WILLIAM J. BRENNAN

TH

E PAWPRINT2400 COTTONWOOD WAYSAN ANTONIO, TX 78253

VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 4FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

WHAT HISTORY MISSED, PG. 3 | BEST WHEELS FORWARD, PG. 11

THE DOLL EVOLVES

NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL

Pg. 6-7

Ph

oto

Illustra

tion

by A

lex C

zaja

Hope for the Holidays

THE PAW PRINT STAFF AND SUPPORT

The Paw Print is a student-produced publication, published multiple times a year by the newspaper class at William J. Brennan High School, under the direction of Adviser Fernando Serna, with support from Academic Dean Margaret Greff. The views expressed in the stories published reflect only the opinions of the writer, and not the entire publication staff, student body, faculty, staff or administration.

Student writers and editors adhere to Northside Independent School District and Brennan High School policies as outlined in the student handbook. NISD does not discriminate on the basis of color, race, origin, age, sex, or handicap.

Businesses and organizations interested in advertising with The Paw Print should contact the newspaper adviser for rates by calling 398-1250, or emailing him at Fernando.Serna@nisd.net. The Paw Print reserves the right to refuse any potential advertisers.

Letters to the editor or letters to the staff are encouraged under the following guidelines: letters must be signed and delivered to room C110. All rights reserved.

No part(s) of this newspaper publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any fashion without the consent of the adviser or school administration.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAlex Czaja

COPY EDITORLidia Garza

ART AND GRAPHICS EDITORGwyneth Burgos-Deal

STAFFNadya Herrera

Martha LealBen Mantanona

Maryah ParkerErin Urbina

Jeslyn Vasquez

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONSLauren BarmoreMathew Roman

ADVISERFernando Serna

ACADEMIC DEAN Margaret Greff

PRINCIPALGerardo Marquez

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2

3

News

Feature

A&E

Sports

What in the World

9 Through the Green

What History Missed

Typecasting

Opinion

11

Bring It On

WHAT IN THE WORLDBy Mathew Roman and Gwyneth Burgos-Deal

10

Race for 2016 ElectionFebruary marked the start of

the political process to elect the next president of the United States, beginning with the primaries, or caucuses, to be held in each state until each party selects a nominee for president.

The first caucus, held in Iowa Feb. 1, resulted in a win for Sen. Ted Cruz for the Republican Party, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won in the Democratic Party primary.

The New Hampshire primary Feb. 9 produced different results, with a win for billionaire Donald Trump for the Republican Party and Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Party.

The Nevada and South Carolina primaries resulted in wins for Trump and Clinton in both states. On Super Tuesday, March 1, Cruz won in three states, which included Texas; Trump took the remaining seven states. Clinton also won in seven states while Sanders claimed four states including his home state Vermont.

Death of Justice ScaliaEarly on Feb. 13, United States

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead from natural causes at

Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury resort in Shafer, Texas at the age of 79.

Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986 by Ronald Reagan. His rulings took a strong conservative stance and he believed in the theory of originalism which strove to interpret the constitution as the founding fathers did. He was one of the longest serving judges on the court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts.

Due to Scalia’s death, a vacancy now exists on the Supreme Court panel. In the coming months, President Barack Obama is expected to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice who then would need final approval by Congress.

Zika Virus AddressedOn Feb. 8, President Barack

Obama held a press conference regarding the spread of the Zika virus in South America, U.S. Commonwealth, and U.S. Territories, claiming the United States would combat the zika virus, a mosquito borne virus that leads to birth defects in pregnant women.

At the conference, President Obama called on Congress to pass

a bill that would give $1.8 billion to relief efforts for survivors of the virus and women who face challenges as their children were born with microcephaly, a birth defect that causes an abnormally small head due to lack of brain development, which leads to paralysis,

blindness, deafness and death.

Apple Vs. FBIAfter receiving the iPhone owned

by one of the San Bernardino gunmen who shot and killed 14 people in the December 2015 attack, the FBI reached out to Apple to help unlock the shooter’s phone. Apple received a court order to do so and is so far resisting this order, which requests the company create software the FBI can load onto the gunman’s phone in order to bypass the self-destruct feature after the incorrect password has been entered too many times.

Apple believes this violates privacy and First Amendment rights while the FBI believes unlocking the phone is essential to uncovering more about the terrorist group ISIS.

Apple has until March 15 to file their final reply.

2 | News

4-5 Bears Around the World

8

All Made Up

12

Best Wheels Forward

Follow us on Instagram:@brennanpawprint

Follow us on Twitter:@brennanpawprint

Spread6-7 The Doll Evolves

Art by Mathew Roman

News | 3

What History MissedUnknown Black Leaders Honored in Celebration of Black History Month

By Maryah Parker

Since 1926, Black History month has been recognized as a month for celebrating the achievements of African Americans. Usually, images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X come to mind in relation to this month. However, other figures also paved the way for African Americans, such as Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ella Baker and Claudette Colvin, often not talked about.

The first African-American justice on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall studied law at Howard University and was soon a part of the counsel for the NAACP.

Between 1934 and 1961, as an NAACP attorney, Marshall represented all many in disputes, which involved issues of “racial justice,” according to he History Channel online, “from trials for common crimes to appellate advocacy raising the most intricate matters of constitutional law. His exploits earned him the appellation ‘Mr. Civil Rights.’”

In 1954, he argued against the “separate but equal” doctrine in the Brown v. Board of Education case, in which the Supreme Court ended racial segregation in public schools.

Finally, on Oct. 2, 1967, Marshall was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice, becoming the first African American to serve on the nation’s highest court, serving for 24 years.

Marshall died on January 24, 1993, at the age of 84.

W.E.B. Du Bois, the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University, was one of the most important African-American activists during the first half of the 20th century.

He co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and supported Pan-Africanism, an ideology and movement based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social and political progress, and aims to “unify and uplift” people of African descent.

Also, he was the best known spokesperson for African-American rights and wrote extensively. W.E.B. Du Bois left his legacy behind on Aug. 27, 1963 – one day before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March in Washington – at the age of 95, in Accra, Ghana, while working on an encyclopedia of the African Diaspora.

Even though the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is named after this influential civil rights leader, many people are unaware of her efforts to end Jim Crow laws and discrimination. Baker fought for civil rights for five decades, working alongside W.E.B. Dubois, Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King Jr.; she even mentored Rosa Parks.

Baker studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina and challenged school policies she thought unfair. She graduated in 1927 as class valedictorian. Her passion for equality came from her grandmother’s stories from when she was a slave, driving her to join the Young Negroes Cooperative League in New York, the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She even founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee inspired by the Greenboro sit-ins.

Baker is mostly known for her saying, “Strong people don’t need strong leaders.” Ella Baker died on her 83rd birthday, Dec. 13, 1986 in New York City.

Rosa Parks is well-known for her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a public bus in Montgomery, Ala., in December 1955. But Parks’ civil rights protest did have a precedent. Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old student from a black high school in Montgomery, had refused to move from her bus seat nine months earlier.

However, Colvin is not nearly as well-known, and certainly not as celebrated, as Parks. On March 2, 1955, Colvin refused to give up her seat for a young white lady, arguing she had paid her fare, and it was her constitutional right. The bus driver dragged her off the bus because she refused to walk off. Police handcuffed her and put her in jail, allegedly harassing her along the way.

While some civil rights leaders wanted to take the case to court, they later decided against it after finding out Colvin had become pregnant a few months later, believing her image wouldn’t benefit the movement. Instead, Rosa Parks is seen as a symbol of civil rights.

Colvin is still alive today and continues to bring awareness to civil rights issues.

Silhouettes by Lauren Barmore

4 | Feature

Having studied accounting and management for the past three years, junior Ellen Chen has found a new calling – Business and Information Technology.

“I want to start an IT company that makes apps and games while providing the best service,” Chen said, also adding her goal is to “have people enjoy the product and be entertained.”

As for marketing the product, Chen aims to make an appealing and convincing advertisement, which would reach out through honesty and professionalism to the audience, beating competing opponents.

“When [we] do the commercials, we have to understand the meaning behind the commercials,” Chen said. “It isn’t just about convincing people to purchase your product, but to be able to tell a story and show that it is fitting and welcoming to everyone.”

Chen won second place in the accounting competition Business Professionals of America, and she was motivated to study abroad.

“I used to never study, but since I have found new motivation, I’m working hard and studying accounting whenever I can because I’m striving, and I hope to win at nationals,” Chen said. “Spending a year here really is shaping my outlook on what I want to achieve and where I want to be in the future career-wise.”

ELLEN CHEN – FERRARA, ITALY

While being pushed to try new things, the idea of moving away from home and into a new country for an entire year wasn’t immediately received with open arms by junior Eileen Reinsberg’s parents.

“I presented it to them first because I had the idea of studying abroad stuck in my head, and while they were not sure at first, when I told them the reasons, they understood. ‘Imagine the experience I can get and how much I can grow in this year,” Reinsberg said. ”It didn’t take very much persuasion; they raised me to be really open and to try new things.”

Moving out has quickly made a lasting impression on the small-town girl.

“I was pretty shy, and I kind of got over that and became more outgoing and less

childish,” Reinsberg said. “I’ve become more independent; it’s not that you’re completely alone, but the people that you would ask for advice, [they] are not here anymore.”

Reinsberg hopes to meet all kinds of new people and see personal growth through this experience.

EILEEN REINSBERG – BAMBERG, GERMANY

While she considers herself independent, junior Helena Skrede’s loved ones have made a strong impact on who she is, starting from her adoption from South Korea as a three-month-old to moving and being raised in Norway.

“My family and I have been going through a lot; they support and have confidence in me, so in return, I start believing in myself,” Skrede said. “Also, my boyfriend has done a lot for my self-esteem, which used to be really low, mostly because of looks, but the good people around me helped me out a lot.”

Warm and welcoming to meeting new people, Skrede is open to the idea of people approaching and wanting to get to know her.

“In the beginning when you first meet me, I can be shy, but I get comfortable really fast,” Skrede said.“I’m really friendly when it comes to people, even if initially, it doesn’t seem like that, but I love getting to know others.”

HELENA SKREDE – OSLO, NORWAY

Art by Mathew Roman and Gwyneth Burgos-Deal

By Lidia Garza

Photos by Lidia Garza and Ashley Tijerina

News | 2Feature | 5

People often expect cultural differences to come between them and connecting with foreigners, but sophomore SeongJae Lee has found an easy transition into the American culture.

“Living here and in Korea is essentially the same except for minor things, but people here are also nice, and I’m making friends,” Lee said.

Lee has had previous interactions with the American aspect of life, such as in sports.

“As a kid, I dreamed of being a baseball player, although now I continue to play baseball as well as basketball for fun,” Lee said. “My favorite teams are the L.A. Dodgers and the Lakers.”

Among other favorites comes the genre of hip-hop, where Lee’s top artists originate from both the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

“I like hip-hop and rap music,” Lee said. “Korean rappers I like are Bobby and Tiger J.k and as for Americans, I like Eminem.”

While Lee sometimes misses the company of his friends back home, he has enjoyed spending time with other foreign-exchange students and making new friendships in the U.S.

SEONGJAE LEE – SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

Many view plastic surgery as a purely vain and superficial practice, without considering the positive effects it cannot only have on self-conscious people but individuals looking for the surgical correction of deformities. People’s appearances play into more than just their looks but confidence and comfort with themselves.

Freshman MinSeok Kim’s goal is to become a doctor who not only changes people’s outer appearances but their inner appreciation for themselves.

“If people have a complex or are insecure about something, surgery can help them feel better about themselves,” Kim said.

Kim, the future plastic surgeon, agrees self-

esteem plays a major part in how people carry themselves.

“After the surgery, a person can find new self-confidence and reach a better [sense of] self-esteem,” Kim said.

MINSEOK KIM – ANSAN, SOUTH KOREA

International education has risen in popularity; this idea reached junior Shiho Yano after meeting a Pakistanian foreign exchange student studying in Japan.

“My friend had housed an exchange student, and we were introduced; they said that while it can be hard, it is also fun,” Yano said. “I wanted to give it a try and be off on my own for a while, try to be more independent.”

Along with being independent comes new responsibilities and challenges, but instead of letting them get in her way, Yano decided to push through.

“I’m hardworking; I don’t like to give up on

things but instead keep on trying,” Yano said.Yano states she will remain focused on

things important to her while experiencing other cultures and making new friends.

SHIHO YANO - TOKYO, JAPAN

6 | Editorial6

6 | Spread

Barbie symbolized all that could never be achieved. Not one female in this world could mirror Barbie’s figure (if she were a real person), yet this was the goal of many girls worldwide.

Blonde, with a tiny waist and large enough bust to look feminine and appealing, was the target look. However, this view created many self-esteem issues in adolescents and teens, and according to Mirror Mirror, a site about eating disorders, “the effects of Barbie and body image run deeper than you might imagine.”

Luckily, Mattel, Barbie’s creator, has introduced a new series of Barbies which includes petite, tall and curvy dolls, as well as Hispanic, Asian, white and black dolls with respective and correct features to ethnicity. This huge leap has created a positive reaction with the public, mirroring Millennials’ values of image and acceptance.

“I think it’s a really good idea because [it shows] that any girl, any size and shape can have confidence, and that she is perfect just the way she is,” sophomore Jane West* said. It’s empowering “for everybody when they see they can be who they are, then they don’t have to be afraid of who they are.”

However, this positive view on body image wasn’t always the norm. Many girls grew up feeling pressured to fit the mold that older Barbies created. With the extremely unrealistic mold, many girls would take extensive measures to attempt to fit this

expectation, even if self-imposed as opposed to pushed on by the toy maker. And now it just might be too late to get the image of what girls think is the perfect body out of their heads.

“I think Barbie contributed to me wanting to become her, because I was already feeling low about my body; it just kind of pushed it a little bit more,” sophomore Beatrice O’Riley* said talking about her struggles with body image, “to (hear) everyone say ‘oh Barbie is so perfect,’ and when you’re called not perfect, all you want to do is become the definition of it.”

While entering the second decade of the new millennium, Barbie has ushered a new wave of confidence for teens with their new dolls, although old, negative standards have shown to still be ingrained in young girls’ minds. According to an experiment conducted by Time magazine writer Eliana Dockterman, she watched unsupervised little girls play with the new Barbie

dolls and noted the reactions of the girls. One of the six-year-olds started to repeatedly call one of the dolls fat, illustrating body shaming still pervades this generation.

“Quite a few times, I have struggled with body image, and I think it was partially due to the fact that I was bullied and pretty chubby when I was

little, so especially being so young, it left a big imprint on my life,” O’Riley said.

Although what they have been advertising has been all about bringing a positive change for young girls, speculation about the change may not have been for this reason. Barbie’s sales have plummeted these past years, according to MarketWatch.

com. Because of this drop in sales, Mattel Chief Executive Officer Bryan Stockton was fired last year in January, and Mattel named Christopher A. Sinclair the new head of Mattel. One year after

YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE THE PERFECT

FEATURES TO FEEL CONFIDENT IN

YOURSELF

‘‘ ‘‘

– Junior Victoria Schulze

THE DOLL EVOLVES:NOT ONE SIZE

FITS ALLBY ERIN URBINA AND MARTHA LEAL

Photo courtesy of Mattel

Spread | 7

Sinclair became CEO, the new Barbie was created, and according to CNN, sales have increased eight percent worldwide during the fourth quarter.

Despite the sales and CEO controversy, Barbie’s change still will have a major positive impact on young girls, Mattel executives hope, by decreasing the percentage of young girls who are body conscious or suffering from eating disorders. Mattel spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni says the new Barbie dolls are “a better reflection of what girls see in the world around them,” and believes these new dolls will positively alter the way younger generations view body image.

“Body positivity is a problem in a lot of girls, younger girls and just teenage girls in general so having that out there helps that body positivity

motion I feel,” sophomore Michelina Haralson said. “And, I’m happy that the Barbie company is embracing that movement.”

Now, an entire generation of girls can play with dolls as diverse as today’s society. Different faces. Different shapes. Different sizes. Girls may no longer look at themselves in the mirror, tearing themselves apart, pointing out every flaw, scrutinizing their bodies, and being concerned with their self-images, comparing their bodies to others or giving themselves false expectations on what they should look like.

New Barbie could take care of many of these issues. Although even if issues with body image aren’t completely erased, this is a start in the right direction.

“I love the new Barbies; I think for little girls everywhere, it’s just gonna give them reassurance that you don’t have to look exactly like [the older] Barbie,” junior Victoria Schulze said. “You don’t have to have perfect features to feel confident in yourself, and I think it’s really nice that they have something that can relate to everyone who comes from all walks of life.”

Currently, new dolls sell for $10 only online at Mattel’s website, but they will eventually find their way onto store shelves around the world, changing the Barbie people once knew into someone many see every day.

(*Name changed to protect identity.)

THE EVOLUTION OF BARBIE

1959 20161990

200019801960

1970Photos Courtesy of Pinterest

8 | Feature8 | Opinion

TAKING

DO

WN TYPECASTING

BRENNAN DIVERSITY TAKES CENTER STAGEBY LIDIA GARZA

For 85 years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences almost always aims to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements throughout the movie industry, although many movie goers can call to question the authenticity of the Academy members actions as they overlook minorities for equally as impressive performances.

Hollywood’s habit is so common many fans may not have noticed 98 percent of producers, 98 percent of writers and 88 percent of actors nominated are Caucasian, according to Media Diversified.

While the acting industry falls suspect to inauthentic casting calls and nominations, students on campus assert they haven’t been subject to these injustices, and ethnicity does not get cast into the performance equation. Instead, those auditioning get judged solely on acting abilities.

“Typecasting is not at all relevant in any type of production we’ve done; if you look back a couple of years, we did ‘Grease,’ and in the movie, Sandy was white, but in our show, Sandy was played by a mixed actress [senior Jasmine Serra],” senior theater student Tyler Grunalt said. “No, there’s never been a case of typecasting because you can portray the playwright’s message with a multitude of actors or actresses.”

Although insecure of her acting when first auditioning for Sandy, Serra did worry her ethnicity would keep her from her role in “Grease.”

“I didn’t think I would get it because I don’t look like the original [race of the character,]” Serra said. “It really discourages people because they think they are not good enough since they are immediately typecasted into something, so it doesn’t push them to try out for better roles or for things that they normally wouldn’t do.”

Pushing the boundaries of inclusion, actors on campus need not worry about typecasting – unlike their professional counterparts. As such, the Oscars announced an all-white lineup of acting nominees last year, raising the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag on Twitter in response, and this year it appeared once more, slamming the Oscars yet again for a lack of nominee diversity, overlooking performances by people of color.

“It’s inexcusable that there was no diversity within the nominations,” sophomore theater student Michelle Broadbent

said. “The media and industry has a big problem with whitewashing and idealizing white people, and it needs to stop.”

Although, everyone nominated deserved the praise (some more than others); perhaps, people or rather the voting Academy members, could argue no outstanding performances came from people of color this year.

“It’s the fight in film,” senior theater student Robert Zamarripa said. “You shouldn’t nominate a movie just because of one actor; you should nominate a movie as a whole, and actors by the performances they play, not having a bias towards the color of their skin.”

Film critics could also disagree with Academy members, pointing out Michael B. Jordan, as Adonis Johnson, the son of Rocky Balboa’s late friend and former rival Apollo Creed, in the boxing drama “Creed,” Idris Elba as the psychotic and terrifying commandant in “Beasts of No Nation,” or Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, the hip-hop pioneer in “Straight Outta Compton,” which earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay (not by a writer of color, though).

While critics would argue performances from black actors were overlooked, Latino, Asian and Native American actors did not make the Oscars’ list, either.

“It’s difficult for women and minorities in the art world to get substantial roles – it’s true in theater for the most part; there are very limited plays that feature minorities,” theater director Francis Rosaly said.

So what exactly prevents people of color from capturing leading roles?

Some truth exists for the assertion that Hollywood producers are simply giving people what they want, and as the PBS series “America Beyond the Color of Lines,” which examines the past, present, and future of black-white race relations in the USA, confirms, many producers believe a bigger audience will be drawn if a white actor is cast.

“All movies that are made want to make money,” junior theater student Johann Tschetter said. “When you watch that advertisement, that commercial, that preview, you want to see somebody who you can instantly connect with, and so a lot of times what happens is directors just think ‘Oh well, the U.S. is predominantly white, so we’re gonna have a white actor because most people look like this person.’”

A leading role doesn’t have to be written to be black, or Asian, or any other race. A person of color can simply be a person – a person in a leading role.

“[Typecasting] boxes certain ethnicities. They are confined to only play certain roles. I’d rather not have [a person of color] be this [stereotyped character] because of their race. I’d rather they play who they want to act as, regardless [of their ethnicity],” junior theatre student Ryan Cowern said.

Subject to the underlying form of unfairness in the industry, minorities fall victim to the dark side of whitewashing, which refers to the tendency of media to be dominated by white characters, played by white actors and navigating through a story that will likely resonate more so with white audiences, based on European-centric experiences and world views.

“Really, they should just get people of that ethnicity to play that character. It’s been a problem for decades at best,” Cowern said. “It might be studios and networks don’t see confidence in ethnicities, so they think that by hiring white actors [the movie] will work, when really they should try and take a chance on other races, even if it doesn’t make as much money. [At least,] they made the attempt at trying to be diverse.”

Consciously or not, Academy members have failed to acknowledge the work of non-white actors for two consecutive years, which pushed the Academy to introduce a plan to improve Oscar diversity starting with itself. Academy members themselves will be more diverse, hopefully reflecting in the Academy’s choice of nominees.

“Changes are on their way, doubling the amount of minority and women voters by [the year] 2020,”Grunalt said.

While the aim to reach racial equality within the world of film and theater works its way into the professional acting world, younger actors, such as those on campus, are already setting a new progressive standard for openness in role opportunities for students of all ethnic backgrounds, not by judging their complexion but their talent.

Art by Gwyneth Burgos-Deal

News | 2News | 9News | 2A&E | 9

Bright-eyed with strong collar bones jutting out and rounded cheekbones beneath her black-rimmed glasses, her aura, one of determination with a gentle perseverance, junior Allyson Hackworth will do anything possible to achieve what she wants when it comes to theater productions.

Although, playing the Wicked Witch of the West in the recent production of “The Wizard of Oz,” her performance required more than what meets the eye.

“When I found out we were doing ‘Wizard of Oz,’ I was nervous because it’s a very small female cast. Most … have to be able to sing, and I’m not a very good singer. I … kinda want[ed] the Wicked Witch of the West, and I started looking into it, and I was like, ‘okay, I really want the Wicked Witch of the West.’”

Eventually it came to one defining moment – auditions. “There was just a moment on stage, looking at my

competition and looking at myself where I told my mom after the auditions, ‘it didn’t matter if I got the part or not, because if I didn’t get the part I was going to be upset. But, I knew there was nothing better I could do,” Hackworth said. “And if someone else got the part, it was truly because they were better than me and not because I went out on stage and messed up because I gave it everything I had.”

Indeed, this young actress has huge talent.She is “completely dedicated, disciplined, goes above and

beyond the call of duty with everything she does,” Theater Teacher Frances Rosaly said. “She was fantastic, she would bring something new every single time to rehearsal and got bigger and bigger and bigger. It was like she just did it automatically; I was so proud of her.”

Hackworth, however, didn’t always make the top of the list in regards to casting, perhaps due to her shyness. Her beginning, though, started from the smallest of things.

“When I was in the advanced reading program, we read ‘Macbeth.’ It was the first play I had ever read,” Hackworth said, “… we were going to perform it on stage just for our class, and there was something about that moment … I just

remember something changed in me, and for one moment, things made sense.”

Even from the beginning, being on the stage left her with a feeling she loves, one only acting can bring.

“There’s a moment on stage that’s shared between the actor and the audience. Many people try to say that with theatre, you get out on the stage, and you forget about all of your problems, … but I completely disagree with that,” Hackworth said. “I feel … I forget everything that’s going on. But then it hits me, and … I remember everything ... I can take all of the emotion that I’m feeling inside, and I can put it in a character … people think I’m just putting out a great performance when in reality it’s a really great release for me. All of the tension is just gone.”

The love of an audience, the rehearsal process, all only led to chorus or background roles in middle school.

“I wasn’t really getting leads, … so at first, I was really disappointed because I kept comparing myself to the other actors who were getting leads,” Hackworth said. “I remember telling myself that I could never do this.”

However, this would soon change.“I started to work constantly to become a better actor, a

better dancer,” Hackworth said. “I did everything I could, and my first big role came my seventh grade year; I got Zaneeta Shinn in ‘The Music Man.’”

Her determination only grew from this, growing from “Twelfth Night” to her portrayal of the infamous Wicked Witch.

“I did a lot of research … such as ‘Wicked,’ the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, all kinds of books and TV shows, and I really … tried to find the humanity in her,” Hackworth said, “because so many people play her as a caricature … I wanted to play her outrageous! But before I could do that, I had to find out who she was as a human being.”

All this begins with finding Miss Gulch’s motives with wanting to take Toto away from Dorothy, who she saw “as a bratty teenage little girl, whose dog was chasing her cat

around, whose dog was biting her and tearing up her garden and nobody was doing anything about it,” Hackworth said. “Everybody was taking this kids side, so she goes to the police, … and they decide that this dog is bad for her and the community. So [Miss Gulch] tries to take the dog away, and everybody acts like she’s the villain.”

Her Ozian counterpart is just as troubled, and playing a villain does present challenges.

“There were so many points in the show where I was overwhelmed,” Hackworth said. “Through the Wicked Witch, I was able to find that I could scream at the top of my lungs, and nobody would look at me weird because that’s who she was. … And through the Wicked Witch, I was able to get out all of my emotions.”

Acting, being on stage, provides Hackworth with what many other actors experience, anxiety.

“I’ve reached points where my anxiety does engulf me, … [sometimes] I’m overwhelmed at school,” Hackworth said. “I … would be in the makeup room or in the girls’ dressing room hoping that nobody would find me because … I felt like I wasn’t living up to the standards that people had set for me. And I’d get back up there on stage and I’d rush.”

Apprehension turned to applause, which transformed into recognition of a first-rate performance.

“All the seniors I’d been looking up to, all these people that I had been trying to hide the fact that I was struggling, [they] just turn[ed] and looked at me … with awe in their eyes,” Hackworth said. “They cheered, and they hollered, and that moment, I knew I hadn’t let them down; that it was okay that sometimes I get really stressed out.”

With pressure to stand out, understanding how to cope can only come from within.

“There is nothing [you] can do to change what [you’re] going through or to make [yourself] better because it doesn’t magically get better overnight; it’s something you have to work towards,” Hackworth said about stressful situations. “Be you, be you no matter who you are.”

SEEING THROUGH THE

GREENACTING OVERCOMES ANXIETY

BY JESLYN VASQUEZ

Ph

oto

by La

ure

n B

arm

ore

10 | A&E

FAIR SKIN OLIVE SKIN DARK SKINFoundation:

For this skin tone it’s very easy to get the “caked-on look” so beware of adding an extra layer of powder, which can make you look overly made-up and matte. Instead of looking super oily or extra matte, switch to a lighter or tinted moisturizer.. Try using Laura Mercier, Kiehl’s BB cream or Josie Maran tinted moisturizers to substitute the powders that are, unfortunately, your worse enemy. Lipsticks:

Some of the best lipsticks for this skin tone are all from MAC’s Ultimate Lipstick line which include colors like, Be a Lady, Dreaminess, Be Fabulous, Elegant Accent

and Ladies Who Lunch. All of these are bright colors, which pop out on lighter skin tones.Eyeshadow:

When it comes to eyeshadows, bright pinks, blues and greens work best on fair or lighter skin tones. For example, the 35S Color Smokey Eyes, 35B Color Glam Palette, 35C Multi-Color Matte Palette and the 35E Bling Eyeshadow from morphebrushes.com have a selection of vibrant colors that will definitely pop on this skin tone.

Foundation: When finding the perfect under eye

concealer, be sure to choose one that is no more than one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. However for a foundation, find one that matches your skin tone perfectly. Try NARS, the TruBlend collection from Covergirl, Neutrogena Healthy Skin or the Revlon Colorstay foundations or concealers. Lipsticks:

For lipsticks, any color works great except for nude colors. Light browns are not your best friend, as they make your lips look dry. Light pinks, purples and oranges are great colors though. Lipsticks that are best for olive skin tones are Viva Glam Ariana Grande, Magic of the Night, All Fired Up and Evening Rendezvous which are all from MAC. Eyeshadows:

For eyeshadows, anything with golds, greens and browns will be great on this color. The 35T and 35W are palettes from morphebrushes.com that have 35 different shades and colors in one palette that go great with tan to light brown skin tones.

Foundation: Dark skin tones can use the same

foundations that olive skin tones use, however, it is beneficial to buy a concealer that matches your foundation perfectly and blend them together. The best foundations are Iman Cosmetics, the CoverGirl Queen Collection, Fashion Fair, BareMinerals, and Black Up Cosmetics which are specialized for dark skin tones, although a little on the pricier end. Lipsticks:

For lips, also stay away from contrasting colors. Nude lipsticks will make your lips look dried out instead of creating a healthy, moisturized look. Also, just like the olive/tan skin tones, don’t be afraid of wearing colorful lipstick colors; purples, pinks and oranges look great on dark skin tones. MAC has the Mineralize Rich lipstick line which includes colors like Bold Spring, Be a Lady, Elegant Accent, Everyday Diva and Lush Life which accent this skin tone well. Eyeshadows:

Luckily, ladies with dark skin can pull off golden and bronze tones which work well for a natural daytime look as well as an elegant nighttime look. Some singular eyeshadows, from morphebrushes.com include ES511 Hooked, ES513 Envy, ES508 Unleashed and ES506 Helena.

ALL MADE UPALL SKIN TONES HAVE THEIR DOS AND DON’TS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKEUP,

WHICH IS WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU.

BY MARYAH PARKER

Art by Mathew Roman

News | 2News | 11News | 2News | 11News | 2Sports | 11

Senior Jade Aguilar races down the track field, pushing her way toward the finish line. Unlike other track athletes, wheels, not feet, carry Aguilar the 100-meter distance.

Aguilar, a para-athlete, first gained interest in the sport last year – purely by chance.

“Last year, my coach, Coach [Linda] Fair, came up to me, and she asked me if I wanted to join the team,’” Aguilar said, “and I was like, ‘Sure!”

Without any previous experience, Aguilar was nervous about not only the prospect of a new opportunity, but also the strains the wheelchair would put on her.

“I was actually excited, but scared at the same time,” Aguilar said. “I asked my mom first, and my mom was like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this, I mean, you’ve never done anything like this before.’ She’s like, ‘You’re gonna hurt; your bones are gonna hurt,’ and I’m like ‘Okay, I don’t really care.’”

With this as her first year on the team, Aguilar had to take on a lot of training to prepare herself for the physical aspect of her track events, which include shot put and the hundred in the wheelchair division. For her first competitive meet, Aguilar displayed strong self-confidence, racing on the outside lane with the other 100-meter runners, although in her regulation racing wheelchair, and unofficially clocking in at 40.23 seconds.

“We had a rocky start, but Coach Fair and her teammates rallied behind her in the 100m where she had a strong finish,” Head Girls Track and Field Coach Fetima Jordan said about the para-athlete. “Her teammates have welcome[d] with open arms, [to] support her and have made feel part of the team.”

Training on the track takes on a new meaning for Aguilar, who must build upper-body and arm strength, as opposed to lower body workouts, so she can continue to stay below and better than the state mark of 45 seconds.

“I do my afternoon lap first, during the track period, and then Coach Fair usually tells me I’m doing the bike today, which is something I use for the hundred,” Aguilar said. “Or she’ll tell me to go to the weight room with the other girls, and we do the weights.”

One of the most significant changes in Aguilar’s lifestyle was the transition from a motorized chair to a manual one.

“When Coach Fair asked me to join, and we talked to Miss Wendy, the lady who got me into the program, she told me I couldn’t use my motorized [chair] and gave me a month to get off the motorized [chair],” Aguilar said.

“So that was a big change but … not anymore. Now I don’t even use it – if anything, it’s just for a quick use, and that’s it.”

Since she’s started, Aguilar has improved her lifestyle significantly and found it has given her life balance.

“This is the first time I’m doing anything like this,” Aguilar said. “When I was little, I always wanted to do something, but my parents couldn’t really find a balance. Most handicapped kids are very severe, more severe than I am, so it’s kind of hard to find somebody that’s in between.”

Now that she’s in track, worlds of possibility have opened up for her.“Besides [creating] a healthy lifestyle, it has also shown my parents that I

can be somewhat independent and not rely on them so much,” Aguilar said. “I have my teammates to back me up, but sometimes I’m by myself, which kind of teaches me how to handle certain things on my own without having my parents by my side all the time.”

Looking back, Aguilar values the impact of her new-found interest on every aspect of her life.

“Before I had my track, it was just normal teenage things. You had your school problems or whatever, but I think track has given me more patience, and I’m not always upset anymore,” Aguilar said. “You can always just remember, ‘I’m really upset right now, but I can take it out on my workout, I don’t have to take it out on anybody else,’ so that’s always nice to know.”

Aguilar, with a shot put distance of 8 feet, surpassed the state qualifying mark of 7 feet in her first shot put divisional competition.

“In May, I will submit Jade’s best mark in the shot put and time in the 100-meter to the UIL for the state track meet,” Coach Jordan said. “It is a qualifying mark, but she is competing with the entire state of Texas with wheelchair athletes. Only nine athletes qualify to compete at the state meet in all the events (shot put, 100-meter and 400-meter). If there are more than nine qualifying marks and times, UIL will choose the nine athletes going to the state meet.”

While Coach Jordan is not sure of all the wheelchair athletes competing in Texas, she remains confident Aguilar can compete at the state level, regardless of her struggles.

“Jade’s challenges are those only in her head,” Coach Fair said. “If she has the drive (and I know she does), she will overcome those challenges and succeed. She has already taken the first step of dedicating her senior year to training, and our team and her future looks very bright.”

Putting Best Wheels ForwardPara-Athlete Passes State MarkBy Jeslyn Vasquez

Ph

oto

by M

ath

ew

Ro

ma

n

Ph

oto

by M

arya

h P

arke

r

100-Meter Racer. On her modified racing wheelchair, Jade Aguilar completes the 100-meter race with an unofficial time of 40.23 seconds, more than meeting the minimum state requirement of 45 seconds. Her time, “is a qualifying mark, but she is competing with the entire state of Texas with wheelchair athletes,” Coach Jordan said. “Only nine athletes [can] qualify to compete at the state meet in all the events (shot put, 100-meter and 400-meter)” for para-athletes.

Reaching Far. Para-athlete Jade Aguilar throws the shot put 8 feet, surpassing the state minimum of 7 feet, and possibly qualifying for state. “Jade’s dedication and happy spirit [have] brought a positive team morale to the team, along with [inspiring] the coaches,” Head Girls Track and Field Coach Fetima Jordan said, who will submit her best distance at the end of the season to see if Aguilar has qualified for state competition.

12 | Sports

The cheer team “left their hearts on the mat” at the 2016 National Cheer Association (NCA) Junior and Senior High School cheer competition on Jan. 23 and 24, placing third in their category among the nation.

Up against seven other cheer teams, the girls’ performance scored a total of 95.68 points out of 100. The girls’ performance spanned across two days, earning a score of 94.10 on day one and a score of 96.20 on day two.

“In the Small Advanced Division we were in third place,” junior cheerleader Rhiannon Ochoa said. “We also got best use of stunts and best use of jumps.”

The team felt the scores they got were not what they deserved and thought their performance was worthy of a first-place prize. However, it was a missing teammate, not lack of skill, that led them to fall short.

“The only reason that we didn’t get first was because we didn’t have 12 people, we had 11, and that’s only because somebody got hurt, so we couldn’t compete with 12,” junior cheerleader Savanna Harsh said. “Because of that, we lost to the other teams who have more people, which I think is unfair because we did way better than their teams.”

Both sophomores Destany Aguilar and Gabrielle Guerra were injured, causing the team to fall short in numbers. Guerra, who was the alternate for the team, was already suffering from a back injury which worsened over time and Aguilar fell and injured her head in a stunt, preventing her from returning to school for almost a month.

“It was very heartbreaking because the whole reason I tried out and I wanted to make the team was so I can go to NCA and win with these girls,” Guerra said, “so I was sad.”

The girls attempted to redeem themselves after last year’s performance, which earned them a score of 94.75, landing them in third place as well. Using this as incentive, they proved they could pull off a good performance.

“It was kind of based on redemption from last year,” Ochoa said. “We just [went] there and did what we needed to do.”

The routine, which was set to a mash-up of songs, was performed with initiative and passion, according to the cheerleaders.

“We definitely should have been placed at first,” junior cheerleader Gabriella Alaquinez said. “Not only was there

passion [and] talent, but there was commitment; we were all united, dedicated, and this team literally worked day in and day out. There was no stopping this team.”

Their love for the sport brings them all together and it is this love that creates a bond not easily broken between the girls.

“We’re just a close-knit family as a group,” Harsh said. “It’s a second family [with which] we spend every waking hour we can ... and we commit to one another to perform the best that we can and uphold Brennan’s reputation.”

Even the rest of the team who did not compete were there to support their fellow cheerleaders and recognized their success on the mat.

“I think they did the best they could, and it was definitely the best performance they’ve put on, and despite what the score and the place was, they were the best team that was out there,” sophomore cheerleader Mehghen Hurst said. “That was again the best performance that I have ever seen them do; it was better than any practice and any other previous competition; they did exactly what they came to do, and they left their hearts out there.”

ON THE MAT

BRING IT ON:THE BRENNAN FIGHT

BY MARTHA LEAL

Rising to the Top. Flyer Maya Amos (left), a junior on the cheer team for the NCA competition, prepares for a stunt while being supported by her teammates.Girls in Formation. Cheer team members (above) line up to sing and perform the Brennan cheer at the NCA national competition in Dallas, Jan. 23.

Standing Tall. Sophomore Nautia Hernandez, senior Haley Linderman and junior Maya Amos, who are all flyers, are boosted up by bases, creating a strong and confident formation.

A Head Turning Performance. Senior Briana Saldaña (middle) lands her tumbler with a wide smile while junior Savanna Harsh finds herself in the midst of her own flip.

All Together Now. The selected cheerleaders for this year’s NCA competition (right) all complete a clean and synchronized toe touch.

Ph

oto

s cou

rtesy

of N

CA

Sta

ff Ma

nny F

lore

s