The Dispatch Issue #5

News- The Lockdown

1. The story is about the Akins lockdown that took place on February 22, which was the result of a former student boarding a bus heading towards the school with ammunition. Senior Bee Barto and teacher Sarah Simmons were interviewed to share theyr experiences.
2. Sarah Simmons and Bee Barto were quoted. I thought the strongest quotes was, "But I wanted to make sure it was a drill and I did see a SWAT team in the hall. It was at that point that I knew it was not a drill." The lead sentence did make me want to keep reading because I had heard about the event and wanted to learn more. The conclusion was a quote.

Commentary- Arming teachers is not the solution 

1. The story is about Donald Trump's suggestion that teachers should be amed with guns in response to the recent shootings that have occurred. The author completely disagrees and believes it will only add to the issue by burdening teachers with too much responsibility, adding more dangerous aspects to schools, and causing financial and control issue among schools.
2. Nobody is quoted in the story since the author is expressing their opinion. The author's strongest statement was, "Their [guns] sole purpose is to kill, not defend or hunt." The first sentence did make me want to keep reading the story. The conclusion was a statement (a question). 

Feature- Students raising funds for research

1. The story is about a group, known as LLS, whose goal is to help cancer patients and their families as much as possible by providing financial supports and comfort. Now that the group has spread to Austin, students and high schoolers from Bowie can apply to be part of the organization.
2. Student nominee Amanda Schwenke, LLS CEO Dr. Louis J DeGennaro, and and Sublett were quoted. The strongest quote is, "There is never a good time to get a blood cancer, but there has never been a better time to be fighting it." The leading made me want to keep reading to learn how students could help with such a huge issue. The conclusion was a quote.

Entertainment-Freshman makes time for tech theatre and speech

1. The story is about Alyssa Shumaker, a freshman at Bowie, who is an important member of the debate team and technical theatre crew. Being involved in both activities, while still taking pre-AP classes and getting high grade, she has a lot on her plate.
2. Alyssa Shumaker, teacher Hannah Huerta, and junior Joe Morales are quoted. The strongest quote was "If you have the drive, the work ethic, and the positive attitude, those three things alone will make you successful." The first sentence did make me want to keep reading, along with the fact that I know Alyssa. The conclusion is a quote.

Athletics- Runner raised in Nigeria hopes to be Olympian 

1. The story is about Chimdiebube Okafor, a senior Bowie,who has dreams and goals to compete in the Olympics. Born in Nigeria, he doesn't live with his parents and has moved to the states to excel his education, and it seems to have opened up even more opportunities for him.
2. Chimdiebube Okafor, his brother Emeka Okafor, and coach Brandon Pittman were quoted. The strongest quote was, "I want to study to ba a nursing anesthetist and it's going to be a lot of work but i want to study that and then try to go to the Olympics to try and have a normal life," because it reveals a lot about him. The first sentence did make me want to read on because I like running and have heard of Okafor. The conclusion is a quote.

Reviews- Audiences are sure to Love, Simon

1. The story revolves around the hit movie 'Love, Simon' and it is clear that the author really enjoyed the movie. The plot was engaging, the actors and actresses all fit well with their roles, and the author would definitely encourage others to watch it.
2. The quotes in the review were from the movie, and the characters quoted were Simon (indirectly) and Nick (directly). The strongest and funniest quote was, "I love black women. I mean, I don't have a thing for black women. I just like women you know." The lead sentence did make wee want to keep reading because it was intriguing and made the reader think/relate to the movie. The conclusion was a statement.

In depth- The Mental Stigma

1. The story is about the school shooting that occurred in Florida and how mental illness connects to tragedies such as this. Mental illness is still not as publicly accepted as it should be, which causes people to blame mental illnesses and avoid the situation or to feel the need to help. In order to reduce the amount of events like this, everyone needs to be able to address the issue and be willing to help in any way possible.
2. Academic dean Susan Leos, principle Mark Robinson, senior Avila Dye, and therapist Alex Rudy are quoted. The strongest quote is, "When our nation is faced with tragedy, there's a side that wants to help thee people and the other side i turning against the whole group of people. That's the nature of the definition of prejudice." The first sentence did make me want to keep reading since it addressed such a big issue. The conclusion was a quote.

Photo Review-

1. My favorite photos are the photos of the runner who was raised in Nigeria. The photo at the top is really creative, and the series of photos around the story show the reader a lot about his running style and add and extra interesting element.
2. My least favorite photos are the headshot of two people in 'The Lockdown.' Though they are good photos, they are both very simple and similar. They helped the reader connect to the subjects of the story, but they didn't how any thing about the event.
3. If I were on the staff, I would like to photograph the 'Safety over silence' article on the cover page. Since the photo was taken at the big march downtown, I would get to take photos while getting an experience of being in a protest. There would be countless things to the pictures of.
4. I would rate the photography in this issue a 9/10. Most of the photos taken were of really high quality, and I liked how every photo went well with its story and filled the space well.