Polaris Press Volume II Issue 3

www.arspolarispress.com

The Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders

April 2017

SPRING It

ON

Spring means new beginnings, fresh takes on what has always been, and for us, a new print format. Ann Richards students continue to excel in their academic lives, grow within our community, and march to their own beat as they find their place in the world. Spring 2017 is for women who inspire us, athletes fighting for victory, and artists creating a backdrop of sound and color to set the scene for what comes next.

sports WINNING ANDREA MAJALCA

pg. 6 “Every single time we perform we are improving, and we focus more on ourselves.”

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entertainment beyond our walls Girl Code SAMANTHA SEAMON

pg. 15 “It’s okay to fail, and your scariest moments actually aren’t that bad.”

Impact of SXSW

our voices Wrestling Rights

AUGUSTA FLORES-RASCON

DANNY ARMENDARIZ

pg. 8

pg. 10

“Local venues and artists are finding it harder to survive in the “‘Live Music Capital of the World’”.

“It’s not just something as small as using the bathroom....it’s a matter of life or death.”

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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our voices

MAKINGATTENDANCEASCIENCE|Freshmenscience fair competitors place third in Regionals LEARNINGBEYONDTHECLASSROOM|Studentsparticipate in academic UIL competitions MORE THAN A TEST| How one teacher helped students prepare for college admissions exam WATER WORKS| A look into our favorite beverage

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Features HEARINGINCOLOR|Artstudentspolledforsynesthesia

sports

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WINNINGBYSPINNING|ARScolorguardcompeteswith routine revolving around records KEEPING TRACK|Notable track team wins this 2017 season ACHIEVINGTHEIRGOALS|AnnRichards2017soccer team makes history

beyond our walls THE COST OF MUSIC|Austin’s growing music festivals may actually hurt the music scene

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FROMRUSSIA,WITHLOVE|FBIlaunchesinvestigation into document detailing relations between Trump and Russia

SPEAKING UP|Letting my voice be heard WRESTLE FOR YOUR RIGHTS|Transgender wrestler recieves backlash after winning state title LET’S PUT HEALTH FIRST|High school teens are working harder today, and their minds are taking the toll THEFUTUREISFEMALE|WhatWomen’sHistory Month meant to me IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN|How politics threaten my connection with nature

entertainment WONDER WOMEN|Five women in entertainment who will go down in history TIARASFORRISINGMUSICQUEENS|Reviewof first Tiarra Girls EP release THEGREATSOUNDDIVIDE|EdSheeran‘Divide’ album review GIRL CODE|Two female coders bring social change through video games NEWLY SPRUNG|Entertainment for the new season

ON the cover: (from top) photos by Ally Wait (11), Crystal Romero (10), two from Ximena Sifuentes (9).

Treading lightly|Teaching at a public girl’s school in March 2017

MARCH CALENDAR

literary press

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

18 & 19

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ARS NEWS

Vol 2 Iss 3

Making attendance a science

Freshmen science fair competitors place 3rd in Regionals

Ally wait| Features Editor The Ann Richards School has its first science fair regional winners, and this team of robot coders is moving on to the state competition in April. The third place-worthy project these students have been pursuing for the past few months is an “attendance-bot.”

“We basically just wanted to help teachers find a faster way to take attendance so that it would be easier- -especially for substitutes and other people,” Maya Borowicz (9), the main coder for the project, said.

It started when the three group members (current freshmen Maya Borowicz, Micky Johnson, and Lanna Ahlberg) were in middle school. They had participated in Ann Droids, the Ann Richards robotics team in middle school, and once they reached high school they still wanted to compete in coding. One day a substitute was talking to the

class and recommended competing in the science fair. After some thought the three teammates decided to give it a try.

“We honestly weren’t going there to win,” Ahlberg said. “We were just doing it for fun, just having fun with coding and everything.”

The product of this team’s science fair project is a program built on a computer known as Raspberry Pi using the coding language Python. The program connects to a barcode scanner where students would scan their ID to check into class. This barcode scanner inputs student ID numbers into their program and tracks who is in class and who isn’t, thus creating an efficient attendance taking system.

Although the team has made great progress, the project is still not finished. Because they placed third in regionals, competing in Computer Science Software and Embedded Systems, they are moving on to the state science fair competition. The team will use the last few weeks before the state competition to improve their product.

“He told us that if we learn a little bit more about the coding, we have a really good chance of excelling at state,” “We are making a few changes to our program, like making the display a little nicer and enhancing the physical aspects,” Borowicz said. “We want to make it a little

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Maya Borowicz (9), Micky Johnson (9), and Lannaa Ahlberg (9) stand in front of their display board. Photo by Ally Wait (11)

bit more compact and user friendly, as well as maybe add the data in a database. Currently once you close the program basically you can’t access it again with the present and absent list, which would be kind of hard if you wanted to actually implement it.”

After the district science fair the team began coordinating with Ryan Cho, a judge from the regional fair.

“He told us that if we learn a little bit more about the coding, we have a really good chance of excelling at state,” Ahlberg said.

All with very little involvement from teachers. The team had worked with Mr. Oren Connell and Mr. Matt Smith in the robotics club in middle school and continued this collaboration through robotics in their science fair project. Ms. Mikaela McCrady, a teacher who oversees the science fair teams at ARS, said that, apart from that collaboration, the team was very independent.

“They are super hardworking and eloquent speakers,” McCrady said. “I got to see them do some presenting at SXSW and they impressed everyone that came by. I love that their project is practical and helps out their teachers.”

Learning beyond the classroom

Students participate in academic UIL competitions Brenda Avila|Staff Writer

Asha Mani (12) prepares at a UIL debate competition. Mani has been a member of the ARS debate team since her freshman year. Photo by Emily Weaver (11)

Diana Ramirez-Lopez (12) practices at a debate competition.. Photo by Emily Weaver (11)

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Academic UIL is an event in which students compete in district, regional, and state competitions against others in different scholastic categories, such as news writing, science, and mathematics. This year, an estimated ten students from Ann Richards will be competing in twenty five different categories.

“You go in and compete over things that you know or with skills that you already have; it’s a way of sharpening those skills, and it’s a way of forming strong friendship and bond with other teammates,” Devi Puckett, coordinator and social studies and speech and debate coach, said. “Ideally, it’s a way of building a resume and getting scholarship money for college.”

Several teachers have volunteered to coach students in certain academic areas, such as Mrs. Shamaa Lakshmanan.

Mrs. Lakshmanan will be coaching Calculator Applications, Mathematics, and Number Sense this year.

“I love math, I love teaching, I love teaching math. So any opportunity that presents itself that allows me to do that, I will volunteer for,” Mrs. Lakshmanan said.

Teams have faced conflicts though with other priorities conflicting with practices and competing.

“Everybody at this school does a lot of different things.

Which is awesome, but sometimes that gives a team

History teacher Devi Puckett is the head sponsor of the debate team and the ARS academic UIL teams. Photo by Brenda Avila (9)

situations, a little bit of inconsistency, so right now I have three people [on the team],” Mrs. Lakshmanan said. “It’s a strong team of three, so we’ll go far.”

Asha Mani (12), who has competed in Academic UIL since ninth grade, will be competing again in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Informative Speaking.

“I think it will help me be able to improve my speaking skills, and how I’m able to interact with other people,” Mani said, “I think it also gives you the kind of teamwork that comes with sports without actually having to make the team.”

The team competed in districts on March 25th and those who placed will be competing in regionals April 4th-6th.

“Next year, we hope we’ll start out earlier in the year and have more team members so we can go to more events prior to district,” Ms. Puckett said. “So, we’ll grow I hope.”

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more than a test

ARS NEWS

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How one teacher helped students prepare for college admissions exam ALIA SEGURA| Staff Writer EzRA MORALES| Sports Editor

Each junior at ARS undergoes SAT and ACT preparation from the More Than a Teacher [MTAT] program during their second semester STARS class. MTAT is provided to students to help them achieve the best scores they can on standardized college entrance exams. Ann Richards is one of the only schools that provides MTAT at no cost for its students, due to support from the Ann Richards Foundation.

“When we first started thinking about students taking the SAT in their junior year, we realized that also, a lot of our students weren’t able to financially afford really great test prep programs,” STARS DiCuffa said. “It’s very expensive, several hundred dollars, and students have to take time for the class either at night or over the weekend to complete a course like that.”

The purpose of the MTAT program is to teach students students strategizes for tack-

Water works A look into our favorite beverage LESLIE MORALES| Staff Writer

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Juniors Julia Mendoza, Alyssa Cerda, and Georgia Moore work on their SAT study guides during an MTAT session in STARS class. Photo by Becca Alonso (11).

ling standardized college entrance exams with the hope of increasing student’s score upwards of 100 points from their practice scores.

“I think MTAT has definitely helped me knit-pick all of the mistakes I tend to make [on these tests] and has really helped me improve on my test-taking skills,” Junior Briza Olascoaga said.

The class of 2018 has seen many benefits

The Ann Richards school is all about living a healthy and well balanced lifestyle, and to acquire that, students avoid soda during the school day and drink lots of water to stay healthy and hydrated. Also, the Ann Richards School is into saving the environment, so many students have their own reusable water bottles.

Some students drink water or fill in their water bottles from the water fountains on campus, and they have their favorite water fountain depending on the the temperature of the water and the taste.

ARS has a total of 16 water fountains on campus, and several students said they like the water fountain located outside the cafeteria and near the courtyard.

“It’s cold and it’s not close to a bathroom,” Calvinesha Harvey (10) said.

Students also like this water fountain because they like the water bottle filling fountain.

“My favorite water fountain is the one next to the courtyard because it’s the cleanest, it’s cold and it has a thing to fill up my water bottle,” Arlynn Torres (7) said.

Since lots of students use reusable water bottles the students prefer to use the water fountain that is made for water bottles that is located near

from the test prep program.

“My favorite part [of MTAT] was actually taking the SAT,” Ebheni Henderson (11) said. “ I think it was because I felt that I had really improved.”

Students have also shown great gratitude for the opportunity to have the MTAT course provided as a part of their STARS curriculum.

“I liked taking the test because it showed

how hard [MTAT] teachers were actually working to motivate us and help us work hard as well,” Henderson said.

Having taken the SAT in March, the next test juniors have to face is the ACT, but little worry has phased one junior so far.

“I’m definitely ready for the ACT” Erica Guajardo (11) said. “More Than a Teacher has helped us prepare so much and I know we’ll all do great.”

the cafeteria or the one in the foyer. These water fountains are also better for the environment because this will encourage people to use reusable water bottles instead of plastic water bottles and it also counts the number of plastic water bottles that have been saved.

Recently a lot of AISD parents have been concerned about the water coming out the water fountains because of the lead found in pipes of other schools. Tests have been done on 60 different school campuses during the month of April in 2016 and all were safe except one water fountain at Zavala Elementary, where the water fountain was removed. According to the Austin Independent School District the water is now safe to drink.

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Vol 2 Iss 3

Hearing in color

Art students polled for synesthesia Georgia Moore | Creative Writing Editor

FEATURES Can you taste certain words?

Do you hear colors? No matter what senses may mix in your mind, it can be safely said that if you experience two or more different senses from the same stimulus, you are likely synesthetic!

Don’t worry, it’s not contagious. Synesthesia is a neurological condition that, literally translated from Greek, means “joined perception.” In this case, the “joined perception” is that of the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell). While difficult to diagnose, neurologists agree that synesthesia will follow some basic criteria: the responses are involuntary, memorable, and consistent.

5 The most common forms of synesthesia are graphemecolor synesthesia (seeing letters/number/words as a tint or color), chromesthesia (sounds evoking a color), and spatial sequence synesthesia (seeing numbers or sequences at a specific point in space, such as 1 is “farther away” than 2).

Synesthesia is not all that common; it only affects about 1 in 23 people. It’s most prevalent in “creative types”-musicians, artist, and writers. Here at the Polaris Press we were intrigued by this, so we polled ARS Fine Art students with a basic synesthesia test to see how many of our creative students experience a confusion of the senses!

Fine Arts students & synesthesia

Synesthesia in the limelight You may not have heard of synestheisia, but we bet you’ve heard of these folks who have it...

Kanye West

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Lorde (check out info on her new album on pg. 17)

Vincent Van Gogh Photos curtesy of Wikipedia Commons

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SPORTS

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Winning by spinning

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Ann Richards color guard competes with routine revoloving around records ANDREA MAjALCA | Staff Writer On Saturday, February 25, the Ann Richards color guard took home first place in district, their first award of the year. The team had practiced every Monday after school and the first B day of the week during class and after school.

Some team members have a different approach of preparing for performances, where the color guard performs for a panel of judges.

“Before our performance, I think positive, because most the time if you think bad you’ll do bad,” Lorenya Muñoz (9) said.

“If you’re nervous before a performance, then you’re going to be nervous during it, and that might affect how you perform all together.

This year, the team is the largest it has ever been, with 31 girls on their team. This is a significant change from the previous group of seven. Mr. Howard has been working with a growing team, which constantly changes as seniors graduate.

“When Ms. Elizondo and I first arrived at Ann Richards, the color guard had only seven girls, no class for the team, and five of those girls were seniors who graduated last year,” Mr. Stephen Howard, the school’s high school band director said. “This year we had just ten returning from last years team, and twenty one new girls to color guard.”

In order to succeed in performances, Mr. Howard believes that each practice should be better than the last. The performance this year is centered around the image of a record player, the accompanying song being an instrumental of Flo Rida’s song “Right Round.”

“I try to teach the girls that we are out to compete against ourselves and the performance that we have tomorrow should be better than the one we had today,” Mr. Howard said. “Every single time we perform we are improving, and we focus more on ourselves. Yes, it’s good to be best in competition, but us being better than the last time is better.”

Outside of colorguard, Mr. Howard pushes all students to be successful in school so they can perform with everyone else.

“I have to keep on top of my grades,” Michelle DeLeon-Hernandez (11) said.

“Towards to end of the year, it gets easier to slip, but really it’s worth it, because I like competing in UIL and competitions.

We won [our] last competition, [so that] makes it feel really good.”

Some students new to Color Guard have a hard time adapting to the structure of performances, and have to learn elements including time keeping, and how to move the flags.

“I wasn’t very good in Color Guard until a few weeks into the classes,” Tiana Storey (9) said. “I got the hang of how to move the flag, and not drop it or hit someone else while performing.

My grades weren’t that good either, so Mr. Howard encouraged me to get those up. I wanted to perform and I wanted to compete, so I pushed myself to do better and I am very proud of myself and my team.”

At left, Anne Katula 9) entertains Sammie Seamon (10) and Olivia Rose Griesmer (10) with a funny story while waiting to run the mile at the track meet at Burger Stadium.

At right, Claudia Luong (10) prepares to race at a meet in Burger Stadium.Photos by Samantha Garza (10).

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“Our track team is not one of our biggest teams we’ve had in the past, but they are continuing to show up to practice and work hard. Every week, our runners are improving their time and our field event athletes are always finishing in the top 10 of each division and their event. They are finding success and having fun when they hit the track.” - Coach Meg Brown

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SPORTS

Vol 2 Iss 3

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Achieving their goals

Ann Richards 2017 soccer team makes history Alejandra Wait| Features & Satire Editor For the first time in the history of the Ann Richards School, the high school varsity soccer team has made it to playoffs. And that is not the only first of the 2017 soccer season: this year saw the first high school JV soccer team, and the first middle school soccer B team.

Mariel Pineda (12) charges for the ball in an LBJ game. Photo by Ryanna Henson (11).

Araceli Rodriguez (11), Jazmin Martinez (10), Carmen Whitten (11), and Jackelyn Ortega (10) line up on the field at a game against LBJ. Photo by Ryanna Henson (11).

Coach Langford discusses strategy with the Varsity Soccer Team during halftime. The score was 2-0 after the first half. Photo by Ahna Stewart. (9)

Charlen Puon-Alarcon (9) charges the ball in a game against Travis. Photo by Ximena Sifuentes (9).

Annabel Martinez (11) knees in honor of a hurt player during a game against Travis High School. Photo by Ximena Sifuentes (9).

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Elizabeth Monroy (9) throws in the ball during a game against Travis.

Photo by Ximena Sifuentes (9).

Sophie Moore (9) and Ahna Stewart (9) high five to celebrate a goal in a Travis game. Photo by Ximena Sifuentes (9).

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BEYOND OUR WALLS

the cost of music

Austin’s growing music festivals may actually hurt the music scene

AUGUSTA FLORES-RASCON | Beyond OurWalls Editor

Strange Brew, an Austin coffee shop and music venue closed in March 2017 when owners were unable to pay rent. Photo courtesy of Yelp.

Every year Austin hosts an array of festivals and conferences that attract visitors from across the country and the world.

From music and art to race car driving, much of Austin’s development has coincided with the growing number of events held in the city. Although festivals contribute to the Austin economy, they may actually hurt the local music industry and run into conflicts with Austin residents.

SXSW, one of Austin’s most popular festivals, lasts for ten days with a variety of events from conferences for education and technology to large festivals for film, music, and comedy. According to the official SXSW website, in 2016 the festival brought in $325.3 million and contributed highly to the construction of Hotel Van Zandt and Holiday Inn Express

in Austin’s downtown area to accommodate the fourteen thousand hotel reservations made through SXSW. The growth of Austin City Limits Music Festival and the construction of the Austin 360 Amphitheater have also contributed greatly to growing revenue for the Austin music industry. However, this revenue benefits the tourism music branch of the industry far more than the local music industry.

A study done by the economic research firm, TXP Inc. showed that from 2010 to 2014, the tourist music sector increased its revenue by a $100 million, while the local music sector decreased in revenue by $33 million. Although the city of Austin profits from both sectors, more so today from the tourist music sector, local venues and artists

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are finding it harder to survive in the “Live Music Capital of the World”.

As jobs in the music tourism sector rose by 37% from 2010 to 2014, jobs in the local industry declined by 15%. A 2015 report released by the City of Austin surveyed local venue owners and managers and found that around 35% are earning less than the average Austinites yearly income, and 19% are eligible for government assisted housing. Out of nineteen thousand local musicians surveyed, 69% were earning less than $10,000 annually.

The city has recognized the struggle the local music industry is facing and made some efforts to increase profits for local venues and musicians through better interconnectivity and communication. The local music scene is what attracted music festivals in the first place. Without it the entire music industry can’t survive.

Economically, festivals hold both opportunity and risk, but festivals have also brought new social issues to Austin.

Although hard to collect hard statistics on, human trafficking has increased alongside the growth of big events held in Austin, as thousands of people flood the city, crime can be harder to detect.

There was also the tragic drunk driving accident of 2014 during SXSW that killed four people. During SXSW, there is a great deal of free alcohol combined with massive, poorly controlled crowds that can lead to dangerous situations such as said accident. The City of Austin has since made efforts to enforce public alcohol consumption laws, and to ensure businesses have the proper liquor licences to provide a safer experience for festival attendees and locals.

Before the festivals, Austin made its name as a music town, with a strong local community. Although the festivals have brought in revenue, the changes they inflict on the city could harm the economy, safety, and sense of creative closeness that Austin has fostered for sixty years.

Local Austin band, Sweet Spirit March 15, 2017 performing during SXSW. Photo courtesy of Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images North America.

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VOL 2 ISS 3

BEYOND OUR WALLS From russia, with love F.b.I. launches investigation into document detailing relations between trump and Russia EMILY WEAVER|Editor in cheif

Artwork by Georgia Moore

On March 20, 2017, F.B.I. director James B. Comey announced at a hearing before the White House Intelligence committee that the F.B.I. is investigating ties between President Donald J. Trump and Russia. The investigation could take months, or even years, according to the New York Times.

During the public hearing Comey and Admiral Michael S. Rodgers, director of the National Security Agency, gave

testimonies stating that the claims made by news organizations regarding connections between Russian politicians and Trump are being examined. Both officials stated that the contents of a dossier, which was an unverified document released in January with claims made linking Trump to ties with Russia, will be investigated in the upcoming months. Additionally, they testified that claims from Trump that former President Barack Obama wiretapped the Trump Tower in the months leading up to the election were false.

Claims of connections between Trump and Russia were first highlighted by CNN news. On January 10, 2017, they reported that a two-page summary of a 35 page dossier regarding interactions between Trump and Russian citizens and officials was given to Trump, former President Obama, and 8 members of Congress. The dossier was written by former British MI6 agent Christopher Steele, and includes excerpts from memos regarding meetings between

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Trump aides and Russian operatives and descriptions of contact that have yet to be verified. The same day, Buzzfeed released the full dossier, claiming that the documents had been circling amongst journalists and politicians for months. Though many journalists feared releasing it due to the unverified nature of the document, Buzzfeed Editor in Chief Ben Smith stated in a memo, “Our presumption is to be transparent in our journalism and to share what we have with our readers.”

Trump and White House staff have publicly denied the claims that Trump has ties to Russia. In January, the same day as the dossier was released, Trump shared a tweet stating, “FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” On March 20, after the hearing, Trump shared a series of tweets saying that the testimonies were false.

“It’s so ridiculous on so many levels,” Michael Cohen, Trump’s attorney, said to news outlet Mic. “Clearly, the person who created this did so from their imagination or did so hoping that the liberal media would run with this fake story for whatever rationale they might have. The real story that Congress, the F.B.I. and all others should be looking into is the leaking of classified information. Must find leaker now!”

treading softly

teaching at a public girls’ school in march 2017 jamie Langley|APP Contributer I’m not going to say that it has been easy teaching in the months following the election. I consider my words, readings and experiences in the classroom constantly. During what seem like unpredictable times, I know it is necessary to move forward with care.

I’ve joined a social justice book study with a group of teachers in hopes of finding a way to think about our times as great shifts occur in our government. I welcome the opportunity to share with like-minded people who greet and guide students five days every week. We care enough about our role and recognize the need for support at this particular time. We’re thinking about our curriculum for these times, our relationships and because we’re English teachers, reading and writing experiences in our classrooms. Sometimes it seems we ask more questions than we have answers for. But we shore each other up as best we can. Our world has changed and at the same time we are expected to conduct class with students who look to us for answers. While I hope it won’t be too long, the truth is it feels like we’re losing ground, not becoming greater.

Tuesday my poetry group at ARS sat outside and discussed Stanley Kunitz’s poem “The Round” and disagreed about our feelings for butterflies. An easy thing to disagree about. Before long our conversation left butterflies and imagery for talk

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Jamie Langley in her classroom at Ann Richards. Photo by Sarah Walker.

about the state of our union. My students’ voices speak of the desire to talk with those who voted for our president with an interest of better understanding their perspectives, though different from ours.

To ask how someone would not be willing to fund health insurance for all, if it would allow someone in need the chance for a lung transplant. They’re not too young to recognize the complexity of the situation. I am again reminded of the care I must take to explain my thoughts and feelings. So I listen closely to what each girl says and ask her how she would speak to someone

who thinks differently from her. I agree with the compassion they share with me.

And I share with them why I continue to stand for the pledge every morning. My belief in our democracy remains even during this moment in our history as a nation when there seems to be more undoing than doing - more movement backwards than forward.

I can scarcely wait till tomorrow when a new life begins for me, as it does each day, as it does each day.

-Stanley Kunitz

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10 Wrestle for your rights

Transgender student wins state title, backlash Danny Armendariz | Staff Writer

Speak up Letting my voice be heard Ezra Morales | Sports Editor

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OUR VOICES

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On February 25th, 17-year-old athlete Mack Beggs Beggs became the first transgender boy to ever win a state wrestling title.

However, he was forced to compete against girls, despite asking to compete against boys.

Beggs received major backlash for the win.

Patti Overstreet, mother of a wrestler in the boys division accused Beggs of cheating, going as far as to misgender him.

Beggs was unable to wrestle with boys due to the UIL regulations that state that the gender on competitors’ birth certificates determine who they are allowed to compete against in sports. In order for Beggs to be able to compete against other boys he would have to take it to court and be issued an updated birth certificate that states that he is legally a male.

Both at the competition and after, Beggs received negative comments because of his gender identity. Many parents argued that his testosterone injections gave him an unfair advantage, claiming that they made him

stronger than his female opponent. Many even booed Beggs after his big win.

Regardless of what division he competed in, as a transgender individual, Beggs was not free from harsh comments he would receive. Competing against girls earned him negative remarks from many, who said that it wasn’t fair that he was wrestling girls. On the other hand, if he were to wrestle cisgender boys, he would be told something that many transgender boys are told: he’s not a ‘real boy’, and that he’s just a girl. So how can he do something he loves if he gets hate for it no matter what?

With the way things are going for the transgender community under the Trump administration, it is a time to be fearful. Transgender people are slowly getting their freedom and rights taken away from them. The problems transgender people face go beyond the bathroom and the locker room. There are bigger problems than just the desire to perform a basic human right such as use the restroom.

Mack Beggs’ experience is a small part of how the transgender community is targeted.

Within the first couple of months of 2017, over 7 transgender women have been murdered. In 2016, 27 transgender people were killed, making it one of the deadliest years for the transgender community in history. Experiencing transphobia in America kills. It’s not just something as small as using the bathroom or changing in the appropriate locker room, it’s a matter of life and death.

“You gotta run out of the car when I pull over,” my mother said in her most stern mom voice. I gave her a peck on the cheek and bade her goodbye. She wished me luck. I was about to testify in opposition to Senate Bill Six (SB6) or as the senators like to call it “The Texas Privacy Act” - though it is more commonly known as Texas’ bathroom bill, similar to North Carolina’s House Bill two (HB2).

I walked up the steep hill that led to the pristine pink building that is the Capitol of Texas, and I was greeted by a wonderful Texas Ranger who held in his hand a gun that seemed over half of my 5’ 2” height. I started to feel the sweat perspire from my armpits and I clenched my body inward.

As I finally got to the front steps of the building, I had to wait in a short line to go through the metal detector: I had some time to think. I reminisced about how I was here at the same building two months ago for the state Youth and Government conference and how it felt so great to be reporting as a real journalist. I was on top of the world. But on this that day, I felt like Alice in Wonderland when she ate the cake and shrunk down to the size of an ant.

Once I passed through the metal detector I felt so lost and so insignificantly small; I was surrounded by adults and senators who were all dressed in business formal clothing and here I was, wearing my purple GLSEN shirt and some semi-formal pants with my lovely school schools. This feeling was very familiar. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but as I was waiting in line to jump on the elevator it hit me. I had been in this situation before.

A flashback began to play in my mind; I was about to speak in front of a bunch of celebrities (including, but not limited to: Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Connor Franta, you know…) and bigwig donors. I had felt completely underdressed and overwhelmed as I was practicing the 45 second long speech with J.J. Abrams to present GLSEN’s 2015 champion award to Zachary Quinto. Right before we graced the stage Mr. Abrams had given me some sage words of wisdom: “May the force be with you… you’re speaking first kid.”

As I hopped off the elevator I giggled a bit and prayed to the entire Star Wars cast that the force would be with me on this dreary, anxiety filled day. I walked to the line with the giant sign that read “ORAL TESTIMONY” and stood there looking down at my phone hoping that I would see someone I knew soon.

I placed my vintage-looking red backpack face down on the floor as I wrapped my jacket around my goosebump covered arms. I looked up only to have my eyes meet with the eyes of a man wearing a “Make America Great Again!” shirt. I gulped, then barfed a little and then found out that my therapist was standing right in front of me and sighed with great relief. The only thought that was going through my mind at this point was “this is going to be a long day.”

And indeed it was. I ended up being at the Capitol for a total of 13 hours listening to testimonies, talking to people, and getting interviewed by local news sources. About halfway through the day there was a press conference held in the rotunda and so we all gathered around to listen to the speakers share their stories. Though I am not one for crowds or being confined in small spaces, I made the exception for that day and squished myself in between two petite Human Rights Campaign workers. I could feel the love in the area and was starting to harbor a feeling of great confidence. Once the conference ended I headed back inside to my designated waiting area and went through my written testimony.

I started reminiscing about the time I was in New York in May of last year. I had gone over my short speech that I was going to say to introduce one of GLSEN’s biggest donors, and my mind was racing. I had gotten a boost of energy from the shot of espresso I drank half an hour before and felt ready to go.

The magical “voice of God” that had called out “Ezra Morales” from above the crowd was my cue to hop on stage. I began to speak and turned my head to look at the teleprompter that was blank. As a severely anxious person, “winging it” is not in my vocabulary. I had only a few quick seconds to come up with something to say and before you know it I just began speaking from the heart, trying to remember key points from the script.

As I was listening to everyone’s testimonies both for and against SB6 I started editing my testimony feverishly, making sure to hit as many points as I possibly could in a mere two minutes. The longer I waited, the more I edited. Eventually, I had basically rewritten the entire testimony and I was called into the official hearing room. In the five minutes I had to wait before I went to speak before the senators, I made the bold decision to “wing it.”

“And lastly, Ezra Morales,” the chairwoman croaked.

I took the deepest deep breath of my life and approached the bench. When it became my turn to speak I spoke from the heart. I looked directly at the SB6 author, Senator Lois Kolkhorst and asked her if she had met with transgender students like me and asked them how they would feel if this bill was passed. I started to choke up a bit as I was speaking. I looked at the timer that was counting down my two minutes of testimony and saw that I had only seconds left to plead for my safety and the safety of my peers and by the time you knew it, my time was gone. I choked up a bit and by the time you knew it my two minutes were up.

Senator Kolkhorst took her glasses off and looked me directly in the eyes as I left the bench. I shook my head and walked out of the hearing room into the waiting room to be greeted by cheers, hugs and high fives from people waiting to testify as well. A few tears managed to escape my eyes as I was recieving hugs, then someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Thank you so much for sharing your story today.” It was Senator Sylvia Garcia. She gave me a hug and my eyes became waterworks. She told me to keep fighting the good fight and that if I ever needed anything to call her office. My heart was overwhelmingly filled with joy and comfort.

Public speaking is not something that I would’ve seen myself doing five years ago, but now I don’t know how I wouldn’t.

Mack Beggs poses for the Trinity high school wrestling team.

Photo curtosy of Mack Beggs’ Facebook.

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High school teens are working harder today, and their minds are taking the toll ALYSSA cERDA| Staff Writer Over the years, school has become more challenging and time consuming for students. According to Business Insider an average high school senior today graduates with around 27.2 credits, while the average high school senior in 1990 graduated with around 23.6 credits. In that time, there has also been an 8% jump in students taking rigorous course schedules.

This change was most likely caused by how competitive the college application process and the job market can be. This level of competitiveness has now reached high school students, leading them to put their school work above all. This mindset isn’t healthy for a lot of teens in school, and the higher expectations and demands of school work have been shown to trigger depressive episodes as well as high levels of anxiety, according to Everyday Health.

Students have come to believe that their school work should always come first, and that their mental health should come later.

This ideal is rooted in the way students are taught, how mental health is addressed and taken care of at schools, or even how our schools are built.

Some public schools were designed like factories and follow the same structure of sitting in rows, following a bell schedule and walking in lines.

“The way our schools look on the outside look like factories... and there were some schools where I grew up in New York that had no windows at all,” Brianne Welser, 10th grade AP World History teacher, said. The structure of our schools alone can affect our mental state.

Past school structures, the workload assigned, and rigorous core classes add to the stress of students. Students begin to see their work as increasingly more important than their own well being. Some think the only way to have a healthy mental state is to have good grades, even if the way they’re going about it is detrimental to their mental health.

“The biggest thing is like if you take a mental health day, you’re behind,” Emily Gentry (11) said. “Many times it [putting work above mental health] can lead to mental breakdowns... it can also lead to you having a general decline in your school work. We live in a society where mental health is like something that’s made up, and we think that because mental health isn’t something that’s prioritized in our everyday lives it doesn’t need to be prioritized in school.”

The act of putting mental health after school work comes from the neglect mental

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health faces everywhere.

Mental health isn’t even something spoken about and can hardly be prioritized, so when that same way of thinking enters schools it becomes much harder to open up about how much school stress is truly impacting you. This mindset can lead students to more harmful behaviors to cope with stress or attain high grades.

“I know a lot of my

Artwork by Danny Armendariz (10)

friends end up sacrificing a lot of sleep and time,” Helen Foster (10) said. “If you think that college and being able to get your grades to be the best that they can be is your goal, I think sacrificing your mental health sometimes is the only way to achieve that.”

This type of harm done to oneself is normalized making students think that this is an adequate way to achieve their goals.

Students begin to believe that their higher grades mean more than if they are mentally stable. It’s more common to see students doing all their work while being under unhealthy amounts of stress than to see students putting themselves first and going to talk to someone for help. It’s when you hear students say they want to kill themselves while doing work instead of taking a break from their work due to anxiety/ depression from school work, or when you see someone depriving themselves of a healthy amount of sleep in order to pass, or hurting themselves in other ways in order to cope with the stress.

“It’s an issue that you encounter as a teacher,” Toufic Chahin, high school math and engineering teacher, said. “There are many students that are very obviously unhealthily stressed and teachers do see this.

This isn’t something that’s hidden, this is an obvious fact that needs to be addressed.”

According to Time, students are having increased rates of anxiety, depression, and many other mental health issues that could be directly related to school. This issue cannot continue to be ignored. We have to address this issue and help begin to fix the education system by listening to the voices of students instead of brushing off their mental illnesses as laziness.

Schools can start helping improve the mental health of their students by teaming up with counselors to provide additional resources for students, such as outside support groups and websites both administration and counselors can endorse.

Counselors can also work with teachers to ensure that their classrooms can be safe environments for student. They can help develop coping methods teachers can pass on to students when in positions of stress.

Together, the administration, counselors, and teachers can address ways to help students manage a healthy balance between their mental health and their school work.

“Listen to students,” Welser said, responding to how schools can help improve them mental state of their students. “Invest in counseling. Continue to move in that direction and allocate funds for mental health and just giving students freedom.”

Infographic by Alyssa Cerda

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the future is female

what women’s History month meant to me LILY DIFRANK|Staff Writer

When I first came to Ann Richards, it wasn’t because it was an all girls school, and that I knew the significance about the school being an all girls school. It was because I wanted a good education. I am, in fact, getting a good education, but I also got something more: knowledge about our history and the way the current political landscape is. I have learned that as a female, we have come a long way in our rights. We are slowly, but surely, building our way up to one day be equal with men.

Often in history we see an overwhelming

amount of accomplishments from men.

During the month of March, we celebrate all of the amazing things women have done in history as well, because to be honest, we are pretty awesome and have done some kick butt things to help propel and build up our history.

In my elementary school, my class and I were not very judgmental, mostly everyone was treated the same, and could do the same things no matter their gender. As I started to grow up and move on through middle school, and now high school, I

began noticing that in our society, men got more privileges. This is due to the stereotypes associating men being the more powerful and more able gender . For example, I got an opportunity to travel over the summer, the same summer traveling my brother has done before. When I showed and talked to my parents about it, they said no because they didn’t feel comfortable with me traveling. My brother went on these same types of trips as I was going to go on, but when it came to me and my chance to experience something new and out of the norm, they said no. I then went on to learn other things that weren’t fair with the female gender, with women still being paid at least 20% less than men, according to AAU. By going to Ann Richards, I became a feminist after learning about the injustice between genders in today’s society.

One of the first times I realized that girls are treated different in society is when I was about seven and at summer camp. The boys were playing soccer, which looked

ARS POLARIS PRESS like a lot of fun, so me and my newly found best friend went over to ask if we could join in. One of the boy’s immediately said no followed by another one running past. When I asked why they said “because you are a girl”. Now this seems pretty small, but I have noticed that in my life these small things add up, and I haven’t been able to do as many things because I am a girl. That is why during Women’s History Month, we can try to inform people about how capable we are by showing powerful figures that drastically changed our world and society to this day.

To me, Women’s History Month is about recognizing all of the amazing women in my life and all of the amazing women who have helped us as women move forward in history.

During the month of March we should feel empowered to aim high and set goals that we might not have done before. We should realize that as women we are amazing, we can do more, and accomplish more than what is considered possible.

it’s not easy being green How politics threatens my connection with nature ALLY WAIT|Our Voices Editor I woke up before the morning light could penetrate the trees around me. As I shivered underneath multiple layers of clothing, I made tea over a dying fire.

Within minutes my family was overlooking Bryce Canyon as the sun rose over it, changing colors every few minutes. As I looked into the ever-changing canyon I made plans to bring my children there one day so they could see it and be amazed the same way I was.

For over two weeks my family traveled through nine national parks and camped every night, making all of our meals over fires, feeling the power of nature around us; we were completely at the mercy of a rainstorm which could ruin our campsite, or a strong gust of wind which could knock us over the edge of a cliff. We took the chances because the experience was worth it. Throughout this trip my love for the world around me intensified and I thought constantly about making this trip

again, continuing throughout my life to experience nature in this personal way. I grew increasingly worried about the effects of our modern world on the nature surrounding me. I worried about returning to these places to reexperience the beauty, only to find destruction.

I have grown up with the conscience of sustainability and appreciation for nature.

When I was four my step mother came into my life: she camps almost every weekend and is the epitome of a nature-loving hippie. She has instilled in me the love of nature and the paranoia of its looming destruction. This paranoia is not unprecedented: the average sea level is predicted to rise 1 to 4 feet in less than 100 years, and our current rate of temperature increase puts up to 35 percent of plant and animal species at increased risk of extinction (National Wildlife Federation: “Fast Facts About Climate Change”).

At age 12 I traveled with my stepmother to the Redwood Forest where her friend lives. I worried about its magnificent beauty being destroyed for paper, along with the Amazon and a million other forests around the world. There are about 18 million acres of forest destroyed every year (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)) over the last twenty years Afghanistan has lost over 70% of its forests, and in the world there is a deforestation rate of 20 football fields every minute (Conserve Energy Future: “51 Facts About Deforestation”).

My friends tease me for being so paranoid about the depletion of the earth’s resources until there is nothing left to give, but there is good reason to be worried, and I want to make sure that everyone knows it. I want everyone to experience nature the

way I have through camping and exploration, and to realize what we really have to lose. I want my children and their children to be able to wake up in the middle of a forest, surrounded by nature, with no sign of civilization and modern technology.

As President Donald J. Trump is threatening to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States government, my worry is multiplied.

We live in a country driven by capitalist greed and the corporations who control this system have no regard for nature. If exploiting nature has an economic benefit to these corporations, they will do it without a second thought. The EPA was the only system in place to keep the economic interests in America from mindlessly destroying the natural parts. And I’m scared.

Bryce Canyon National Park is a popular camping and hiking site for mational and international travelers alike. I visited Bryce Canyon during my tour of National Parks this past summer, and it was my favorite park.

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Women’s History Month has just ended, but it’s never a bad time to celebrate powerful and inspiring women. Here is a short list of some of today’s

Wonder women

Five women in entertainment who will go down in history KEYLA BLANCO | Entertainment Editor

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Gina Rodriguez

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Angelina Jolie

Gina Rodriguez is the second Latina actress to have won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actress. Her lead role on the CW comedy-drama Jane the Virgin has launched her into a whirlwind of success. Rodriguez continues to represent the Hispanic community through her work both on and off the screen. In 2015, she joined the HSF’s (Hispanic Scholarship Fund) Board of Directors. The HSF is the United States’ biggest non-profit organization which supports Hispanic Americans receiving higher education.

Angelina Jolie is known for her work on the big screen, but her work as a humanitarian is just as incredible. In 2001, she joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and for the past decade has embarked in over forty field missions as well as donated over a million dollars to the UNHCR. Jolie has also lobbied for child immigration and education, launched the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) with Foreign Secretary William Hague, and even opened an all-girls school in Pakistan in honor of Malala Yousafzai.

Photo Courtesy of celebrityabc.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Beyoncé

Rihanna

Laverne Cox

The Queen Bey’s success is one that never goes unnoticed. From her early Destiny’s Child work to her success post girl group, Beyoncé is a musical legend, but her fame has room for other important matters. In recent years, Beyoncé has used her platform to shine light on social issues such as police brutality. As an outspoken feminist, Beyoncé’s sixth studio album Lemonade included the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner holding pictures of their sons, who are victims of police brutality, in the music video for “Freedom.” In response to the public’s reaction to her “Formation” music video, she said that “I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things. If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me.”

With classic albums like Good Girl Gone Bad and ANTI, Rihanna has been a musician that never fails to give us bops. She’s won multiple Grammys and Billboard music awards for her singles, and she’s also succeeded in the film industry through her work in Battleship and Home. However, it goes beyond that: Rihanna was recently awarded Harvard University’s “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Harvard Foundation for her founding of the Clara Braithwaite Center for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados. She was also recognized for her work to improve education programs that support low income students in Barbados.

Laverne Cox is best known for her role on the Netflix Original Series, Orange is the New Black. From the beginning of her career Cox has been an LGBT+ activist, specifically for the transgender community. She is the first openly transgender person to be on the cover of Time magazine and be nominated for a primetime Emmy.

Cox continues to be a public figure for transgender women and after joining a campaign against a Phoenix, Arizona law which allows police to arrest anyone suspected of “manifesting prostitution,” and which she feels targets transgender women of color.

Cox said “All over the country, trans women are targeted simply for being who they are. Laws like this manifestation law really support systematically the idea that girls like me...are less than [others] in this country.”

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ENTERTAINMENT

14 tiaras for rising music queens Review of Tiarra Girls first EP release BECCA ALONSO | Editor In Chief

(Left to Right) Sophia Baltierra (18) , Tori Baltierra (15), and Tiffany Baltierra (19) on their new self-titled EP Cover. The Tiarra girls were awarded Best Performing Band Under 18 for the second year in a row at Austin Chronicle’s awards show hosted by KUTX. “[The EP] being realeased just makes it very real. We put so much time into it and it’s just so cool seeing our work being shared,” Tori said. Photo courtesty of the Tiarra Girls.

the great sound divide ed Sheeran ‘divide’ album review

ELENA GONzALEz | Senior Editor

Ed Sheeran presents a rally of emotions in his newly released album, ÷ (Divide). Officially released on Friday March 3, 2017, this album is one for a true music lover as its versatile tunes take the listener on a journey across a land of unfamiliar genres. From Irish vibes to dance numbers, the record has a taste of it all. The album has no definite path, no overall moral, no singular sound; but it does have a one-word description, as intended and given

by Sheeran himself: Schizophrenic.

In a recent interview with Spotify, Sheeran shared that he’s had the idea - schizophrenic - for this album since 2010. The theme of the album is inspired by his introduction to music, to which he also pays tribute. His love for the matter was fostered by the way he delved into new genres: one day he’d listen to punk, the next he’d tune into metal, then he’d explore the realm of folk and indie rock.

Every day brought a new, alluring sound.

The album’s style is actually rather genius. As opposed to a dedicated rap album or a new pop EP, Divide offers a wide variety of sounds. In a day and age where music quite literally provides a soundtrack for our lives, this was not only a smart business decision, but a wonderful gift to the great population of music listeners.

Authentic singer/songwriters sometimes seem hard to come by, as it’s easier than ever for singers to live out their dreams, with various social media outlets and talent searches, but Sheeran restores faith in his recent release. He proves that music still holds the power it was once gloriously celebrated for; music can be original, new, and life-reflecting.

In my first listen, I found that I most enjoyed track 16 (on the deluxe version of the album) Save Myself, in which Ed tells of a life of unrequited generosities and the journey to a very important self-discovery: how to put your own

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Sisters Sophia Baltierra (12), Tori Baltierra (10), and Tiffany Baltierra (‘16 alumni) make up local band The Tiarra Girls. Started in 2012, the group was originally a cover band, performing. hits

by Selena, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and more. Recently they dropped their first EP, The Tiarra Girls, containing three songs written and performed by the group. Below you’ll find a review of each song.

Answers The EP begins on an upbeat note, with a fun guitar riff to get you on your feet.

Youngest band member and lead singer, Tori Baltierra, starts the tune by singing the catchy chorus “Looking to the sky for answers/But I guess there ain’t no other/ But I love you.” The song then shifts into the melody which gives off a vibe that you feel when seeing the band perform live.

Answers is the epitome of a warm summer day, with a reggae spirit, and yet still holds onto its true emotion through lyrics. The instrumentals decrescendo as Tori begins to sing the outro lyric “Are you listening?”

You can’t help but dance along to this song, no matter where you are.

Lonely Room This melody takes a more melancholy tone, with the tune following Tori’s emotion in the song. “I was listening to a lot of Amy Winehouse when I was writing this song,” Tori said. This instant classic takes a more laid-back approach to alternative rock music. Oldest band member and lead bass player, Tiffany Baltierra’s skills are demonstrated through a smooth bass solo

well being before that of others, and how to put yourself as number one in your own heart. However, upon further listening, I came to the realization that the album doesn’t present me with just one new favorite song. It gives me a choice for Monday, a different for Tuesday, another for Wednesday and so on.

I’ve listened to the album in its entirety, on repeat, but I’m still nowhere near exhausted at hearing it. Though some melodies sound unmistakably Ed Sheeran-esque, others introduce a completely new style. Sheeran even throws a little Spanish around in his ‘Barcelona’ song lyrics, and it flows nicely.

Here’s a review of each song in the 6-word memoir fashion made famous by Mark Twain’s “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Hopefully each description will give listeners another entry point to the diverse songs on the album.

Eraser:Spoken word-ish, told from the heart Castle on the Hill:Far from home, but never forgotten Dive: Don’t play me, I fall easily Shape of You: Young love, no cares, living life Perfect: Destined for forever, you never know Galway Girl: Meant-to-be love, celebrated happiness Happier: Broke her heart, his breaks too New Man: Rebound love, one we all know Hearts Don’t Break Around Here: Cherished time, one and only, always What Do I Know?: Love and music spin the Earth How Would You Feel (Paean): I love you, love me too?

Supermarket Flowers: Grandmother’s love, cherished memories, thank you Deluxe Album-Only Tracks Barcelona: Foreign language, spanish adventures, living life Bibia Be Ye Ye: Everything will be alright, live life Nancy Mulligan: Forbidden love, love finds a way Save Myself :Unrequited generosities, journey to self-love

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after the chorus, accompanied by a trumpet, making for a more steady and eclectic tune. Though no instrument overpowers another, each one accompanies each other in a lighthearted way. While the song isn’t as buoyant as Answers, Lonely Room still is a tune that you can rock to, with a jazzy take on alternative music. This is by far the band’s most popular song off of the EP; a music video for this song even features students from Ann Richards.

I Made a Garden This song is more fast paced than Lonely Room, and is definitely the most emotional song of the three. The love song is composed of analogies to flowers, and Tori’s voice accompanies the heavy meaning of it smoothly. 18-year-old drummer Sophia Baltierra shines through the song’s stand-out beat. The lyrics “Nothing stops me/From thinking about you/And in my dreams/You’re always there with me” depict the feelings of having a crush perfectly. This song is the most modern of the three, with popular chords used in hit music and a more studio-produced tone.

For more information on where you can purchase and download the “Tiarra Girls” EP and to find out about future performances, check out the band’s website using this QR code .

It’s been well over two years since Sheeran’s last album release, and his 2017 creation seems to hold all of the songs his life has since inspired. From ballads to dancing rhythms, ÷ has something for everyone to enjoy. If you listen closely and immerse yourself in Sheeran’s lyrics you’ll see how much he’s grown from his first album. In Divide, he says that love is important, time is short, listen to the lessons life teaches you, chances must be taken, and celebrate every moment; could this be because he himself has found the love of his life?

It’s no secret: Ed Sheeran is the master of original tunes and relatable beats. He knows how to write them and he knows how to play them--doing both impressively well.

I predict Divide will be in the running for some major awards at the 2018 Grammys.

Ed Sheeran’s new album titled Divide, released on March 3, 2017. Photo by Elena Gonzales (12)

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two female coders bring social change through video games SAMMIE SEAMON| Our Voices Editor

Sophie Houser and Andrea (Andy) Gonzales are two nineteen-year olds that met at a Girls Who Code program in 2014.

Together, they created a video game called Tampon Run, which aims to help break down the universal taboo on menstruation and sanitary products. The game features a female avatar that runs while throwing tampons at characters running towards them, while also jumping to grab airborne tampon boxes. After its release on website www.tamponrun.com the addictive game quickly went viral, spreading it’s message for social change along with it. This year, the duo released their new book, Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done, where they talk about the process of making the game, their struggles, and their ultimate goal in making it.

ARS Polaris Press: Why did you choose to focus on the menstrual taboo rather than just making a regular app?

Andy Gonzales: Especially being at Girls Who Code, we were encouraged to do something that would make a difference, and Sophie and I wanted to make a difference. When I came into Girls Who Code, I knew about the final product, I knew I wanted to make a video game but I wanted it to also have a message. So I think that’s why we decided to make a game about social change, and that led to making a game about the menstrual taboo.

Sophie Houser: Also, it was just something that made us feel super passionate and really really excited, so at first we just had this kernel of an idea that resonated with both of us personally, and we realized it was resonating with our friends, which we were so excited about.

APP: How do you hope the game will get the younger generation more comfortable with the idea of getting periods and using pads and tampons?

SH: Well, I think that something that makes the game really work is that it uses humor to talk about issues that people normally feel really uncomfortable about, and the humor means that instead of making people shut down, people want to interact with it and talk about it and think about it, and that’s really the best way to combat a taboo.

AG: You know, people who play it at, you know, our age now already know about the menstrual taboo or just menstruation in general. We’ve heard from a lot of parents about how they had found the game and now want to show their kids who are

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definitely younger than people we normally have access to. So, in terms of getting younger people to play the game it was a lot through their parents.

SH: I don’t think the game itself is like the greatest video game out there. I think Tampon Run is more about the message and getting you to think about a new topic.

AG: Yeah, and figuring out new ways to teach people about things that they might not normally come across. Because video games are such an easy way for people to share an idea or share a concept, and so I think that’s what worked really well for Tampon Run. APP: In your ideal world, how would people, both men and women, view menstruation. What would it look like without that taboo?

AG: You don’t have to run around screaming ‘Tampons! Periods are beauti-

talk about it.

SH: And even here, in prisons or in homeless shelters women don’t have access to pads or tampons or ways to deal with their periods, they have to resort to not-hygienic ways to do that, and also ways that are just dehumanizing. So if people thought of periods as more normal, it would just be normal to provide those things.

AG: Pads and tampons are still considered a luxury item, so, to think about them less as a luxury and more like a necessity, because they are, that’d be really amazing.

APP: Branching off of that and the global aspect of it, how does it feel to be on the forefront of battling the menstrual taboo and trying to fix this problem?

SH: It’s really incredible to meet other people who are really passionate about something. People who are passionate about anything makes you want to be

Andy Gonzalez and Sophie Houser signed books during the meet and greet at Ann Richards on March 9. Photo by Beatriz Ruiz (11).

ful!’ I mean like, you can, but I just think it should be a normal part of discussion, people shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. You know, in other countries where having your period is considered taboo to the point where women drop out of school, don’t go to school when they’re on their

“Don’t be afraid to try and to fail, because that’s just inevitable when you code, especially at first, and that might be jarring when you’ve never coded before.” period, slash they don’t know how to take care of themselves, or they don’t even have the resources to do that. In my ideal world, they’d be provided with those and be educated on how to use them and again also at the same level, not being afraid to

passionate about something, you wanna work towards something, so that’s really been an incredible feeling. It’s just very empowering to be like wow, I, from my bedroom in New York, can do something that will affect people all over the world, people really far away from me. I have a voice, and that voice really matters, and I can affect people.

APP: Why do you think it’s so important for more girls to get involved in coding and technology and enter those fields later on as careers?

AG: Well I think as a woman, you know, growing up, you have a completely different experience than a man. So if you have an industry that’s full of men, coming up with products that, on the whole, are based off of their experiences, I guess, things that are made to solve their problems. So I think that by having a woman in tech, you can have more unique and more diverse products that come out into the marketplace, and it’s more representative of the world.

SH: I think also, as we start to tackle and

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talk about the issue of having less women in tech, it also brings up conversations just about systems of oppression in our society and why aren’t women going into tech, and what can we do to change that. Why have we constructed a world where women aren’t thought of as science people, and women are taught to think that they have a problem when they fail. It’s not just about women, it’s also about having more minorities in tech, having more minority women in tech, and those are all super important as well.

APP: What advice would you give to a middle schooler here, right now, if they wanted to start coding?

AG: My parents didn’t really help me look for coding programs when I wanted to code, it was just me sitting down, Googling like, “summer program coding New York.” And from that, I am here. So it’s really just small steps, all you really need to learn how to code is a computer and internet access. And I think even with this school, you have that.

So, it’s just as simple as turning on your computer and looking up coding resources because they’re so easy to find.

SH: And once you do that, don’t be afraid to try and to fail, because that’s just inevitable when you code, especially at first, and that might be jarring when you’ve never coded before. But it’s super normal to try even the simplest thing out and it not work, and there’s nothing wrong with you coding, it’s just super hard. I’m in my second year now as a computer scientist, I’m majoring at a good school, and I still fail all the time. I still have a lot of trouble coding, and I know that there’s nothing wrong with me, coding is just hard.

APP: What were some particularly difficult aspects of making this game?

SH: I think, as a whole, it was really hard to start out, like, OK, we know we want to make this whole entire game, but we had six days to do it and how do you start? What we had to do everyday is sit down and say ‘Here’s what we’re going to do by lunchtime,” and at lunch we’d sit down and say “This is what we’re going to do by the end of the day.” We kind of had to break down this large, looming project of making a whole entire video game into these small steps, then tackling those very small steps. That’s how we wrote this book. We broke it down into these smaller steps.

APP: Did you expect the response you received [going viral]?

AG: When we shared it, we thought, oh, at most, our family and friends will look at this website, our reach goal is to written up on like, Jezebel.

SH: But we didn’t even think that was going to happen.

AG: Yeah, it was like a ‘Haha, wouldn’t that be crazy.’ It was funny how ridiculous it was.

Because Jezebel is a well-circulated feminist media outlet online, and so we just thought that in our ideal world we’d be written up in Jezebel.

SH: We never thought we’d be writing a book, or would be sitting here in Austin, Texas talking with you.

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APP: Do you have any particular “victory” stories that came out of this game going viral?

AG: My success story has a lot to do with my relationship with my parents, and understanding that they were so supportive of me, and I had to be less quick to assume that they would disagree with any weird ideas that I had, just because they were more traditional. And another thing that happened is that I accepted the fact that I didn’t need to be on a set path towards anything. Like, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, and I thought I would just get all A’s in high school and in college, and then go be a mechanical engineer somewhere along the way. And now I don’t really have a plan but I’m okay with that because I’m doing stuff that I love, and I’m interested in, and I know I’ll be able to figure out how all of those things come together in the end.

SH: There was one time when I went up on a stage and forgot all of my lines and that was terrifying for somebody who’s super afraid of public speaking. But, that ended up being a huge growth experience, like, nothing bad happened. I looked down at my notecard and I read off of it, and I made it out alive. That was a huge learning experience. It’s okay to fail, and your scariest moments actually aren’t that bad. Another time that was good was when we went to this really fancy award party, because we had won an award, and we were in this room full of people who were maybe ten or twenty years older than us, and were really fancy tech people. And we were just these two seventeen-year-olds, sweating profusely in the corner, we didn’t know how to talk to anybody. But we really wanted to talk to people, because they all were really cool. So we stood in the corner and finally we said, ‘We’re gonna make a game plan.

We have to split up and we each have to go talk to at least one person, and then we can find each other.’ And so we left each other, and I was really scared. I was alone in the middle of all these people. And then I saw this random guy standing alone eating food, and we made eye contact, and I said ‘I’m gonna do it,” and I went up to him and said, ‘This food is really good, right?’ and then we just talked about the free food and how tasty it was, and then we talked about other things, but I was proud of myself for just starting this conversation with this guy. And then Andy met some really cool people..

AG: Yeah, I was just wandering around, kind of lost. And then I saw a circle of people and I said, ‘you know what, I’m also going to be a part of this circle,’ and so I joined and it turned out to be the two presidents and a bunch of chairs of this big organization called Games For Change, which is an organization that basically promotes and encourages the creation and spread of games that spread social messages, so it was a perfect match. I made conversation with them and we got their contact information, and they were just amazing people.

And I would never have met them if had an interaction if Sophie and I kept standing in a corner all scared.

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SH: Yeah, that’s a good example of how we helped push each other out of our comfort zones. We were there for each other in that party, but we were also there to push each other to do things that were scary, separate from each other. Also, it was just a huge learning experience; I am shy, and I was pushed to not be shy and be outgoing.

APP: How did you deal with the pressure of being a student while also getting a lot of attention from the press?

“But I’ve come to realize that there’s value, oh there is so much value in school, even if it’s not changing the world.

Because you need that foundation in order to have the tools to go on and do things that will have a real impact.”

AG: It was really hard at times, to be frank.

Because it’s hard to take on all of that plus all of the extracurriculars that I had already signed up for, and on top of rigorous school work. Doing Tampon Run was also a really important for me learning how to take care of myself, because there were moments where I was juggling Tampon Run while also answering interviews and applying for college while also writing a book while also doing my school work, and it all came at the cost of my mental health and my physical health, and I had to take a step back, you know, I can’t do everything all at once. I failed, I literally failed one of my musical performance examinations because I just didn’t have time for it. But it was an important event to understand that I can’t

do everything at once, so make sure you take care of yourself because that’s really important.

SH: I think we had moments where we were with guidance counselors. I think I had a guidance counselor say, ‘How are you?’ and I said, ‘I’m good, and just broke down.

It’s funny now, looking back on it, but at the time it was not funny. It was really hard. It’s super hard to juggle two things that are very time-consuming, especially when Tampon Run felt very much larger than school, and felt more important in some ways, because it was like ‘I am doing real things in the real world that are affecting real people whereas my school work is not even affecting anyone. Like, why am I spending my time writing an English paper when I could be spending my time ridding the world of the menstrual taboo. But I’ve come to realize that there’s value, oh there is so much value in school, even if it’s not changing the world. Because you need that foundation in order to have the tools to go on and do things that will have a real impact.

APP: Do you have any plans for the future? Will you keep making games, where do you want to go from here, or expand Tampon Run? AG: I still have my toes in the idea of doing video game design or working at an animation studio somehow, or making cartoons or something like that. But I want to keep using those types of media to create social change and just encourage positive things that I think need to happen, like maybe talking about the menstrual taboo but also I could talk about gender equality, and ways that aren’t so blatantly saying ‘We’re talking about feminism here!’ but ways that you just see in media that you interact with everyday.

That’s what’s really fascinating to me. I want to work at a company that I’m happy to work at but that they also align with my

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ideals and the ideal world that I have.

SH: I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing with my life, but I know that I love to code and I know that I’m really interested in its intersection with art and with activism, and I think it’s an incredibly powerful tool.

I like to tell stories, and coding is a way to tell stories, writing is a way to tell stories, so I want to continue to tell stories in some sort of media.

APP: What do you hope people will get out of playing this game?

AG: Three things. Thing number one: the menstrual taboo needs to be addressed.

Thing number two: there needs to be more women in tech. And thing number three: there are a lot of different ways you can create social change, whether it’s through code, or video games, or writing a book, or some viral video. There are a lot of ways to reach a lot of people.

SH: Yeah, adding on to Andy’s third point, anybody could be Andy and Sophie. Anyone could be us, anyone who has an idea and knows a little bit about coding can reach millions of people and create change. And really, it isn’t even about coding, anyone who has an idea, everyone has a voice, and so anyone can just speak up and use that voice. And obviously, for some people, there are a lot more obstacles, and that is something that we need to acknowledge, but everyone has to have a voice, and if you overcome those obstacles you can use it to create change.

TO DOWLOAD “TAMPON RUN,” SCAN THIS CODE!

Andy Gonzalez and Sophie Houser interviewed by Allegra Green (10). Photo by Beatriz Ruiz (11).

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entertainment for the new season GUS FLORES | Beyond our Walls Editor, EMILY WEAVER | Editor in Chief

With spring brings the many, many dates for upcoming movies, TV, and music. This spring is the season of comebacks, with artists such as Lorde releasing a new album after years of silence, 13 Reason Why, the popular young adult novel that captured the heart of many students here at Ann Richards, coming back as a TV show, and more. The following are an exciting selection of said media.

Melodrama - Lorde Lorde’s sophomore album - which will follow 2013’s Pure Heroine - seems like it’s been a long time in the making. However, in early March, the New-Zealand native released the first two singles from the album: “Green Light” and “Liability.” Judging by the fast-spoken, instrumentally building singles, fans are in for a whirlwind album when it’s released. Though Lorde hasn’t set a specific release date yet, she is set to headline several music festivals this summer, including Coachella in April, meaning an album release could be just around the corner.

Turbo Grafx 16 - Kanye West Though Kanye West’s last album, The Life of Pablo, was released just over one year ago, there are reports of a new album in 2017. West appears to be hard at work finalizing his next album, Turbo Grafx 16, which is named after a gaming system from 1989. West is also reportedly collaborating with Pete Rock, who also worked with him on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Viewers can see what appears to be a tracklist in a video that Rock posted to his Instagram page in December of 2016. .

Hopeless Fountain Kingdom - Halsey This artist rose quickly to fame after the success of her debut album, Badlands, in 2015. This album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, which Halsey announced on March 7th, has been much anticipated. 2016 was a successful year for the singer, who sang for the chart-topping song “Closer,” in collaboration with The Chainsmokers. However, according to MTV, her new album is sure to be a step in a new direction. Halsey invited 100 fans to a church in London to hear 4 songs from her new album, to which fans posted pictures of themselves crying.

T2 Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle In 1996, Trainspotting stunned audiences with a graphic account of addiction from the perspective of a young heroine addict involved in the Edinburgh drug scene. Twenty one years later the original cast has returned to show the progression of life for addicts when an old group of friends and lovers are reunited in familiar circumstances. Directed

by Academy Award winning director Danny Boyle, T2 has been met with positive reviews that praise the films ability to once again capture audiences with the grungy, thrilling and heartbreaking adventures of addicts.

Roy Adams, played respectively by stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds, discover a life form from Mars.

Quickly the discovery turns from an incredible scientific feat to a living nightmare for everyone involved.

Get Out Dir. Jordan Peele Although known for his comedic work on Key & Peele, Jordan Peele has taken a new endeavor into directing and horror. Get Out follows Rose, played by HBO’s series Girls’ Allison Williams, who brings her black boyfriend, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), home to meet her white family. Rose expects a warm welcome but both she and Chris notice strange racial microaggression that eventually take a dark turn. Critics found the movie to be not only an above average horror movie, but successfully and maturely address racism.

13 Reasons Why Netflix Based on the best selling teen novel by the same name, Netflix will be releasing a new series about a boy who learns the truth behind his classmates’ recent suicide. 13 Reasons Why is directed by Tom McCarthy and includes singer/actress Selena Gomez as a producer.

Veep - Season 6 HBO For five seasons Julia Louis-Dreyfus has enthralled audiences in her role as Selina Meyer, with sardonic wit and unbelievable entitlement, and after last season’s shocking ending, Selina and her cynical administration will be returning to HBO in April. If you’re into Veep and don’t mind downgrading from the West Wing to a grimy Philly pub you can find similar hilarious and despicable characters on FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is currently on its twelfth season.

The Get Down: Season 2 Netflix Glee may be over, but The Get Down is just beginning and it has all the singing, music and drama needed.

Set in the Bronx during the creation of hip hop and heightened social strains of the 1970’s, The Get Down follows aspiring teen musicians who struggle with relationships, acceptance and growing up, expressed frequently through flashy and emotional dance numbers.

Although season one finished fairly tidy, season two is expected to be just as colorful and unique, thanks to director Baz Luhrmann.

Life Dir. Daniel Espinosa Theaters have seen quite a few space movies in recent years, however Life brings back the horror element of movies like Alien (1979) while keeping with the trend of looking for new life beyond Earth. Astronauts aboard an international space station, including David Jordan and

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MARCH CALENDAR

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Looking back on March EZRA MORALES | Sports Editor BECCA ALONSO | Editor in Chief

PROM?: Seniors perform a dance to the song “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” by Fergie to ask Juniors to prom. The annual junior/senior prom will take place on Saturday, April 22nd at the Texas Exes Ballroom. Photo by Chloe Leline (10).

SPRANG BRAKE: The band Hippo Cmapus performs at the Austin Convention Center as a part of a South by Southwest showcase. Photo by Ezra Morales (11).

SPRING RIGHT ROUND: Tianna Storey (9) performs with the Ann Richards Color Guard during morning assembly in the big gym on March 20th. The color guard team performed their award-winning winter guard show “Like a Record” for the entire school before their competition at Hendrickson High School. “My favorite part about color guard is being able to express myself,” Storey said. Photo by Ximena Sifuentes (9).

PEACEFUL PRACTICE: Stating she wanted a quiet space to study without the distraction of her friends talking, Yatziri Alvarado (8) spends time in Ms. Langley’s room working on her assignments before assembly. Photo by Ezra Morales (11).

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Illustration by Ezra Morales (11)

Push it to the limit: Seniors Chandler Linseisen, Rosa Galarza-Mireles, Mariel Pineda, Victoria Jaimes and Shaila Chhadua tackle senior survival day at the University of Texas at Austin. Photo by Briana Palacios (12).

lUNCH TIME: High schoolers gather in the front of the school to sample items from the new AISD “Nacho Average Food Truck”. Photo by Taelor Andrews (9).

BREAK goals: This year’s ARS high school soccer team placed fourth in the district advancing them to playoffs. Photo by Lauren Breach (10).

Calendar by Ezra Morales

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IT’S LIT(erature): Audrey Loya (9) works on an in-class english assignment. Photo by ARS Press.

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Color ME

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Georgia Moore|Creative Writing Editor The Equinox occurs only on two days of the year- March 20th and September 22nd- and is when day and night consist of the same amount of time. Equinox is also the first day of Spring, which follows the theme of this edition of the Polaris Press. To shed light upon a busy budding season, this year’s Literary Press includes a coloring page to relieve stress and to provide a fun introduction to student creative writing.

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CREATIVE WRITING ELECTION CHLOE LELINE|10 And the elected president is...

Donald Trump.

Tears and confusion filled my vision.

The news rambling on “What a shock” “Lives changed” “Congratulations Mr. President.”

I sat on the ground the people around me now speaking in mumbles.

The people around me now wispy blurs.

And I fell asleep.

I woke up on the moon.

Foggy vision adjusting adjusting ah.

Earth.

Slowly spinning it revealed to me all of its oceans all of its continents all of its life.

And there was America.

Small, seemingly nothing.

I squint.

Silence.

No more heavy gravity to weigh me down.

The earth was so small compared to the universe surrounding me.

I closed my eyes and again I fell asleep.

I woke up back on earth and suddenly nothing seemed quite as scary anymore.

photos by cielo reyes-reyes|7

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Creative Writing Editor Georgia Moore advertised creative writing and art submissions throughout the school, then curated the collection based on the pieces submitted.

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broken friendship taesia stewart |7 Our friendship was Filled with laughter and joy I trusted you with My secrets Like how You trusted me How could you do this To me?

I never did anything To hurt you I thought our bond Would last forever But I guess I was wrong Now you have caused me To have trust issues You made it hard for me To realize the true from the fakes Our friendship We once shared Is now gone We will forever Have a broken friendship

dirty BY victoria olguin |8 This world is getting dirtier And dirtier and dirtier Not like before Like centuries earlier Where butterflies flew No cars to crush them And clear blue lakes So fresh to dive in But the world is getting dirtier And dirtier and dirtier.

The beautiful lands The beautiful waters All taken over By construction and others.

North Dakota South Dakota Getting dirtier than before Of construction more of A pipeline ashore Stretched miles away Polluting our Soon-to-fade place Because this world Is only getting dirtier But outstretch your hands And outstretch them far!

You feel the pipe Be moved for us all!

And realize This is reality Your voice was heard With no means Of gun or sword And this world had just become A little less dirty.

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‘las soldaderas’ by anabel perez | 11

THE JUSTICE DREAM

BY LAYLA WEBB | 8 Though it appears as merely a small and innocent joke on your lovely TV, it happens every single day.

TV. The thing that acted on us more than others think.

Not as a joke.

Or through another.

We might punch each other because what you said is absurd.

Help seems far, but that much.

It didn’t hurt them, but it does hurt someone else.

Caused by our own selves, through selfish actions.

Campaigns and flyers can do some, but the own voice can scream more.

‘brown berets’ by anabel perez | 11 To create these pieces, Perez used old photos od women from the Mexican Revolution and “glitched” them digitally to create unique colors and patterns.

‘liberty and justice’ by cielo reyes-reyes | 7

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Vol 2 Iss 3

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late twenties BY nina drutz |6

photos by VICTORIA OLGUIN | 8

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“I can’t do it.”

There was a pause on the other line. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t do it. I can’t kill ‘em.” I breathed in.

“Why, is it that difficult?”

“No.” I inhale.“Pity.”

“Come on man.” Nat doesn’t seem very happy. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, I’m sorry.” How much time had passed?

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes.” Nat sighed on the other side. “Idiot.”

“Hey, you’re calling me an idiot? This is one of the friendliest guys I’ve come across. I’m sorry, okay? I even talked to him--” “That’s the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to do!”

“It’s a trick,” I stated in a very passive-aggressive manner.

“In what way?”

“No crimes.” I walked farther and farther away from the house. I couldn’t risk being heard. “Y’know the common stereotype for the Cancer zodiac is like being a cute fluff ball, yeah?”

“And?” “He’s like a humanized version of it. I can’t do it Nat, I just can’t.”

Nat sighed. “Fine. We’ll call it off.”

“Thank you so much.”

“But if we go broke I’m blaming you,” He stated thoroughly. “Killing people is our job, I don’t want to see you whining about it in the future.”

“Hey, just while you’re at home, can you check somethin’?”

“What?”

“Check the document, can you?” “‘Kay.” There were about thirty seconds of shuffling. “Got it.”

“What does the age say?”

“Late twenties.”

“I knew it, he lied.”

Nat paused, and there was a bit more flipping. “Don’t tell me he’s an old man.”

“Worse.” I looked back at the house. “This guy is like, fourteen maybe fifteen.”

“You’re not kidding.”

“No. Told me himself.”

“Great,” He grunted. “I’m calling David for a fine, thanks for more paperwork. “ “Don’t worry man, I’ll help you clear them.”

“I can’t believe I got stuck with you.” But I could hear a smile almost seeping onto his face.

“See you there.”

“Consider yourself lucky.”

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THE POLARIS PRESS

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letter from the editors Dear Reader, In 2013, the Polaris Press was founded by a couple of sophomores who wanted Ann Richards students to have a voice. Together, Emma Foster (‘16) and Willa Smith (‘16) devised a plan for a future press, and soon enough, the online newspaper was up and running. Augusta Dexheimer (‘16) continued this leadership as editor in chief in the 20152016 school year, the first year the staff became a class rather than just a club.

Since then, the Polaris Press has grown thanks the hard work of its editors and staff writers, and we were able to release the first ever print edition in 2015. Through late nights and lots of trial and error The Polaris Press has developed into an established high school press, with content and design that we are more than proud to share with readers.

For this edition, we’re happy to announce that we’ve officially teamed up with Community Impact, a local news outlet and printer in central Texas. This is a huge step for both our paper and our staff. Since 2015, every single staff writer has contributed a piece of their character into each and every single word, photo, and design. Though some may have graduated, it is thanks to our staff that the Polaris Press has grown into an award winning press, now one boasting a full-color print edition.

The goal of this newspaper is not only to keep students updated on events going on at Ann Richards and in the world around us, but also to reach out to every member of the ARS community: students, teachers, staff members, parents, and our larger community.

Since becoming co-editors in chief at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, we have strived to continue the legacy of the dedicated student journalists who came before us--building an informative paper that accurately reflects the events and people of our community. We believe our new print edition is the next step in that mission.

Emily Weaver and Becca Alonso Print Editors in Chief and Online Editor in Chief

The Polaris Press 2016-2017 staff make a “JFam” hand sign for journalism family. Photo by Crystal Romero (10).

Staff

Emily Weaver, Editor in Chief Becca Alonso, Editor in Chief Ezra Morales, Sports and Social Media editor Georgia Moore, Creative Writing Editor Gus Flores-Rascon, Beyond our Walls editor Keyla Blanco, Entertainment Editor Ally Wait, Satirical and Features editor Sammie Seamon, Our Voices Editor

A word about our new look

The Polaris Press pose with Community Impact Newspaper’s “Print Ain’t Dead” brick in Pflugerville, Texas. Staff were invited by CI’s general manager David Ludwick to tour their printing press in March prior to printing our first edition with them. Photo courtesy of Sarah Walker.

colophon

Volume II, Issue III of the Polaris Press was printed during the 2016-2017 school year by Community Impact Printing in Pflugerville, Texas, trimmed and stitched to a 10” x 12” tabloid paper. The paper was designed on Dell computers with Adobe Photoshop CS5.5 and Adobe InDesign CS5.5. Photos were taken by Polaris Press staff using Nikon D3000, D3100, D3200, D5200, D5300 and Canon Rebel T5 cameras. Gill Sans MT, Times New Roman, and Bodoni MT font families were used. The entire paper was designed by the Polaris Press staff editors and writers, led by editors Emily Weaver, Ezra Morales, Gus Flores, Ally Wait, Georgia Moore and Becca Alonso. The paper would like to thank our advisor, Ms. Sarah Walker, and our school administration for their continuous support.

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For this edition of the Polaris Press, we have teamed up with Community Impact Newspaper, a ”hyperocal” print-based news provider that serves 34 Texas communities. In a time when many news publications have cut print and rely only on an online readership, Community Impact has found great success in print. According to their website, they have been named the fastest growing news publication in Texas since opening in 2005.

Like the Polaris Press, Community Impact is dedicated to covering events relevant to its readers and unique communities, while aiming for integrity and accuracy. It is because of our shared values

Alia Segura, Systems Editor Elena Gonzalez, Managing Editor Ahna Stewart, Staff Writer Alyssa Cerda, Staff Writer Andrea Majalca, Staff Writer Brenda Avila, Staff Writer Danny Armendariz, Staff Writer Leslie Morales, Staff Writer Lily DiFrank, Staff Writer

and missions that we are now so excited to partner with Community Impact’s printing press located in Pflugerville to print 1,500 copies of our first full color print edition.

Community Impact Printing uses one of four world-wide Goss printing presses, a machine that is uniquely one story tall, and has counterparts located in Shanghai, Mexico City, and Staten Island. Community Impact also recycles paper, aluminum and cardboard waste created in the printing process, and uses paper with partial recycled content.

We are are excited in for this development in the ARS journalism program and hope that it brings readers a higher quality product for the stories we have always delivered online and in our previous print formats.

editorial Policy

The Polaris Press is the student-run school newspaper of the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, and works to seek truth and report it. Reaching beyond the Ann Richards campus, The Polaris Press also reports on national and international news in an attempt to broaden our readers sphere of knowledge. Because school administration do not engage in prior review, the content of The Polaris Press is determined by and reflects only the views of, the student staff and not school officials or the school itself. In addition, The Polaris Press commits to full responsibility for legal and financial liability for the content of this publication.

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