The Official Student Newspaper of Braswell High School @TheBengalBeat
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021|| Aubrey, Texas || Vol. 5 || No. 4 Nhan Nguyen, Staff Writer
The Ever Given ship became stuck at the Suez Canal, Mar. 23, after being blown by strong winds. Gabriel Lucindo/Unsplash
Mar. 23: The Ever Given ship approached the Suez Canal with caution. This new and larger form of container transportation, made by Evergreen, had never been tested before. If done well, the world would become even more connected due to decreased shipment delivery time. However, half way through the small canal, strong winds pushed the ship sideward blocking the whole canal. Strong winds caused the hull to deviate, hit the
bottom and run aground. The 400-meter long ship had been lodged in the throat of the Suez Canal, the world’s busiest canal. Time was ticking down. The authorities and crew on board hurried to break the Ever Given free. “If they are unable to pull her free in a high tide, they are going to have to start removing cargo,” the Evergreen Marine Corp said in a statement to BBC News. Mar. 24: The Ever Given continued to be stuck in the canal while a larger problem emerged; ships began to line SEE NEWS ON PAGE 3
Aaliyah Breedlove, Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Caitlyn Mills
Caitlyn Mills, Staff Writer Melting metals together and using fire can be dangerous if proper precautions are not taken. This is welding and anyone can do it. Students generally like welding because they like the slow process of forming their creations. They work in SEE A&E ON PAGE 5
SEE OPINION ON PAGE 2
There’s nothing more detrimental to our culture and society than the ignorance and racism being displayed throughout America. The racial issues at hand being the Asian hate that’s being excused and spread. Society has been normalizing disrespect and hate crimes against the Asian community throughout modern-day America and across the world as well. This is all related to the ignorance and neglect of Asian influence in our world. Jain Kim, a journalist at CNN, wrote an article about her parents; two immigrants who came from Korea to the U.S. for a “better life”. Yet, despite this, they were taught how to be the perfect “model minorities” by doing as they were told and always keeping their “eyes on the prize”. According to Kim, the prize being to keep the “American ideal alive but in
IN THE KNOW Page 2
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
THE BENGAL BEAT Editors-in-Chief Aaliyah Breedlove Reagan Netherland
Staff Members Ericka Anderson Amiah Bell Madison Cardenas Caleb Davis Diego Gonzalez Najah Harris Ramayah Jackson Austin Kiser Emmanuella Mbonu Caitlyn Mills Miranda Newton Nhan Nguyen Halle Perry Hailey Redden Myrical Roberts Alexys Rodgers Mia Romani Mahnoor Sadiq Janaye Sweat Tyler Thomas Reece Thompson Da-Kwuon Walters
Vol. 5 || No. 4
BRASWELL GETS UPGRADED Janaye Sweat, Staff Writer
The Bengals began seeing new faces on campus as renovations to the football stadium and another academic wing broke ground towards the beginning of 2021. In December 2020, the Denton City Council approved a request to rezone the land that would allow the expansion project to move forward. “The hallways will be less crowded with the extra hallway and hopefully the freshman won’t be intimidated,” sophomore Fiona Saldia said. “Also, with the new stadium I’m excited [to see] what the school will look like in two years.” The brand new stadium is projected to hold additional locker rooms and a visitor’s concession stand with space for food trucks, parking and a turf area for children to play, increasing the seating capacity from 1,000 to 7,124. “We want to get all of the kids playing on Friday night,” Jason Blanks, an architect who is working to renovate Braswell Highschool said. “We want to get back to Friday
night football instead of having to share one facility.”. By the time the work is complete, the school is expected to be a major hosting site for sports like football, track, and soccer. “With a new large stadium being built,” sophomore Josie Marshall said. “It’ll bring more people out to sports events and grow each sports program.” The district plans to construct additions to the northeast side of the building for more room and more citizens to join the school. ”Because we are a 6A school and more people are moving into the area, it will be helpful to have more space in the halls,” sophomore Caitlin Cornell said . Renovations are projected to be completed by the 2022-2023 school year. With school being dismissed in May, most of the construction should be completed over the summer. “The neighborhood has grown a lot,” Marshall said. “[Our] campus will be better to serve students and allow more space for more families to join our community.” #
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Phyliciá Anderson panderson@dentonisd.org 972-347-7746 To pitch a story or learn more about school advertising options, please email bengalbeat16@gmail.com.
The construction team reviews plans. Scott Blake/Unsplash
IN THE KNOW Vol. 5 || No. 4
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
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THE $54 BILLION SUEZ CANAL CRISIS NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
up outside the canal. With the only entrance through the canal blocked, other cargo ships were unable to continue their journey until the problem was resolved. “Egypt will likely seek $1 billion in compensation for physical and financial damages resulting from the grounding of the massive cargo ship Ever Given,” Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, head of Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement to USA Today. “The compensation would cover losses from transit fees, the cost of six days of dredging and tugboat activity, and damage to the canal from the dredging.” Mar. 26: The U.S. government realized the potential impact on the market, not only in Egypt, but everywhere in the world. Almost 300 vessels were reported by Bloomberg to have queued up, compared to the 238 on Thursday, Mar. 25. “The Biden administration is tracking the situation closely,” white house press secretary Jen Psaki said during a white house press conference. “As part of our active dialogue with Egypt, we have offered U.S. assistance to Egyptian authorities to help reopen the canal. We are consulting with our Egyptian partners about how we can best support their efforts.” The ships were still stuck behind the Ever Given with the crew on board still unable to do their jobs. In connection with the
ongoing efforts to dislodge the container ship that ran aground during its passage through the Suez Canal, the SCA values the offer of the United States of America to contribute to these efforts, and looks forward to cooperating with the U.S, according to the SCA website. While the crew tried their best to steer the ship out of the canal, local authorities used tug boats and excavators to try and give the ship more space. However, the giant boat remained stuck in place. “Our utmost priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our crew,” Ian Beveridge, Chief Executive Officer at Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said in a statement to Reuters. “We are in regular contact with them [the crew] and their families, offering all necessary support. While we are hoping that the vessel and her crew will be able to resume the voyage as soon as possible, we are incredibly proud of our master and crew.” Mar. 29: After a long period of hard work and effort to dislodge the stubborn giant, it finally gives way. The captain confirmed the Ever Given would be cautiously navigating to the Great Bitter Lake nearby and would be given a full inspection. “I am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the SCA successfully refloated the Ever Given on 29 Mar. at 15:05 hrs local time (9:05 a.m. ET), thereby making
free passage through the Suez Canal possible again,” Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, the salvage firm hired through SMIT Salvage to rescue the Ever Given, said in a statement to the Guardian. After the six day ordeal, the crew and companies involved were able to resume their travel plans. The crew was able to get back to work and travel home to see their families. “Today, Egyptians have succeeded in ending the crisis of the delinquent ship on the Suez Canal despite the massive technical complexity surrounding this process on every side,” Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said in a statement to the New York Times. “Returning things to normal course, in Egyptian hands, reassures the whole world of the path of its goods and needs passed by this axial artery.”
Photo by Gabriel Lucindo/Unsplash
IN THE KNOW Page 4
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
Vol. 5 || No. 4
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS AFTER COVID
Freshman Jasmine Joseph finishes her classwork for the week in the upstairs A hall conference space. Photo by Reagan Netherland
Reagan Netherland, Editor-in-Chief
Between the COVID-19 pandemic, new leadership, the transition from 5A to 6A competition and more, Bengal Nation faced several obstacles during the 2020-2021 school year. As the school year came to a close, Principal DeCorian Hailey and other Bengals reflected on a year of challenges, fond memories and hopes for the future. “It was a lot of new things that we may not have been comfortable with, but we just got to roll with it and grow with it, and understand that our kids are doing the same thing,” Principal Hailey said. “Just really growing through the unknown has
been awesome.” This year school started off completely online, then students were slowly phased in as restrictions were adjusted. The pandemic affected all aspects of school life: classes, sports, band, fine arts, events and more, were often adjusted, postponed and canceled throughout the year. “For some families, it was necessary for their health and safety to continue working from home,” parent Angela Marshall said. “Keeping that as an option was the best thing to do considering the circumstances.” Mental burnout from the strain of this school year also affected the students, faculty and staff.
“I’ve been treated quite well this year and I can really tell that the teachers are doing their best despite being clearly drained by this part of the year,” sophomore Jackson Baker said. However, despite the obstacles, memorable moments were also created throughout the pandemic. “For me, a memorable moment as far as the staff, is one of the first days just going around celebrating our teachers at the beginning of the year,” Principal Hailey said. ”Another memorable moment was us beating Guyer at the buzzer at a basketball game. Since that was my former school, it was just exciting.” Students attending the 2021-2022 school year will see changes in masks and social distancing restrictions. District leaders recently sent a statement to the Denton ISD community allowing individuals the option to wear masks beginning June 1, 2021. H o w e v e r , assistant principal Dawn McCullough said the plans moving forward in the classroom are still
unclear, especially since some students prefer online school over faceto-face. “A lot of our students who are just more introverted or just don’t prefer group work have really enjoyed online courses or connected learning courses, and have thrived in that environment,” McCullough said. “I think that it has brought a good balance [for our students].” Although the district is uncertain how much teacher instruction will be online versus F2F, the upcoming school year might see a full return of high school traditions such as prom and homecoming. “We just need to continue to use the things we have learned through this hard time [and] have been through as a world and sharpen our craft of teaching to continue on a road of trying to get our kids to be self-learners,” Principal Hailey said. For more information on updated masks and social distancing policies, visit the DISD website at www. dentonisd.org. #
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Vol. 5 || No. 4
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
Page 5
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF FLORAL DESIGN
Halle Perry, Staff Writer
Students can choose from a variety of electives offered throughout the school year. However, one elective that is sometimes overlooked is the Floral Design course. This course has students thinking outside the box and finding their inner creativity for design and art. One student in the course this year, senior Benjamin Miller said, “I just took this class randomly and ended up really liking it.” He learned students need a deep understanding of the fundamentals of floral design when making considerations for their arrangements. “The fundamentals of floral design are based on the principles and elements of design used in Art,” Floral Design teacher Ellen Todar
said. “ We use fresh living material “[The most interesting thing to convey them.” is] the creativity and patience that is Students taking this course involved,” Miller said. # can expect to create arrangements including: a candy design project, mini homecoming mums, a bud vase, a floral crown, and if time permits, a wedding design project. “I think it is important to remember that this course is meant to be fun and to let your creativity flow,” Ms. Todar said. “We look at several aspects of the floral industry in this class and at the end of the day, each student creates a work of art using their own imagination.” Students should consider floral design when it’s time to register for the classes they will take during the upcoming school year. It allows for the creation of something beautiful while also allowing students to be able to step Photo by Irina Kolesnikova/Unsplash outside their comfort zone.
THE FASCINATING WORLD OF WELDING A & E CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
a well-ventilated area that is safe from anything flammable or items that can be easily damaged, and enjoy being able to use their hands to combine matter. “Welding is important because without this form of metalwork so many things including many buildings, gates, fences, small Kitchen appliances, vehicles and even space travel would not exist,” welding teacher Walter Hamm said. Welding originated in 4000 B.C. and the techniques that have been used to weld have stayed the same although the materials and devices used to weld have changed. “Most people see welding as a task to be done or a simple job,” sophomore Andew Huerta said. “Mostly because it can be a very slow and very taxing process.”
Although welding is a slow process, some people like going through the process and find it interesting. “There are multiple different types of welding processes like MIG [metal inert gas] and TIG [tungsten inert gas] to name the similar ones,” Huerta said. While welding can be done by almost anybody, it still requires specialized certification for those looking to weld professionally. Interested students should take welding in high school alongside geometry and look to further their education at a trade school. “I was going through the list of classes for my junior year and I was looking into things that were in the construction field,” junior Halle Perry said. “[Welding] sounded really fun.”
Welding is an easy career to get into because it does not require a 4-year degree. As well, it is a creative process, and although it is vastly different from traditional art, it is great for those who love the outdoors and building items. “Welding is an excellent career choice because no college degree is needed and the training courses are short,” Mr. Hamm said. “Furthermore, welding offers a chance to build items with his or her hands both indoors and outdoors, and by 2023 there will be a welder shortage.” So, while welding is not a very popular job, students who love creating things in a slow-paced environment will most likely enjoy the craft.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 6
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
Vol. 5 || No. 4
CHEER BRINGS HOME FIRST PLACE TROPHY
Photo by Clayton Scelzi/Unsplash
Diego Rodriguez, Staff Writer The competition cheer squad won first place Mar. 27, in the high school division for the Redline Championships cheerleading competition with nine points away from a perfect score. The team had been practicing 10 hours every week for months in advance, including most days of the week the month before the competition. “We had afterschool practice on Mondays and Wednesdays, including during-school practice,” senior and co-captain Elizabeth Gillespie said. “The month before competition, we had practice almost everyday after school and we were all in a constant competition state of mind.” As the day of competition grew closer, the team became more excited to
be contenders. Junior Paige Elkins, a new addition to the varsity team, felt particularly thrilled about the event. “We were told beforehand that we would be going up against two other schools: Garland High School and Sachse High School,” she said. “I think this honestly just gave us more adrenaline.” After months of practice, it was time for the team to go head-to-head against their rival schools, and after an outstanding performance, the host announced the Lady Bengal cheer team had won first place. “I’m happy that all the hard work and the frustrations of practices paid off,” Gillespie said. “Though some things went totally sideways in the months before we competed, I know everyone is very proud of themselves.” This victory means more to the team than a first place title as they are the first cheer squad to return home as
Grand Champions. “This win ultimately means that we have made history,” Elkins said. “Being the first to bring home Grand Champions from a cheer competition for Braswell is so amazing. Hopefully in years to come people on the Braswell cheer team will be able to continue the legacy.” After being announced the winners, the girls celebrated their victory with their teammates, their friends and their families, then went home for much needed rest. “Some of us went out to breakfast right after. We competed at 7:30 a.m. and so we were at school at 5:30 am,” head coach Allison Stewart said. “A lot of the girls went home and went to sleep. They were exhausted.” After all the practice and time they had put into their performance, the competition squad came out victorious with only nine
points away from a perfect score. “I think that what motivated them was the fact that they didn’t really have a name for themselves,” Coach Stewart said. “This was their chance to put themselves out there and really start to build that reputation.” With their first win under their belt, the competition cheer team looks forward to competing in the cheer divisions for UIL after not competing in this competition the last three years. “We’re super excited for next year,” Coach Stewart said. “The girls are a lot more motivated now that they’ve been to a competition and they know what it’s like. UIL will have more high schools to go up against, so that will be even more motivation for our team.” #
OPINION Vol. 5 || No. 4
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
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ASIAN HATE AND RACIAL INJUSTICE IN THE US effect kept foreigners in their place and away from the majority.” The model minority myth skims on the idea that for Asian Americans to “fit in” to our country, they must meet the American ideals by denying their culture, keeping their heads down, and ignoring the system that is set up for minorities to fail. They are encouraged and even raised on the idea that maybe they can one day “become white”. Kim expands on this idea, expressing that by “believing that we can maybe one day become ‘White,’ we are perpetuating White supremacy.” And while people begin to point out the heinous flaws in this way of thinking, some Americans have begun to turn to more violent and brutal exchanges with innocent Asians. Even before the pandemic, When Asian Americans began to voice their concerns with how the world had begun shifting its naturalized methods of discrimination, society responded with verbal, physical, and mental violence as a form of justification for the regulated stereotypes and ignorance they displayed. As Covid developed, so did the discrimination against Asian Americans. People became violent towards children and adults all across the globe because the first case was reported to be in Wuhan city, China. This sparked an already pre-
existing underlying anger towards Asian Americans and most recently, sparked horrendous murders of innocent Asian Americans. “Even if the country says it loves our culture and our food, we are still seen as foreigners who don’t belong here,” Kim said addressing the murders of eight-woman, six being Asian Americans, in Atlanta at three local spas in the area. The situations at hand are unethical and unjust and are being covered by the media as such. Even the Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, has opened up about the ongoing Asian hate throughout the country. The importance of talking about and acknowledging the crimes committed against Asian Americans is making it known that allies are listening and want to help them be heard. There is only so much citizens and allies can do for the community on a ground level. The protest will lead to education and consideration of the problems Asians face. But Manjusha Kulkarni, Cynthia Choi, and Russell M. Jeung discuss the “multi-faced” solutions that need to be pursued by the state and by our communities. “We need to increase exposure to the voices and histories of all communities by expanding ethnic
studies and education. We need resources dedicated to local communities, including community safety programs and in-language support for those in need of mental health, legal, and immigration services.” Journalist Choi said. The rebuilding of America’s foundation needs to begin with citizens as the supporters, government funding, and lawmakers making calculated decisions. It must be beyond a team “effort”, it needs to be a team build-up with the ideals of completely tearing down the basis of the structure of systematic racism and hatred throughout our community. The ignorance needs to be replaced with education and personal informing. It’s important to give credit and thanks to all who protest, fight, and stand up for the racial injustice striking through America. It’s beyond wanting to “help” or “be an ally”, it takes strength above all else to support unconditionally and love understandably in order to patch together and heal the hurt communities. It’s time to start acknowledging and respecting the Asian influence left on our world in addition to upholding the equality that is promised here in America. #
OPINION Page 8
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
Vol. 5 || No. 4
WHY BLACK LIVES SHOULD MATTER
Myrical Roberts, Staff Writer
Most schools don’t expose students to the history of African Amercians. All year around, students hear about historical figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton in history classes. Textbooks mainly cover slavery and segration and the only times Black history is normally mentioned outside of slavery is during Black History Month. Although it is standard for teachers to include this part of history in the curriculum, they are then expected to pack years and years of Black history into one month. This is unjust and unfair. Many students don’t know what an HBCU is. HBCU stands for Historically Black College/University. Students don’t know what these letters mean because many schools don’t talk about them as much as PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions). Howard University, one of the first HBCUs, has many well-known graduates that moved on to be essential to American history. Some examples would be Vice-President Kamala Harris, the late Chadwick Bossman, actor Anthony Anderson and author Zora Neale Hurston to name a few. One view may argue college is important no matter what type of school it is. However, students shouldn’t just hear about one type of college/university. While college is an important decision that everyone should consider, HBCUs provide a different experience for Black students in America. Therefore, students should be able to hear as much information about them as they hear about schools like New York University (NYU) or Columbia University. Recently, Texas included history standards for classes like AfricanAmercian Studies and Mexican-Amercian Studies to be offered as an elective in middle and high schools across the state. Denton ISD has already started making plans to offer these classes next
school year with the courses covering different historical figures that were influential to the Black community as well as those who made contributions to the American culture. However, policies restricting the education of cultural differences recently passed in the Texas House with several students and parents voicing concerns against these classes being implemented into the curriculum. However, it is a common agreement amongst the African American community that Black history is American history and should not just be taught to Black students. These classes focus directly on what has been missing in the curriculum. Students look at the news and look at social media everyday. Over the past year, Black Lives Matter has been a trending topic with conversations surrounding Black men and women dying at the hands of police leading dinner conversations. Yet, no conversations have taken place in schools leaving some students to feel unvalued and underrepresented. The George Floyd case happened just a few weeks ago. In response, one
school let students opt in/out of watching the case and allowed students to act as jurors on the case. The students got to see the harsh realities of the case as they sought to find a solution. Some parents may say they don’t want their children to see violence at school and that learning about police brutality is not the responsibility of the school. However, the same can be said about bullying. Every year, students hear about sucide, bullying, and the effects it has on teenagers’ minds which is oftentimes as triggering as police brutality is for some. Learning about the real world, and that the U.S. is not always a peaceful place, is important for teenagers. Teens spend almost all of their day at school. Therefore, schools should find a way to teach teens about the real world. The world has changed and so should schools. It is not the job of districts to shield students from the harsh reality of racial injustices within the American history both back then and now. #
Photo by Photo by Eye For Ebony