Category Archives: News

New 2021 Exam Rules

Diego Hernandez Co-Editor In Chief

As Covid-19 has turned our high school experience and that of our daily lives into a new reality, numerous events and regulations have been established. One such regulation is a new rule regarding end of year exams. This new rule states that beginning on March 1, students who attain no more than 3 or more absences throughout the year until June 3rd, will be exempt from having to take semester exams. Junior Rodrigo Valenzuela shares his views on how this rule changed the end of year period.  

  “I think these new changes to this year’s exam are great, it has lifted a good amount of stress from my shoulders for what’s left in the year,” Valenzuela said.

  In years prior, exam lifting was only in effect for seniors who were nearing the end of their time in high school and did not need to meet more course requirements. However, this year it is applied to all grades from freshman to the graduating class. APUSH teacher Jennifer Cain tells of how she thinks these new protocols will affect students motives.

  “I believe all eligible students will benefit from not having the semester exams this year – this will be one less stressor in an environment that was incredibly stressful for students and teachers this year,” Cain said.

  Since its enactment, which has taken effect in all Northside schools, students have been able to breathe a bit more deeply than before. Schoology has provided both students and teachers with alternative electronic assignments, test taking strategies and skills have also largely changed for students, the exam lift aids to relieve this struggle.

“I think it relieves stress because test taking isn’t as easy as it was one year ago. Things have changed and so has our learning style,” Valenzuela said.

  As this year has progressed, many students have slipped up on attendance rates. Class zooms have diminished in number, and failures have also met rising rates. This new alternative agreement could just be the push students need to go back to class.

  “I think the attendance rate will be great and I am already seeing positive trends in attendance. I am also hoping that this will also cause students to finish strong in all of their courses,” Cain said.

  Once heard, no matter the location, students were in awe of this major change to the course curriculum and requirements for their grade levels. Since this year’s start, Northisde has taken major liberties and precautions for the welfare of the students and this was no different.

  “I first heard about the new stance on exams about a week and a half ago. My friends and family were actually able to hear it before me,” Valenzuela said

  However, the new regulations are to be held in the highest confidence. If students extend over their absences, they would need to fulfill the exam requirement and put a burden on teachers. But if all is complete then they can enjoy the summer to come.

  “For teachers, we sadly do not have any extra days off and will still have students that need to take the exams. But I am excited for my students that get to enjoy summer a little early,” Cain said.   

  On February 23rd, the school board of Northside ISD met to discuss this new plan. From this meeting introduced a new way to coax students to re-enter the virtual classroom and try their best to maintain better grades as these rules also require students to have passed both current and the most recent grading period. Although this year has been challenging, this new order can be the key needed to turn students lifes for the better.

UIL Academics wins first place at District

By Micaella Rodriguez Staff Writer

The UIL Academic Panthers swept the District competition on March 26 and 27, 2021 at Holmes High School to capture first place. Several teams placed first including Speech and Debate, Computer Science, and Current Events. A few teams placed second overall and the Panthers went home with a total of 324 points. Second place school was Jay with 278 points and third place sweepstakes was newcomer Harlan with 227 points. Students placing in the top three and members of first place teams advance to compete on April 16 and 17, 2021.

In Speech and Debate events, for Cross-Examination debate the team of Shasha Ogork and Beverly Quintana earned first place and advanced to State. In Lincoln Douglas debate, Charis Key earned second place. In Informative Speaking Ogork earned first place. In Poetry, Adison Garza won third place. In Prose, Jasmine Evenstad earned second place and Yash Patel earned third place. In Persuasive Speaking, William Walker earned first place.

“I prepared for the different categories all year, I conducted research, practiced, and debated this topic for many months prior to the UIL Competitions,” Walker said.

To those who wish to participate in UIL Walker said, “You will learn a huge amount of fascinating things that will make you a more informed, rounded, and thoughtful person. All of this while being surrounded by fun and energetic people that creates an amazing atmosphere of learning that you can’t get anywhere else.”

In Math events, sophomore Jayvin Pena placed first in Calculator Applications, Francesco Payan placed sixth, Isabella Ireland placed eleventh. In Mathematics Jayvin Pena placed third, Adriana Delagarza placed fifth, Payan placed sixth. In Number Sense, Pena placed third and Payan placed seventh. The team won second place overall.

“The reason I am driven to keep competing in UIL is that I get to compete in subjects I love. Instead of keeping Math or Computer Science confined to busy work and stressing over grades, I can just go out there and have fun with my team and learn quite a lot while doing it,” Pena said.

In Computer Science, junior Keayen Jeppson earned first place and the team with Jayvin Pena and Cyrus Bushong won first place overall. Pena placed fourth and Bushong placed fifth.

“I completed practice exams which were copies of previous UIL exams so that I could prepare for that section of the Computer Science event. For the hands-on coding portion of the UIL contest, I also coded some programs from previous UIL contests and timed myself to the two hour time limit and tried to code as many of them as possible As the exam portion of the Computer Science UIL was timed to 45 minutes (with 40 questions), I had to make sure I did the easy questions first, and skip the ones I was unsure of, as you lose points for every wrong answer. Doing so was crucial to keep my score as high as possible, which definitely contributed to helping me get first place,” Jeppson said.

For English events, in Literary Criticism, Brooke Burriola earned first place. In Spelling Isabella Ireland earned second place. In Ready Writing, Belen Cocke earned third place, Adriana Delagarza placed eighth and Alysandra Avila placed ninth.

In Current Issues, Ireland earned third place. Jasen Drileck earned sixth place and Mya Sachey earned seventh place. Together Drileck, Sachey, and Ireland advance to Region as first place team.

“I have been competing in UIL Academics since my sophomore year, and since then I have competed in a total of 5 areas. I absolutely love being able to test my knowledge and work with a team to achieve greatness! I also plan to continue to compete through my senior year,” Ireland said.

The students will continue to study and prepare for the Region UIL Academic competition.

In UIL Theatre events, Theatrical Design State Qualifiers are senior Conner Ballenger for Set Design, senior Elisa Pedraza Sanchez for Hair & Makeup Design and junior Lillian Land for Costume Design. They will compete at State on May 7 and 8, 2021.

Gerlach tops $1 million in scholarships

By Diego Hernandez Co-Editor-in-Chief

  The 48th Annual Walter Gerlach Livestock Show and Sale raised over 1.1 million dollars in scholarships for Agriculture students announced on February 8, 2021 for the fourth year in a row. The show occurred from January 23-30th and the live auction took place via Livestream and in-person limited on January 28, 2021. Several students won recognition for raising livestock and building Agricultural Machinery products.

The winners of Gerlach’s awards include senior Matthew Escobedo for Ag Mechanics Grand Champion for restoring a tractor and FFA member Emily Felty for the Reserve Grand Champion. Freshman Krista Sifuentes received Grand Champion for Goats while sophomore Reagan Crick gained Reserve. Member Kiley Murry earned Grand Champion title along with reserve for rabbits awarded to FFA. Ian Diaz gained Grand Champion title for Swine while Reserve GC went to senior Aiden Charo. The title of Grand Champion for Steer went to senior Erica Perales along with Reserve Steer winner junior Courtney Burrell. Senior Victoria Weynand received the Grand Champion title for Lamb and senior Reague Chavez the Reserve. Senior Avery Felton acquired the Grand Champion title for Turkey as freshman Jace Burkholder for Reserve. Grand Champion title for Broilers went to seventh grade FFA member Gianna Hivnor of Atonement Academy and Reserve winner senior Gavin Spears.

  Agriculture students involved in raising animals were awarded in other ways as well. 

  “It’s all worth it when you see the friends you’ve made and the fun you’ve had with your animals. And never be afraid to ask the teachers questions, they are there to help you and when it comes to raising your own animal, it is important you know everything that needs to be known about your animal so you can be more successful with raising and in other parts of ag,” FFA member senior Samantha Wright said.

  Other Ag students shared similar experiences.

“Ag has been an important part of my life because it has taught me so many valuable lessons over the years. I have learned responsibility, hard work, leadership, and more. It has also allowed me to make many important friendships and connections that will help me out in my adult life and career,” senior Madison Crick said.

  Students overcame several challenges this year, pandemic and communication-related issues and more.

  “It was also harder to keep prepared for the uncertainties of my animals as well as in my Ag teams as I am unable to go everywhere I needed to go to get supplies, feed and many other things,” Wright said.

  Other students faced some of the same challenges.

“My year raising was a mix of very fun and very stressful. I did not have any extracurricular activities besides ag this year due to Covid, so I was able to put a lot more focus into my goat projects. I was worried that the livestock shows would be canceled, but I was very grateful because most of them still happened, and my hard work paid off in the end,” senior Madison Crick said.

  They also were able to experience rewards, such as seeing the results of their four years of hard work involved in the Ag program and prepare them for their future.

  “When I got the letter saying I had gotten the Gerlach Scholarship, I was ecstatic. I had worked very hard and was very involved with FFA these past four years, so I had felt all that hard work had paid off and I was very thankful for Gerlach for their consideration of me for this scholarship. After high school, I will attend Texas A&M University and major in Animal Science in hopes of becoming a veterinarian,” Wright said.

  Other scholarship winners were overjoyed as well.

  “I was so excited to find out that I earned my scholarship! It meant so much to me because of how much time and effort I had put into the application, as well as my FFA and 4H career over the years, to be able to get this scholarship. Next year, I will be attending Texas A&M University, and majoring in Agricultural Communications,” Crick said. 

  Second-year FFA member junior Lillian Stagner shared her experience this year raising goats was a fun and challenging experience.

  “I had the honor to receive Division Champion of Light Weight Goats. I felt so proud, as all of my hard work paid off,” Stagner said.

  Stagner is also looking forward to participating again next year, her senior year she plans to raise a pig, and Heffer. 

  “I’m jumping head first into this as I have never raised these animals before, but I am just so excited to learn from them,” Stagner said.

  Scholarships were awarded to several Agricultural students including seniors Elizabeth Barnett, Abigail Flores, Samantha Wright, Caitlin Castro, Victoria Weynand, Mason Pouncy, Erica Perales, Emaleen Cain, Madison Crick, Riley McGovern, Shelly Padalecki, and Jordan McCullough.

Rank-Choice voting proposed in Texas

 By Cristian Velazquez Staff Writer

In Texas HB 117 and HB 740 concerning rank-choice voting will be addressed in the upcoming 2021 legislative session. Ranked-choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting or preferential voting, has been an alternative way to hold elections. If the bills pass, we will no longer have to hold costly runoff elections. In November rank-choice reform passed in Alaska, two cities in California, two cities in Minnesota, and a city in Colorado. Along with those states, 17 others use ranked-choice voting in some capacity.

  “Voters rank candidates in order of preference –first choice, second choice, and so on. If a candidate gets more than half of the first-choice votes, they win just as in any other election. If no candidate gets a majority of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first choice will have their votes count towards their second choice. This process is repeated until a candidate accumulates more than half of the votes, thus serving as an instant runoff while eliminating the additional costs and time associated with runoff elections,” according to Ranked Choice Voting for Texas.

  Proponents have stated there are many benefits to implementing ranked-choice voting. One of the main ones is that ranked-choice voting dramatically reduces the spoiler effect, a situation since candidates who try to split votes will have their votes go to a different candidate when they lose. Another popular benefit of ranked-choice voting is that elections become less expensive and less tedious as governments don’t need to establish runoff elections. Another benefit is that since competing candidates will also be vying for 2nd, 3rd, etc. place votes, campaigns will shift their focus from maligning other candidates to expanding their voter base, making the political climate less toxic. Proponents of ranked-choice voting also cite the policy’s implementation in other developed countries such as Australia and Ireland.

   Opponents argue that ranked-choice voting is overly complicated and can confuse voters, citing the repeal of ranked-choice voting in South Carolina, Burlington, Vermont, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Pierce County, Washington, and Aspen, Colorado. Another point opponents make is that when the candidate(s) a person has chosen loses, those votes become meaningless and disenfranchises voters.

   On the national stage in the United States, ranked-choice voting has been gaining traction. 2020 Presidential candidates who support ranked-choice voting include Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Howie Hawkins, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Bill Weld, and Andrew Yang. 

   Texas also has a recent history with ranked-choice voting. Since 1997, 12 bills in the Texas Legislature have tried to implement the reform in Texas (75(R) HB 2355, 76(R) HB 569, 76(R) HB 1765, 78(R) HB 135, 78(R) HB 1362, 79(R) HB 197, 79(R) HB 1790, 80(R) HB 2209, 86(R) HB 3514, 86(R) HB 2010, 87(R) HB 117, 87(R) HB 740). All of them have died in committee except for HB 117 and HB 740, which has been filed for the upcoming 2021 legislative session. In a policy workshop for ranked choice voting by Humanity Forward Texas, Rep. Terry Meza talked about how her bill, HB 2010, died in committee.

   “We filed a bill for preferential voting… once all the bills are filled then the speaker assigns them to whatever committee he thinks… is the most appropriate committee for that subject matter. So, of course, this bill is assigned to the Elections Committee. And from there starts the effort to get your bill heard. You wouldn’t think it would be such an effort but it really is because there are so many bills filed that the committee chair has the power to decide whether or not a bill’s going to be heard. So in this particular case Stephanie Klick, Republican out of Tarrant County, was the Elections Committee Chair and with all 10 of my Election Committee bills, any time I’d to talk to her about any ways to make voting easier, her standard answer was ‘voter fraud’”.

   During 2000 and 2001, An effort to get ranked-choice voting in Austin gained substantial momentum. The Austin Charter Revision Committee recommended the reform that year in January 2001 and a petition by Clean Campaigns for Austin gathered signatures to get ranked-choice voting on the ballot. However, a lot of progress was dismantled after Secretary of State Henry Cuellar penned an opinion in July 2001 saying the policy was illegal. Citing Texas Election Code Sec. 275.002 (To be elected to a city office, a candidate must receive a majority of the total number of votes received by all candidates for the office), Sec. Cuellar opined that “the meaning of the word ‘majority’, as the Texas Legislature has used it in the Code and as it has been interpreted by the courts, is the majority in the ‘classic’ or ‘traditional’ sense, i.e., [consisting] of more than half of the original votes, as cast and not re-assigned by the voter’s secondary or tertiary intent, and if no candidate receives more than half the votes, a runoff election is required”. Although the opinion isn’t legally binding, it has substantial persuasive authority. The Clean Campaigns for Austin petition was halted, The 3 city council members who had supported ranked-choice voting dropped their endorsements, and the policy was dropped from the recommendation of the Austin Charter Revision Committee in December. Later, in March 2003, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott dealt another blow to ranked-choice voting in Texas by concurring with Sec. Cuellar’s assessment of the issue in an opinion, saying “state law conflicts irreconcilably with, and thereby preempts, instant runoff voting”.

   Ranked-choice voting has been implemented in Texas in certain areas. Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Houston, and Rice University use the method for their elections. The Texas Democratic Party also allows county or senate districts to use it to choose party officers and delegates.

   In the summer of 2019, a nonprofit organization called Ranked Choice Voting for Texas was created

   As the Overton Window shifts toward innovative solutions to problems with our government ranked-choice voting’s momentum shows no sign of stopping in the coming years. As the issue becomes more and more popular in the discussion, it is important that we think about whether this will be a good policy for the United States, for Texas, for Bexar County, and Helotes/Grey Forest/San Antonio area.

Staying home for Holidays due to Covid

By Micaella Rodriguez Staff Writer

  The holidays will look a little different due to COVID-19. During Halloween, some students felt torn between going to parties with friends, going trick-or-treating, or just staying home under the direction of their parents. The number of cases in Bexar county increased since Oct. 28, 2020 with 281 daily cases until the December 2, 2020 peak of 1,499 daily cases. Cases on campus have also been rising, with 4 reported cases the week after Halloween, 4 cases the following week, 7 cases the week before Thanksgiving, 8 cases after we returned from Thanksgiving, and 14 cases reported December 7-11, 2020.

  Some students are choosing to stay home and reduce exposure. Freshman Enrique Chapa chose to stay at home with his family for Halloween. Chapa mentioned that he doesn’t have any high-risk family members.

  “We just don’t want to get sick and like, prevent it,” Chapa said.

  Compared to previous Halloween memories, he wished he could do his usual holiday tradition.

“Probably just going around my neighborhood and getting candy from my neighbors,” Chapa said.

  Many people this year aren’t going to be able to celebrate their normal traditions such as trick-or-treating and going out with friends. Some people on the other hand such as freshmen Ellie Price and Lauren Loudermilk have decided to have a lesser gathering such as hanging out with close family or friends. 

  Price’s plans to go to a small dinner with her family and their close friends. She said she also wanted to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Her Halloween plans would be going to dinner with her family and her family’s close friends. Price said that her family decided to celebrate this way to limit the number of people they came into contact with. Price shared if the pandemic didn’t happen this year, she’d go to the annual corn maze and spend time with friends. 

  Loudermilk shared that her family was also going to spend the evening with her parents’ close friends as well. She said that the other family has young children and they were planning to do some simple games such as cornhole to entertain themselves at home. They chose to have a small gathering because she said since her mom works at a middle school, she knows how serious and high the numbers are at schools.

Local Election: District 122 State Representative Race

Zoom interview with candidate Claire Barnett, pictured from top L-R Staff writer Cristian Velazquez, Adviser Mrs. Scott, Co-editor in Chief Diego Hernandez, bottom: Co-editor in Chief Emma Szabo, candidate Barnett. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Scott

By Cristian Velazquez Staff Writer

With the Election rapidly approaching, students are sharing their opinions and shaping their own political judgments. The last day for early voting is October 30 in Texas, some plan to cast their ballot on Election day, November 3, 2020. Most are focused on National elections, but all should consider the impact your local representatives have on your day to day lives as Texans. The local government impacts you now, such as the Health mandate during Covid. 

“The closer you get to the people the more you have an operational impact on their lives,” State House Representative Lyle Larson said, “From education, healthcare delivery, the infrastructure, the public safety issues, all of those; you are interfacing state government.”

 Rep. Lyle Larson served as a San Antonio City Councilman for District 10 from 1991-1995 and a Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 3 from 1997-2008.

  Democratic challenger Claire Barnett felt compelled to get involved.

  “Like a lot of people after the 2016 election, I felt like I needed to do more as a citizen to be active in our democracy,” Barnett said. 

  Barnett received 38% of the vote in the previous general election. Initially, she had no intention of running in 2020. 

  “Even before the pandemic, it just was more than I thought I wanted to take on this year, but, again, when it came down to it and no one else was going to run, I just couldn’t let it go. Especially this year,” Barnett said. 

  With news cycles and social media mechanisms usually focusing on the happenings of the national government, people tend to be less aware of their state government. 

  “I think it’s not just high-school kids who wonder ‘what does a state government do?’ I think a lot of adults really don’t know […] but our state government is super super important,” Barnett said.

  Both candidates shared thoughts on education.

 “The Northside Independent School District […] had a budget of […] about $1.5B. The state pays in roughly $325M-$330M to help support the school district,” Larson said.

  Barnett also explained how Texas politics plays a role in our education.   

  “The state government has a lot to do with school funding and rules about schools and curriculum and how much teachers get paid,” Barnett said. 

  A point of agreement between the two candidates seems to be their support of HB 3, a school finance bill (now law) passed in the last legislative session that increased teacher pay and school funding on a per-student basis while also cutting property taxes. Larson called the law “transformational”.

“(It) finally addressed some of the funding issues, (it) didn’t achieve all the goals that a lot of public school advocates have but certainly made some progress in that direction,” Barnett said.

  With a decade in the Texas Legislature, Rep. Larson has had the time to build a record that reflects his stances on policy. 

  “Primary focus up here has been the water issue. I’m the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee; we look at state-wide policy dealing with the development of water resources to try to insulate our state from the droughts that happen,” Larson said. 

  The demand for a reliable, clean water source is important to the district.

  “I’ve spent the last 10 years […] [visiting] with most of the groundwater districts, large public utilities, the river authorities, and trying to figure out for the next two generations how we can get enough water put together […] [to] withstand a 3-5 year drought by pushing forward bills dealing with desalination on the coast, dealing with desalination of the brackish columns in the aquifers […], and dealing with recycling of water and how we can better use that in industry,” Larson said.

  Another stance Larson elaborated on is being a “fiscal conservative”, a term he uses to identify himself on his campaign website.   

  “Constitutionally we have to have a balanced budget; unlike they’ve got in Washington,” Larson said.

  He also went into detail about his work on cutting taxes. 

  “There was an initiative that we passed, and the governor signed, capping property taxes at the local level,” Larson said.

  The initiative being SB 2, another bill that got passed in the last legislative session.

  Mrs. Barnett’s has a different set of political priorities she wants to address if she is elected. A major theme of her campaign has been her opposition to gerrymandering; the process of drawing electoral district boundaries in a way that unfairly gives an advantage to a certain political party or group. 

  “It’s actually our elected officials in the Texas Legislature who are in charge of drawing all those boundaries,” Barnett said. 

  Since the last legislative session last year, Lyle Larson has sat on the Redistricting Committee in the Texas House. 

  “Our districts are some of the most gerrymandered in the country; both our congressional districts and state house districts,” Barnett said.

  A solution she proposed is to put in place an independent redistricting commission; implemented in 10 U.S. states already, the commission would consist of citizens, instead of lawmakers, that are responsible for drawing the districts.

  Claire Barnett is also prioritizing expanding and improving our healthcare system, especially now with the pandemic. 

  “Texas has the highest rate of uninsurance in the country and that has only gotten worse with all the layoffs that have happened [..] during this crisis,” Barnett said.

  However, any legislative solutions have been stalled for months.

  “The Texas Legislature is only in session once every 2 years, so the State Legislature has not been in session this entire time since March, and so all the decision making about how the state has responded has been from the executive level […] and so the legislature really hasn’t had an opportunity to weigh in. The only that would happen before the new session starts in January is if the governor were to call a special session and he has not done that,” Barnett said.

  Barnett shared the legislature could make changes to be more effective.

  “There’s a lot that the Texas State Legislature could be doing and should be doing to have a more cohesive response that really provides the public health infrastructure that we need right now to make sure that we’re controlling the pandemic,” Barnett said.

  Both candidates are in overwhelming agreement on having students be a part of the political process. “You don’t have to be of voting age to participate in our democracy,” Mrs. Barnett said. 

  Rep. Larson also encouraged students to get involved.

  “If you have spare time in high school and in college, just get out and get involved in the process and you can make a difference,” Larson said.

  Both candidates cited volunteering for a political campaign as a way to affect change in your city, state, and/or country. 

  “First it’ll be answering the phone, just putting signs out, and then you’ll evolve into policy discussions,” Larson said. 

  Barnett also gave an example of what you could do for a campaign. 

  “Especially on the local campaigns, there’s a potential, if you have a really specialized skill set, to be able to help with something related to communications or graphic design; there could be all sorts of opportunities,” Barnett said.

 She also gave examples of ways students can get involved in the political process. 

  “The other area that I think students really have a great opportunity to get involved is in issue-specific things, so if there’s an issue you’re really passionate about, there are all sorts of organizations […] that are focused on very specific issues,” Barnett said.

 She also advised attending assemblies such as school board and city council meetings, which have become more accessible during the pandemic thanks to Zoom and live streaming platforms. 

  “There are meetings where they take public comment and [you can] share your feelings on whatever issue is being discussed,” Barnett said. 

  Barnett shared if individuals are passionate about impacting political change, “if you’re that interested, run for office.”

Find out if you are in Texas House District 122, visit Who represents me? at wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Visit Lyle Larson’s campaign website at lylelarson.org

Visit Claire Barnett’s campaign website at claire4texas.com

New Ag Magnet welcomes first Principal Bohlken

By Emma Szabo Co-Editor in Chief

Starting August of 2021, the AG program will officially become NISD’s 7th magnet school, the Agriculture Science & Technology Academy. Even though the magnet school’s opening is a year away, the school’s staff has already been welcomed to the campus. The new school will be headed by Mr. Chad Bohlken, the principal of the AG Magnet school this next year. The change from a program to a magnet school has left some of the current students with questions though. Current Ag students may wonder about upcoming changes.

“It shouldn’t affect any of them. There won’t be any real impact on the current students and they should know that. They were here before me and the new school, so it’s only fair that nothing changes for them.” Bohlken said.

The changes in application and qualification will only be affecting students coming into the program after 2021, so no current students will be affected. So if nothing is going to change for current students, then what is different? According to Mr. Bohlken, although nothing much will change for students, a lot will change for the approach of the school. Unlike previous years, the Agriculture Science & Technology Academy will try to advertise themselves to more of the Northside community in an attempt to pull in more students from outside the school. They will also highlight everything the school offers besides the livestock show.

“Although the main attraction of the program has always been the Livestock show, we want students to know that there are tons of other benefits of the program. The focus isn’t just the livestock show but all forms of AG. Things like science and technology and getting certified for vet programs,” Bohlken said.

Agriculture has been a big part of Mr. Bohlken’s life, so it’s important to him to share all of its aspects. Mr. Bohlken grew up on a farm in Iowa, raising animals and participating in 4H and FFA. His upbringing has had a clear inspiration in his work and hobbies. Mr. Bohlken loves fishing in his free time and spending time outdoors, making him feel right at home in the AG program, which is why he was drawn to the position in the first place.

“I’m a very outdoorsy person, so this is just a perfect fit for me. I’m very excited about working here,” Bohlken said.

The AG program has always been a vital part of our school, and the change into a magnet school will not change that. This change has brought new staff who are excited to be working with the students here and who are dedicated to making the school a better place.

Students reflect on Distance learning experience

By Kace Schermerhorn

Over the last ten weeks, students have been in virtual classrooms; conducting school via something called “distance learning”. The Prowler contacted students by email and phone to find how they have been spending their time distance learning. Some students prefer it to traditional classroom learning, while others would rather continue to use distance learning.

“I like distance learning much more than classroom learning. I can get my work done more efficiently at home. I can also sleep-in; I don’t have to wake up at six in the morning. I can also eat whenever I want to. There aren’t really any guidelines, like dress code or being in class at a certain time; I can also stay in my pajamas all day long. All in all, I prefer distance learning over classroom learning, seeing all of the advantages it has,” sophomore Jolene Flores said.

Some students prefer the freedoms they are afforded during distance learning. “I enjoy distance learning because it gives me more freedom to choose when and where I can complete my assignments,” sophomore Alex Kerzic said. “I get a lot more time to work at my own pace, and I don’t have to wake up early,” Kerzic also said. 

Some students see the advantages and disadvantages that come with distance learning. “Distance learning has its pros and cons. Although I do like having more free time, and a much more open schedule, it has been very hard to find motivation as well as get into contact with teachers at specific times,” sophomore Jaymeson Hacker said. “I personally prefer classroom learning for the mere reason that I learn and comprehend more when I am being taught by a teacher as opposed to a screen… work has also been incredibly easy, which will not prepare me for my future career.”

Some students want more structure and getting off schedule can lead to a lack of motivation. “In my opinion, I think that distance learning is so much easier than being at school. However, it has made me a lot more lazy, and it can get a little complicated when you don’t understand something, and then you have to wait until your teachers are available to go on zoom and then you can get help,” sophomore Alia Hernandez said.

Students don’t need to worry about specific deadlines for their assignments. “Distance learning is nice because I can finish assignments at my pace instead of spending an excessive amount of time at school. I can finish classes faster but that face-to-face connection with teachers and the ability to collaborate effectively with peers is lost,” junior Brayden Caldwell said.

While distance learning may be simpler, some students miss being able to see their friends. “I’ve been knocking out my school work and trying to get it out of the way. I find different chores to do around the house and have some hobbies I’ve started up, even a new Instagram account. I think this online school is easier and more convenient but I would take regular school over it due to the interactions with people and friends,” junior Jaden Villarreal said.

Of the students interviewed, several seem to like the new distance learning guidelines. Students shared they enjoy things like working at their own pace, sleeping in, and having more freedom make them enjoy distance learning more than classroom learning.

Pandemic impacts students, school closures

Staff writer Kace Schermerhorn

  The coronavirus has made life very hard; I’ve tried to keep my distance from other people because you never know who is actually infected. I’m stuck in my house all day with nothing to do besides… well nothing. People, like me, stay up until 5 in the morning, and sleep in until about 1 in the afternoon. That’s been my schedule since the first week off of school. And I find that many of my other friends are following that same schedule, because there’s nothing that we have to wake up for, like school.
  Northside ISD announced on March 13, 2020, that they would close all schools within the district until March 23. Then, on March 17, they announced all schools would be closed until April 6. The most recent update was Governor Abbott closing all schools until May 4, 2020. All UIL and sporting events have been closed or postponed until further notice; people are forced to stay in their homes; as of March 24th, 2020, at 11:59 P.M., the San Antonio Mayor ordered a “Stay home, work safe” decree. Along with that, the supply of toilet paper and hand sanitizer is decreasing as the demand for them increases. It’s a crazy time to be alive.
  The “Stay home, work safe” order added an amendment to include people age 10 and older are required to wear masks in public including grocery stores effective April 20 in Bexar County.
Americans are beginning to get their Covid-19 stimulus checks this week. The house voted passed a 2 trillion dollar relief plan, according to The New York Times. The Senate has already passed this bill with a 96-0 vote, according to CBS News. President Donald Trump has said that the relief plan will provide health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak and for American families and businesses. Since then, two house members have tested positive for the coronavirus. This plan, the largest in U.S. history, would grant each American $1,200 or $2,400 to each couple. For every child, the amount given to each individual or couple would increase by $500. However, the amount will decrease if the individual’s income is greater than $75,000. $367 billion goes to loans for small businesses. $150 billion goes to state and local governments, and $130 billion goes to hospitals. $500 billion will go in loans to larger industries, and the rest will go towards things such as passenger airlines, aviation contractors, and election security grants.
  The Coronavirus (or more formally known as COVID-19) is a branch of a typical coronavirus which comes from animals. It began in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China. According to WorldOMeter, as of April 15, 2020, the total number of coronavirus cases stands at 2,083,432, with a total of 510,451 recoveries and 134,619 deaths within that total. Also according to WorldOMeter, the United States passed China and Italy with the most coronavirus cases; the U.S. currently has 644,000 total cases, 48,708 recoveries, and 28,529 deaths.

INFO GATHERED BEFORE SPRING BREAK
  According to CNN, on Monday, March 2nd, 2019, a woman, who had previously tested negative, twice, for the virus had been released from quarantine. She was later tested, after visiting North Star Mall, as tested positive. In an interview, Mayor Nirenberg said, “I find it totally unacceptable that CDC would release a patient prior to releasing all test results and potentially expose the public to this harm,” he said. “Local health professionals, in whom I have the utmost confidence, are working very hard to prevent the spread of this virus here in San Antonio, and we simply cannot have a screw-up like this from our federal partners.” The woman, who was an evacuee from Wuhan, along with 91 others, had reportedly sat by herself at a food court. North Star Mall will be deeply cleansed to remove any germs left from the woman. She came into contact with at least sixteen people. Two of them were ruled at medium-risk of contracting the virus, and the other fourteen were listed at low risk. Very scary news for the city of San Antonio. According to The Texas Tribune, as of March 5th, 2020, 12 people in Texas have tested positive for COVID-19; 1 in Houston and 11 in San Antonio.
  There are new coronavirus cases daily in the United States; according to U.S. and World Report News, as of March 5th, 2020, a total of 149 cases in the U.S. According to that same source, Mike Pence, the United States Vice President, announced the 10th death due to the Coronavirus. Pence later said at a meeting with diagnostic labs at the White House, “We all grieve the loss of American lives,” he said. “Word this morning from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is that one more American has expired and their family has our condolences.” CNN announced earlier on March 5th that the Senate voted to pay billions of dollars to the U.S. government’s response to the Coronavirus. The vote read 96-1, with Senator Rand Paul the only one to not agree. 7.8 billion will go to address the outbreak and 500 million will go to manual spending to fund a telegraph program to try to expand access to health services for seniors.
In news around the world, Italy’s death total has now reached 148. According to Aljazeera, 41 deaths were reported by Italy on March 5th. 22 regions of Italy have been infected. Also in Europe, the United Kingdom reported their first death from the Coronavirus on the 5th as well. The Palestinian government confirmed the seventh case. WorldOMeter has reported 98,051 cases, 3,356 deaths, and 54,135 recoveries. Of those cases, 80,430 are in China, 6,088 are in South Korea, 3,858 are in Italy, 3,513 are Iran, and the rest of the cases are spread throughout the rest of the world.