D
New changes to Chromebooks
Free to Speak
IN-DEPTH The right to free speech is being pushed further and further by social media. pg. 8-9
ENTERTAINMENT Bowie's own Silver Star officers take on New York City for the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. pg.12 PHOTO COURTESY OF Peyton Nowell
ART BY Isabella del Nido
PHOTO ESSAY Starlight Theatre Company rehearses their upcoming production of Newsies. pg. 16
SPORTS Boys lacrosse player Jason Oh leads the team into upcoming games. pg. 10
PHOTO BY Nic Ospina
PHOTO BY Nick Wood
Vol. 35, Issue 3 www.thedispatchonline.net James Bowie High School 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX, 78749
THE DISPATCH FRIDAY, DEC.16 2022
Pride in Publishing
Hidden heroes beautify Bowie
Technology policies shift due to staffing issues on campus Ziyad Rashid, 12 Within Austin Independent School District (AISD), every student is provided with their own chromebook that is returned after the student graduates, free of charge. Before this semester, Bowie students would be able to borrow a chromebook if the student left theirs at home. However, this policy has now shifted. “Bowie is no longer able to provide loaner chromebooks for the day should the student leave theirs at home,” Principal Mark Robinson said. Staffing issues have been the root cause of this newly implemented policy. “We are currently looking to hire a clerk who will manage Chromebooks among other responsibilities,” Robinson said. Assistance is available for broken chromebooks and replacement chargers rather than for replacing chargers. “To ensure that [students] are ready for learning and to take digital assessments, students must bring their fully charged Chromebook or personal device to school,” Robinson said. For support, students can visit bowie.austinschools.org to find the Chromebook consent form to check out a computer and information on how to refresh their Chromebooks. The AISD Student Help Desk can be reached at 512-414-4357. “Until a new clerk is hired and regular support hours are resumed, Chromebook help will be available Monday through Friday immediately before school, during flexible instructional time (FIT), and during the first 15 minutes of lunch in the A117 Book room,” Robinson said. STORY BY Lucille Price
Lucille Price Editor-in-Chief Removing food clogged inside toilets, wiping graffiti from smoke covered mirrors, and repairing soap dispensers broken by students. For Bowie custodian Carmen Perez, this is her reality nearly every day, yet her name goes unrecognized for most students on campus. After being struck by the pandemic, followed by an increase in student vandalism, specifically within bathrooms, Bowie has seen a surge in messes on campus. In turn, the custodial staff has experienced an increase in workload and severity of cleaning tasks. Management assistant to the principal Samuel Cabrera manages and overviews the labor of Bowie’s 16 custodians.
TIDYING AFTER HOURS: Custodian Maria Garcia sweeps room C201. There are 16 custodians on campus currently. PHOTO BY Charlotte Koellner
“The job of a custodian is really just to make sure all the areas are clean. The morning crew will come in and take out the trash and get the school ready for the day and then monitor lunches,” Cabrera said. “The night crew comes in and the first thing they do is clean the cafeteria for both lunches and they make sure their areas of the school are clean.” Daily cleaning is divided up into multiple different sections of the school where each custodian takes care of their designated spot. However, the increase in student vandalism has prolonged the task of cleaning their areas. “The student vandalism causes more work for us because instead of just cleaning our designated areas we have to clean up graffiti,” Perez said. “[Students] break the soap machines and then we have to find the pieces to install [the dispensers]. Sometimes
SMILING PATIENTLY: Custodian Julio Tome begins his evening shift after fourth period. Bowie's housekeeping staff is split into evening and morning crews. PHOTO BY Charlotte Koellner
that's hard, I can't imagine that I would want to fish out food from the toilet,” McCaffrey said. Perez has been a custodian on campus for 21 years and her coworker, Adam Sandoval for seven years. "There's been cases where READ MORE “Hidden heroes batte student vandalism on campus” pg. 2
they fill the entire bathroom with graffiti and we have to clean it all before the next morning.” While the epidemic of student vandalism was at a peak last year, with popular social media app TikTok creating trends encouraging students to steal soap dispensers or commit other acts of vandalism, the problem still remains prevalent on campus according to Perez. “Sometimes it feels like the kids control us and every time we leave the bathroom, more [students] come in and paint, or break the soaps, they clog the toilets with apples, and there’s always smoke,” Perez said. Conditions in the academic building such as a lack of climate control make the job more difficult for the custodial staff according to English teacher Chelsea McCaffrey and she is able to sympathize with them in regards to the repercussions of student vandalism on Bowie's campus. “The fact that there are students that are just kind of showing blatant disrespect for the spaces and
ART BY Lucille Price
French Honor Society makes a comeback Savannah Linscomb Dispatch reporter
For the past few weeks an extra briefing has been added to the morning announcements, this one is a call to join Bowie’s French Honor Society, a program at Bowie that after two years off, is back. The French program itself is small and run by French teacher Rachel Preston, who has taken on the task of being the teacher sponsor for the program. “It's a student organization, there really needs to be students who are interested in running it,” Preston said. “So I have tried several since 2021.” With a lack of student interest and a year of online school, Preston has found it difficult to start the program up again, regardless, she believes the it could become a more permanent fixture at Bowie. “At the moment, we're only 10 or 15 students, we're such a small program,” Preston said. “I imagine there's some more out there that we just haven't had a chance to recruit yet.” The size of the program allows for more room to expand on the level of activities and projects they host. The students help plan activities such as community service projects and the sponsor helps facilitate their ideas. “The French part is a limiting factor but once we figure out the connection we can give back however we see fit. So whatever people are passionate
INDEX:
am able to be part of a smaller group.” program will aid her in her ability to The group explores French culture grow her speaking skills. and this community allows a way for “I wanted to join French Honor students to meet people within their Society because I am not currently same academic in a French class,” level. Pesses said. “I “French has wanted to keep helped with my up on my French We engage in memorization," knowledge.” Mulig said. “With The French acts of community the extensive Honor Society service and connect amount of vocabworks closely with ulary quizzes we other organizawith French and took, I was able to tions at Bowie French speaking adopt proper study such as the Spanhabits and improve ish Honor Society. communities. my memorization This fosters an skills.” environment for It is not people interested French teacher required that in not only focusstudents are curing on French but rently enrolled in linguistic culture a French class to join the group, they as well. just need certain grades and a desire “I love how they work with the Spanish Honor Society,” senior Avery to participate. “You have to have at least an A Mulig said. "It completes community minus, a 90 or above in the last three volunteering and service projects semesters in French,” Preston said. around Bowie.” Similar to Pesses, Mulig has found “You don't have three semesters of French until you get to the end of community within Bowie's French LEARNING DILIGENTLY: French student explains to a classmate about the language. French two.” program. Mulig who took French French Honor Society hosts their meetings in A213 on B-day Fridays during flexible Along with the other two honor sothroughout middle and high school Instructional Time (FIT). PHOTO BY Charlotte Koellner cieties hosted at Bowie, French Honor is not currently enrolled in a French Society allows for students to have a class. about, we can probably do it if they're than enough are interested and ready chord at graduation if hour require“My favorite part about the French willing to help, plan or implement that to go. There are presidents responsible Honor Society is spending time with ments are met. for leading the 10-15 members. project,” Preston said. “We can do more or less anything some of my classmates and friends," French Honor Society president Although student interest has been that students here in French are pasPesses said. “French has made an an issue in the past, this year more senior Brooke Pesses knows that the sionate about,” Preston said. impact on my time at Bowie because I
NEWS 1, 2 POLITICS 3 FEATURES 4 , 5
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Rachel Preston
IN-DEPTH 7, 8-9 SPORTS 10, 11 ENTERTAINMENT 12
REVIEWS 13 OPINIONS 14, 15 PHOTO ESSAY 6,16
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