AISD Votes on School Closures
Sophie Chau, Staffer
January 15, 2020
After they stood for the pledge of allegiance, parents at a board meeting stood for something else: their children’s schools. More specifically, whether or not those schools should be closed. The Austin Independent School District (AISD) Board of Trustees voted 6-3 in a meeting on Nov. 18 to close...
One Campus, Two Schools
Gabrielle Jabour and Sarah Mines
January 15, 2020
Despite the fact that LASA and LBJ will continue to share a campus in the 2020-2021 school year, Austin Independent School District (AISD) and the University Interscholastic League (UIL) officials have decided that LASA and LBJ will split for UIL purposes and will no longer participate in UIL athletic...
Nobel Award Inspires Others
Diego Prozzi, Staffer
January 15, 2020
John B. Goodenough is a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the University of Texas at Austin and the latest recipient of the Nobel Prize. He received the Nobel Prize in 2019 at the age of 97, making him the oldest person to ever receive the Nobel Prize. He was awarded the Prize...
They Are The Jaguars, We Are Not The Jaguars
Luci Garza, Staffer
January 15, 2020
As LASA prepares to move to a campus in fall 2021 and leave the LBJ jaguar mascot behind, students and teachers alike are in search of a new mascot to represent the spirit of the school. In November, school members helped brainstorm the new mascot and school colors. After sharing a campus, mascot...
Vaping Under 21 Goes Up In Smoke
Ava De Leon, Staffer
January 15, 2020
In the past several years, vaping and smoking have become more common among young adults according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The popularity of these pastimes led to the introduction of Senate Bill 21 (SB 21), which increases the legal age to possess cigarettes or e-cigarettes. On...
The Sex-Ed Controversy
Grace Woodruff, Staffer
November 4, 2019
The birds and the bees haven’t changed, but the way AISD teaches them has. The AISD Board of Trustees has voted, and this year’s elementary and middle school students will be the first to learn the new sex education curriculum. The new curriculum focuses on anatomy, consent, and notably, LGBTQ+ identities. This...
Senate Bill 944
Sarah Mines, Editor-in-chief
November 4, 2019
Texas Senate Bill 944 is an amendment to the Private Information Act. Texas Senator Kirk Watson (D) drafted the bill which went into effect on September 1, 2019. SB944 primarily serves to clarify existing legislation set by court precedents by establishing a process for dealing with public information...
I Got 99 Problems and Homework Ain’t One
Luci Garza, Staffer
November 4, 2019
This school year, LASA administration instituted a new policy of No Homework Nights. Once every six weeks, typically at the end of the grading period, teachers are required to give students no homework. No Homework Nights were initiated to give students a mental break at the end of the six weeks and...
2040 Zero Waste Goal on Horizon
Diya D'souza, Staffer
November 4, 2019
The City of Austin has started fully implementing a Universal Recycling Ordinance (URO) as part of the city’s Zero Waste by 2040 goal. The URO is part of the city’s plan that applies to commercial properties and food-selling businesses. The ordinance is one part of the Zero Waste by 2040 goal...
Ice Ice Baby: Walker in Arctic
Eve Nguyen, Staff Writer
October 9, 2019
The Dalton Highway, a 414-mile dirt road, starts near Fairbanks, Alaska, and travels north past the Arctic Circle, ending at the Arctic Ocean. About 9.5 hours north of Fairbanks, up the Dalton Highway, is the remote Toolik Field Station. Planet Earth and Organic Chemistry teacher David Walker stayed...
Austin Faces Rising Rates of Urban Homelessness
Abigail Jackson, Staff Writer
October 9, 2019
Homelessness is on the rise in America. In Austin, there are over 2000 homeless people in need. Many of the homeless resort to living on the street or living in temporary housing provided by charitable organizations. The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH), which is run by Front Steps Organization,...
Bonjour Madame Cledelin
Ava De Leon, Staff Writer
October 9, 2019
Over the summer, LASA lost one of its French teachers, leaving the LASA administration hunting for a replacement before the start of the 2019 school year. Students who were scheduled to take AP French 4 were assigned a substitute teacher for the first two weeks of the year. A new teacher wasn’t officially...