The editors and staff of the Prowler newspaper gathered information about this quarantine experience and shared it with their readership.
Category Archives: News
Debate heads to State
Salma Valadez Design Editor
Senior Jackson Salmon qualified for Congressional debate and competes at the UIL State competition at University of Texas in Austin today. Salmon is in Debate 2 and was active on the team last year. Coach Jones-Rickman prepared Salmon and the team for the Congressional debate event category after coaching for 3 years at O’Connor and several years at Taft High School. Salmon is one of four qualifiers for all of NISD, two students from Taft HS and one from Brandeis. The city of San Antonio only had 7 students qualify total, 1 from NEISD and two students from BASIS.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Fundraiser: Faculty will kiss a goat
Sally Abdul Khalek
Student Council and Spirit are fundraising to collect funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Donations will be collected by students putting money into the bucket of a faculty member they want to see kiss a goat The winner will then attend the pep rally before school on October 11.
The organization is hoping to make money through this fun fundraising event On Oct 2nd through Oct. 11th, students will be able to make donations during all three lunches.
The funds will go to new treatments such as the new T- cell therapy.
According to cancer.org, “A rapidly emerging immunotherapy approach is called adoptive cell transfer (ACT): collecting and using patients’ immune cells to treat their cancer. There are several types of ACT (see the box below, titled “ACT: TILs, TCRs, and CARs”), but, thus far, the one that has advanced the furthest in clinical development is called CAR T-cell therapy.“
“Kissing goats for cancer (fundraising) is great,” senior Harvest Barry said.
The teachers volunteering for this fundraiser are Amanda Nobles, Amy Pawelek, Helen Womack, Sandy McGuffin, Coach Malesky, Coach VanAunken, and Principal Jackie Horras.
Support to find new treatments by donating and choosing the teacher you want to see kiss a goat.
GT 2 students running donation drives
Emma Szabo
You go home after a long day at school, food being the only thing on your mind, but when you open the fridge, you see nothing in there. You go to bed hungry as you wait for your next meal at school tomorrow. The problem may not be hunger, but the reality is that many people in San Antonio face multiple hardships every day, and our students are working hard to help them out.
The GT(Gifted and Talented) 2 students are working on donation drives to help the community to different organizations in our community. GT 2 organizes drives, so the students conduct these drives to demonstrate what they’ve learned in the class while helping others. These groups of students are working with five different organizations, and they’ll begin taking item donations at the beginning of the third six weeks.
“We’re collecting art supplies such as supplies will be going towards young children who are less fortunate,” sophomore Akshita Rawat said.
Rawat and her group are working with Any Baby Can, an organization located in San Antonio that provides free services to families with children who have chronic illnesses or disabilities.
Though many people may not realize it, there are students here who can benefit from these drives. One group is starting up a food pantry to help students here at school.
“Me, Phoebe Welton, Skylar Bell, and Addison Ayala are starting the O’Connor Food Pantry. The food pantry will help all of the Panthers who may have school breakfast and lunch as their only meals,” sophomore Caroline Buchhorn said.
Buchhorn’s group will be collecting non-perishable food items during the drives and afterward so the pantry can stay stocked.
For the Ronald McDonald House, getting these can tabs is just as important as getting cleaning supplies and children’s toys.
“The soda tabs get sold to scrap companies by the Ronald McDonald House so they can pay their bills and
more than they’re worth because it’s important the house stays open, and it helps remove some of the stress families staying in the house have,” sophomore Taylor Alton said.
Boxes for each group’s drive will be set up around the school for students to drop off items in, but students can give tabs to Mrs. Sweitzer-Guzman.
Helping the community doesn’t mean just helping the people in it, it also means helping our furry friends. The Animal Care Services of San Antonio is dedicated to helping care for animals in San Antonio. Sophomore Jocelyn Martinez’s group is working with them to help collect supplies for the animals in their care.
“We’ll be collecting paper towels, collars, dog toys, and treats. Our goal is to help all the different animals that aren’t as fortunate as our animals are,” Martinez said.
By doing this project, the GT 2 students are not only collecting donations for their organizations, but also raising awareness about their causes. Whether it’s through donations or volunteering, helping those in need is a reward in itself. The goal is to have a lasting impact on the community the drive serves.
Students react to campus initiative FLEX
Faith Collins
Co-Editor-in-Chief
The newest campus change, FLEX, was adopted by faculty and staff to provide students with extra time for homework and assignments between class periods. Other schools such as Clark and Harlan have already incorporated FLEX into their schedules with the intention to create a 30 minute time period for students to visit any teacher on campus and get much needed work done. A teacher can “flag” a student to their classroom, or the student can flag themselves to the teacher.
The campus provided five days of FLEX training before fully applying the program to everyone’s schedules. Flex days are every Tuesday and Thursday after second period and before third period.
While faculty and staff may have introduced this program to reduce the stress on students and teachers, there is some mixed feedback.
“I think FLEX benefits the students by giving them more time to focus on finishing up any work that’s due,” freshman Caitlyn Poehler said.
For junior Emily Kramer, an athlete in Water Polo and Swimming, FLEX sends a negative message for students who are on top of their work.
“It’s a crutch for kids who don’t necessarily want to get their work done. It wastes time for kids who actually do their work outside of school like they’re supposed to,” Kramer said.
Kramer said she plans to do Drivers Ed during FLEX since she’ll already have her work done.
Senior Daniel Guerrero, however, has a slightly different perspective.
“So far I’m comfortable with FLEX. It’s really easy to manage the sessions that I want to participate in,” Guerrero said.
Some students like Guerrero are neutral about FLEX and may only have a few components they want to see changed.
“I would change how students who are eligible to go off campus cannot leave campus during FLEX. This is really unfair to the students who don’t need tutoring or to make up any missing work” Guerrero said.
Mrs. Thornton, the director of FLEX at on campus, shares advice for getting comfortable with the program. She also answers questions that some students might have about FLEX that may not have been clear in the training.
“If a student isn’t flagged by their teacher, and hasn’t flagged them- selves by the time Flexisched locks at 5pm the day before FLEX, I as- sign the student a place. The first place I fill is the computer labs. If students are near a computer or in a quiet computer lab they can still work even though they may not have found a place on their own through FLEX. The second place we fill is the library, and then after that, the Cafeteria. If the student’s teachers have open spots, I’ll flag them there too,” Thornton said.
Some students may also wonder what classes can override what other classes in order to flag a student that had already been flagged somewhere else.
“Core teachers will have priority days that go in alphabetical order. The first day of FLEX, English held the priority, the second day will be math, science, and then social studies,” Thornton said.
Thornton also states that if a teacher wants to flag a kid from another teacher, but neither have priority, the teacher who flagged the student first takes the priority.
If students or parents have any questions about FLEX, they can as their teachers or Mrs. Thornton in room B102.
*Correction Northwest Vista offers Flex scheduling, but it’s a different program than at NISD schools.
New Teachers join campus
Graphic by Melanie Chapa
Interviews by Katelyn Meier and Melanie Chapa
Yearbook images sign up and retakes
Strawbridge photography is the new photo company for seniors and underclassmen. Seniors must sign up for their photo time on Oct. 5 or 12th outside journalism room M111. The first retake day is only two weeks away, sign up now. Seniors who fail to sign up or miss the retake days will risk not being in the 2020 yearbook. Plan ahead, take your photos. The yearbook pose is free, you can take other poses for an additional $10 each.
Underclassmen retakes are Oct. 10 8am-4:30pm in the M building lobby near the auditorium.
Almanza promoted to Assistant Athletic Director
Taylor Breig Staff Writer
In the month of April, Assistant Principal Sonia Almanza was promoted to the District
Athletic Director.This job comes with the expectation of working with high school and middle school coaches to help student-athletes represent Northside and their schools.
As a former head coach, assistant coach in multiple sports, and as an assistant principal, Ms. Almanza showed all the attributes of a great Director for Northside’s athletic department.
“I get to tap into my passion for athletics and the positive affect athletics has on students’ lives,” Almanza said.
Almanza hopes that this position can be a more prominent role in student life.
“Hopefully working with coaches and strengthening our athletic programs and building positive characteristic traits and values in our student athletes that will carry into their academics,” Almanza said.
When it comes to her dedication for the position, Almanza under- stands that this position is more than just a job within the district itself, but a job that affects the entirety of Northside and how it represents itself to both San Antonio and Texas.
“[I’m] able to work with all coaches and students in the district, not just a specific school and/or sport.Also representing Northside athletics not just in San Antonio, but in the state of Texas,” Almanza said.
This job is not simply one where she directs the athletic department, this position reaches beyond coaches and effects students directly. “Coaching multiple sports and working at different schools has allowed me to see different strategies and techniques that can be applied at other schools,” Almanza said.
Showing that Almanza has experience that would provide extensive support to the athletic department across all schools in Northside gives way to more changes and developments into athletics that will benefit athletes, coaches, and parents of athletes alike in the coming school years.
“I hope to inspire and be a resource for all coaches and students in the district. Seeing our former athletes come back to Northside to instill the same values they learned in a new group of athletes,” Almanza said.
With this hope in mind, the athletic department for the district is in good hands for next year’s athletics.
Almanza promoted to Assistant Athletic Director
Senior Eric Queller advocates for ‘Stop the Bleed’
Seva Hester
Editor-in-Chief
“The only thing worse than death is a death that could have been prevented,” senior Eric Queller said. Queller is an advocate for the National Stop the Bleed campaign.
The National Stop the Bleed campaign started in April 2013, four months after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. The campaign’s main goal is to prepare those who are in an emergency to be able to stop the bleeding from external wounds.
“The course gives the individual the necessary skills to render
aid to a person that has a severe bleeding injury,” Queller said. Queller addressed the Education Committee for the state Senate on Friday, May 17, 2019 about the need for the campaign’s training to be available in public schools, outlined in House Bill No. 496.
“I went to the Senate to testify because I believe that the government needs to hear from a student point of view,” Queller said. “I have put my whole heart into this issue and I will help and support in any means necessary to get this training out into our public education institutions.”
Queller shared he is open to go back to testify again if needed. At the Senate, Queller advocated for the need for the training of educators in case of an emergency.
“100 percent of external bleeds are preventable with applied pressure or the application of a tourniquet,” Queller said.
Queller, an Athletic trainer (A.T.) and HOSA member, worked to organize the Stop the Bleed training here at O’Connor high school and partnered with another senior at Brandeis to host a training as well. The Brandeis student, senior Natalie Muniz, was working to get with the Stop the Bleed project and raise awareness in her Independent Study Mentorship class.
Queller got involved with the Community Emergency response team locally and passed the exam about one year ago. He sat down and wrote his 15 page memorandum after the school shooting at Santa Fe High School. He also reviewed and discussed the safety and security plan with former Vice Principal Ryan Purtell. In the summer of 2017, Queller was asked to to be on the Northside school health and safety counsel.
Queller shared that he had his statement prepared and was ready to share his information but was apprehensive.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Queller said.
He gave 12 minutes of testimony and submitted his 15 pages to the health advisory council.
He shared his goal is to train 13,990 faculty and staff members in Northside ISD and is prepared to meet with the NISD board of trustees sometime in late May or early June.
Queller has also successfully worked with Governor Abbott to declare National Athletic Training Month officially in the state of Texas and was able to visit with Governor Abbott the same day of his state senate testimony and thanked Abbott for declaring March A.T. month.
Queller is enrolled at Midwestern State University for Fall 2019 and plans to major in Athletic Training. He also shared he is open to a future in politics and plans to work with MSU as an adviser or committee member to improve their emergency preparedness plans.
The Senate Education Committee voted on the bill on May 20, approving the plan to train educators. The bill will now move to the state Senate to be voted on.
Striking success: Bowling goes to State
Jennifer R. Gardner
Staff Writer
Pins lined up at the end of a polished lane. Cheers arise from the seats behind the pit as the undefeated Girls bowling team encourage each other with a unique cheer for each of its members.When they send the ball down the lane, they remember to relax and stay loose. According to senior Angelica Dominguez, the success of her team made her feel like she can do anything.
“I think our experience together has been memorable. It’s been a great joy to make new friends and hopefully, those friendships continue on and we’ll be able to call each other and say ‘hey we’re going bowling let’s go’,” Dominguez said.
Both of our State bound Bowling teams have secured a place this year at the State level.The girls’ team held an almost perfect season of 9 to 1, with their one loss belonging to Brennan High School, while the boys’ team possessed the same score losing only one game earlier in the season. This success, however, is the result of their dedication not only to the game but to each other. According to the team and the coaches, they always take the time to give out pointers and tips in order to help each other become better bowlers.
“Usually we sit down before our team match after our singles and we just we talk to each other.We make each other feel better [and] sometimes the guys [bowling team] come over and they help us out and we go into the team trying to do our best,” Talamantez said.
Through all the trials and tribulations that comes with perfecting their game these girls shared that they count every sacrifice as worth their while, and Dominguez describes one of the ways bowling has impacted her in life is in the way it has to lead her to be more confident and with that confidence to rely more on herself.
“In my opinion, San Antonio and the State of Texas have one of the best high school bowling clubs in the states. They have been working hard to make it a UIL sport so maybe one day that will happen but the Texas High School Bowling Club (THSBC) gives students the opportunity to compete at local, regional, state and national levels,” Head Bowling coach Greg Knierim said.
Senior Jennifer Doubrava shared a discus- sion she had with one of her coaches about how much she had improved since she joined the team as a freshman.
“It’s a fun bond between all your coaches because they’ve seen you grow from the beginning for most of us because most of us started when we were freshmen and they’ve just seen us get better and better. [It is] a cool experience especially since I’m a senior and like I’ve done it for four years it’s a really nice dynamic [we have],” Doubrava said.
One of the crowning achievements of our girls’ bowling team is how they have earned relatively high ranks for the singles division, meaning that most of the top students are from our school. Their chances for securing the title of ‘State Champions’ is pretty high.With all the success of the bowling team, however, it’s important to keep our hard-working coaches in mind as well.They sacrifice so much of their own time, including time with family and friends, volunteering to coach the teams and shape them into the fantastic bowlers they are today.
“I don’t consider this a job. Bowling has always been my passion and the fact that I can give my knowledge back to the youth in an effort to grow the sport of bowling is the only job I have,” Knierim said.
Bowling, as described by both the coaches and the team, is a mental game. Meaning that it is a game where you have to be mentally prepared and relaxed to get better at it. Our girls all shared that at least one tip they would give to freshmen joining the team is that they should focus on the present instead of worrying over the next frame. As Doubrava shared; take it one frame at a time.
“There is a lot of advice that can be given to the students when there are learning but the best advice is to focus on the moment. Bowling is a sport that is about 10% physical and about 90% mental, meaning that the thoughts and emotions that run through your head have more of an effect on the physical game than the physical ability itself,” Knierim said.
In light of this season, the girls’ drive and ambition have led them to their district champion title; topping the charts and earning not one, but two banners at Bandera Bowl.
“My favorite part of being a coach is seeing the potential of each individual and how they grow during the season to become better. Based on their performance, several college scholarships are available for high school bowlers.These scholarships can provide a good bit of financial help as well as give them something fun to do in college that they may not have been expecting.This opens a lot of opportunities that may not have been available,” Knierim said.