Nov 25 Hawk

Totally Stressed Out

Students share their experiences in time consuming activities

Pages 6-7

Hawk

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville. Texas 78660 Volume 19, Issue 2 November 7, 2025

In this Issue...

Jazz Plays at StudentJobs Trends of Region Page 8 2025 Page 4 Page 12

2 Red Flags Opinions Volume 19, Issue 2

Editor shares her top 3 red flags in dating

Addison Curtis | Editor Dating, one of the many new and fun experiences of high school. While we’ve all had our fair share of elementary school love, but high school is where the real deal dating happens.

And while that is a beautiful thing, it can often cause people to put on their pairs of rose-colored glasses. But I’m here to rip those suckers off. In no particular order, I offer my top 3 red flags in a relationship.

Red flag number 1: your partner has control issues.

Now this may seem obvious, but I don’t think it is. Many people my age love to talk about how their partner has access to their social media.

And when someone says that, immediately, a little red flag appears in my head. Then, when they talk about how their partner always texts them asking where they are, who they’re with, and why they aren’t answering their phone?

That little red flag turns into a big red flag. And if they ever bring up that their partner won’t let them wear something, that big red flag turns huge.

Look, if you want to have your boyfriend or girlfriend’s location for safety purposes, go ahead.

But, there is a difference between wanting to make sure they’re safe and wanting to constantly check their location because you don’t trust them.

That’s what all these behaviors scream to me, they scream, “I need to control all these things about you because I don’t trust you.”

When someone constantly wants to control your life, you begin to lose yourself. While these things seem small, they can turn big very quickly.

Red flag number 2: emotional immaturity.

Now this one can be tricky to spot, because when you’re in high school, everyone is a little bit emotionally immature.

But there are some out there who act too immature to be teenagers.

For example, if you begin to date someone, and you find that they can’t take a c c o u n t a b i l i ty , are constantly in drama, and can’t communicate their feelings to you, red flag!

Now, I think the

main thing with this one is that if people are going to be in long-term successful relationships, they cannot be exhibiting these red flag behaviors.

If someone wants to be in a relationship with you, they need to look inwards and try to fix these flaws. And if they can’t, it shows that they are too immature to be with you.

If every time there is an issue they blame everyone else besides themselves, run. If they are constantly making enemies with people they were once friends with, run.

And if they shut down whenever they are upset at you, run! Those behaviors aren’t acceptable, and life is too short to try and change people who can’t acknowledge their imperfections.

Red flag number 3: love-bombing.

Now this is a red flag many people bypass because they don’t truly understand the damage it may cause.

Love bombing is when you’re in the beginning stages of a relationship and your partner gives you expensive gifts, showers you with excessive compliments, and rushes into the relationship way too fast.

This is hard to identify because many people see these gestures as sweet. And, to an extent, it is, but it’s also extremely manipulative.

They want you to think no one will ever love you like they do. And they do that because all those sweet behaviors will eventually wear off, and once you’re wrapped around their finger they can start treating you badly They can insult you, become aggressive, and disrespect your boundaries and make you believe you’re never going to find anyone as “great” as them.

Now, there is a difference between love bombing and being considerate. So, if your partner gets you a nice expensive gift for your one-month-anniversary, don’t ghost them But if you’ve only been dating for a few weeks, and they are already saying, “I love you,” or “I can’t wait to get married and have kids with you,” that’s w h e n y o u need to end that

relationship.

I think that everyone’s relationships are different, and there are things that work for you that may not work for me. But, I think that if these behaviors are occurring in any relationship, it’s toxic.

And if you’re ready to get into a relationship make sure to be careful about what kind of people you let into your life.

Illustration by | Karina Bon

Hit or Miss

IDs on backpacks restricted

As of recently, the leniency with wearing school IDs has been cut down many levels. Different from how it was last year, many teachers and administrators are much more strict about students wearing their ID’s.

One of the changes from last year’s rules with wearing IDs is you are no longer allowed to put them on your backpack.

This was a big change for a lot of people that were always used to putting them on their backpacks. It’s an interruption of many people’s routines and there wasn’t any harm in allowing for the IDs to go there.

Backpacks are on the students body whenever they enter the school, leave the school, or are going to lunch or a different class.

The new security system put in place for leaving the class is a good extra measure of security for leaving the class during the day. Obviously, not wearing your ID isn’t an option but this system makes everything safer.

During these times, students who choose to put their IDs on their backpacks could wear it when going out of the classroom for a few minutes, come back, and put their IDs back onto their backpacks.

With these solutions for allowing IDs on backpacks, not allowing IDs on backpacks is a miss.

GoGuardian limits student computer use in class The school has recently started using a computer function that allows teachers to monitor and control the tabs used by students in their classes. There are often technical difficulties that lead to GoGuardian becoming a hassle to both students and teachers. This new feature is irritating and overly controlling because even if students have finished their work, they can be prevented from doing other class work. I think GoGuardian could be improved if the application still allowed teachers to view the student’s tabs, but they cannot edit or delete their tabs; instead they should only be able to send a virtual warning. For these reasons, we find GoGuardian to be a miss.

School increases awareness of The Locker benefits The school has recently put out various announcements and posters regarding The Locker, a place in the library in which supplies, clothing, food, and other resources are publically available for anyone to use. Beforehand, The Locker had not been mentioned or shown very often in any sources of information present around the school, despite the amount of time it’s been around.

The increased awareness of The Locker helps to allow more, much needed interaction with it. The Locker relies on donations in order to keep it supplied, most of which are provided by students. Furthermore, The Locker will start to see more use as people drop by to get any supplies they need, when they need it. The Volleyball team sponsored The Locker for a game in October, showing the increased interaction with it as a result.

By helping The Locker receive more donations, more people using it, and allowing more people to help each other, the increased awareness of The Locker is a hit.

Opinions November 7, 2025

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Staff Editorial

Your Turn Are standardized testing a fair representation of a student?

“No because like me, and a lot of my friends, we’re bad test takers. We get good grades in class but we don’t always get a good score. There’s a lot of material in there that’s back from 8th grade as well, so yeah.”

-Cristal Guzman, 12

“It’s not fair, only because it doesn’t test you on all of what you know, it’s just all over one certain subject and doesn’t measure all of the other student’s abilities.”

-Alondra Vega, 12

“I don’t think it’s the fair for students, because some people like myself are not great test takers, and that’s okay. I think we all learn differently too, so having just one same test will cause room for failure.”

-Summer Loza, 12

“I don’t think it’s a good representation of how well that student is. It’s a one day snapshot of a kid’s full year performance.”

-Brett Gola, Teacher

“I think how well people do shouldn’t be based on standardized testing.

I think if they do well in their assignments and get their classwork done on time, that’s what they should be judged by”.

-Amanda Flores, 12

Standardized tests are failing students Every spring, students across the country sit in rows, in front of computers, clicking on bubbles on standardized tests that are supposed to measure how much they’ve learned.

But let’s be honest these tests don’t really show who students are or what they’re capable of.

A test that forces everyone to think and solve problems in exactly the same way ignores the fact that everyone learns differently.

Standardized testing has become one of the most stressful and least effective parts of education today.

While some students excel under pressure, others struggle the moment they see a timer counting down.

That doesn’t make one student smarter than another, it just shows that the system rewards a specific kind of testtaker instead of recognizing the many different ways people learn and think. Instead of inspiring curiosity or understanding, standardized tests encourage memorization and quick guessing skills that don’t really measure intelligence or creativity.

It’s also incredibly unfair. Students with access to tutors, prep classes, or multiple test attempts often score higher than those who can’t afford those opportunities. Wealthier families can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on test prep, while others have to go in with little or no help. In the end, standardized tests reflect privilege more than actual ability. Success becomes less about talent or effort and more about access to resources.

And then t h e r e ’ s the stress.

Everyone knows the feeling of sitting for hours in silence, worrying that a single mistake could tank their score. For many students, these numbers determine what classes they can take next year, or even what colleges they can apply to. Top universities still rely on tests like the SAT and ACT, which cover math, English, and in the ACT’s case, science too. But studies have shown that GPA and classroom performance are stronger predictors of college success than standardized test scores, proving that these exams aren’t the best measure of potential.

At schools like ours, these scores even affect senior privileges. Students must prove they’re “college ready” by either passing the TSI or earning at least a 480 in the SAT’s English section and a 530 in math. For students who don’t test well, this can feel discouraging, especially when they’ve worked hard in class all year. It’s frustrating to think that one test score can outweigh months or years of effort.

The truth is, education should be about growth and understanding, not about how well someone performs on one high-pressure day. Many colleges have already realized this, making standardized tests optional in their admissions process. They’ve found that looking at essays, grades, and activities gives a better picture of who a student really is.

It’s time we rethink how we measure education. Students should be evaluated by their effort, creativity, and improvement. Not reduced to a single number that claims to define their future. A score can’t measure passion, perseverance, or potential. And those are the qualities that truly determine success.

Illustration by | Karina Bon The Hawk, the official student newspaper of Hendrickson High School, is an open forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions.

Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pflugerville, TX 78660 http://www.pfisd.net/HHS (512) 594-1100 Student Population: 2,134 Staff: 180

Opinions expressed reflect the beliefs of the student author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire Hawk Staff, the Hawk Adviser, the Hendrickson Faculty and Staff, or the Principal.

Principal: Michael Grebb Adviser: Kari Riemer

Letters to the editor are welcomed, and may be dropped

www.facebook.com/HawkNewspaper

Cover art by Brittany Truong

off in E211. Corrections will be printed when brought to the attention of the staff.

The Hawk is printed monthly at Community Impact in Pflugerville, Texas. 1,000 copies are printed each run, and are distributed to the student body for free before school on publication day and on newsstands throughout the building.

Associations

Editorial Staff Editors

Reporters

Artists

Natalia Beltran Addison Curtis Marcos Hans Antonio Garcia Hutton Weirich

Landon Green Presley Hall Faris Hamad Nazayha Miller Asher Parks Mikaylah Stimage Nate Wilkerson

Karina Bon Brittany Truong

Interscholastic Press League Texas Association of Journalism Educators Journalism Educators Association National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press League

Honors

ILPC Bronze Star 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024 ILPC Silver Star 2021 Columbia Scholastic Press League, Gold Medalist 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 Silver Crown, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Gold Crown 2025 Pacemaker Finalist, 2018

4 Choir students advance to All State auditions National Merit News Volume 19, Issue 2

Marcos Hans | Editor The journey to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Choir is a competitive experience a high school Choir student can take on.

The Hawk Choir had eight students compete in the second round of the competition, Sofia Esparza, Carissa Forcillo, Niko McClure, who will sing in the Region 26 Treble Choir, While Bryce Burwinkel, Mars Gonsalves, Mansi Iyer, Landjuvan-PaulinObas, and Emma Rowe will sing in the Region 26 Mixed Choir and move on to Round 3.

Each year, more than 70,000 students across Texas audition for a coveted spot in one of four elite choirs, the Large School Mixed Choir, Small School Mixed Choir, TenorBass Choir, or Treble Choir with only about 1,800 are ultimately selected to perform.

The All-State process involves four rounds of blind auditions, During each round the students perform for five judges hidden behind a curtain, ensuring every performance is evaluated solely on vocal ability.

This year’s group of auditioning students stands out not just for their musical talent but for their teamwork.

“This group of students is not only talented and hardworking, they are kind and encouraging to each other,” Choir Director Cassandra Knoedl said. “They cheer each other on and build each other up in a way that makes me really proud.”

The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the remaining three are averaged to determine rankings, as the

competition tightens with each round, with only 36 advancing from the first, 12 from the second, and 5 from the third, before finalists compete in a larger Area audition, where just eight students per voice part earn certification for All-State.

For those advancing to Round 3, the pressure intensifies, as in addition to performing prepared music, students must also sight-read.

“Part of the audition at Round 3 is reading a piece of music they have never seen before with only 30 seconds to study it,” Knoedl said. “Music literacy is something we work on a lot in class, but the pressure in the audition room and the level of independence required to sight read as a soloist makes it a bit more challenging.”

Preparation for these auditions begins months in advance, students learn choral pieces selected by TMEA leaders and AllState conductors, six for mixed voices and four for each single-gender choir, additionally, They attend summer camps,

private lessons, and group tutorials.

“Even with all of this support, most of the work happens on their own,” Knoedl said. “students are given access to rehearsal tracks so they can practice daily outside of class and lessons.”

Balancing the All-State repertoire with regular concert pieces is one of the biggest challenges students face.

“Learning 10 pieces of music in addition to the music we are preparing in class for our regular performances is a big undertaking,” Knoedl said. “The music is challenging and it can be overwhelming to go up against students from other schools and other regions where they have more access to individualized instruction with vocal coaches and a long tradition of choral excellence.”

For the Choir director, seeing her students grow through this process is the ultimate reward.

“The TMEA All-State process is particularly rewarding because students have to be self-driven,” Knoedl said. “They don’t get class time to work on this very challenging music and they don’t get to see it all come together unless they make it into one of the choirs. Seeing them apply all the concepts we’ve worked on in class and put their time and energy into learning this music is so impressive. It’s a testament to their love of choral music and their competence as musicians that they are able to perform as well as they do.”

Finalists Named

Landon Green & Asher Park | Reporters Seniors Issac Bendixen, Neha Gandra, Mai Ly, and Hannah Saad were named National Merit Semi-finalists in October Only 1% of Texans students are given the opportunity to be a National Merit Semifinalist, and then move up to being a finalist.

“The National Merit Semi-Finalists is basically this program that is related to College Board and a separate foundation, the NMSC foundation, basically if you get a qualifying score on the PSAT which you take junior year, you will be able to be qualified as a Semi-Finalist and then after that if you go through the second round, you have a high enough SAT score,” Gandra said. “You get to get a bunch of money and sometimes colleges will offer you some money.”

Bendixen fees confident about the chance for a scholarship to his dream college.

“I feel pretty good. I also have decent scores on the SAT and ACT,” Bendixen said. “I have a good academic record and I completed it all as soon as I possibly could so I feel very good about my chances at becoming a semi-finalist.”

Gandra is interested in attending a University in Texas close to home.

“It’s a really big opportunity for me, simply because of all the scholarship money, it’s super awesome, it’s cool to see that it’s something I’ve qualified for. A lot of colleges gave hefty scholarships and full rides, so that was very nice,” Gandra said. “I would like to go into research, I’m not exactly sure where yet, but I’m most likely going to go ahead and work in virology, the study of viruses, I just want to research different types of viruses, their structure, etc. as a researcher or maybe even as a professor.”

Musicians selected for 2025 Region Jazz Band

Faris Hamad | Reporter Several band students auditioned and were selected for the All-Region Jazz band “It’s like ‘the’ jazz band in Texas that all the high schoolers try to get to be in and it’s a nice achievement,” senior Noah Iordanov said. “If you get on you’re pretty good so it’s like a competition and you get to play with the band, which is the prize I guess,” Band students faced a multi-step audition process.

“The tryout process was a little bit scary because you had to play facing a black wall and everyone’s watching you but it’s also pretty fun cause you get to hear how

good people from other schools are,” Sophomore Noah Garcia said.

Garcia clarifies on how nerve-wracking the tryout process is.

“I practice pretty much every day,” Garcia said. “We would practice for around 45 minutes every day, and it would be nonstop so we could be perfect when it was time to play.”

Jazz band unique to other types of bands. “ I think how the band is different is because the music is a lot smaller,” Iordanov said. “I don’t think that necessarily makes it more selective I think certain people would just prefer to play in a jazz band just because the music is so much more interesting to

me cause I’d argue sometimes it’s a little more high stakes cause there’s like improv and jazz and you know you gotta be good at that too to write on the spot to make the song sound better. You have to know your place with the jazz band well. I guess other bands it’s all pre-written music.”

Students that made it to 2025 Region Jazz were Patrick Beck, Ethan Tworek, Andres Sandoval, Noah Iordanov, Joseph Winn, Matthew Talavera, Noah Garcia “I think our band is very rooted in community and we practice with each other versus just being independent so

we got each other‘s backs and you feel like you’re never alone,” Noah Garcia said.

Region band members then auditioned for All-State Jazz Band. Results will be announced in mid-November.

“I think what sets the band apart from others is because it’s composed of the most talented people from all over the region,” sophomore Joseph Winn said.

“It’s gonna be a lot more difficult, more rigorous material that we have to work on and overall probably be a better performance because we work on more complicated stuff.”

News November 7, 2025

Eyes full of emotion, senior Gavin Johst performs “Live Before We Die” from The Addams Family, alongside junior Zaniah Anzuldua.

Hitting various poses, the Musical Theater class performs the ending of “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago.

With looks of sorrow, freshmen Dylan Saffold and Mia Zielinksi per form “She Used To Be Mine” from Waitress, alongside juniors Natty Devalle and Makayla Cotter.

Listening closely, sophomore Jackson McCutchin performs “Single” from The Wedding SInger.

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Declaring his distaste for relationships, sophomore Gio Morrison performs “Single” from Wedding Singer, alongside seniors Brennan Mercado and Ashton Kpokai

Hawk Drama presents their annual Musical Theatre Showcase Hutton Weirich | Editor In order to represent and show off the work they do in class and in their yearly productions, the Hawk Drama musical theatre class creates a yearly showcase featuring songs from a variety of different musicals that all represent one broad chosen theme.

With the efforts of the directors, student and teacher choreographers, vocal and music breakdowns, and the dedication of the individual students, the 2025-2026 musical theatre class was able to compile another one of their annual showcases.

“We have the most amazing, talented kids in the entire district at Hendrickson,” Co-theater Director and Performing Arts Center Manager Wes Naron said.

“And they deeply care about fine arts and performing and they put all of themselves into it…It’s just a marriage of all the things that make theater good.”

Every year, the directors and students come up with a theme to help dictate the performances and song selections that will be placed in the showcase. This year the theme is ‘movies turned into musicals.’

“We all have seen Groundhogs Day. Most of us have seen 9 to 5 And there’s just lots of movies like Wedding Singer, all the different ones,” Naron said. “All those movies were such big hits and they turned into musicals. And I think that’s what made the thing really relevant for us, because we know kids are watching those things now. And so bringing them to the stage just made it more fun.”

The showcase includes a variety of songs from movies such as Beetlejuice, Heathers, Jailhouse Rock, Chicago, and many more.

“My favorite song that we use in the showcase is currently... All That Jazz, because it’s just so different than the style

of musical that, like, we usually do,” senior Juliana Vargas said. “And also it’s like everybody’s getting to dance. And I mean, the vocals are just really great. And I’m excited to get to hear who gets to, like, do the riffs and stuff.”

The showcase is a blend of all aspects of musical theatre, from vocals to acting to tech to choreography.

“I think right now my favorite aspect is definitely choreography…I think that a lot of it is like, really, really well put together,” Vargas said. “And I think the whole learning process has been very fun. And it just kind of gave us, like, a breath of fresh air choreography-wise...and I think as a department in the past few years, we haven’t really been as choreographybased, so I think it’s really fun to delve into different styles.”

This is Naron’s first year at the school and his first year working on the showcase

with director Michael Fisher and the students in the class.

“Oh, it’s intimidating, It’s intimidating.

Fisher is probably one of the greatest theater teachers I’ve ever known. He has a vision for storytelling,” Naron said. “And so getting to work with somebody who I feel does things very similar to me, the way I see things, it was really amazing to watch that. But it’s been the easiest thing because I think everybody’s accepted me and welcomed me to be a part of this program, and I’m really honored for that.”

The showcase was created through the work and dedication of everyone involved.

“All the students at this school are stunningly talented, and that just boggles my mind,” Naron said. “I have to pinch myself every day to know that I’m coming to work here. Because to me it’s probably one of the highest honors in my life.”

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Feature Volume 19, Issue 2

Totally Stressed Out Students share their experiences in time consuming activities Dance

Addison Curtis | Editor With her hair in a bun, make-up done, and boots on, senior Maggie Stedman performs front and center at every football game, leading her team with her.

Stedman is the Captain of the Silver Dancers this year, which requires her to take three dance periods. This means that, along with the morning practice the dancers attend, a large chunk of Stedman’s day is filled with Silver Dancer duties.

“I would say I probably spend 20–25 hours a week doing Silver Dancer stuff,” Stedman said. “After school, I would say there are two nights a week where I have nothing going on.”

Along with being the Captain of the team, Stedman is also involved in advanced academic classes. This year she is taking 4 AP classes, so balancing school work on top of dancing is a task Stedman has had to learn.

“I would say I try to focus on dance as much as I can in practice,” Stedman said.

“And then, in school, try to get as much

Tech Theater

Addison Curtis | Editor With her hand over the lighting board and headset prepped and ready to go, senior Anastasia Benavides stares out at the performing arts center stage.

For the past two years, Benavides has been one of the head technicians of the Hawk Drama theater department.

Last year, she completed her first year of stage management for the Musical Theater class musicals, main stage musical, and the UIL One-Act Play competition.

“During the main stage musical, I probably spend about 25 hours a week in theater, and I probably find myself feeling stressed out 4 times a week,” Benavides said. “Theater stresses my mom out too; she hates that I spend more time at school than at home.”

The lack of free time can often lead to Benavides feeling overwhelmed. On top of that initial stress, Benavides is a part of other clubs and many AP classes.

done and really space out my time.”

Silver Dancers is an activity that is yearround, meaning there is no off-season for veteran members. So, after the many morning practices for football season is over, there are many practices for the dancer’s contest season.

“The most stressful part of the year is contest season,” Stedman said. “Because I feel like that’s when AP classes start getting harder, and we’re having earlier practices, so I’m more tired.”

With spending many hours of the day in an activity, it can often lead to Stedman feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

“I stress out pretty easily, so I feel stressed maybe three to four times a week,” Stedman said. “After practice, you’re drained and so it’s hard to focus in school after the morning practice is over.”

Stedman often turns to her friends to lift her spirits and alleviate the stress she feels. This helps her overcome the overwhelming feelings and put her best foot forward on the field.

Marching Band “This year I’m secretary for NHS, a part of the student council, in engineering, and in 4 AP classes, “ Benavides said. “A lot of the time I’ll be at the board, or doing paperwork with calculus homework next to me.”

Theatre is an all-year-long event for Benavides; therefore, managing her stress is a long-term task. “January or mid-April is usually the most stressful part of the year for me,” Benavides said.

“January is when our main musical happens, which means staying till 8 pm every day, and in April that’s One Act Play season.” Although Theatre can leave Benavides feeling completely overwhelmed, many things about it can relieve her stress and make her still love the activity. “Usually after a long rehearsal, my friends and I go hang out and decompress altogether,” Benavides said. “All the friendships and the community I’ve built in theater are the best part, it’s what makes the stress all worth it.”

Addison Curtis | Editor Standing in the front with her arms crossed, junior Chloe Dixon leads the Hawk Band as the main drum major.

The role of drum major is to conduct the band during performances and provide leadership for the band. This can often cause Dixon, like many other band members, to spend most of their time doing band-related activities.

“October is usually the busiest time of the year for the band,” Dixon said. “Because we have a lot of competition weeks in a row.”

On average, Dixon spends 14 hours outside of school hours doing band practices. On days of football games, the band would spend up to 8 and a half hours in band, and on competition days, they spend the whole day in band.

Dixon is taking 6 AP classes this year, so on top of the already stress-inducing schedule, she has to worry about schoolwork.

“Trying to balance mental health and physical health on top of homework is

really hard,” Dixon said. “Because you’re not really getting a lot of sleep, you’re waking up at five in the morning, and then you have a rehearsal after school too.”

The amount of time that Dixon spends at school can lead her to feel overwhelmed.

“I feel stressed out every time I wake up in the morning,” Dixon said. “I alleviate stress just by falling asleep.”

Even Dixon’s family is concerned about the amount of time she dedicates to the band. “They worry about me hanging out with friends,” Dixon said. “But, I tell them that I see these people every day for multiple hours, so I don’t need to see them outside of that time.”

Although the amount of time Dixon dedicates can leave her feeling stressed out constantly, there is a reason she continues to do it even after 6 years.

“Getting to see the band members and just seeing how happy they are when our accomplishments happen makes it worth it,” Dixon said. “It’s so amazing to know that the things they want to accomplish worked out. ” Illustrations by | Brittany Truong

Feature November 7, 2025

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How To Deal With Class Stress Presley Hall | Reporter As school begins there can be a lot of added pressure such as midterms, finals, the STAAR and the SAT. All of this can be difficult to navigate, but it is possible.

There are several ways to relax or defuse after a stressful day, such as deep breathing, taking a short walk, or just listening to music.

Deep breathing seems to be the most effective way to quickly destress, there are many different breathing techniques but two options are 4-7-8 Breathing, in which you inhale through your nose for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and exhale through your mouth for a count of 8. There is also Box Breathing, in which you imagine a box with four equal sides, inhale as you move your mind up one side

of the box, hold your breath as you move across the top, and exhale as you move down the other side.

Doing all these things are helpful during times of immense stress, but it’s also important to prepare for dealing with stress before it hits.

Some ways to do that are to exercise regularly and keep a healthy diet. Doing these two things are important to minimize stress because they keep your physical and mental wellbeing balanced.

It can also help to journal your feelings so that you can put together your emotions and work through them in a healthy way.

Students can also spend time outside, this helps to lower your body’s stress response and improves your mood through sunlight and fresh air.

Tips on Relieving Stress Nazayha Miller | Reporter Hawk students share their thoughts and advice on stress.

“I write out a list of things that I need to complete, and then, I finish the most important project,” senior Tannah Wright said. “If I have a lot going on, I’ll prioritize the most important thing, and take a lot of mini breaks and take lots of time for myself.”

It also helps if you take mini breaks to regain your energy back so that you can finish the task efficiently.

“Talking to my friends and family helps me with stress a lot because I know they will listen and it's just the easiest way to let it all out and relieve my stress,” sophomore Myles Rios said. "I usually get a stress ball

or some sort of stress reliever activity to relieve stress.”

Venting to friends and family about what is stressing you out helps you release tension and they could help you create better coping mechanisms and help students to problem solve.

Having a stress reliever such as a stress ball, coloring sheet, or a word puzzle can really take your mind off things and reset your thoughts so that your no longer stressed anymore.

Overall stress has really taken a toll on students' mental health and getting things done, but when students try some of these stress relieving mechanisms students may or may not see changes in their lifestyle.

What Are The Main Stressors for Students?

“I think the built up homework and tests back to back is what brings me the most stress. I don’t really have time to study or prepare for them because of how many activities I am in.”

“The thing that stresses me out the most is grades. I constantly compare myself to others and bring myself down because of a less than perfect score on an assignment.”

“The sheer amount of reading I have to do. Right now, I’ve got reading for four different classes, and I’m just thinking to myself, ‘how on earth am I going to find time for this?’”

“I honestly get most stressed about meeting deadlines and having to maintain a social life all while making good grades.

Things I have to do outside of school, all just put pressure on me.”

“What brings me the most stress is how much work is piled up in my bag. Also, how there’s tests almost every week”

- Camy Estrada Ocampo, 12

- Zoe Serpersu, 11

- Thahn Bui, 12

- Elliot Ballard, 10

- Mia Zielinksi, 9

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Feature Volume 19, Issue 2

Working 9-5

Lifeguard job helps student learn balance Asher Parks | Reporter

Some students balance school, life, and a job. Sophomore Kai Webster found time for all three. With a position as lifeguard in Typhoon Texas, Webster has spent the summer saving lives and having fun.

“I work at Typhoon Texas, I get to see a lot of my friends.” Webster said. “I get outside.

It’s really fun to work at a waterpark.”

Typhoon Texas is a waterpark that opened in May of 2017 under new management from the previous park, Hawaiian Falls, which shut its doors for good in 2014. Since then, many students

go there seeking the chance for a summer job.

“There was a lot of training, for certain people it can be difficult.” Webster said.

While the job seems like a lot of life saving, there is some more to it too. Having fun in the sun is another perk of having a job as a lifeguard.

“Sometimes we’re able to go down the slides. We still have to follow the rules.

And we’re definitely not supposed to go down the slides while working,” Webster said “I think it is worth it, prepare to work out in the heat. It gets really hot. Wear sunscreen. Do not be like me. Have fun

with it. You’re going to have fun with it. Pay attention. It’s really important that you pay attention, especially in training.”

The park’s training is just the basics of life saving, the real experience is learned on the job. While the job may seem difficult to get, Webster has some advice on how to get through it and do it safely.

“There was a lot of swimming involved, obviously at a water park.” Webster said.

“There was a lot of life-saving too, there was CPR training, and we learned how to stop bleeding with gauze.”

Working at In and Out busies junior’s schedule Nate Wilkerson | Reporter

In high school, a lot of students apply for jobs and start working after school as well as during the weekends. Being able to drive, growing more independent, and the appeal of making money makes for a big pull factor to the teenagers who want to work. Spending more time at work can overall deeply affect a student’s school life.

“I have no time because I would go home at like 11PM and then I have to wake up really early for football,” junior Jedediah Soto said. “I would have no time to do homework other than mostly talon, whatever I didn’t get done in class would most likely not get done.”

It isn’t just homework that gets pushed away in order to go to work, junior Gabriel Melendez often had to cancel many after school activities or had to miss out on fun activities with his friends.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had to miss some clubs and stuff, especially on Fridays and Saturdays as well as volunteering opportunities for Interact,” Melendez said. “I’m always scheduled on weekends, especially in the afternoon on the days

that the football games are, which causes me to miss out on those.”

Having a job can take a lot of time out of someone’s schedule, especially when adding school on top of it. Some find that they have to choose between school and their job.

“I think since I decided to focus more on work than school this year, I decided to choose easier classes,” Melendez said. “ So I wouldn’t have as much homework.”

Students may find it hard not to miss out on their after school plans when they also have a job to attend to, some places are very strict with working hours and don’t give opportunities or leniency on days off for other things.

“Definitely, just like hanging out with friends,” Soto said. “Like family dinners and stuff as well as my brother’s games.”

But there are some students who don’t feel this way because of the freedom that their job gives them with balancing school and their other responsibilities.

“Sometimes I have to wait longer to get my homework done, so I have to stay up later,” junior Vivaan Talwar said. “I’m able to schedule my work hours to where it doesn’t conflict with clubs or afterschool activities.”

The national average hourly rate for a high-school student with a part time job in Texas is $17.25 ZipRecruiter

The most commonly held job for high schoolers is in serving-related occupations and food preparation Next Gen Personal Finance

Presley Hall | Reporter

Facts about teen and student jobs: On average, most American teens get their first jobs between the ages 14 and 16 part-time (depending on age requirements) U.S. Department of Labor

The average percent of age 16-19 year old students with jobs is between 20% and 30% (though it can vary) Bureau of Labor Statistics

Feature November 7, 2025

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Programs offer opportunities for special needs students after graduation Hutton Weirich | Editor Kids with special needs are usually able to find programs for them within school that they can be a part of until they graduate, but figuring out what the best course of action to take after high school is can often be a challenge.

Throughout the years, more and more opportunities and options have arisen for kids with special needs once they graduate high school.

“I think they feel excited for their future,” HHS Special Education Campus Coordinator Nicole Sarantos said. “I know as a parent, you want what’s best for your child and want them to be productive citizens in the community.”

One of the opportunities for the students after graduation is the Pflugerville Community Connect program, or also known as the 18 Plus Program.

“After their four years of high school, they graduate and they go on to this 18 plus program where they’re totally working on job skills in the community,” Sarantos said.

Other opportunities include a job at Kalahari, scholarships that are sometimes given to students to go to post-secondary education, programs for special needs students at some colleges and universities, such as Texas A&M, and many, many more.

“We also utilize the Texas Workforce Commission, which is from the state of

Texas,” Sarantos said. “And they provide job coaches to students who may not need as specialized of coaching. And they go to work sites with them as well and do on the job training.”

prefer.

“If there are students that can be workers in the community, I think our Pflugerville Community Connect is the best option for them in getting on the job experience

Pflugerville Falcons walk out at Rumble in the Ville event. Rumble at the Ville is an annul event where the Special Olympics team plays flag football against local and district police . Photo by Angela Nguyen

Despite all of these being dependable options, there are some that the students and those who are close with the students

with a job coach,“ Sarantos said.

Although there is a multitude of opportunities for the kids to choose from

and pursue, the opportunities can still sometimes present challenges. “...the waiting lists are very long.

And then just having companies and businesses being open to hiring,” Sarantos said. “And it takes a little more training. It probably takes a little bit more patience with different people. I just think those are some challenges that can be faced.”

The increased inclusivity within workplaces and programs for special needs kids has been a development in Texas, which has been a huge relief and gift for the kids and their families.

“I think it is just a testament to everybody’s willingness to have an open mind and the younger generations are just more, I guess, receptive to differences in people and individuals,” Sarantos said. “So I think it’s just becoming more and more common practice to include students with special needs.”

Having special needs and not knowing what to pursue after high school can be difficult, but the increased amount of options available to the kids after they graduate has given them the resources and opportunities needed to bring them potential success after graduation.

“So I think just having more resources and more open-minded businesses, I think [the parents] are looking to their kids’ futures and seeing more options than they thought were possible.”

Sarantos said.

Club With Community

Best Buddies Promotes Inclusivity for Special Needs Students Hutton Weirich | Editor Created with the purpose of providing an inclusive community for kids with special needs, the school has been proudly participating in the Best Buddies program for years now.

The Best Buddies club for this year has officially started, and it is filled with new and old members and it has a calendar full with upcoming events and activities for members and their buddies as well.

“It helps me to be more social and grow as a person,” Junior and Vice President of Best Buddies Zoe Serpersu said. “And

learn how to deal with people from all different walks of life. And so I think that’s really beautiful.”

The club has a variety of events that it hosts throughout the first nine weeks and fall season.

“Okay, so we [had] the Halloween party,” Serpersu said. “And then I know, I think we’re doing a Thanksgiving party, but we’re trying to like, merge with different clubs. So I’m really excited to see how that turns out.”

Members hang out with their buddies at least once a month at an activity of their choosing.

“I like going to get food and like getting ice cream,” Serpersu said. “I wanted to do more holiday stuff this year, like go to a pumpkin patch. So I’m excited about that.”

Anyone can join to be a member of the program, and there are a lot of different roles that a person can take within it.

They can either be a peer buddy, who is in a one-on-one friendship with a buddy, they can be in a peer family, which is having 2-to-3 people in a friendship with one buddy, or they can be an associate member, which means they won’t be in a friendship with a buddy but they can still

attend meetings and events.

“I don’t really remember getting into it.

But I heard about it from my art teacher and I thought it sounded interesting,” Serpersu said. “And then once I met my buddy, it really clicked. I was like, wow, this is really good. And I could see a difference in the world. So that was cool.”

Best Buddies could be a way for a person to meet new people and navigate how to interact with different kinds of people.

“I think it makes people more self aware,” Serpersu said. “And it just helps you go through life because you see things from different points of view.”

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Sports Volume 19, Issue 2

Hawks push through tough season

Marcos Hans | Editor The football team has faced a challenging season, but through all the ups and downs, both the players and the coaches have shown resilience, teamwork, and pride in representing the team.

Coming into the season, the team had high expectations. Unfortunately, a series of key injuries and tough matchups made that goal harder to reach.

“Not as expected,” Head coach Douglas Pearce said. “We have dealt with a lot of injuries that have caused some setbacks.

We fully expected to make the playoffs, so it has definitely been a disappointment.”

Still, even through the hardships, the Hawks have had bright spots.

“One highlight was our come from

behind victory against Hays,” Pearce said.

"We were down 31-7 in the 3rd quarter, and came back to win 42-41.”

The comeback showcased the Hawks’ fight and never-give-up mentality that has defined the team all year long.

Beyond the scoreboard, this year’s squad has built strong bonds both on and off the field. “They are really good kids that care about each other,” Pearce said. “Their team chemistry is really good.”

That chemistry has helped keep morale high, even when the record hasn’t reflected the effort.

Several players have had standout performances this season, like Senior wide receiver Romelo Boykin who has continued to dominate on offense.

Varsity football team s out with senior Great Samuel Umanah in the middle.

Photo By Miles Lehmann

Super Senior Romelo Boykin holds a Football with “Career Reception Leader” written on it.

Photo By Miles Lehmann

“Romelo Boykin has had another stand out year like last year,” Pearce said. "He is looking to break the career receptions and yardage record for our school, and should do it this week against Lehman.”

Defensively, Khalil Stewart has emerged as one of the district’s top tacklers, making crucial stops and setting the tone for the team.

“Khalil Stewart has also had a breakout year defensively,” Pearce said “And is one of the leading tacklers for the district.

The future also looks bright for the Hawks, with several underclassmen gaining valuable experience.

“Adrian Hines was a freshman that played on Varsity all year,” Pearce said.

“He is definitely someone to watch out for

next year. We have a lot of Sophomores and Juniors on Varsity also that can make big impacts next year as well.”

Even after tough losses, the coaching staff focuses on keeping players motivated and grounded.

“I just try to compare the game of football to life,” Pearce said. “It's not easy and you will go through a lot of ups and downs.”

As the season winds down, the Hawks remain focused on the future and carrying their lessons into the offseason.

“The key thing is staying consistent with hard work, no matter what is going on,” Pearce said.

Senior Artis Duncan rushes towards the end zone.

Photo By Sam Lee

Junior Jacob Hackerd and senior Jaiden Wallace tackle the Lehman Quarterback.

Photo By Sam Lee

Sports November 7, 2025

Volleyball players gear up for playoffs Faris Hamad | Reporter As the volleyball team heads to playoffs, players share what they did to boost team comradery and get ready for the next level of competition.

“It’s not really a tradition but we go out to eat before and then once we get to where we are playing,” senior Asia Price said. “We usually do team exercises and team meetings about what we need to accomplish and then we just have fun in the locker room before we play.”

Price and the rest of the volleyball team prepare for playoffs by eating together and doing various exercises before the big game.

“So, of course we hang out before the game, we really bond doing that, and then

Senior Meredith Derderian goes for a spike.

Photo By Adalyn Dominguez

while we warm up and get ready, we have a lot of fun by playing certain games and getting to know each other better than we did last season,” junior Caroline Robbins said. “We do each other’s hair that’s really fun to do before and then the bus rides there are always really fun.”

Robbins and the other volleyball players socialize and let loose before playoffs.

“We don’t really have traditions but before playoff games we like to get really hype in the locker room to get each other excited,” junior Jaselle Manning said. “We also bring some girls up from JV and we include them in the team and show them how we run things on varsity.”

Manning and the volleyball team

congregate and amp up their spirits before playoffs The Volleyball team’s goals and lastminute preparations get them ready for playoffs.

“Getting awards or going forward because we haven’t done that in a while so that I think it’d be really cool,” senior Meredith Derderian said. “Probably making it past the round that we did last year. Last year we made it to the second or third round and I think going to the fourth round will be great. I believe we’re pretty prepared. We’re still working on it and getting there, especially possibly pulling people up, but I feel like we’ve definitely improved a lot since the beginning of the

year, so I think we’re pretty prepared and hopefully going for this year.”

Derderian and the team sharpen their skills to get to the fourth round and achieve their victory.

“Hanging out with the team before we play, we have more in-depth practices so we get to spend a lot more time playing,” sophomore Amaya Bynum said. “Our goals are to work on our teamwork and try to aim further than we did last year.

I think we’re pretty prepared, but we do need to keep practicing if we want to achieve more, but for now I think we’re good.”

Senior Chinwendu Aguorua and sophomore Amaya Bynum go for a block.

Photo By Adalyn Dominguez

New coach leads swim team in new season

Antonio Garcia | Editor The swim team resurfaces to start off the season, with a change that a few other classes around the school have experienced so far into the year. A new coach is now in charge of the swim team, setting the season in motion with a fresh start.

The new leader of the swim team is coach Alexis Urch, who previously coached for volleyball and soccer.

“I was excited when I saw the job opening, because I felt there was a need for change,” Urch said. “I had coached volleyball for 4 years, and it was a good head coaching opportunity.”

The previous coach, Roshell Royes,

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remains as an assistant coach, and coaches the swim team on Wednesdays.

At the first meet for the season, the team scored 8th place out of 23 teams.

“The kids are great, and they always work hard at practice,” Urch said. “Their success at our first meet puts us into perspective as to where we’re at, and it pushes us forward.”

The swim team has grown in members from last year, allowing for more interaction between the new coach, and the swimmers of the team.

“There’s more people on the team this year, and the team is definitely pretty close,” sophomore Lizzie Schulze said. “It’s nice to know new people, and still have

your old friends there as well.”

As the holidays come around, the swim meets hold relay races themed around those holidays. Themed relay races for Halloween and Christmas are held every year.

“I’m particularly looking forward to the relay race for Christmas,” Schulze said.

“You swim while wearing long socks and a hat, and you have to trade those with the other swimmers.”

Alongside learning swimming techniques and practicing for the meets, self improvement is taught to the swimmers as well.

“I’ve learned that your attitude is one of the most important parts of swimming,”

Schulze said. “Having a good attitude will help you improve a lot, no matter how fast or slow you may be.”

With the year in the swim ahead, and a new coach and team to lead, the season to ahead provides a new community to help reach their goals for the season.

“We have great swimmers this year, with returning state qualifiers, and new freshmen, but they’re all talented swimmers,” Urch said. “No matter what the sport is, their character is the most important thing to build, and I hope I can help them reach their goals, and be ready for anything.”

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Entertainment Volume 19, Issue 2

Staffers review top trends of 2025 Lululemon

Camo Print

Nazayha Miller | Reporter Lululemon is one of the most famous clothing brands right now and definitely one of the more expensive ones as well. I can tell you why everyone is obsessed with it as a former girl who used to be obsessed with Lululemon, for starters, the way their clothing fits is honestly top tier and one of the best feeling material I’ve worn. Their clothing company is mainly athletic wear, either way everyone just wears them as comfortable clothes because they are comfortable, easy to move in, and stains come out easily. Overall, my only con for Lululemon is that they are expensive.

The average price for leggings is around $108- $118. And when you put them in the washer, it wears them out quickly and the threads start to flare.

Natalia Beltran | Editor From the heavily decorated and intricate camo pieces from the highfashion runways, to the camo pieces you see students strutting casually throughout the halls, camo pants have been a significant part of the fashion industry since the early 70’s. It is an idea originated from the military to help disguise themselves, while others wear it to stand out in a more fashionable way.

Camo pants can be created and stylized in a variety of different ways. Such as camo shorts, jorts, baggy pants, skirts, etc. Each outfit involving camo can be considered fashionable, if stylized in a unique, stylish way.

Cutout Necklines

Bows

Labubus

Natalia Beltran | Editor You’ve probably seen bows in a wide variety of different places, such as clothes, bags, home decorations, shoe laces, etc. Bows have been becoming more frequently seen, as they are gaining recognition for being elegant, timeless, and fashionable. You can turn any piece of basic fashion into something brilliant with just adding a bow of your choosing. In my experience, putting a lace bow paired with key-chains onto a handbag can make a significant difference in style.

However, bows have started to become more overrated recently. The nonstop bow prints on clothing has gone overboard, minimizing the other print designs fashion designers could be using. Despite this, we should still use the bow print designs, only in moderations. It is a simple and cute design, and could last a while longer if we tone it down a notch.

Asher Parks | Reporter Labubus. One of the many surprising trends of 2025, and the most controversial one, with some believing Labubus are cute harmless key chains, and others think of them as something more sinister.

So, I got my hands on one, so you wouldn’t have to. While the box was cute and colorful, the price was not.

After opening the box, I pulled out something cute and fluffy- a Labubu.

After admiring it for quite some time, I came to a conclusion, Labubus are pretty much useless for the price you pay for them. A key chain for over $20 is insane. As a key chain, they are cute and fluffy, but as a trend they have to be among the worst trends of 2025.

Natalia Beltran | Editor Cutout necklines on t-shirts, tank tops, bathing suits, and sweaters can make or break the clothing piece.

There are numerous cutout necklines to flatter each and everyone’s body type, such as V-necks, halters, off-theshoulder, turtle necks, etc. These varieties of necklines help create unique and individual fashion statements throughout history. Some of these fashion statements were seen as bold and out of the ordinary in the early 60s, leaving a lasting, and influencing impression on society, allowing women and men to express themselves with their choices of fashion more broadly.

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Nazayha Miller | Reporter 6 7, the most used term now days is one of the most irritating trends for adults. It started with a song called Doot Doot by Skrilla and one of the lyrics are “6 7" which is a slang referring to LaMello Ball’s height 6’7”.

Usually people say it as a indecisive gesture and will weigh two options in their hands when they don’t know or can’t choose something. When people say it, its supposed to be funny with no literal meaning.

Personally, I thought it was funny at first but it gets annoying over time when people say it over and over again.

Dubai Chocolate

Nazayha Miller | Reporter The most viral and famous candy, Dubai chocolate.

But is it really worth the hype? Honestly it depends on what type of person you are. If you're the type to eat a chocolate bar plain by itself in one sitting, you’d for sure love Dubai chocolate, but me, personally, I cannot.

I discovered that Dubai chocolate tastes best on top of strawberries. Why, you may ask? Well for starters, the juiciness of the strawberry mixed in with the crisp crunch of the kataifi and the warm milky chocolate just really gives your mouth a boost of flavor.

You can pretty much get Dubai chocolate bar anywhere now, the average price for a regular sized Dubai chocolate bar is around $15-$20, its worth every penny if you like a nice crunch in your chocolate.