The Dispatch, Vol. 33, Issue #5, 5.4.21 Digital Only

D

BULLDAWGS GET VACCINATED Students reflect on their experiences with the COVID-19 complete vaccination process

pg. 5

SWIFT'S SURPRISE Review of Taylor Swift's albums that have taken her fandom by storm

STARLIT CELEBRATION Class of 2021 dances away in a "Night under the stars" for senior Prom

pg. 6

pg.13

coming UP

May 19- May 21 STAAR EOC Exams May 31 Memorial Day Holiday June 3 Last day of school and senior graduation

Vol. 33, Issue 5 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin TX, 78749

THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Pride in Publishing

'Bulldog Nation' fosters Class of 2021

The upcoming graduation ceremony signifies Mark Robinson's first four years as principal Cade Spencer and Faith Lawrence Editors-in-Chief

Since his arrival on campus just four years ago, principal Mark Robinson has transformed Bowie High School into “Bulldog Nation.” With a self-proclaimed emphasis on inclusion, peer empowerment, and community development, Robinson has expanded the value of campus: he has made it a home.

From 2017 to 2021, Robinson has led as the school’s principal, and the Class of 2021 will be the first group of seniors he will oversee from their first day on campus until graduation. “‘Bulldog Nation’ is a way for us to identify our collective ‘Pride in Performance,’ in a way that is inclusive and representative for everybody,” Robinson said. “It just represents the school community, we are all Bulldogs forever.”

Within his initial morning announcements to the student body in 2017, Robinson coined the term “Bulldog Nation” that would grow to be a cornerstone of campus life.

“I can remember the first time he used the phrase ‘Bulldog Nation,’” School Improvement Facilitator Ruth Ann Widner said. “I loved that he was coming into this community and the forefront of his mind was this idea of really creating a sense of community and unifying everybody.

That gave me insight into the direction he wanted to go, what his values were, and what was important to him.”

Behind the Fence Dimitri Silva Dispatch Reporter

As the 2020-2021 school year ends, the construction of the new fine arts performance hall has begun. In addition to a concert stage, the overall project will house its own ticket booth, lobby, and large concession stand. The new theater will also have its own storage and full scene shop area.

Throughout the remote environment of the 2020-2021 school year, Robinson has maintained his lively morning announcements, publishing a daily announcement video on the BLEND Community Course.

“Principal Robinson has contributed to campus culture immensely,” junior Kylee Diniwiddie said. “He is super spirited, and his positive attitude is contagious throughout the school. He has really emphasized what it means to have pride in being a bulldog. I will always remember his “Gooooodmorning Bulldog Nation” and things like that which have made the environment of the school what it is today.”

Before stepping into his current position at Bowie, Robinson was the principal for Hudson Bend Middle School in the Lake Travis Independent School District.

“I know that this has been a huge jump for him and it has been really nice to see how he has settled into the job and matured into this position,” social studies teacher Patricia Maney said. “I am really proud of the way he has handled the things that he has had to deal with here at Bowie between COVID-19, supporting teachers, students, and parents, and different issues he has had over the past four years. I am really glad he came.”

Upon his arrival, Robinson stated that, among other subjects, his primary goals centered around “diversity and inclusion,” “community,”

FOUR YEARS OF PRINCIPAL...

2017-2021 BULLDOG NATION BULLDOG NATION BULLDOG NATION BULLDOG NATION BULLDOG NATION BULLDOG NATION PHOTO & ART BY Cade Spencer

and “student social, emotional, and educational readiness.”

“I want to make sure that every student at Bowie knows that they are welcome, that they have a seat at the table, and that they have a voice,” Robinson said. READ MORE

Mark Robinson

“Four years of Robinson's 'Bulldog Nation'” pg. 8-9

Construction underway on new Fine Arts hall As a facet of Phase 1 of the 2017 Bond campus modernization project, the new performing arts hall is expected to be ready for use by June of 2022.

“I have been really impressed by the construction of the new auditorium, and I did see that the foundation appears to be pretty big,” senior Brennon Zaveleta said.

“I just saw the construction crew working on it, and I am

excited for the students that get to use the facility in the future.”

While the new performing arts hall is constructed, the original theater will undergo repairs and modernizations as well. In the month of February, the theater was damaged as a result of Winter Storm Uri. “The hallways next to the current theatre will be converted once the fine arts

classrooms are completed in the current gym area,” theater teacher Betsy Cornwell said.

“There will be two dressing rooms with designated lockers in that current hallway which can be used by anyone performing in the theatre or fine arts area during rehearsal times.”

In addition to the theater, the campus gym also experienced severe water damage in the winter storm. Howev-

SETTING THE STAGE: The Page Architects and JE Dunn Construction team construct the foundation for the new Fine Arts performance facility to be accessible for use by June of 2022. As the facility is completed, it will be the next major step within the 2017 $91,030,000 campus improvement bond project, and the facility itself will consist of a performance stage, lobby, ticket booth, and large concession stand. PHOTO BY Cade Spencer

INDEX

NATION NATION NATION NATION NATION

News 1 , 2 Politics 3

Feature 4, 5 Photo Essay 6

Entertainment 7 In-Depth 8, 9, 16

Sports 10, 11 Pop Culture 1 2

er, the new athletics facility, another facet of the modernization project, is expected to be open for use by July of this year.

“Bowie should prioritize the athletic facility more than the theater because there are more opportunities and uses with a new gym than a new theater,” sophomore Nico Colegrove said. “With a new gym, the basketball team can practice there, the football team can run drills in there, and it is better for housing more students during the day.”

As a result of the winter storm, the construction plans for the current theater have been revised. Initially, it was intended for the old theater to be transformed into a black box theater. A black box theater is a theater whose walls, ceilings, and roofs are painted black.

“Having two proscenium theaters was never part of the original bond plan,” Cornwell said. “In the original plan, our current theatre (which they called the ‘Little Theatre’), was going to be converted to a Black Box theatre like the one in the PAC and three other high schools. This was also part of the specifications for equitable Fine Arts facilities that were published several years ago.”

The specifications for equitable Fine Arts facilities were outlined in the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) approved by the Austin Independent School District (AISD) Board in 2017. Through completion, the district-wide plan is scheduled to take 25 years

Reviews 13 Commentary 14,15

find us

@jbhs_dispatch

with a goal to “create learning spaces worthy of our students’ talents as they prepare for an ever-changing global marketplace.

“With cost overruns of the parking garage and inflation since the bond, both the Fine Arts facility and the PE facility took a financial hit,” Cornwell said. “The first thing to be cut from the new Fine Arts area was the conversion to a Black Box.” As for seating, the new theater is supposed to have 100 more available seats and a second story level. The new theater will also house better equipment for technicians behind the scenes, allowing for more creativity in light and sound variation during performances.

“The new space has separated light and sound booths,” Cornwell said. “Currently, all of our technicians work in one booth at the back of the house in the theatre, which does not allow for as much variation in creation.”

When the theater facility is complete, it will join the modernized athletic facility, parking garage, and renovated parking lot as campus updates that have been undertaken within the 2017 Bond program.

“I think the new theater is a great way for students to pursue their dreams and possibly future careers in theater and Fine Arts,” Colegrove said. “This new theater shows how much Bowie cares for its Fine Arts community, and I am excited to see the completed hall and see students perform once it is done.”

2 NEWS

THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4 , 2021

Increase in mass shootings in the U.S. The rate of homicides, suicides, and injures from firearms has surged over the past year Arushi Sharma News Editor

Despite the enforcement of several lock down orders to stop the spread of COVID-19, in 2021 there have been over 148 mass shootings in the United States as of April 18.

Some of these mass shootings have occurred in larger cities in Texas including ones in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.

The number of these shootings have risen immensely from previous years. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a mass shooting is defined as a shooting with four or more people injured or killed.

There were more than 600 such shootings in 2020, compared with 417 in 2019.

“I think the United States as a whole needs to take mass shooting prevention more seriously by offering solvency for the cause of mass shootings, and increasing gun control would seriously decline the number,” senior Katie Golson said.

On April 18, 2021, ex-police officer Stephen Broderick shot and killed three Austin residents in Travis County. Broderick was arrested early the next day and has been charged with a capital murder warrant, a murder that may be punished by death.

“Anytime somebody loses their life because of violence, especially somebody so young, it is devastating,” history teacher Dalton Pool said. “If we want to stop gun violence, then something needs to change.”

Two of the three victims were high school students: Alyssa Broderick, the shooter’s daughter, and Willie Simmons, Alyssa’s boy-

friend. Golson shares her thoughts about the recent shooting.

“I feel awful,” Golson said. “It’s devastating to think that could be me. It’s a threat I never want to have to worry about. Austin has a very low crime rate so something this scary happening so close to home is hard to process.”

In 1968, the United States Senate passed The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) that regulated firearms at the federal level and requires that citizens and legal residents must be at least 18 years of age to purchase shotguns or rifles and ammunition. Moreover, the act states that other firearms such as handguns can only be sold to individuals who are 21 and older.

“I think the U.S. has really high political tension as well as tension inside the US in the form of race issues and violence,” Golson said.

“The US also has very lax gun control compared to other countries.”

With this increase in mass shootings, the Biden-Harris administration has been working to pass the six step initial actions in order to help mandate this rise of violence. One of the actions of the plan include regulating the sale of “ghost guns” which are guns that don't have the necessary credentials to be tracked.

“Until the Federal Government creates a clear path-forward and we tackle this issue with a top-down coordinated effort I, unfortunately don't see a lot changing,” Pool said.

Similarly, Golson agrees with Pool in the government’s current involvement in gun control laws and actions.

“The issue of gun control is pretty much ignored in US poli-

SIX ACTIONS TOWARDS STOPPING MASS SHOOTINGS

“Gun violence in this country is an epidemic” -President Joe Biden said on Thursday, Apr. 12, 2021

1- Stopping the sale of 2- Working on creating laws to regulate “stabilizing braces” “ghost guns” 3-The Justice Department releases an annual report on firearm trafficking 4-Create “red flag” laws to bar dangerous people from owning a gun 5- create investments in community-based anti-violence programs 6-Announced a nominee for the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives, David Chipman ART BY Arushi Sharma

East Norriton, Pennsylvania Galesburg, Illinois Fort Smith, Arkansas Little Rock, Arkansas

Santa Barbara, California Lauderhill, Florida Dallas, Texas

2021 MASS SHOOTINGS

Houston, Texas

San Diego, California

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Indianapolis, Indiana Orlando, Florida Houma, Louisiana Boulder, Colorado

Miami, Florida McCormick, South Carolina Austin, Texas Livingston, Texas Oakland, California Manassas, Virginia Washington D.C, Washington D.C Sioux City, Iowa Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Shreveport, Louisiana Clearwater, Florida Bloomingdale, Illinois San Francisco, California Kankakaee, Illinois Fairfield, Alabama Gresham, Oregon Columbus, Georgia Phoenix, Arizona Crowley, Louisiana Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania Buffalo, Minnesota Baltimore, Maryland Indianapolis, Indiana Covington, Kentucky Chicago, Illinois Columbus, Mississippi Nashville, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Las Vegas, Nevada Santa Ana, California Atlanta, Georgia Oak Creek, Colorado Springfield, Illinois McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania Flint, Michigan Colorado Springs, Colorado Dover, Delaware Rochester, New York Mohnton, Pennsylvania Carroll County, Georgia Muskogee, Oklahoma Thibodaux, Louisiana High Point, North Carolina Sunrise, Florida Wichita, Kansas Murfreesboro, Tennessee Baton Rouge, Louisiana San Antonio, Texas Tampa, Florida Oak Creek, Colorado Cleveland, Ohio Virginia Beach, Virginia Gresham, Oregon Yazzo City, Mississippi St. Petersburg, Florida Martinsville, Virginia River Grove, Illinois Buffalo, Minnesota LaPlace, Louisiana Tacoma, Washington Albany, New York Koshkonong, Missouri Bolivar, Mississippi Amarillo, Texas

Over 148 shootings in different cities in the United States

tics,” Golson said. “I think the entitlement behind gun control is a huge issue. Just because a piece of paper written over 200 years ago says you can ‘bear arms’ doesn’t outweigh the harms lax gun control has. The law's job is to protect the people which means when new issues arise it must adapt.”

Junior Sadie McDonald has an idea that she believes the US government should take to help prevent the surge in mass shootings in America.

“I believe nobody should be able to carry a gun unless they’ve had training classes, verified identity checks, and a mental health check, due to the unstable people who have caused mass shootings,” McDonald said.

McDonald emphasizes that her approach would help prevent the mass shooting that occurred in Austin. Broderick, the shooter in the incident, was previously convicted of sexual assault and was let out on bail in June 2020.

“The shooting in Austin that

killed two high school students was tragic, unacceptable and preventable,” McDonald said. “I believe if we had thorough background checks, mental health checks and gun classes that educated people on gun use and control, the shooting would’ve been prevented because Broderick would’ve not been allowed to purchase a deadly and lethal weapon.”

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the United States stands out because of its high levels of gun violence, ranking eighth out of 64 high income countries and territories for homicides by firearm. In addition, the United States ranks first in homicides by firearms in high-income countries and territories with populations of 10 million or more.

“I believe the US has one of the highest gun violence rates compared to other democratic countries because guns are so ingrained in our culture that our government is unwilling or unable to enact policy that limits gun-violence,” Pool

ART BY Arushi Sharma

said.

A Pew Research Center survey states that every three in ten American adults state they personally own a gun, and an additional 11% say they live with someone who does. The survey demonstrates the idea that 60% of Americans in the survey believe that gun laws in the United States should be stricter.

“I believe only people who are properly trained and educated in gun safety should own guns," Pool said. “Also, I believe gun access should be more limited when it comes to people with criminal records, mental health issues, or domestic disputes.”

McDonald connects the current approach that the government is taking to the need for change in the country in regards to gun reform.

“We need immediate and radical change in the law and the government has not given such change to us,” McDonald said. “Rapid gun control reform is necessary and we must push to bring lasting change to our country.”

Students start gearing up to take EOCs and AP Exams Arushi Sharma & Emily Loewe News Editor & Reporter

At the end of each school year, high school students prepare to take the Advanced Placement (AP) exams to potentially gain college credit and End of Year (EOC) exams to ensure they are academically prepared for the next grade. While the exams are traditional occurrences, the remote setting of the 20202021 school year has led to revisions in the exams’ typical operation.

Last month, a state-wide technical issue caused educational officials to advise postponing the EOC Exams in several cities. The error affected thousands of students and many schools as they had started their exam and then were unable to finish it because of the technical issue. Many teachers are also concerned about the time lost from a week of taking EOC’s that could have been used to prepare for end of year exams.

“I believe that the EOC tests should not have been given this year,” history teacher MONDAY May 17-

TUESDAY May 18REMOTE AP EXAMS: 11am-Eng Lit & Comp (12th) 3pm-Comp Sci A

May 24EOC Make Up Exams ON CAMPUS AP EXAMS: 8am- BC Calc & AB Calc 12pm-Physics 1 &

Charles Stampley said. “Whether in person or on paper or by computer. I just don’t think it should have been given and the vast majority of parents and families and teachers all agree.”

Since 2011, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has administered the STAAR EOC exams to high school students which must be passed in order for the student to progress to the next grade. Students have to take and pass the EOC for English I, English II, Algebra 1, US History, Biology, and Algebra 1 throughout their high school careers. Some of these tests have already been administered and others will be taken around May. “Although I didn’t want to take the EOC exam this year, I knew that I had to because the TEA has to see how each student is doing in terms of academics,” sophomore Will Howard said.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, last year the EOC exams were waived for students who needed to take those specific

WEDNESDAY May 19-

THURSDAY May 20-

May 21-

STAAR EOC Exam: Biology

STAAR EOC Exam: US History

REMOTE AP EXAMS: 11am- US History 3pm-Art History & Macroeconmics

REMOTE AP EXAMS: 11am- US Govt & World History 3pm-Pyschology

May 25-

May 26-

May 27-

ON CAMPUS AP EXAMS:

REMOTE AP EXAMS:

REMOTE AP EXAMS:

8am-Chemistry

FRIDAY

STAAR EOC Exam: Alg 1 ON CAMPUS AP EXAMS: 8am-Spanish Lang 12pm-French/Music Theory

May 28REMOTE AP EXAMS:

11am-Eng Lang &

11am- Biology

11am- Human

Comp(11th)

3pm-Environmen-

Geography

3pm-Comp Sci

tal Science

Principles

3pm-Microeconomics

Physics C

ART BY Arushi Sharma

exams. Despite the current pandemic situation, this year’s EOC exams are occurring as they usually would in a typical school year.

“I think that the EOC exams should have been canceled or made shorter this year because we didn’t have a normal school year,” junior Susan Leifker said. “I understand that the TEA needs to assess how much we have learned in the last year, but I’m not sure taking a full year’s curriculum when we haven’t been learning the same is worth it.”

In addition to preparation for the EOC exams, sophomore Elliot Bochey expressed that he has continued to work hard to prep for his AP exam so that he can gain college credit for his AP World History class.

“I am going to look through all of my notes and read through practice writing samples before the test,” Bochey said. “I am also going in person now, so I can ask my teacher for help whenever and we can discuss any questions that may arise.”

Aside from learning in her virtual classes, Leifker emphasizes her extra studying on the side in order to gain college credit for the AP classes that she’s currently taking.

“For the last few months I’ve been preparing to take my exams by taking notes, watching AP Live Review videos, and practicing with practice tests,” Leifker said. “These have been really effective for me and I’m definitely feeling more confident to take them.”

Within his AP social studies classes, Stampley instructs his students on complex writing skills, including the production of Short Answer Questions, Document Based Questions, and Long Answer Questions.

“The problem of teaching AP classes remotely, is it's difficult to teach how to write.

If you're in my class I can teach, I can make you a better writer than if you're at home,” Stampley said. “We can still do it,and I'm happy with the progress.”

Earlier this year, the College Board released a testing schedule for Bowie students to test both in-person and online. A majority of the tests are online, with a few exceptions of the AP language exams; AP BC and AB Calc; AP Physics I and C; and Chemistry.

ART BY Arushi Sharma

“Honestly I’d prefer the complete silence of taking an exam online in my room, and I definitely feel more comfortable wearing my pajamas during an exam,” Bochey said.

Furthermore, the College Board has released instructions for students taking the online exam to download their specific testing app to take the exam, test the software beforehand, and practice a set of questions through the exam software. Bowie's college career and advisor Carli Valverde (carli. valverde@austinisd.org) sent out an email to students taking AP exams through Naviance with step by step instructions and is available if any student needs help.

"The email was extremely helpful and I've already logged into my account and set up the application to take my AP US History and AP Human Geography Exam," Leifker said.

Despite having an unusual school year, Leifker looks to the positives of these exams and expresses her appreciation to the Bowie staff members.

“Even though they are lengthy exams, I feel prepared to get college credit from these AP exams and am grateful to the Bowie staff for helping us during these unprecedented times so that we can have the best testing experience,” Leifker said.

POLITICS 3

Austin's Saturday city election results TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 THE DISPATCH

Dylan Ebs Politics Editor

Austin voters decided on the future of eight propositions this past Saturday. The propositions addressed issues like homelessness, elections, and campaign finance. Over 160,000 voters cast their ballots in the election, resulting in one of the highest turnouts ever for an Austin election in May, according to data from the Travis County Clerk.

PROPOSITIONS A & B Proposition A was approved, which will reform the way that the Austin Firefighters Association handles contract negotiations with the City of Austin. If a deadlock is reached, the city will be required to participate in binding arbitration to resolve the deadlock. Prop A was supported by the Austin Firefighters Association, who argued that the mandatory arbitration process will make negotiations fair for everyone involved.

Voters narrowly passed Proposition B, which will restore the City of Austin’s public camping ban. Prop B generated controversy leading up to the election because of concerns that criminalizing homelessness would not make the homelessness problem in Austin any better. The offense for public camping is a Class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of up to $500. Widespread support among city leaders wasn't enough to pass Prop B; Mayor Steve Adler and every Austin City Council Member, except for one, opposed Prop B.

PROPOSITIONS C & D Proposition C, a police reform measure, was approved by voters. The proposition will give the city council control over the director of Police Oversight position, which was previously controlled by the city manager. Supporters of the proposition said that it would increase accountability on the Austin Police Department, while opponents say that the plan is too rushed and isn't considering community input.

Voters approved changing the date of future mayoral elections. Under Prop B, the

election for mayor will occur during presidential election years instead of gubernatorial election years. It won’t apply to the mayoral election in 2022, but the winner of that election will be up for re-election in 2024. Supporters of the proposition say that moving mayoral elections to presidential election years will help increase voter turnout.

Prop A 81%

For

In another election change, Austin voters approved Proposition E, which would implement ranked-choice voting for city elections. However, the ballot text says that ranked choice voting has to be permitted by state law, which it currently isn’t. If the city moved ahead and implemented rankedchoice voting, it would likely be challenged in court since ranked-choice voting is currently not legal under Texas law.

Proposition F, which would shift the city government to a “strong-mayor” system, was overwhelmingly rejected. If Prop F passed, the city manager position would be eliminated and the mayor would have more authority. The proposition was opposed by every member of the Austin City Council, according to KXAN.

Prop D 63%

For

Prop E

Prop F

For

For

58% 42%

For

43%

Against

”

”

86%

Prop H

Prop G For

14%

Against

57%

Against

43% 57%

Sources: Texas Legislature Online, Texas Tribune

Texas legislators have introduced 488 election-related bills this session that it protects the integrity of elections. Democratic state senator Judith Zaffrini voiced her opposition The 2020 presidential election to Senate Bill 7 on the senate floor. had a drastic increase in voter turn“I rise respectfully in opposiout. After the election, lawmakers tion to Senate Bill 7, and like my across the country created hundreds Democratic colleagues in the Texas of different bills to reform how Senate, I'm in disbelief that our eselections run in their states. These teemed body would consider legisinclude Georgia, Texas, and many lation we consider detrimental to other predominantly so-called red countless persons of color,” Zaffrini states. said during the session. “This bill Since the 2020 election was so violates the privacy of every Texan, close and ground-breaking, many the access to voting of persons of expected these states like Georgia color, the inclusionary principles of to react in some way. Georgia law- our republic and the United States makers decided to change multiple Constitution." things in the state elections includElection reform has become a ing changing early voting dates, hot-button issue for both parties. drop off boxes, and other aspects.

According to the Texas Legislature “It shouldn’t be this difficult to Online, 488 election-related bills voice your opinion when we all have have been filed for this year's Texas the right to do so," sophomore Ma- legislature session. rissa Morales said. "However, it was "You know, when people do not likely that Georgia was going to try have confidence in our electoral inand limit or restrict voting in some stitutions, when political legitimacy way after the last presidential elec- is questioned, liberty is threatened," tion due to it being a swing state chairman of the House Elections right now."

Committee Briscoe Cain said during In Georgia, some of the most a committee hearing. "Therefore, it notable parts of SB 202, an elec- is incumbent on the Texas Legislation reform bill, was the changes to ture this session to ensure that elecearly voting and voting via absentee tions, the bedrock of our republic, ballot. Voters will have less time to are free, fair, and secure." request an absentee ballot and there One of the provisions in Senate will be very few drop boxes allowed Bill 7 would limit extended early in the state. Additionally, there are voting hours, which Morales opposnew strict ID requirements for vot- es. ing. "[Senate Bill 7] will make it hard“I wish voting was made eas- er for people to vote," Morales said. ier, not harder," Morales said. "It "For example, limiting the hours of shouldn’t be this polls in early voting difficult to voice makes it more diffiyour opinion cult for the working when we all have class to get to the the right to do so. The Texas voting laws polls during a work I think the long will restrict voting day." lasting effects of In some of the rights and make it these laws will states that have imharder for people make it more difplemented new votficult for POC to to vote, especially ing laws, the state vote in Georgia, marginalized groups. legislature is conand ultimately trolled by Republipeople might turn but their SenMarissa Morales cans away from the ate seats or electoral idea all together if Sophomore votes have gone to it isn’t reversed.”

Democrats. Some exOn March 11, amples of this are Ara group of 13 Texizona and Georgia, who are some of as Republican state senators filed the first to release new voting laws, Senate Bill 7. Opponents to the bill but many states have followed. said it adds unnecessary voting re“I expected lawmakers in Georgia strictions, while supporters argue to react pretty negatively to the out-

33%

Against

Republican-backed voting bills stir controversy Carey Wooley Dispatch Reporter

67%

For

37%

Against

Against

A proposition that would add a new city council was defeated. Proposition G would have added an additional city council district, increasing the size of the city council from eleven to twelve. Supporters of the proposition argued that adding a new city council district ensures that grassroots voices have a voice at city hall.

Voters rejected Proposition H, which would have implemented a program where eligible voters receive up to two $25 vouchers that can be contributed to candidates for city office. Advocates for Prop H claimed that the vouchers would help reduce the power of big money in local city elections.

The Austin American-Statesman opposed Prop H, arguing that the program costs too much and would not be used by most voters.

42%

Against

Prop C

PROPOSITIONS G & H

58%

For

19%

Against

PROPOSITIONS E & F

Prop B

Notable Republican-backed election bills in Texas Criminalizes election officials from sending absentee ballot applications to eligible voters Limits extended early voting hours Prohibits drive-thru voting Status: Passed the Senate 18-13, heads to the House

HB 6

introduced by Rep. Briscoe Cain

Creates new criminal penalties to enforce the bill Increases protections for election poll watchers Status: Passed the House Elections Committee 5-4

Voters would vote in favour or against a proposition Critics say that the bill is state overreach Status: Passed the Senate 28-2, heads to the House

introduced

by Rep. Greg Bonnen

introduced by Sen. Bryan Hughes

Prohibits local election officials from sending unsolicited absentee ballot applications

Requires that a city budget that cuts money from the police department must have voter approval

HB 574

SB 7

SB 23 introduced

by Sen. Joan Huffman

Creates a 2nd-degree-felony for an election worker to intentionally count invalid votes Penalty of 2-20 years in jail and a fine up to $10,000 Increases the penalty for other election offenses Status: Passed the House 95-49, now heads to Senate

Sources: Texas Legislature Online, Texas Tribune

come of the last presidential election, due to the fact that they are normally such a red state,” sophomore Nadia Petru said. “I expected the large population in Georgia with more Republican-aligned views to want to challenge or 'fight back' with the results.”

Texas has also introduced a controversial series of voting bills.

These bills require every polling station to have the same amount of voting machines not varying on the size of the site. They also outline new criminal penalties for distribution of ballots that were unauthorized.

“The Texas voting laws will restrict voting rights and make it harder for people to vote, especially marginalized groups,” Morales said.

“It is an unfair push made by Republicans to stop people from vot-

ART BY Dylan Ebs

ing. Some states have been passing these voting laws in hopes to limit voting, or to make it more difficult in their state.”

Throughout the country, the way U.S citizens vote has been completely changed. These moves were mainly partisan, with the rare exception of Kentucky which had a bipartisan agreement. Georgia, Texas, Iowa, Arizona, and many more have all introduced different bills that target all types of aspects of voting but specifically go after mail in ballots.

“I wish voting in the U.S. wasn't something that separates people in the U.S. so much," Petru said.

"Whether you vote Democrat or Republican, I wish people's views didn't become so extreme that it makes people of the other party feel unsafe to be around them.”

ART BY Dylan Ebs

Prop B debate Proposition B is an ordinance aimed to force homeless people off the streets through a prohibition of sitting, lying, and camping in public areas.

Proposition B’s camp ban was first put into place in 2019 but after the city removed the ordinance Republicans have tried to reinstate it, leading to today’s current events.

Early voting ended on Monday, April 26 with, according to CBS, 20,000 registered voters attended early voting with an exceeding amount of voters to turnout. Austin officials stood outside of polling locations to share their perspective with voters; such as Austin democratic leader, Mayor Pro-Tem Natasha Harper-Madison, who spoke against Proposition B. "Prop B’s obvious target is the thousands of Austinites living in our city without homes of their own," Harper-Madison wrote in an op-ed.

"Whether we end up with a camping ban or not, the fact remains we need institutional change to address Austin’s housing crisis before it drives more of our middle class to the suburbs and more of our working class to the streets."

Voting ended on May 1 with an expected 30% of registered voters to attend and decide the future of the growing homeless population.

Save Austin Now, a group working to pass Proposition B, argues that the current homeless situation isn't safe for Austin. According to a KXAN report, Save Austin Now has spent over $319,000 to help pass Prop B. “This policy is destroying our city, minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day,” co-founder of Save Austin Now Matt Mackowiak said.

“The policy is destroying every major intersection, and it is destroying each and every neighborhood."

Additionally, some Texas lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban public camping across the state. As of April 30, over 100,000 Austinites have cast their ballot for the current May election.

STORY BY Dylan Zellner

4 FEATURE

THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Student follows fashion passion at UTNY Senior Lola Moreno applies for fashion and writing internship in New York offered at UT Austin Mia Folkers Feature Editor

Roaming through crowds of people in the city streets, she checks her route to her first class. Setting her things down, she admires the other students and professionals that fill the room. As the lecture begins, she realizes the true potential this one of a kind city will bring to her in the world of fashion.

Senior Lola Moreno has applied to an internship-first experiential learning program offered at the University of Texas, which involves traveling to New York for her major.

“So basically it is a mock study abroad program, that is called UTNY (University of Texas in New York) and as a journalism major, you go write and research all these different things in New York,” Moreno said. “UT requires you to have an internship while in New York as well, so I am really excited to get the full working New York experience.”

According to Moreno, her passion to go into fashion in college started from a relatively young age.

“Originally, my mom was the one who got me into fashion,” Moreno said. “Ever since I was little, my mom would use me as like her little doll and always dress me up in different dresses and stuff like that, which I always loved. Then, growing up I would always watch fashion shows and be really interested in Project Runway and all that stuff. Around junior year, I began actually researching if fashion was something I could actually follow through with, and I found so many amazing programs that I knew I wanted to go into.”

According to Moreno’s mom, Irma Moreno, the passion for fashion at a young age revolved around the love of self-expression through clothing.

“I think her earlier life with just being a very crazy and creative child, influ-

STAR-STRUCK: Senior Lola Moreno looks out the Rockefeller Center toward the city of New York. Moreno finds the UTNY program to be a perfect place for her due to its working experience in the city. PHOTO

COURTESY OF Irma Moreno

enced her in wanting to express who she is and she’s always loved to do that in every way possible,” Irma said. “We also used to watch different fashion shows and she loved trying to copy their designs and use them in her own outfits”.

Through this program, Lola believes there are many benefits she will experience within New York.

“The best thing about getting into this program will definitely be all the experience that I will gain from being almost a full time college student as well as having a part time internship in New York,” Moreno said. “I think it will really prepare me for any future jobs in my career.”

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) communication student, Lola’s close friend Nicole Galarza also sees New York as a perfect place for anyone wanting to take on the fashion industry.

“It’s one of the fashion capitals of the world, as well as one of the biggest marketing and advertising centers in the world,” Galarza said.

“Being in New York will give her a huge advantage because she will get a feel for the competitive environment that the real world relays.”

Although the UTNY program brings a unique experience to UT students, Lola believes there are still challenges she might face.

“I think the hardest thing about this program will be how competitive everyone is,” Moreno said. “Everyone is working toward a similar goal, so having to stand out and work harder than everyone else who wants the same thing will definitely be a challenge.”

Irma feels similar to Lola, however believes this big change will be worth its challenges in the long run.

“I’m very scared that she will be going so far away from us and her family, but I am really excited for her to get out into the world and start realizing who she is,” Irma said. “I think she will definitely be successful outside of Texas because she’s always been very independent and always loved traveling because while I am pretty sure she really likes

HORNS UP: Senior Lola Moreno poses with the UT college admission sign “Gone To Texas”. Moreno will be majoring in Journalism at UT and plans on going into the UTNY program her sophomore or junior year. PHOTO COURTESY OF Irma Moreno

her home in Texas, she loves exploring the outside world even more.”

Even with the program’s possible challenges, Lola also believes she has natural characteristics that best suit her for all the good and bads of the fashion atmosphere.

“I am creative, as well as very driven, and I think in the fashion industry that is very important,” Lola said. “Sometimes you will get knocked down a lot in this industry since it is super competitive, but I know what I want and I don’t plan on giving up easily just because it can get difficult.”

Galarza also believes that Lola’s flexibility makes her a great candidate for the fashion programs available. “I think Lola fits best in fashion because she’s very good at problem solving and always has different ideas on her mind to make things work, which is really important in this industry,” Galarza said.

When it comes to any sort of fashion career, Galarza believes getting a head start is the best preparation for college students.

“I believe that UTNY is a great program for students because it makes them branch out of their comfort zones of going somewhere completely different from where they’ve grown up, which helps build character,” Galarza said. “This option might be better than going to New York later in your career because getting this experience earlier in life is going to give you an advantage over everyone else who has stayed in their comfort zone.”

Lola has similar thoughts about New York and also believes this head start will help with understanding the true environment of fashion.

“New York will definitely give me the competitive edge that other places can’t,” Lola said. “There are so many

people in New York working towards a common goal, learning to stand out and work hard is a must.”

Although not all of Moreno’s future plans are set in place, Lola states she has some potential international plans she might pursue in the future.

“I am definitely considering doing my masters in Milan, Italy, because the fashion and journalism program there is also really great,” Lola said. “ I’d also love to experience more of the world while I’m still in my studies.”

Wherever Lola’s plans lead her, Irma has high hopes for all her experiences along the way.

“I wish that Lola would take away real world experience, and maybe find a love for something that she had no idea she had a passion for,” Irma said. “Most of all, I hope she feels excited for her future after this program.”

Teens take on fast food jobs in the midst of online class Donna Kim Dispatch Reporter

For high school students looking for employment a natural starting place is in the food service industry, specifically in fast food. Go for a short drive across any portion of Austin and on nearly every corner there will be some sort of drive-thru peddling fast, convenient and tasty food. Senior Katherine Terracina is one of those students who took advantage of the extra time during quarantine to get a job at Chick-fil-a.

“I started working at Chick-fil-A last April during quarantine. I had a lot of free time so I decided to be productive and get a job,” Terracina said. “I’ve been working at Chick-fil-A for about a year now and I love it because time goes by quickly, and I’ve made a lot of really good friends through working there.”

There are many roles within a fast food restaurant that make the job become efficient for the customers and the employees.

Terracina describes her role at Chick-fil-a.

“My current role is technically called a ‘Hospitality Professional.’ This means I am able to do each of the jobs in the restaurant besides cooking food in the kitchen,” Terracina said. “I mainly take orders through the drive through or at the counter, run orders out to cars, work the cashier window, bag the food, or make soft drinks and milkshakes.”

Before getting to work in fast food, there is always the application process that one must go through according to Senior ChickFil-A worker Peyton Purcell.

“I filled out a form on the Chick-Fil-A website and had a zoom interview,” Purcell said. “About a week later, I was hired and started off working at Chick-Fil-A.” There are many assumptions made about working at fast food restaurants, such as annoying customers and always being on your feet. Fast food workers get to experience first

hand what the pros and cons are.

“I used to be a nanny before working at Chick-fil-A, and one reason I chose to work in fast food is because the hours are consistent and completely my choice,” Terracina said. “The main con is angry customers who will blow up at you for things that are not in your control or in any way your fault. You just have to keep a smile on your face and remember the customer is always right, even when they aren’t.”

Handling obnoxious customers is assumed to be the most annoying thing about working at a fast food joint. Junior Austin Dabley, who works at Bush’s Chicken, has experienced how some customers are a hassle to employees.

“There was a lady who I stood outside her car window and she didn’t respond, so

ART BY Isabella Del Nido

I moved on to the next car in line,” Dabley says. “After I moved to the next car, I came inside and told everyone that the first lady ignored me, and that she’s next in line. After that, the lady started throwing a temper tantrum like a toddler, and demanded to see the owner and corporate.”

There are, of course, also many benefits to working at a fast food joint, according to Terracina.

“My best friend, Brooke Druebert, started working [at Chick-fil-a] the same time I did, which makes going to work seem like less of a chore,” Terracina said. “We get a lot of free food, and they have a lot of fun giveaways. During Christmas they gave away a flat-screen TV, Nintendo Switch, and YETIs. Occasionally, they have Rudy’s BBQ catering on Friday’s, or an ice cream sundae bar,

things like that to show their appreciation for employees.”

Since the pandemic began last year, the restaurant industry has been forced to make many changes. Dining in is not much of an option, so ordering through a drive-thru or ordering online are the only real options.

Fast food joints have changed how they operate, such as only allowing people to order through drive-thrus or social distancing their seats and tables.

“Chick-fil-A cares a lot about the community of people dining in the restaurant. Since people have not been able to eat inside since the pandemic, the community atmosphere has shifted,” Terracina said. “However, I think with only employees allowed inside the restaurant, it allowed me to become closer to my coworkers since we can goof off a little.”

Dabley explains how the pandemic has affected the atmosphere and working environment at Bush’s Chicken, and gives his thoughts toward the precautions.

“The pandemic hasn’t changed anything except we have to wear masks and gloves, and customers have to wear masks inside,” Dabley said. “The virus transferability is not affected by location or height of a person. We shouldn’t be wearing gloves either, because we didn’t before, and the virus rarely transmits through surface contact. The gloves break extremely easily and fast, and are very expensive.”

Although the pandemic has changed the lives for many fast food employees, Terracina believes it still gives many an opportunity to learn valuable traits in a work environment.

“Working in fast food has definitely helped me regain my work ethic after school became online,” Terracina said. “It also helped me grow my focus, patience with others, and communication skills that I will definitely use in my future career.”

FEATURE 5

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 THE DISPATCH

Senior makes an original prom dress

Alyssa Shumaker uses her new sewing skills to create a one-of-a-kind dress for prom Lucciana Choueiry Dispatch Reporter

maker, always knew her daughter had a passion for sewing and other creative activities, even though The school year is coming to a no one in the family was involved close and the class of 2021 is grad- in any sort of fashion designing or uating. With the announcement of had any extensive experience with a somewhat normal prom, students sewing. have been on the search for the “When Alyssa first brought up perfect prom dress. Many have opt- the idea of sewing her prom dress ed for going to the store and pur- I was really surprised, especially chasing an outfit, however other when she showed me a picture of seniors have gone down a route of it, as it looked very difficult,” Shancreativity and self-expression and non said. “After seeing her plans decided to make their own dress at though, I definitely encouraged her home. to try completing the project for Senior Alyssa Shumaker has al- prom.” ways been always a fan of sewing Although sewing and fashion and like many other students, had a are things Alyssa is very passionate lot of free time on her hands when about and talented at, there were the pandemic hit and was able to parts of the outfit that were more tap back into that creative side. So time consuming and harder than she began making dresses among others to create and master such as other things as a new found hobby. the stitching on the top.

“Over winter break, I decided I “Overall, it took me about one would make my own prom dress week to do the whole thing, most because I thought it would be fun of which I finished over winter and with COVID-19 I had plenty of break, which I don’t think is too time to brainstorm and plan it out bad considering it was a really big exactly how I wanted it,” Shumaker undertaking,” Alyssa said. “After said. seeing my vision finally finished it Not only was this alternative was such a rewarding feeling.” more fun and exciting to Shumaker, Shannon was always very fond of but it was also cheaper than a tra- her daughter’s talent and watched ditionally her indulge bought in many difdress beferent fashcause of ion pieces the store prior to this I don’t think I would have had bought one. the skill to make this dress materi“She has als and without having that time dabbled in wouldn’t sewing and and being able to pursue need to making alsomething I was passionate be alterations to tered like about, so I’m proud of myself clothes she dresses buys for a for accomplishing this goal. usually while, but need to this project be. was defiAlyssa Shumaker “I took nitely the Senior inspiramost diftion from ficult and the ‘Pink time conSkies’ dress designed by Lirika Ma- suming,” Shannon said. toshi, but I wanted it to be longer Shumaker’s close friend, senior and I removed the actual stitched Kaia Pierce, also attended prom on clouds [from Matoshi’s design], this year alongside Alyssa, however and then I also altered a pattern for with a store bought dress instead, the top and made my own pattern which was a whole different prom for the rest of the dress,” Shumaker dress process than Alyssa’s. said.

“It probably took me around Alyssa’s mother, Shannon Shu-

”

”

four to five hours to choose a dress because I tried on so many, like most girls do. I wasn’t particularly inspired by anything like Alyssa was, but I just remember trying on my dress and thinking ‘this is the one,” Pierce said. “I thought it was so cool how she already had a vision of what she wanted.”

Shumaker worked for a while on her dress and tried many different ways to execute her vision, however she was set on completing it on her own, without any help.

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t really see that much the process because Alyssa kept it a surprise until the actual day of prom,” Pierce said. “I thought it was really exciting though, because we were all anticipating to see her in what she had created.”

On the other hand however, Shannon was more involved than Pierce in the overall process and would give insight as the different parts of the dress came together.

“I didn’t help her at all, and I wouldn’t even know how to work her new sewing machine if I tried, unfortunately,” Shannon said.

“However, Alyssa would model it at different stages for the family and I and would ask our opinions.”

Alyssa’s idea and execution of the dress was definitely inspiring as it wasn’t something that was common for prom, especially since the dress was one of the most important parts of the whole experience and night.

“I also have been learning to sew recently but I definitely could not make a dress as well as Alyssa and it came out so good which was a big deal because everyone wants a great dress for prom,” Pierce said.

“Her talent has definitely inspired me to get better and try out new things after seeing how well her dress came out.”

Alyssa went out of her comfort zone for this prom dress to try something new and encourages others to step out of their own comfort zones as well and she showcased her talent proudly.

“I think the final product was beautiful and fit her perfectly,” Shannon said. “I still can’t believe she was able to do all of the bodice

READY FOR PROM: Senior Alyssa Shumaker poses in her handmade dress on prom night. Shumaker spent about a week making the dress over winter break. PHOTO COURTESY OF Alyssa Shumaker

and bonding because it looked really intricate but all her hard work paid off.”

This past year has had a number of negative aspects, however it has allowed for some students to discover things about themselves and talents they had that they probably wouldn’t have tapped into if it wasn’t for the free time the pan-

demic has granted them.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely given me the time to get back into sewing and get a lot better at it,” Alyssa said. “I don’t think I would have had the skill to make this dress without having that time to practice and being able to pursue something like this that I was passionate about.”

Students discuss what it’s like receiving a COVID vaccine Miranda Cardenas Feature Editor

As of March 23, Americans 18 years old and up have been eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from either Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson distributors.

With the vaccine becoming more and more accessible in communities, many students have been able to be vaccinated in hopes of increasing their protection towards COVID-19. One of these students who has recently been vaccinated is senior Sadie Penney.

“I have only gotten my first vaccine so far but I am planning on getting my second in

the next couple of weeks so I am really excited to be fully vaccinated soon,” Penney said.

Austin has been rolling out vaccines in phases in order to keep things organized, starting with essential workers.

Once Penney was able to get an appointment, she seized the opportunity.

“I got the Pfizer vaccine and I decided to get it mainly because I thought it was the right decision,” Penney said.

“After going through a whole year of seeing stories about how the virus has affected so many people, my family and I felt that it was the right thing to do.”

Over 50 percent of Amer-

SCHEDULED FOR A SECOND DOSE: Senior Iliana Rivera holds up her vaccination card as she is about to go get her second dose of the vaccine. Rivera had to travel out of the Austin area for the appointment.

PHOTO BY Miranda Cardenas

icans have received the first vaccine dose, and most report that the first dose was a relief.

“I felt great after my first dose both mentally and physically I did eventually have a sore arm for a while but otherwise I just felt very relieved that I actually got vaccinated and now I can see my family members more often while feeling way more safe,” Penney said.

On April 19, President Biden announced that all Americans now over the age of 16 were able to get vaccinated. One student who took advantage of this was senior Iliana Rivera.

“I tried going in late January but the site we went to was only administering Moderna vaccines and checking ID’s to make sure everyone was over 18, but I’m only 17,” Rivera said. “So when I got the opportunity to finally receive my first vaccination I was really excited.”

Finding appointments to get vaccinated that fit student needs can sometimes mean having to travel outside of Austin.

“When I was able to make an appointment I ended up having to travel a little farther outside of Austin than I would’ve liked because no where in Austin had appointments that fit with my schedules,” Rivera said.

HEB grocery stores recently announced that all their pharmacies are now offering walk in COVID-19 vaccines as more and more places open up vaccination sites like the Circuit of the Americas race track and Burger Stadium.

“I think it’s super important to make sure that we not only have enough vaccines for those who want them, but

also vaccination sites that can accommodate a large number of people and professional administrators,” Rivera said.

After getting the vaccine for herself, Rivera is ready to slowly start going back to doing things that she would’ve normally done before the pandemic.

“Family is very important to me,” Rivera said. “To me, getting vaccinated means I can spend more time with my grandmother while also being safe.”

In addition to feeling safer around family, senior Mark Shreiber received the vaccine in order to feel safer getting together with friends as well.

“Right when the first dose was available to me I went to get it,” Shreiber said. “I got it mainly because I wanted to get together with all my friends without having to worry about feeling too unsafe.”

Even for fully vaccinated individuals, the CDC is still recommending wearing masks, and social distancing.

“I still plan on wearing my mask whenever I need to and to continue taking precautions when I’m in public,” Shreiber said.

Making sure to take precautions is an important part of figuring out how to flatten the curve of this virus because we are still in a pandemic.

“Even though more events are coming back this year, I think it’s extremely important to remember that we are still in a pandemic and even though you can get fully vaccinated it’s still up to you to make sure you don’t accidentally spread the virus to someone else who might not be vaccinated,” Rivera said.

As summer approaches,

RECEIVING THE FIRST DOSE: Senior Sadie Penney holds up her vaccination card right after getting her first Pfizer vaccine. Penney received her first dose a couple of weeks ago. PHOTO COURTESY OF Sadie Penney

being fully vaccinated makes students like Shreiber feel much more comfortable doing normal things.

“I feel like this summer will seem a little more normal because a lot of kids who are eligible for the vaccine are getting it and that means more places can open back up and we can do activities again that we couldn’t do last summer,” Shreiber said.

One thing Penney is excited for about summer is bigger events that couldn’t happen last year in quarantine.

“I hope things will start to open up more like concerts and everyone can go back to

events like music festivals and just more big group type of activities that we all used to enjoy before the pandemic like ACL or even going to the movies regularly for example,” Penney said.

Penney thinks it is essential for everyone to get vaccinated, despite the feelings of unrest among many people.

“I understand why some people may be hesitant but I would encourage other people to get the vaccine mainly to protect the people around them,” Penney said. “The vaccine will help all of us be more open to going back to normal life.”

6 PHOTO ESSAY THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

The prom experience during a pandemic Reagan Zuniga Photo Essay Editor

DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY: Mia Montgomery and Jack Lance enjoy the dance floor. Montgomery graduated last year and missed out on her senior prom.

“I actually thought there would be a lot more people at prom but there was barely anyone, my experience was amazing it was exactly what I wanted with my friends, Montgomery said.“ PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

Prom will not be added to the list of experiences 2021 seniors have missed out on because of COVID-19. In March it was announced in the Bowie newsletter that the class of 2021 would still have a prom the following month at the Renaissance Hotel at the Arboretum.

“I think prom was a great idea this year,” junior Jessie Bowie said. “The seniors especially have had a very unfortunate deal with COVID-19 this year, so I think it was well-deserved that they were able to have a prom.”

As expected this was not the usual prom.

Precautions were taken to ensure students could social distance and stay safe for the duration of the dance. Tables were made to accommodate six instead of the usual 10, food was packaged to-go instead of students eating at the actual event with their masks off, and students were required to fill out the questionnaire on the AISD app to ensure it was safe for them to attend.

“I feel everything outside the ballroom was very safe,” AP Psychology teacher Kris Grandinetti-Johnson said.

“Inside the ballroom, there was plenty of room for everyone to space out. The only thing that concerned me is if some students took their masks off too close to the dance floor.”

There were mixed expectations for prom this year as it was only approved a month prior to the event, and students had expected COVID-19 to play a bigger role during the dance by enforcing social distancing and wearing a mask.

“I expected prom to be a small venue with harsh COVID-19 restrictions, not allowing us to be near each other,” senior Seve Moya said. “I honestly don’t think enough precautions were taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 because a lot of people weren’t wearing masks.”

Contrary to that opinion junior Lizze Jenson felt it was expected that regulations and social distancing precautions are not going to be followed by high schoolers.

“I think that we did the best we could in regards to Covid precautions,” Jenson said. “When you decide to host an event with a ton of high school students, it’s inevitable that most of them are going to ignore any rules and precautions. Because so many people now are vaccinated, I think that the event was as safe as it could be.”

Despite COVID-19 restrictions and regulations students still thought the dance was a good break from complete isolation and social distancing after not attending in person school for the past year.

“The best part of prom

this year was just getting to see and socialize with people that I haven’t seen for the first time in a year,” junior Lily Erb said. “I really enjoyed seeing people’s dresses and being there when they announced king and queen.”

This year seniors Evan Mallet and Lucia Leon were crowned prom king and queen.

“I was definitely surprised when I was nominated for prom queen,” Leon said.

“But the best part of prom for me was getting to see a lot of my old teachers and classmates. I was expecting prom to be a little awkward considering I haven’t seen so many people since last year, but I actually ended up having a great time catching up with everyone.”

Next year’s prom is already being planned in hopes of not having COVID-19 interfering with it.

Grandinetti-Johnson as well as history teacher Wendy Uzzel are the class sponsors planning the prom..

“Planning parties is one of my absolute favorite things to do so I am already starting to get excited about it. We are hoping to raise enough money to make everything beautiful,” GrandinettiJohnson said. “I can’t wait until we decide on a theme, but I am already picturing so many Class of ‘22 Signs, lights, dessert stations, games, and good dance music.”

CROWNED PROM QUEEN: Lucia Leon is cheered by her friends as she is announced as prom queen. Leon was surprised when she heard her name being announced because her friends had nominated without her knowing. “Winning definitely made prom night one for the books,” Leon said. PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga STAYING SAFE: Students present a green screen on the AISD app and their student ID before entering. These were some of the precautions taken in regards to Covid-19. “ I don’t feel that I missed out on any aspect of prom because of covid,” junior Lily Erb said.

“Besides the masks, everything felt very normal and it was a lot of fun. ”PHOTO BY

ARRIVING IN STYLE: Kaia Pierce arrives at the Renaissance Hotel and exits her limo. Several limos could be seen transporting students to the dance. “My friends and I wanted to get a limo because it would be easier for transportation since a group of 18 of us all went downtown to take pictures together and out to dinner before arriving at prom,” senior Seve Moya said. PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

Reagan Zuniga

SECOND CHANCE: Dom Incognio and Shelly Mendoza pose as they walk into prom. Mendoza is another graduate who got her prom canceled last year but went this year. “I don’t think it made up for my prom, but I think it’s a fun and good memory; I’m glad I still got the chance to go,” Mendoza said. PHOTO

BY Reagan Zuniga

1, 2, 3 PROM!: William Noser and Alyssa Baldwin pose for a professional photographer. There were multiple other actives such as picture taking in front of various backgrounds and caricature drawings for students to do at the dance. “I loved the caricature artists there, I thought that was a really fun activity especially for people that don’t enjoy dancing,” junior Lizzie Jenson said. PHOTO BY Reagan Zuniga

7 ENTERTAINMENT

Dancers spring into annual showcase THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Silver Stars and JV Star Dancers prepare to perform their spring shows Abbey Repka Entertainment Editor

Lights hit the stage as dancers leap across for the annual Silver Stars and Star Dancers Spring Show. However this show looks different compared to previous shows because of COVID-19 regulations.

Shows will be performed at Life Austin Amphitheater on May 6 and 7. Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance, and $5 for lawn seating.

Spring Show is a tradition that many Silver Stars and Star Dancers look forward to all year.

“The finale is the definitely the best part just because it is the most exciting and also at the very end so the whole year has been building up to that and then at the end the confetti cannons go off and it just feels so great,” senior Katie Puperi said.

Typically the dance classes and middle school dance team perform alongside Silver Stars and JV Star Dancers at the spring show, but this year some changes were made because of COVID-19.

“I was virtual until a couple months ago so it was nice coming back in person and seeing all my friends for the first time in over a year,” Puperi said.

Some major changes made this year include performing outside at Life Austin Amphitheater, wearing masks at all times, and changes in the dances performed.

“We don’t have as many dances this year, so the only performances will be Silver Star dances and JV Star Dancer dancers,” senior Ellie Geeslin said.” Also instead of four shows we only have two.”

As well as a change in who’s performing, there are also changes to what dances will be performed.

“Normally the squad dances and rookie dances are only performed at spring show and the team pieces are completed, but we changed things this year for COVID-19,”

DANCING ON THE FIELD: Junior Andie Garza, sophomore Liliana Demedeiros, and senior Marisa Guerra dance during the Fall Extravaganza. The Fall Extravaganza was a combined performance with the JV Star Dancers, band, and color guard, however the Spring Show will just be a performance from Silver Stars and JV Star Dancers. PHOTO BY Natalie Cullen

Geeslin said.

This year there was no Winter Show, however the Silver Stars still performed at football games, competitions, and for the Fall Extravaganza.

“Performing at halftime, doing our stand routines, and our oth-

er game day traditions was all so much fun, and it felt just like football season last year and my rookie year too,” Geeslin said.

According to Geeslin one of the biggest challenges this year for the spring show was finding places for practices and rehearsals.

“It’s hard to practice as a whole team inside the dance gym because we can’t fit all together safely with COVID-19,” Geeslin said. “We practice in groups inside to get a safer floor to do those skills on, but practicing as an entire team is definitely the hardest thing to do space

and safety wise.”

Whenever the team cannot practice in the gym, they have to find new places, however those places come with unique challenges of their own.

“We normally practice outside in the parking lot, but that makes certain skills impossible and unsafe because of asphalt,” Geeslin said.

Although this will not been the first live performance this year, students are still extremely excited to perform for an audience, according to Geeslin.

“I’m super excited and grateful that we’ve been able to do everything this year,” Geeslin said. “I think I can speak for others when I say that they are excited for Spring Show too and to finally perform on a stage.”

Since there are no performances from the dance classes or middle school teams this year, dancers have had to adjust to quick changes for their next dance.

“Stamina [is probably the most difficult part] because there are not a lot of filler dances so some of our dances will be back to back or we have only one dance between them so it will be very tiring,” Puperi said.

Students join the Silvers Stars team or JV Star Dancers team for a variety of reasons including to learn more skills and to continue dancing.

“I like that Silver Stars has given her an opportunity to be part of a team and strengthen her leadership skills while doing something she loves,” Geeslin’s mother Danica Geeslin said.

According to Ellie, the spring show is one of the best parts about the year because of all the memories that get made.

“I love getting to spend time with the team and my peers,” Ellie said. “We have traditions that we only do at spring shows, and it is really fun to learn something new about someone else.”

Connor Snow named as a 2021 Student of the Year Nicole Rooney Dispatch Reporter

Being named as a 2021 Student of the Year for the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Heart of Texas district is a big deal and senior Connor Snow was recently award that distinction.

Snow is a part of the speech and debate team. In speech and debate there are many different things to focus on but Snow has decided to work on oral interpretation.

“I mainly have focused on oral interpretation, where you cut down pieces of literature and perform them with some sort of social message or commentary,” Snow said. “I decided to get into speech because I wanted to join a team environment where I could compete against other schools.”

In late April, Snow was nominated for 2021 Student of the Year for NSDA for all of his achievements.

“I was nominated by my coach to be judged by the district board. I was named off of my own achievements [such as state and national rankings over the years], and reputation as a respectable and encouraging competitor,” Snow said.

According to Snow, speech and debate has been able to open many different doors for him and taught him things that he couldn’t learn anywhere else and has led him to this reward.

“Not only has speech fostered my networking skills, but I believe it has also strengthened my confidence in myself as a performer and writer,” Snow said. “One major thing speech has taught me is self-sufficiency: through having to manage my time and meals at tournaments and the whole process in creating a piece, including my research, blocking, and experimenting on my own.”

Snow had worked very hard throughout the years for all of his achievements, and being named 2021 Student of the Year for NSDA was very rewarding to him.

“We were surprised because we had not heard of this award, but we were very proud because he was recognized for all his time, effort and hard work,” Snow’s father James Snow said.

Being named is a very long process. The district board looks at the NSDA point sys-

tem and tallies up points. Points are given for different types of impact in the community that the student has completed from things including tournaments and recognition that the student has received for their work as well as helping their team and community.

“To me, being named felt like all the work I had put in these past four years was recognized once more before I left the community.

Overall, this award was a nice send-off, and one I was again very grateful,” Connor said.

Each year only one student from each of the designated districts wins the award.

“We think his accomplishments during his four years in speech and debate have been rewarding and well deserved. Each year his abilities improved and he started placing in many events, as well as, qualifying for both state and national tournaments,” Connor’s mother Tanya Snow said. “He is very dedicated, reliable and motivated in not only growing his skills, but also in helping his teammates.”

Senior Jaden Davis, Connor’s friend and old duo partner in speech and debate, expressed how Connor’s dedication and hard work has led him to be deserving of this award.

“Connor is definitely a very hard and smart worker. Throughout our different pieces, he would always make the cuttings for us; which is no easy task by any means,” Davis said, “Not much went through my brain when I found out, if anything I was expecting him to get it. Connor is genuinely one of the hardest working people I know, so I figured that if anyone could get it, it would be him.”

After winning, Connor will go on to compete as a national finalist in June. He will be able to compete against many other students who were named from other districts.

“For June, I hope to try to make far in the nationals tournament in order to bolster my chances of being more recognizable for the NSDA board of judges,” Connor said, “I will prepare through refining my nationals’ piece at team workshops, as well as preparing a proper consolation piece if I don’t make it out of prelims.”

Throughout his years on the speech and debate team, Connor has not only improved on his writing but he has also gained experiences that have taught him other things.

POST TOURNAMENT: Seniors Connor Snow and Jaden Davis strike a pose after winning a speech and debate tournament that took place at the University of Texas. Snow was named as a 2021 Student of the Year for the NSDA because of his achievements. PHOTO COURTESY OF Connor Snow

“Over the years, I have enjoyed the community, both my team and getting to meet people from across the state,” Connor said.

“I also enjoyed being able to work on pieces of literature that I’ve loved and/or push messages that I value.”

Being on the speech and debate team for

Connor has fostered many new experiences, and once his time is up he will be sad to leave.

“Connor enjoys mentoring his teammates and takes great pride when they succeed,” James said. “After he graduates, he will miss being on the speech and debate team.”

coming UP in ENTERTAINMENT May 5 Summit Austin Cinco de Mayo Party May 14 Band Spring Concert

May 6-7 Silver Stars Spring Show

May 15 Randy Rogers Band Concert

May 4-9 Blanton Museum Major Exhibition May 21-23 NASCAR at COTA

8 IN-DEPTH

4 years of Mark Robinson’s ‘Bulldog Nation’ THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Faith Lawrence and Cade Spencer Editors-in-Chief

facets of campus life he identified were: social-emotional learning (SEL), strong faculty relations, and solidified cooperation with the Parent-Teacher-Student Alliance (PTSA).

CONTINUED from pg. 1 “Listening throughout my first year, I was able to create a ‘values and iniWithin the 2020-2021 Bowie High School Values and Initiatives document, tiatives’ document that I organized into three different areas,” Robinson said. the administration named “responsibility, integrity, community, ethics, hones- “Out of those categories, my main focus was relationships - among students, ty, and tradition” as core values of the school experience. faculty, and the outside community.”

“I have seen several things from Robinson that I like and admire,” Widner When Robinson first arrived on campus, he solidified his commitment to said. “One of the things that I like is that he is incredibly focused and driven, he the “listen and learn” strategy as he scheduled and participated in a ten-minute has so much energy that he can keep a lot of balls in the air at the same time. conversation with every faculty member at the time.

I also love that he is really fast-paced, he doesn’t need to ruminate for a long “Within his initial meetings, Robinson told the faculty to ‘tell me what I time, he likes to make decisions quickly. But I think the thing that I really ad- need to know about Bowie, what are the great things, and what are the things mire is that he has a real heart for social justice. And it was apparent from the that we need to work on’, and he took notes furiously as he talked to every very beginning.” single person,” Widner said. “You got to sense immediately that, numIn addition to the expression of community found within “Bulldog Naber one, every single person’s voice mattered to him, and that he had tion,” Robinson has led as principal with an emphasis on the school’s enough respect for the staff that he wanted to hear what they had to motto “Pride and Performance” and the community’s #BowiePride. say.”

“Being a part of Bulldog Nation is an extraordinary feeling, a welIn order to strengthen faculty-administration relationships, Robcoming, supportive environment,” junior Joshua Moreno said. “It is inson developed a period of time on designated Fridays known as a non-blood family.”

Free Flow Fridays, enabling campus faculty to speak with him on concerns, questions, and additional comments.

“Knowledge is power, you know, and we can all sit in our little bubble and be fearful about budgets and COVID-19 positive cases and so on, but he has always been as transparent as he can be with From his first day on campus, Robinson has led with a plan to foswhat he knows,” Maney said. “That transparency helps a lot in the ter long-term, beneficial change in the high school. In order Bowie community.” to make the systemic change he desired a reality, he apFurthering his efforts to increase the relations proached each of his first four years with a specific among teachers, Robinson also introduced a staff leadership strategy. Throughout year one, it was his award system where teachers can display school goal to listen to students and staff, in year two it badges they have earned on their classroom doors. was his goal to learn from the school body, in year In addition to badges awarded directly by the adthree it was his objective to lead, and in year four, ministration, teachers can grant such recogniit is his intention to empower the community he tions to each other. For instance, the Dispatch has come to know. gives unique badges to teachers, chosen by stu“The advice that they always give to school dents, who contribute to the newspaper. administrators is don’t go change a lot of stuff “I’m extremely competitive, so I try to earn right off the bat, but instead listen,” Robinson every badge, and in the three years before all said. “That was very present in my mind comof this happened, I would earn every badge,” ing in, my first objective was just to listen. By Maney said. “I would have so many badges the end of that first year of listening, and of on my poster, I would have to get an addicourse responding to anything that needed tional poster.” immediate attention, I had identified several Expanding upon his desire to enrich stuthings in the school community or district dent social-emotional curriculum, Robinthat needed my attention the next year.” son’s administration has encouraged the As a way for Robinson to ‘listen’ to the implementation of digital citizenship curschool community, he established the Princiriculum, standards-based grading, and perpal Panel, a group of students from all grade sonal mindset development. levels, organizations, and backgrounds to “The social-emotional learning piece was give feedback directly to the principal. Senior big for me,” Robinson said. “There is defiChristian Walker joined the Principal Panel nitely a pedagogical focus when we think his freshmen year as a way to ask questions about instruction at our school, and thus, and situate himself around campus. that is where the growth mindset work, “Funnily enough, I didn’t really get into the the standards-based grading thinking, and whole politics and social justice thing until juBLEND management system come in and nior year, so whenever I originally joined the empower our students.” principal panel, it was for me to complain about Working towards the third of his “learn” the school bathrooms,” Walker said. “Before I year goals, Robinson developed a close relaused the panel as an opportunity to represent tionship with the PTSA through active discusmy school, I used it as an opportunity to orient sions and co-projects. In fact, during the 2020myself a little bit. And then from there, it just 2021 school year, Robinson worked alongside the sort of grew. But then I just started seeing a lot of PTSA in order to raise funds and purchase over microaggressions, not only from students, but 58 air purifiers for Bowie classrooms within PRINCIPAL POSE: Principal Mark Robinson stands tall sometimes from teachers.” the Build Up Bowie campaign.

On January 12, 2018, Austin Independent as he reflects on his four years of leadership at Bowie. The “Within the effort to form a strong camSchool District (AISD) distributed over 2,000 Class of 2021 is the first graduating class Robinson has seen pus community, it is important that the facGoogle Chromebooks to the students on cam- through their high school career. PHOTO BY Cade Spencer ulty and leadership works with our PTSA to pus as a facet of the district’s EVERYONE:1 make parents feel welcome at Bowie,” Robinitiative. inson said. “At Bowie, we serve families.”

“I think Robinson handled the new chromebooks really well,” Dinwiddie said. “Everything went smoothly when they distributed them and I never had many issues at all. It has brought a whole new world to this school and expanded our ways of learning immensely these past few years. I never had a personal In an interview with the Dispatch after his first year at Bowie, Robinson computer before I got my Chromebook, so it was a really nice thing to have for claimed he wanted to “improve more on cultural proficiency” and “make sure high school. It made accessing school and my homework so much easier. And everybody has a place at Bowie.” Since then, Robinson has led a book study if it hadn’t been for the chromebooks, remote learning would have gone much with staff members on cultural proficiency as well as encouraged staff to particidifferently at the start of the COVID-19 shut-down, and not for the better.” pate in training with the Office of Cultural Proficiency and Inclusiveness within the school district.

“It seems like a lot of different things have been highlighted such as different diversity clubs,” Walker said. “I do honor him for things he’s done like during After his first year as principal, Robinson identified three main subject areas Black History Month. He took the time, as well as other teachers, to highlight that he desired to “learn” and expand upon within his second year. The three

YEAR ONE: LISTEN

YEAR THREE: LEAD

YEAR TWO: LEARN

TIMELINE OF LEADERSHIP A timeline of major events that took place during each of principal Mark Robinson’s four years at Bowie that required his leadership and decision-making

September 28, 2017: Robinson hosted the first Principal Panel, a gathering of students from different grade levels to provide the principal with feedback about August 3, 2017: Robinson releases campus. “I thought the panel the first Bowie Star Newsletter, a would be a good way to have a weekly letter sent via email to voice while speak[ing] to the students and staff containing principal,” senior Christian Walker information about events occurring said. “I’m very grateful that I was on and off campus. actually able to be on the panel.”

STAR NEWSLETTER

PRINCIPAL PANEL

YEAR ONE: 2017-2018

BULLDOG NATION August 21, 2017: Robinson first uses the phrase “Bulldog Nation” in the morning announcements.

“It makes me feel united,” social studies teacher Patricia Maney said. “It brings a smile to my face, it truly warms me and helps me get through the day. That seems so silly, but it’s true.”

CHROMEBOOKS January 12, 2018: AISD issued chromebooks are distributed to over 2,000 students through the district’s EVERYONE:1 initiative. If students experience trouble with their chromebooks and require assistance, they can access help at the following contact: (512) 4144357.

different black artists and black excellence in general. I’m honestly pretty impressed, [Robinson] has definitely done a lot of good, I think he should just continue working on things like racial sensitivity training.”

In year three of his leadership, Robinson’s administration championed, alongside Student Leadership, the implementation of the Speak Up! program on campus. The intention of Speak Up! is to educate the student body on the importance of empathy, education, and resistance against harmful and hateful words and behavior.

“What we wanted after we learned together the second year was strategies for students to use in the moment when they see something and know it is wrong,” Robinson said. “We realized that students need to know how to speak up in the moment to disrupt these acts of bias or hate because, if we think about it, a lot of time the actions do not happen when there is an adult around.”

Throughout the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, Robinson has adopted the mantra “You belong at Bowie” to further emphasize the school’s commitment to inclusivity.

“Even in his morning announcements, he is very explicit that these are the things that Bowie believes in, that we stand on, that we tolerate, and we don’t tolerate,” Widener said. “So I admire that the most, his passion and intentionality to develop ways to address social justice. He cares deeply about social justice and equity.”

In addition to a commitment to campus inclusivity, another major facet of Robinson’s leadership has been reform within school security. Since his arrival, Robinson has implemented student IDs, tougher digital security, and a policy that requires external-leading doors to be locked at all times.

“I think there was kind of an assumption for a number of years that well, this is the way the building was designed, and there is really nothing we can do about it, but [Robinson] never saw it that way,” Widner said. “Little steps, such as the locked doors policy, have made a big difference for campus safety and security.”

After a campus vandalism event in December of 2018, Robinson worked alongside the PTSA to raise funds to improve campus security within the 2019 Build Up Bowie campaign. In total, the effort raised $10,740 that was used to modernize security camera equipment and improve campus lighting.

“From my freshman year to my junior year, Bowie has made dramatic changes in security,” Moreno said. “With what seems like more campus officers and strict administrators, the campus seems fit for protection.”

In order to ensure that progress in social justice and school security, both mentally and physically for students, is made, Robinson’s administration crafted a “Bowie High School Values and Initiatives” document in early 2020 to reassert their intentions. “[Robinson] has got a very strong vision for Bowie,” Widner said. “As a staff, we rewrote our missions and visions statement, and we have another document that we maintain. We are always trying to define what we believe and what we are working on that is going to help us fulfill our visions.”

“Until we meet at the tree,” and “Cameras on when you can, and let your teachers know when you can’t.” Robinson adopted these phrases this year as a way of bringing the school community together and unifying the students and staff with a common experience.

“One of the things I am going to remember about this year was coming up with the phrase “Until we can meet at the tree,”” Robinson said. “That message of hope was something that held the faculty and staff together.”

During his fourth year of leadership, Robinson hoped to utilize all he had learned from the past three years and empower the students and staff through inclusivity training and a strong sense of school community.

“Robinson asks questions like “How do we empower students so that they’re not just complying and going through the motions, but they’re actually approaching things in a way that they care deeply about,”” Widener said. “So he’s really looking at not just what the data says how we’re doing, he’s really looking at how we foster that love of learning. He’s really in tune with that.”

The 2020-2021 school year was broken up into three phases of remote learning and reopening campus; Robinson outlined the phases in a Bowie Star Newsletter. Phase one consisted of three weeks of 100 percent virtual learning for all students through BLEND and Zoom. Phase two of the plan allowed for students and staff to return to campus, but required strict COVID-19 precautions like a temperature check and health screening before entering campus, as well as a modified version of remote learning. Instead of physically attending multiple classes, students were to complete their online instruction in a Stationary Homeroom Instructional Pod (SHIP). Lastly, phase three of reopening campus allowed students to choose from three instructional options: remote learning, on-campus hybrid model, or on-campus full-time instruction.

“I have felt super supported in remote instruction,” Dinwiddie said. “There has never been a time that I felt the Robinson administration was lacking in what I needed. With the continued morning announcements, blend campus class, and overall organization that they’ve created with remote learning, they’ve been awesome. I’ve always felt safe and in control of my health, but also in control of my academics.”

December 13, 2018: An estimated 75 to 100 windows on campus were vandalized and broken overnight, causing about $200,000 of damage according to KXAN and classes to be canceled for two days for repairs.

The damage from the vandalism also released minor amounts of asbestos onto campus. “I thought [Robinson] handled the situation very well,” junior Joshua Moreno said. “He took charge, even though it was such an immediate, unexpected event.”

PARKING CONTROVERSY

VANDALISM

As the COVID-19 vaccines are distributed to students and faculty, schools have the opportunity to open up in-person learning. Next year, AISD currently plans to offer both remote and in-person learning. Robinson aims to continue with “campus modernization”, “providing safe and secure classroom environments”, and “anti-racist work” from his past years on campus.

“For me, the challenge for the future is going to be how we are going to lean into an inspired future, because all of us have learned so much through this experience that we know more and can do more,” Robinson said. “We know better and we can do better. We’ve made such an investment in that and we’ve already grown so much that I’m just encouraged to see where we continue to grow.”

Dinwiddie described Robinson as “an extremely likable person,” and his leadership the past four years as “extraordinary.” Additionally, Moreno said Robinson has “exceeded all expectations,” and that he has respect for the principal.

“This is a great kind of opportunity to pause and reflect about how far we have truly come,” Robinson said. “This year’s seniors in the Class of 2021 have reminded me that it is not the tragedy, it is how you respond to the tragedy. I just feel like I am right there with the Class of 2021 after four years together, we are all caught up, pausing and reflecting. I know that you all are going to go on to change the world, and I truly hope that you do. I am just excited that I am going to stay here and really continue the work that we have all started.”

STAFF POLLING DATA The Austin Independent School District (AISD) administers a Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning (TELL) survey to staff members each year.

Categories on the AISD TELL survey question school faculty about topics such as School Leadership, Principal Leadership, Professional Development, Community Support and Engagement, Student Conduct, District Vision, and more. The survey is used to monitor school working conditions.

SOURCE 2021AISD TELL Survey

Principal Leadership

98%

of those surveyed believe Robinson models social and emotional competence in the way that he deals with students and faculty on a daily basis.

108 out of 188

of those surveyed thought that support and recognition from school leadership, like from Robinson, were two things that made them feel valued as an employee on campus.

98%

Additionally, of teachers surveyed trust Robinson to make sound professional decisions about instruction.

95%

A total of faculty surveyed believe Bowie leadership consistently supports teachers.

SPEAKING WITH STUDENTS: Principal Mark Robinson addresses the students in the Principal Panel, a group of students in different grades and organizations that meet once each six weeks to provide input on campus issues, while School Improvement Facilitator Ruth Ann Widner observes. During his first year at Bowie, Robinson’s objective was to just to listen to students and faculty about what needed to be changed around campus, which inspired the creation of the Principal Panel. PHOTO BY Austyn Keelty

Summer 2019: Beginning the summer before the 2019-2020 school April 4, 2020: Since school year, the 2017 Bond Program took closures on March 13, students into effect. Over the summer, were not required to attend school changes to the parking lots began, or any campus activities until April causing some students to park at a 6. Additionally, AISD remote lot. When completed, the Superintendent Paul Cruz four-story parking garage offered announced that all AISD facilities an additional 486 parking spaces would close indefinitely, beginwith tennis courts on its top story. ning on April 4. “I have felt super The total estimated cost for the supported in remote instruction,” construction under the Bond was junior Kylee Dinwiddie said. “I’ve $91,030,000 and aimed to increase always felt safe and in control of the maximum capacity of Bowie my health, but also in control of my from 2,463 to 2,900. academics.”

CONSTRUCTION

INDEFINITE CLOSURES

YEAR THREE: 2019-2020

YEAR TWO: 2018-2019

October and November 2018: Within two months, campus received a new air conditioning system to aid in fixing the inconsistency in the temperatures in classrooms, as well as high definition television monitors. The TVs were part of a district-wide initiative to improve presentations.

THE FUTURE

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 THE DISPATCH

YEAR FOUR: EMPOWER

October 2018: Before changes to the parking lots began, students with exemplary attendance had the chance to paint their reserved parking spot after a design was approved. One student’s request to paint a self portrait with the phrase “Black Girl Magic” was denied, and the student argued that since another space was painted with a Blue Lives Matter flag, they should have been allowed to paint their original design. The student was allowed to paint “BLM” and a fist to represent empowerment.

CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS

The Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning (TELL) AISD survey is administered annually to all AISD campus staff, and asks questions on topics like School Leadership, Principal Leadership, Community Support and Engagement, and more in order to “measure aspects of school climate” and “monitor working conditions by school level and campus,” according to the AISD TELL survey web page. Under the category Principal Leadership for Bowie, the percentage of teachers who strongly agreed with each subsection, for example “My principal encourages cooperation among faculty and staff toward improving student performance,” increased between the years 2020 and 2021.

“You can look at the data online for the staff survey for this year, and see how the teachers responded; it’s overwhelmingly positive,” Widener said. “One reason for that is Robinson helped to bridge an agreement where Bowie got to have a pilot program where some of the teachers got to continue [teaching] from home until they were able to be vaccinated. That gesture in itself, his problem solving for that program, really garnered a lot of loyalty among the staff. It was a really amazing point, right at this four-year point, to really see how safe the staff feels under his leadership. And I know I feel that way personally, as well.”

IN-DEPTH 9

CULTURE DAY April 18, 2019: Bowie’s Bowie Multi-Cultural Awareness Club (MCAC) hosted the first Culture Day in order to celebrate and inform students about various cultures through cultural music from different countries as well as booths with information.

COVID-19 March 13, 2020: Students were given an initial two weeks off from school as a precaution against COVID-19 after two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 were revealed in the Austin community.

QUARANTINE End of 2019-2020 school year: Despite school facility closures and having to take classes online, students continued participating in campus activities virtually, like spirit week, Bowie Idol, and student council elections.

September 8, 2020: Phase one of November 2, 2020: Phase three of reopening campus consisted of a reopening campus gives students three week period in which three instructional options: remote students and staff remained home learning, on-campus hybrid model, and participated in virtual or on-campus full-time instruction. instruction. Similar to the remote Phase three differs from the learning from the year before, previous phase, as the SHIP students worked on Zoom and model ended, and instead, BLEND during phase one, but unlike students transition between the the previous year, students were classrooms of their own teachers as required to follow a daily course would be done during a traditional schedule and meet higher school year with the exception of attendance and grade standards.

FIT.

PHASE ONE

PHASE THREE

YEAR FOUR: 2020-2021

PHASE TWO October 5, 2020: Phase two of reopening allowed for students and staff to return to campus with strict COVID-19 precautions, like a health screening, as well as a modified version of remote learning: students complete their online instruction in a Stationary Homeroom Instructional Pod (SHIP).

PILOT PROGRAM January 6, 2021: For the spring semester, six schools, including Bowie, were given flexibility in order to accommodate work arrangements for staff. The selected schools were able to meet individual faculty needs instead of deciding conditions for the campus as a whole.

10 SPORTS

Intense community tournament

THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

ATHLETES ASSERT Student organized basketball tournament consisted of 16 2v2 teams What does the future hold for Deshaun Watson?

Luke Smith Dispatch Reporter

In a regular, disappointing season for the Texans, superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson shined and finished the regular season first in passing yards and seventh in touchdowns.

Many people were saying Watson had outgrown the Texans, and he also expressed his desire to play for a new team. Despite signing a four-year, $160 million contract, Watson publicly stated that he no longer wanted to play for the Texans.

Many teams were looking into trading for Watson, but it was revealed that he has 22 sexual assault allegations.

On March 16, lawyer Tony Buzbee filed a civil lawsuit against Watson.

A massage therapist made the initial allegations, stating Watson acted inappropriately and threatened her, causing her to develop anxiety and depression.

In a statement, Watson lawyer Rusty Hardin claimed his law firm found evidence that one of the alleged lawsuits is false, meaning the others may be as well. It is hard to simply ignore multiple allegations.

Watson’s attorney released a written statement from Watson’s marketing manager Bryan Burney. The statement regarded a woman who blackmailed Watson by requesting $30,000 in exchange for silence about their sexual encounter that Watson states was consensual. She refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and another allegation from a Houston massage therapist hit the media shortly after.

Hardin released voluntary statements from 18 women saying they’ve worked with Watson and he never made them, which I think is a good strategy to defend his character. However, money is always a factor when it comes to celebrities, and I am left wondering if the 22 women truly ever knew or worked with Watson or if they were offered a financial reward to testify on his behalf.

It is possible that some of Watson’s allegations are false due to his status, but I don’t see why 16 women would all come forward with their experiences of sexual assault if they were all lying like Hardin claims.

On April 7, Nike, Beats by Dre, HEB, and Reliant Energy suspended their endorsement deals with Watson.

Watson’s future remains uncertain as this story continues to develop and new evidence comes to light.

I hope more women come forward to share their side of the story in court, otherwise I am afraid Watson may get away with such behavior and return to his life as an athlete due to lack of evidence.

He has been punished already through losing his brand deals, but if he truly sexually assaulted any of these women, he needs to be further punished.

Luke Smith Dispatch Reporter

Keeping the spirit of March Madness alive, some Bowie students have organized a tournament similar to March Madness. Seniors CJ Aguilar, Andrew Haney, and Adam Ybarbo organized a 16-team tournament among Bowie senior boys.

The tournament will be played at Wolf Trap Park.

The rules for the tournament are simple, and it began April 25 and will continue into the following weekends until only two teams are left for the final.

“If you lose, you’re out and that’s it, so hopefully we’ll get to see some interesting upsets,” senior Trey Gipson said. “Our goal for the tournament is to win the whole thing.”

The group originally had this event organized for last year, but they pushed it back due to COVID-19. As more of the participants are getting vaccinated, they felt more comfortable in starting up their plan again.

“I joined the tournament because [I knew] it would remind me of what it used

to be like when we all got together to play basketball before COVID,” Gipson said.

Several measures are being taken to ensure a safe and COVID-free tournament.

“We are encouraging masks, [especially for those who are on the side and not playing at the time], and I know most of the people out there are partially, if not fully, vaccinated,” Gipson said.

The tournament attracted an abundance of teams, for many athletes were eager and ready to play with their friends since they haven’t for quite some time.

“I thought we would struggle finding 16 teams,” senior tournament organizer CJ Aguilar said. “I figured we would have to go down to 8 teams, [but we even] had to make a team of three because we ran out of space.”

Aguilar is on a team with senior varsity basketball player Adam Ybarbo, and they feel their team chemistry will aid them.

“I’d say my strengths as a player are passing and perimeter defense,” Aguilar said. “My shot and post scoring is a hit or miss, and our

ONE VS ONE: Senior Luke Lovelady dribbles towards net as Christian Garcia Pecina. Pecina was teammates with Nathan Thompson, and they won 21-19. PHOTO BY Naya Tillisch

goal is to win at least two games.”

Ybarbo has the advantage of experience, for he played basketball all four years of high school, and he’s excited to show off his skills.

“Some advantages I have for the tournament are my height, finishing and rebounding, athleticism and a little bit of shooting,” Ybarbo said.

The tournament used March Madness and normal pick-up basketball to shape the rules and organization.

“Each game is played to a score of 21 with normal basketball scoring of two and three 3-point shots,” tournament organizer Andrew Haney said. “You must win by at least two points.

Fouls will be called by people standing and watching, which will most likely be the people who organized it. A foul will result in giving possession to whoever received the foul and there will be no free throws or and-1s.”

Each team should be on a level playing field, so they tried to make the teams as balanced as possible.

“To determine who will start with the ball first, I think each team will shoot a three pointer from the top of the key and whichever team makes the three when the opposing team misses will get the ball first.”

As an incentive for people to join, Haney had the idea to start a money pool that could be given to the winner.

“We are still debating [on having] a prize, but we would definitely like to,” Haney said. “If we do, there will be a $5 entry fee for each player, meaning first place will get 75% of the pool, and second place gets 25%.”

Haney is teammates with varsity basketball player Joseph Winick, and he reflects on their first match-up, as

well as some of the others in the first round.

“Our game started off slow; we gave up five points at the start, but then Joseph and I started to heat up and got used to playing together again,” Haney said. “We knocked down a couple of threes and just took over Ryder Wolfe and Carter Lim didn’t score the rest of the game so we ended up blowing them out 21-5.”

According to the tournament’s Instagram page, the

current projected winners are LD Butler, who recently committed to St. Edward’s University for basketball, and Jaxson Glenewinkel.

After the first round of the tournament, eight teams remain and the excitement to see who will win is building.

“Overall, the first round went really well,” Haney said. “Everyone had a good time playing, watching other games, cheering others on, and just getting to hang out with each other.”

Senior golfers encourage others to hit the links Naya Tillisch Sports Editor

Silence surrounds the athlete as he lines up his putt and carefully hits the ball and the crowd erupts in applause as the ball finds its way into the hole. Golf is not often the first thing that comes to mind regarding high school sports, but this year’s boy’s golf team has been quite competitive.

Senior athlete Ryder Wolf has been playing golf since he was young and began participating in tournaments in middle school.

“I first got involved with golf be-

cause both my dad and my grandpa love to play, so they encouraged me to start playing,” Wolf said. “In the past year I would say my handicap has gotten as low as eight, despite having rounds that are both better and worse than that.”

Wolf reflects on this year’s unique season and how it was affected by COVID-19.

“The Bowie golf team did pretty well this year, especially considering the difficult tournaments we had to play in,” Wolf said. “We were required to wear masks during our tournaments, which served as a distraction while playing. Also, the

Questions?

Concerns?

Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: bowie. journalism@ gmail.com Room: F203

LAY UP: Senior varsity point guard Joseph Winick jumps across his competition to shoot. Winick participated alongside Andrew Haney as his teammate and won his first game 21-5. PHOTO BY Naya Tillisch

FRIENDLY COMPETITION: Sophomore Jake Cole, senior Ryder Wolf, junior Steven Noack, senior Jaden Davis, senior Atticus Kohler, and senior Carter Lim (left to right) helped lead the team to success this year. Wolf has been on the team four years, and Kohler and Lim have been playing for over a year. PHOTO COURTESY OF Ryder Wolf

schools were only allowed to take five players to each tournament as opposed to 10. This made the tournaments a little less enjoyable because you can’t be there with the entire team.”

Senior athlete Atticus Kohler only recently started golfing, and he loves how the sport encourages so much hard work and dedication.

“I have been playing golf for a little under a year and am a member at Greyrock Golf Club,” Kohler said.

“My favorite part about golfing is the chase of perfection. It is impossible to master, and that’s what keeps me coming back. The satisfaction of doing well is addicting, and it encourages me to play more and more.”

Success within golf is extremely rewarding, and it can be much more difficult than it looks.

“The biggest challenge that comes with golfing is having to be mentally strong, especially when you’re playing bad,” Wolf said. “It’s easy to lose focus and give up on yourself when playing bad, so you have to always remember to focus on the next shot and not think about what happened in the past.”

Senior athlete Carter Lim is friends with both Wolf and Kohler and began playing as a sophomore.

“I’ve been playing for almost three years now,” Lim said. “I first started playing golf after I quit baseball. I wanted to keep playing a sport, and I already had a pretty good swing from having played baseball, so I figured golf would be fun. I normally shoot around 15-20 shots over par.”

Though the golf team creates a community for golfers around the school, it is still very much an individual sport in which practicing is different for everyone.

“To get to the level I’m at today, I’ve had to spend lots of time at Grey

Rock hitting balls off the driving range and playing rounds on their course and going out to Bowie practices at Jimmy Clay Golf Course,” Lim said.

Additionally, golf involves a lot of self-teaching methods, unless athletes choose to sign up for private lessons.

“Any time I hit a bad shot, I would find what was wrong with my swing and go home and watch YouTube videos on what I should do to fix it,” Lim said. “Golf is an individual sport, so if you make a mistake, the blame is all on you and it’s up to yourself to get past it, which can be tough.”

Last year, the team would practice about three times a week to prepare for tournaments, specifically the spring tournaments.

“A regular season of golf includes a fall and spring season,” Wolf said.

“The fall season is only a month long with a couple tournaments, and the spring season is several months and usually includes four to five tournaments. We normally practice three days a week as a team, but there are times when some of the team will try to go out and play by themselves during the weekend.”

Kohler encourages anyone who is interested to give golfing a shot, for he has improved significantly in the past year and really enjoyed his time on the team.

“My advice to new golfers is don’t worry about how you look in front of other people,” Kohler said. “Don’t feel pressured to buy new clubs and spend a bunch of money. Golf is all about personal achievement and growth, and I think the Bowie team is a great example of that. The team chemistry and environment was better than I could have imagined and it made me look forward to every practice.”

coming UP in SPORTS M a y 7 - M a y 8 Tr a c k s t a t e m e e t @ U T A u s t i n

June 3 JR boys lacrosse clinic @Small Middle School

May 20 Varsity tennis state tournament vs. @College Station

June 15-19 Baseball elementary school camp @Bowie

May 8 JR boys lacrosse vs. Round Rock @Small Middle School

June 9-12 Softball camp @Bowie

SPORTS 11

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 THE DISPATCH

Varsity baseball undefeated in district

Senior players thrive against other teams and lead varsity to consecutive wins this season Corinne Piorkowski Sports Editor

Amidst a wild year with many obstacles, the varsity baseball team has hit a home run with their second place in the district standings and their so-far undefeated district season.

Among many impactful players, the boys on the team have said that senior Johnathan Eastin has helped lead the team to many of their standout wins against talented teams.

“My number one goal this season is to be the best team we can be and to compete for a

district title and make a run in the playoffs,” Eastin said. “I aim to achieve this by just making sure we always play to our potential and stay positive.”

As it is his last year, Eastin has been more motivated to help his team reach their fullest potential on and off the field.

“I just want us to always work hard because we have a lot of hard working people on the team with a lot of talent as well,” Eastin said. “Also, I want us to only play one game at a time and not worry about who we play next.”

Along with Eastin, there are other stand-

out senior players that work hard to lead the team to consecutive wins.

“I try to do my job to the best of my ability by taking it one game at a time and focusing on that opponent and encouraging my teammates to do the same,” senior Thanio Bright said.

The team has an opportunity this year to go to the state championship if they can make it through the various rounds of playoffs against teams around the state.

“My number one goal this year is to make it to state,” junior player Danny Rodriguez said. “We’ve worked really hard this year and

PITCHING FAR: Senior Johnathan Eastin pitches to the opposing team in a district game. Eastin has been named by his teammates a standout player this season who has led them to win many games. PHOTO COURTESY OF Johnathan Eastin

it has shown on the field.”

Head coach Sam Degelia has also put effort into making the team succeed among other teams in the district this season so far.

“My first mindset is to make the playoffs, but we are not in the playoffs yet,” Degelia said. “We must win a few more games before we get in, and I am hopeful we can accomplish this in the next few weeks.”

Because of the pandemic, the season has had to have several changes that ultimately affected practices and games.

“Early during the fall COVID-19 hit us a little bit, but our players have done everything we have asked them to do to try and not put each other at risk,” Degelia said.

“We stay six feet apart, wear masks, don’t touch, and keep moving away from each other as much as possible.”

The multiple seniors on the team have each reflected on both the current season and their years on the team and their experiences with it.

“My favorite part about my senior season has been sweeping Westlake,” Eastin said. “I don’t try to stand out on the field; I just try to do my job on the field so when I’m on the mound I try and keep the team in the game so we are in position to win.”

The players also reflect on their favorite parts about their team and baseball, and how these things lead them to successes.

“The best thing about playing baseball is the feeling you get when you feel like you helped your team get a win that day,” Bright said. “We did this by taking it one game at a time and doing what we needed to do to win the games we needed to win.”

For the coaches, there is a different perspective to winning behind the scenes as opposed to playing on the field with the players.

“My favorite thing about being a coach is giving back my knowledge of the game and watching these guys grow up in four years and become responsible young men,” Degelia said. “It is always great to see players come back and say hello after they leave our program too.”

The team has overall been thriving in a year full of setbacks, and hopes to reach the next level of playing this season with their constantly improving coaching and players.

“People outside the sport need to know that baseball gets young men ready for life; it is not an easy game to play,” Degelia said.

“There are few people who can say they really love what they do but I am one of those people who can say that I love my job.”

Track takes many medals at regional district competition Riley Payne Dispatch Reporter

Sprinting to pass on the baton, junior Ashley Salas and the girls varsity relay team made history by setting a new all-time school record for the 4x200 meter race. The varsity relay team made it all the way to day two of the regional competition in San Antonio this year.

For Salas, succeeding at running track isn’t something that is unfamiliar to her.

“I started running track in 7th grade,” Salas said. “I started doing it because I wanted to just try out all the sports since it was our first year being able to do them in middle school and I fell in love with it.”

The pandemic was a factor on the season this year and has caused difficulties regarding meets and practices.

“COVID-19 had a big effect on our track season; it started affecting us from the beginning,” Salas said. “Our season last year got cut short and we lost out on a lot of practice and progress for this year, and our track season started later than normal so we were already behind on working towards our important meets.”

Although the pandemic had created obstacles for the team this year, the relay team continued to set goals for themselves that they strove to reach throughout the season.

“Our goals for the team were to win district and for everyone to meet their peak by district so that we could succeed at regionals,” Salas said.

Among other great schools, the girls on the relay team qualified for regionals when they set their record.

“Our expectations changed a lot; before we just wanted to qualify,” Salas said. “Then, we wanted to get first place, and as the competition got tougher we were of course trying to win, but also just trying to get our personal best times.”

After district, the postseason in

READY TO RUN: Junior Charli Reed warms up on the side with her block start. Reed participates in the 100 meter hurdle race, which is what she was practicing for. PHOTO COURTESY OF Charli Reed

SPRINTING TO FINISH: Freshman Griffin Crawley speeds through a 100 meter dash at a track meet. Runners are allowed to set up their block starts and practice before running their race.

PHOTO COURTESY OF Charli Reed

track is much more competitive among the teams and personal runners.

“Normal meets were very relaxed, it’s almost like we were out there running for workouts,” Salas said. “At district, area, and regional meets we started really having to compete and you could really tell the people there were in it to win it; it was a very intense competition and seemed very professional.”

For the runners, opportunities at these qualifying meets increase from a regular seasonal meet.

“Normal meets don’t have nearly as much pressure as qualifying meets because they don’t result in anything major, whereas qualifying meets could mean scholarships for us,” junior hurdler Ellie Dusterhoft said.

As for the coaches, they tend to keep high standards for their ath-

letes no matter how high stress the meet is.

“The coaches treat every meet as being very important,” Dusterhoft said. “Every meet you run could be your best and it’s great practice even if it isn’t an important meet.”

After moving on to regionals, it was important for the team to focus and lock in on the challenges ahead.

“The difference in preparing was the intensity and focus we had at practices,” Salas said. “Once it started getting close to district, area, and regionals we took practices a lot more seriously.”

In addition to the physical components of running, there are also mental factors that impact a runner before their race.

“It’s kind of exciting, but for the most part nerve racking until

you’re done running,” Dusterhoft said. “Especially high stress events like relays and hurdles where the anticipation just builds.”

The sport has also given the athletes a chance to grow as people, on and off the track.

“Ashley has become a more confident person and challenges herself,” mother Linda Salas said.

Overall, the meets impacted the athletes and allowed them to do what they love in front of bigger crowds.

“It was crazy seeing people running that were crazy fast,” Salas said. “This affected me by kind of giving me a point of view that there are always going to be people faster than you and I definitely knew that, but just seeing that at the meets and seeing people running that fast was really cool.”

12 POP CULTURE THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Things you can do after high school

SEASONAL ACTIVITIES to do in AUSTIN Alternative ways to accomplish goals if you are not going to college in the fall Four fun things to do that align with COVID-19 policies.

Lauren Wright Dispatch Reporter

Since summer is almost here, there are many fun activities to do that will not cost a lot of money. There are still lots of fun things to do for summer without spending lots of money and remaining safe.

If you enjoy being outside and look at products that local people have made, then going to a farmers’ market could be something you enjoy. Going to a farmers’ market is a fun experience where you can shop for fun gifts and also find baked goods.

When visiting the Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market, it will be outside and people will be wearing masks to keep everyone safe. Not only will you have fun, but you will also be helping the local vendors earn money. This is a fun activity to visit with your friends or family and it can even be free if you don’t buy anything. To learn more about the SFC Farmers’ Market at Sunset Valley visit https://sustainablefoodcenter.org/farmers-market/sfcfarmers-market-at-sunsetvalley.

Many families will take a daytime adventure to go on a hike, enjoying the weather and time together. Hiking is a free adventure that is also very safe, although people aren’t required to wear a mask, everyone will remain socially distanced. To make sure that you remain safe while hiking make sure to only stay near people you know and keep your mask on. One place in Austin where you can hike is Barton Creek Greenbelt, their events are free but they have options to donate online. You can find more about Barton Creek Greenbelt at https://austinparks.org/barton-creek-greenbelt/.

A fun activity that is very popular to do in Austin is going to watch bats on the South Congress bridge.

Watching Bats is very enjoyable to do because you can relax and be outside while getting to have a once-ina-lifetime experience. July through August is the best time to go see the bats, They usually start to emerge from the Congress Ave. bridge 20 minutes before sundown. It is socially distanced because you can be anywhere outside you want and still get a great view of the bats. You can pay $5 to watch or $12 to get a sunset bat-watching tour.

For more information about their tours go to https:// www.capitalcruises.com/ bat-watching/.

Going to a concert is something that people have been doing for a long time.

When you go to a concert at Waterloo Records, they require you to wear a face mask to keep everyone safe.

There are lots of different options of what concert you attend, some are free while others cost $76. To find out more about upcoming concerts and pricing visit https://www.songkick.com/ metro -areas/27400-canada-waterloo.

Summer is a fun season that has lots of enjoyable activities that you can go to without spending too much money and remaining safe.

These options will help you enjoy your summer and stay safe.

Questions?

Concerns?

Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: Bowie. journalism@ gmail.com Room: F203

Callie Payne Pop Culture Editor

Never ending nerves and sheer anxiousness creeps up when this question doesn’t seem to go away; what if college isn’t for me right now?

So many people know exactly where they are going and what they are doing straight out of high school, what happens when this isn’t the case?

For the past couple of decades, society has expected college to be the first step when an 18-year old graduates high school. While most people can agree it is an important step to further educate yourself, there are many options to explore before you take this big step.

“After high school I plan on taking a gap year,” senior Eliza Sparkes said. “During the first half of my gap year I plan to work a full time job, volunteer with a few organizations that help children in play therapy, serve at my church, apply to universities in England, and enjoy being a part of my community in Austin. At the beginning of 2022 I plan on moving back to England (where I used to live) and settle back into the community to prepare for university.”

According to Admissionsly, 66 percent of college graduates went to college straight after high school, which means about 34 percent of high school graduates decide to take a gap year or years.

“There is no time limit on when someone can go to school, and even a gap year can turn into years before returning to college or university,” Sparkes said. “The best thing about a gap year is that it gives you a chance to grow personally by discovering what you do and don’t want to do and through this you

College?

Gap Year??

ad, here o r b A o ng to G gs to do Accordi thin 0 1 p o t are the year: p a g a g durin - adventure travel - be an au pair - get a camp job - participate in hands on learning - do an internship can gain the experience you need to better yourself for college. Ultimately, I always knew I wanted to move back home to England someday and after talking to friends at university there, I decided that I would attend university there.”

Once a decision has been made to take a year off, there

- work abroad - get some journalism experience - learn a new language - study abroad - volunteer

are many routes one can choose to be prepared for college.

“After high school I am planning on taking a year to myself and work on getting a good job and eventually go to school,” senior Carson Copenhaver said. “My plan is to move out to South California with some of my friends. I

ART BY Shruti Patel

really want to throw myself in the deep end and get a head start at growing up and moving out on my own. Trying to figure out the money situation especially while living on our own across the country will be difficult for me and my friends, but I am up for the challenge.”

When taking a break from

school, it is still important to keep college resumes in mind. Something that could help strengthen a resume is being experimental and getting some hands-on learning through whatever it is that you are doing.

“I taught a student many years ago who got a work visa in order to work in New Zealand for a year so she could travel and see some of the world,” English teacher Bree Rolfe said. “It eventually led her to pursue a degree in international relations.

Similarly, I had a student that took a gap year and did a yoga retreat in India, she planned on pursuing a career in the medical field but was also very interested in Eastern and alternative medicine so this was a valuable experience.”

A common misconception about gap years is that they are ineffective.

“I think my advice would be to have some sort of plan,” Rolfe said. “I don’t think it’s the best idea to have zero plans and just spend a year playing Minecraft all day and sponging off your parents. However, I do think a gap year can be a good way for students who aren’t really entirely sure what they want to do in life and explore some options.”

According to Gap Year Association, gap years had a significant and positive impact on the students who took them.

“My advice to people exploring their options for after high school is to really consider every option,” Sparkes said. “It’s not always in your life that you get the freedom to decide what your next four years will look like, and if you don’t know, that’s okay. If you aren’t sure about college, a gap year gives you the time and freedom to try new things.”

Fashion trends that have taken off this season Maya Hayne Dispatch Reporter

Warm weather and a new season brings tons of new fashion trends.

Many apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest are major places where the trends can first get discovered.

Many trends that were once popular in the past resurface years later. Boot cut pants, mini skirts, low rise pants, mesh tops that were once popular in the 2000’s are once again popular now over 20 years later.

“I think flowy, light, colorful skirts and tops will be popping up a lot more, along with unique pieces with different types of cut outs,” Junior Erin Gallant said.

Bright and colorful outfits, with flowy delicate pieces are attractive to many people this year. Besides clothing, bags and accessories in vibrant colors and floral have all been in style. While color-neutral outfits are starting to show up less when it comes to trends but, those types of clothing will still always be popular.

Due to social media and trends many brands that were not too well-known can have a chance more in the spotlight if one of their items became a trend.

“I heard of IAMGIA from TikTok and I really like all the interesting pieces they have which I feel like are unique and different, but they are really pricey so I tend to shop more at thrift stores,” Gallant said. “Thrifting to get clothes is a good way to shop especially since a lot of trends are resurfacing old trends.”

Many places like IAMGIA, Princess Polly, Joolz, Zara, Urban Outfitters, and Pacsun are some of the places where these spring trends can be found.

“I know this is really in right now but in my opinion certain patterns or pattern mixing is sometimes not too flattering and just seems like too much,” Gallant said. “Also, over-accessorizing can get overwhelming to an extent too, but on plain outfits it looks good.”

Since some brands like IAMGIA and Artiza are on the more pricey

SPRING IN STYLE: Junior Maya Hayne is wears her new romper from Princess Polly and is pairing it with a classic handbag from Coach. This is Hayne’s favorite outfit for the spring and she cannot wait to wear it to a brunch with her friends. PHOTO COURTESY OF Aneta Hayne

side, cheap fast fashion brands like Shein and Romwe make affordable dupes. However, this has been a heavily debated topic because even though the clothes from these companies are cheap, the way they are made can be unethical.

“I have ordered clothing from places like Shein in the past and I was just not that impressed,” senior Megan Miller said. “They make it look great in the photos but when it arrives it looks completely different and the quality isn’t that good.

Although, I probably wouldn’t buy

from there again I understand why other people would because it is a good option if you want a quick, cheap outfit.”

Beaded necklaces, which are super popular right now, can be found on places like Etsy, Depop, Joolz, and Pura vida. Crochet clothing has also become a big trend and can even be done at home with a few youtube videos. Many people have begun to love and wear crochet items like dresses, skirts, or shirts because they are versatile.

“I think crochet clothing can add

a nice element of texture to an outfit,” junior Brynn Laughlin said. “I have also gotten into making beaded necklaces because I can make them in all kinds of colors and it adds a nice touch to any outfit.”

With old trends making a comeback and new trends quickly emerging, this spring season’s fashion has been a fun way for people to truly express themselves.

“Fashion is important to me because looking good makes me feel good,” Laughlin said. “Putting outfits together is such a fun hobby.”

REVIEWS 13

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 THE DISPATCH

Swift surprises fans with new releases A review of her recent album, “Evermore”, and newest one, “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” Isabella del Nido Dispatch Reporter

On December 11, 2020, “Evermore,” the sister album of “Folklore,” was released by the one and only Taylor Swift. “Evermore” was released five months after “Folklore,” and was Swift’s ninth studio album.

Within the first week, the album was streamed 220 million times and had sold 154,000 copies.

Swift’s magnitude on the charts is comparable to legends like the Beatles and Whitney Houston.

The lead single, “Willow,” was released just before the rest of her album along with a music video that eloquently pulls you into the album’s universe.

The lyrics are rooted with love and romance. In this album, Swift explores the power of storytelling within her lyrics and combines fact with fiction. Lyrics like; “I’m begging you to take my hand,” and “Wherever you stray I follow,” allude to how Swift explains the song as wanting someone and the magic of falling in love.

The whimsical emotions of “Evermore” pull you in for a dramatic entourage of events. One of the most mysterious songs, “No Body, No Crime,” which is the sixth track on the album, takes on a murder mystery persona. Swift also collaborates with the HAIM sisters for the first time despite having toured together before.

“No Body, No Crime” is about a woman named Este who disappeared and how her friends try to uncover the truth behind her disappearance. The song includes a cheating husband who they believe was caught red-handed and an alibi for the friend who was with Este the day before she disappeared. In my opinion, this song stands out more than other tracks on the album and its plot line brings the listener in and never lets them go.

The majority of “Evermore” features softer, more instrumental tones which feels like a nice extension from “Folklore”. The strings of instruments and the somber piano, along with the strums of the guitar layered in the background create a soft ambiance that even

matches the energy in the album’s cover. It feels as if you are transported to the field pictured on the album with her.

In the 11th track, “Cowboy Like Me,” Swift explores a love story tainted with the worst odds. She describes a trickster as a cowboy and explains that the person she fell in love with played tricks on her. It is later revealed that she only knows that because she’s a cowboy (trickster) too. In the bridge of the song, Swift sings how skeletons in both their closets warned them of this relationship. She sings that she was playing a dangerous game in the pursuit of love. She even makes the bold claim in this song that “Forever is the sweetest con,” meaning that loving someone forever is just a fairytale.

I really enjoyed the metaphors within each track and when they would click in my mind, it gave the whole song a much stronger significance. The riffs of her gui-

tar remind me of her older country albums like “Fearless” and “Speak Now,” which are two of her most iconic studio albums.

“Evermore” felt nostalgic yet fresh at the same time, and it was beautifully written like all of her songs before.

In addition to “Evermore,” Swift has begun re-releasing covers of her old albums, starting with “Fearless”. The re-release is called “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)”.

In 2005, Swift signed with Big Machine and recorded with them for 13 years before her contract ended in 2018. After her contract ended with them, she lost all of the rights to her original music and the first six of her albums. She soon switched to Universal’s Republic records and made sure that she would have complete ownership of her future albums.

Because of this conflict, anyone who streams Swift’s old albums will not be directly supporting her,

ART BY Isabella del Nido

but rather her previous record label. Scooter Braun, who purchased Swift’s masters, now makes money each time someone streams her older albums.

Swift’s smart move of re-recording her older albums ensures that no one else can profit off of her own vocals going forward.

The newfound maturity within her voice makes “Fearless (Taylor’s version)” so much more pleasant. I

“Evermore” Overall- 4/5 Lyrics- 5/5 Emotion- 4/5

love seeing her growth as an artist and I’m glad that I won’t be streaming for Big Machine anymore.

Another surprise Swift had in store for her fans was the reveal of her “From the Vault” tracks. Each “From the Vault” song was written before “Fearless” came out in 2008, but not recorded until now.

We get to see the rise of young Swift’s “teenage angst” in her song, “Mr. Perfectly Fine (From the Vault)”. This surprise song has a bunch of hidden meanings just waiting to be discovered.

The use of the electric guitar, acoustics, and background vocals all tie into “Fearless” perfectly.

“Mr. Perfectly Fine” reminds me of songs like, “Love Story” and “You All Over Me.” The song connotes to a special someone who ignited a spark of emotions in young Swift. Lyrics like “Mr. Perfect face, Mr. Looked me in the eye and told me you would never go away’’ sounds like a sweet, yet cheesy love song, but further into the song lyrics like “Mr. Change of heart, Mr. Leaves me all alone,” reveal not a happily-ever-after kind of love story after all.

The beauty of “Evermore” perfectly creates an atmosphere of love and loss and its lyrics gorgeously bring in the magic of words. The songs are captivating, yet clean and crisp. The songs also give me a better perspective on her as a person, because they are so intertwined into her..

I am already anticipating more from her, but for now her re-releases of “Taylor’s Version” and the new “From the Vault” songs will keep me busy.

“Taylor’s Version”& ”From the Vault” Overall- 5/5 Improvement from older versions- 4/5 ART BY Sammie Thompson

Whistleblower film “Seaspiracy” stirs up global controversy Sammie Thompson Reviews Editor

If you eat fish, you are giving the planet (and therefore yourself) an inevitable death sentence. At least this is the conclusion that “Seaspiracy,” a new Netflix documentary about the environmental impact of commercial fishing and other sea-related industries, comes to in the end.

“Seaspiracy” debuted on March 24, 2021.

It was produced by the same people as “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret,” which is a documentary about the environmental impact of animal agriculture on the planet that is also available on Netflix.

“Seaspiracy” was filmed, directed, and narrated by Ali Tabrizi, a British filmmaker. At an hour and a half long, Tabrizi’s film packs in a lot of content.

It begins with an ominous voice over of people talking about the dangers of filming this documentary. An assortment of clips are shown to build suspense, including ones of

Tabrizi and his crew being chased by police as they try to film. This beginning was unexpected for me; I wasn’t ready for a documentary about the ocean to be so contentious. Nonetheless, this start definitely made me want to keep watching and figure out what was going on.

The film then shifts gears to introduce the audience to Tabrizi and describe his passion for the ocean, which is why he created the documentary. It also explains why sea life and the science of the ocean is so essential to humans, and how we are destroying it. Many statistics and sources are included to support these explanations, including some alarming ones, like the claim that oceanic microplastics, or pieces of plastic that are less than five millimeters long, outnumber stars in the galaxy by at least 500 times.

After setting the stage for how important the ocean is to our planet, Tabrizi then takes the audience around the world to investigate the practices of commercial fishing and other sea industries. He travels to countries like Ja-

S E A S P I R ACY

“If current fishing trends continue, we will see virtually empty oceans by the year 2048” - Ali Tabrizi, “Seaspiracy” ART BY Sammie Thompson

pan, Liberia, and Thailand where he finds disturbing and illegal fishing and whaling practices, as well as severe human rights abuses.

Along the way, he calls out environmental groups for allowing some of these practices to occur while still claiming to promote sustainability.

The film ends with a call to action for the audience: stop eating fish and go on a plantbased diet instead.

My initial reaction to this call to action was disappointment. While a plant-based diet is great for some, it is not affordable or possible for everyone to fit into their respective lifestyles or cultures. It seems to me that more significant changes at the systemic level of these industries would be necessary to solve these disturbing issues, especially since not everyone can simply just cut fish and meat out of their diets. As someone who is not a big fan of eating fish anyways, I was hoping that the documentary would provide me with more tangible solutions so that I could do my part to help the ocean and advocate for the end of these severe human rights abuses.

After its release, “Seaspiracy” garnered lots of social media attention in multiple countries and reached Netflix’s global top-10 chart just days after it was released.

With financial backing from actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, it received a 75% critic score and 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite high ratings, the film stirred up a lot of controversy, and for good reason. Several of the people that were used as sources in it claimed that their statements were heavily edited and taken out of context, including representatives of sustainable seafood labeling companies Dolphin Safe and the Marine Stewardship Council. These two companies were labeled as scams by Tabrizi, who claimed that their labels gave consumers false assurance that the seafood they were eating was actually sustainable.

Many also claimed that some of the facts and data that were being used were misleading. One of the main claims of the documentary, that overfishing will cause the ocean to be completely empty of fish by 2048, has even been redacted by the author of the study that originally claimed it.

While there were major issues with the way the film’s argument was presented, there were

“Seaspiracy” Ratings Overall- 3/5 Informativeness- 3.5/5 Trustworthiness- 2/5 Production quality- 5/5 Entertainment Value- 4/5 ART BY Sammie Thompson

still several things that I enjoyed about it. For starters, the way in which it was filmed was a unique approach that was very captivating.

Tabrizi and his crew filmed clips from many of the countries that they were in on a handheld camera, which was able to really immerse the viewer into their experiences and allow them to see the severity of these global issues.

Tabrizi’s dedication to showing what was happening was evident through the clips in which he kept filming even when they were in danger.

In addition, the film does bring up some valid and thought-provoking points. For example, it highlights the recent social media emphasis on not using plastic straws. It reasons that while not using plastic straws is important, they are not as big of a problem as they seem because they account for just 0.03% of ocean plastic (this statistic has been fact-checked). According to the film, fishing nets are a much more significant source of ocean plastic that is often overlooked, which is something that I had never considered before.

Overall, this documentary was informative and entertaining, but should definitely be taken with a grain of salt. If you watch it, I would recommend doing further research to determine what parts of it might be misleading and what you can reasonably do to help reverse the alarming issues that it portrays.

14 COMMENTARY THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Biden takes a stance against Amazon The Biden administration makes a historic pro-union message during an Amazon union election EDITORIAL Seconds beep down as workers anxiously try to complete their tasks in the allotted time. Workers have to wear trackers that indicate how far away they are from their posts. Safety measures are constantly being compromised so workers can meet their rates. Drivers have to urinate in water bottles in order to deliver packages on time.

All of these are claims made by former Amazon workers about the type of working conditions at Amazon warehouse. The conversation around unionizing Amazon’s workers has been a big topic of debate with employees wanting the benefits that a union supplies.

The fight against Amazon's anti-union policy has been a tiring battle but recently the workers received an unlikely supporter, the President of the United States.

Joe Biden showed his support for the Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, who were about to start a seven-week-long voting process for a union to represent their facility.

Although their efforts failed, the support of the president is almost unheard of when it comes to a union election. Biden’s endorsement not only signifies a huge step forward for Amazon workers but unions all across the country.

A union, for those who aren’t sure, is an organization of workers who come together to achieve common goals in their workplace such as benefits, fair wages, and working conditions.

A union would be extremely helpful in a work environment like Amazon especially, because of their willingness to exploit their works health and safety for profit .

The popularity of unions has fallen drastically since the early 1900s going from 20.1 percent in 1938 to 10.8 percent in 2020, ac-

cording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics with most of the unions being in the public sector versus the private sector. Most of this is due to big business and government opposition, with one of the most notable being right-towork legislation which puts a huge strain on unions. Right-to-work makes union fees optional, often making unions costly for union representation groups who still have to pay the unpaid dues.

What makes Biden’s endorsement particularly impactful is not the words he had for employees but rather the words he had for employers. Biden stated that “There should

be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda” not only speaking directly to Amazon, who has very explicitly pushed anti-union propaganda and even fired employees who were in favor of unions, but this was also directed at the state of Alabama, a right-to-work state.

This could signify a change in the democratic plan to finally do as they claim and represent the workers. Republican pundits and politicians have been successful in highlighting the establishment within the democratic party while distracting from their own ties. By focusing on protecting and expand-

ART BY Rae Gray

ing unions, Democrats could really change the narrative.

This is a huge step forward for president Biden. While he has made his stance on unions clear in the past, his words of criticism towards the employer have never been done by another president and will hopefully signal hope for workers. Biden appears to have dropped the ball on the $15 dollar minimum wage but it appears unions still have a place in the Biden administration which will hopefully lead unions not only at Amazon but all across the private sector.

U.S. Military propaganda runs rampant in Marvel movies Amanda Zinni Copy Editor

When a filmmaker wants to show the U.S. military in their work, they often have the option to partner with the military to receive funding, access to military gear, and permission to use the logos of their organizations. However, they must meet requirements set by the military to receive this assistance.

One such requirement is that the film must portray the military in a positive light. A prominent cultur-

al phenomenon that frequently enlists the help of the Department of Defense, according to Newsweek, is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also known as the MCU. This continual partnership often interferes with the stories Marvel attempts to tell and excuses the actions of corrupt organizations.

While showing frequent government intervention makes these films somewhat more realistic, this level of immersion doesn’t come without costs.

In 2019, Captain Marvel hit the-

aters accompanied by a campaign persuading female viewers to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, claiming that it could be a heroic “origin story” for them, one similar to that of Captain Marvel, the first woman in Marvel to have a film of her own. The implication that joining an organization that has a history of killed 310,000 Middle Eastern civilians since the beginning of the Iraq War, makes someone heroic is simply false from a moral standpoint.

While being a member of the

ART BY Maya Amador

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.

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

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

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

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

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

• The Dispatch welcomes reader input. Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to bowie.journalism@gmail.com, call (512) 841-7825, mail them to 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX 78749 or drop them off in room F-203 with adviser Michael Reeves or any editor. Letters must be signed, and emailed letters will require verification before publication. We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

CURRENT STAFF AWARDS • NSPA Print Pacemaker winner, 2020-21 • NSPA Print 1st Class, 2 Marks, 2020-21 • CSPA Hybrid Silver Crown, 3/3 AllColumbian, 2020-21 • SNO Distinguished Website 2020-21

• NSPA Online Pacemaker Finalist, 20192020 • SIPA Online All-Southern 2019-2020 • SIPA Print All-Southern, 2019-20 • UIL/ILPC Online Gold Star, 2019-20 • UIL/ILPC Print Gold Star, 2019-20

PRIDE IN PUBLISHING Tuesday, May 4, 2021 Vol. 33, Issue 5 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin TX, 78749

armed forces is a part of the backstory of characters like Captain Marvel, the Winter Soldier, and Captain America, these characters were created in a much different time. Many of the original comic book characters were created during a time when being a member of the armed forces represented different things, like defeating Nazis in World War II. The U.S. military’s continual partnership with Marvel shows their desperation to hold onto their virtuous image of the past while fighting to protect resources instead of people.

Even within the universe of these films, the “side” of the conflict that agrees with the military is always portrayed as winning by the end of the film. In the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War, the side that “wins” is the side that agreed with the values of the government.

Even though they weren’t always portrayed as being in the right, they weren't punished because their actions resulted in government victory.

In a more recent example, the main characters in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may not work expressly FOR the government or agree with the extremes its agents go to, but they still want to reach a similar goal, the goal to stop a revolutionary who wants to unite the world and give resources to refugees. These are just two examples of Marvel’s recent projects aligning with pro-military rhetoric.

A common message found in the political subplots of Marvel projects is that it is the individual, not the larger organization that is responsible for their actions. That the larger organizations remain good and moral in their actions and that they often carry little responsibility for the aggressive behavior of those in its service. This “few bad apples” mentality is dangerous because it completely excuses the larger organizations that create and exploit the idea that one person can become a hero by doing what others are afraid to.

Unfortunately this mentality meshes entirely too well with the “moral center” of many Marvel films, making it easy to relate these ideas back to military marketing.

The deepest that Marvel projects ever go in terms of commentary on access to power is how it is always individuals who are in the wrong for misusing the power, and not the fact that larger organizations, like the U.S. military, have the power to cause wide-spread destruction during times of peace in the first place.

Questions?

Concerns? Want to share your opinion?

Contact: Email: bowie. journalism@gmail. com Room: F203

THE DISPATCH STAFF THE DISPATCH PRINT EDITION EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Faith Lawrence Cade Spencer

COMMENTARY EDITORS Maya Amador Anna Holme

MANAGING EDITOR Rae Gray

PHOTO ESSAY EDITOR Reagan Zuniga

NEWS EDITOR Arushi Sharma

COPY EDITOR Amanda Zinni

POLITICS EDITOR Dylan Ebs

ARTS/GRAPHICS EDITOR Amorah Schultze

FEATURE EDITORS Miranda Cardenas Mia Folkers

ASSISTANT EDITOR Azul Lin

SPORTS EDITORS Corrine Piorkowski Naya Tillisch ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Callie Payne Abbey Repka Samantha Thompson

REPORTERS/STAFF Colin Barnes Lucciana Choueiry Isabella del Nido Grace Harris Maya Hayne Donna Kim Emily Loewe Rachel Maddox

Max Muzny Riley Payne Cassidy Pesek Nicole Rooney Carter Scruggs Dimitri Silva Luke Smith Ella Waltuck Ava Wong Carey Beth Wooley Lauren Wright Dylan Zellner

THE DISPATCH ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Shikha Patel Shruti Patel MANAGING EDITORS Natalie Cullen Izzy Rejino ADVISER Michael Reeves

COMMENTARY 15

Austin house prices are skyrocketing TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 THE DISPATCH

Evictions will negatively affect many vulnerable residents as housing demands accelerate Anna Holme Commentary Editor

With its large urban center and ideal geographical location, Austin has found itself as one of the largest growing cities in the country within the last decade. According to WalletHub, Austin ranks sixth in a list of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau has also shown that Austin has moved up from the 14th to 11th most populous city since early 2010.

With this large influx of people moving to Austin, housing prices have skyrocketed.

High demand for housing combined with a low supply of available properties has created an environment in which the prices of houses being sold are at an all-time high. According to the Austin Board of Realtors, the median price of homes in the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as of March this year reached an astounding $425,000.

This economic boom may seem like it could only bring good things to the city, but it also poses major, unavoidable issues for less fortunate Austinites. Austin’s astounding development has the potential to be very beneficial for the city, but we must keep in mind the vulnerable communities that could be harmed as they struggle to keep up with the high cost of housing, particularly low-income residents and people of color who have already faced intense discrimination in Austin’s history.

According to Prosperity Now, the median household income for Black and Latino residents in Austin is around $40,000, while for white residents this number is around $70,000. Such disparities in wealth equity lead to communities of color being highly vulnerable to the changing housing climate in Austin.

Evictions are one of the largest threats for these lower-income residents. Especially with COVID-19 causing financial strain

ION

EVICT

CE NOTI

for many, evictions have been a prominent concern due to the cost of living and housing rising so quickly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has enacted a national prohibition, also known as a moratorium, of certain types of evictions until June 30. However, the Texas Supreme Court recently ordered that the moratorium would only last until May 1, and that protections for renters would expire thereafter. This plan doesn’t consider what will happen to renters after this moratorium expires. Eviction filings have picked up since the start of the pandemic, which poses a major threat now that so many residents are already so far behind on property payments.

All these factors create a perfect storm in which many lower-income Austinites, largely represented by communities of color, are

ART BY Anna Holme

falling behind in an increasingly brutal economy with a decreasingly beneficial support system.

Austin’s struggles with wealth and property inequity are issues that have persisted long before the city’s recent economic boom, especially in regards to race. Redlining, a now-illegal practice in which people of color would be denied home purchase and refinance loans due to racial discrimination, has left a defining impact on the demographic makeup of Austin.

After World War II, many affluent White Austinites moved to suburbia, while Black and Hispanic communities were restricted from these neighborhoods. These communities of color moved predominantly to East Austin, the portion of Austin divided by Interstate 35. These neighborhoods were red-

lined, leaving people of color unable to purchase homes or finance home improvements.

Due to long-standing racist city of Austin policy, East Austin was disproportionately represented by lower-income residents then, and this trend continues today. Austin’s growth has only exacerbated concerns, as gentrification in the region has caused a dramatic rise in home prices in that area, threatening the ability of many to keep their homes.

In the future, Austin could lose a lot of what makes it so special. This city’s diversity is necessary for it to maintain so much of its history and culture. Historical communities are being put at risk due to the rising cost of homes and gentrification, along with evictions that could cause the demographic makeup of Austin to shift drastically within the coming years. Protecting this cultural heritage can’t be disregarded for economic gain; there must be policies put in place that will support vulnerable communities.

Austin must protect its residents. One of the best and most practical ways this can be done is by protecting affordable housing by providing funding to minimize the displacement of vulnerable Austinites. Additionally, the moratorium on evictions must be extended, and the city of Austin must create a plan that allows residents time and support to make up payments.

Now is not the time to forget about the people currently in need in this city. While optimism and looking to the future are necessary for progress, we must all carefully assess how to benefit and protect our fellow Austinites here and now in order to truly prosper in the future.

Questions? Concerns? Want to share your opinion? Contact: Email: bowie.journalism@ gmail.com Room: F203

TikTok appropriates spiritualism and cultural practices Azul Lin Assistant Editor

In the popular culture of TikTok, there has been a rise in popularity for the likes of crystal readings, tarot cards, astrology, and more.

These practices have all come together and allowed spirituality to trend on social media, and have become even more popular as the pandemic descended upon the population, especially among young people.

However, there are some problematic aspects with spirituality trending. Some TikTok users, jumping onto the trend, have stolen from cultures and religions of people of color. A lot of spirituality stems from Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Paganism, and Wiccan.

With this new “Witchtok” comes cultural appropriation from white users not actually educated on the spiritualism they’re spreading.

For example, the use of white sage on TikTok is appropriating the culture of Native Americans. As a vital part of smudging, a practice meant to cleanse the soul, white sage is a part of Native American culture. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism also use white sage.

Unfortunately, as it gains popularity in communities that aren’t a part of these practices, companies are able to mass-sell these products to people who don’t actually have

white sage as a part of their culture. This is harmful to indigenous companies and contributes to cultural appropriation, while making the plant more difficult for Native Americans to access, even though it is an important part of their spiritual practices.

Another example is the Palo Santo plant. It is essential in certain sacred ceremonies such as Ayahuasca and used by shamans. But ever since cultural appropriation has reared its ugly head towards this wood, it has been over-harvested, and is now considered endangered.

People who don’t understand or truly respect how important these plants are to indigenous people have now endangered a plant important to ceremonies along many generations.

Yet another appropriated practice is manifestation, with roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. People are posting TikToks manifesting things, or wishing for things, for fun and for attention and views, promising positive results, when it is actually a sacred practice.

Even yoga and mindfulness, which have been popularized in the west and are practiced by many Westerners, did not stem from western cultures. They came from India. Yet many white people make profits off of these practices without a second thought as to where they originated.

Not everything is negative.

Some creators are educational and respectful and have been set on acknowledging the cultures their spiritualism comes from. But this is not the case for most people on this “WitchTok.” Instead of spreading the wholes of these cultures and teaching people about all parts of these religions, many white people have instead colonized and commercialized these cultures involving spiritualism on their road to fame.

The most important thing is to be respectful, to get educated, and to understand the line between appreciating and appropriating. People should instead use their funds to donate to organizations hoping to preserve spirituality for the people who actually respect and practice it. If they want to join and take part in these cultures, they have to fully embrace everything that comes with these cultures and commit if they want to partake in these spiritualist practices.

Stigma and racism towards these cultures continues to exist, and it is simply unacceptable for people to simply cherry pick the parts of cultures they want to without embracing the whole thing. Especially considering how the history of many white Americans has lent itself to harming the communities of color that spiritualism is practiced in, it is essential for people to be

Following | For You

376k 12k @spiritualityforyou Like and follow for more never-before-seen yoga tricks! #mindfullness #spirituality #yoga #fyp

share

ART BY Anna Holme

mindful of what they’re getting involved in.

People must take a step back from invading and appropriating cultures that were never theirs to begin with, and instead lead lives of respect and coexistence.

Questions? Concerns?

Want to share your opinion? Contact: Email: bowie. journalism@gmail.com Room: F203

BULLDAWGS SPEAK OUT What is your favorite thing about living in Austin?

INTERVIEWS BY Anna Holme PHOTOS COURTESY OF Interviewees

”

”

”

”

My favorite thing about living in Austin is how different we are from everywhere else in Texas and even the United States.

Everyone here is so weird, in a good way, and creative in their own way.

Keira Folkers Junior

I have lived in Austin my whole life so I love the familiarity and homey feeling I have in this city.

I also love the diverse groups of people, beliefs, and cultures in Austin.

”

”

”

My favorite thing about living in Austin is all of the amenities that are downtown. Sixth Street, Zilker Park, South Congress, and the UT campus are some of my favorite places to go.

Jason Forst Sophomore

Lily Campsmith Senior

My favorite part about living in Austin is the community and all of the different things to do.

Zilker is probably one of my favorite spots during the summer to be with my friends.

”

”

William Gum Freshman

Judd Pfeiffer English Teacher

The great music, food, and culture are byproducts of a great community. Austin is changing and our population is changing, but I have hope that we can keep our weird soul intact.

”

16 IN-DEPTH

THE DISPATCH TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Living with with ROOMMATES Living

before moving in

What are your cleaning habits?

Cleaning is one of the most important aspects for potential roommates to discuss. Ask about laundry, doing the dishes, how to divvy up cleaning common areas, and potentially having a chore chart.

Are you a night owl or an early bird?

2

If one roommate is waking up at 5 a.m. and the other went to bed two hours before some problems could arise especially if your sleep schedule is important for your job or lifestyle.

3

How often do you expect your friends will be over?

Its important to inform potential roommates to discuss their social habits and set reasonable boundaries for friends and visitors to be over in their shared space to avoid potential conflict.

What are your biggest pet peeves?

4

This question is important for helping to determine the practical compatibility that you could have with potential roommates. If some of their biggest pet peeves are habits that you have they might not be the best fit.

5

How do you feel about overnight visitors?

If you or your potential roommate have a significant other or like to have friends spend the night its important to discuss expectations surrounding that such as when they can stay the night and how often.

How do you normally solve conflicts?

6

Determining with potential roommates ahead of time how to discuss issues when they arise will help to establish healthy communication styles and help prevent heated and destructive arguments from happening.

SOURCE: www.ApartmentGuide.com "32 Questions to Ask Potential Roommates"

Helpful advice on learning to share space, solve conflicts, and have a healthy and beneficial cohabitant experience Rae Gray Managing Editor

the best bet since you already trust ground rules and helped to prevent them and they know your boundar- plenty of arguments between me and ies. While I recommend living with my roommates.”

When looking for a potential a friend rather than a stranger, you Zavaleta believes that the best way roommate there are a few things that have to make sure that you can live to prevent unnecessary conflict is to should be addressed before move-in with that friend since it is just an set expectations before hand. day to ensure that cohabiting togeth- entirely different “The best way er goes smoothly. Bowie graduate ball game when to resolve a conflict Maddy Rice believes that its import- y'all are around is to talk about it ant to discuss social life and living each other conbefore it happens,” Roommates are good habits among other topics. stantly.”

Zavaleta said. “Pre“People should look for roombecause it helps Robertson bevention and keepmates that are similar or compati- lieves that while ing both people on expand who you know ble with their living styles-- if you're conflict is bound the same page is on campus and is a messy, own up to it!!” Rice said. to happen, combest for preventing “You also want someone that has a munication chance to make new is long term grudgsimilar social life to you so you can a key factor to friends. es. I'd recommend go out together or stay in together, having a working making a sheet of especially during COVID-19. I’m not co-living experipaper that both saying you have to do everything to- ence.

Maddy Rice roommates can gether, but I have seen roommate re“Some conflict write their expecBowie Alum lationships strained by the fact that isn't preventable, tations for sleep one prefers to stay in and read while but most can schedules, having the other wants to go out and then be solved with friends over, lightcome home late at night and poten- a group chat,” Robertson said. “My ing level, temperature, and noise levtially wake the other up.” roommates and I currently have a el. That way most common conflicts As well as general housekeeping, whiteboard that we put a weekly to can be discussed neutrally before Bowie graduate Reid Zavaleta rec- do for everyone so that it helps us they arise.” ommends finding someone to room stay organized and communicate According to Cirtru.com, setting with who has a similar schedule and what we're going to be doing without healthy boundaries early on in the lifestyle to you. having to sit down and have a con- co-living experience is imperative to “The ideal roommate is someone versation every time we want to do having a beneficial time with your who is friendly and willing to listen something.” roommate. and accommodate your lifestyle and As well as having a group chat or “I love having roommates and even doesn’t conflict too much with your other method of regular communi- though sharing a whole room with own,” Zavaleta said. “Similar sleep cating, Rice recommends for incom- someone can be rough sometimes, schedules are ideal and someone you ing college students to pay attention remember that you're both probably can be friends with is great too. Ulti- to the housing agreements set out by feeling the same,” Rice said. “Estabmately a good roommate is all about their prospective university. lish boundaries early-- like when you melding well “If your col- first move in, I promise it's not weird with each other lege provides a and keep up good communication to and having simliving agreement establish that those boundaries arilar living styles of some sort, go en't being crossed.” that don’t conflict With searching for over it with your Most colleges recommend that with each other.” roommate(s) and incoming freshmen students live in a roommate, its best When looking make sure you all on-campus housing to help with the to look for someone for a compatible know how your transition from high school to colroommate Bowwho will listen and room is going to lege and build better social connecie graduate Elton run,” Rice said. tions in their new environment. Rice wants to work with Robertson recom“For example, My believes that even though having a you. mends living with freshman year we roommate can be a daunting experisomeone you had a “lights off ” ence, it is still important and a fun have past experihour on weekdays part of after high school life.

Elton Robertson ence with over a so if you were go“In the dorms, roommates are Bowie Alum total stranger. ing to come home good because it helps expand who “With searchlate you needed you know on campus and is a chance ing for a roomto be super quiet to make new friends!” Rice said. mate, its best to look for someone and usually plan ahead for that, and “Even though living with roommates who will listen and wants to work if you wanted to study late you had is a lifestyle adjustment, it's an imwith you,” Robertson said. “ Ideally, to leave and go to one of the common portant experience that helps you if you have a friend that you think areas so the others could sleep. This learn how to communicate better you can live with, that would be was really helpful in communicating and gives you more connections.”

”

”

?? ?

1

?? ?

”

What to ask

ART BY Rae Gray

”