Guns and Gasoline: What’s in Your Trunk?
Wrenny Collamer, Staffer
January 9, 2020
In the fall of this year, Texas House Bill 1143 passed in the Texas legislature, restricting Texas schools' power to limit how guns can be transported and stored in school parking lots. The changes in legislation have implications for all Texas school campuses, including LASA. Public speaker Sasha Ashton...
Give Me Literacy Or Give Me Death
Beck Williams, Staffer
January 9, 2020
Book banning or censorship of information is often thought to be practiced mostly by authoritarian governments. However the reprehensible practice of banning books is even practiced in the United States, and absolutely has to end. Across the country, local governments and school boards enact bans on...
The Current Landscape of Big Tobacco
Wrenny Collamer, Staffer
January 9, 2020
The nicotine industry has changed a lot since the days of Hollywood actors endorsing cigarette brands, but one thing still holds true: large and influential tobacco companies, like Marlboro, Newport and Camel are not going anywhere. Tobacco brands are leveraging their power to lock down control of the...
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Abigail Jackson, Staffer
January 9, 2020
As a junior, college is always on my mind. I’m always studying in my free time to bring up my GPA, preparing for the SAT or scrolling through Naviance looking at which colleges would be a good fit for me. I’ve considered following in my older sister’s footsteps and going to the University of Arizona...
Education Within Prison
Sophie Chau, Staffer
January 9, 2020
There are 2.2 million people in the U.S. prison system today. That’s about 25% of the world’s prison population held in a country that holds only 5% of the world’s population, according to the American Psychological Association. In order to decrease the country’s prison population, we need to...
AISD School Closures Disrupt District Equality
January 9, 2020
In the next 10 years, seven thousand students from the Austin Independent School District (AISD) are expected to leave the district in favor of a charter school, an alternative school or an alternative district. AISD has claimed that under-enrollment has essentially forced the Board of Trustees to close...
What the Pilgrims Don’t Want you to Know
Wrenny Collamer, Staffer
November 4, 2019
In America, Thanksgiving is considered a day of celebration, but it can be a bit unclear as to what Americans are celebrating. President Lincoln proclaimed the holiday as a day to encourage American unity in the midst of the Civil War. Lincoln focused on the solidarity of the Union, inviting people to...
Our Stance on the Impeachment Inquiry
November 4, 2019
Many Americans assume impeachment results in the removal of the President or another elected official from office. Recently, it has been muddled in the murky waters of political rhetoric that inhibit basic civic understanding for the average American. The topic of impeachment is a catalyst for passionate...
The Pros and Cons of Wearing Student IDs at LASA – Pros
Skylar Sidensol-Denero, Staffer
November 4, 2019
As you have most likely noticed, many students haven't been wearing their IDs. Even I am guilty of forgetting it at home or leaving it in my backpack. But in the past 10 years, threats and violence towards schools have become increasingly prevalent. In 2018, there were 24 school shootings, and so far...
The Pros and Cons of Wearing Student IDs at LASA – Cons
Luci Garza, Staffer
November 4, 2019
In a time when school shootings are at an all-time high, there has been considerable pressured applied to school districts to help make students feel safe on campus. Due to concerns surrounding school safety, officials in LASA’s administration announced that to respond to very real dangers they would...
Why Money in Politics is Undemocratic
Aaron Booe, Commentary Editor
November 4, 2019
Politicians from both parties promise change but rarely deliver. They are elected on the promise of change but later reveal they are committed to preserving the status quo. While they may vote on legislation, it becomes clear that it is not the public they are keen on serving, rather those who financed...
Review of the Hottest Place to Eat on Campus
Beck Williams, Staffer
November 4, 2019
For many teenagers, cafeteria food is a staple of the high school experience. A cheap and easy way to fill up, some students find it easier to get school-provided lunches than to bring their own from home. Being such a large part of high school culture, these lunches are often portrayed in movies and...