is welcome here, and that their opinions matter,” Persyn said. “I’d love to hear how to better serve them. I wanted to add: keep reading, keep questioning, and cite your sources.”

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The Dispatch Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

F

Feature

Students help to advise new principal Victoria Newell

Managing Editor

40 students: Athletes, band mates, artists, and AP students, all from different demographics and backgrounds, with one thing in common, Bowie High School, and their role in bettering it.

Every six weeks, 40 students will be going to a FIT session with principal Mark Robinson to discuss the problems and strengths of Bowie. Robinson hopes to gain a pulse of Bowie through this aspect of the student voice initiative, and provide a line of communication between students and administration.

“I think too often adults make decisions thinking that they know what’s good for kids, without really asking the kids, and so I just wanted to make sure that I had the opportunity to take the pulse,” Robinson said. “That informs me in my work, and I can also represent the students in my conversations with faculty and staff, with district representatives and parents.”

The first Principals Panel was held September 28.

“In our first Principals Panel meeting, we got to talk to our principal about what we like in Bowie and things we want to see changed,” junior Katelyn Dill said.

In the first meeting, stu-

SPEAKING WITH STUDENTS : Principal Mark Robinson address students in the principal panel as Ruth Ann Widner the School Improvement Facilitator, looks on. The principal panel is a collection of students of different grade levels assisting Robinson with problems and strengths around the school. PHOTO BY Austyn Keelty

dents were asked what they like about Bowie, and what they would like to see improve.

“I was really surprised by the answers I got because it was a pretty wide cross-section of things that people were interested in or felt like they needed to tell me,” Robinson said.

Students expressed concerns about things like the air conditioning, bettering band and athletics facilities, improving school lunches,

and much more.

“That’s really good feedback for me in being able to educate our community about the bond initiative, because several of those concerns that the students had will be directly impacted by the bond passing in November, and in fact without that, the district may have to get kind of creative about how we fix things,” Robinson said.

Many people are interested in this new program, and

the opportunities it has to offer.

“I think it’s kind of neat to have a direct channel between the student body and the principal,” school improvement facilitator, Ruth Ann Widner said. “I also think it just demonstrates to the student body that Mr. Robinson authentically cares about them.”

Many of the students in the panel saw the meeting as encouraging.

“I think what he wants to

do for the school is great, it’s gonna be great for the students, the new kids in a few years,” senior Christopher Beltran said.

Since the program is new, it’s going to take time for it to become ingrained in the school.

“I think that in the first year the objective for me is just that it becomes established as a healthy, functioning, organization,” Robinson said.

As time goes on, the ad-

ministration is hopeful that the principals panel will encourage students to be more vocal about problems they see around campus and give ideas of how those problems might be fixed.

“I would like for the students on the principals panel to become increasingly more comfortable with expressing what they think and problem solving,” Widner said. “I think that could really empower the students body.”

Twins, Triplets, Oh My...preparing to leave each other Madison Austin Features Editor

Going through school can be a hard but with a twin or even triplet by their side it can become easier.

For a group of seniors this is their life for the past twelve years, but things are going to be changing next year.

Spending every day with someone and then leaving them can be hard, but these seniors are pushing through.

“It’s kind of indescribable. We are all really close as a whole, but we have different relationships with each other. We are together so much that we talk almost everyday,” senior Hope Pattison said.

Leaving home for most can be an exciting time but when two people have grown up together alongside each other it can be even more difficult.

“Personally, I’m pretty hesitant to split up with my brother, because we have done virtually everything together since birth,” senior Natalie Haddad said.

College is a time to branch out, and try new things and it is no different for the Pattison’s triplets. “ I think it would be nice to go to the same college because it is such a big campus that we could be individuals or we could also meet up with each other,” senior Sydney Pattison said.

Taylor, Sydney and Hope have all applied to the same colleges, and hope to be able to attend the same school together.

“None of us have made a decision about college yet, and I’m interested to see how it all plays out,” Hope said.

Going to college means leaving parents and family behind, the Haddad’s parents have been

THROWING IT BACK: Together since birth Natalie and Julian Haddad prepare to go their separate ways in the coming year. Julian and Natalie recreate one of their favorite photos from when they were younger. PHOTO BY Top photo: courtesy of Haddad family. Bottom photo: Abby Ong

through sending kids off to school before but this year when the twins leave there will be no one at

home . “ Well I feel like my parents are pretty used to sending kids off to

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college because Julian and I have two older siblings who have gone to college,” Haddad said. “It’s a

little different with us though, because we’re their last kids in the house, so after us they’ll be alone.

I feel like that hasn’t quite registered with them yet, it surely hasn’t with me”.

Growing up with a twin allows for there to be a special bond that is built between the two.

“With twins there is an unwritten communication though. I would find that Natalie and Julian would just look at each other and know something I didn’t,” the twins mother Susan Haddad said.

Sibling relationships can be hard with just one, but when there are two or even three other people arguing for the same thing it can be just a little stressful.

“We all share clothes so there will be many arguments about who would take what items to college, it will be interesting to see what comes when we begin dividing things up between the three of us,” Taylor said.

With school and extracurriculars the Pattison sisters are finding it harder to spend time together but are finding ways to get that time together in.

“We are together so much that we talk almost everyday, but lately we’ve all been pretty busy with homework and extracurriculars that we don’t really have much time to like go out and do something,” Hope said.

Having a twin means always having someone to talk to and lean on.

“I learned that having a twin really gives you someone to talk to,” Julian Haddad said, “Whenever I’m going through something difficult I know I have someone I love deeply who is experiencing the same thing. I’m incredibly thankful that I have a twin.”

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Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

The Dispatch

Sports

6

One step at a time, one punch at a time

Junior Evan Janowitz has his sights set on taking the boxing world by storm Mia Barbosa

Managing Editor Growing up watching Sylvester Stallone playing the lead role of an underdog boxer in the Rocky movies, it is common for a young boy to admire the journey an athlete takes on their rise to the top.

For junior Evan Janowitz, this dream of becoming a boxer became a reality two years ago when he started to train for competitive boxing at the South Austin Gym. “The Rocky movies were part of it because I always watched them with my dad,” Janowitz said. “I also liked the movie Southpaw because in both of those movies I really admired the work ethic of the boxers.”

Janowitz first mentioned his interest in boxing to his mom when he was eight years old but it wasn’t until one day in a car ride the summer before Janowitz was in eighth grade that while he was talking his mother Sally Janowitz realized he should become a boxer.

“Whatever he was saying made me think, ‘This kid needs a one-on-one kind of sport that requires a lot of introspective thinking, self discipline, and a ton of focus; something he will respect,” Sally said.

It is well-known that the goal of a boxer during a match is to knock someone to the floor and stun them enough that they are down for ten consecutive seconds but Evan’s trainer, Conrad Sanchez, believes that the sport is about much more than just the physical.

“It’s very educational, it’s not just a physical thing it’s a mental thing,” Sanchez said. “You have to defeat a person physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Evan also realizes that there is more to the sport than just fighting when he is facing off with his opponents and that the boxing can be misunderstood.

“Boxing is always viewed as a really hostile sport, and it definitely is before a fight, but in training and once a fight is over everyone is

FIGHTING WITH FANGS: While in the middle of sparring practice with his coach, junior Evan Janowitz shows off his fang-painted mouth guard before throwing a punch. The sport requires many mental aspects that Janowitz wants to improve on such as being able to have a stronger central focus, PHOTO BY Austyn Keetly

While boxing is very mentally-based, the sport does have its physical components that can’t be dismissed and Evan’s girlfriend, sophomore Sophie Clain, understands this.

“I think that boxing as a sport is very physically straining and requires a lot of dedication,” Clain said.

“Evan has had many injuries, but he loves the sport and

PUNCHING WITH PRIDE: Janowitz and coach Conrad Sanchez block each other while in the middle of a sparring practice at the South Austin Gym. Sanchez has been coaching and mentoring Janowitz there for the past two years. PHOTO BY Austyn Keetly

actually super friendly because everyone is training for the same thing and there is mutual respect between all fighters,” Evan said.

While Evan’s mom is very proud of Evan for all of the time and dedication he puts into his training, she also finds that the respectfulness that her son has in the ring towards his opponents is another source of that pride.

“I felt incredibly proud at the end of all his matches when it’s over and he tells his opponent, ‘good job, thank you for the fight’ and shakes his opponent’s hand,” Sally said.

has a lot of passion for it.”

Evan’s injuries have not held him back from being able to pursue the sport further thus far, however, that is something that he is concerned about.

“I worry about getting hurt to the point where I’m unable to box again,” Evan said. “I often get split lips, bruises, my nose bleeds a bunch and I don’t know if I broke it but it’s slightly crooked, I’ve had internal bleeding once, and I have cuts on my knuckles from my wraps.”

Many athletes get minor injuries in training and com-

petitions but for Sally seeing her son in the middle of a fight was difficult to adjust to at first.

“It’s hard for a mother to watch her son get punched in the face and watch her son punch someone else in the face,” Sally said. “But after the first round I noticed it’s much more than punching people; there’s an actual art to it and a lot of skill.”

Since boxing is such a fast paced sport, one of the main skills that a boxer needs to excel at is having a strong central focus to be able to concentrate during the matches.

“I ignore everything around me and I don’t let my opponent set the timing,” Evan said. “I stick to what I’ve been training and the only thing that gets to me when fighting is my coach’s voice.”

Sanchez has been Evan’s main mentor for the past two years and they have helped each other to grow throughout that time.

“When I first saw him he was a walking stick, now he’s put a little meat on him and he’s better and his mind is a little more focused,” Sanchez said.

Along with Sanchez, Sally has also noticed changes in Evan and his personality since he became a boxer.

“His self-esteem and self confidence improved as well as his organizational skills,” Sally said. “I’ve noticed he’s a bit more calm and sure of who he is.”

While in the ring Evan may seem composed in character but right before a match he is surging through an electrified adrenaline rush.

“You have to get your

heartbeat tested right before your fight and mine is usually almost 100 bpm,” Evan said. “Everything feels

Sanchez, who has had to face the intense energy involved with boxing competitions many times in his

“You have to get your heartbeat tested right before your fight and mine is usually almost 100 bpm. Everything feels pretty numb but jittery at the same time; it’s always a mix of being excited and nervous. ” - Evan Janowitz pretty numb but jittery at the same time; it’s always a mix of being excited and nervous.”

career, believes that Evan has the potential to be as successful as he has been as a boxer.

“He is a very ring smart person for his age,” Sanchez said. “I have had over 300 amateur fights and I won the state of Texas three times, I won a couple of national titles; with Evan I think he can really grow into to that.”

Evan’s next match is December 9, and the Golden Gloves Tournament is in January. He has been going to the gym multiple times a week to train.

“I like the competitions because it really puts everything you’ve been training to the test,” Evan said. “There isn’t really much time to think about how I feel, the only thing I really think about is analyzing my opponent and planning on what to do next.”

WRAPPING IT UP: Sitting on the edge of the ring, Janowitz wraps his hands carefully in preparation for his training. Janowitz had to wrap his hands under his gloves in order to support his hands and reduce the risk of injury. PHOTO BY Austyn Keetly

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N o v. 2 1 V a r s i t y g i r l s b a s k e t b a l l v s . K i l l e e n @ B o w i e

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The Dispatch Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

AG members took the bait and got hooked on this club Shelby Kelly

Athletics Editor The sun comes up as crashing waves hit the boats, the day ready for a new adventure. The feeling of comradery surrounds the water as the team gets splashed and the new catch is reeled in, the scales of their new friend touches their hand and the team yells with a new victory in sight.

The Bowie fishing club was founded four years ago. The team, of about 10 people, meet in AG teacher’s, Shelby Fisher’s fit every Wednesday to prepare for their many tournaments they fish in. These competitors not only get together for the beautiful waters and early mornings, they also earn trophies and prizes.

“They fish in several different tournaments, Faith Angler Network being one of the main tournaments, however teams can fish in other tournaments as well,” Fisher said. “Last week one of our teams placed sixth out of 179 teams in the High School Bass Association Tournament.”

Co-president Kayden Drake and his teammates spend hours working on special fishing techniques to improve their changes of winning the tournaments.

“I would definitely recommend this club because you get to go out and wake up early and catch some big ol’ fish,” Drake said.

The group is open for any interested students, and advertises itself through the AG classes and through their members.

“I joined because I got here last year and I knew some seniors who had been doing it so that got me interested,” sophomore Tyler Deithloff said.

There are many tournaments a year, usually they are every other weekend of the month throughout the state.

“We compete at multiple tournaments a year,” Drake

WEIGHING IN THEIR BEST CATCH: Sophomores Brandon Sinclair and Hayden Smith comment as they weigh their 462 lb fish. The fishing club competes tournaments together in Texas and sometimes out of state. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith.

said. “We compete at most lakes around the central Texas area and some further south and some further north.”

The club’s main purpose is to allow students to come together and to do something they love competitively.

“The club was created because we need a name in order to fish a lot of these tournaments and there was a good amount of people in our school that was interested in fishing in tournaments,” Drake said.

Although, the group mainly gets together for

competitions, the team also practices or pre-fishes the lake together so that they can bond as a team.

“We fish in different tournaments and fish for fun together but my favorite part is the tournament style,” Deithloff said.

The only thing needed to

join the club is a passion for fishing and a boat.

“To join students can show up to meetings in my room, Ash Two,” Fisher said, “They just need access to a boat to participate in tournaments.”

Not all are familiar with this club but, in reality it is a more popularized sport for students around Texas.

“We compete with different schools in tournaments.

Most schools, including some in this district, have a fishing club but not every school has it,” Deithloff said.

The club usually competes together but sometimes they compete separately and go beyond the state lines.

“We compete all over the state of Texas and I went to Alabama last year so sometimes we compete out of state,” sophomore Hunter Amidon said.

With lots of hard work, dedication, and time, the members can win many different prizes in the tournaments.

“You can win a lot of fishing related activities and money,” Deithloff said.

Focusing on more than what’s just on the other end of the line, this organization was founded on the importance of coming together, in the end as a team to compete together.

“I would recommend this club because we have really comradery which makes it really fun,” co-president sophomore Tanner Patterson said.

The fishing club is an opportunity for students to gain knowledge about fishing and to provide them with opportunities to enjoy nature and have fun as a team on the water.

“Fishing is a skill that not only is relaxing and fun, but also practical as you can catch your dinner,” Fisher said, “The students who participate are willing to help new students out, and it’s just an overall great club to join if you like fishing.”

Claire Meyer makes her third dash to state Abby Ong

Feature Editor Feet hitting the ground and arms swinging at her side, she paces herself to steadily build speed as she runs.

Junior Claire Meyer began cross country her freshman year and soon became a great runner, making it to state for the 5K her freshman, sophomore, and junior year.

“She became one of our top runners right away as a freshman,” head coach Rita Gonzales said. “And she has now learned race pace and how important nutrition is- you know, what she eats and drinks. She’s more experienced, and I think the experience has helped her race better.”

Despite all the time Meyer dedicates to cross country, she doesn’t find it too difficult to balance with life and school.

“It’s not too hard,” Meyer said. “You gotta wake up early for practices in the morning, but I’m a morning person so it’s fine. I run as well after school so getting home late is sometimes a struggle, but it’s okay, it works out. We get a study hall period so it’s fine.”

In addition to the work Meyer puts in with her team after school, the practices

with the school team also take a lot of work.

“Depending on the day, sometimes we do intervals or sometimes it’ll be long run,” Meyer said. “On intervals’ day we’ll get to practice, you’ll do a mile warm up, then we do dynamic stretches. Then, you get to the workout and you just do whatever the workout may be.

Meyer works hard every time she goes running.

“It’s a good feeling because you’re working hard and pushing yourself,” Meyer said. “But it’s also difficult because it hurts, but it’s fun and I enjoy it.”

Meyer’s skill with running comes from both natural talent and hard work.

“She’s naturally gifted, but she doesn’t back down from a challenge,” junior Gage Haden said. “Being naturally gifted helps, but that’s not going to take you anywhere if you don’t put it to good use and she makes the best of it.”

For Meyer, the most important thing is enjoying herself while running.

“If you don’t enjoy running, if you dread it every time you go to practice, you’re not going to perform well and it’s just not going to be fun,” Meyer said. “So you have to actually want to do better and want to work

out.”

Since she began cross country, Meyer has grown both physically and mentally.

“Running definitely helps with your work ethic,” Meyer said. “It makes you realize you have to work for things and it’s not just going to happen, so my mindset has changed a little bit.”

Gonzales enjoys spending time coaching Meyer in cross country.

“She’s very coachable, very low-key, and always in a good mood and smiling,” Gonzales said.

Meyer’s friends also admire her, both for her work with cross country and because of her personality.

“She’s a hard worker and she does over the top in everything,” Haden said. “If it’s grade, if it’s cross country, it could be social, whatever it is, she goes 110% all the time and it’s impressive.”

Her friends also find that Meyer is a good person to be around.

“She’s extremely talented,” junior Kristen Ham said.

“She’s probably one of the sweetest people I know, and she’s just overall a really fun happy person.”

Haden’s favorite memory of Meyer shows how she’s good example for others to follow.

“We were running fresh-

STRETCHING FOR GOLD: Claire Meyer stretches as she gets ready to train and push herself to succeed.

This is the third year Meyers has made it to state and she plans on making it again. PHOTO BY Austyn Keetly

man year and we were in a big group, because cross country is a big team,” Haden said. “I tripped and fell

into a brick wall, and she stopped even though she needed to run and helped me to not be left behind.”

S

Sports

SUMIN’S STANCE Teams make poor decisions to fire managers quickly

Sumin Kim Columnist

There was a lot of soccer stuff going on the past few weeks. Iceland confirmed their spot in Russia 2018 as finishing first in Group I, the United States did not qualify, and there was a change in faith between Chile and Argentina.

Last issue, I talked about the problem with overpaying in transfer market, and for this issue I want to talk about a problem that connects to over-investing problems, which is how managers are getting thrown away too fast.

Since PL clubs are investing so much money, they often lose their patience with the managers.

On September 10, Crystal palace manager, Frank De Boer, was replaced due to a four-game losing streak and no scoring. De Boer was replaced in only 77 days, which is a record for the fastest replaced manager. On October 17, the sad ending of Leicester City’s fairy tale continued when manager Craig Shakespeare was sacked after a draw against Brighton in their home field.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman was dismissed due to his loss against Arsenal in PL 9R. I understand the PL club’s situation; they spent so much money, and yet they still didn’t get the results they wanted. The replacement of managers might improve the result, however this is just another experiment. In my opinion, PL clubs should give more trust to their managers.

Last year, Claudio Ranieri was sacked in the middle of the season due to little success, even though Ranieri won 15/16 PL for Leicester City, a title that Leicester City never imagined to achieve.

But the club sacked him just after nine months after winning the title. In my opinion, it’s disrespectful to drop a manager who achieved something the club could never even imagined acquiring.

Let’s get more general and talk about managers from “big 6” team. Sir Alex Ferguson was Manchester United’s manager from 1986 to 2013. In first few years under Ferguson, they finished in 11th, 2nd, 11th, 13th, and 6th place. After these defeats, however, he gave Manchester United the first league title they’ve come across in 26 years during the 92/93 season.

Since then, he has won 13 league titles, five FA cups and two Champion League titles. What if the Manchester United Board sacked Ferguson in the beginning, during the few years of failure he endured? Would Manchester United still have the same fame and reputation they have today?

This problem of sacking managers too fast can make the manager spot seem like a poisoned chalice. Continued experimentation with the manager position is detrimental to the health of clubs.

The board should at least give the managers a fair chance to show what they can do. sounds much better then sacking them.

ST E S RS

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Fri. Nov. 3, 2017 The Dispatch

In-Depth

s The Kid

Violet Glenewinkel

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Editor-in-Chief

ART BY Viole t Glenewinke

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Stress lingers among high school students like an old friend, growing with time under the nose of its prey. When students don’t know it’s become too much to handle, stress becomes a danger. As conditions worsen in teens, communities are under their own stress in figuring out how to prevent young adults from reaching extreme measures.

According to a study done by the American Psychological Association (APA), 49 percent of students in high school have reported feeling a “great deal of stress” on a daily basis.

“Sometimes people will avoid situations that cause them stress, which for students, can lead to poor attendance at school, falling behind in classes, and ultimately, even more stress,” head counselor Lisa Saunders said.

When it comes to stress, there is such a thing as a healthy amount.

“Life is full of stress,” Vida Clinic therapist Micaela Gonzalez said.

“There is such a thing as too much stress but there’s also a thing of just enough.”

According to Gonzalez, controlling stress and managing it in a healthy way is what prevents things from worsening.

“When it comes to the point where you can’t manage it, that’s when you should get help,” Gonzalez said.

The high-level stress epidemic among young adult students is the leading cause of the rise in anxiety and depression rates, due to the physiological change

Are

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Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

In-Depth

d olers, aroun o h c s h ig h s f 4,500 due to stres CNN poll o ” a g n to ti a g e in h c rd Acco erious ngaged in “s e e v a h % 5 7

55% of female students report ed to a poll done by sociologist Michael Kimmel that they place unnecessary amounts of stress to maintain society’s imp ossible “perfection” 0-800 students between 60 n, dia ar Gu e Th to ing Accord e to the mmit suicide annually du the age of 15 and 24 co ess induced mental health issues str According TIME, about 30% of teenage girls and 20% of boys, making it 6.3 million teens, who have had an anxiety disorder tes estimas clini’s a ic r Ame ager Health e in five teen l a t n e M stress be on there toepressed from cally d

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the body goes under.

“When you’re stressed, your body goes into a fight or flight response,” Gonzalez said. “Being at that level prevents you from thinking clearly and that just complicates things.”

Not being able to think clearly makes the individual more prone to anxiety and, especially, depression.

“Depression is one of the big ones because if you feel like you can’t handle stuff, it can affect your selfesteem,” Gonzalez said. “It feels like you aren’t performing at where you’re supposed to be.”

As this chain reaction of stress to anxiety and/or depression goes on without help, health conditions become at risk, too.

According to school nurse Jean Vo-Foradory, chronic anxiety can lead to sleeping disorders, immuno-suppression, stroke, or heart disease while chronic depression can cause substance abuse, suicidal thoughts or actions, or isolation in the long run.

Now more than ever anxiety and depression are prevalent in students, directly correlating with high-level stress environments, like high school.

“I see a lot of students who are really struggling to handle all of their extra curricular activities, responsibilities, and commitments,” Gonzalez said. “Kids who are really over achievers and they really want to give their all to everything in the end may wind up spreading themselves too thin.”

As an officer and senior director in theater, a class officer, president and head of the prom committee, involved with PALS, president of Spanish Honor Society, NHS, and all AP classes, senior Piper Kopser understands what it means to struggle with a stressful environment.

“It’s pretty tough to find free time to do my homework and when I come home from the day, exhausted, the last thing I want to do is whip out a multiple page calculus review,” Kopser said.

Taking a breath when things become too much is one of the main things Kopser does to get a clear view of the situation.

“I have definitely had severe stress and anxiety, and I just have to take a step back and get some perspective,” Kopser said. “I’m 17, in practically the prime of my youth, and I’m stressing over classes that may or may not even help me in the future.”

For junior Cade Blagdan, who is involved in theater, color guard, student council, PALS, and track, he takes a similar approach in dealing with stress.

“Some nights when I stay up too late and have loads of homework, I start to freak out and stress out too much,” Blagdan said. “To handle that, I make myself a cup of tea, or warm milk, power through my homework and I’m fine the next day.”

For freshmen, Blagdan believes the best thing to do is find friends who will support each other through stressful times.

“Find a group of friends that are always willing to help with homework, friends that you can help, too,” Blagdan said. “It makes it all easier to share a load of stress between many than by yourself.”

This aspect of students lives is a big focus of principal Mark Robinson and he is currently working with administrators and teachers on how to help strug-

The Dispatch

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Stress has become an EPIDEMIC among teenage students that is nowhere near from being solved. Thousands of teens are suffering through symptoms of anxiety and depression, leading to worse cases and little help. The question is why and what are we going to do about it?

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gling students.

“Introducing some social and emotional learning sessions into FIT is a step,” Robinson said. “I know in the past those have always been academic sessions but it doesn’t really help you deal with the stress aspect.”

For example, FIT sessions are now being offered for freshmen to attend where they can get help with how to deal with overwhelming stress.

“Freshmen are able to sign up for some mentoring sessions with the juniors and seniors, getting some help from people who have been there and done that,” Robinson said. “We’re going to be continuing doing that.”

On top of that, counselors are being encouraged to join FIT sessions about managing anxiety as well as other coping mechanisms.

“We’re talking to the counselors about being able to do some sessions on anxiety, stress management and maybe even yoga, getting teachers who do yoga to get them to do sessions with students so they are able to sign up for that during FIT,” Robinson said.

To prevent stress from escalating, Robinson is working with the NHS by getting students involved with tutoring sessions for ones struggling.

“The first focus is on FIT and getting more student voice in what we need in those sessions and finding out what they need,” Robinson said.

Being able to set a focus on freshmen now will help

1 2 3

OVERWORKED MIND

Clears mind, making it easy to focus and think

BODY EXHAUSTION

Muscle Relaxation Make Time for Rest Yoga & Meditation

Provides energy to complete tasks

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

Take a Step Back to Think Apply the 6-month rule: Will this matter then?

Keeps mind in check with reality and not stray to negativity

- Piper Kopser

rd s

e to ppen to the body du Knowing what can ha e flowTh g. fects from worsenin stress can prevent ef eling fe re es what to do if you’ chart below describ these side effects.

Deep Breathing Practice Mindfulness

“ I’m 17, in practically the prime of my youth, and I’m stressing over classes that may or may not even help me in the future. ” prevent future cases of extreme stress in the years to come.

“In general, we are trying to have conversations about a growth mindset in letting students know that it’s okay to work on something and get better with it,” Robinson said. “Just because it’s hard now doesn’t mean it will always be hard.”

However, not all help can come from academic situations.

“I think that the school can only do so much to help students with their stress by FIT, off periods, and tutoring,” Kopser said. “The rest of the help has to come from yourself for we are the only things causing ourselves to be stressed.”

According to Kopser, there is only one time students are able to be young adults in high school and being this stressed out during such a vital time is something that must be balanced and taken care of.

“We won’t ever be teenagers again, so I’d say to make sure that you enjoy it,” Kopser said. “Do your best and work your hardest, but don’t get yourself

YC

Stress by the SEXES Male Students

Female Students 45% 35%

25%

19%

Avoided or refused to deal with their stress

23% 14% Sought ways to distract from the stress

17%

22%

Sought out support or help

Actively tried to reduce their stress

65-100% 60% 55% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5%

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Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

The Dispatch

Reviews

10

The murder-mystery Blossoms again Jadon Alvarez

Entertainment Editor The dramatic woes of high school are a popular focus for many TV shows, but this can often fall into the same boring, overused tropes.

However in some cases, the show will have a particular problem that introduces uniqueness to the plot-line and makes the series stand out.

On Jan. 26 of this year, the CW released a TV show called “Riverdale” which is based off of the famous Archie Comics but with a dark twist.

The TV show centers on the main four characters of Archibald “Archie” Andrews (KJ Apa), Elizabeth “Betty” Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) along with other supporting characters.

The show is a murder-mystery along with some romance here and there, with the main question every character wants to answer, “Who killed Jason Blossom?”

Jason Blossom (Trevor Stine) is the son of the rich and famous Blossom family, known for their maple syrup within the town of Riverdale.

One day when Jason and his sister Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) go kayaking in the lake and later Jason is found dead. No one, not even his sister, knows what happened to him and

the four main characters spend the remainder of the show trying to solve the mystery.

Within the show, the viewer is introduced to each character’s back story and how it creates the person they became. There is a whole lot of drama based on the Jason-crisis and their own personal lives throughout the series.

Overall, I like the plot of the show because I love the different genres like mystery and romance included.

Because who doesn’t love a good ol’ romance story and a murder mystery?

Although, yes, most shows have a “whodunit” plot line with teenagers trying to solve the case, Riverdale has other plots along with the main plot that give this show a dramatic or comedic affect. The show also contains a lot of drama which I like, because the drama stems off of the Jason murder mystery and the characters’ personal struggles.

I also love the character’s personalities on the show.

One of my favorite characters is Cheryl Blossom, playing the titular mean girl on the show.

In general, I tend to love the mean girls on any TV show because I like how far they’ll go and how they always add a little something extra to the plot.

Cheryl wants to prove that Betty’s family, the Coopers, is somehow responsible for Jason’s death and

will do anything possible to make the Blossoms look as innocent as possible, even if that means she has take people down.

There’s also the Southside Serpents, Riverdale’s infamous gang known for crime. Jughead’s dad F.P. Jones (Skeet Ulrich) is the leader of the gang and Jughead’s relationship to the Serpents takes a toll on his friends.

Although the gang is infamous and known for being horrible people, I like the Southside Serpents because I think they play a huge part to Jughead’s character and they help the plot develop.

There is also singing included in the show, which I think is a little cheesy but I’m also not really a musical type of guy.

Most of the singing is done by “Josie and the Pussycats”, a band of girls who wear cat ears and want to make it to the big leagues.

The band consists of Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), Valerie “Val” Brown (Hayley Law), and Melody Valentine (Ashanti Bromfield).

I adore the girl’s self-created music like the songs “I Got You” and “All Through The Night.” But I’m not that big of a fan of the songs they sing that are widely known, such as “Milkshake”

by Kelis and “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer.

Another thing I like about the show is the diversity, which in my opinion is hard to come across nowadays in

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televisions and movies.

For example, in the original comics, “Josie and the Pussycats” are originally white like the other characters in the comic book, but in the TV show they are all black females, which I really appreciate. Another example of diversity in the show is the same-sex couple like Kevin (Casey Cott) and Southside Serpent Joaquin

(Rob Raco), and interracial couples like Archie and Veronica.

If I were to give this show a rating out of five stars, I would give this show 4.5 stars. The show has a lot of good things about it, yet there are some things that I would change.

I love the plot of the whole show and the character’s personalities. If I were to

change something though, I would want to leave out the singing.

The show is a great murder-mystery and I expect a lot more interesting storyline to take place within the show because as Jughead says, “Jason Blossom’s death would not be the first, nor would it be the last casualty that the town of Riverdale would suffer.”

Team 10 musical murder

Youtube group releases heavily disliked rap music video in attempt to promote channel Shelby Papst Review Editor

It’s everyday bro. Every single day. As in you can’t go even one day without someone mentioning this awful song.

For a group who apparently can’t even count to ten based on the number of members they have, the fact that the release of “It’s Everyday Bro” by Jake Paul ft. Team 10 is drowning in dislikes is as unsurprising as Paul getting kicked off of his former-Disney Channel show.

The song was released on May 30 and is still being talked about because of the drama surrounding Paul, the leader of Team 10, and everything about the atrocious video as a whole.

Right away you are introduced to the fact that Paul can’t rap and the whole video only has the purpose of flaunting the group’s money.

Expensive cars take up the background of the video while the members stand around flashing their merch.

It isn’t so much as bragging as it is cringey.

As far as the music in the video goes, a single repetitive beat is all it had through the entire three-minute rap.

The music in the back wasn’t that bad, but hearing the same beat over and over sounded dull after the first minute.

I don’t know if instruments could have improved the rap at all, but I would have liked to hear something else.

The only factor that made the song tolerable was how funny it was. While I would never find myself singing along, I could definitely find myself laughing at the video.

The choreography, if it

can be called that, is just the members jumping up and down and I couldn’t take even one of them seriously.

Team 10 has lots of members, not consistent nor are there ten, that take turns rapping verses of the song.

Each has their own style to add that is unique to the member.

They try and make the lyrics sound gangster, but in reality come off as funny, cringe-inducing, or end up as memes such as, “England is my city.”

Despite how terrible the song is, the video’s popularity is insane. Team 10 has a Youtube channel and most

Then, I listed to “It’s Everyday Bro” and I can say honestly I hated the song. Some people should not rap and this is a prime example.

I don’t know much about the members individually, but overall I think they should stick with being pretty and leave singing to people who actually know what they are doing.

I could go on about how they can’t dance, rap, sing, and ect. but I didn’t come here to bash them, I merely wanted to tell the truth. Both just happen to be the same thing.

I give the video as a whole an F at best. While it

ART BY Ashley Ramirez

of the members also have their own separate channels.

I don’t watch Youtubers a lot and especially not Team 10, but even I heard about the song when it first came out and continue to hear about it even months later.

There aren’t many times I could say I hated music.

was catchy, that’s all the rap had to offer. I would never listen to it on my own time and can hardly get through the first ten seconds let alone the whole thing.

The views on “It’s Everyday Bro” may be blowing up, but they only succeeded in blowing out were my eardrums.

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The Dispatch

Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

I

In-Depth

YEARS

a history of

Jocelyn Brooks In-Depth Editor

ATHLETICS The most memorable moments in Bowie’s athletic history

1988 PHOTO BY Gwen Currier

Bowie opens and has its first season

PHOTO COURTESY OF Lone Star 1991

1995

1996

Baseball player and alumni Stephen Randolph was drafted by the New York Yankees

PHOTO BY Amber Sturtz

Gymnasium colors changed from blue to red

PHOTO BY Adam Stockstill

1997 Volleyball uniforms switched from red “buns” to spandex shorts used today

PHOTO COURTESY OF Lone Star 1999

1999 Roller Hockey first introduced; practice held in local cul-de-sacs

ART BY Preston Rolls

2005

2007

Coach Celester Collier and the basketball team featured in The Quiet, shot at Bowie High School

PHOTO BY Lindsey Brown

Football player and alumni Michael Griffin drafted by the Tennessee Titans

PHOTO BY Ron Macklin

2007

2013

Wrestling first introduced under coaches Kevin Smith and Bob Deckard

Picture this: a crowd of screaming students, adorned in red and white, jet-black paint smeared across their bodies. The score is 20-20, and the fate of a victory for Bowie lies in the hands of the kicker, who winds up to kick a field goal. The mass of squirming students anxiously hangs in the balance, waiting, wondering, wishing as a rush of quiet sweeps over the stands.

In many ways, this image could just as well be illustrating a football game on a warm night in 1989 as it could be describing a typical Friday in 2017.

But, timeless as it seems, the football program and other athletic teams have seen much more change, accomplishment, and progress since the school opened in 1988.

“We have a lot more numbers as far as participation in the athletic department. I see progress as far as triumphs and victories,” world geography teacher and football coach Howard Thompson said. “I think Bowie athletics has made a name of itself of being very competitive, having good athletes, and good students.”

While the schools athletic teams, both boys and girls, thrive now, students from the school’s opening years faced adversity in overcoming the challenges associated with a new reputation. In the first four years of Bowie, football, baseball, and boys and girls basketball all suffered losing seasons.

“We struggled for a while. We had students or football players from three different schools that came over and we didn’t really have an identity, and after about three years we began to form an identity; we became more of a team,” Thompson said. “I think that first-through-third years we began to show some progress as far as being a competitive group, and then eventually we made the playoffs and won a big bi-district game so we were the underdogs by about three touchdowns and we came back to win that game and there was a great memory in seeing that there was kind of a spark that was going on.”

Numbers aren’t the only thing driving the athletic programs, though.

These victories were spurred by hard work and determination from students over the years.

“It takes a lot of energy and a lot of effort to get things turned around and those kids had a lot of pride to turn this program around, and it sets a good example for the kids today,” boys’ basketball coach Celester Collier said. “In the basketball dressing room it says, ‘Pride in performance: Tradition carries on,’ and has all the gold basketballs we have won over the years. We don’t put that in the trophy case because it’s for our new freshmen coming in to see this is the tradition we set here at Bowie and this is what your goals are supposed to be.”

The standard for success has been

PHOTO BY Jake Brien

New bleachers purchased by the district due to broken jacks on the previous ones

2016 PHOTO BY Preston Rolls

of SPORTS

Football Coach Jeff Ables celebrated his 100th win PHOTO BY Preston Rolls

PHOTOS BY Kyle Roehrig, Jon Walker, Suzie Doerr, and Terry Hines, COURTESY OF Lone Star 1989 yearbook

set high since that first season. Notable alumni Michael Griffin, class of 2003, went on to play football for the University of Texas at Austin, where he was drafted as the 19th pick for the Tennessee Titans (2007-2015) and, later, the Carolina Panthers (2016).

“I would say that there comes a point in your life that you have to be your own person, you have to be your own leader,” Griffin said. “You gotta answer to yourself because the journey that you take, you know, you have no one to point the finger at but yourself if things go right, if things go bad. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Did you make all the right decisions?’ Sometimes the decisions to made are not the best, are not fun, are not easy; it’s a hard journey to travel in order to get to where I’ve been.”

Even with his triumph in the NFL, Griffin’s roots remain at Bowie. He still remains in contact with many of his former football coaches today.

“With Coach Ables and Coach Miller at Bowie High School, they always checked on me,” Griffin said. “They were the type of coaches that followed me throughout my career. Coach Miller even came and attended one of my games when I was with Tennessee, him and his family. Coach Ables always checked in with me to make sure me and my family were okay—with my brother, my mom, my dad—always told me that I’m always welcome to come

by Bowie whenever, even now. You know, when I come to the games, I’m able to stand on the sidelines and have no problems or anything at all. They’ve been very supportive throughout my career.”

Today, many of the original faculty remain in the program. In addition, new coaches join the ranks of those who helped establish Bowie’s athletic foundation.

“Having people who’ve been here a while is good for maintaining tradition and understanding the background and history of the school, but I also think that new employees, not necessarily that old employees are bad or good, but it’s just different and brings a new perspective,” volleyball and girls’ basketball coach Michael Saenz

Q: How has coaching influenced your own identity?

A: I always wanted to be a coach.

Growing up, my uncle was a coach, and so we would go hang out with him and run around the gym and play football and basketball and everything, so I knew what that lifestyle was like and I knew that, from an early age, that’s what I wanted to do and work with kids. It’s been my life; it’s been my family’s life.

Q: What does the Bowie sports department signify to you?

A: For 30 years, besides my family, it’s been the most important thing in my life and making sure that we hired good people, good coaches to work with the kids, which we’ve done. We have great coaches here that do a great job, that not only do a great job coaching but, most importantly, they care about

said. “Sometimes that change could be good, and sometimes new people will make a change without regard of tradition and that could be bad. So I think it’s healthy to have a mix of people who’ve been here a long time and a new mindset, a new perspective, a new way of doing things.”

Some of these coaches include Bowie alumni returning to coach their sport after college. “[It’s] always good to hire your own and get them back at Bowie, so that’s what I think makes Bowie a special place. Former students come back to teach these kids at a school they love, which is really nice,” Collier said.

Many of these alumni were able to make changes to the program in areas that needed improvement since when they were students at the school.

“Back then, for practice we used to have to change in the bathrooms before going to practice and hardly anyone came to the games,” world history teacher, soccer coach, and alumni Carrie Hoffman-Howell said. “When I came back as a coach, I made sure that the girls had a locker room, kind of cleaned up the personality of it, and made the girls better role models, and since then they’ve been better respected and more people do come to the games.”

In addition to traditional sports, Silver Stars and Bowie Cheer have risen to competitive standards of performance since the school’s opening.

“Something that has changed is more girls are able to do more difficult dance moves. We used to do a lot of military [style], where it was more about the precision and being really sharp, and now they’re moving more into contemporary routines or pom,” math teacher and former Silver Star Erika Pesek said. “I kind of feel like a lot of the students now have a lot more on their plates, and I feel as if, especially with AP courses, I feel like there’s more pressure for them.”

Bowie athletics continue to grow and develop even today. With better uniforms, a sizable collection of awards, and plans for new facilities underway, the program remains true to its motto, “Pride in performance: Tradition carries on.”

Q&A with

ABLES the kids.

Q: What’s the best memory you’ve had over the years?

A: The best memories really are the kids that you coach and you develop relationships with. There’s games obviously I remember that were really good games for us, but I think the biggest thing is you remember the kids that come back and visit you or the kids that text you and call you and say, “Hey coach, I’m an attorney now,” or, “I’m a pilot now,” or those guys that keep up with you and come back and tell you, “Hey, this sport helped me become the person I am today.”

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Fri. Nov. 3, 2017 The Dispatch

Entertainment

12

JBHSOPE to face upcoming challenges Jadon Alvarez

Entertainment Editor The crowd in the stands cheer as the James Bowie High School Outdoor Performing Ensemble performs their one-of-a-kind halftime show for viewers to enjoy.

JBHSOPE have an upcoming competition called the Bands of America, San Antonio Regional and although they’re used to competing with some of the top bands in Texas, a top-ranked band from Avon, Indiana adds a little more spice to the event.

The theme of this year’s show was inspired by a painting of Magritte called “The Son of Man” and the directors depict part of the paintings into the marching show’s “dream” sequence.

“We’re taking you through a girl’s dream after she falls asleep,” director Jennifer Hanford said.

“She wakes up in her dream and then some of these characters come through in her dream and they take her through this journey and a lot of happiness occurs in the dream and then it gets to the darker side where it gets a little scarier. She eventually wakes right back up and it’s essentially just a dream sequence.”

According to Horn Rank, Avon is one of the top-15 bands in the REACHING INTO THE NIGHT: As the dream comes to an end in the performance the color guard nation. They are a prestigious reaching their arms out. JBHSOPE has won a Sudler Shield, which recognizes the marching band’s marching band from Indiana and excellence in performing. PHOTO BY Abby Ong sophomore drum major Adam Dinkins believes they want to come to Texas for the competition. last year in Indianapolis, during because Texan marching bands Texas bands, and Texas has some “I feel like they want to try and Bands of America (BOA) Grand are higher ranked, adding more of the best bands in the nation.”

There is also more pressure for compete with Texas bands be- Nationals,” section leader junior pressure.

“This competition is a super re- the drum majors and section leadcause Texas has the best marching Ali Rodriguez said. “We went through prelims and semi-finals, gional so it is a much bigger com- ers trying to make sure everything bands,” Dinkins said.

This also isn’t the ensemble’s but did not move on to finals. Car- petition than the others we have is organized and everyone is precompeted in this year,” Rodriguez pared to put in their part for the first time competing with this mel won the competition.”

This competition is also one of said. “It’s known for being very show. marching band.

“There is always pressure when “We competed against them their bigger competitions, mostly competitive because it has mostly

you are in a leadership position because people look up to you all the time and you can’t be phased by anything around you,” Dinkins said.

There are also common challenges JBHSOPE faces when they perform the show itself also.

“Props have been very hard to deal with this year because we have added many new types of props and they can be very difficult to assemble, dismantle, and to carry onto the field,” Rodriguez said.

The band members however have learned how to adjust themselves in a way to overcome these challenges to put their best show forward.

“We have had to learn how to efficiently move them from the semi-truck to the field which has been hard because of how heavy they are,” Rodriguez said.

Although Avon might be one of the band’s biggest competitors and the upcoming BOA Super Regional is more competitive, the JBHSOPE is ready for the challenge.

“I like competition and I’ve been around Avon for many years,” Hanford said. “I’m used to seeing them because I’ve previously competed with them when I was in high school marching band and it’s just another good band that we get to compete against.”

No matter the result, the band gains an experience that will last with them forever, after high school and beyond.

“In all my three years in this program, I have been all over the experiences spectrum,” Dinkins said.

“I love every competition no matter the result. I take that experience and use it to my advantage each time.”

Lawson uses social media New comics for a laugh to create a profit on her art Peter Dang Staff Writer

Preston Rolls Staff Writer

Some students doodle or scribble in the margins of their APUSH notes, but not everyone creates professional art for a profit. Senior Emily Lawson created her own website, sells her art, and was even featured by the University of Texas for her talent.

Ever since Lawson was little, art has been major a part of her life. Now this year, recognizing her passion for art, Lawson has made the decision to create her own business, by first building her own website.

“I’ve sold my art since freshman year, but I decided as a senior that I needed to start paving the road I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life—at least for now—which is why I made the website,” Lawson said.

I wanted to sell art that expresses things I’ve felt heavily because it feels personal

and I want people to see my art and maybe relate to.”

Along with the pre-made art available on her website, customers have the option to request custom art made

by Lawson.

“The website was really professional and super easy to follow; I requested a custom pet portrait of my cat off of Emily’s website,” senior Emma Roach said. “I paid for the art through the website and it was really easy, and she just gave it to me in class.”

Like many other artists, Emily’s artistic style comes from inspiration, such as personal experiences and looking at other artists and their works.

“I get my inspiration from almost everything in life I guess. I take photos of things I enjoy, I document my friends and strangers and their habits, I work from experiences I’ve had, and I have a lot of creative people in my life that I like to pull in-

MASTERPIECE MAKING: Senior Emily Lawson works on a portrait. Through social media, she has been able to create a business for her art. PHOTO BY Preston Rolls

spiration from,” Lawson said.

“Some of my favorite artists are Keith Haring, Gustav Klimt and Frida Kahlo; I feel like you can’t really dismiss those artists and everyone knows they’re incredible.”

Not only does Lawson sell her art, but as National Art Honor Society President, she also works on community service projects with other students.

“NAHS is a student-run club in which students do community service projects to promote art in the school and the Austin community,” art teacher Laura Hartford said. “It’s a student-run- club so Emily being the president, , is the one that has to sign off on everyone’s community service hours and she has more responsibility in getting community service projects started. She pretty much just takes more of a leadership role in the club while I just sponsor it.”

On October 20, Lawson was invited to showcase her art at UT and also receive feedback from some of the professors there.

“I got an email from the UT art director inviting me to showcase my art and I got to meet a few professors as well, and they gave me feedback on some of my pieces,” Lawson said. “I met this really cool lady from New York and we went over my techniques, the variety and the mediums, and my style as a whole. It was really nice. I got good feedback on my work and I was able to hear opinions about my art from other artists which was very influential and helpful in finding my own style.”

Comic strips originated in newspapers in the 19th century, they told stories of humor and adventure.

Today in the age of mass media consumption, comic strips have made their way to the Internet. Scrolling through the explore tab on Instagram and Twitter, some students have come across an account called @ DependableComic.

Sophomore Abbas Akhtar started his account @DependableComic when he got a digital drawing tablet. Comics have been a lifelong love of his. With a main character that resembles himself, some of Akhtar’s comics share his personal experiences. The account is full of relatable comic strips filled with color and humor that are posted every Sunday..

“When I finish sketching and doing the line work,” Akhtar said. “I do the fun part, I color in objects and shade in the shadows.”

A drawing tablet lets Akhtar efficiently draw his comics because of adaptability of his tablet and pen that allow him to draw the way he desires. The layer tool is Akhtar’s favorite because he can draw objects on top of each other.

“My favorite part is watching my work come together,” Akhtar said. “I get a lot of satisfaction when I finish a comic and that makes me want to do another one.”

Akhtar read a lot of Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes when he was younger. In elementary and middle school, he drew one and two panel comics. Through

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HUMOR IN PROGRESS: Sophomore Abbas Akhtar creates his next comic with a drawing tablet. Most of his comics incorporate relatable humor. PHOTO BY Peter Dang

classes like Graphic Design, Akhtar learned storyboarding and has developed a strategy for more complex comics that require more skill and planning.

“Abbas’s style is easy to read and comprehend,” Akhtar’s friend sophomore Duncan Chandler said.

“It is relatable, funny and unique.”

A source of inspiration for Akhtar is the people that read his comics and enjoy it. Akhtar’s biggest fans include his supportive brother and mom along with his friends Bowie and on-line who give him suggestions and feedback on how to improve his work.

“I like using Instagram and Twitter to do share my work,” Akhtar said “it’s fun to live-stream working on Twitch, my fans get to see me working in real time.”

Social media accounts @ DependableComic on Instagram and Twitter allow Akhtar to share and promote his comics. Akhtar

was surprised when he first found out how many people see his work on the Internet.

He posts every Sunday because newspapers publish the most comics on Sundays.

“Abbas is extremely dedicated to his artwork,” graphic design teacher Gina Cottone said. “He has a lot of talent compared to other students.”

Akhtar’s style has developed since he started drawing comics. At the beginning his comics looked bubbly and curved, but with time his style is becoming more refined with natural edges and more realistic subjects.

Drawing comics was once something Akhtar did in his free time, but now he puts time a side to draw everyday to hone his craft and connect with his audience.

“I am most proud of my comics that are personal and have a funny story,” Akhtar said. “My favorite is My Betta Fish Story.”

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The Dispatch Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

E

Entertainment

Silver Stars fund raise for Hawaii trip Dance team takes all the steps necessary to raise funds for competition trips Gigi Francis Staff Writer

The waves crashing on the shore, the breeze running through the trees and sipping out of coconuts on the hot sand, these are all things the Silver Stars are waiting to enjoy in the upcoming year.

Our dance team is planning on taking a trip to Hawaii in March to go dance and compete. In order to make this happen, the Silver Stars must raise enough money to be able to afford this major trip. The team has been doing all different kinds of fundraising this school year in an effort to make enough money to participate in the competition this spring.

“We are planning on having a bake sale and a yard

captain senior Morgan Andrews said.

The girls have gone on many different trips in the past years for their dance competitions.

“We go on a team trip every other year, so my sophomore year we went to Chicago,” Andrews said.

They’re not only going to dance, but they are also going to spend lots of time together and have a ton of fun on the island.

“We are planning to go to a dance competition in Hawaii as well as going to a luau, snorkeling and [taking] an island tour,” Werchan said.

The team has practices and activities that they do all year long in order to keep them occupied in the fall and spring seasons.

“They only do three [competitions] per year and

“ Our parents help us a bunch [to] sell everything, our parents are our biggest supporters. ” - Morgan Andrews [sale]. We also are selling mums and poinsettias after school by the kennel,” junior Katherine Werchan said.

The Silver Stars still have competitions leading up to their trip to Hawaii. The girls on planning to compete in various different styles of dance tournaments in Hawaii, as well as other places in Austin.

“We will have two competitions in February before we go to Hawaii in March. There are still team competitions where we compete multiple styles of dances,” Silver Star

the last one is in Hawaii this coming year,” parent Alice Werchan said. “It’s nice they are compacted in a short couple of weeks. The days are long and the dancers work really hard during the months leading up to it. I think [that] three is a reasonable number of competitions, considering they have other activities the rest of the year. [For example], football is August-November, spring show is MarchApril, with [a] competition season in between.”

Parents of the Stars are

CURIOUS CUSTOMERS: Many students swing by the Stars’ mum stand. They checked out the creative styles and donated cash to the team. PHOTO BY Gigi Francis

PROMOTING WITH PRIDE: Junior Catarina Chavanne persuades her fellow students to purchase some handcrafted mums. The team is now one step closer to reaching their cash goal of $2,400 for their competition. PHOTO BY Gigi Francis

satisfied with their daughters having three competitions.

“I don’t think that I would want more [competitions] and doing [less] wouldn’t be enough for all the work they do. I know that some of those same dances are used in the Spring Show, but they wok so hard on them, you want them to be seen.” Alice said.

The girls are all looking forward to taking an exotic trip to somewhere new.

“I’m so excited for Hawaii because the girls have wanted to go to Hawaii for so long,” Andrews said.

Hawaii wasn’t the only option the Silver Stars had for this trip, it had been changed a bit before the final decision.

“We knew early on that they would be taking a trip in March 2018 because they take a trip every other year,” Alice said. “We heard in June that they would be going to Seattle, but then it got changed in either late August or early September.”

Even though the parents wanted the Silver Stars to go to Hawaii, the girls agreed that they would prefer to go somewhere a little more exotic.

“We got a new director

and I guess they decided to go some place warmer and more tropical. There was a vote by parents and Stars and Hawaii won,”Alice said.

Parents of the girls dance team have been taking time out of their schedules to volunteer to help fund raise and organize their upcoming fundraising events.

“We are helping promote the sale of Poinsettias, Tamales, Snap Crowd Funding

and I can’t remember what else. [We] send emails to friends and family, social media advertising, co-workers, just [to get] the word out. It’s not much different than a regular year, but just more of it,” Alice said.

The whole team is planning on going, including some of the Silver Stars’ parents as well as the two dance directors, Leanne Bilnoski and Emily Davis.

“It is still a ways off, but I know when it gets closer to the trip I will be excited, I’m actually going as a chaperon. I have not been [to Hawaii] in 15 years or so and it is very beautiful, so it will be fun to be there with the [Silver Stars]. It will be a lifelong memory since they are all going together, it’s not your normal field trip,” Alice said.

THE SILVER STARS’ SUPPORTERS: Many of the dance teams’ parents help the girls collect the cash. They kept track of the money that was put toward their spring competition vacation. PHOTO BY Gigi Francis

BE A PART OF SOMETHING GREAT $11.00 all positions knmanagement.com/careers

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Great job.

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The Dispatch

Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

Commentary

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Gun control laws overdue for change On October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. With 59 deaths and nearly 500 injuries, this was the largest mass shooting in American history. It is hard to sit by and say all of this constant violence is out of our control and there is nothing we, as a country, can do about it. It is time for America to change gun control laws or these extremely fatal events will continue to occur.

The root of the problem is our ability to even agree that this is a problem. When the President of the United States cannot even acknowledge that there is an extreme gun violence issue, change needs to happen very soon.

Like Donald Trump, many politicians react with “thoughts and prayers” and argued ‘it’s not time to discuss changing gun control laws as it is disrespectful to not mourn for the victims longer’.

When this awful type of event occurs so often, we need to change something within our society and stop coming up with excuses.

The first step to solving this national issue is agreeing there is a gun problem. Unfortunately, this proves to be difficult.

A large majority of Americans believe guns are needed to protect themselves, while others believe this is the root of the problem.

ART BY Ian Miller

EDITORIAL

It makes sense as to why families would feel safer with a gun, but how do we prevent tragedies from occurring when guns are allowed in so many public places?

Many states, including Texas, across the country have taken a different approach to solving gun violence and have allowed guns in more public places like college campuses, schools, and churches.

These decisions were put in place to increase safety but because

guns are now being legally accepted into the public, that could potentially make it easier for people with bad intentions to commit a mass shooting.

Yes, it’s true that determined killers could find a way to acquire illegal weapons but this does not mean U.S. Congress should not even attempt to improve the issue. We have examples of places where they were able to change this problem. After a mass shoot-

ing in 1996, Australia bought back almost 600,000 guns from their citizens, and there have been no mass shootings since. The Australian government made a decision that private ownership of guns should be limited. The Australian Outback can be compared to the Wild West of America past from a historical perspective. But the Australians are a sophisticated enough culture to get beyond the need for so many guns in private

homes.

One step we could take toward improving this issue is requiring gun safety classes. These could be mandatory for all gun owners every few years to inform them on safety and how to react in different situations.

In addition, some potential gun owners may suffer from mental health issues and our country does not do an adequate job helping those with mental health issues. If we help address these problems, it could reduce the number of mass shootings.

America’s government needs to agree on sensible gun laws like stricter background checks and pass an assault weapon ban. It is understood that some guns are used solely for hunting or are kept in homes as self defense which provides security for some families. However, there is absolutely no reason why citizens should have military-type or assault weapons. The fact that many red states still allow it with easy background checks is frightening.

As a country, it’s impossible to expect change when there’s so much that has not been agreed upon. In order to reduce these mass shootings, we need to make changes to our gun control laws and start acting instead of “praying and sending thoughts”.

The world had turned its back on North Korea in order to make sure the Cold War never got hot. Now, the world is starting to notice the tiny peninsula; and it Jake Brien doesn’t like what Commentary Editor it sees.

North Korea: Its territory is small, its motives are mysterious, and its leader continues to threaten the entire world. It may seem a wonder as to how something so small could possibly stand up to the whole world, but then again, such is the power of a nuclear arsenal. The United States, and moreover the world, must stand firm in its diplomacy first and foremost with its capability to wage war second in order to avoid the deaths of millions of innocents from a war with North Korea.

After all, if the United States and the European Union (EU) were able to unite and take a firm stance to prevent a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, why then, is it so hard for our President to handle the lives of Americans with greater regard for diplomacy?

The HWASONG-14 is North Korea’s newest Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), a nuclear missile capable of striking the U.S.’s territories in the Pacific Ocean, and Alaska.

While it’s not yet capable of striking the East Coast (home to the U.S.’s Washington D.C. mind you), North Korea will stop at nothing to reach this goal. It’s not a question of if North Korea will decide to reign nuclear armageddon upon the States, it’s a question of when.

President Trump’s efforts to quell North Korea with threats of “fire, fury, and frankly power” have only made things worse. Re-

cently, North Korea refused any diplomacy with the United States until it finishes its development of their ICBM. With a nuclear arsenal capable of striking the East Coast, North Korea will have evened the odds against the U.S. - it’s a clear message: If you fire at us, we will fire back.

President Trump has made it blatantly clear to avoid the failed attempts of previous U.S. presidents at making peace with North Korea. And while I do applaud him for trying something outside of shaking hands with a tyrant *coff, coff, Vladimir Putin*, I think Trump is misguided. He’s giving North Korea the fuel they need to pour over their brainwashed populace to hate the U.S. even more.

The entire existence of North Korea rests on its nuclear arsenal, and Trump is giving them all the more reason to continue hating the U.S. if I were a brainwashed North Korean citizen, having grown up under a regime which tells me that the outside world is trying to destroy me and my home, I would feel pretty safe knowing that my government has a means of retaliation.

Perhaps when describing North Korea’s “hate” towards the States, this is an understatement. The people of North Korea would, frankly, love to see nothing more than a massive crater where the U.S. exists.

But North Korea wasn’t always this way.

This is because North Korea’s previous leader, Kim-Jong-Il, instituted a policy of national brainwashing, wherein the government would promote propaganda designed to have the impoverished people of North Korea to center their sicknesses and low socioeconomic status on the United States instead of the very government which oppressed them.

While the Soviet Union had ordered the policy of “de-stalinization” for the nation to destroy any and all representations of the dictator Joseph Stalin, the North Koreans

EDITORIAL POLICY • The 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.

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

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ART BY Ian Miller

The world needs to be more careful with North Korea

have had no such policy. The Kim regime is still going strong, and with their propaganda having the people of North Korea both love the regime and hate the U.S., this has no sign of stopping the Kim’s from loosening control over North Korea.

If the United States were to go to war with North Korea, it would mean a total destruction of North Korean culture, leaving a power gap for some other fascist regime to take hold of a nation ravaged by either nuclear fire, or a devastating land war. We’ve seen it in the Middle East with Radical Islamic groups dominating the region after the blundering U.S.’s disregard for the people of the lands with which we eliminate the authoritarian leadership - leaving an even more dangerous threat to emerge.

We’ve seen it in France after the end of the French monarchy, with Napoleon Bonaparte assuming the role of dictator, plunging Europe into chaos with the Napoleonic Wars. We’ve seen it in Germany after the fall of the German economy after World War I had crippled the nation, and because the world was unable or unwilling to do anything to help, Adolf Hitler fueled the German people’s hate by directing it outwards against the world.. We will see it again in North Korea should the world continue to disregard this fundamental concept within human history.

North Korea is a ticking time bomb that needs to be dealt with via diplomacy first and military action second.

THE DISPATCH STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Violet Glenewinkel

MANAGING EDITORS Mia Barbosa Victoria Newell NEWS EDITORS Cianna Chairez Kiran Patel FEATURE EDITORS Madison Austin Abby Ong SPORTS EDITOR Shelby Kelly

COMMENTARY EDITORS Jake Brien Avy Friedman Ian Miller REVIEW EDITOR Shelby Papst IN-DEPTH EDITOR Jocelyn Brooks PHOTO EDITOR Austyn Keelty

ARTS/GRAPHICS EDITOR Callie Richards

ONLINE TEAM Mo Orr (Lead) Ella Wright (SM Lead) Ellie Coulston Justine Lockhart Marisa Salazar Natalia Torres Kaitlyn Zellner STAFF WRITERS Natalie Aman Gracie Angeli Sam Blas Liam Connally Peter Dang Gigi Francis Katie Holm Madisen Johnson Sumin Kim Sam McPherson Maddy Rice Preston Rolls Morgan Sanders Caitlin Worthington

COPY EDITOR ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Kathleen Nguyen Jadon Alvarez Mikayla Zellner VIDEO TEAM Dalton Spruce (Lead) PHOTO ESSAY EDITORS Douglas Smith Cara Andres Michael Sugrue Ashley Ramirez Robbie Warhola ADVISER Michael Reeves

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The Dispatch

Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

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Commentary

CHAT with NAT

used on social media get accepted into our day-to-day speech and eventually lose their original meaning. How do we go from thinking scrunchies and lots of makeup was stupid in the 2000s to full blown acceptance of these trends today?

“Bulldawg Nation” could of invaded our use of diction as we got to know our new principal more or maybe because of how many times we heard it. Maybe the early indoctrination of the term in the morning announcements adding it to our daily routine; a number of factors go into the changeof-heart the student body underwent in

We shouldn’t joke about death

How can we achieve happiness?

The definition of happiness is the state of feeling confidence or satisfaction towards a person, thing, or situation. True happiness is very achievable, but as high school students, we often forget to make our own happiness a priority Natalie Aman because we are wrapped Columnist up in distractions.

I’m sure we all know what it’s like to feel as if the forces of the world are all bent against you, or like the world is simply crashing down on top of you. Balancing homework, extracurriculars, sleep, family time, and a social life can be a lot to focus on and as a result we often forget to prioritize our own mental health. And we aren’t allowing ourselves to have the best possible high school experience because we are constantly looking for something new to complain about.

Now it’s about time that we realize where fussing about the little things will get us - nowhere. So in order for us to turn our Pinterest dreams into our reality, there are a few things we should be doing more often.

Set goals for yourself. It doesn’t matter what kind - short term, long term, career, or personal - give yourself something to work towards.

It’s important to know that taking the time of day to focus on our accomplishments and set new goals can honestly make a world of difference. I’m not saying that you must set goals for every aspect of your life and dedicate your life to checking off a to do list. But even achieving short term goals gives us a sense of self worth and sets us on track to accomplish bigger things.

Spend a few extra minutes with your friends and family this week.

No matter how much stress your homework is piling on, set aside some time for you and your friends. Being social is so important for high schoolers. Getting too wrapped up in grades can cause way more stress than necessary. Set your focus

regards to the phrase. The freshman don’t even know any different.

“Bulldawg Nation” ultimately has a good effect on the school in raising school spirit, but we must be careful about what we choose to introduce into our lives. We never questioned our acceptance of the term, we never thought about the effects, or why we decided to like it, we just adopted it blindly.

If we can mindlessly do this in such little time over a small issue, can we, and do we, do it on the things that have a huge effect on our lives, communities, belief systems, and nation?

on the people that mean most to you rather than things. And be sure to head to your favorite spot with your best friend and blow off some steam; it’s more beneficial than you think.

Try out a new workout routine.

Another thing people gain happiness from is physical activity. Even something as simple as a jog around the block can make our bodies feel better.

We benefit from exercise in a number of ways that we may not even think of. Exercising improves our brain power, self image, and reduces stress. So the next time you feel a bit down in the dumps, a quick round of yoga or curl ups may guide you on your way to feeling better.

Get involved in extracurriculars.

Bowie has an insane amount of teams, clubs, and organizations to join, and that’s not mentioning the many options outside of school. You can’t always choose your school courses, so we don’t always have the motivation to do as well as we can in those classes. Giving yourself an extra activity to put your energy into can increase your happiness because you’re choosing something you enjoy to focus on.

It’s okay to feel negative or even miserable about something. Those emotions make us human. But as young, developing teenagers, we can’t let these emotions take over. Everyone has bad days, but if you find yourself unable to move past something, it’s time you face the problem head on and get past that roadblock.

Mind over matter, friends. You have the power to control the direction of your life, so why not choose the direction that’ll lead you to happiness.

Laughing and cracking jokes with friends should always be encouraged, but there is a difference between laughing together and laughing at someone else’s expense. At Bowie, students constantly hear jokes that aren’t always in good taste, the worst of which being the insensitive jokes regarding death that students make.

It is not okay for any students at Bowie to be making these kind of jokes. This type of buffoonery desensitizes people from all types of negative death experiences and turns it into something that people can feel comfortable

Mikayla Zellner Staff Writer

poking fun at.

According to Medical News Today, approximately one million people commit suicide each year worldwide. That means about one suicide occurs every 40 seconds, or 3,000 suicides occur daily. Jokes promoting suicide are not appropriate, especially not in a high school setting.

It’s thanks to the United States Constitution that we as citizens of this country have freedom of speech, meaning individuals can’t censor one another from saying what is said as an opinion. We, as students, have the right to express ourselves through any jokes we may please. That’s freedom of speech. But do we really want to abuse our right by making harmful jokes at another’s expense? We must remember to have compassion towards our peers’ experiences and feelings, especially since death is a very delicate topic.

People tend to laugh at things that they don’t fully understand or relate to. When people don’t understand their peers problems, it keeps them for feeling compassion or pity towards them. These uninformed people don’t understand their colleagues experiences, so they have no idea how others will react to their ignorant laughter. Our ignorance and insensitivity towards others’ deaths need to stop now.

There is a simple solution to this insensitivity issue. Students at Bowie need to stop making these jokes right now. All of them. All of the “I am going to kill myself” or “Go die” comments have got to permanently be put to an end. Even though some students at Bowie may not find them offensive, I can guarantee you someone else will.

We need to know our limits and put a stop to these kind of jokes. It’s not always obvious who is struggling with depression or who has experienced a loss, so at least stop making these jokes here at school.

ART BY Ian Miller

casual term uttered in the hallway. It made it onto t-shirts, on posters. All of a sudden, “Bulldawg Nation” had taken Bowie by a storm, and many students had readily accepted the term they used to deny.

Now I believe that “Bulldawg Nation” has a good effect on the school; it’s a little term that makes our day just a tad bit brighter and unifies the school. However, it is most certainly not a good thing that we were able to subconsciously abandon our old traditions in under a month; the speed of which students went to distrusting skepticism to full-blown acceptance is alarming.

“Bulldawg Nation” shows that if someone with a lot of influence begins repeating the same phrase, or idea, to the public, the public will eventually come around to the idea, accept it as fact, apply it to their lives, or it will simply cease to be a point of concern.

This could either lead to apathy of important issues or acceptance of warped, contrary ideas to our original belief system.

When we hear one thing over and over again from people in authority over us, we tend to believe it. A teacher could be teaching us the wrong thing, but how many of us are going to question them? The government could be telling us the wrong thing, our news stations and Facebook feeds, but how many of us fact check? When we see a story on the news and then again on social media we tend to accept it as fact, going back to the issue of fake news and the distrust of the media.

Or on social media itself, we see trends such as the bottle flip, the ice bucket challenge, and popular memes rise to popularity in a matter of days and then fade off.

Even in our speech patterns, abbreviations

ART BY Ian Miller

“...and have a great day Bulldawg Nation!” “Bulldawg Nation?”

Immediately the room scoffed, rolling their eyes with confused expressions, “When has Victoria Newell anyone called us Managing Editor Bulldawg Nation?”

Now I wouldn’t say that Bowie High School lacks student spirit, but it’s definitely a different sort of school spirit. School spirit at Bowie is a good-natured joke. An over-exaggerated sarcastic monologue with underlying tones of reluctant love (or at least like) for our school. Most of us really actually like Bowie, but we’re never going to admit that.

But every morning this year Principal Robinson has uttered the cheerful words “Bulldawg Nation”, and every morning students have made fun of it. Not out of malicious intent, but because no one talks about Bowie that way, and we weren’t used to it.

Yet. The cycle continued for those first two weeks, until one day Robinson forgot to say “Bulldawg Nation”, and this time good-humored ridicule didn’t come from my 1st period.

It was a sigh of disappointment.

People actually missed “Bulldawg Nation,” and when Robinson did say it, people cheerfully echoed “Bulldawg Nation” back.

If they made fun of it, it was out of sarcastic fondness, like the vast majority of jokes made about our high school. And then it became a chant at the football games. A

ART BY Callie Richards

“Bulldawg Nation” leaves lasting impression on Bowie

BULLDAWG SPEAK OUT 9th

Coleton Benson

“I don’t think it’s appropriate because a lot of people are sensitive to these kinds of topics.”

Do you think it’s ever acceptable to make a joke about death?

10th

11th

12th

TEACHER

Cy Young

Sophie Wolfe

Allyson Wenzloff

Lisa Reza

“No, because people who have had family members pass away might be sensitive.”

“There’s a line between joking and going too far.

It could be very offensive to those who have experienced death.”

“It depends on the timing of when you’re joking about it. If you joke about it after a recent death, it’s pretty offensive.”

“In my opinion, I don’t think it’s appropriate. It may be funny for you or your friend, but you don’t know how it affects other people.”

PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS BY Austyn Keelty and Natalie Aman

P

Fri. Nov. 3, 2017

The Dispatch

Photo Essay

16

Day in the Life: an aspiring boulderer

Senior Chris Lomeli dedicates his time climbing challenges at Austin Bouldering Project Cara Andres PE Editor

Powerfully grasping for rock climbing holds, dynamically reaching for new heights, and gaining both patience and strategy through trial and error — these are the daily activities of boulderer, senior Chris Lomeli.

“Climbing is a sport unique in that the only true competition to be had in the sport is against yourself,” Lomeli said. “When I climb, I never do it to be better than anyone other than myself.”

Although Lomeli was introduced to rock climbing in the sixth grade, he only began to take it seriously when he received a membership at Austin Bouldering Project (ABP) last April.

“I’d always loved the thought of outdoor climbing ever since I was first exposed to it, but sadly it’s hard to be organized enough to go and climb outside.” Lomeli said. “I turned to bouldering as a result of that.”

Bouldering is a specific style of climbing that takes place both indoors and out.

Boulderers tend to climb short “problems” rather than climbing entire, long, pitches, and do not use a harness.

“Bouldering is based a lot on powerful and explosive moves while sport climbing is focused more on endurance,” Lomeli said. “I think of it almost as sprinting versus running a marathon.”

Instead of attending formal lessons, Lomeli learned how to climb simply through experience and observation.

In order to improve, he often practices at his gym and receives information from his friends on how to complete

REACHING UP: Lomeli leans on a massive climbing hold as he gazes to the top. He usually gets up at 5 a.m. every other morning in order to practice as soon as the Austin Bouldering Project (ABP) doors open. “I’m inspired to climb every day I crawl out of bed, especially knowing that there are people out there who make their living off of climbing for outdoor companies,” Lomeli said. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith

a climbing challenge, which is known as “beta.”

“To encourage and moti-

vate, we alternate attempts on the same problem and shout beta and encourage-

ment from below,” Lomeli’s climbing friend, Harrison Morgan said. “It’s easy to

UP CLOSE: Lomeli grasps onto a climbing hold as he catches his breath. He finds it hard to get bored of climbing because of how much variety it has. “There’s always another challenge,”Lomeli said. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith

SKY HIGH: Lomeli’s leg extends over a long length. He climbs both indoors and outdoors. “Chris loves anything that involves adventure and that’s why bouldering is just right for him,” senior Carissa Duran said. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith

lose your way when you’re maxed and giving a 110%, and a little guidance and

motivation can be the difference in a send versus a fall.”

For the past six months, Lomeli has been waking up at 5 a.m. every other morning in order to practice at APB. When he’s not at the gym, he trains at home, climbs on the greenbelt, and researches interesting places to climb.

“If anyone were to look at Chris when he is climbing they would smile because he carries this palpable lively energy that spawns from him,” senior Carissa Duran said.

In the beginning of October, Lomeli attended his very first bouldering competition. He initially planned on signing up in the intermediate bracket, but all the spots were already full.

“I was forced to enroll in the advanced category,” Lomeli said. “I was incredibly nervous.”

To prepare for the competition, Lomeli spent a month and half running miles and meticulously strengthening his fingers, arms, legs, and back. His efforts paid off immediately with a 10th place finish among 82 total competitors in the advanced bracket.

“The experience really helped me see the potential I had to grow and develop myself as an even stronger climber,” Lomeli said.

To this day, Lomeli puts 100% into improving himself through climbing. Climbing has taught him how to have patience, face challenges, and remain determined.

“Chris never stops surprising me with what he can accomplish,” Chris’ dad Oscar Lomeli said. “I always tell him he can do anything he sets his mind to.”

WARMING UP: Stretching is something most boulderers deem very important before climbing. He does this in order to loosen up his muscles. “I did yoga two nights before my competition so my muscles would be nice and loose for my climbing,” Lomeli said. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith

CHALK HANDS: Boulderers covers their hands in chalk before beginning an obstacle. It helps them get a better grip at the holds. “When climbing, sometimes my failure on a wall forces me to examine the way I’ve been trying to complete the problem,” Lomeli said. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith

CLIMBING TO SUCCESS: Lomeli tackles an obstacle. His struggles show him ways to achieve. “Patience is something every climber needs,” Lomeli said. PHOTO BY Douglas Smith