The Eagle's Eye, Issue 5, Volume 23

Austin, TX May 17, 2024

The

Issue 5 Vol 23

eagle’s Eye “Everything that concerns you”

GEAR UP ends after making an impact Page 12

News: AISD to $59 million from budget

A&E: Fallout explodes after new Prime Series

state forced $59 Million budget cut from once close to a billlion |Page 4

Ressurgance in classic game after new series debuts | page 11

About Us

THE eagle’s Eye

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Editors

Marcelo Palacios

Samantha Limon

Madison Staman

mckenna Carpenter

In Depth Editor Print Editor In Chief News editor

kairi Natal

Sports Editor Online Editor IN-Cheif Opinions Editor

Jasmine Woods

photo editor

Ash Morris

Entertainment editor

Adrian Orduna

Life & Style editor

Graphics editor

Staff Writers Alex Lindao

Adamaris Olivares-lopez

Ely Rodriguez

Faby Rodriguez

Janelle Ponti

Tristan Hargrove

Yanitzel Salazar

Table Of contentS ● 4 News: Austin ISD $59 million budget cut ● 5 Editorial: SB 17 causes diversity uproar ● 6 Opinion: UT Protests & What’s your opinion on TikTok ● 7-10 Senior section ● 11 A&E: Akins UIL & Fallout Review ● 12 In-Depth: Gear Up goes Away ● 13 Life & Style: Coachella/SSS changes ● 14-15 Photos: Students face off teachers ● 16 Sports: New leaders

Leaving Editors Diego Hernandez

Co-Editor IN Chief Mark Lomas Life and style Editor In-Depth Editor Co-Editor in Cheif

Ashley Caceres-Sanchez

M Pelt Copy Editor

Honors ILPc/UIL

CSPA

TAJE

NSPA

News Editor

Rudy Morales-Alvarez Opinions Editor

Ely Rodriguez Graphics Editor

Adamaris Olivares-lopez Sports Editor

@AkinsEaglesEye

@AkinsEaglesEye

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.

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Page 3 | May 17, 2024

News

THE eagle’s Eye

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This graphic is adapted from an Austin school district presentation about the district’s current budget deficiet

Austin ISD

Austin ISD to cut $59 million from budget Madison Staman

News Editor On May 9, during a school board meeting Austin ISD officials announced the news that the district would have to cut an additional $29 million from its coming school year budget after already cutting $30 million in April.

District officials have known that budget cuts would be necessary after the Texas Legislature declined to increase funding for public schools during last year’s legislative sessions. The school board has held a series of meetings to find ways to cut the budget without direct impacts on classroom instruction, but the latest financial news might have made that unlikely now.

During the school board meeting, a dual language teacher said that he was told earlier in the week that the district is planning to cut two administrative positions in the multilingual education department. During the meeting, the teacher said that the cuts were “unacceptable” and that it will cause bilingual students will lose quality in their education.

Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura acknowledged during the meeting that the new cuts the district is being forced to consider could impact classroom instruction.

“We’re at a point now where almost nothing is not going to be impacted due to the magnitude of cuts we have to take across the district,” Segura said.

After receiving new information from the Texas Education Agency and the appraisal district in late April, the district learned the deficit would be $89 million without cuts.

Ultimately, the district said it will have to cut at least $59 million to meet the district’s required cashflow and savings requirements.

The Austin school board decided to take on a $52 million deficit during the current 2023-24 school year budget. It decided to spend $64 million last school year to provide staff raises in hopes of reducing the number of teachers quitting for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

Austin ISD leaders had hoped that the Texas Legislature would have passed a law that would increase funding to public schools last year, but that did not happen.

Instead, Gov. Greg Abbott said he would not support an increase in school funding unless lawmakers first passed a voucher law that would allow parents to spend public tax dollars at private schools.

In a May 10 press release from the school district, District 3 Trustee Kevin Foster criticized state leaders for the district’s financial problems.

“We are living under a crisis 100% manufactured by the state,” Foster said. “We have enough money to run two school districts this size if the state didn’t rob us by ridiculous laws that they pass.”

Another cause of financial strain for the district is that enrollment in Austin ISD has remained on a steady decline for the past five years. From the 2017-18 school

Possible budget changes ◊ Deeper staffing cuts through attrition as vacancies arise ◊ Selling or renting properties or redeveloping current properties to create ongoing revenue. ◊ Potential Voter Approval Tax Rate Election that could raise $41 million annually Source: Austin ISD

year to the 2022-23 school year, the district experienced a 10% decline in enrollment.

Enrollment and attendance are two contributing factors that decide how much funding districts receive from the state.

Akins is likely to experience some of the impacts of the budget cuts as campus officials are noticing lower enrollment numbers for the next school year. Cecilia Gutierrez, Career and Technology and Education Department chair, said she is concerned about lower numbers of incoming freshmen.

“It always makes us nervous,” she said.

“One of the ways that I approach it is just wait and see. And then when we do hear what’s happening then sometimes we just need to figure out if it’s something that we

need to push back against and fight for, or if it’s something that is not going to be changeable. Then we need to figure out how we can pivot to best serve our students.”

The cost of education, including staff, facilities, utilities, and materials, continues to increase. There has not been an increase in funding for 5 years and inflation has increased 19% since then. With prices increasing without state funding also increasing, it cuts further into the budget and forces more budget cuts.

Recently, the school board has been looking into a Tax-Rate Election to increase taxes by 9 cents to increase school funding.

Those funds would allow the district to consider investments in staff pay increases, campus support staff, and replenish some of its savings.

District leaders will work to find reductions before the June 20 board vote on the budget. If the district decides not to fill staff vacancies, it could make it more difficult for new teachers to work in Austin ISD. Grayson Hackney, who is a student teacher that will have a full-time job in Austin ISD next year, said she is concerned about hiring and support that the district will be able to provide to new teachers as it being forced to cut its budget.

“I think that your first year of teaching is hard enough already, it would be helpful if there were more people employed to help make things go smoother,” she said.

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Co-EIC

Co-EIC

Opinion

THE eagle’s Eye

Marcelo palacios In-depth

SAM limon

madison staman

mckenna carpenter

Sports

News

jasmine woods

Opinion

A&E

ash morris L&S

Kairi natal Photo

adrian orduna Graphics

New law bans DEI offices at colleges

Students lose support systems & equitable, welcoming campuses Senate Bill 17 is a law passed by the Texas Legislature that was about diversity, equity, and inclusion offices in public universities.

The bill went into effect at Texas colleges in January, resulting in faculty and staff being fired this spring.

The passing of this law banned Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies designed to remediate histories of discrimination in the United States and Texas against underrepresented minorities and the ability for professors and administrators to foster more inclusive colleges and universities.

Opponents of the law said it will lead to minorities feeling less welcomed by taking away resources that were meant to help provide a more equitable and supportive environment for minority students. There is also the concern that it would make it harder for universities to receive research funding from federal agencies or private organizations that consider commitments to diversity when awarding grants.

We believe that students, especially ones who are first-generation or from minority backgrounds should feel welcomed into colleges, this would be harder to accomplish with this new bill in place. They should feel that even if they are coming into a new place they always have a safe space for their culture. Banning Diversity,

Equity, and Inclusion programs, would not only ruin the potential of people feeling safe on their campuses, it would also run the risk of people of different backgrounds not feeling comfortable applying to certain colleges.

This law will also limit diversity training and restrict hiring departments from asking for diversity statements. These are essays in which job applicants talk about their commitment to building more diverse campuses. This

Adrian Orduna

could inevitably end any chance of people with different cultural backgrounds feeling comfortable in pursuing higher education. This could also result in a higher chance of creating discrimination issues in classrooms.

When SB 17 was being debated, Sen. Judith Zaffirini expressed concerns about the DEI bill saying that it would be a giant step back in in out quest for equal opportunity and equal worth for all stating

“I worry that stifling diversity, equity and inclusion on our academic campuses … will breed the negative attitudes and behaviors typically attributed to ignoramuses while stifling the development of tolerant, enlightened communities.” Unfortunately, even with her protests Sen. Brandon Creighton brushed past those concerns and decided to push through with the bill stating that they are putting their opinions and beliefs over

achievements.

There are arguments that it would make people who are not represented feel less welcome and even hurt efforts to correct past discrimination. Some arguments claim having an office that helps only specific racial groups is discrimination in itself. Statistically, people of color have fewer opportunities or outside help compared to Non-POC. DEI programs are not about discrimination against white people. It’s about making their resources equitable. This may also halt progress toward making campuses more representative of the state’s population, it would make it harder for universities to receive research funding because they consider commitments to diversity when awarding grants.

We believe that the main problem with SB 17 is that it makes it significantly harder for students to want to apply to colleges if they don’t feel like it would be a welcoming community for them. This is one of the leading factors some students use on deciding on where apply to go college. This law could make it less likely that students will want to attend a college in Texas if they cannot see themselves as welcomed and supported there.

People deserve to feel welcome in their schools of choice — no matter ethnicity, culture, or background.

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

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UT leaders should listen to protestors

Heavy-handed crackdown is counterproductive for civic discourse Adamaris olivares-LOpez StAFF WRITER On April 29, students of the University of Texas at Austin gathered on the South Lawn in front of the campus’ iconic tower ready to take part in encampments in support of Palestine. This time, it was worse than previous pro-Palestian protests as the students were arrested and pepper sprayed. Another protest on April 24 faced a similar heavy-handed use of law enforcement that surrounded and pushed out protestors from their gathering spots.

Leaders of the campus such as UT President Jay Hartzell have called for the dispersal of these protests to prevent them from severely disrupting a campus for a long period.

Ironically, these university leaders are disrupting the constitutional freedoms of students, and have not been listening to their calls for change. Instead of shutting down these protests with force, these leaders could instead calm things down by showing that they are listening and taking seriously the concerns of students.

Unfortunately, UT has decided to resort to using brute force with officers using riot gear rather than civil discourse to settle these disputes, which is one of the higher purposes of higher education. Many students have been arrested after being pushed into unauthorized areas, according to The Austin Chronicle. These protests have been

peaceful, although, with claims that students intended to riot, and while students should be allowed to protest, these protests need to remain peaceful. Many leaders of the state and universities argue the reason to shut down these protests is to avoid the vandalism that could occur or any violence. However, the only way students can exercise their freedom of speech and be heard is by allowing these protests to occur in a peaceful manner.

Our leaders have failed to listen to the students, and the people, failing to acknowledge the changes they are urging for. Gov. Greg Abbott instead said, “Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.” Many protestors are demanding that the university divest from companies that supply Israel with resources, with no intent to be antisemitic.

The students aren’t the only ones upset over the President’s Hartzell’s action to these protests. Following how he handled the enactment of SB-17, along with the way he has handled the protests, faculty members and professors at UT Austin have signed a no-confidence in President Hartzell letter. This letter, signed by over 600 faculty members says “The President has shown himself to be unresponsive to urgent faculty, staff, and student concerns. He has violated our trust.”

We have also seen cases at universities in other parts of the country where students were allowed to protest and engage in a dialogue with school administrators, leading to

Adrian Orduna

agreements that ended encampments on campuses. The University of California – Riverside has announced that it will explore the redistribution of their investments to companies that do not provide Israel with weapons or artillery. This example proves that it is very much possible for an agreed solution with a complete conversation.

Leaders of our universities, states, and nation, are understandably afraid of violence, vandalism, and riots. However, it also appears that many of them also fear having conversations that can prevent protests from escalating.

The leaders within our communities have to listen to the people and come to agreements that allow for the safe environments they desire.

What is your opinion on the new TikTok ban?

Kyle Monk

Daphne Foye

Mina Greenwood

Aiden Jaimes

Aaliyah Koehn

4-year TikTok user

Doesn’t use TikTok

1-year TikTok user

6-7 year TikTok user

8-9 year TikTok user

[T]here are a few creators I follow that do amazing news breakdowns and losing access to that would be disappointing but the cooking and entertainment videos I wouldn’t be mad at losing.

I dont even really think I qualify to give an opinion on it, because I dont make money off it, though I do find it a little annoying that this is such a small problem

I think it would have a very negative impact on information because... some creators and sources are very useful for information and current events which I think would be problematic if they were banned.

It doesn’t really affect me because you can find information elsewhere such as Instagram and uh GOOGLE.

I think it would effect me a lot because I spend a vast majority of my time scrolling and saving videos so it will highly effect my free time especially in the morning and before bed.

AV Teacher

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

Looking back on the four years Mark Lomas Outgoing Co-Editor-In-Chief Seniors, you’re all probably counting down the days till graduation, or in other words, finally escaping Akins once and for all. Before graduation though, let’s take a look back at where these past 4 years have taken all of us. Our 8th-grade year was cut short when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many of us were stuck at home for the next two years, adapting to remote learning, dealing with loss, and be- ing anxious about what might come next.

The pandemic felt like forever for most of us. Every day most of us would wake up and hear the newest death toll, or see another depress- ing news story. One thing that the pandemic taught us, however, was how to rely on each other, and how to be resilient. That resilience has helped us learn how to interact with each other, and get used to being back in person at school.

Coming back to school may not have been easy. We had spent two years doing school from our rooms through zoom. Many of us had probably not seen another student’s face in person for a while, we may have had a routine on how we would do our schooling. For some of us, it may have been difficult not getting distracted by your family, or your dog running into your room to say hi. But, we still made it through. It also may have been a big change coming to school in normal clothes and not our pajamas, we actually had to wake up ear- lier and not just 10 minutes before the zoom was supposed to start. Our first year back in person was also interesting too, we all probably remember the trash can fire. There was also the lockdown that lasted all day.

Our junior year was pretty normal, if you don’t count

all the threats and fights. Our Junior year, we finally had a sense of normalcy after two years of abnormal situations.

Many of us were glad to see our friends again and to finally move past the pandemic.

Most of us had to get used to the morning announcements, and getting to our classes on time to avoid get- ting sent to saturday school. This was also the year when many of us started to think about what we would do after graduating.

Many of us started to work, get internships, and start preparing for life after school, whether that was college or entering the workforce.

Robert Lockay Our Senior year was pretty hectic with all the senior events, college applicaGo riverbats! tion deadlines, FAFSA deadlines, and Graduating seniors, planning to go to ACC after free tuition normal school assignwas announced, pose during senior breakfast for a photo ment deadlines.. Despite all the trials that we faced we kept our heads up walk the stage. After gradu- ation, many of us will go because there was something we had to college, join the workforce, or join the military. All to look forward to, leaving Akins for good. For most of the good memories that we have gained from these past us, our senior year is going to be our most memorable four years will stick with us, many of the friends that we year, it’s the last time we’re going to roam these halls as have gained the past four years will continue to be our students, and the last time we do a lot of the stuff we are friends for life. Life won’t be easy, no one ever said it was doing right now. but, as long as we rely on each other and are resilient, We spent two years of online school and everything will be ok. President of Student Council Leah two years of in-person school, to finally get Dunn, wants to tell the Senior class that “I really hope to where we are today. Which is walking the gradthat everyone does good and after high school because uation stage in a couple of days. Many of us, myself it’s almost over.” included, had to fight off senioritis so that we could

Seniors

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 8 | May 17, 2024

Deigo z e d n a n r He - Co-Editor Chief

in

y, ll my famil or a o t u o y nd f Thank my girlfrie through d n a , s d n frie me supporting t’s helping and ars of high school! I l e o y o h e c all thes going to s e r u s a le p been a ’all! alongside y

“Funniest Guy I've ever met.”

-The President

Sub to my YouTube channe l where I eat cereal!

Tristan Chance

“Very tall, Would hang out again.”

-Robert Downey Jr

STAFF WRITER “This kids going places, like the fridge.”

-Dad

“Talks too much but he’ll get better.”

-My Therapist

Seniors This was my first year in the Eagle’s Eye being a staff writer. I wish I would’ve joined sooner, but I still cherished my time in newspaper. I would like to thank my practicum in Biomedical engineering specially my teacher Dr. Govea for helping me find my passion in STEM.

advice: “NEVER GIVE UP NEVER WHAT??”

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 9 | May 17, 2024

My math teachers who made me appreciate math even more, although I used to dislike it. My friends for making the year fun and bearale, and my parents for always having my back :’).

Don’t forget to give it your best, because at the end of the day It will pay off.

“Live Love Laugh” -Ely Rodriguez

Graphics Editor

Adamaris Olivares - Sports Editor Thank you to all the writers, photographers, and everyone from the staff that has allowed me to take part in such an amazing year for the newspaper. Thank you to my friends and my family, I could not have done this without you.

@fb_aerie

Seniors

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 10 | May 17, 2024

𝓹𝓹 𝓹𝓹 𝓹𝓹 𝓹𝓹 𝓶𝓶

𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯

𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯𝓯

𝓬𝓬𝓬𝓬

𝓯𝓯 𝓬𝓬 𝓮𝓮 𝓮𝓮 𝓮𝓮 𝓯𝓯 𝓯𝓯 𝓬𝓬

Rudy Morales-Alvarez -Opinions editor Born to hate Forced to love

Ashley Caceres-Sanchez -News Editor

@ash_pichu Go Hard or Go Home

please go home

Newspaper was fun i met new people and gained new friendships it did make me pull my hair out but it always ended in a happy way.

A&E

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 11 | May 17, 2024

Fallout explodes after new Prime series debut Tristan Hargrove Staff Writer There is life in the wasteland again after the release of the Amazon Prime TV version of Fallout in April.

The show had the challenge of pulling off the difficult task of converting a beloved video game franchise into a live-action TV show, much like HBO did with The Last of Us last year. All indications are that the series is a hit with viewers with the series earning 65 million viewers in its first 16 days of availability, according to Variety, making it the second most-watched title ever on Prime.

Fans of the game have reacted positively to the adaptation effort. Senior Ely Rodriguez said she has enjoyed how the show added to the storyline of the game series with interesting characters and attention to detail similar to the game, including kill cams, and the post-World War II pop culture references of the 1950s.

“Over the eight episodes, we can see who the characters really are, and I personally en-

joyed it,” she said. players for Fall“Some characters out 4 skyrocketdo get good chared with a peak acter development of over 200,000 and I think it’s players. With so great.” much interest in As with most the game, video game-to-show game media adaptations, the outlets like series sparked an IGN have been explosion in playposting player Photo Illustration by Tristan Hargrove with ers for the Fallout guides and tips images courtesy Amazon Prime games with Fallout 4 and for new players.

76 experiencing the biggest boost. This spike It’s an impressive feat for a game that is nine in player count shows the power of a TV years old. adaption when done well.

Fallout 76, which came out in 2018, is Released in November of 2015, Fallout the most recent game in the series. Reports 4 was revolutionary for its time. It had stated the game was very buggy on launch base-building features, a well-done combat mainly because the game was an online system, enjoyable exploration, and many multiplayer game. more things that solidified it as a favorite Over time, however, the game cleaned for many. The initial player count on launch itself up with many bug fixes, quality-of-life reflected the love for the game with over updates, and a lot of DLC which added 450,000 concurrent players. Over time, like NPCs as well. Today, 76 essentially pulled every game, the player count slowly ticked a Cyberpunk-style revival after a Netflix down. series revived interest in the game that was After the show’s release, the number of notoriously buggy at launch.

The player counts for 76 after the Fallout show went from 5,000 to 72,000 players.

Now that’s not as much as Fallout 4 for sure but for a game with such a rocky start, it was a big win for the 76 veterans who can now share the fun with the new players. Bethesda also has said that more DLC is planned along with more things added to the game and with the success of the show and player count, the upcoming future for the game doesn’t look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland anymore.

As a fan of Fallout, the show does a fantastic job of being a sequel alongside an adaptation of the franchise. I’ve been playing 76 with some friends and it’s a really fun time and a step up from its launch version.

Prime has announced a second season for the Fallout show so players will have more to look forward to in the future, including tie-ins for fan-favorite Fallout: New Vegas, including references to the game like weapons, characters, settings and so much more.

Fallout fans are excited about the future of the show and with it in the hands of Prime, it’s a safe bet to say it will be on the map as one of the best video game adaptations ever.

Students put in hours of practice for UIL Janelle Ponti Staff Writer UIL. These three letters can cause a student to smile, groan, or even cheer with joy. UIL stands for the University Interscholastic League and it is the state’s organization that organizes and governs the rules for academic and athletic competition in Texas.

For programs at school that want to show off their talent, UIL is one of the primary ways for schools to provide opportunities for students to win state-level awards in areas of academics, musical performance and visual art. The directors of these programs tend to emphasize UIL preparation in their programs to give students a chance to bring home individual medals and top ratings that demonstrate the talent of their students.

On any given day, the halls of the Akins Fine Arts Building are filled with the sounds of students passionately rehearsing and the sights of artists creating eye-catching pieces for UIL competitions. When it comes to music, there are competitions for orchestra, band, guitar, and Mariachi.

In the band room, musicians practice their

Courtesy Allyson Shepperd

State UIL winner Sahar Awan with her winning art and her State medal with a score of 4! instruments diligently, striving for consistency and flexibility. Each instrument that is played helps the song have its unique sound, creating a symphony of notes that captivates

the listener.

Meanwhile, choir members can be heard perfecting their harmonies, trying to achieve perfect intonation and emotional expressiveness. Singers immerse themselves in a diverse collection, from classical pieces to contemporary arrangements.

Varsity bass Jackson Perez said he was satisfied with their UIl performance in March.

“I feel really good about performance scores,” Perez said, “I don’t feel the best about our sight reading scores, but I understand the reason we got what we got.”

In music-related competitions, students are rated on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the best rating. In varsity choral, Akins students earned 1’s in concert and 2’s in sight reading.

Tenor Bass earned 1’s in concert and 2’s in sight reading. Treble earned two 2’s and a 1 in concert and 2’s in sight reading. Overall, after a period of transition in leadership, the choir program believes it is coming back better than ever.

The orchestra features timeless and contemporary music, while young musicians master their instruments. Varsity orchestra violinist Pedro Salas shared the strategies

he was taught to score high during his UIL orchestra competition performances.

“They’re getting really meticulous down to this section and playing a little bit louder than the other,” Salas said.

The Akins orchestra had a strong showing during its UIL competitions this year with the Symphony orchestra winning the coveted sweepstakes award.

In the visual arts department, Akins students were competing with brushes, pencils, and cameras, to express their individual creativity and imagination. State qualifier Sahar Awan, who qualified for the state competition with her photography, explained how students participating in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) must verbally explain their work’s inspiration. The art program had four students who advanced to the state competition this year.

Awan said judges look for both skill and the messages communicated by their art pieces.

“They want to know you didn’t just draw a dog because you thought the dog was cute,” she said. “They want to have meaning and why it’s important to you.”

In-Depth

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 12 | May 14, 2024

GEAR UP ends after making an impact

Grant funded program increases college-ready students for the future Faby Rodriguez

Staff writter

As the Class of 2024 finishes their last semester in Akins, there is another group that is on its way out, as well.

Gear Up, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, is a federal grant program that awarded Austin ISD millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Education to assist the Class of 2024 since they were in sixth grade. “(Gear Up is) an equity grant to close the college aspiration gap,” Gear Up facilitator Lara Noack said. “What that means is (Akins and its feeder) schools are Title I schools. Compared to non-Title I schools there’s a 20% gap between the amount of students who can see themselves going to college.”

Noack said she heard about the program from a colleague who told her about the grant back in 2017. Noack was working as a fifth and fourth-grade English and Social Studies teacher for 11 years in a Title I middle school. Noack said she was attracted to working with Gear Up because she believed it would allow her to provide more equitable educational opportunities.

Title I schools are defined to have a majority of economically disadvantaged students who are at risk for school achievement. Schools that offer student

and family support and have a majority of families who experience financial struggles are labeled Title I schools.

Austin ISD has seven Gear Up groups with Akins having the biggest cohort of students.

The Gear Up grant aims to close the 90% chronic absenteeism in schools and meet students where they are with a focus on their grades, schedules as well as personal and emotional needs. Akins’ Gear Up team has created a space where students feel welcomed and safe to unwind. From TSIs, SAT, college applications, and financial aid challenges, Gear Up has helped students overcome all types of obstacles. They set SMART goals with students, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. This helps students grow in other areas like waking up in time for school or giving students rides to school if they missed their bus.

Lexi Robinson is a lead advocate for Partners in Education who has been working in Akins’ Gear Up for the past two years. Robinson said her roles vary per student, from helping with school work, writing emails to teachers, finding a resolution where there are problems with students, and hearing their concerns. The schedule of tutors and advocates offers complete flexibility which aids teachers and counselors who have a huge student body to serve.

For some students, the first thing they

Photos provided by GEAR UP program

Gear Up Throughout the years Akins students benefited from GEAR UP program the last seven years think of when they think of Gear Up is field trips to tour colleges. These trips also helped strengthen bonds between Gear Up facilitators and students. Senior Adamaris Olivares, who will be going to UT Austin and majoring in journalism, said she grew fond of the Gear Up program during a trip to Texas State University-San Marcos.

“My favorite Gear Up experiences were going on all the field trips,” she said. “I loved attending different colleges and having my friends be able to come with me, I absolutely loved going to Texas State, which is where Ms. Noack and I got closer since then I loved visiting her classroom and getting help and advice from her.”

BLEND announcements are sent to the senior class regarding scholarships, fee waivers, or raffles regarding student necessities. Through these announcements, Olivares applied to scholarships and got many of her application fees waived. Ultimately, Olivares obtained the Gates Scholarship, which offers a full ride to any college of her choice, and the University of Texas’ Impact Scholarship of $80,000 along other smaller scholarships.

Some students have been involved with Gear Up since sixth grade and have grown with the program, including senior Cecilia Padillo, who will be majoring in Motion Design at ACC this fall.

Padilla remembers sitting down in her middle school assemblies in sixth grade and growing closer to the program as she got older. Padilla obtained career orientation regarding her major from Gear Up. “She helped me look at my grades and pick [classes] up. So she was slowly guiding me but not telling me to do it, she was very gentle,” Padillo said.

Janaya Brock, college advisor for the class of 2024 mentioned the challenges students faced with obtaining financial aid, including challenges with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application.

“GearUp was able to just be a second pair of eyes, because it took so long for each of us to go through FAFSA altogether,” she said. “They were there for every single FAFSA meeting and offered their own opinions on it. Gear Up was there to be hands-on with the students.”

Claudia Arellano, College and Career Center counselor, works to inform senior classes about their options after high school. Arellano said Gear Up’s presence at Akins has helped to expose students at an early age to college.

“They’ve been working with students for almost six years, if not more. It’s been nice for them to hear [about] all of these colleges and college vocabulary way before some people hear it,” Arellano said.

Life & Style

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 13 | may 17, 2024

Kozel leaves SSS at Akins after 6 years

Yanitzel Salazar StAFF WRITER Meg Kozel is saying goodbye after six years leading Akins’ Student Support Services office.

The Student Support Services office is unique in Austin ISD because most other high schools do not have a social worker like Kozel on staff who can provide counseling and free resources to students in need. She has led the SSS since 2018 after serving as an intern for the previous SSS director.

The Eagle’s Eye asked Kozel a few questions about her time at Akins and what she would miss about working here.

How was your experience leading the Student Support Services program at Akins?

MK: Oh my gosh. Amazing. Absolutely Amazing. Akins is such a special place and has such a special place in my heart. Yeah, I think amazing just really says it all.

EE: What makes the SSS program special?

MK: So I think what makes us most special is that I am a part of Akins School. So what I mean by that is that the administration makes sure they fund and pay for my position. With money that’s just for the campus. So I can establish relationships with staff and students in a unique way. That’s pretty uncommon across the district. Not many high schoolers have one social worker on our campus who isn’t part of a contract organization.

EE: What other unique challenges have you faced leading the SSS? MK: The challenges that SSS has faced have just been challenges that we all go through, you know, our job here is to support students, and students experience lots of challenges. So that’s obviously been hard COVID Right? Like, who wasn’t challenged by COVID

I think also, maybe some people don’t always recognize how much we can do in SSS. So sometimes, maybe we’re not brought into things as we should be. But that’s rarely happens. I think most people in our school are pretty good about reaching out to us for support. So maybe one of the challenges has been, we’re able to do a lot on our campus, but we can’t do everything and have limited resources outside of school. I don’t know if that’s a good answer or not.

EE: What are some examples of positive impacts you have seen the SSS program have on students at Akins?

MK: I think so many positive impacts right from the most basic things such as making sure students have a change of clothes when they need it. You know, when it’s raining outside and you get drenched on your walk to the portables to making sure a student

Kairi Natal

Kozel Moves to Houston Meg Kozel, who has led Student Support Services for six years, will leave Akins at the end of the year. For full interview, visit www.AkinsEaglesEye.com. who’s experiencing a mental health crisis for the first time has resources, you know, to students who are homeless, having a place to go, you know, supporting students as they get into college helping them

overcome things you know, In six and a half years I’ve just heard so many amazing stories and been able to meet so many amazing students and see them go on and do so many amazing things.

Coachella features unique performances Ash morris Life & Style editoR Coachella is a major annual music festival, known for the hype surrounding the fashionable looks seen there, but it didn’t start that way.

The festival started in 1999 in Indio, California as a two-day festival. Now the festival has two weekends, each consisting of three days of musical performances.

Coachella is known for showing off a lot of genres but is mainly known for its electronic music.

In recent years, festival goers have gone all out with their outfits at Coachella.

This year’s Coachella featured a Japanese Pop act called Vocaloid, which includes the notorious Hatsune Miku, who had spent some time already touring North America. Fans cosplayed as Vocaloid performers, which resemble characters from anime Fans of the Vocaloid expected a normal

performance, a hologram, but days before Miku was meant to perform Coachella removed the word “hologram” from the performance and on the actual day they had Miku on a big flat screen. People were left feeling disappointed with the downgrade.

Korean pop was also featured at Coachella with Le Sserafim, a group that debuted only a year and a half ago and got the chance to secure a solo performance at the festival, making it the fastest Korean act to do this. With the performance, a lot of people criticized their live singing abilities, but at the same time on Reddit, they took in consideration the effort of being on stage and thought it was still good even if they faltered at times.

Sublime, a band that first became popular in the 90s, shocked festival goers with a reunion at Coachella with the original band members except for Bradley Nowell who died in 1996. The reunion featured Bradly Nowell’s

son Jakob who took on his dad’s role as lead singer alongside the original drummer Bug Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson.

The nu-metal alternative band Deftones made their first appearance at Coachella this year. They performed a lot of songs but the highlight that fans had was them performing a cover of “Please, Please, Please, Let me get what I want,” which is a cover of the famous 80s band The Smiths.

During a backstage interview, Deftones said it has an album almost completed and will be released soon.

A queer artist that has been on the rise recently who also was at Coachella was Chappell Roan who showed on stage the first weekend with a drag-inspired look. Chappell Roan has been on the rise due to her music blowing up on TikTok. For Roan, this wasn’t just her first time performing at Coachella but her first time performing at a festival ever, but she pushed on.

Photos from arist Instagram accounts

Coachella 2024 For more information about artists and the fashion at Coachella, visit www.AkinsEaglesEye.com for an extended article

Photo essay

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 14 | may 17, 2024

Students,teachers serve heat on court

Teachers face off against students in annual volleyball tournament

Kairi Natal

let the games begin Junior Robert Castillo passes the ball over the net to score a point against a team of teachers in the annual Student VS Teacher Volleyball game .

kairi natal photo editor The annual Teachers vs Students Volleyball Game is a fundraiser that has become a tradition.

It’s a way to have fun at the end of the school year with a friendly competition between rival factions on campus. The tournament helps brighten students’ and teachers’ moods at a stressful time of the year.

It gave students an excuse to leave their 4th Period class early to hang out with friends and watch an entertaining game to pass the time.

Junior Gaby Nicolas said it was a fun opportunity to hang out with her friends and have fun.

“I went because my friends were going and it was fun to watch,” she said.

Yearbook teacher Sean Claes said he played to win and wanted to be

competitive.

“Of course, I played to win. Actually, my goal was to be competitive.” he said “I’d hoped to spike it once or block a spike, but I settled for not making a fool out of myself and being on the team who made it to the final match.”

Despite their loss, the teacher volleyball team was still successful and gained some much-needed victories, junior Luisa Poage said.

“I wanted the teachers to win because they needed a win in their lives,” she said.

The game had many matches to determine which one of the teams would walk away as the victor.

Ultimately, the students denied the teachers’ attempts to win glory in a loss to a team stacked with varsity athletes.

Robert Lockay

mission unblockable Yearbook teacher Sean Claes blocks for a teacher team in a match against a student team in the annual Teacher VS Student Volleyball Game.

Photo Essay

Kairi Natal

Setter up with success Junior Jamarion Devante sets the ball up for a shot for a student team in the annuall volleyball game.

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 15 | May 17, 2024

Kairi Natal

Return to sender Junior Giovanni Puente hits the ball over the next to prevent the opposing team of teachers from scoring in the annual tournament.

Kairi Natal

Kairi Natal

Serving the heat

unmatched

English teacher Paola Lozano-Sanchez serves the ball in the Teacher VS Student volleyball tournament.

Yearbook teacher Sean Claes celebrates after the teachers won a round of volleyball at the tournament.

Sports

THE eagle’s Eye

Page 16 | May 17, 2024

Akins athletes take over as team leaders Samantha Limon Sports Editor

As this school year comes to an end, the leaders of next year’s athletic teams, coaches have already started identifying students whom they expect to be leaders on the fields and courts next school year.

Head Varsity Football Team Coach Joey Saxe, who is also the Akins Co-Athletic Coordinator, said he is excited to see how new student leaders will step into leadership roles for Akins teams.

“I really hope that our leaders can help drive the culture of change that we’re wanting,” he said.

The leaders of the athletic teams range from rising sophomores to rising seniors and

ava Linnell cross country EE: How do you feel about being a new leader for the team next year?

AL: “I feel good, I really like being part of the team and just helping us continue to

grow and get better.”

EE: What is something you plan to do to help your team be successful next year?”

AL:“ I think

Yomar olvera soccer EE: How do you feel about being a new leader for the team next year?

YO:“I’m looking forward to leading this team to playoffs and making it past the second round of play-

offs this time around.” “ EE: What is something you plan to do to help your team be successful next year?”

YO:“I will

they all have big plans for their teams next year. Although team captains have not been officially been selected in some cases, these students have demonstrated character traits that coaches believe will be beneficial for their teams next year.

Coach Saxe offered some of these new team captains a few words of wisdom.

“Leadership is not easy,” he said. “It will always be questioned. But ultimately, as long as your heart is in the right place, and you’re doing things for the greater, you know, you’ll get the results that you want.

Saxe said that coaches will be there for them when they need some guidance and support. Saxe said he would do everything in his power to help them become better leaders.

“You know where to find me,” he said.

it’s important to care about your team, and just be passionate to be on the team and be a hard worker so you can set that example for the rest of your team.”

jamarion carter football

give it all on the field and I’ll make sure everyone does the same.”

elija rodriguez tennis

EE: How do you feel about being a new leader for the team next year?

JC: “It’s a huge honor to be a captain of the football team and it will take a lot of responsibility.”

EE: How do you feel about being a new leader for the team next year?

ER: “I say pretty good. I try to get along with people as best as I can.

And I’ve been playing tennis

Robert Lockay

Giving it his all Yomar Olvera stealing the ball from the oppositing team at the Austin High VS Akins Boys Soccer match. does their job and lead by example.”

EE: How do you feel about being a new leader for the team next year?

JP: “I feel great. I feel like we got a lot of talent on the team. and I feel like as we come together, play

EE: What is something you plan to do to help your team be successful next year?

JC:“Make sure everyone

for a while. So I think I can be a good leader and try and help whoever” EE: What is something you plan to do to help your team

James Perez baseball

be successful next year?

ER:“Just try and give them pointers, go out and practice with them if they need and just try to be there for them as much as I can.”

really well.”

EE: What is something you plan to do to help your team be successful next year?

JP:“Definitely checking in

jadyn paige volleyball EE: How do you feel about being a new leader for the team next year?”

JP:” I feel really good. I feel really thankful to go take on an opportunity and just like, be

able to help my team and the ways I can so that we can all grow together.”

EE: What is something you plan to do to help your team

more, I feel like checking in as the number one thing you can do because a lot of people got personal stuff going on.

So, coming to practice every day and making sure you lead by example.”

be successful next year?

JP:“ I plan to continue to reassure them that we’re going to be okay, and just continue to work on our teamwork and chemistry so that we can all just like continue to bring each other up and like hard sense.“