The Dispatch, Vol. 38, Issue #2 11/7/25

THE DISPATCH

38, Issue 2 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX, 78749

Inclusivity inspired in classmates

Unity project presented on campus to call out hate among student body

Peyton Dorsey News Editor

Students across campus have been experiencing racism, discrimination, and various forms of hate in much more noticeable amounts from their fellow classmates this school year. Alliance clubs across Bowie have realized this is an issue, and are working together to change the direction of this increased hate.

Bowie Unity is a student-run project designed to foster a sense of community in areas where some groups have felt a disconnect among their peers. Key groups involved with the project are the Black Student Alliance (BSA), Asian American Allies, and the Gender and Sexuality Acceptance (GSA) clubs.

“The goal is to bring people together and have a stronger sense of community at Bowie,” senior BSA member Derrick Osobase said. “The biggest thing is that some people have been rude to certain groups of people, so we want to bring all these groups together.”

BSA sponsor Justine Lashley spotted one of these displays of discrimination in her class room. Inappropriate language was written on tables in her room, and she brought this to the attention of administration. Lashley introduced an idea to combat this hate to academic director Kaylin Brett and lead counselor Nicole Hepburn, who remained in touch with Lashley regarding the support of a potential project.

“I think a lot of adults have seen the trajectory of how things are going and the disrespect that is occurring on campus,” Lashley said.

“Whether it's students using slurs or calling someone out for their sexual orientation, or anything like that, we want to combat it.”

Lashley called attention to these events with the BSA club, and suggested the students try to fight against this. The members agreed with

the noticeable increase of discrimination on campus, and decided to work together with other clubs to counter the hate.

“We’re trying to get people together to teach others that those things hurt,” Osobase said. “We really want people to understand that.”

After reaching out to other groups, the realization that these discriminatory acts have been noticed by many students across campus became apparent. Senior Ayah Hakim is a representative for Student Leadership for the project.

“I’ve noticed since we have been on our phones less this year people are being rude face to face since they can no longer conceal it behind a screen,” Hakim said. “There’s definitely been a shift in the

community, the Bowie culture feels more intense now in a negative way.”

BSA is organizing a video to be shown during Character Strong to convey the message of the project. Using a ‘street interview’ style, BSA members will inter view students about their stance and opinions regarding the increased discrimination.

“Our goal for the videos is to have students explaining what unity means to them,” Osobase said. “We hope the interviews will be done in a kind of fun and more casual way to keep the responses genuine.”

The various groups are working together with the Dispatch Media team to produce an additional video that will be shown during Character Strong. This video will include skits and panels with members of these groups calling attention to the mistreatment and prejudice towards others that has been present on campus, and how to handle these situations.

“My hope is that students will take the video seriously and actually watch it when it is shown during Character Strong,” Lashley said. “I’m hoping for a little bit of change in the culture at Bowie.”

Students left without teachers during shortage

Thia Betts Dispatch Reporter

As Bowie students are moving to the 2nd nine weeks of school, classes with substitute teachers are finally being assigned certified teachers to fill positions. Schools across Texas have been experiencing a teacher shortage. As a result of limited staff, some of Bowie’s chemistry classes were left without a teacher for the first nine weeks of school. AISD has recently hired additional teachers to fill this gap, one being chemistry teacher Tate Farmer, who is filling the empty position at Bowie. This has caused schedule changes for some students.

According to the Learning Policy Institute, the United States had more than 400,000 teacher positions that either weren't filled or were filled by someone uncertified in the 2023-2024 school year. According to the Texas Tribune, almost 40% of new teacher hires were uncertified across Texas.

“I think it's definitely a shame,” Farmer said. “Teachers are very important and you can't really have a functioning society without people who understand the world around them and that can think critically so I definitely think there needs to be more done to fix that shortage.”

For the first nine weeks of school, students that did not have a chemistry teacher were left with a permanent sub. These students had to find different ways to learn the material without the typical class instruction and one-on-one support of a trained chemistry teacher.

“I have to teach myself a lot of the curriculum and look at the slides and notes on my own time,” sophomore Maddy Nixon said. “I watch YouTube videos about chemistry and I go to other chemistry teachers first.” With this

change, students are having to adjust their learning strategies. Some think that the classroom setting could change with someone new taking over.

“It will be a little weird having someone who is here permanently,” sophomore Hadley Hilton said. “The new teacher might have a different teaching style than the sub.”

As Farmer has taken over the class, students are learning how to work in a more structured classroom. Farmer is working to build relationships with his students as he settles into teaching at Bowie.

“The first thing that I tried

to do coming in was to really try and build a relationship with the students in my class and make sure they get to know about me, " Farmer said. “I've been trying to make it clear that my students can ask questions and I try not to be intimidating.”

Farmer is working to catch students up in areas that were not adequately covered before he took over. He has encouraged students to ask questions when they're confused so he can provide help to those who struggled with the sub.

“Teachers have a lot of different responsibilities,” Farmer

said. “They not only have to know the material that they are teaching but they also need to play the role of social workers and make sure that all the students' needs are met, it’s a lot for one person to do.”

With the increase in teachers across AISD, class sizes are able to decrease. These smaller classroom sizes will allow for more direct instruction.

“I’m happy that we have a teacher now,” Nixon said. “I think that a lot of students that had the substitute will learn from a permanent teacher more and I’m glad that Bowie is receiving more staff.”

MP3 and cassette players prohibited in AISD schools

Going into effect at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, the Texas Legislature passed HB 1481, which banned the use of cellphones or any form of electronic communication devices in all public schools in the state. Along with cellphones, this bill banned AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones.

Because of this, teachers and staff at Bowie High School did allow for students to bring and use alternate music devices such as MP3 players, Discmans, Walkmans, cassette players, among other things. Students could connect devices to wired headphones and this way they could listen to their music without breaking any rules that had been set in place by HB 1481.

“The message conveyed to administration at the beginning of the year was that wired headphones that were connected to something that’s not digital would be allowed,” assistant principal Crystal Keck said. However, a few weeks into the school year, the district reached out to Bowie administrators and a meeting was held regarding the use of MP3 players and such on campus. The AISD Student Code of Conduct and the AISD Student Success Guide states that devices of the kind weren’t allowed at schools, and having them could result in disciplinary action.

“The Student Success Guide historically had no MP3 players, no Walkmans, nothing where you could plug in a headphone and then listen to it,” algebra teacher Leanne Walker said. “Soon after school started there was a principals meeting, saying those devices are not allowed either because they’ve never allowed it, it had been such a long time since anyone used any of those devices that everybody forgot that they actually existed.”

With the enforcement of this policy, students have been given significantly decreased access to music; which is why certain teachers allow their students to connect wired headphones to their Chromebooks to listen to music.

“I feel for my students because the class gets loud or someone’s talking and you’re trying to focus, and if you’re listening to your own music it’s easier for you to dial in,” Walker said. “I’ve used GoGuardian to allow music sites that have not already been blocked.”

A few of the unblocked sites include Apple Music, SoundCloud, and Titan Music, which have been helpful to students that find it hard to concentrate without any form of music.

“I listen to music on the bus, at home, in the car; but in school if I didn’t have music I’d fail, 100 percent,” junior Jonaven Rondeau said. “My friend got me these headphones so I can connect them to my computer; and SoundCloud has helped me so much.” Changes to music accessibility by students that were brought up by the house bill and reemergence of old district policies have been something the district and Bowie’s staff and students have had to get used to, favorable or not.

“Everything’s been a big adjustment with this law,” Keck said. “We’ve all gone through this together, for better or worse.” STORY BY Eliza Williams

SUBBING STRATEGIES: Substitute teacher Stefania Garcia sits at Jacqueline Gonzalez's desk, covering her class while Gonzalez was out. Garcia subbed for Gonzalez's freshman and senior English classes. PHOTO BY Ben Wong

GETTING IN THE GROOVE: Chemistry teacher Tate Farmer conducts an experiment for his class. Farmer is the new hire for the previously teacher-less sophomore chemistry class. PHOTO BY Cole Wong

DERRICK OSOBASE Senior BSA member SCAN TO SEE MORE!

VIDEO BY Gabby Bochey and Ryan Zuniga

ART BY Jenny Kimbrough

Could legislation preventing schools from using preferred names violate student freedom of expression? Why or why not?

Henry Hall Freshman

Yes, because it restricts students from being themselves around their friends and teachers who are supposed to be the ones available to support them.

Vern Nyaga Junior

Yes, because preventing preferred names doesn’t allow for students to build their own identity and grow into that identity.

Marcos Espinoza Campus Safety Monitor

Yes, because a lot of students go by different names and pronouns and by getting rid of that, they can't really express who they are.

Pia Arce Sophomore

Yes, because it should be an unalienable right to express yourself however you want.

Z Arce Senior

If it doesn't distract other students then I don't think so. When you come on campus it's no longer about your individual freedom as much as a learning environment.

INTERVIEWS BY Sophia Shaw and Logan Cottle

PHOTOS BY Ryan Zuniga and Sophia Shaw

New Texas Gender Laws

Recent legislation raise concerns about student expression

Katie Grumet Executive Objective Editor

Dressed in athletic wear to appear more “straight,” junior Gwen Anderson anxiously steps into their family’s car, terrified of the judgment they may face as their family embarks on their annual summer road trip. Anderson, a teen who is a part of the LGBTQ community, is nervous about driving through small, conservative Texas towns. As Texas continues to pass more oppressive laws that directly impact members of the LGBTQ community, it could be increasingly harder for LGBTQ teens such as Anderson to feel safe in their home state.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU), a civil rights organization in Texas, this past legislative year, over 200 anti-LGBTQ bills were proposed in Texas and only eight ultimately ended up passing. As stated in an article by the Texas Tribune, these bills are part of a larger, multi-year movement to limit the presence of LGBTQ and trans Texans. According to the ACLU Texas has the second-largest population of LGBTQ people however, LGBTQ Texans currently lack basic protections.

“These bills are being passed because Republicans want to control others, specifically women and people who are generally discriminated against, such as people of color or LGBTQ,” Anderson said. “Before these bills, we were functioning genuinely well. I felt comfortable. I’m non-binary, and as a child, I felt protected. These bills continue to be passed as a way of control rather than protecting these communities.”

Senate Bill 12 (SB12) was signed into law on June 20, and can affect LGBTQ communities in several different ways. According to Texas AFT, this bill prevents schools from helping with “social transitioning,” which is non-medical steps to align one's gender expression with their gender identity. Social transitioning can often include changing one's name, pronouns, or style of dress. According to Texas Public Radio, under SB12, nicknames based on a student's birth name are allowed. However, in situations where a nickname appears to be gender-neutral, such as a student named Samantha going by the name Sam, there is a gray area regarding whether teachers can still honor the nickname.

One of my close friends who lives in Florida, where similar bills have been passed, specifically bills that prevent teachers from accepting nicknames, have caused my friend and a lot of her queer friends to feel terrified for themselves,” Anderson said. “Similar things are going to take place here in Texas. It’s already started, and I know certain friends of mine are absolutely terrified of what this means for them because they come from conser vative families. There will be more damage caused to students because there will be this rhetoric pushed from their parents that their child is born wrong.”

Additionally, SB12 enforces some curriculum and instructional changes in the classroom. Teachers must provide syllabi or instructional plans before the semester begins, and they’re prohibited from teaching any materials outside of the scope of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Schools must also obtain written parental consent at least 14 days before human

sexuality instruction. This helps to prohibit instruction, guidance, or activities that relate to sexual orientation or gender identity at any grade level. This is often referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” provision.

“Bowie tends to be a very welcoming place,” lead counselor Nicole Hepburn said. “Teachers are doing the best they can within the law to still make sure that students feel welcome. I think that with these bills, especially SB12, the goal is for more parent involvement, but I do feel that certain groups are being targeted.”

In addition to this, SB12 requires written parental consent for student participation in any authorized student club. This bill also prohibits school districts from authorizing or sponsoring clubs organized around sexual orientation or gender identity, specifically impacting Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and similar groups from receiving official recognition. This bill does allow for single-gender clubs with missions that “do not advance a political or social agenda,” creating a slim exception to the law. One example of this would be a club like the Bowie Society of Women Engineers club.

accused of entering the wrong bathroom. While the conversations on how the bill would be enforced started with committee members suggesting that the policy would be enforced based on how someone looks, the government buildings will ultimately be responsible for deciding how they want to enforce the bill.

“I think these bills are going to make students more aware of the laws,” Hepburn said. “I’ve seen in my lifetime that teenagers are more aware of laws than they ’ve ever been before because they’re realizing that these bills impact them.”

There will be more damage caused to students because there will be this rhetoric pushed from their parents that their child is born wrong.

Gwen Anderson Junior

With many high school students submitting their college applications right now many Texan and Bowie students end up applying to the University of Texas or other local Texas colleges as an option. However, students' college decisions may be impacted by the Trump administration, because they recently sent a letter to the University of Texas and eight other universities asking them to join a “compact” that would give them access to preferential federal funding, according to the Texas Tribune. To qualify for the benefit one of the things asked of universities is to hold a stricter definition of gender. Universities would also be required to ban the use of race and sex considerations in admissions.

“There are so many laws and legislation limiting stuff, which makes school not a very safe environment for students and makes everything a lot more complicated,” senior Damien Boring said. “The law allows teachers who might not agree with how students choose to express themselves to get away with bigotry and discrimination against their students. Even outside of the bills, students misuse resources that were supposed to help make people who are trans or gender-queer feel more comfortable, forcing those resources to be taken away from people who need them.”

Another bill that was passed this most recent legislative session, Senate Bill 8 (SB8), restricts which restrooms transgender people are allowed to use in government buildings and public schools. This bill requires that people use the bathroom that coordinates with their birth sex. According to the Texas Tribune, the bill will go into effect on December 4 and allow for institutions to be fined up to $125,000 for violations.

“As a queer individual, I wouldn’t go to UT if they accepted Trump’s money because it shows a lack of respect and inclusion for the queer community,” senior Hannah Vanhorn. “I would not feel safe or welcome attending UT if they chose to disregard the identities of their students.”

Organizations such as the ACLU, believe that every kid in school deserves a safe, supportive learning environment. The ACLU has created an online resource called TxTransKids.org, where students can go if they need to talk to someone about access to school bathrooms or other facilities, GSAs, bullying, cyberbullying, harassment or dress codes. Their goal is to ensure that K-12 transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming students have access to the resources that they need.

LGBTQ population (13+) in Texas 1,053,000 5%

Source: Movement Advancement Project

“I don’t think that AISD will enforce this bill as harshly as other districts,” Boring said. “I feel like if Texas chooses to enforce this bill harshly, like with the phone ban, then they would have to be more strict. We do have a lot of communities here at Bowie that don’t crack down on stuff like that, so hopefully that will continue.”

Supporters of SB8 have referred to this bill as the “Texas Women’s Privacy Act,” claiming that the bill is necessary for helping keep intimate spaces such as bathrooms and changing rooms safe and comfortable for women. However, opponents of the bill feel that it allows for the harassment of trans people and for cisgender people to be falsely

Of the workforce in Texas is LGBTQ

“The legislation will continue to get worse, especially in public schools, because these have already been in place,” Boring said. “They’ve always been somehow written in, whether it's microaggressions against trans people or just not respecting people's names. There are a lot of things getting passed right now that people disagree with, but the legislators don't particularly care. This legislation could cause people to go back into the closet if they are out or not come out because of fear of being bullied or harassed, or even force people to take drastic measures like suicide.”

Surplus of phishing emails catch students by surprise

Betts Dispatch Reporter

Opening his laptop, sophomore McCrae Flickinger checks his school email only to find his inbox flooded with messages. This time, instead of his email containing messages from BLEND or from his friends, it's emails asking for his personal information. Fake companies pretending to be legitimate organizations like the United Postal Service enter Flickinger’s email attempting to trick him into giving away his identity. Flickinger, however, doesn't fall for the trap and deletes the emails.

within the AISD community stay safe online.

“I receive spam emails pretty often, maybe once every two days,” Flickinger said. “I usually don't even open them and I delete them because they usually say potentially spam but if I do, it normally asks me about a lost UPS package or something like that.”

According to AISD, a person’s email is the most dangerous source of IT breaches. To help inform district members, AISD has prepared several tips to help people be aware of spam emails. People should be aware of suspicious links and emails, not automatically reply to emails that claim to be urgent and remember that links from the internet end in .com, not hacker.com. Additionally, AISD will never ask for a student or teacher’s personal information via email.

This year, AISD students and teachers are getting greater numbers of spam emails in their school inbox. October was Cybersecurity Awareness month and AISD has numerous resources on their website designed to inform students and families how to be safe online. From online games to resources for parents to help advise their kids on using online resources, AISD is prepared in helping every person

“You should look for a weird prefix, there's a standard format to all of AISD’s emails,” librarian Tara Walker-Leon said. “It’s your first name, your last name @austinisd.org. The spam emails could also come from a school gmail account or they might not have the same uniform format before the @ sign. Another thing you could look for is things in the email that are misspelled. A big thing is if they ever ask you for your private information, then they are trying to get you to give

personal information to steal your identity.”

According to the Austin Journal, the recent attacks have involved hackers pretending to be an AISD account to send fake emails. These emails ask

students for personal information such as a student's name or personal email address and try to trick students by asking them to do time sensitive tasks such as filling out a job application or resetting a password.

These emails put students' identity and personal information at risk, so students should ignore and report them.

“They get in somehow and they get in your email and then from that entry point they are able to access maybe your birth date, " Walker-Leon said. “They take that information and they sell it to the dark web. If they can match all of your information shared online, then they can steal your identity and do all kinds of things.”

As stated in an article by the Guardian Digital, clicking an embedded malicious link can lead to a leak of private information and cause data loss. According to the National Cyber Security Center, most cyber breaches are not a result of complex and sophisticated attacks, the vast majority of attacks are from well-known techniques such as phishing. Phishing allows hackers to piece together parts of someone's identity and sell online, putting private information in the public view. “The whole idea behind phishing is to get your information and from what I understand is they try to get young kids,” Walker-Leon said. “Hackers that steal people's identities love to steal young people's identities, so by the time you turn 18, you won’t even know someone stole your identity.” According to HOXHUNT, a

platform that trains employees to recognize and report security threats, particularly phishing attacks, the total volume of phishing attacks had increased by 49% since the creation of ChatGPT in 2022. Additionally, 65% of attacks target organizations, such as schools or entire districts and 35% target individuals. The 2024 FBI internet report says that most phishing complaints came from California, Florida, and Texas, with the report stating that people over the age of 60 had the biggest losses of $5 billion dollars.

"People don't think before they start clicking links," senior Theresa Linsalata said. "I know someone who fell for one and she didn't realize it was a scam until she read the email again." Ask a teacher if an email looks suspicious and report any phishing emails and report them to the AISD police if any information was shared. Students can also report any cybersecurity concerns to the AISD directly through the district website. Teachers can also help verify an email.

“I hope students that receive spam emails don’t interact with them because digital safety is really important,” Flickinger said. “There are so many ways to tell when an email is just trying to steal someone's information.”

Thia

DAMIEN BORING Senior

Clubs united across campus

Bowie U.N. allows for better collaboration between organizations

Marissa McGowan Objective Executive Editor

On a campus buzzing with clubs, fundraisers, and student initiatives, students walk down the halls, filled with posters promoting endless organizations. A new effort is underway to bring campus groups together, from dancers in Silver Stars to cadets in JROTC. Every group has a mission, and this year there is a push to share the goals to be more unified. The Bowie U.N. is a new way to align the clubs in a way that benefits the entire campus. Aiming to strengthen collaboration across campus, Student Council has created the new program led by Student Council presidents Gabby Bochey and Reed Watts, designed to bring multiple clubs together and enhance the school community. The Bowie U.N. aims to unite clubs, help support broadcasts, drives, and fundraisers to make the campus more connected and informed.

“Our purpose of doing a U.N. as Student Council is to support overall and broadcast more drives going around the school and engage community awareness,” Student Council Co-President Gabby Bochey said. “Whether it's events for smaller Bowie clubs or fundraisers, or drives. The purpose of U.N. is just to spread and further enhance communication around the campus, among students and staff.”

While Bowie U.N. is led by Student Council, it will feature the involvement of many different clubs and organizations. Consisting of groups such as Black Student Alliance, Spanish Honors Society, Bowie Buddies, Band, Silver Stars, JROTC, and more. While not all clubs can be included, Bowie U.N. has assembled a group with high involvement and broad impact around campus.

“We're trying to create sort of a place for the leaders of a bunch of different important organizations around campus to kind of come together and kind of create a more cohesive community,” Student Council Co-President Reed Watts said. “Where you can kind of see what other parts of your community are working on as a team, and work together to accomplish similar goals.”

Bowie U.N. will meet once a month to discuss events around campus. Clubs can discuss new fundraisers and projects, and request any support needed from other organizations

to help contribute to their events.

“With the Spanish Honors Society having a big following on Instagram, we can help by getting out the word to our members and promoting other volunteer opportunities for smaller clubs, like the Hope Club, and their sock drive,” Spanish Honors Society president Sara Lenahan said. “We try to let students know the benefits of doing these drives, and just promoting other clubs with all our members as a whole.

With there being many clubs throughout campus, smaller organizations struggle to gain the support

and awareness they need. Bowie U.N. has a goal of eliminating the communication gap between students and helping to ensure each organization has a chance to promote its events.

“It's been something we've been kind of thinking about for a couple of years,” Watts said. “We will see failed drives and throughout a lot of different communities, we just realized that if we work together and we could have a much more positive impact.”

According to Student Council leadership, the idea for Bowie U.N. had previously been in progress for mul-

tiple years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to its discontinuation. Co-President Gabby Bochey pushed for the organization to make a comeback.

“I remember when running for president, during my interview, we had to have a couple of ideas of things we wanted to bring to Bowie, one of my things that I wanted to heavily emphasize was Bowie U.N.,” Bochey said. “ I just kind of thought more about what it should be and more efforts that we should put into it.”

Government shutdown puts nation on pause

Katie Grumet Objective Executive Editor

After the United States government failed to pass a new budget on October 1, the government entered a national shutdown. As of November 4, the government has been shut down for 35 days, leaving more than one million federal workers unpaid.

“The big cause of this shutdown is arguments over healthcare,” junior Arya Bhattacharya said. “Democrats are outnumbered in Congress, making it more difficult for their ideas to get passed, which gives Republicans more power.”

According to the BBC, Congress must agree on a budget to send to the president for it to be signed into law. While Republicans currently hold the majority control in both the Senate and House of Representatives, Democrats were still able to block the bill from passing in the Senate. Democrats have been advocating for the budget to include the extension of expiring tax credits that would make health insurance cheaper, a reversal of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, and oppose spending cuts towards government health agencies.

“We’re waiting for Congress to pass a budget that would fund all of the ongoing functions of the government,” government teacher Ruth Narvaiz said. “The longest shutdown in history was during the first Trump administration, and it was 35 days. I think this shutdown could go on for a long time.”

The last shutdown took place from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, and was caused by Democrats' refusal to pass a budget that would include funding for Trump to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. Trump ultimately agreed to a temporary spending deal that would reopen the government without funding for the wall.

“Even after the government reopens, there will be a lingering effect due to blame for the shutdown,” Narvaiz said. “The shutdown could affect elections, depending on who

Americans think is responsible for it. Right now, the people most affected by the shutdown are park rangers, the military, and air traffic controllers. However, traffic controllers and TSA are getting the most attention because that's where the public is most affected.”

Without an approved budget, according to the National Conference

of State Legislatures (NCSL), the government can only allocate a limited number of funds for services the president deems essential for public safety or national security. This means that many government workers must continue working without pay until a budget is passed or workers are furloughed and are required to receive pay after the new budget is approved.

“The government shutdown specifically targets government workers,” Bhattacharya said. “I know a lot of them are being sent home and the ones that aren’t being sent home are working for no pay at all. All this is happening while the government fights over healthcare cuts and the Big Beautiful Bill was passed recently which already brought massive cuts to healthcare and Medicaid.”

As stated in an article by NBC News, core healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid will keep functioning because their funding is built into the law; however, the shutdown does impact whether certain healthcare programs continue once the new budget is agreed upon. Telehealth services, for instance, provided by Medicare, expired when the shutdown began, with the exception being for people living in rural areas, people who experienced a stroke or are on dialysis. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and local health clinics currently have the funding to keep going for the next year but if the government does not allocate money in the new budget for these programs, challenges for families relying on these services will arise.

“It’s very complicated,” junior Israel Chavez said. “Healthcare is definitely important and something everyone needs and it’s hard when legislators are playing with people’s lives. Students should care about it because it affects people either directly or it affects someone you know.”

According to Every Texan, last year, Texas was home to over 255,000 federal workers, and currently, Texas has 114,000 active duty military members who are being required to work without pay, due to the shutdown. With Texas having the highest uninsured rate in the nation, 22%, the shutdown will impact Texans who rely on government aid programs. For instance, 3.4 million Texans utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy food, and 41 Million Texans use Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to access healthcare.

“Students should use news outlets and social media to stay informed because it definitely helps them be prepared in case anything happens that might impact them,” Chavez said. “This shutdown could influence more people to get involved in politics because this is such an important issue that impacts many different people. At the end of the day, Congress should be considering every person they represent and listening so that they can make the best decision for their people.”

AISD school closures lead to redistricting

Due to declining student enrollment AISD is forced to change boundary lines in order to fill classrooms and provide proper education

Among a persistent funding deficit and declining enrollment numbers in Austin Independent School District (AISD), 11 elementary schools and two middle schools have been proposed to close. Bedichek and Martin Middle schools, as well as Barrington, Becker, Bryker Woods, Dawson, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Palm, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley, Widen and Winn Montessori elementary schools are all on the closure plan. These closures would result in boundary changes for 98% of schools in the district to accommodate the fluctuation in student enrollment.

Some schools such as Sunset Valley Elementary support unique programs such as a Spanish immersion program, where elementary students are able to practice foreign language skills. The program includes wall to wall dual language practice, incorporating it into every school day. Sunset Valley is one of very few elementary schools in AISD that has a cheerleading team. The closure of this school would affect the students in these programs as the Spanish immersion program transfers to different campuses upon closure and the cheerleading program would not transfer to either of the new campus options.

Parents have been given options of new schools to pick from, one including the Spanish immersion program, the other without it.

“My daughter is on the cheer team at Sunset Valley and was really hoping she’d get a position as captain next year when she goes into fifth grade,” Sunset Valley parent Christina McGee said. “The realization that next school year won’t look how she anticipated is quite upsetting to her.”

Even though the closure of these schools does not hold a heavy impact on Bowie enrollment itself, the community is being affected by the foreseeable closures and rezoning that comes along with them. Math teacher Peyton Bobo has three children, two elementary age who will have to change schools among the anticipated closures and rezoning.

“The school my kids currently attend is on track for them to feed into McCallum, and they will be redistricted to a school that will feed them into Anderson’s track,” Bobo said. “They’re both a bit stressed about the anticipated changes and having to make new friends.”

Elementary students across Austin would be shuffled around to different schools as a result of the closures. Even students attending a school that are not closing will face possible campus changes due to the rezoning that would be coming along with the closures. This is causing some emotional disruptions within families with younger kids. Although some parents remain optimistic about the change.

“My wife is a bit stressed about the change but I’m not,” Bobo said. “I think it’s a good thing, I'd rather my kids meet new friends now before they go off to middle school.”

Small parts of the former Bowie boundary have been rezoned to Crockett and Akins Early College High Schools. Bowie sits on the far East side of its boundary, so this rezoning means students who live very close to Bowie are still being rezoned to these other schools.

“The rezoning could change some students to attend less privileged schools,” junior Evan Dranguet said. “That could definitely affect the environment that they grow up in and the outcomes of how they grow up.”

The possibility of closure is affecting a large part of the Austin community, parents are weighing many different options and having to consider many factors.

“Ultimately we support the district in trying to keep itself alive by equalizing populations at different schools,” McGee said. “Although it’s a bummer that we’re caught up in the middle of it and got the hard end of the deal by having our school and community that we really love being broken up and closed.”

According to the Education X Podcast, On October 30, 2025 AISD board approved a $19 million loan to cover payroll till the end of November. While the board explained that cash flow in November is always tight, that slowdown has become more severe this year. This will cost the district approximately $250,000 of interest.

“Teachers should be paid more than what they are currently, so for AISD to have to borrow money to pay their current salaries I find it worrisome,” senior Piper Pombrio said. “Closing and redistricting will likely put more pressure on teachers and make it that much harder to do their jobs, these issues are worrisome and I hope staff and students are able to cope with these new changes.”

ART BY Sara Fowler

TAKING THE LEAD: Student Council advisor Alejandro Garcia speaks with various club leaders. This took place during the first Bowie U.N. meeting, featuring leaders from several clubs to discuss the plans for the organization. PHOTO BY Skyler Haywood

STORY BY Peyton Dorsey

MOOOving into a career in agriculture

Madeline Whitten Dispatch Reporter

Senior Elisa Morgali stands there, heels dug into the powdery dirt, gripping her cow’s halter. Morgali’s mind is full of determination and focus, as the voices of the judges echo throughout the large arena while they evaluate the steer’s balance and build.

A member of Bowie’s Future Farmers of America program (FFA), an organization focused on agricultural education, Morgali has elected to take care of five cows this year. Morgali was first introduced to FFA in middle school, joining the organization out of interest after growing up with a life revolving around agriculture, continuing her part in the program for the next five years.

“My family is very agriculture heavy,” Morgali said. “I took an agriculture class in middle school, and I found out that livestock showing was a thing. I started showing in middle school, and then stuck with it into high school.”

Animals require Morgali’s daily attention for being walked and fed. With the addition of her participation in competitions to her daily chores, Morgali has been able to grow and learn from her experiences.

“It teaches a lot of responsibility and dedication, because an animal’s life is dependent on you going out and feeding it,” Morgali said. “FFA is a lot of hard work and also respect, especially in more professional, business settings

when I’m having to meet people from different parts of Texas, like at rodeos.”

Throughout her years in the program, Morgali was able to gradually take on more responsibility through larger animals, now raising cattle. Despite having a full schedule from her cows, Morgali is able to manage her time, finding ways to fit in school work and other extracurricu-

“Five heads of cattle is a huge responsibility and commitment,”

Bowie FFA member Mattie Barry said. “I

honestly don’t know how Elisa manages that with school and all of her other commitments, but she gets it all done well.”

The beginning of the spring semester brings with it an eventheavy season for Morgali. With the addition of constant traveling added to her plate, balancing school work can prove to be a chal lenge.

“It’s definitely difficult,” Morgali said. “Right now it’s fine, but when we get to the major season, which is January through March, it’s when all the rodeos are happening. I’m going to Austin, San Ange-

lo, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Mercedes. I’m basically gone for three months. It’s hard to keep up with school work when you’re not there.”

The state of Texas has livestock shows hosted in various towns and cities. Morgali’s traveling has resulted in her forming friendships with students from other schools she met while competing.

“My favorite part is meeting people,” Morgali said. “I’ve become friends with a lot of people that I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for FFA and

for showing. Some of my best friends are all over Texas, because we travel a lot for shows, and we meet a lot of people all over the place.”

Students competing in an FFA competition can choose to work alone, or with a show team. While members of a show team still compete with their own animals, they work together to raise them.

“I’m on a show team, so I get to show with my friends in FFA, and they’re really awesome,” Morgali said. “They’re like a second family, and hanging out with them is always really awesome.”

Morgali’s steers have unique names, such as Diva and Honk, and are housed on Bowie’s farm, where they are walked, fed, washed, and trained for livestock shows. Being a part of a show team gives Morgali a

line of support when she needs help.

“We are always helping each other,” Morgali said. “If one of us is running behind, I’ll take over and wash someone’s steer, or someone else’s steer or heifer needs to be exercised. We jump in and help each other.”

Consistent with her twice daily visitations to tend to her cattle, Morgali shows her devotion to her animals, proving to be a role model to others in FFA.

“Taking care of five cows this year shows how dedicated and passionate she is about what she does,” FFA member Grace Cajuste said. “Managing that many animals takes real effort, so it’s something to be proud of and she really inspires me to get more show animals.”

Years of involvement in raising and taking care of various animals, such as goats, pigs, and lambs, has left Morgali with lots of experience. This training has enabled her to work better with her growing amount of cows.

“Elisa is very capable,” FFA advisor and Bowie teacher Paige Gomes-Green said. “She has been showing for a number of years, and has learned to take good care of her cattle.” Every moment since she took her first agriculture class has led up to this year. Learning and growing from the time spent tending to each animal, Morgali has worked her way up to where she is today, tending to her five cows.

“Elisa is very hardworking and on top of everything,” Barry said. “She’s really devoted to showing and her animals, which are traits you definitely need if you’re raising this many, and she just knows what needs to be done and how to do it.”

Zoe Stover Dispatch Reporter

A bright glow lights senior Brendan Binford’s face as he stares in amazement at his computer screen. The spiky green path of his most recent stock investment has shot through the roof, signifying its success. Staring at his charts, an idea pops into his head, how can he help others find financial success too?

His passion for investing led him to start the Young Investors Society at Bowie, sharing his knowledge of investing and teaching kids financial skills to help them generate wealth and set themselves up for the future. The first meeting this year will be held in accounting teacher Jennifer Vance’s room, F121, on November 7.

“I started it because I wanted to teach my friends and my peers a really valuable skill,” Binford said. “People talk about how they want to be financially independent, but no one talks about how, and my way to get to that point is through investing. So, I just thought I’d teach kids about that.”

In the Young Investors Society, Binford teaches the importance of conservative investing for beginners and provides members with a foundational skill set in the stock market to set them up for future financial success. To help his members begin investing, he shows them how to create brokerage accounts and helps them invest in indexes like the S&P 500. Binford also creates presentations for club meetings to teach members financial concepts.

“Public speaking can be kind of intimidating for people, so talking to a room of 40 people can sometimes be scar y, but it’s really fun,” Binford said. “I have a good time doing it, and it’s re-

ally fulfilling to teach my peers a really valuable skill they can use for their entire lives.”

At the end of Binford’s freshman year, he reached out to Vance to express his interest in starting a club where he could share his passion for investing with others. Vance became the club sponsor when Binford established the Young Investors Society in his sophomore year

“I just think he’s a leader,” Vance said. “The fact that he came and started discussing being a leader of a group as a freshman is pretty impressive. He’s definitely an avid investor, and he says he’s going to major in business.” Binford takes macroeconomics, entrepreneurship, and accounting classes at Bowie to expand upon his financial skills and prepare for his future. He has also taken online courses from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard related to finance. Binford aims to pursue a career related to business that allows him to generate wealth, and considers exploring a pathway in investment banking or private equity consulting in the future. Binford believes investing gives him more confidence that he’s in control of his future.

“Investing, for me, is just kind of a big way that I’m setting myself up for success,” Binford said. “I can be confident knowing that I’m going to stand out from a lot of my peers with my investing skills, and that I’m probably going to be able to retire early and have some good passive income going for me.”

Binford previously worked alone as president of the Young Investors Society, but this year, he asked seniors Vaughn Rogers and Jack Calvin to assist in leading the club and take on the roles of co-presidents. Rogers and Calvin attended the club in previous years and learned in-

vesting skills from Binford. “Brendan was actually the one who introduced me to investing,” Rogers said. “It sounded like an easy way to make money, and is something I might consider doing in the future. So, I started coming to the Young Investors Society because I wanted to learn more about it and possibly get into one of my majors of choice, which is investing.”

Over the summer, Binford and Rogers volunteered at Bear Creek Elementary through the Young Investors Society to teach kids about financial literacy. They gave a presenta-

tion covering topics such as spending versus saving to give kids a simple foundation of financial knowledge and teach them to use their money wisely. In the club this year, Binford plans to continue teaching financial skills to his peers in a simple and engaging way. Our approach is simple, direct, straightforward, and really easy to grasp,” Binford said. “I talked to my co-presidents, Vaughn and Jack, a few weeks ago, and we were saying that we want a third grader to be able to understand what we’re talking about in our club. So, that’s our approach, very

simple.” Binford believes he’s been successful overall with investing so far. Currently, he works at HEB and invests some of the money he earns back into his portfolio. One of his financial goals is to save up for retirement, and his investments have set him on track to accomplish this.

“Brendan has drive,” Rogers said. “He’s a super smart guy, and he’s very tenacious. He’s told me about what he wants to do in the future, his aspira- tions, and honestly, I admire the guy, because he knows what he wants to do and he’s getting after it.”

LEADING THE WAY: Senior Elisa Morgali walks one of her five steers around the farm on Bowie property. Everyday, Morgali feeds, walks, and cares for her animals, in order for them to be in

PHOTO BY Gabriella Bochey STUDYING

OH HAY THERE: Rocco the cow poses during a walk. Morgali has been involved in agriculture since she was a child, starting with her family’s almond farm in Chile, and leading into her FFA career. PHOTO BY Gabriella Bochey

VIDEO BY Gabby Bochey

ART BY Charlotte Schwarte

Website creates academic community Sophomore Jordan Butler launches a study guide webpage to help his fellow students

Savannah Riggins Feature Page Editor

The classroom buzzes with activity as students work together on homework and projects. Sophomore Jordan Butler walks around answering questions and helping in any way he can. It is the first meeting of the Bowie Study Central (BSC) club. Butler began this club as an in-person counterpart to his online website under the same name.

“BSC is made exclusively for Bowie students,” Butler said. “To access it, you have to be signed into your school email address, or else the URL will not load properly. But it is available for our school and in the first week we had 300 users.” With the school year just beginning, Butler wasted no time turning his vision into reality. He began thinking up ideas for the site within days of coming up with the concept. He put his idea into action on September 3 when he began the rough draft of the website. Eight days later, on September 11, Butler had finished the final draft of the website, and it was ready to be used by students.

“I created the website to give time back to the students,” Butler said. “Studying and creating things like flashcard sets, worksheets and practice problems take up a lot of our time. By making BSC, I want to give others the relaxed feeling you get when knowing you have resources to help you succeed.”

Once the idea was finalized, Butler focused on bringing it to life digitally. Using a platform he was already familiar with, he started building what would become a central hub for Bowie students seeking academic help and collaboration.

“I find it very easy to use,” sophomore Matilda Fagan said. “The website has a place for everything and I feel like it really brings us together as a community of students.”

Butler used Google Sites to build the website. Butler had previous experience with Google Sites from other projects that required the software. Google Sites is a free platform with an interface designed for simplicity.

Alice Goss Entertainment Editor

“I didn’t do anything to fancy,” Butler said. “I basically took everything I was thinking in my head and designed it through Google Sites. It was really satisfying to see it turn out how I envisioned.”

The layout for BSC features clearly organized sections, such as classes, where users can find notes and assignments for various subjects, an About page detailing the project contributors and mission, a Club section connecting students with the extracurricular group, and a Study Corner, which is a current work in progress

Stage lights flashing in your eyes, music carrying you through the choreography, sophomore Mila Maxon performs across the stage, surrounded by a new community of people. Taking advantage of one of Austin’s many artistic programs.

Select Ensemble (Select) is an intensive musical theatre training program for all levels of high school, hosted by Impact Arts and this is Maxon’s second year auditioning for the program. Last year she made it into the program and is hoping to go back this year to work on her singing, acting, and dancing skills, with a goal of preparing her for college auditions and pursuing a professional career in musical theatre.

“I decided to audition for Select Ensemble again this year because the program is really important to me,” Maxon said. “It’s a really great way to train yourself, it helped me improve a lot, I definitely learned a lot of new things, met a bunch of new people, and I feel like it’s what helped me get into Summer Stock this past summer.”

The audition process for Select is strenuous and competitive. Each student is required to send in a statement video about why they love musical theatre, learn and record a dance video, and submit themselves singing two contrasting musical theatre songs. Maxon is submitting “On My Own” from the musical Les Mis for her emotional song and “Anything Goes” from “Anything Goes” for her upbeat piece. And has been practicing the dance which is set to “Carrying the Banner” from “Newsies.”

“I’m really happy with how my songs turned out, and the dance is pretty hard compared to last year,” Maxon said. “But I like the challenge, even though a lot of the jumps and tricks required surprised me, it’s been a lot of fun.”

but features things like focusing techniques, calming music, educational games and study timers.

“One of our contributors made the study corner,” Butler said. “It is his passion project, and he has spent a lot of time making sure that students have a ton of resources to feel confident in their studying approach.”

Faculty members quickly took notice of the site’s growing popularity and impact. Lou Kuhn, one of Butler’s former teachers, has watched the project evolve and praises the students’ initiative in creating a supportive learning environment.

“This website is useful to students because they can get immediate answers from each other, and it is very student-oriented,” Kuhn said.

“I decided to sponsor Jordan’s club. I know he has a driven personality,

Select is a program that students can participate in while also being involved in their school’s theatre programs. Maxon did this last year and junior Preston Withrow who auditioned for Select this year is already preparing to do the same.

“I’m not too worried about balancing my time because I plan to make my time at school more relaxed for the second semester,” Withrow said. “I might take a show block off, so I can focus on select ensemble opportunities.”

Bowie does not attend any other competitions as a theatre company except for theatre UIL in the spring semester. Because of this the Starlight Theatre Company (STC) does not get to interact with other performers across Austin very often and this is one of the main reasons theatre director Marco Bazan recommends his students try out for Select.

“The program is a great opportunity for students to work with people at all different levels,” Bazan said. “It especially connects you with students and professionals all across Central Austin.”

A critical skill for young performers to learn is the ability to audition and perform under pressure. Impact Arts has created multiple programs to best prepare students across Austin for the professional world and teach them these skills. Many times leading participants to not only learn lessons in performance, but lessons in life.

“One of the most valuable things I learned from auditioning was definitely how to deal with my self-doubt,” Maxon said. “I feel like it just takes a lot out of what you can do in theatre and life. But without self-doubt, you can just be the best version of yourself.”

Maxon’s involvement in the STC and Impact Arts has her working consistently outside of school to further her experience. From taking dance classes to working privately in her own

because I am passionate about helping with World History, and I thought it would be a good use of my time to help others, too,” sophomore Shiv Dungar said. “Jordan reached out to me about it, and I thought it was a really great idea, and Jordan’s a cool guy, so I knew it would be a success.”

As the website gained popularity, Butler wanted to take its collaborative spirit beyond the screen. That idea led to the creation of the BSC club which is an in-person space where students can come together to work on homework, prepare for tests, and build new study sets for the website. The club allows members to share knowledge face-to-face and support one another in subjects where they might struggle.

“When Jordan told me about the club version of the website, I was super interested,” Fagan said. “I use the website often, and I know a lot of people who were joining the club, and it really feels like we are coming together as a school.

As BSC continues to grow, Butler hopes more students will take advantage of the website and the new club that complements it. Whether it’s preparing for a WHAP test or reviewing Algebra 2 notes, the site offers a place for collaboration and shared success.

“I can’t wait to see how BSC will change in the coming years,” Butler said. “I intend for it to become more popular with all grades and to keep adding more notes and study guides. I have big plans for this website, and I want it to be a lasting resource at Bowie even after I graduate.”

which I observed when I taught him in eighth grade, and anytime a student asks for help with a club, I want to do what I can.”

Certain students take a more active role in the website. Butler calls the contributors. This set of students is the one leading the creation and uploading of the study sets. Currently, there are six contributors: Butler, Paavan Vaswani, Ethan Stevens, Shiv Dungar, Lucas Smith, and Evie Johnson. According to Butler, the contributors are the backbone of the web page, and nothing would be possible without them.

“I became a contributor

garage, Maxon is always preparing for the next audition or production.

“I do a lot in my garage and it’s become a very creative space for me,” Maxon said. “I love taking things from my dance class and making it my own, or playing around with choreographing my own pieces. Also just working on new songs or acting in my garage.”

Select starts preparing pieces in January for competitions and as April approaches the students start putting together a medley for the Heller Awards for Young Artists (HAYA). HAYA celebrates high school musical theatre across Austin and features different programs in a format modeled after the Tony Awards. This past year Select put together a medley following the theme of musical movies and put it on at HAYA 2025.

“I loved the musical movie medley, especially the parts featuring ‘Voulez-Vous’ and ‘Dancing Through Life’,” Maxon said. “But the day of the Heller Awards show everyone got freakishly sick, but we were all just in it together and we killed it. So, that will probably always be one of my favorite memories with Select.”

Maxon spent the entire year working with Select, refining her skills, and making contacts with people within the program. She then decided to audition for Impact Art’s summer musical, Summer Stock. In this program she got to perform in “Mary Poppins” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” which STC senior Aidan Schexnaydre went and watched.

“We got to see how much character and energy she was bringing,” Schexnaydre said. “She had a great stage presence which I hadn’t seen previously at Bowie.”

Impact Arts offers many programs and opportunities that offer professional training and experience. Select Ensemble and Summer Stock are only a few of these programs which Maxon has taken advantage of. These experiences have helped prepare Maxon for Bowie shows and her professional journey after high school.

“Being on stage is such a privilege and I’m really grateful to have opportunities like Select,” Maxon said. “Theatre means a lot to me because it’s so amazing that I get to work with such talented people and I get to share my emotions with people through acting. I want to make the most out of each opportunity and I encourage you to audition for Impact Arts because they have something for everyone.”

ART BY Savannah Riggins

JORDAN BUTLER Sophomore

Scrub-a-dub-dub, DAWGS in the tub

Vet-med students wash and shape the pets of Bowie teachers

Zoe Stover Dispatch Reporter

Fluffy tails wagging in excitement, puppies scamper into Bowie’s vet room, leaving a trail of muddy paw prints in their wake. Their noses sniff the air in curiosity as they take in the fragrant scents of the shampoos that will soon be lathered into their soft fur. Eyes eagerly darting around the room, the pups spot the smiling faces of the veterinary students who will be treating them to a fun day of pampering and care.

On October 24, the Future Farmers of America (FFA) JBHS chapter resumed its tradition of ‘Grooming Day,’ a monthly event where staff bring their dogs to the vet room for bathing and grooming services performed by students in the veterinary practicum program at Bowie. Paige Green, the agriculture teacher at Bowie, is in charge of coordinating the grooming days, which typically takes place once a month on a Friday.

“I just have to look at my schedule and see when I can have it, and then I’ll tell my practicum students,” Paige. Green said. “Instead of them going to their vet clinics that day, they come to school and then we groom the dogs.”

Bowie staff members can request which tasks they want practicum students to perform for their pups, like bathing, de-matting, cleaning ears, brushing teeth, and trimming nails and hair. Practicum students, like seniors Emily Sturzl and Xoaquin Perez, can also take the dogs for walks around campus and feed them.

“I enjoy it because you just get to hang out with dogs and groom

them,” Sturzl said. “As a senior, I will definitely be more hands-on this year than I have in the past.”

Grooming days are mostly led by seniors in the veterinary practicum class, but students in prerequisites also have the opportunity to help with the program and gain experience in a veterinary setting. They can assist with tasks such as walking the dogs or checking out the animals after their day of pampering and care.

“I think it’s a great thing that a lot of the kids in the program look forward to getting to be in practicum and getting to do the groom days,” Sturzl said. “We loop them into the grooming days without them actually doing the grooming, so they watch it happen for however many years in the program, and then they finally get to do it.”

Grooming days usually raise $300 - 400 for FFA, which helps fund agricultural and veterinary opportunities for students in the program. Grooming days also help students in the FFA develop leadership skills and hands-on experience caring for animals, giving them a foundation to pursue a career in the veterinary field.

“I’m going to try to be a vet, so it’s a good experience to deal with and handle dogs,” Perez said.

In addition to leading the grooming days, students in the veterinary practicum program work in vet clinics and animal hospitals during the class period. Sturzl notes that while she enjoys gaining experience from working at a fast-paced animal hospital, she also enjoys the calmer environment of the grooming days.

“The kids love the dogs,” Green said. “They get a ton of treats, and they get a ton of snuggles.”

VIDEO BY Eva Sweeney

Arlo Stockstill

SNIP, SNIP: Snipping with precision, senior Izzy Kalyoncuoglu cuts the

Liberty Pittman Media Editor-in-Chief

As the early action deadline gets closer, anxiety rises in her. Trying to work on applications while balancing course work from advanced classes like AP literature and composition, AP Physics C, and Multi-variable Calculus, senior Riley Soffera has to put off assignments in order to get her applications done.

She calls over her mom, finally ready to submit her application two days before the looming deadline. She double checks, triple checks, quadruple checks the information to make sure her applications are perfect before she clicks the final submit button, and is congratulated by the Common App confetti signifying her application is done.

Seniors across the Bowie campus, and the nation as a whole all face a similar task when they choose to apply for college.

“I should have started earlier, most people should start applying to college in the summer of their junior year,” Soffera said. “A lot of seniors applying to college are taking AP classes and advanced classes, and it’s stressful applying to college on top of class starting.”

CONSIDERING COLLEGE

For many students in America, high school is not the end of their educational journey. According to the Education Data Initiative, 62 percent of high school graduates go on to post-secondary study, and in the fall of 2024 in the United States undergraduate college enrollment totaled 19.28 million students.

“College is a bubble where people are able to make mistakes, and take courses that they may not have taken in high school,” College and Career Advisor Amber Luna said. “It's the one time where you can really try anything out and it does not really affect you in a way. Everybody is on the same playing field, they're all trying to get a bachelor's, better themselves, have different experiences, meet people, and find connections.”

According to the Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE) there are many things students can do while in high school to prepare themselves for college including creating an academic plan, developing good study habits and life skills, and participating in extracurricular activities.

“In my application I wanted to highlight my GPA, rank, and all the organizations that I am involved in like student council, ultimate Frisbee, and National Honor Society,” senior Reed Watts said. “Sometimes people are more concerned about their grades and how they’re going to get into whatever college they want to get into than actually learning the material and preparing themselves.”

Colleges across the nation advertise what they are looking for in students, and offer statistics about the average students on their campus such as their average SAT scores. This information can be helpful to students trying to build a resume to get into their chosen universities, but can also cause stress for students who feel they don’t match the campus statistics.

According to Big Future, the University of Texas(UT) at Austin has a 27% acceptance rate, an SAT score range of 1230–1480, and an ACT score range of 29–34.

“One of my parents went to college and she got into the UT School of Social Work,” Soffera said. “It's a lot more difficult to get into college nowadays, because of the increasing number of people going to college. It's become more competitive, especially in STEM fields. As a person going into engineering, it's a very competitive field, schools only take a certain amount of mechanical engineers.”

College is not the only option for graduating students. Students can also move straight into joining the workforce, enroll in a trade school, take a gap year or a few, or join the military.

“If you want to go to college, you should go to college,” Watts said. "If someone is going to do something that needs a college education, they should go to college. However, it can be just as beneficial to go to trade school or to start working, we need all kinds of jobs.”

APPLYING AND ADVISING

When applying to college, the first step for many students is choosing which colleges to apply to and doing some research to see if the college is a fit for them. There are multiple factors that influence students' college decisions including college

ranking, courses offered, campus life, location, and academic rigor.

“The academic program someone wants to go into is extremely important, but people should also look at the college campus, the dorms, the club life, and the social life,” Soffera said. “In college people are going to want to do things other than academics, and they'll want to be in a community that best fits them. I’m an engineer, and I'm also in orchestra, so I'm looking at colleges that have an orchestra, because that's something that I really care about.”

Another major influence to college application choices for students is whether or not a college is likely to accept them. College prep websites like Big Future can take students' college lists and organize them into match, reach, and safety schools using information given to the site like GPA and test scores. This can help students create a balanced college list with realistic expectations about college acceptance.

“Some schools are really intense, and that in turn, makes students freak out,” Luna said. “I've had conversations with students and they're like ‘I really want to get into UT, but it's so hard to get in.' They're like, ‘I'm not good enough,' and I have to tell them, ‘you are good enough.’ I want to continue to reiterate that to students. I do know the reality of college acceptances. There will be students that get denied, but that doesn't mean that they can't get into a college, it just means that they have to pivot. That's one of the big things seniors applying to college are learning, is learning how to pivot.”

Even before students are sure about which colleges they want to apply to, they can begin their base college application. This is often done online through sites like Common App or Apply Texas, and requires students to fill out personal information about themselves as well as their family, education, activities, and honors. Once a student chooses the colleges they would like to apply to they can fill out the college specific applications through the same online sites. The college specific applications are often more thorough than the general application and allow or require students to submit supplemental essays.

“From what I've experienced at Bowie, Common App is more user friendly, so students are able to move through the application a little bit quicker,” Luna said. “ Apply Texas has free application week, which is amazing, and I think that that really stirs up kids to use that application. I don't think students were using that application a lot, but now they have changed the interface, and it looks a lot easier for students.”

Students can create a Common App account at any time, but the Common Apps open for application submission on August 1 of every year. Following this, students have until their chosen school deadline to submit their applications. Colleges offer many different types of application submission cycles including, early action, early decision, regular decision, and rolling admission. Schools like A&M and Texas State offer rolling admissions meaning applicant materials are reviewed when they are submitted and a decision is made soon after. In comparison, some schools like UT offer different deadlines for students to submit their applications with corresponding decision dates.

“If I had a student, and she was wondering if she should apply early decision I would say if that's her top school, do it, but that means if she is accepted, that is the only school she's going to, she forfeits any other acceptances,” Luna said.

“Let's say she applied to UT, and UT gave her this great scholarship. If she said, ‘Miss Luna, I really want to go to UT’ I would then have to tell her, she can’t go to UT because she applied early decision somewhere else, it is a binding contract, she has to go to that school.”

Once a student applies to college through their chosen application platform they will often also have to create an account to a college portal for the school they applied to. In that portal the student can submit additional supplemental materials such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, test scores, and resumes. The portal is also often where colleges will show application and admission status.

“Colleges will see students' extracurriculars, and transcripts, but the essay helps a lot give more context to who a student is,” Luna said.

“When I worked at Texas Tech and I was reading applications, one of my favorite things to do was read the essay, because I can see the grades, and the test scores, but that doesn’t give me a feel for who the student is. If there is an option to send an essay, send the essay, you want colleges to

know more about you.” Applications require a lot of steps and can be stressful or overwhelming for students which is why schools offer resources like college counselors. Aside from helping students with individual questions, Luna often hosts college information sessions and visits from admission counselors to help students with their college applications. Outside of school, students can also access a variety of internet resources which can provide recommended timelines for working or breakdowns of application questions. In addition to this, students can hire their own personal college advisors to help with their applications.

“The college application process was good for me, I wrote my essays, did all the common app stuff, it was pretty straightforward,” Watts said. “Sometimes there were questions on the applications that I was just like ‘I don’t know.’ I had a college counselor, and she knew a lot of the answers. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely helpful.”

CALCULATING COST

College can be a very expensive experience for a lot of Americans, but what students may not realize is that the application process can be costly as well. Texas State, UT, Texas Tech, and A&M all have a $75 application fee. In addition to this, there are fees required for students who are required to, or choose to submit SAT or ACT scores. On the College Board website, to send a school SAT scores there is a $15 fee. Both the application fee, and test score send fee can be waived if a student applies and qualifies for a fee waiver.

“I always like to be transparent and tell students to talk to their parents about how many schools they’re applying to, because it does cost a lot to send applications, and to send scores,” Luna said. “I do have fee waivers for a lot of these things, but they’re for students who are on free and reduced lunch or things like that. There is help to alleviate application fees, applying to college is expensive. When I was in high school, I only applied to four or five schools. I had to really do my research and decide where I really wanted to apply.”

According to the Education Data Initiative, tuition at four-year public universities has increased in cost by 36.7% from 2010 to 2023. Tuition cost has risen 197.4% since 1963, making the current college tuition 40 times more than it was then. Tuition prices can fluctuate based on many factors including whether an institution is private or public, or if a student is applying from in-state or out of state, but across the board tuition prices have risen.

“I have kids who are worried because college is so expensive, and they don't know if that is something they, or their family can do financially,” Luna said. “I always say ‘if that's where you're at, what you can still apply.' Students can get scholarships, or financial aid. There's also community college, which is free at ACC right now.” In order to better handle the cost of college students can fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if they are eligible for grants, scholarships, workstudy programs, or loans. According to usa.gov, students must complete the FAFSA to be considered for federal student aid, and many states and colleges use the FAFSA information to award their own financial aid.

“Around October, when it opens, students would want to start working on the FAFSA,” Luna said. “It doesn’t take that long, students fill it out with their parents. Out of the population here at Bowie, some kids don't really like to complete it. I always say students should just fill it out, because a lot of times schools will look at the FAFSA to give scholarships, even if students don't get a grant, or a loan.”

There are many types of financial aid available for students including grants, workstudy, loans, and scholarships. According to Luna, a spreadsheet of scholarship opportunities collected by AISD should become available to students at the end of November. In addition to this, students can find scholarship opportunities offered by the universities they are applying to, or on online sites like Big Future or Appily. “Most people only rely on the FAFSA for financial aid when they should be looking into other scholarship opportunities,” Soffera said. “There's so many scholarships that

People should be

as well as the FAFSA if they're

ART BY Liberty Pittman

Employed teens under the age of in Texas are prohibited from working after 10 p.m. on nights before a school day 16

STUDENTS IN THE WORKFORCE

How

Elizabeth Yowell Print Editor-in-Chief

After a long eight hours at school, and another two of rehearsal, senior Brandon Beeler drives straight to work. Beeler takes a step through the back door of his workplace to the sound of that familiar security jingle. Clocking in, he remembers the homework and alarm clock set for 7 a.m. waiting for him at home.

From gas, to clothes, to food, to entertainment and those pesky application fees, many Texas teens find themselves searching for jobs the moment the summer after they turn 15. However, managing several hours of work a week becomes more complicated when fall rolls around and the school year begins.

“I’ve worked at TCBY for about seven or eight months now, it’s really, for the most part, laid back,” Beeler said.

“It can be pretty tedious work sometimes, a lot of cleaning, but I mainly work the register and just keep the back in stock. There’s not really one set thing that we do.”

I

teens aged 16-19 were employed in the U.S. as of April. With 33% of those teens being employed by restaurants. Among that 33% is Suzi Collings, a senior member of the varsity dance team Silver Stars, and employee of Satellite Cafe.

“Something I really like about my job is that there are a lot of high schoolers that work there, but I don’t often work with other high schoolers,” Collings said. “Sometimes I’ll be working with 30 year old employees, and it’s just interesting to hear about their lives while also talking about mine, because our lives are so different. I really like what I get to do. I like taking online orders and matching everything on the screen. like being able to memorize what goes on each dish.”

Suzi Collings Senior

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6.2 million

Scan to see how Bowie students juggle school and work

Psychology teacher, Diana Croll-guard has taught at Bowie for eight years across a variety of social studies subjects and says that she observes anywhere from 40-50% of the juniors and seniors and 10% of freshmen in her classes working part-time jobs.

“When students work a moderate or manageable amount of hours per week, I think that part-time jobs have immense benefits,” Croll-Guard said. “They gain responsibility, confidence, learn new skills and develop many soft transferable skills.”

BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES

There are several expenses many high schoolers are expected to be responsible for. Beeler noted that he is responsible for paying half of his car

insurance bill each month. Although The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets specific caps on teen working times, with monthly expenses like these, working regularly is necessary to meet financial needs.

“It’s important for me to have my own money and my own budget,”

Beeler said. “I think it’s important to learn how to manage money and manage things on your own. It’s just a sign of independence and responsibility. It can be really challenging managing stuff like that, but I think it’s definitely worth it. So, as well as the experience, it’s good to have different job experiences and learn how to do these types of things so you’re ready once you kind of leave for college and stuff.”

While money management is an important skill to learn, holding a job while being responsible for projects, homework, studying and extracurricular activities can create challenges for students who push themselves with course levels and number of after-school commitments.

“Adolescents still have several years for their prefrontal cortex to fully develop and that plays a major role in executive functioning skills such as time management and task prioritization,” CrollGuard said. “Adolescents tend to feel stressors more severely because their amygdala is more active and their prefrontal cortex is still developing which is responsible for higher-reasoning.

Operating with more emotion can cause added stress, but some stress is good and a sense of

purpose is great”

With still developing prefrontal cortex’s, high school students are in many ways unprepared for what can quickly become a 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. workday. Additionally, many students already load their plates with several clubs, sports, and fine arts commitments. According to a 2019 national study by Michigan state, 46% of surveyed middle and high schoolage children were expected to participate in more than one type of school activity, with 80% participating in at least one.

“If have 7 a.m. practice, club meeting after school, tests the next day and a shift, those days are really difficult, because I have four hours where I’m at work and could be working on all the other things, but I have to do my job,” Collings said. “I think that’s probably the biggest challenge. Sometimes I just get really burnt out, especially early morning, super late nights. I’ve gotten very used to it, but it still is pretty difficult.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, teens ages 13-18 need at least 8-10 hours of sleep a night to function effectively the following day. With school, after-school activities and work, many students don’t get home until late and are kept up by homework after.

“It can have negative effects when it is not balanced,” Croll-Guard said. “It is important to always prioritize time for yourself. Sleep should be the last thing that goes wayside. Sleep is needed for growth, memory and learning.”

FINDING BALANCE

When looking for employment, teens will have to consider finding a job with flexible hours and ability to fluctuate shift frequency, especially if their school and extra-curricular activities take up a considerable amount of their day.

“During the school year, I’ll try to work like twice a week, sometimes three, if I can,” Beeler said. “Theater takes a lot of after school time, so sometimes I can’t get a full four-hour shift. I would be working three hour shifts which means that I need to work more times in a week in order to meet the amount that I want in my paycheck each time receive that.”

The National Library of Medicine conducted

what is referred to as the Youth Developmental Study which followed participants from middle adolescence to adulthood. The findings of the study suggest that students performance in school were dependent on the frequency and pattern of work hours, not whether the students work at all. Those who limited either the number of hours worked a week or number of weeks worked throughout the year were most likely to enjoy school, and have higher grades.

“Focus on the areas you have control and account for those elements,” CrollGuard said. “Stressing about something you cannot influence will only add to an individual’s stress. Limiting social media is also very beneficial. The representation someone presents on their social media is not their reality and it is extremely unhealthy to compare your reality with someone’s theatrics.” Before getting her job at Satellite cafe, Collings would complete her homework the moment she arrived home. However, now that she is working she finds creative ways to maximize her time, sometimes doing her homework in the restaurant’s back office when business is slow.

“Really prioritize your time and don’t push things off, don’t have the ‘I’ll do it later mentality,’ because that is what really held me back,” Collings said. “I would be like, ‘I’ll do it later,’ after my shift, and then it’s 2 a.m. and I have to get up in three hours. Find a job that you would like, because I feel like if I worked in retail, I would probably hate it. I really like what I do and I knew from the start that I would like what I do.” Beeler got his first job during his freshman year and noted that he initially struggled to balance his workload. Eventually, he found support in his friends. By maintaining a flourishing social life, Beeler was able to relieve some of his stress. “I think that it’s really healthy to have a very

Brandon Beeler

Brand new trainer joins the Dawgs

YsaBel Cuellar, Athletic Trainer

Cuellar starts her journey as a sports med trainer

Every morning, the Bowie training room is bustling with activity as athletes file in to receive treatment for soreness or injury. At the center of it all are Bowie’s athletic trainers: head trainer Pablo Riera and assistant trainer Ysabel Cuellar, who is new to the program this year.

Cuellar went to high school at Anderson and applied for the job at Bowie to get back into the Austin area. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in athletic training and started her training career at Elgin High School and Elgin Middle School.

“I’ve always loved everything about the environment of athletic training,” Cuellar said. “I did sports medicine in high school and really enjoyed the sports setting, and after that, I knew I wanted to continue studying it.”

Athletic trainers specialize in the muscles and bones of the body, as well as injury prevention and diagnosis. According to many students, Cuellar uses efficient treatment techniques and has become someone whom they can rely on. One of these students is junior Maren Moore, who says Cuellar has helped her countless times when she was suffering from physical injury.

“At the beginning of this year, I had a hip injury, and would go to the trainers to receive treatment,” Moore said. “Coach C was always there, ready to help, so I could quickly get back to playing.”

Adapting to an unknown workplace and community of people can be difficult, but her colleague, Riera, says Cuellar is a good fit for Bowie and a role model for his sports medicine students. And adds that her positive attitude encourages the kids and brightens the overall environment.

“I think she brings a new perspective and new drive to the program,” Riera said. “She has a hard-working attitude that brings much-needed energy to what it means to be an athletic trainer.”

As Cuellar settles into her role, her dedication and enthusiasm haven’t gone unnoticed by staff and students alike. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the new environment, she embraced the challenge and quickly found her place in at Bowie.

“My favorite thing about Coach C is that she’s easy to talk to and get along with,” Moore said. “Whether it’s talking about injuries and health, or something smaller like chatting about how the day is going.” As said by many students, Cuellar’s approachable personality and genuine care for athletic training have made her a trusted figure among Bowie athletes. Her ability to connect with her students on a personal level is something she takes pride in.

“Interacting with the athletes and getting to know them better while helping them with whatever they are going through is my favorite part of my day,” Cuellar said. “It’s very exciting to be at a school with such talented athletes and a competitive sports program. I can’t wait to see what great things our sports teams accomplish.”

STORY BY Eve Johannson

Freshman cross country prodigy

Promising

underclassman

Caroline Baxter Sports Editor

Sprinting to the end, running step by step, using her final push of energy, freshman Lilly Knauss passes the finish line ahead of the rest. Knauss is the only freshman on varsity and ran to victory in her first cross country race.

Knauss has been working out since middle school, running track because her friends encouraged her to.

As she entered high school, Knauss decided to continue her newfound passion for running throughout the year and beyond.

“The first time I had run was in 8th grade, and it was mostly because my friends were doing it too,” Knauss said. “I didn’t have any expectations, but I ended up really liking it. So, I decided to do track in high school. Then my friend told me about a cross-country camp, and I enjoyed it, so I kept doing it during the school year.”

So far, Knauss has been successful with a varsity win already under her belt. Knauss describes how the race went for her and the highs and lows of the race.

“I won the Marble Falls race with a time of 18:15,” Knauss said. “Towards the end, I started slowing down because it got really hard for me, but when I started to hear other runners coming up behind me, it encouraged me to push to the end.”

Every race during the cross country season is important because they count towards whether the team goes to districts or even further. However, Knauss believes she won this race because of the low stakes of this race.

“It was the one meet that didn’t really mean anything before we went to districts,” Knauss said. “I went there with the mindset of wanting to try something different, like let’s see how fast I can go without being worried about maybe slowing down later in the race.”

According to Knauss, for athletes, practice is important to improve in the areas of weakness. Cross country coach Lora Tilson credits Knauss’ success to her work ethic.

Lilly Knauss runs herself to her first varsity win

“Lilly works very hard at practice. She has perfect attendance, shows up on time, and learns from her leaders and peers,” Tilson said. “She contributes not only her speed, but also, she comes with a positive attitude, she is excited to attend, and she is competitive.”

Knauss’ success isn’t just noticed by her coach, but also by her teammates. Senior captain Miah McAulay has high praise for her underclassman teammate.

“Lilly has such a drive for success that she puts the right amount of pressure on herself to do it herself and for the team,” McAulay said. “Her positive energy enables her to push through anything and complete it with a good mindset.”

Preparation for a race is one of the most important things a runner needs to do, according to Knauss. She believes working hard is the key to preparation for a big race or even a small race.

“Coach Tilson has us do stuff every day, whether it’s a long run or a short run, throughout the week,” Knauss said. “To prevent myself from injuries during the race, I make sure to roll out and stretch before every race, and then eat healthy food and drink lots of water to prepare.”

As a freshman, Knauss still has three years of running ahead of her. Tilson has high hopes for the future of Knauss and is excited to see where she goes throughout her running career.

“In Lilly’s future, I hope that she becomes a top-5 runner in the state,” Tilson said. ”Her progression this season has been amazing, and she is already competitive with top runners in the district.”

Cross country is at the tail end of their season, heading into the state meet. Knauss describes her expectations and goals going into this upcoming important race.

“I just came off a couple of not-so-good races of mine, but this upcoming course is my favorite course,” Knauss said. “I just need to go and stick with someone because there will be a lot of people, but hopefully that can push me to do my best and get the best result I possibly can.”

Bowie cross country attends the state meet

This past weekend the Bulldawg cross country team participated in the Texas state meet. Both the girls varsity team and the boys varsity competed in the meet, and were both successful in their respective categories.

Coach Tilson attended the meet with her team and had high praise of the team. Tilson describes the success of both teams and who led the team to their successful finishes.

“The boys finished tenth out of 16 teams, and the girls ninth out of 16,” Tilson said.

“The boys were led by Griffin Hummel who finished seventh overall with a time of 15:06.

The girls were led by Lilly Knauss with a time of 19:02.”

The success wasn’t just noticed by Tilson, but by the runners itself. Senior Willa Bock describes the results from her own point of view. “Our state meet went really well. Our teams have worked hard all season to place this high because last year we didn’t even qualify for the state meet,” Bock said. “At the meet itself, energy was high since this meet has been our focus all year. Everyone wanted to put it all out there on the course to show how strong the Bowie team has become.”

Long time lifter Max Ferrera pushes to the limit

Olivia Hunter Dispatch Reporter

Plates rattle, lifters stretch, as junior Max Ferrera reaches for the bar. Using the leftover residue of chalk on his hands, he steadies himself and begins to lift. Trusting his technique, he goes through every mechanic with one goal: to beat his personal record.

Weightlifting, often referred to as Olympic lifting at the Austin Barbell Gym, has grown in popularity in the Austin, Texas area. Founded in 2017, the club offers individual coaching and competition-based training. According to founder and head coach Rob Ronan, the program provides a way to bring

athletes together to learn proper lifting techniques and become stronger.

“Austin Barbell operates as a true barbell club, not a commercial gym. We’re organized around coached training sessions led by certified Olympic weightlifting coaches,” Ronan said.

“Each athlete belongs to a structured roster, typically grouped by training level. This structure keeps programming individualized while maintaining a team training environment.”

Ferrera began lifting at Austin Barbell in seventh grade, and for the past five years, he has continued to focus on growing and improving. He enjoys the positive atmosphere and the way peers work together to motivate and push

each other towards achieving new goals.

“The gym is actually very supportive and a great environment,” Ferrera said. “I find the community really encouraging because the gym is smaller and more personalized.”

Gym members range from high school students learning how to properly hold barbells to experienced lifters in their twenties who are focused on pushing themselves to the limit. Despite the two very different experience levels, Ferrera often takes time to listen and learn new tips and techniques from other experienced lifters.

“There are mostly young adults ranging from like twenty to forty, so the environment is a little different compared to a high school club, but I find it valuable because you get real-world experience and advice,” Ferrera said.

“It’s a super supportive community, and I often get people who approach me after a lift and give me insight on what I’ve done wrong.”

Ferrera began lifting at Austin Barbell in seventh grade, and for the past five years, he has continued to focus on growing and improving. Junior Jordan Garner, claims that throughout the years of their friendship, Ferrera has inspired him because he balances the gym, relationships, and being top of his class.

“He manages to find time to help others and still improve himself,” said Garner. “It’s insane, and watching him makes me more motivated to keep pushing myself.”

According to the Strength and Conditioning Journal, athletes who participate in weight training have a significantly lower injury rate of 26.2 percent compared to 72.4 percent of those who do not. Ferrera, who also plays basketball, found that training helps him gain strength and avoid injuries during the season.

“I find that Olympic lifting is very

rewarding because the technique is challenging, and once I’ve completed my sets, I feel accomplished,” Ferrera said. “Having a coach guide me and push me helps me fix my form and prevent injuries.”

In addition to staying healthy and safe, he focuses on setting goals and pushing himself to place at nationals. In hopes of being consistent and improving, he follows a workout regimen consisting of three main Olympic lifts with added accessories that target different muscles each training session.

“I usually train three to four times a week to keep consistent,” Ferrera said. “My workouts are through an app that tells me what exercises to do and how many sets and reps to complete.”

Ronan explains that competitions, which are primarily Olympic lifts like snatch and the clean and jerk, work by allowing athletes three attempts at each lift to achieve their personal best.

“Competitions are high-energy but structured. Each athlete gets three attempts in the snatch and three in the clean and jerk,” Ronan said. “Our coaches manage the clock and cues while athletes focus on execution. It’s intense, like chess with barbells, but our team keeps it supportive. Everyone cheers for everyone, no matter the skill level, whether you’re going for your first meet or a national total.”

Despite the many challenges Ferrera faces with balancing school, extracurriculars, and family, he continues to focus on his lifting goals, including competing at both state and nationals.

“I luckily haven’t faced any injuries, but my biggest challenge is keeping up with school and all of the other extracurriculars I’m a part of,” Ferrera said. “It takes a lot of time management and organization, but lifting has taught me to push through when things get difficult.”

RUNNING IN STRIDE: Freshman Lilly Knauss sprints during her hard working practice. Knauss works out almost every day to keep improving her running. PHOTO BY Ashley Marcus

LIFTING THE WORLD: Junior Max Ferrera lifts heavy weights in preparation for his upcoming competition. Ferrera focuses on consistency during his practices to keep improving his weightlifting skills. PHOTO BY Cole Wong

Building bonds Bowie tennis prepares

Sydney Murphy Sports Editor

The tennis ball ricochets off the racket and spins towards the corner of the court.

Bam.

The ball smacks the ground as junior captain Tatiana Bosada jumps with joy, the match has been won. The crowd roars with excitement as the rest of Bowie tennis team rushes over to the court to celebrate the district win.

Bosada has been a member of the varsity tennis team for three years and plans to continue to participate her senior year as well. She has been playing tennis since she was four years old and has grown to love the sport.

“Tatiana is a leader and she is a good role model for the younger players and the ones who are coming up the ranks,” assistant tennis coach Michele Fagan said. “She is a very talented athlete and that shows on the court.”

Fagan highlights her belief

that Bosada is a natural leader and her enthusiasm shapes the team. She is currently ranked 3rd among the Bowie girls varsity and this is her first year representing the team as a captain.

“I really enjoy Bowie Tennis, and I look forward to practicing during 8th period,” Bosada said. “The environment is extremely loud and everyone always has a good time.”

According to her teammates, Bosada’s work ethic and lively personality show her commitment to the team. She plays club tennis at Grey Rock with junior Avery Camp, which has built their connection outside of practice.

“Tatiana and I have gotten a lot closer this year, which has been amazing,” Camp said.

“When we have away games and tournaments, mostly in the Austin area, we always carpool together and it is really fun”

Bosada and Camp’s friendship has blossomed both on and off the court, contributing to their chemistry as doubles partners last year. According to Bosada, their connection has brought them memories that will last a lifetime.

“One of my biggest achievements is when me and Avery, my tennis doubles partner last year, won a really tough tie break at this tournament,”

Bosada said. “We only won by a couple of points and the energy was really high.”

Bosada’s competitive personality sets a foundation for the team’s success in the upcoming season. Her perseverance, along with her team’s effort has the coaches feeling satisfied about the matches this coming season.

“I feel really good about the upcoming season,” Fagan said. “Tatiana is already shining as well as her teammates and I think that we are headed towards victory this year.”

With encouragement from her coach, Bosada is open to playing tennis in college and is currently undergoing her recruiting process. For now, her main focus is now on getting closer to the younger team members and helping them in succeeding this year.

“I am looking forward to getting better and getting to know the team better, especially the new freshmen because I don’t really know them yet,” Bosada said. “I am excited for the upcoming season, I think that we have a good chance of doing really well this year.”

As the new season begins, Bosada is looking to improve her own skills as well as lead the team to victory. She understands that she also has club tennis which is making her individual progress even stronger.

“School tennis is more team oriented, we do more group type of drills,” Bosada said. “But club tennis is focused more individually just to see where you are at.”

According to Bosada, balancing school and club tennis is tough but she loves the sports so it is all fun for her. This leaves her teammates with an appreciation for her resilience and causes the Bowie tennis community to become tighter.

“She makes the environment at Bowie Tennis really fun, especially since we have gotten a lot closer,” Camp said. “I always enjoy practices, and I am ready to compete with Tatiana this season.”

Camp comments how Bosada creates a welcoming environment of Bowie tennis by making sure everyone is included. That is one of the reasons Bosada enjoys being a part of Bowie tennis, the culture and warmness of the team feels like home.

“Overall I love Bowie tennis and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Bosada said. “I am excited for what this upcoming season has in store and I can’t wait to start competing in tournaments and matches with my group.” Bosada’s devotion to the

team has left her teammates in awe. Additionally, her strong bond with Camp last year sets a positive tone to kick this season.

“We had a lot of fun playing doubles last year and it was overall a really great experience and since we are so

TATIANA BOSADA Junior tennis captain

ENTERTAINMENT

Thoroughly Theater

Increase in audition numbers creates opportunity

Alice Goss Entertainment Editor Questions? Concerns? Email: bowie.journalism@gmail.com

It’s audition day for the Starlight Theatre Company (STC) and students line up to audition. They perform prepared monologues and finally take a deep breath once it’s over, but what they don’t realize are the lines of people behind them who have yet to audition. This year the number of students auditioning for STC shows has reached a record high, with increased numbers for Fall Shows, over 120 auditions for Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), and numbers as high as 106 for the greatly anticipated main stage musical Les Mis.

These increased numbers were a surprise to the staff and student directors, but I believe the increase in students auditioning is beneficial to the growth of the company, creates more opportunity, and is being dealt with gracefully.

The increase in students who auditioned allowed for the addition of characters and ensembles to shows, which greatly improved the show quality. In the production of “Picnic,” directed by Kade L asseigne, there was a small ensemble, and while this show does not typically require an ensemble the addition of these students created a much fuller stor y. This aided the plays professionalism and gave it a more finished look which would not have been possible without the influx of performers.

In “His Girl Friday,” a play directed by Matthew Humphrey, there were many small featured characters which could have been played by the same performer every night, but the increase in audition numbers made it more realistic to cast two people in these smaller roles. This opened up many opportunities to new performers and was a beneficial experience for many actors in the company.

Moving into TYA shows, the senior directors had a turn at dividing opportunity between the surplus of students who auditioned. Traditionally TYA is a show block where the upperclassmen take a step back and the underclassmen step into the spotlight. Juniors and seniors would take on a smaller role, so the student and staff directors could get to know the freshmen and sophomores as they learn and grow as performers.

Due to the increase of underclassmen auditioning, the majority of large roles in these plays were able to be taken on by younger students. While normally a few juniors and seniors would have to step into these larger roles, the large number of underclassmen has created a show block where freshmen and sophomores can shine more than ever.

This was not an easy process, with only nine TYA shows made for casts of six to twelve students, the senior directors worked extra hard to make sure every single person was cast. These student directors went above and beyond performance opportunities to everyone, handling the influx of performers gracefully

As we move towards the musical, the directors are preparing for the large number of auditions. While they want to give as many people as possible performance opportunities, ever y stage and show has a limit to the number of performers it can hold. Due to the pattern of high audition numbers the STC is bringing back the tradition of a winter play.

This play will be directed by student teacher Emaline Bailey and is an amazing opportunity for anyone who doesn’t want to be in or might be cut from the musical. In the past many performers have ended up in the musical simply because they don’t want to be absent from theatre for such a long time. The winter play will allow actors who don’t enjoy singing and dancing to continue to grow as performers and increase the number of people on stage from November to February.

While the increase in students going out for parts has raised stress and competition among some company members, the directors have found ways to include everyone in each show block. So, despite the increased number of auditions I hope each person can see that the STC will always tr y to find a place for anyone who wants to be there.

The opportunities the company has been able to offer are invaluable. Working with a large cast of people is a wonderful experience which offers students an educational experience most high school companies can’t offer. This increased growth and interest in our company can only lead to more support and larger shows, which showcase the company ’s professionalism and experience. I look for ward to seeing so many new people on stage and commend the staff and student directors for how they have

the influx of performers and

for performance experience.

Lively laughter erupts in the Starlight TYA

shows

Madeline Whitten Dispatch Reporter

actors

Laughs echo through the air during rehearsals for Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) shows. These short plays are directed by seniors, and make up the Starlight Theatre Company’s (STC) second show block of the year.

TYA shows are the seniors first time taking on the role of director. This show block is an eye-opening experience to the student directors who are able to experience the full weight for putting on an entire show by yourself.

“Being a director is stressful because you have so much to do,” senior director Ellie Nowlin said. “You’re in charge of everything, you have to cast the show, cut the script, do the costumes, and more. It’s all been so much fun, but it’s definitely a lot of work.”

Being brand new to directing, the seniors use their freshness to bring new ideas to their shows. Their unique methods for dealing with obstacles allows for them to learn and grow from the experience.

“I’m impressed every year, because they come in with this level of enthusiasm,” theatre teacher Matthew Humphrey said. “This being their first play that they’ve ever directed, everything is so fresh to them. I love seeing how they handle adversity, and mold their creative vision to the people they have at their disposal.”

This is also the seniors first time being in a position other than an actor, experiencing a new point of view from an authority role allows them to see the entirety of the work that is put into shows.

“They gain a lot of perspective from the whole process of applying for the TYA shows and going through the audition process as well,” Humphrey said. “There’s a great amount of growth, and they start seeing things the way that we, as directors, see things.”

Nowlin, director of Frog and Toad went through three years prior to being a director. Seeing how different students direct and being an assistant director her junior year.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many directors throughout my years,” Nowlin said. “Taking bits and pieces of what they did. I’ve works which helped me be the best director I can be.”

Children’s shows are not only performed at Bowie, but also at nearby elementary and middle schools, in hopes of introducing theatre to kids who have no access to such programs. The senior directors arrange these days and communicate with

“Theatre has never been stressful for me,” Nowlin said. “I don’t know if it will be as a director, but it’s always just so much fun to see the kids and meet them and see how they enjoy the show.”

The directors are enrolled in theatre three-four, meaning their class is a mix of junior assistant directors and senior directors. During this class period, they are able to work on the technical elements of their show, as well as arrange

touring dates.

“I love that it gives a lot of opportunity to work with people,” Nowlin said. “To work with your assistant directors, and getting to know all the upperclassmen helps build a really good bond for the leaders.”

Due to the large number of shows, each show typically has a small cast, less than 15 students, making them an opportunity for tight bonds among actors and directors to form.

“With TYA shows, you get to know the directors more,” sophomore actress Rae Bagnall said. “It’s a deepening of those relationships, and you get to know the seniors really well.”

The TYA structure of students directing students allows for actors such as Bagnall to feel more comfortable at rehearsal. Most seniors have already had chances to bond with their actors in previous show blocks, creating a strong bond between them.

“I feel like a senior director is a lot easier to talk to about things,” Bagnall said. “I feel that way partly because you’re all students, so you can be more relaxed with them, and I feel like they’re a lot more open to commenting on your acting,

giving tips, or telling what they liked.” Senior directors this year have approached their shows differently to those in the past. They focus not only on their actors, but also all of the technical elements of their show, such as lights, sounds, costumes, and set.

“They have a talent in seeing the show as a whole,” Humphrey said. “Thinking about the show as a whole and making sure that the lights and the sounds and the props and the costumes and everything is the way that they want it to be, it’s a huge responsibility, but I think that they deal with it admirably, and I’m always so impressed with the end products.”

After weeks of hard work, the seniors get to share their creative visions with others. The shows were put on across a total of three days, with each show performing twice.

“I think they turned out amazing,” sophomore actress London Sherman said. “I really enjoyed watching all of my friends perform, and it’s always cool to see the senior director’s visions come to life. It’s also crazy to think about the amount of progress that was made in such a short amount of time, starting from just a script to a fully fledged show.”

Melodies explode harmoniously from string quartet

Gracie Ruland

Entertainment Editor

Notes, music, and passion fill the rehearsal space as the string quartet made up of violinist Hannah Salz, violinist Ryan Soon, cellist Samantha Homsy, and viola player Riley Soffera play their beautifully meshing and unique instruments.

“Our string quartet is a chamber group where students who love playing their instruments and want to not only grow as players can work together to make really great music,” Salz said. “It has two violins, one on each part, a viola, and a cello, and is self conducted.”

There was a similar quartet prior to COVID, but this is the quartet’s first year back in action since. Although Salz didn’t create the quartet, her teacher wanted her to be a part of it.

“The program is through a chamber academy that has quartets at many different schools, my private lesson teacher is actually the one who got it started at Bowie and is teaching us this year,” Salz said. “I found other willing musicians and helped put it together.”

Most of the members of the current quartet haven’t played in a group like this, but Soffera has had

some experience and believes it has made her a stronger musician.

“I have loved music all of my life, but I really started to understand my passion for it when I started playing the viola in sixth grade,” Soffera said. “Making music has affected me in such a positive way and I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to play my instrument and be a part of the orchestra programs at Bowie and Small Middle School.”

The rehearsal process has shown the members how to build a foundation in the creation of music and then uniquely express themselves

by adding collaborative ideas on top of it. They typically rehearse once a week during the orchestra period. They go through small sections and talk about articulation and style.

“We usually start with a slow tempo on new passages to see how the parts come together,” Soon said.

“In chamber music, it’s so interesting seeing how each part works together creating music. There are so many parts to it that we can’t see but only realize when we break it down.”

Ever since Homsy was exposed to the complexities of music, she

has learned to love the small details.

“The quartet is an opportunity for me to share my knowledge with the other players while also improving chemistry with them,” Homsy said. “Quartets and orchestras are one of my favorite types of ensembles to play in.”

The quartet has their first performance in November and their final recital in the spring.

“I don’t love how performing can go south quickly,” Salz said. “ However, in the end it’s just notes and it’s more about putting on a fun show with your friends.”

POPPING PERSONALITIES: Freshman Reece Wheeler and Grace Dawson perform side by side bringing

“Bedtime Stories” to life. Dawson enjoyed getting to step out of her comfort zone and play an over the top character. PHOTO BY Elizabeth Yowell

SCAN TO SEE MORE!

VIDEO BY Jude Davis

HANNAH SALZ Junior

The Austin Film Festival is back, y’all

An event made for those who love film screenings, TV premiers, and all cool things film

Eleanor Blue Dispatch Reporter

Austin is a hub of creatives and artists. It’s home to countless theaters, dive-bars, music shops, and murals. So, it makes sense that so many festivals find permanent homes downtown, amid the color and culture of Austin’s sprawling cityscape. October is a busy time in Austin. Halloween, ACL, and most recently, the 32nd annual Austin Film Festival.

The writers festival stretches from October 23-30. This year there was a showcasing of 183 films from 32 countries, an incredible range of talents and topics. As a self-proclaimed film nerd with a Lone Star pass in hand, I was debating quitting my job and dropping out of school to make the most of the week.

While my parents weren’t on board with the entirety of that plan, I still spent a lot of time running around downtown watching movies.

MOVIE WATCHING

For me, the festival started Friday night with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the last of the trilogy. I arrived an hour and a half early and waited in the badge-holders line at the Paramount. While a badge lets you into the building, it doesn’t guarantee you a spot. It’s every person for themselves once the doors open, so I was locked in.

I don’t mind waiting in lines. The people-watching at festivals is always spectacular, and the buzz before a highly anticipated movie is infectious.

Wake Up Dead Man was a masterclass in film. Daniel Craig was an obvious powerhouse, but most of the actors were incredibly strong. Josh O’Conner held his own as a flawed yet likable priest, and the film flowed from one scene to the next.

There’s no feeling to

describe the experience of watching a movie premier with people that are just as excited as you. The entire audience laughs with one voice, sharing an experience that transcends an at-home movie watching experience. The excitement is palpable, the joy is unmistakable. Film has the power to bring people together in the most beautiful ways. I didn’t stop smiling for the entire showing.

I did not have the same reaction for the next movie on the docket, The Long Shot. The Long Shot is a movie set in Austin about a group of misfits trying to save their beloved Municipal Golf Course. While the synopsis of the movie is endearing, the end product felt like a Hallmark movie that was missing the emotion and character of Austin.

It might have had its moments, but I walked upstairs to the second story of the Bullock for the next showing with a sense of disappointment. This feeling did not last long however, as my favorite movie of the festival was next on the docket.

Crystal Cross is a visually stunning film about a suicidal dad and a wannabe-singer escaping her criminal boyfriend. There are a few movies that truly capture the complex feeling of being a human, and this was one of them. With an impressive all-original soundtrack and shoe string budget, I was shocked by the quality and beauty in every shot and line of this movie.

A charming Q&A with the director, writer, and lead made me wish that more people had been in attendance.

There’s something insanely cool about seeing the creators of a film in person. There were several people that I recognized at other shows after watching their movie. They go from regular viewers to the creators of something meaningful and important.

It was also a very humanizing experience, seeing people you admire in such a humble and personal light. They were

on the whole, so likable. Just regular people that had an idea and fought for it. I have so much respect for film makers, especially in a time where the rise of AI and short-form content threatens the work they feel called to do.

MOVIE WRITING

The Austin Film Festival was “for the writers” this year. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that over this past week, wondering why this was such a significant action.

There’s a lot of fear in the creative world about the future. You can feel it in everything, even the triumphant moments. Everything is unknown. The looming threat of technology replacing humans is a through line in every celebration of film.

“For the writers” is a line drawn in the sand. It is a reminder that the most important parts of a movie are the people behind it. The ability to laugh in a movie theater and the desire to talk about it afterwards. That’s what this is all about.

I heard this sentiment echoed throughout my time at the festival, especially from the creators themselves.

This festival wasn’t my first experience with panels, but was by far the most successful one. The conversations flowed naturally, and there was usually time for the audience to ask questions.

This fluidity was especially impressive for the short series panels. With so many creators and representatives for each film, it was a testament to the skill and effectiveness of the festival.

MOVIE SHORTS

The first of these showings was called Shorts that Bump in the Night and was a minor disappointing experience. Shorts are such an interesting form of media. How do you take seven minutes and properly scare your audience? Although I found that collection to fall short overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the next short series: Digital Shorts.

The filmmakers had a longer amount of time to work with,

which allowed for development of both characters and plot.

Every short brought something interesting, and the production was much better overall.

Some of my favorite projects were at this showing, rapid fire programs that brought a sitcom-pilot type energy.

From a mockumentary about a children’s talent agent to a notso-true story about the life of Betsy Ross, the Digital Shorts kept me guessing.

MOVIE THEATERS

The theater it was in was decent too, smaller than the others showcased at the festival. The Galaxy Theaters downtown are what you visualize when you picture a classic cinema experience. Sticky seats, digital movie posters, and lots of popcorn. My favorite theater that we went to was definitely the Paramount. If you haven’t been to the Paramount, you’re missing out. The theater opened in 1915, and you can feel the history in every seat in the house.

One of my earliest memories is sitting in the front row of a Sound of Music showing. The feeling of rumbling feet in the opening scene, the breathtaking cinema that is made even better by the gigantic screen. I’ve been back to the Paramount dozens of times since then, and I can safely say that there is not a bad seat in the house.

Another standout is the Bob Bullock IMAX theater, where I eventually ended my film festival experience, surrounded by critics, producers, directors, and film fans like myself. The Austin Film Festival was an unforgettable experience. To be able to see incredible movies in completely new environments was so special. I love Austin. It’s a rich tapestry of art and music and the weirdest bunch out there. To experience new theaters and new parts of the city was so special. Growing up in one place for your whole life can take away from the magic around you. I got used to it. The film festival reminded me why I love it here, why film is so important, and why popcorn is such a beloved snack.

A Hole Coffee succeeding in “Keeping Austin Weird”

Ava Weaver Review Page Editor

I would never expect myself, as a Texan, to wish for outside seating. Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the heat and the sweat stains I get from just being outside. But fall has apparently graced Austinites this October. There’s a subtle wind that makes my nose scrunch. It makes me want to skip to a cinematic coffee shop, sit outside on a bench, pretending I’m experiencing fall in New York, and fooling myself into believing that an iced coffee from an underground local shop will lead me to being the next “it girl” like Rory from “Gilmore Girls.”

rather do as little talking as possible, you can scan the QR code displayed on the cement wall. No talking needed.

I decided to try three drinks. First, I obviously had to get a fall specialty drink, and I picked the “Smore’s Iced Latte” that was $7. Lattes are my go-to at any coffee shop, so as a latte connoisseur, my expectations were high. And lucky for my wallet, those expectations were met.

It was an attack of sweetness on my mouth, but surprisingly, it didn’t hurt my teeth. The coffee was topped with marshmallow fluff, toasted marshmallow syrup, vanilla, chocolate drizzle, whipped cream, and crushed graham crackers. This drink is simultaneously my dream coffee and my dentist’s worst nightmare. My second drink was a regular latte that was originally $5, but I added caramel and cinnamon honey syrup bumping the price to $7. I have never seen a coffee shop offer cinnamon honey syrup before, and I was eager to try it. Disappointingly, it wasn’t my favorite, as the coffee was overall thin and the flavors had a weird aftertaste. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but compared to their other drinks, it didn’t stand out to me.

But my spirits were raised when I had the best chai latte of my life. I got their “Dirty Chai Latte,” which is

a chai latte with added espresso. And because I’m extra, I added their vanilla cold foam and cinnamon honey syrup. If Cinnamon Toast Crunch were a drink, it would be this drink. With my first sip of the fluffy and dense cold foam and the sweet cinnamon honey flavor blending into the smooth coffee roast, I was transported back to my kindergarten days of having Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the morning. It felt like a full-circle moment, and a good beverage does that.

A Hole Coffee’s brew, the taste of the beans themselves, is pleasantly dull and smooth. Its acidity, the pH level in a coffee that usually consists of a fruity or tangy taste, isn’t strong. It doesn’t give you that jolt aftertaste that some strong coffee does. It’s not bitter either and rather quite sweet, which I prefer.

Unfortunately for most Bowie students, the commute to A Hole Coffee from South Austin is about forty-five minutes, considering traffic is on your side. I personally had to drive on I-35, which is so stressful for me, so the coffee felt like a reward for making it through the interstate highway without a collision.

Another downside is that there is also no parking at A Hole Coffee itself. I ended up paying $5 for parking and walked about seven minutes to the

location. Although this wasn’t a deal breaker for me, it might cause some complications for other high school students.

Overall, I think A Hole Coffee is the perfect coffee place for a day out with your friends or family. You could honestly spend hours here with the number of activities supplied to you. Bring your dog, get coffee, play pickleball, eat lunch, study with your second cup of coffee, and just feel the vibe of being in Austin during the fall season. Honestly, I love the unique way A Hole Coffee has decided to differentiate itself from other coffee shops. It is silly to be handed your coffee by someone wearing a Mickey Mouse glove, but I love it. And so does Austin. With my coffee in my hand and a smile on my face, I watched as the lady behind me giggled and took photos of her receiving her coffee.

Today, many are bored with the tedium of everyday life. Often complaining about the repetition of trends, movies, etc. So, instead of

the co-owner Candace Harkey. But, if you’re like me and would

ART BY Claire Ferrante

YUMMY ICED LATTE: A Hole’s Coffee iced latte being handed out by a person wearing a Mickey Mouse glove. This drink is a classic. PHOTO BY Ava Weaver

A HOLE COFFEE OWNERS: Candace and Mitchael Harkey ready to serve customers. This husband and wife team started

this establishment together with a smile on their faces. PHOTO BY Ava Weaver

•

COMMENTARY

Citizens deserve free speech

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

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

This editorial, as well as all the newspaper stories that came before it in the Dispatch, are examples of writers using their freedom of speech.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects peo ple’s freedom of speech, which is one of the most vital parts of the foundation that the U.S. was built upon. It allows citizens to respectfully express their beliefs without being silenced or punished for it, even if those in power disagree with their message. Throughout history, everyday people, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony, have used this freedom to create change peacefully and hold those in charge accountable.

That freedom is now in jeopardy. The First Amendment has taken hits lately from different groups. People may be scared to express how they feel due to the direct political attacks on free speech or the fear mongering that has spread across social media outlets. Freedom of speech is one of the most important American rights and needs to be protected at all costs.

No Kings protests have swept across the nation, one in June and again on October 18. The point of these protests is to give the power to the people and push back on the idea of America being controlled by one “king.” This type of speech is constitutionally protected, but that didn’t stop people from going online and trying to convince people otherwise. Videos were shared online encouraging protesters to wear plain clothing with no identifying marks and to cover their faces to protect their identity. This kind of message can scare people and make them think what they are doing is dangerous when it isn’t. Well, it shouldn’t be.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Trump has ordered the

EDITORIAL U.S.

National Guard to multiple states, including California, Illinois, Oregon, and the District of Columbia. That had active protesters concerning a range of different issues. The National Guard is meant to assist in domestic emergencies, but none of the protests they were deployed to were dangerous or out of control. Naturally, deploying the military to average suburban neighborhoods makes people feel uneasy and keeps them quiet, even though there is no legal ground for an arrest or detainment.

The government is trying to restrict free speech in other ways, too. On October 8, USA Today reported that President Donald J. Trump and his ad-

It’s not surprising that politics are rapidly consuming our everyday lives. Whether it’s in school, on social media, or the news, political messages about a variety of different topics are being spread. While there has been a great increase in the amount of information spread, there has also been an increase in the spread of misinformation.

Misinformation in political messages can be extremely harmful to society. Whether it’s medical advice, lies about climate change, or the ‘dangers’ certain people bring to the U.S., arguments made by leaders, especially President Donald J. Trump, are not always factually accurate. Many of America’s population blindly follow his choices without fact checking the information they are being told. This ignorance is extremely alarming.

Trump gave unsupported medical advice at a White House press briefing in September. During the briefing, NBC News stated that Trump “announced that the Food and Drug Administration was warning doctors not to prescribe acetaminophen.” Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol, a medication that acts as a painkiller and reduces fever. Trump stated that consuming acetaminophen while pregnant can lead to autism in children.

Shockingly enough, Trump has no scientific or medical background, and he couldn’t even pronounce the word ‘acetaminophen’, yet people are still listening to him. There is also no scientific proof of any sort of Tylenol being harmful to those pregnant or the child. Lying about the effects of Tylenol is extremely dangerous because Tylenol is one of the few medications you can take during pregnancy to help prevent pain and fevers. This is just one example of the danger of unchecked political messaging.

Trump continues to promote disinformation by stating the “dangers” that immigrants bring to countries. While presenting a speech to the United Nations he started by bashing Europe and saying that they are being “invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before.” Trump’s narcissistic words calling immigrants “illegal aliens” is enough to make many people's

ministration supposedly “took the freedom of speech away” in regard to burning the American flag. Burning the flag has been protected by the First Amendment since 1989. Trump claims that burning the flag induces violence, but that reason isn’t concrete enough to justify an attack on the First Amendment because there isn’t any evidence that there is a direct correlation between the two. Burning the flag isn’t the most charming act, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong and should be prohibited. Once the government starts to cherry pick what kinds of speech can be banned, it’s only a matter of time before the opinions of government officials control what

He claims that “four months in a row, the number of illegal aliens admitted and entering our country has been zero,” which has been proven false by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) reports that the number of border crossings has dropped significantly in the past months with around 8,200 crossings in July 2025. Though this is the lowest it has ever been, it is not zero as Trump said.

He gloated that his inhumane immigration policies allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest immigrants and anyone in their way, violating their natural rights. With these statements Trump continues to spread about the “threats” immigrants pose and the violation of hundreds of thousands of citizens rights, it’s important to recognize the misinformation in these messages. Through this misinformation Trump is tearing apart communities, ripping apart families, and creating distrust in a large portion of the American population. This causes division and tension throughout America, and is only furthered when people support his policies without looking into their actual impacts on American citizens.

In an article from The Guardian, Trump expressed that renewable energy projects and climate change is so called “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” and

the American people can say. It's also hard for people to feel comfortable expressing their opinions when people they see on TV are getting in trouble for it. Jimmy Kimmel was suspended for a controversial monologue back in September. In addition to this, CNN and USA Today reported that Trump has publicly stated multiple times that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers need to be taken off the air. Kimmel, Fallon, and Meyers are all comedians that have made many jokes about Trump and his administration, so it’s not surprising that Trump doesn’t support their content, but they aren’t the only news outlets that are being restricted.

AP News explained that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth imposed strict new rules and restrictions that reporters had to follow inside the Pentagon. Dozens of reporters, rather than agreeing to the new rules, left the Pentagon, deciding that leaving was better than being restricted.

Censorship isn’t always a bad thing. Some parents censor the content their young kids watch, and social media platforms censor crude or disturbing content to protect their viewers. However, censoring the U.S. Constitution, specifically the 1st Amendment, is a slippery slope and will not have desirable effects. Censorship won’t make people quiet down, it will only rile them up with anger and retaliation. Besides, quiet doesn’t always mean peace. Complete freedom of speech, unless causing direct harm to someone, is the best way for America to remain peaceful.

These attacks on free speech cannot be ignored. Freedom of speech is one of the greatest gifts the U.S. has to offer, so use your power to protect it. Get out on the streets or social media and push back on these restrictions before they spiral out of control. No one gets to take your voice away.

that “all of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.”

Facts provided by The Guardian prove that Trump is wrong. Scientists prove that the earth has been heating up ever since the Industrial Revolution, which is when oil and production of fossil fuels began to ramp up. Along with that, research from a paper in 2021 by Research Gate suggested that around 90% of all scientists agreed that human activity was causing the climate crisis. Climate change is at an all time high, and if something isn’t done now, wildlife will continue dying, our air will continue to be polluted, and dangerous weather will happen more frequently. Trump’s continued misinformation used to dissuade support for climate issues only impedes climate activist efforts to create a clean and safe planet.

Although Trump has proven to lie on numerous occasions, many people argue that Trump kept his promise of funding the United States military. Even though he has held true on some promises, that does not change that he continues to go back on promises and lie to the American public. Just because someone like Trump is presented as a leader, doesn’t mean they don't spread misinformation. For the safety of yourself, your peers, family, and the society, do your research. Check the facts. And above all else, stay safe.

heads turn.

ART BY Jenny Kimbrough

ART BY Sara Fowler

Women at risk in Texas

New legislation infringes on womens reproductive rights

Everyone should be allowed to control their body and their body alone, however, legislation over the years has taken this right away from women across the nation.

On September 17, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 7 (HB7), also called the Woman and Protection Act, that would allow individuals in Texas to sue anyone who they see providing, distributing, or manufacturing abortion pills. If the person who is suing the distributor or manufacturer is related to the woman who is attempting to obtain these pills, they will be rewarded at least $100,000. However, If the person who is suing is not related to the woman, they will only be rewarded $10,000 and the rest will go to charity.

This means that the woman will not be in any legal trouble if they are caught obtaining the pills. The bill was originally declared unconstitutional by a state judge, however, the bill proceeded to go through to the house vote. This bill is set to go into motion on December 4 of this year.

If HB7 successfully lowers the number of abortions in Texas, the bill will most likely be adopted by other states further tightening the restrictions on women’s reproductive rights.

The legislators who are supporting the passing of HB7 are not taking into consideration the full negative effect it will have on women across Texas. HB7 is unconstitutional, and should be restricted from going into effect, and prevented from spreading into other states.

Banning the distribution of abortion pills will not lower the amount of abortions in Texas, instead it will only push more and more women to resort to dangerous means of abortion. In a study done across the United States by PubMed Central, abortions done with medication supplement, or herbs were regarded to be the safest and most effective form of self-managed abortions.

Additionally, it was also found that the majority of self-managed abortions were done by using the methods that are considered safe. The remaining women used drugs, alcohol, or another physical method that resulted in harm to the woman. The passing of HB7 will only increase the percentage of woman who use these dangerous methods and put themselves at risk of harm or even death.

Additionally, guaranteeing those who report the selling or manufacturing of the abortion pills a reward encourages people to take advantage of the bill. Many people are concerned about those who may be motivated to put the women around them at risk just for the money, not because they have good intentions for the woman and the unborn child. Although lawmakers tried to combat this concern by lowering the reward for plaintiffs unrelated to the women, $10,000 is still a large sum of money.

Doctors who are caught and sued

specifically for abortions will be sued at a minimum of $100,000. This aspect of the bill is leading many doctors to be hesitant distributing the medication at all, even in cases of miscarriages or sepsis. In many cases, women may need medication immediately, and cannot afford to face abortion accusations.

HB7 also extends to doctors outside of Texas if the pill is given to a Texas resident. In a specific situation, a woman in Texas named Shelley Hall experienced a tragedy, the baby she had been carrying had not survived. When the doctor told her that the next step was for her to obtain abortion pills, Hall had to prove through her heartbreak to a pharmacy that she needed the medication for a miscarriage when they wouldn’t give it to her in fear of getting in trouble and fined. On one of the worst and most tragic days of her life Hall had to beg the pharmacists to believe her that her baby was truly gone. Not only does this ban put women in physical danger, but it can also cause extensive emotional distress on women already going through extreme hardships.

The conservative legislators who are in support of HB7 claim that the bill is not a punishment for women and provides exceptions for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and medical emergencies. Although these legislators claim these exceptions protect women, the bill ignores other possible needs for the pill including victims of sexual assault and children. Just because someone does not meet a legislator’s opinion of what

person should be denied the right to have autonomy over their own body. There are many things we can do to show support for the overturning of HB7, such as safely engaging in local protests, contacting your state representative, or even directly contacting Governor Greg Abbott to express your opinion. As a society, we need to fight against the government’s attempts to control women’s bodies and reproductive rights. Any act of protest has an impact in the fight to maintain the rights every human deserves. We can also contribute to the fight by supporting organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Texas Women’s Health Caucus. Another organization supporting the overturn of HB7 is Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that focuses on fighting for and supporting women’s reproductive rights. By signing petitions, donating, and volunteering to help out at Planned Parenthood, anyone can play a part in the future of women’s rights across America

The passage of HB7 is ignorant and disregards giving women the rights that they are entitled to. Women should have full autonomy of their bodies, and it should not be up to legislators to decide how they use them. The passing of bills, such as HB7, that affect women’s reproductive rights are just the government’s way of getting closer and closer to gaining full control of women’s bodies. HB7 needs to be repealed in order to keep the women of Texas safe.

NOV. 7, 2025

Its not that deep Gen Z

Meaningless trends put pressure on teenagers and young adults

Ava Weaver Review Editor

Questions? Concerns? Email: bowie.journalism@gmail.com

Deer makeup. Bunny makeup. Latte makeup. Clean girl makeup. Glazed donut makeup. Can you keep up? Do you have the new Rode lip liner to achieve the perfect no makeup, makeup look? Have you mastered that “it girl” makeup, Gen Z? No. You can’t. Because once you have it, social media discards it.

Gen Z was practically raised on social media, and as a result, they can navigate all the ever-changing trends and beauty standards. But it’s exhausting. So yes, Gen Z can keep up with trends, and I argue that they’ve built what is trendy in mainstream media today. But I believe that there is vanity in these makeup and beauty trends. When kids constantly try, try, and try to mold their faces into what is in, they are blinded and can no longer see the beauty in themselves.

Harmful beauty standards have always existed. The difference for Gen Z is social media’s obsession with one trend, then, about a week or two later, everybody thinks it’s too mainstream and basic. Now this is worse because in the two-thousands, at least you had time to thrift a look to look like Paris Hilton, then post on your Tumblr with the caption “that’s hot.”

For Gen Z, by the time they acquire enough money to buy the makeup products that all cost about $30 or more each to achieve the “bunny makeup” look, they will find out that, because it’s fall now, “latte makeup” is in. Oh, and then they’ll find out that they actually have “siren eyes,” not “doe eyes,” so bunny makeup wouldn’t look good on them anyway. It is ridiculous that these are real words I have read while doom-scrolling on social media.

Gen Z does not have the time or money to keep up with the rise and fall of trends on social media. And I don’t have the willpower to. Although I don’t think the makeup itself is harmful. Are the names for the style kinda dumb, yes. But enjoying trying out different styles of makeup is totally valid, and honestly, I encourage it. But it becomes harmful when social media becomes obsessed with it.

You’ll get FOMO when you can’t afford that viral product that an influencer, that you already forgot the name of, told you to “run, don’t walk” to get. You’ll become resentful of influencers like them who get hundreds of free products that will collect dust in a drawer, while you’re running out of eyeliner that you feel like you just bought. Then, you’ll get angry at yourself because there are bigger things to worry about than micro-makeup trends. I’m projecting. You might not feel any of this, but I do. And I’m tired, aren’t you?

Trends fading as quickly as they appeared come with Gen Z’s own harmful obsession with being niche. The “that was so last season” joke carries truth. But now it’s “that was so last week.” Obviously, no one is saying this directly, but Gen Z tends to want to be the main character. Differentiate themselves from society. Be unique and not basic. Addicted to that feeling of pride that comes with going against the norm of society. But when a trend does what a trend is defined to do and becomes popular, people lose that enjoyment for it because they realize they aren’t different; they are a byproduct of what’s trendy.

There is a level of self-discovery with makeup that should be savored and enjoyed. Rushing and changing your makeup to look like what’s trending is like someone rushing you to finish your favorite meal. What was supposed to be enjoyable is now filled with anxiety to keep up, be quick, and it’s all powered by the fear of being left behind.

Again, there is no issue in trying out new makeup looks. But I challenge Gen Z to slow down and take the time to get to know their face. Not Haliey Bieber’s face. Not the face of that influencer you can’t remember the name of. Your face. Your beauty. Find the makeup that enhances it. Challenge yourself not to be swayed by trends because they will change, but your face will always be yours. Yes, your face might change slightly, but your bones won’t decide to move three inches to the right every week. Which means, you have time to learn the valleys and hills of your face and love it.

That pressure to fit in, that weight on your chest, is removed when you realize there is no deadline to getting to know yourself. There is no pressure to have the exact products or look like someone else when you’re applying makeup for yourself. There is just the journey of finding you in a creative outlet like makeup.

Stella Thompson Freshman

INTERVIEWS BY Capri Wyatt

Sophomore

Asamoah Junior

Senior

PHOTOS BY Capri Wyatt

Leanne Bilnoski Dance Teacher

ART BY Jenny Kimbrough

Homecoming week brings Bowie pride

A fun week of spirit days, performances, and school traditions brings Bulldogs together

Isadora Parra

Photo Essay Editor

Fans pack the bleachers under the glow of the stadium lights, their cheers echoing across the field as the band blares. Football players charge forward, and the school spirit surges through the crowd for a homecoming night filled with energy, pride, and celebration.

colors and packed the gym.

“The pep rally really set the tone for the Homecoming game that night because it brought everyone together and made it feel like something we were all a part of,” sophomore Alina Ortiz said. “Everyone was cheering and showing their class pride. It was fun seeing all the performances and how loud the crowd got, I could really feel the excitement building for the game.”

“The fans play the biggest role in keeping us motivated,” senior Julius Silva said. “Their noise gives us energy and keeps us in the game. Since it was my last Homecoming, it meant a lot to be out there and enjoy every moment of it with my teammates.”

"From Monday, September 29 to Saturday, October 4, Bowie celebrated its annual Homecoming Week with themed spirit days each day leading up to the Homecoming game on Friday, October 3, and the dance on Saturday night, October 4. “As a cheerleader, my favorite part of Homecoming Week has always been the spirit days,” junior Mary Gutierrez-Jaimes said. “I love how each day has its own theme and everyone really gets into it. Twin day is always my favorite because it’s so fun to match with my friends, take pictures together, and see how creative everyone gets with their outfits.”

Homecoming Week really brings Bowie spirit and energy to every part of the school.

Taylor Phillips Junior

After a week of themed outfits, decorations, and pep rallies, the excitement of Homecoming Week came to a peak under the Friday night lights. The bleachers were filled up with students cheering on the football team, while the cheerleaders aimed to keep the energy alive from the sidelines. The night brought the school together to celebrate both tradition and teamwork.

During halftime, crowds filled the stands with anticipation as the Homecoming Court was introduced onto the field. Students and families watched from the stands as each nominee was announced, waiting to hear for the final results.

Seniors Soren Shelton and Jackson Lang were crowned the 2025 Homecoming Queen and King.

“When they started calling names, I was nervous but also really excited because it’s one of those moments you look forward to all week,” Shelton said. “When I actually heard my name, it didn’t feel real at first, but then I looked over at Jackson, and we both just started smiling.”

Before the Homecoming game, students gathered in the gym for the pep rally, which brought them together to celebrate school spirit and build anticipation for the night ahead.

The pep rally featured performances from the cheer team, the Silver Stars, and the band. Students dressed in their class

“The energy during the game was something different,” senior Isa Montanez said. “The crowd was loud the whole time, which really pushed the players and the rest of us to keep that energy going and winning made it even better, especially since it’s been a few years since we’ve had a win for our Homecoming game.”

Bowie’s football team took the field against Del Valle for the Homecoming game, determined to play hard and make the most of the night. At the end of the night Bowie took the win with a score of 48-21.

As Homecoming Week came to a close, the excitement from the week carried over to the game, leaving memories for everyone involved. The week was filled with school spirit, creativity, and moments that stood out for different reasons, whether on the field, in the stands, or during the celebrations afterward.

“Being on Homecoming Court with my girlfriend made Homecoming week really special for me,” sophomore Eliana Jones said. “It was such a fun experience, and everyone was really supportive the whole time. Getting to be part of something that brings people together in so many ways made it one of my favorite memories from this year.”

CROWNED IN SCHOOL SPIRIT: Seniors Soren Shelton and Jackson Lang smile at each other after being

crowned Homecoming King and Queen. The two decided to run for Homecoming Court together to make the most of their senior year and take part in one of Bowie’s biggest traditions. “Being crowned with

Olenick

PRIDE IN TUNE: Seniors Isabella Channel, Taylor Godwin, and Ella Erickson stand on the field holding pinkies during Bowie’s spirit song. Godwin was a nominee for Homecoming Queen. “I was honestly