The Eagle's Eye, Issue 4, Volume 23

Austin, TX april 12, 2024

The

Issue 4 Vol 23

eagle’s Eye “Everything that concerns you”

2024 Election candidates candi dates divide many Page 12-13

News: students struggle to park

Sports: Community rallies for support

Students without permits park in right-of-way behind school | page 4

varsity basketball player battles cancer | page 17

About Us

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 2 | April 12, 2024

Editors

Mark Lomas

Diego Hernandez Co-Editor In Chief

Co-Editor In Chief

Ashley Caceres

Rudy Morales

News editor

Samantha Limon Entertainment editor

Adamaris Olivares

Opinions Editor

Marcelo palacios entertainment editor

ely rodriguez

Sports editor

kairi Natal

Graphics editor

m pelt

photo editor

copy editor

Staff Writers Andrew copeland devan flores sarah flores aaliyah koehn-james Tristan Hargrove nadim lama michelen river lehnhardt alex lindao jp lopez

Raven Martin Morgan messer aubrey montoya janelle ponti fabi rodriguez yanitzel salazar ariadna vazquez brandon wicken jonathan wilson

@AkinsEaglesEye

School Events US 17-18 STAAR History, Biology Show 19-20 Dance 7-9 at Theater Prom, 7-11 at Long27 Akins horn Alumni Center

APR 03 MAY 15

Cinco De Mayo Festival 7-9 at Theater Akins Big Senior Day 8-10:30 all Campus

Honors ILPc/UIL

CSPA

TAJE

NSPA

Staff Artists Cruz Burrows Adrian Orduna

@AkinsEaglesEye

sophia davidson Maxwell pearson

Akinseagleseye.com

The Eagle’s Eye Editorial Policy

The Eagle’s Eye is the official student newspaper of Akins High School. It is published six times a year, generally once per six weeks for the school’s students, staff and community.

The Eagle’s Eye is an open forum for student expression. The Eagle’s Eye is not reviewed by school administration prior to distribution, and the adviser will not act as a censor. Content represents the views of the student staff and not school officials.

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

We will make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process or is an invasion of privacy.

We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph.

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 Eagle’s Eye staff or administration as a whole.

The Eagle’s Eye welcomes reader Input. Please send any letters, articles, comments, or corrections to akins.journalism@gmail.com or mail them to 10701 South First Street Austin, Texas 78748 ir drop them off in room 223 with advisor David Doerr or an 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.

Sections News

Lot rules pushes 04 Parking students to Old sAn road first group of ECHS students 05 to graduate as realtors Corrections officers win 06 and make big achievements

Opinions

Tiktok ban forbids 07 editorial: freedom of speech Nex Benedict death shows 08 wronful use of power upperclassmen counseling 09 struggling to grow up

Photo Essay

share spring 1 0 , 1 1 Students break adventures

In-Depth

candidate policies divide many 1 2 , 1 3 Election

Entertainment

in congress aims to make ticket buying less stressful 14 Bill shows help relax students in a stressful world 1 5 Comfort 2 is one of the best live service games in years 1 6 Helldivers franchise leaves 1 7 marvels loose ends for viewers

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 3 | April 12, 2024

Life and Style

18 ‘Glow’ clothing brand 19 |Exchange student q&A JROTC leadership shows 20 excellence, achievements ‘lookmaxxing’ increases young adult insecurities

Sports

21 Coach Tambunga to retire 22 after 22 years at akins

school community rallies to support fellow eagle

Front cover graphic by Robert Lockay

News

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 4 | april 12, 2024

Students without permits park along road Right-of-way area behind school is unregulated by school district

ASHLEY CACERES-SANCHEZ NEWS EDITOR High vehicle insurance costs. Lack of a driver’s license.

Below required attendance.

These are just a few of the factors that could prevent a student from obtaining a parking permit enabling them to park on campus. And these are also common reasons why more students are using the “right-of-way” area along Old San Antonio Road as a makeshift parking lot.

The City of Austin recently placed a few “No Parking” signs in this area because student vehicles have often blocked access to utility poles and manhole covers with their vehicles while parking in this area.

According to the Akins Student Handbook, parking permits are required to park in the school parking lot. To acquire a permit, students need to have a driver’s license, proof of vehicle insurance, and pay $25 to purchase the permit.

Before students can obtain a driver’s license, they first need a Verification of Enrollment form from their school that they provide to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

This form shows whether a student has maintained a 90% average of daily attendance per semester, which is required for students to receive a driver’s license.

Any one of these unmet requirements and complicating factors can make students ineligible to receive a parking permit, causing problems for students who need a place to park their vehicles while attending school.

The Eagle’s Eye conducted an online survey to ask students about their challenges with parking on campus.

About 57% of the survey respondents said they park in the student parking lot but only 37.5% of them said they have a parking permit.

Getting parking permits can be challenging for many students as they have expressed that it is time-consuming and expensive. Not having automobile insurance was often cited in the survey results as a reason why they do not have a parking permit.

Associate Principal Manuel Garcia said he understands that insurance is typically even more expensive for young drivers.

“It’s an extra $300 so it’s not affordable,” Garcia said.

Not all Austin ISD high schools require students to have permits to park on campus. Crockett Early College High School does not require parking permits and Travis ECHS does not enforce parking permits on their students.

Since the beginning of the spring semester, the Akins administration has ramped up enforcement of parking policies by adding boots to student vehicles that are parked in teacher parking spots.

Desperate students needing a place to park have resorted to parking in the right-of-way areas along Old San Antonio that runs behind the school. This strip of road between the portables and the soccer fields has become a de facto parking lot for students who avoid the student parking lot because they don’t have a permit.

The large number of vehicles that park along the road and its status as uncontrolled by the school district has made

Izaak Mireles

old san antonio road Students who don’t have a parking permit park on the right-of-way along Old San Antonio Road.

Parking here isn’t illegal as it is a public area, but the city of Austin can give out violations to those who block city utilities. this area dangerous during the school day when every empty area is used as a parking spot. What were once grassy and dirt-covered areas are now full of deep ruts from vehicles that park there in muddy conditions.

Right-of-way is an area owned or controlled by the city that runs along roads, including grassy areas between property lines and road pavement. This area is in a legal gray area because it is not Austin ISD property and the school cannot enforce the same rules and is not responsible for it in terms of security.

Garcia said complaints about this area have to be addressed by city officials and police and they prioritize moving, ticketing, or giving warnings to those who park on the right-of-way area.

“They park there because it’s a public area,” Garcia said.

Even though many students don’t like the parking permit policy it is very important.

It is all about safety, and what is needed to keep the school, students, and staff safe.

In case of an accident, the permits are used as a way to locate the student and make sure nothing harmful can happen by terminating their parking permit.

This may not seem fair to many students.

“Yes this rule is stupid and I hope my brother doesn’t have to go through these types of problems when he gets into high school,” Senior Itzel Mendoza said.

But as Garcia said this is done to maintain safety and order in the student parking lots.

“First of all, we take safety very seriously,”

Ashley Caceres-Sanchez

illegal parking On Old San Antonio Road there is a “No Parking” sign for the man holes that are on the Right Of Way area. With cars parking on the ROW the City of Austin had to palce a sign to make sure no car would park on them, but it does not stop many people from parking there.

News

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 5 | april 12, 2024

P-TECH provides new opportunities Akins Early College students visit a model home at KB homes as part of the P-TECH program

Courtesy John Rodriguez

Students earn an associate degree, experience in real estate Yanitzel Salazar staff writer Owning one’s home is often described as the “American Dream,” and now a group of seniors may soon have the opportunity to help people make this possible.

In December, seven Akins seniors were recognized for earning their Level 1 Certification in Real Estate from Austin Community College. Besides their general education dual credit classes these students in the Early College High School Academy completed 18 hours of college coursework to earn this certification.

These are the first set of students graduating from what is called a P-TECH Program, which is a state program that stands for Pathways of Technology Early College High School. John Rodriguez, academy coordinator for the Early College High School Academy, said what makes P-TECH different than other early college programs offered at Akins is that it provides students with career-focused training.

Real estate students take classes with professors who have worked in real estate and have received support and training from the Austin Board of Realtors, which is made up of people who have worked in the Austin real estate industry.

“The main thing is that workplace learning,” Rodriguez said.

Senior Christian Cortinez, who has studied mortgage lending in the ACC program, said he hopes to get into residential real estate after graduating and earning his real estate license.

“I want to create those dream homes for families,” Cortinez said. “There’s a lot of memories involved in someone buying the first house and I’d like to be part of that.”

Joe Hammond, who is an ACC real estate professor and a licensed real estate agent for more than 16 years, began teaching Akins students after he worked as a substitute teacher for a day.

“I had a chance to meet the students in the program and

Courtesy John Rodriguez

model home real estate students view the inside of a model home,which is similiar to what they could showcase to a home buyer. see their commitment and enthusiasm,” he said.

Hammond said that he teaches his students that the real estate business helps friends, family, and clients to build intergenerational wealth.

“Our communities need education on how to build communities and support our families for the benefit of their financial future,” he said.

Senior Anthony Viegas said he was drawn into real estate because of his family’s financial struggles.

“Seeing my family struggle financially,” he said.

He said students in the program learn skills that they will be expected to understand later in life, including time management, perseverance through difficulties, and meeting deadlines.

“The expectations are the same as the experience you get through your education,” he said. “If you can do your best to

Courtesy John Rodriguez

new house caps Hard hats students wear when they go on a construction site to view houses that are in progress to being finished. remove barriers, you will be well-positioned to succeed.”

Senior Edgar Salgado said he was motivated to join the program because his family is in the real estate industry.

“I’m pursuing real estate because my family does it as well.

So they’re just like a big motivation to me,” Salgado said.

Hammond said real estate is a big part of the U.S. economy, representing about 20% of its gross domestic product (GDP). This makes it an important career field for Akins students to consider pursuing, he said.

“There are so many areas of real estate you can get involved in that do not have to be sales,” he said. “All personality types work in real estate, and there is a place for you. The most important part of the real estate business is that it allows us to help our friends, family, and clients to support intergenerational wealth building.”

News

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 6 | april 12, 2024

CSI students learn valuable lessons

ABLLE students share their experiences in the CSI Practicum fabi rodriguez staff writer Strapping on a set of body armor and hustling with a team of corrections officers to remove an uncooperative inmate from a jail cell is just one activity that students in the Correctional Service Internship compete in.

Akins has one of the most competitive jail cell extraction teams in the state, winning multiple top awards in recent years at state competitions. This practicum program also allows students to learn about every aspect of correctional services and other career options in the law enforcement field.

Sean Min is a CTE law and public service teacher and the instructor of the CSI program. He worked in Los Angeles as a corrections officer in probation centers for both adult and juvenile detention. Min moved to Texas around 2008 before applying for a position at Akins.

“When I worked in juvenile prevention here in Travis County, I learned about the teaching position from the previous teacher, Mr. Lopez, who was leaving. I applied to take over for what he was doing,” Min said.

Students apply to join the internship program during their junior year by filling out an information packet, which includes their grades, attendance, and behavioral referrals.

Students then write an essay that could earn them points to be eligible for the internship. In addition, they must go through an interview with a panel of officers.

The Correctional Service Interns visit the jails on Wednesday to job shadow, see how the jail works, and get any combat or life safety lessons. They visit the Del Valle Criminal Justice Complex and Travis County Jail where students are not allowed to have phones, jewelry or smartwatches.

Senior Matthew Ybarra participates in both the cell extraction team and is in charge of handcuffing uncooperative inmates in their competitions. He said he has had to learn a lot about safety when touring jails.

“There are a lot of things that we have to follow just to keep the jail safe,” Ybarra said. “If an inmate gets a hold of a phone it could just become a whole different situation.”

Ybarra said he originally joined his academy at Akins to learn about becoming a lawyer. “. “I didn’t know at all that I was going to end up wanting to become a law enforcement officer,” he said.

The Akins cell extraction team competes in two competitions each year: Texas Public Safety Association (TPSA), and Texas Public Service

Courtesy Sean Min

medals of gold Correctional Service Internship Seniors show off their awards in their uniform after competition.

Teachers Association (TXPSTA). These competitions offer a wide variety of categories. Some of the categories Akins CSI competes in are bookings, fingerprinting, and correctional institute design.

The one competition many are familiar with is cell extraction, which requires a group of students who perform different roles and tasks.

Cell extraction is when an inmate refuses to leave their cell, and the interns must make a plan to extract the inmate with the least amount of effort and force.

Senior Maria Ramirez is the commanding officer in the cell extraction team. Her role in the cell extraction team is to shout verbal commands.

“One of the main challenges that we face is honestly Jason Ponti

making sure that we have the equipment together and making sure that we have ourselves together,” Ramirez said.

She also participated in the Correctional Institute Design competition with Martina Garcia, a CSI intern. Ramirez and Garcia drew a blueprint of a jail using Akins as a reference. They had to present their blueprint to officers during the competition and explain the layout. The duo won first place in TPSA’s regional competition.

Senior Joshua Sturgeon has had the opportunity to network with different deputies and officers in different types of law enforcement through the internship program. He also participates in ride-alongs, which allow him to sit with a deputy or officer on their shift. To be part of ride-alongs you must be eighteen and have a driver’s license.

“I’ve been right there with them when they roll up on a certain scene,” he said. “I’ve been on the scene when somebody died. I’ve been on the scene of serious collisions. I’ve been there for calls of family violence, domestic abuse, and even just a simple noise complaint.”

Sturgeon said he has learned a lot through his time in the corrections internship program.

“Overall I’m learning how to handle and how to operate in certain situations and what is warranted of me to make certain decisions,” he said. You’re not just gonna go in on a call, hot-headed ready to kick somebody in or arrest them.”

Marcelo Palacios contributed to this story.

Opinion

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 7 | April. 12, 2024

Mark Ashley Diego Rudy Marcelo SAM Adamaris lomas hernandez caceres morales palacios límon olivares

Kairi Ely natal rodriguez

M pelt

Co-EIC

Photo

copy

Co-EIC

News

Opinion

Co-A&E

Co-A&E

Sports

Graphics

Sale of TikTok turns to tug-of-war

Chinese-owned company could be forced to sell or be banned in US Everyone has heard of TikTok, the popular app where creators share all kinds of videos, from cooking to dancing to memes to fashion. On March 13th the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve a bill forcing ByteDance to either sell to a U.S. company or face the threat of being banned in the U.S. It still has to go through the Senate which will conduct its own hearings before voting on the bill. . If the bill does get passed it will then get sent to President Joe Biden who has previously said he would sign it.

Now if this app does get banned in the US it would put a lot of content creators’ jobs on the line. Content creators often use social media as their main and sometimes only income. TikTok plays a huge role in that line of work.

This shows how if the House of Representatives want something done they can get it done. This bill got passed quickly, while more important bills are stuck in limbo. We believe banning TikTok will affect a lot of Americans as it is one of the most used and viewed platforms. A lot of content creators rely on TikTok, including small businesses owners.

While politicians have said they fear Chinese influence over the platform, we have not heard a compelling reason why it’s so important to lose this popular social media platform, which Americans prefer to use to express themselves. Because there is no solid public evidence that there’s harm to our privacy and security, banning TikTok would not solve any problems. We believe that until there’s good public evidence that TikTok violates our security and privacy it should not be sold or banned.

Ely Rodriguez

Banning TikTok would silence businesses, influencers, and even politicians that use the app. According to USA Today, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression both strongly oppose the TikTok ban. The Senior Policy Council at the ACLU argues that there have been no extreme dangers posed to national security, and closing the app would only violate the First Amendment.

One point politicians fail to see is that there has been no evidence that TikTok risked the privacy of its users, unlike other tech companies such as Facebook and Google. There has been no real evidence that TikTok poses a real threat to U.S. users’ data.

TikTok has made efforts to put at ease U.S. officials by storing users’ data via Project Texas, a billion-dollar plan to separate U.S. data from the rest of the app. The project would have to implement transparency by

transferring U.S. TikTok-user data to cloud storage in the United States and controlled

by Oracle, a U.S. technology company. But unfortunately, it never went through.

However, the concern isn’t necessarily unwarranted due to concerns over the security of our nation’s people. This is due to TikTok being a Chinese-owned social media platform, which is required to follow China’s security laws. This can permit them to try to force their hand into giving user data to them, potentially leading to a security breach of America’s data and allowing them to weaponize or influence the U.S. public.

This bill wouldn’t just ban TikTok; it would ban any website, desktop application, mobile application, augmented or immersive technology in correlation to ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese internet technology company. This would allow the president to ban any foreign adversary related to ByteDance Ltd. if they see fit. This would

be quite helpful, especially when it comes to defending the data and privacy of our citizens, and could potentially ensure more safety for U.S. users.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill titled Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This bill also is very similar to the RESTRICT Act, which federal lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to use to ban TikTok last year. The RESTRICT Act gave power to the Secretary of Commerce to ban apps that were hosted by foreign adversaries.

Both Biden and former President Trump also have differing views on what to do with TikTok. For example, Trump changed his mind on banning the app, but after watching conspiracy theory films about how Meta/Facebook allegedly played a part in the 2020 election being stolen. He said he now believes that banning TikTok would now only benefit Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.Trump has publicly said that he believes that Facebook is an enemy of the people.

Although there is warranted fear over China’s control over TikTok, and the possible risks that come with letting Americans use such an app, we don’t think there is enough evidence that proves TikTok provides a genuine threat to the American people’s safety or privacy.

Social media is a place where people can gather to discuss and exercise their First Amendment rights, make a living by creating content and selling merchandise, and overall have the chance to come closer with others through similar interests who live across the world.

What is an editorial?

The Eagle’s Eye editorial board decides the postions taken in the staff editorial. The editorial board consists of the paper’s top section editors for the print edition.

Editorials are not given a byline because they represent the collective opinion of the board. The topic of the editorial is discussed by the board and a position is voted on. When deciding on the position, majority rules so most opinions reflect the majority of the opinions of the board. Editorials do not purport to reprsent the official opinion of Akins Earlcy College High School administration.

Opinion

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 8 | April. 12, 2024

Media targeting young queer people Death of Nex Benedict shows right wingers true views M Pelt copy editor

Marina Trevino

District Attorney announced they would and gender identity, and while the sexual not be pursuing charges due to the ruling of orientation equality tally is low at 1.5 out of Nex’s death as a “suicide.” Their family has 21.5, the gender identity tally is negative at since disputed this report. It has been point- -6.75 out of 23. Conversion therapy is not ed out that the autopsy report claiming banned, and almost no legal protections their death a suicide has no mention of their exist for LGBT people within the state. head injuries, which included contusions, In Oklahoma’s last legislative session, 40 lacerations, and hemorrhages. Contusions anti-LGBT bills were filed. and hemorrhages to the brain are generally While Texas maintains a better overall not considered “minor” injuries. Police were tally of -.5, over 30 anti-LGBT bills filed in not called following the the last session. As a state assault, and Nex continued bordering Oklahoma, and Acceptance to the school day as normal another state with a heavily before being taken to the conservative government, people from all hospital by their grandsome fear exists among the different backmother Sue Benedict.

LGBT population about grounds. It may Online, far-right if — and likely when — a be what saves accounts on TikTok and similar incident may occur X (formerly known as here. somebody’s life.

Twitter) have argued that In an interview with Nex started the altercation LGBT students from and thus deserved what Akins, many said that the they got. Common justifiincident reflected their cations include “Nex started it by throwing fears about being trans — or otherwise water,” “if you throw water on someone different — in a society that seems to treat they’ll retaliate,” and some going as far as people they don’t understand as subhuman. to say that “the earth is a better place now Other remarks were made about how easily [thanks to the assaulters].” young people, especially those at middle According to the Movement Advanceand high school age, can fall into conserment Project (MAP), Oklahoma is among vative media online and adopt those views the worst states for LGBT people to live in. themselves. Some students mentioned their Specifically, it ranks fourth worst for LGBT parents trying to ignore their identities, out people with only Arkansas, Tennessee, of fear of what ignorant people might do and South Dakota rated worse. The MAP to their children if they see them behaving uses separate scores for sexual orientation outside the norm.

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On Feb. 8, an indigenous transgender student named Nex Benedict was pronounced dead in their home in Oklahoma. Just 24 hours earlier, they were in the hospital following a brutal attack in an Owasso High School girl’s bathroom.

In the last several years, the United States has seen a marked increase in the number of anti-trans and anti-LGBT bills proposed at the state level. From 2018 to 2023, the amount of proposed legislation seeking to limit the freedoms of LGBT people grew from 42 to 510 according to the American Civil Liberties Union, an increase of over 1,000%.

Oklahoma was one of the states to introduce anti-LGBT bills. In May of 2022, its bathroom bill went into effect, requiring students at all Oklahoma schools to use bathrooms and locker rooms associated with their sex assigned at birth. In April of that same year, a teacher at an Owasso public middle school was featured in a Libs of TikTok video and harassed into resigning.

Despite outcry on social media denying any connection between the Libs of TikTok account and Nex’s death, a connection can still be seen between hate online and hate in real life. The account owner, Chaya Raichik, has made a name for herself by spreading edited videos of “liberals” to incriminate and mock them. In the last four years, the account has caused bomb threats directed at public schools across the country. Since 2020, 33 threats have been made to locations and people that were recently targeted in a Libs of TikTok video with 21 of them bomb-related and most frequently targeting schools. Other targets have included hospitals and libraries.

In January of this year, Raichik was appointed to Oklahoma’s Library Media Advisory Committee to ban books with “woke ideology.” While members of library committees typically serve on a volunteer basis rather than as a job, library committees seek to serve their communities, and Raichik has never lived in the state of Oklahoma. The specific implementation of a far-right Internet personality from another state does not appear to be in good faith.

On March 21, Oklahoma police and the

“A lot of people should, even if it’s something they don’t understand or they’re scared of, they should do research,” one student said. By encouraging people of all backgrounds to do research into things that they may not understand or that they may fear, maybe we can prevent another death like Nex’s from happening.

Not only can incidents like this be avoided through education and compassion for all kinds of people, it seems that it may also be preventable by electing lawmakers who will fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. The empowerment of bigots in state and national government clearly holds a correlation with a spike in hate crimes, as reflected by the massive spike in hate crimes following Trump’s election, the second-highest increase in hate crime rates since September 11, 2001, according to the 2018 study by Griffin Sims Edwards and Stephen Rushin titled “The Effect of President Trump’s Election on Hate Crimes.”

Anti-LGBT hate crime rates have followed the increase in anti-LGBT legislation, increasing from 2018 to 2022 by 50%, according to FBI reports. While there were only 1,364 anti-LGBT hate crimes in 2018, there were 2,035 in 2022.

In an era where everyone seems to be online, it makes sense that online figures who are perceived as important or powerful can cause the same effects as politicians when it comes to discrimination and prejudice.

In the interview with Akins students, the majority opinion was that the Internet plays a large role in harassment and bullying of others, with many saying the things they’ve heard people say out loud mimic what they’ve seen online. Authority figures, no matter how tangible their authority, have the ability to empower people to take action — for the better and for the worse.

We are fortunate to attend school in a district that openly celebrates Pride Week, although that is something that is currently under threat by lawmakers that have attempted to ban such celebrations in Texas’ most recent legislative session. There are many other school districts in Texas that would never publicly celebrate LGBT pride.

As a community, it’s important for us to build an environment where our local authority figures offer acceptance to people from all different backgrounds. It may be what saves somebody’s life.

Opinion

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 9 | April. 12, 2024

Provide counseling for outgoing seniors Finding access to helpful resources while entering adulthood Morgan Messer STAFF WRITER

Raven martin StAFF WRITER As seniors approach the end of their final year of high school, many things feel up in the air as they wait for that moment when they walk across the graduation stage. This is stressful when thinking about the next steps they will have to take into adulthood. Akins does have resources such as the College and Career Center and Student Support Services, but not every student knows how to utilize these resources.

To gain perspective we interviewed a variety of students as well as a staff member to understand the attitude of our senior class and how supported they feel going into life post-graduation.

Senior Interviews EE: Have you felt supported by Akins in preparing for what you’ll do after graduating?

Senior 1: Yes, but I feel like they provide a lot of options but don’t really push any bigger (or more prestigious) schools, and they don’t support you much unless you’re deciding to go to college.

Senior 2: Yeah, when I take initiative and go to my counselor, they’re super helpful.

Senior 3 : Yes somewhat, but at the same time I’ve noticed how hard it is for myself and other students in general because they feel scared to reach out.

EE: How have you felt supported?

Senior 2: When I was talking to my counselor about my EOC from freshman year, they were helpful in getting that fixed with me so I can walk the stage.

EE: What could the school do better in terms of preparing seniors for life after graduation?

Senior 2 : I think they could do better at giving students details from the get-go instead of springing things onto us around graduation.

Senior 3 : I think it’d be good to have therapists on campus, available for students and especially seniors.

EE: Are you interested in receiving counseling after graduation? Would you

Adrian Orduna

know how to access it if you needed to?

Senior 1: I’d say maybe I would, but I don’t know where to access it.

Senior 2: Yeah, I think everyone could benefit from counseling (post-graduation), but no, I don’t know how to access it.

Senior 3: I think that counseling could be helpful, although not always necessary it could be needed for emotional reasons. If I’m being completely honest I have no idea how to find it on my own.

Junior Interviews EE: What do you worry about facing post graduation?

Junior 1: I worry about life problems such as being a trans person living in Texas, or the housing market.

Junior 2 : I worry about the future and what I’m going to do.

EE: Would you be seeking counseling post graduation?

Junior 1: Not exactly, but I know of places to go (such as Planned Parenthood, among other organizations).

Junior 2: Most likely not because of the cost, but if I could then I would need help

finding one.

Teacher Interview EE: How could Akins better prepare students for life after high school?

Math teacher: I think a way that schools can help with that is to have individual classes about mental health… we talk about physical health and psychology but not personal mental health or self care as much.

I also believe that diversifying the counselors that serve so many students could make those students more open to trying to seek counseling.

Through these interviews it is clear that our Seniors are aware of the resources available but find it difficult to access them without any help for post-high school coping mechanisms. We want to better prepare our students to be able to go forward with a positive mindset on entering adulthood and life after school. For students to go from being in school a third of the day with the same people and same routines, to suddenly making our own schedules and dealing with our own affairs is stressful and a lot to take on in a setting where you may feel more

alone. In order to give our students access to some of those helpful resources and find alternative ways to receive assistance that aren’t generally promoted, Raven Martin has compiled a list of resources for helpful organizations.

Website uirl:

Useful links to helpful resources

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 10 | April 12, 2024

Photo essay

Students share their spring break trips Students spread their wings, explore during time off

kairi natal photo editor Spring break is an exciting time for everyone at school to take a week off school and decompress from all the stresses of academics.

During spring break six Akins students traveled to the Dominican Republic on a service trip. The service trip consisted of eight days of learning about the impacts of overfishing, tourism, and climate change on coral reefs in the Caribbean. Working with community members, Akins students collected fragments of naturally broken coral and transplanted them back into the reef. Through these efforts, they have made meaningful connections with the local community and formed meaningful relationships with others who hope to see positive environmental changes.

Some Akins students stayed close to home during Spring Break, but still found ways to have fun . Sophomore Celeste Castillja said she made a cake to show her appreciation for K-pop idol Beomgyu, a member of TXT. “I didn’t know that a lot of K-pop stans made cakes for their groups and I thought it was so cute. The first birthday I celebrated was Taehyuns and I made a cake and took pictures with my friend,” she said.

“I think it’s just a fun way to show my appreciation to someone that means a lot to me. I know it may sound silly but I love saying happy birthday even if they’re in Korea its also an excuse to eat cake and hang out with friends.”

Kyle Monk

akins in the dominican republic Akins students and film teacher Kyle Monk visit the Dominican Republic during spring break. The group visited for eight days and focused on conservation efforts throughout the trip.

Kyle Monk

Ashley Caceres-Sanchez

snack attack

Tranquility

Senior Miriam Perez-Oviedo feeds pidegons at the Domincan Republic.

Senior Ashley Caceres-Sanchez visted the Austin Aquarium where she fed Koi fish.

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Page 11 | April 12, 2024

Jacob Romero

day at the beach Senior Jacob Romero visited North Carolina and took this photo with his neice collecting seashells on the beach.

Kairi Natal

catch me if you can Seniors Richie Wright, Merritt Robertson, and Egan Lutz-Carrillo just roll’n with it at the skating rink.

Jaidyn Rooks

Heart of the sea Junior Jaidyn Rooks photographs the Heart of Bayahibe which is a natural hot spring in the Dominican Republic.

Celeste Castilleja

very special birthday Sophmore Celeste Castilleja celebrates K-pop idol Beomgyu’s birthday by making a cake in his honor.

Page 12 | April 12, 2024

In-Depth

How have the 2024 election candidates changed the past and the future?

What issues are the 2024 presidential candidates campaigning on?

Mark Lomas

wars the US is involved with overseas, and border security.

Trump and Biden are known for supporting different poliCo-Editor-In-Chief cies. For example, Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement, Every four years, voters experience these consewhich would require all participating countries to reduce quences when a new president is elected and that person CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030. However, when Biden works to set administrative policies to implement their took office, on his first day, he rejoined the Paris Agreement. favored policies. Despite an apparent lack of enthusiasm Similarly, there are many other examples of Biden’s policies. for the two candidates that Trump has vowed to reverse on his first heading the Republican WHAT PROBLEMS ARE THE day in office if he is elected, again. and Democratic parties, PRESIDENTIAL young voters are expectBorder Security and ImmigraCANDIDATES ed to have a significant tion CAMPAIGNING ON impact on whichever One of the many issues that many Akins one wins the election on students and U.S. citizens are worried about Nov. 5. for the 2024 election is border security. Since After former President the first days of his first campaign to win the The Economy Donald Trump and presidency in 2015, Trump has made cracking current President Joe Women’s Rights down on illegal immigration a central issue.

Biden, secured enough Famously, said that he intended to use billions delegates to win their Climate Change of dollars to build a wall along the U.S.’s parties’ nominations, Southern border with Mexico, which is about The Border Crisis the primary season 2,000 miles long. ended anti-climatically.

Foreign Policy During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump Now that they are done implemented an emergency public health competing in their Healthcare order known as Title 42, which enabled parties’ primaries, voters federal border agents to quickly turn away Democracy are taking a look at both migrants who came to the U.S.-Mexico border of these men’s records on the grounds of preventing the spread of as president and where COVID-19 Before Title 42 health order, it they stand on the issues was easier for border crossers to enter the United States and that they care about. then ask for asylum. However, under Title 42, immigrants Both candidates have different views on dealing with were immediately turned away at the border. According to border security, managing the economy, and how to project an article by the Associated Press, immigration officials have or restrict Americans’ rights. used the health order more than 2.8 million Despite a tumultuous term in office, Trump held a 4 times to expel migrants, percent advantage over President Joe Biden in a New York many of whom have been Times/Siena College poll of likely voters released on March removed multiple times 2. after making repeated atOf respondents who said they were likely to vote, 48 tempts to enter the U.S. percent said they would vote for the former president if the at the southern border. presidential election were to be held today, with 44 percent Biden initially kept responding they would vote for Biden. Among registered Title 42 in place after voters, Trump had support from 48 percent of respondents he took office, then and Biden 43 percent. tried to end its use in However, polling results can shift over time and response 2022. Republicans sued, rates can conflict with other polls. For example, on April 7, arguing the restrictions were neca poll conducted by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist found essary for border security. Courts that President Biden and former President Donald Trump kept Title 42 in place until the are statistically tied, with Biden holding a slim 2-point lead, Biden administration announced in 50%-48%.

January that it was ending national Although these two candidates and the policies they have COVID-19 emergencies. The supported are well known, there is still a chance that voters Title 42 border restrictions in could change their support for either of them. The NPR/ May of 2023.

PBS NewsHour/Marist survey found that 40% of responBiden has said changes to rules dents said they are at least open to changing their minds. for border crossing are necessary Issues on everyone’s mind include the economy, equal because Congress has not passed rights, women’s reproductive rights, climate change, ongoing

immigration reform in decades. A bipartisan compromise bill that would have tightened immigration rules and sped up the processing of asylum and border-crossing cases, died after Trump told Republicans in Congress not to vote for the bill.

Biden has also sparred with Republican Greg Abbott on immigration issues after the Texas Governor implemented “Operation Lone Star in March of 2021. This state operation has sent officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety Officers and members of the Texas National Guard to the border in an attempt to stop people from crossing the border. While it is controversial in many aspects, it has led to a legal showdown between the federal and state governments. The Biden administration has sued Abbott for attempting to enforce laws that have been under the jurisdiction of the federal government for decades.

Whatever happens in the courts regarding these legal battles, how Biden and Trump plan to handle border security and immigration issues will remain hot topics for voters to consider in the months ahead of the election.

Economic Uncertainty Both Trump and Biden are constantly talking about the state of the economy on the campaign trail and voters are listening.

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Both candidates are Presidents often have Trump also Didn't Respond trying to make the case to face unpredictable enacted many 11% Right Direction that they would be and difficult-to-control policies includ5.9% better at managing the economic issues such as ing blocking economy and stimulat- Right Direction the economic losses the abortion clinics 24% ing economic growth. country faced when the from accessing According to a COVID-19 pandemic federal funds, Akins poll finding PolitiFact article that forced schools to shut restricting the Wrong Direction how many people 65% tries to fact-check the down and businesses to U.S. governbelieved the U.S. was candidates’ claims on New York Times poll slow production. ment from headed in the right or the economy, there’s of 980 people who wrong direction Trump signed the providing funds believed that the U.S. not a simple answer for Wrong Direction Coronavirus Aid, Relief, to international was heading in the 94.1% who has been better on and Economic Security family planning Right or Wrong economic issues.

Direction (CARES) Act to deal organizations, “On the numbers, with the economic and rolling back Biden has some adslowdown. It also created a rule that was vantages over Trump, and vice versa,” wrote Luis Jacobson. a larger budget deficit of $3.1 trillion for the 2020 fiscal supposed to help shrink the gender pay gap.

“Other economic statistics show both presidents putting up year. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) also dropped as the President Biden has focused on making both women and impressive numbers during their first three years in office.” pandemic went on. Trump left office with 3 million fewer men more equal. He started by appointing a black woman, President Biden and former President Trump both have jobs than when he started.

Kamala Harris as his vice president. President Biden has also very different economic policies. For example, Trump instiWhen Biden took office in 2021, he was dealing with high attempted to enshrine abortion rights into federal law. tuted tax cuts, tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and inflation, record unemployment, and high debt accumulaIn his State of the Union address, Biden called on Conimplemented tariffs on products manufactured in China. tion. gress to set aside $12 billion to research women’s health.

Trump also pushed to renegotiate a treaty between the Biden’s economic policies have focused on infrastructure Biden has tried to champion himself on women’s rights, U.S., Canada, and Mexico called the North American Free investments, attempting to increase the national minirepeatedly attacking Trump for taking away the right to an Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new treaty, known as mum wage, expanding access to affordable healthcare, and abortion. the United States, Mexico-Canada Agreement, addresses canceling student loan debt. Biden also signed into law the This November will most likely see a rematch of the 2020 products that weren’t around when NAFTA was Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors presidential election. Many key issues are on the table, written.The new agreement, aims and Science Act (CHIPS), which will provide$40 billion in and voters are trying to decide who will do the best job as to support fairer trade funding to semiconductor companies to build fabrication president. Some look back on Trump’s presidency and think and extend copyright facilities to build semiconductor chips in the United it was a good presidency, and some could say the same about protections to 70 States.

Biden’s time in the White House. years.

Biden also signed into law the Inflation ReducWith many members of the Class of 2024 turning 18 and

tion Act, which lowered prescription drug prices, helped to lower the government budget deficit, and aims to lower CO2 emissions by 2040.

Reproductive Freedom

Adrian Orduna

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 50 years of precedent with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion.

This would lead to many laws being passed in many states banning abortions, while some states allow abortions. Three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade were appointed by Trump.

becoming eligible to vote in the November elections, their vote or lack of voting could have a significant effect on the outcome of who serves as president for When the average person the next four years, and casts their vote in a federal which of their election, they’re voting for policies we will the electors who’ll cast the all live with. final votes for President Many Americans and Akins students are -League of Women Voters looking back at Trump’s policies compared to Biden’s policies, to make their decision.

On the other hand, many students/people believe that voting isn’t important. However, many people agree that you have to vote if you want your voice to be heard. While the U.S. isn’t democratic in that if the candidate you were voting for wins the popular vote, they become president, however, the vote you cast can influence the outcome of the presidential election. The League of Women Voters explains the electoral college as, “when the average person casts their vote in a federal election, they’re voting for the electors who’ll cast the final votes for President and Vice President.”

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Concert ticket purchases costly, difficult

Fans First Act aims to address flaws in the current live event ticketing regular tickets with a higher price and no benefits. A lot of the time the seats in the same section or row as staff writer those platinum tickets are cheaper. This really gives no reason for those Platinum Tickets to be sold.

For many teenagers, going to a live music concert is Ticketmaster also decided to join in doing dynamone of the biggest highlights of their lives. ic pricing, meaning if an artist is in high demand, They are often their first opportunity to see one prices can go up and down in real time depending on of their favorite artists and/or celebrities in perthe demand and the number of seats available. This son. There is nothing quite like the experience of means that tickets can originally be $50 but could go thousands of people crowded together singing and up without a limit depending on if a lot of people are dancing together in a joyous celebration. trying to go to that same area in the concert venue.

According to an article by The Guardian, Live NaNot everyone has a bad experience with attending tion, which owns Ticketmaster, reported its biggest concerts, according to an online survey by The Eagle’s year ever in 2023, in terms of both attendance and Eye. ticket sales. In its end-of-year report, the company Respondents to the survey, which included both said concert attendance was up by 20% compared students and staff, wrote that they did not have a bad to 2022, with more than 145 million fans attending experience with getting tickets or ticket prices. One more than 50,000 events. of the lowest ticket prices a student said they obWhile attendance at live concerts is up, so are tained was $15 to see User Unauthorized. They wrote complaints about the process of that they had a great experience at obtaining tickets and their rapidly the concert. rising costs. People’s views on how Some other students said they Doja Cat and bad the problems are depend on paid $30-$80 for a ticket and also how easy and expensive the tickets Paramore were had a great experience. One of the are. students paid $65 for the ticket relatively easy.

Because of this many people have which was General Admission, Trying to get complained about ticket websites and they were able to get in the crashing or problems once potenan Olivia ticket front row. However, some of the tial ticket buyers make it to the respondents indicated that they did made me want payment section. The website often not pay for the tickets themselves or to hurt someone. won’t accept their payment, causing they were either invited to attend — Akins staff, them to have to settle for worse with someone else.

Rebecca Rodriguez seats. But that’s not all. Some online Some students said they bought scalpers use bots to buy many two tickets to see Tomorrow X tickets and resell them for a much Together at the Act: Sweet Mirage higher price than they were originally. Some ticket Tour for the San Antonio the Day 2 stop and paid buyers will pay exorbitant prices because they don’t $269 per ticket. The tickets were the original price want to miss out on seeing their favorite artists live, and the seats were on the third floor. They wrote that leading them to spend much more money. when they got to the venue and got to their seats they To combat these problems, U.S. senators introduced were able to see the whole stage but the screens were a federal bill in December called The Fan First Act. a line they were not able to see nothing on the screens It is designed to address complaints about high fees, they got curious and decided to look on Ticketmaster out-of-control prices, and deceptive selling practices. and see if they could find some cheaper tickets or at The bill would require sellers to disclose the full price least closer down and they found some tickets closer of a ticket, including all fees; indicate what seat or to first floor for $298 each and they were able to get section, and say whether the ticket being offered is them, they had a great view of the stage and were original or “primary.” This bill would also help out by much closer than they thought. banning the computer bots that help online scalpers They also just recently bought tickets for the same buy large numbers of tickets at once to resell later. group in Houston and they said they struggled to get Ticketmaster is one of the biggest companies for tickets. Not only were the tickets hard to obtain but purchasing tickets for concerts but even though it has were really pricey. They said that floor tickets close been in business for more than 40 years, it still has to the stage which were “VIP 1” were $600 but they many flaws. A lot of people struggle so much with saw that for other people in other ticket spots ranged Ticketmaster whether it’s from overpriced tickets or from $600-$800 for VIP 1 and some stops were not trying to get tickets. seated. Some seated were around $1,000 some were Ticketmaster also likes to make “special” seats for even around $1,300 per ticket. events called “platinum tickets.” These tickets are just

Ariadna vazquez

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UPCOMING CONCERTS IN ATX Find out more info on upcoming concerts at austin-theater.com and select concerts

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Comfort TV That Can Relieve Stress

Comfort TV explained and options of popular comfort tv shows AaliYah Koehn StAFF wRITER Due to stress, people sometimes can momentarily set aside their look for temporary relief through burdens and immerse themselves things such as movies and telein the comfort of fictional worlds. vision shows often referred to as Comfort shows serve as a vital comfort shows. tool for self-care, allowing viewers Comfort shows often serve as a to recharge their spirits before retreat meant for temporary relief, rejoining the stress of everyday life. offering a much-needed escape By providing a soothing relief for from the stress of daily life. Take, the body and mind, these series for instance, the variety of comremind us of the importance of fort shows such as “The Office,” taking moments to unwind and “Friends,” “Two Broke Girls,” and find joy amidst life’s chaos.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Despite Netflix, Hulu, and similar their vastly different plots, each streaming services help provide of these shows shares a common shows that are meant for backthread: the ground noise ability to allow rather than for viewers to escape the viewers’ full Comfort shows their realities attention which play a vital role where worries a majority of the in providing a are meant to time include not disappear. very well put distraction, and In “The together shows. relaxation in Office,” audiFurthermore, the an increasingly ences are treated accessibility of to a comedic comfort shows stressful world. glimpse into on streaming — Akins staff, the normal yet platforms like Alliyah Koehn amusing world Netflix, Hulu, of office life and and similar interpersonal services has relationships. Similarly, “Friends” made it easier than ever for viewers invites viewers into the close-knit to indulge in their favorite series circle of six friends as they navigate anytime, anywhere. Whether it’s everyday life. On the other hand, binge-watching an entire season in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” follows the one sitting or tuning in for a quick thrilling comedic life of a talented episode during a lunch break, detective and his co-workers with- these platforms offer unparalleled in the team as they tackle crime in convenience and flexibility, allowNew York. Also being a comedy, ing people to tailor their viewing “Two Broke Girls” is a sitcom experience to their preferences. that gives viewers a glimpse into Comfort shows play a vital role the life of two waitresses living in providing a distraction, and in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New relaxation in an increasingly stressYork while being poor and having ful world. With their comforting a business. What unites these narratives, relatable characters, shows is their capacity to provide and escapist appeal, these shows a much-needed escape from the offer a much-needed vacation stresses of reality. from the pressures of daily life.

Through witty humor, heartfelt Whether it’s a laugh-out-loud friendships, and fun adventures, comedy, a heartwarming drama, or these shows offer viewers a brief an action-packed thriller, comfort escape from their worries and shows provide a welcome escape anxieties. They serve as a mental for viewers seeking temporary resanctuary, where individuals lief from the stress of everyday life.

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Favorite Comfort TV Shows

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Marvel’s loose ends leaves lore lacking End credits leaves fans with more questions than answers Tristan hargrove Staff Writer Marvel Studios is best known for its ever expanding connected universe. With a staggering 33 films, there is a ton of content within that expands the world building of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

While cliffhangers are a great way to get the viewer excited for what’s to come, some cliffhangers that Marvel has thrown at us aren’t as hyped up with them having no immediate follow ups. Here are some of the stragglers in Marvel’s great web of loose ends.

Harry Styles as Starfox - Eternals 2021 Harry Styles, beloved by millions of fans and a former member of One Direction, took on the role of Starfox, Thanos’s brother, in the 2021 movie Eternals. With Thanos being a prominent character in his two big movies Infinity War and Endgame, the reveal of Thanos’s brother should be an important story beat that leaves an opening for many storylines to come.

Unfortunately,the story ended before it even started.

The cameo of starfox was only in one end credit scene, so those ten seconds we see him are all we have.

There was supposed to be an Eternals 2 that would have started production this year, butMarvel Studios decided to pull that movie along with other projects like Silver Surfer, and Sinister six, both cancelled due to performance failure such as Eternals. The director of Eternals has mentioned that there’s more in store for Starfox than a couple minutes of introduction, but until the possibility of Eternals 2 getting unshelved becomes a reality, it looks like we’re not going to be seeing “The Handsome Titan” for a while.

Scorpion in Prison - Spider-man: Homecoming (2017) Mac Gargan, also known as Scorpion: a professional criminal working for The Vulture who, like many other Spider-Man villains, hates Spider-Man. Scorpion wasn’t a very prominent character in Spider-man: Homecoming, with him only having a few minutes of screen time. However, the end credit scene is where the real character development happens. Scorpion, now sporting a messed up eye, talks to Vulture about how he wants to kill the Spider-man and aksVulture for his name. Vulture, not wanting to reveal Spider-man’s identity, chooses not to tell him and pretends he doesn’t know.

We have zero information on the whereabouts of The Scorpion, because the Spider-man movies after Homecoming were quickly shifted to the overseas plotline. For all we know, Scorpion could very well be out of prison and hunting for Spider-man as we speak. Spider-Man 4 is currently in development , which at first gave hope to the possibility of seeing the character return to the big screen, but the producers of the movie stated that the villain of the fourth film will be a villain not yet adapted into live-action. So it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing Scorpion for a very long time, if at all.

Prince T’Challa II - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was more than a sequel to the original Black Panther in 2018. It was a goodbye letter to the late star Chadwick Boseman, who

passed away in August 2020. The film did a great job at continuing his legacy with Shuri becoming the next black panther, although Shuri isn’t the only member of the family who can carry on the mantle.

In the post credit scene of Wakanda Forever, it was revealed that the character of T’Challa had a son, Prince T’Challa II, who was kept a secret to everyone in Wakanda except for his wife Nakia. When Shiri was shown T’Challa’s son, she was taken aback and hopeful for the future, saying that she knows he will be a strong great leader in the future.

We do have some information regarding the future of the T’Challa family. In the comics, T’Challa’s son joins the Young Avengers, a project we will be seeing in the near future. The end credit scene also states that we will see the Black Panther again.

Whether it’s Shuri’s Black Panther or T’Challa’s Black Panther we don’t know for sure, but if Marvel Studios were to not have the story continue it would be a huge miss out.

These are only a few of the many loose ends Marvel has yet to clear up. Some have promising futures, while others might end up left on the cutting room floor. Only time will tell what direction Marvel decides to go in with a huge number of movies and shows lined up, but let’s hope to not have to make another one of these lists with even more of Marvel’s loose ends.

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Page 17 | April 12, 2024

Helldivers 2 spreads ‘Democracy’ Brandon Wicken Staff Writer Helldivers 2, an online multi-player co-op shooter, is the newest smash hit on the scene that finally answers players’ calls for fair monetary practices and consistent new content.

After playing for dozens of hours, I’m here to tell you everything you need to know about it.

Developed as a sequel to Arrowhead Game Studios’ 2015 top-down shooter and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Helldivers 2 is a live service game currently exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and the PC platform Steam, where it has continued to grow in popularity over time.

The playable character is known as a Helldiver, a nameless patriotic soldier given mere minutes of training before being sent out to fight in an intergalactic war who will be replaced with a new recruit the moment they fall in battle.

Players are matched up with three other players to complete missions in procedurally generated alien environments that contribute to the community’s larger goals, such as a planet’s liberation or defense. The game focuses on a community-driven campaign against, as of early April 2024, two enemy factions: the Terminids and the Automatons.

The Terminids are alien bugs heavily inspired by the 1997 cult-classic film Starship Troopers. Meanwhile, the Automatons are creations of one of the former game’s factions, the Cyborgs, whose designs are reminiscent of various Terminator models from their namesake franchise.

The game has an over-the-top satirical theme to poke fun at authoritarianism and patriotism through “Super Earth,” a future Earth that has united together and ensured its control to a “managed democracy,” where votes are cast automatically for its citizens without them even needing to touch a ballot.

Of course, this is obviously a totalitarian regime veiled as a democracy through propaganda, but it allows the game’s community to make satirical comments in line with the game’s fervent and patriotic population, as well as for the developers to poke fun at real-world themes like the military-industrial complex, nationalist propaganda and militarism.

The story of the game even hints that the Terminids were

intentionally released by the government because their bod- physics engine that had its support discontinued during deies decompose into a fictional resource (element 710) that velopment and was heavily modified by the developers, the allows faster-than-light travel and serves as a metaphor and game is great for capturing awesome unrepeatable moments palindrome for oil, the source of many conflicts in our real that can be shared online, allowing its unexpected boom world. In a similar vein, the Automatons aren’t initially hos- and continued growth after launch. tile to humans, but were vilified by Super Earth for being One of the advantages of the game running as a live unthinking socialist machines and for revealing the truth of service is that there are near-infinite possibilities for future their government to some Super Earth citizens. content to retain players through gradual releases. Recently, The game also wears its inspiration from other sci-fi the developers have released new content like stratagems, media on its sleeve, with similar armor designs to Star Wars’ two more permanent “battle passes” with new weapons and stormtroopers and Halo’s ODSTs. Terminids are similar to cosmetics to earn as well as new enemies for both factions.

Warhammer 40,000’s Tyranids in both name and design.

The developers have even kept players engaged by increased The biggest inspiration behind the gameplay loop itself is teasing of new enemies through the former game’s third facthe 1959 Starship Troopers novel and 1997 movie. In it, the tion: the Illuminates. This allows the community to build futuristic soldiers are described as being dropped to planets hype and keep each other engaged in the game’s evolving from orbit before completing missions and lighting beacons conflict, with the possibility of the developers sourcing for pickup from gunships, which is nearly identical to Hellcontent ideas from the community, ensuring that there will diver’s gameplay loop. be a dedicated player base for years to come.

As for more particulars about the game, we should discuss On the other hand, the community and the game’s themes its technical performance. While there are a lot of bugs in have their downsides, with some instances of players taking the game, thankfully most of them are enemies rather than the roleplay too far with teamkilling and toxic behavior technical glitches, and most of the game-breaking ones over “meta” builds. This is an unfortunate reality of any onthat prevent you from playing have been patched within a line game that grows large enough, but the developers have reasonable amount of time after launch. One of the greatest so far done a good job of balancing the game to keep both problems at launch was that the game was too successful the weapons and community of different kinds of players and didn’t have the server capacity to handle continuously fair and united. growing demand for a few weeks. While you’re still quite Finally, this leads to my overall take on the game. Helllikely to encounter wonky animations or be flung across divers 2 offers players a refreshing live service experience the map by an explosion, these bugs usually add to the that doesn’t nickel-and-dime players while still providing a experience and give you something to laugh at with friends. fun co-op experience with possibly the best potential They’re also a great source of clips and funny for future content and support. moments to be shared online, with players Along with the backing of Sony, the game referring to the fais a safe bet for players wanting to mous programget the most out of $40 while still ming maxim providing an exhilarating experience “It’s not a bug, to enjoy with friends. I very strongly it’s a feature.” recommend Helldivers 2 for PlayStation This even leads me to and PC players and hope that the over one of the greatest points 100,000 Xbox players petitioning for of the game, its cina port get their wish to experience the ematic gameplay. game alongside the rest of the commuThrough the use of a nity.

Arrowhead Games Studio

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Page 18 | April 12, 2024

Life & Style

Looksmaxxing preys on low self-esteem Mewing, ‘self-care’ trends causes insecurities in young teens

M Pelt copy editor If you want to look the best you can, you should be hitting yourself in the face with a hammer at least once a year — or, at least, this is what “looksmaxxers” on TikTok and Reddit are saying.

Although the phrase was coined in 2015, it didn’t gain traction in mainstream communities until the 2020s, with the biggest spike coming in 2023 with the rise in popularity of “mewing” which is the practice of tucking your tongue to the roof of your mouth for periods of time with the intent of sharpening your jawline.

While appearance has always been a big deal to a lot of people, quarantine during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic drew more attention to the level of self-care that people practice. A lot of people experienced “glow-ups,” and with many finding online stardom at the time, the camera and perceived attractiveness became more and more important.

For many, “looksmaxxing” is mostly treated as a joke. However, many are unaware that the concept has dark roots of which many are unaware - so dark in fact that it may seem like some insane rumor started on the depths of TikTok. The website Looksmaxxer.com was registered to the Internet Archive in 2015 after associated practices became popular in “manosphere” forums in the 2010s. This creation of Looksmaxxer.com influenced the subsequent creation of related 4chan message boards.

For those who aren’t familiar with 4chan, the site is commonly known for being an “incel” gathering place. A phrase that can also commonly be found on these looksmaxxing message boards is “black pill.”

The “manosphere” is, of course, a group of websites and online communities centered around being a man, with a particular focus of opposing feminism and promoting misogyny.

“Incels” are involuntary celibates, most often associated with “manosphere” communities, who typically support extreme and often sexual violence against women and sexually active men. “Black pill” is a term that is closely related to both of these groups, describing an ideology of self-defeatism and sexism rooted in the belief that women will only choose the most attractive sexual partners, placing the blame on their sexual failures on women as a whole.

While many of these phrases may seem out of left field for many “looksmaxxing” enjoyers, it doesn’t take long to find content that seems very closely aligned with incel, manosphere, black-pilled ideas when scrolling through the tag on TikTok. Terms such as “phenotype,” “canthal tilt,” and “BMI” are thrown around and presented as the end-all-be-all of being attractive. Phenotype seems to refer to the racial aesthetic of someone’s face, even sometimes skin color, and looksmaxxing forums and some TikTokers seem to recommend plastic surgery to “fix” a bad phenotype.

Canthal tilt also seems heavily racialized, referring to the angle of the outer corner of the eyes, prioritizing a “positive” tilt (or lifted outer corners) with double eyelids- a very Western standard. BMI is a phrase that many of us were introduced to in elementary school, the Body Mass Index that determines how under or overweight you are — and which was never intended for medical use, and began to be exposed as pseudoscience in the early 2000s.

With looksmaxxing becoming more popular on the internet, and the promotion of these factors on social media as definite measures of beauty and health, it’s only natural that young people become introduced to these new words and new insecurities. On any site or post related to the trend, it’s easy to find young boys — as young as 12 sometimes — lamenting about their eye posture, weight, jawline, and lack of romantic attention.

Despite this clear trend online, Akins students responded in an online survey that they don’t believe looksmaxxing has caused them to develop any new insecurities. One anonymous respondent said that while the trend hasn’t caused them to feel more insecure, “I think it does affect younger viewers.” The same respondent referred to the trend as a scam, a sentiment that was echoed by several others.

It’s important to note that many of these looksmaxxing influencers sell their own products, ranging from hand grip trainers and jaw trainers to supplements and diet pills. Understandably, a lot of these products are understood to be scams, or basic products that have been priced higher than they should be.

The consensus from the responding Akins students seemed to be in favor of looksmaxx-

Jonathon Wilson ing, and many said that they believe the trend has some truth to it, though most of the “effective” tactics seem to be basic self-care and hygiene.

This departure from previous looksmaxxing methods is certainly a welcome one, and prioritizes the use of basic skincare and dental hygiene products to “optimize” one’s natural beauty. However, not all looksmaxxing posts are created equal, and some still promote plastic surgery, supplements, and hammers to the face as trustworthy — and even necessary — aspects of improving your physical appearance.

While it’s unclear what the general opinion on looksmaxxing is from professionals, we do know that orthodontists view mewing, a practice coined by orthodontist John Mew, as a hoax that prevents people from getting the dental care they need. In January of this year, the American Association of Orthodontists released an article stating that “scientific evidence supporting mewing’s jawline-sculpting claims is as thin as dental floss.”

Mike Mew, son of John Mew and practicing orthodontist, is currently on trial for misconduct due to his promotion of mewing online. On his YouTube channel, Mew claimed that mewing was capable of reshaping the cranial structure and curing sleep apnea.

The trend of “bone smashing” is in the same boat as mewing as one of the few looksmaxxing-aligned practices that professionals actively denounce. Plastic surgeon Ben Schultz included blindness, abnormal growth of the bones, and bone weakness upon healing as some of the harmful side effects of this bizarre method of increasing attractiveness.

So, if these aspects of looksmaxxing are so dangerous, how have these practices become so popular on TikTok, and as a joke or as a real method? Even when these things are treated as a joke, people might still be internalizing these concepts as idealized forms of beauty.

In our society, being perceived as attractive is one of the most important things you can be.

While young people don’t place much value on the seriousness of trends like looksmaxxing, it’s undeniable that some of the practices promoted are internalized to some extent. There’s a reason why looksmaxxing and other appearance-based trends get so much attention online, especially from young people.

It’s also worth considering how the origins of looksmaxxing relates to what it looks like today. With its creation on incel forums, it’s clear that it began as something focused on men, and this holds true today. All of the top “looksmaxxing influencers” are young men, and their idols are male models.

Looksmaxxing seems to be one of the few male-centric trends online that focuses on physical appearance, drawing in young men with the promise of making them more attractive.

These feelings of insecurity, and the pressure from the idea that you’re doomed to die alone if you have low “sexual market value,” are likely the reasons why so many young men are susceptible to falling prey to incel thinking and behavior.

Life & Style

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 19 | april 12, 2024

Student markets GLOW clothing line

Ricardo Ramos-ramirez StAFF WRITER Since fall 2022, a beige and green hoodie with arabic lettering for the word GLOW, has become a popular item to wear on campus at Akins.

The GLOW streetwear fashion line is the brainchild of senior Luther Lagamon. He has promoted his brand on Instagram and has a wait list to sign up for his item drops.

His original design featured a phrase written in Arabic on the back in four lines of text that read “Brightest in the Sky.” So far he has released three designs with the most recent being late January. He has collaborated with some other Akins streetwear designers, including the guys who made the Billion $ Tribe shirt release.

Lagamon said he wanted his designs to help people “shine brighter in a place where everyone is already shining bright.”

The Eagle’s Eye interviewed Lagamon to ask him about his inspiration and his hopes for the future.

EE: When did you first decide to make your streetwear?

LL :I always had an interest in clothing making my own jeans and shirts EE: What was your motivation to make your clothing?

LL: My motivation is thinking about the bigger picture and what my brand can become EE: What did you have to learn to sell online?

LL: I had to learn the website aspect for my business EE: Where did you draw your inspiration from?

LL: I drew inspiration from clint419 owner of Corteiz, and the way he built his brand to be exclusive, and have people run for his clothes EE: What does GLOW mean to you?

LL: GLOW means to me that you get to shine in your own way, when people say “happy glow day “ usually it’s referring to their birthday but why can’t you GLOW every day EE: How does it make you feel to see other people wear your clothing?

LL: I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see everyone supporting my vision, being able to see what I made feels surreal EE: And in the future what do you plan to do?, especially after you graduate?

LL: All the money I get from my clothes I put back into my brand, after graduating I want to pull all my attention to my brand and market it to where it’s nationwide Ricardo Ramos-Ramirez

Exchange student discusses life abroad fabi rodriguez StAFF WRITER Many of us are unaware of the processes a student takes to be transferred to other countries as an exchange student.

Johnny Barbano, an exchange student from the small independent country of San Marino in Italy, knows this process very well. His home-country has roughly 40 miles square, an altitude of 70 meters with a population of around 33,000 thousand people.

“The top of it it’s basically a mountain where there’s a city and everything around it,” Barbano said. “It’s a little more than a hill but it’s like a very low mountain,”.

This is Barbano’s third time doing an exchange student program. He chose a basic program where he could pick a specific country, but he couldn’t choose a certain city or his host parents.

His application requirements consisted of vaccines, a health report, extracurriculars, hobbies, interviews to test language proficiency, and a mental preparation exam.

The agency takes his information over to an American Agency that creates a profile for him where host families choose a student.

The cost for fees, passport and visa taxes, insurance, and the amount of money that has to be sent for expenses was about 15,000 euros, which is about $16,000 There is only one high school in San Marino called Scuola Secondaria Superiore San Marino. Students don’t have a school bus and get to school by driving, walking, or using public transportation. “(At) 14, you can drive these (small) cars, and from 16 you can drive faster cars and motorbikes and (at) 18 you get

your actual driver’s license,” Barbano said.

Education is paid through taxes, but each year students take around thirteen classes and have to buy textbooks for each class. The total amount for these textbooks is about 400 euros (roughly $500). At the end of the year, the government refunds 60% of the money paid for books.

High school in San Marino runs for five years. Students start at the age of fourteen and graduate at the age of nineteen. Their core classes are called primary classes which consist of literature, philosophy, English, mathematics, and history. Every year their hours of primary classes diminish.

“I used to do four hours of math when I was like in my first year, and now I’m doing like two (classes) per week,” Barbano said.

They have class pathways very similar to academy classes.

Barbano takes languages, which allows him to take classes where he studies French, German, and English. In addition, he takes many science classes like chemistry, physics, and biology. Students use number grades ranging from 1 to 10., with a grade of six considered a passing grade.

Their school doesn’t provide extracurriculars like sports and music. Instead, students have to pay for lessons in private academies. Barbano does extracurriculars like soccer and piano. Barbano is even part of San Marino’s national Futsal team, a soccer-like sport typically played indoors on a hard court.

“If you’re talented, if you’re a little talented you can even train with your national team. I managed to get in under 17 in my soccer national team. But after injuries and after a few problems I quit and now I made the futsal national team which is quite a reward for me. And I’m also in the adult national team so I even get paid,” Barbano said.

Fabi Rodriguez

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 20 | april 12, 2024

Life & Style

JROTC provides leadership opportunities Program rebounds with new leaders after facing pandemic challenges Alex Luna StAFF WRITER

From basic acts of dedication like raising the flags in front of the school each morning to larger volunteer projects, everything the Akins Air Force JROTC program does is focused on developing character traits dedicated to serving the nation and community.

The official AFJROTC objectives are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship and life skills, promote community service, instill a sense of responsibility, and develop character, leadership, and self-discipline through education and instruction in air and space fundamentals and the Air Force’s core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do.” Like almost all student-based clubs and programs, the Akins JROTC program struggled to keep going during the years of remote learning that were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020.

Since then a new set of leaders have stepped up to rebuild the JROTC program to regain the strength and impact the JROTC program makes in the Akins community.

Col. Kerry Lewis took over as the top faculty leader of the program during the 2021-2022 school year when most students were still only attending classes remotely via Zoom. It was a difficult time to run a program that requires in-person activities and focuses on developing character traits.

“When I got here it was our first year coming out of COVID, first time back in-person so we were trying to build the program, build the excitement, get the uniforms out,

and start building a name for ourselves,” Lewis said.

Rebuilding and recruiting has been Lewis’ focus since his first days at Akins and that continues now. Lewis said he has reached out to Akins’ feeder middle schools to grab the attention of new students coming into Akins.

“It’s a big school. I mean, we can get attention, right? And so we’ve been able to do that,” Lewis said.

Over the 30 years since he joined the Air Force in 1992, Col. Lewis worked on a wide variety of things, including military contracts and missiles. He would soon switch to occupational health. Col. Lewis worked to make the working environment safer by checking drinking water, chemical safety, biological and nuclear safety, overall just any hazardous material in general.

Lewis was familiar with the ROTC programs, which stands Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, from being a part of one in college. He said he was fascinated with the program and its potential even when on active duty, which led him to instruct at some college ROTC programs.

“We have a lot of cadets and we were just talking to some today that are currently in ROTC in college,” Lewis said. “We talked to some who are already on active duty in the military, and they appreciate what they learned here and they’re actually getting awards and being recognized at basic training for their success.”

The JROTC program has traditionally been taught and guided by two teachers — a colonel and a Chief Master Sergeant — but during the fall of the 2022-2023 school

year, Lewis had to lead the program on his own. That changed in January of 2023 when Master Chief Sergeant Andre Davis was hired and began to share the responsibilities of leading the Akins JROTC unit.

Davis didn’t start his military service in the Air Force. Instead, he started as a combat engineer and drill instructor in the army but switched over to the Air Force in 1996 as an electrician. After his time as an electrician, he trained managers and sent people to an Air Force officer training school (OTS) and medical schools and helped many more people get to flight schools. After 12 years of doing this, he went to work at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., overseeing training.

“Working with the colonel and then the cadets was the thing that made me choose the school easily, and I have just been here ever since then,” Davis said. “It’s nice. Our job is to take what we learned in the military to give you tools to be successful.”

Senior Hope Rodriguez is the unit’s cadet lieutenant commander, has been involved with the Akins JROTC program since her freshman year. Last year she was promoted to deputy commander and has been a leader for the Akins JROTC unit ever since. Although new cadets now see a strong leader, it wasn’t always like this, she said.

Rodriguez’s freshman year was different.

COVID affected all forms of school and JROTC was no different. She didn’t know much about the program and its drill teams as a freshman. She mostly knew that they issued a uniform and it had to be worn. Even with this rough start, she became the head of the program, leading cadets and inspiring them to strive for greatness.

Karen Sabillion

Blast off!

Master Chief Seargant Andre Davis assists a JROTC student in a rocket launch for class project on Akins Track.

“I think one of our biggest strengths is just our relationship with each other, “ Rodriguez said.

“I think something in me just kind of snapped and I was just like, ‘I really care about these students.’ I really take care of my staff and the rest of my cadets” she said.

Sports

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 21 | April 12, 2024

The final season

Coach Roy Tambunga will retire after more than 20 years with Akins While battling through these rejections, Tambunga kept helping his athletes in the Sports Editor zero hour, learning how to use loopholes to improve his athletes.

“I used to have conference eighth period.

After 20 years of teaching and coaching at The soccer coach, we were real good friends, Akins High School, and another 10 years of said, just put them all in my subclass. And experience, Coach Roy Tambunga will be I’ll send them to you,” Tambunga said. “So retiring at the end of the school year. for almost 10 years, during my conference In his final year, as he prepares for retireperiod, he would send me all my wrestlers, ment, Tambunga said he does not believe he and I would work them out.” has a legacy, despite praise from his coaching Although Tambunga struggled to create colleagues, students and the athletes he has a class for 10 years, Tambunga has been coached. Instead, he just hopes to stay in teaching at Akins for over 20 years, with contact with his friends at Akins.

English Teacher Rebecca Redland being one Tambunga started teaching at Akins in of the coworkers who has shared this long 2002, just two years after the school opened. experience with him.

Before taking the job at Akins, he had “I was at Akins when the school opened,” worked as a wrestling coach at his previous Redland said. “Coach Tambunga came to job. With multiple pushes and receiving Akins a few years after we opened. I rememmultiple rejections, Tambunga was able to ber meeting him and thinking that he was a create a wrestling period from a “zero-hour good fit for our new school; I was so happy class,” which met before school started. that he chose to work at Akins.”

From then on, he has inspired other schools Throughout the years of watching Akins to create wrestling periods, along with that, grow, the school differs greatly from when he has taken a competitor to the State UIL Tambunga first started at Akins. While meets every year of his time at Akins. After sharing few experiences with teachers, shaping the wrestling team to be one of the Tambunga now looks at the school through best, being an educator, inspiration, and a different lens. motivator, Tambunga will be retiring.

“Changes can be a little bit difficult Athletic Coordinator Joey Saxe said Tambecause the focus moves and shifts into stuff bunga has had an impactful legacy at Akins that you may or may not agree should be the whether he recognizes it or not. focus, ” Tambunga said. “You start feeling “The legacy is like the relationship that like a little fish out of water a little bit.” he built with kids, helped change their lives After multiple years of giving up his through wrestling for better, he mentored conference period, and successes of the kids, he’s just made such an impact,” he wrestlers, the wrestling said. “You know, yes in class was finally created. wrestling, yes on the Even without the class, mat, but it’s beyond all Tambunga created sucBut that’s the biggest that. He changes kids’ cessful wrestlers who every lives. He helps them accomplishment... year have competed in the with their academics. He be a part of a lot of State UIL meet. helps them when they’re people’s lives.

“Just every kid that he’s going through something, put to the state tournajust life struggles. He — Roy Tambunga ment, to the next level, just makes a difference he has several athletes with kids. Truly a game that went on to wrestle changer.” in college which you know is great because As Coach Tambunga prepares for retirethey get to continue to do what they love to ment, leaving a huge legacy, the wrestling do, ” Saxe said. class would have not been possible if he had While Coach Saxe celebrates his success, not insisted on creating one. he describes his work as a standard of excel“I used to always try to get an athletic lence to be followed. Even then, he believes period, and (the principal) would flat out the relationships he has built have surpassed every year, tell me no. Because she’s the one any wins, Tambunga said he believes his sucthat quote said, ‘wrestling is a minor sport,’” cesses was realized through forging strong Tambunga said.

Adamaris Olivares

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Cruz Morales

FINAL Words Coach Roy Tambunga talks with wrestler Jacob Ortiz at Akins High School against Bowie High School on Jan. 10. Ortiz won this match right after speaking with him. relationships with athletes instead of just earning medals.

“I’ve been to, you know, quinces, I’ve been to weddings, and funerals, unfortunately, and stuff like that,” Tambuga said. “But that’s the biggest accomplishment, I got to meet and be with a lot of people, be a part of a lot of people’s lives.”

In his final year, as Tambunga prepares to say goodbye, he hopes to continue to be a part of the lives of the Akins community.

“I’m perfectly fine with just going on, you know, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t want all this stuff,” Tambunga said. “I just, I would like for the kids, the people that I’ve been in contact with, to keep in contact. I want to see when they grow old and when they get married. And when they have kids.”

Redland, who has shared some of these

experiences with him, believes he has truly changed students’ lives. With all the years of working together, she has seen the changes he has made to the program and for students.

“I will miss his smile, his leadership, and his presence on campus,” Redland said.

“Thank you for making the decision to work at Akins. Thank you for the many hours that you have dedicated to the students in your classroom and in the gym. You have changed lives. I will miss you.”

Redland won’t be the only one to miss Tambunga. After changing lives for 20 years, he continues to impact his wrestlers today.

“I appreciate you for everything you have done for me, pushing me hard in practice, and making me the best wrestler I can be,” senior Yahya Pierre said.

Sports

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 22 | April 12, 2024

Varsity point guard battles cancer

Akins community, basketball team rallies to support athlete in need Adamaris Olivares Sports Editor On Friday, Feb. 2, Darius Hedspeth’s life changed forever.

Tuesday, Jan. 30 Hedspeth was hit in the groin twice during his school basketball game. This led to a doctor’s appointment, which then led to a referral to a urologist, including CT scans and ultrasounds. Unfortunately, the doctor’s visits don’t end there. Hedspeth was diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of cancer that was discovered after an orange-sized cancerous tumor was removed.

At that point, Hedspeth knew that he was in a battle with cancer that he never expected.

“I knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t sure what it was and didn’t think it would be cancer,” Hedspeth said.

The shocking news hit the school within the first weeks of February. Before it reached the school, Hedspeth’s mother felt the hit first.

“You never think that this can happen to your kid. Especially when they’re healthy, they’re athletic, or they work out probably seven days out of the week, Hedspeth’s mother Olivia Vasquez-Deleon said. “They’re doing something physical and you just never think that it can happen to them. So it was I was in shock.”

The news didn’t only hit Hedspeths family hard, but his coaches and friends also took the news badly.

“I broke down when I found out,” Hedspeth’s friend Coda Trevino said.

Now Hedspeth prepares for a long battle that includes medications, chemotherapy, and long trips to Houston where his chemotherapy will take place.

“He’s trying to be strong. I think that he still has a positive mind going into this. At first, I didn’t think that he understood the severity of it or I don’t think that he wanted to accept it,” Vasquez-Deleon said. “Because he had so much going on in his life already that he didn’t want that to stop.

But right now, he’s, he’s taking it day by day.”

Hedspeth’s mother acknowledges his strength through the process. He has maintained a strong mind, and a positive attitude through a very hard experience. Vasquez-Deleon also tries to remain strong as she begins to grasp the realities of these battles.

“I think I broke down once in front of him,” Vasquez-Deleon said. And he told me that it was hard for him to be strong, if I’m not strong. So I just take my car rides or on my way to work, or in the bathroom, you know, those are when I have my moments.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first battle the family had with cancer. In 2015, Hedspeth lost his grandfather to cancer. Every game he played would be dedicated to his grandfather, to be the strong kid for him.

“It’s just terrifying news because we’ve gone through that hurt before,” Vasquez-Deleon said.

She continues to be strong through her son’s diagnosis and

Courtesy Olivia Vasquez-Deleon

Darius Strong Darius Hedspeth (center) poses for a picture with his coaches during Mini-Golf Fundraiser on March 20 at Memorial Mini-Golf in Buda. This is one of the many fundraisers for Hedspeth. treatment, but even then, this experience is even harder and she now has to go through it again.

“His grandfather, who basically raised him when he was younger with me. It was like a father figure to him. He passed away from cancer so it’s really hard,” Vasquez-Deleon said.

The family continues to stay strong through the challenges they have faced starting in 2015, and resurfacing now.

Through this experience, Vasquez-Deleon urges parents and coaches to educate students about the importance of understanding their bodies.

“I think that parents need to make it normal for kids to be open about their bodies and if they see anything, if they feel a little lump or if they feel something, they need to tell their parents right away because it could be something as serious as this,” Vasquez-Deleon said.

Offering her advice to families going through the same

thing, Vasquez-Deleon says the community has consistently shown support. Students like Rae Ramos offer checkups, and coaches such as Coach Anderson have visited to help him through this experience.

“We’re just overwhelmed by all the support that he’s gotten, the people who know him and that I didn’t even know that knew him, or knew, maybe have seen him play over the years,” Vasquez-Deleon said.

While the community continues to support Hedspeth through his fight with cancer, he remains fierce in this long, terrifying, and unknown struggle.

“I would like to thank the Akins community, my family, and friends,” Hedspeth said.

To donate to Darius Hedspeth click here; bit.ly/3TPIBLg Andrew Copeland and Ricardo Ramos-Ramirez contributed to this story

Humor & Solar

“Can’t talk, I’m mewing” cruz burrows StAFF ARTIST

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 23 | April 12, 2024

Students make sacrifices on eclipse day Diego Hernandez Eclipse cult member

After the district announced school wouldn’t be canceled on April 8, when a Total Solar Eclipse is expected to blot out the sun over Austin, both students and staff are unofficially deciding to hold sacrificial ceremonies on school that day.

Some students are partaking in fun eclipse related activities, such as coloring books, informational videos about the event, and sacrifices of personal belongings to appease the gods.

“I decided to throw some overdue homework into the giant bonfire, ” Selene Luna said. “I’m failing the class, but I’m sure this will give me a 100 in it! If I’m still failing after the end of the world my parents are gonna kill me.”

Some students haven’t even been able to make it to school due to traffic, and will arrive late, if at all, to the Eclipse day activities.

“I’ve been stuck in traffic for the past hour, everyone in the area is trying to get to another place for another Eclipse sacrifice,” ___ said over the phone . “If I don’t get there soon, I might miss the sacrifices! I can’t afford that, I was gonna sacrifice all my cash savings for a day off school!”

Despite all the fun Eclipse Day activities, students say the end of the world should’ve been a good enough reason for AISD to cancel school.

“Man….No one even came to school today, everyone stayed and did their sacrifices at home, ” Helios Sol said. “This personal sacrifice thing could’ve gone smoother if they had just canceled school. At least it’s the end of the world, so no point in coming to school tomorrow!” This is, of course, satire.

Students view total solar eclipse at Akins Akins students and staff gathered outside here at school for a once-in-a-lifetime event to witness a total Eclipse, where the Moon covers the Sun’s light from the Earth and caused darkness for a few minutes. Students and staff went outside and used school-issued Eclipse glasses to look up at the sky and witness this natural phenomenon. ◊ 1. By Renzo Montgomery, who traveled to Lano, Texas to take photos of the total Eclipse without cloud cover. ◊ 2. By Robert Lockay, taken in front of the school entrance where students gathered to witness the Eclipse. ◊ 3. By David Doerr, dozens of both students and staff gather in the school’s front parking lot right before the Eclipse. ◊ 4. By Lillian Crider, where students and staff all begin seeing the Ring of Fire during totality.

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Community 10701 S. First St. Autin, TX 78748

Page 24 April 12, 2024 The Eagle’s Eye

Advertising Page 24 contains paid advertising provided by the administration and not content created by The Eagle’s Eye staff.

Contact faculty adviser David Doerr if you are interested in advertising in The Eagle’s Eye. Send email inquries to david.doerr@austinisd.org.

Principal’s Letter Eagle Family!

It is hard to believe that we only have a few weeks left in the 23-24 school year!

It has been an amazing year and we have many incredible accomplishments to celebrate! This year will mark our second true class of ACC graduates in the Early College program. This is an unbelievable accomplishment for many of our ECHS students who will earn an associate’s degree before they receive their High School diploma! On top of that, our seniors have racked up over 3 million dollars in scholarships so far this school year with many award letters still to come. We also received UIL sweepstakes in Band, Orchestra, Mariachi and Choir! Akins also placed multiple students 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in several state level competitions in CTE and athletics with some students even qualifying for nationals! Finally, by the time you read this, you will have seen your first total solar eclipse, an event that you will likely experience only once in your lifetime.

And you got to see it at Akins!

However, the school year isn’t over yet! Seniors, there is still time to wrap up completing college applications and FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) with the help of Mrs. Claudia Arellano Ferretiz in the College and Career Center (Room 146).

This is the time to ask for help because this nine-weeks will be over before you know it!

Juniors (2025) and Sophomores (2026), it is time to make sure you are TSIA ready. We will be testing students Monday-Thursday during the summer beginning at 9:00 a.m. Juniors, if you want to choose your 4th year English

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Michael Herbin and math class, it is important that you take care of this early.

On top of that, students enrolled in English 1, English 2, Algebra 1, Biology and/or US History are gearing up for their STAAR EOC tests starting in mid-April. In addition to those exams, we will also have Advanced Placement exams occurring in May. I am proud of the focus and effort exhibited by both students and teachers in preparation for these important assessments. I know you will do great!

On a more personal note, I want to thank all of you that have made my second year at Akins a great one. The staff and students at this campus are truly amazing. I also want to thank our Akins community for all of their work in supporting our students this school year. I have been so impressed by your consistent focus on improving the outcomes of our kids. This is a truly amazing campus and I consider myself lucky to be an Eagle. Wings up!

Sincerely, Principal Michael Herbin

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Students earn certifications In March and April students have passed EKG Technician, Medical Assisting Certifications and the Biotechnology Assistant Credentialing exams. In the medical assisting practicum, 18 students passed their EKG Technician certifications and 43 passed the Medical Assisting certification.

In the Biomedical Practicum, six students have passed their Biotechnology Assistant Credentialing Exam. Other programs have also had students pass exams. Stay tuned to our May issue for more information.