Alex McGahagin Talks Choosing the Right College

Tatiana Brown, Editor-in-Chief

May 15, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

Top ten percenters aim to attend Ivy League or highly competitive colleges, however, senior and valedictorian Alex McGahagin would rather attend a college that specifically focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM. “I find myself pretty inclined towards STEM programs,�...

Sherwood Tries New Teaching Methods After Trip to India

Xander Christou, Staff Writer

May 15, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

Visual Communications teacher Melanie Sherwood spent her summer traveling around India, and came back with new visions for her classroom and a mission to teach with peace. Her trip was coordinated by the International School For Jain Studies and the PTSA. She is the third Austin High teacher to attend t...

Tiana Gardner Joins the 1,000 Point Club

Juan Montelongo, Staff Writer

May 15, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

Tiana Gardner scored 1,000 points in a basketball during her senior year, making her one of four students to accomplish this achievement at the school in the last 25 years. “That was a really huge milestone for me and something I really worked hard for,” Gardner said. Although she accomplish...

Josephine Montminy Shows Off Her Award Winning Goat

Willa Roberts, Staff Writer

May 8, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

Junior Josephine Montminy has found a passion for raising animals, specifically one goat named Ferdinand that she trains and displays at state-wide livestock shows. Montminy has grown up around animals, leading her to discover her interest in showing and her desire to pursue a career in the environm...

Counseling Staff is not One Size Fits All

Katarina Carrico, Staff Writer

February 25, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

Counselors are there to help, but there are different types of counselors, who are tasked to deal with certain areas of a student’s academic life. Sherri Patton-Grubb is a wellness counselor, meaning she focuses more on the mental health of students. “I get here about 8:00 and meet with stude...

Lydia Heisel Takes a Closer Look at National Parks

Angie Black, Editor In Chief

January 10, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

It is not often that students have the opportunity to branch out and interact with the lands around them. Junior Lydia Heisel was given the chance to learn about the National Park System and see history first hand. “I think this is a great opportunity for teenagers to be able to interact with the N...

20 People per Minute Physically Abused in the U.S.

Katarina Carrico, Staff Writer

January 9, 2019

Filed under Life & Arts

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), on average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S. During one year, this applies to more than 10 million women and men. Abuse is an important yet misunderstood subject often not talked...

Low Wages Lead Teachers to Second Jobs

November 15, 2018

Filed under Life & Arts

Teachers all over America walked out of their classrooms to raise awareness about low wages and the financial distress they’re put in. As of 2018, the annual salary for an Austin teacher is $55,261 according to salary.com. With the average living cost in Austin being $53,225, it’s barely enough t...

Phone Addictions Affect 50% of Teens

Katarina Carrico, Staff Writer

October 19, 2018

Filed under Life & Arts

In a test done by Common Sense Media, 50 percent of teens admit to cell phone addictions. Although phones can be very practical, there are many physical, social, and emotional side effects from using cell phones. According to a New York Times report, on average both teens and adults check their phones e...

Travel THAIme: AGS Seniors to Travel to Thailand

Xander Christou and Willa Roberts

October 19, 2018

Filed under Life & Arts, Showcase

The Academy for Global Studies senior class will be travelling to Thailand instead of China this year on an eight-day-long service-oriented trip to the north region in an effort to boost service learning. The new senior trip was planned by the AGS director and EF Tours and is tailored to the AGS curr...

Cooney Takes Over Debate, Model UN

Willa Roberts, Staff Writer

September 7, 2018

Filed under Life & Arts

New Debate and Model UN teacher, Lauren Cooney, has lived and worked all around the world, gathering insight and experience bringing her to her current role at Austin High School. Ms. Cooney has taught for the majority of her life and has found her passion for learning and travel. “I actually st...

Seniors Consider Benefits of Taking Gap Year

Lauren Ward, Staff Writer

February 23, 2018

Filed under Life & Arts

Senior year is the time where everyone starts attempting to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their life, and a large part of this decision is whether or not to go to college. There are many reasons to go down the higher learning path, but there are also many down sides. For some s...