The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

Community & World

On Nov. 7, RRISD Proposition A was passed through a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE). The proposition provides teachers and librarians with a 3% raise and other staff with a 2% raise. [Prop A] would come at little to no cost to taxpayers and could help staff get a raise, an anonymous faculty member said.

Prop A Passed

Hannah McDonough, Horizon Assistant Editor November 8, 2023

On Nov. 7, voters in the community headed to the polls over Proposition A, a proposal to increase teacher and librarian salaries an additional 3%, with an additional 2% for other staff members in the district....

A school-wide paper shortage swept across Westwood right at the beginning of this school year. The lack of paper and limited supplies available led to many teachers being forced to find other, typically virtual alternatives, leaving lasting consequences on students learning.

Paper Shortage Pushes Allocational and Educational Boundaries

Aarya Kale, Reporter November 1, 2023

Amongst the myriad classrooms full of students staring eagerly at bright computer screens, even the minority that were blissfully engrossed in a world still grounded in paper and pen are forced to switch...

Wearing her custom Wonder Woman drag costume, drag queen Kelly Kline poses confidently. Kline occasionally wears her Wonder Woman costume to protest for LGBTQA+ rights.

“We Battle People Every Day”: Lives of Drag Queens in Austin

Alessandra Ashford, Opinions Editor October 30, 2023

Irvin Horn takes an hour to put on his makeup, and he’s not even close to being done with getting dressed. He still has to do his hair and get into costume. In a couple hours he’ll step on stage...

Smiling in front of his company’s front desk and the U.S. flag, Dr.Wang stands proud as an Asian American. For the past 23 years in Nashville, Tennesse, Dr. Wang has worked hard to restore the sight of patients nationwide and beyond.

Sight: A Story of Asian-American Success

Charlie Hui, Reporter October 27, 2023

On the coast of Moldova, the Hendrichs adopted a child who had been blind since birth. No matter how many clinics the family attended or how many experts they called, the doctors said Maria would never...

Clocking in at 7 a.m., Benjamin Li 25 and Andrew Zhang 25 work with the Central Texas SPCA staff to arrange tables for booths at the event. Barktoberfest had various booths such as ones for small businesses, vets, and a kids play zone.

Paw Plan and Austin CoACT Give Back at Central Texas SPCA’s Barktoberfest Event

Sarah Jung, Reporter October 24, 2023

On Saturday, Oct. 21, the nonprofit Paw Plan teamed up with Austin Cooperation Act (CoACT) to volunteer at the Central Texas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (SPCA) annual Barktoberfest...

Alycia Chee 26 (right) poses for a picture with her taekwondo group. In August, Chee attended the Korea Open taekwondo competition in South Korea. It’s a larger scale competition, [and] there were Olympians there, Chee said. There were really good national teams, it was just a really cool experience, something you can’t find in the US. Photo courtesy of Alycia Chee

Sparring in South Korea: Alycia Chee ‘26 Travels For Taekwondo Competition

Hannah McDonough and Sabareesh Dinakaran October 24, 2023

On August 8, Alycia Chee’ 26 traveled to Chuncheon-si, South Korea to attend the esteemed Korea Open Taekwondo tournament. Chee has been learning and competing in Taekwondo for the past nine years and...

Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, some schools and hospitals across the United States have implemented mask mandates. However, according to a recent survey, most Westwood students do not support the return of mask mandates for a variety of reasons. We have grown and been able to thrive in this school without the masks, Stella Shaw 24 said. They are inconvenient and unhelpful. Just be more careful. Literally anything is better than masks.

Students Consider Possible Reinstated Mask Mandates

Valeria Tijerina, Reporter October 16, 2023

With school starting again, COVID-19 cases are on the rise. School districts have begun to require mask mandates again in efforts to prevent infections. This has raised many concerns about going back into...

The ring of fire eclipse caused the sun to appear black in the middle with a bright glowing ring around it. Many Austin residents observed the eclipse from right outside their homes.

Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse Ignites Interest

Charly Obermiller, Dreamcatcher Staff October 14, 2023

A rare “ring of fire” solar eclipse took place on Oct. 14 for the first time since June of 2020, an astronomical event visible from all over the world. “The eclipse was very interesting to look...

Students wait for their buses after school. Although 62.5% of students who responded to a survey about the impact of the national bus driver shortage reported that their buses were usually late, several students had positive experiences with their bus drivers. My bus driver is always on time and really cares about us, Advait Omshankar 27 said. She has fought for 3 different buses just because it was hot on [each] one.

Bus Driver Shortage Drives Up Late Arrivals

Prima Changwatchai, Community & World News Editor October 10, 2023

Every school day, hundreds of students clutter beneath Westwood’s bus canopy in the afternoon, waiting for their ride home. But while some students can expect their buses to consistently be at the front...

Banned Books Week took place from Oct. 1-7, giving students the opportunity to gain awareness of book censorship throughout the country. According to the ALA, 2023 has seen a record surge in challenged library materials in public libraries, meaning that book censorship remains an ongoing debate. What’s important is that we’re given the opportunity to read so that we can make up our own minds and not be led by someone who is biased to give us half the story,” Librarian Amy Woolsey said.

Banned Books Week Betters Censorship Awareness

Mayla Montgomery, Reporter October 9, 2023

From Oct. 1-7, students had the opportunity to celebrate Banned Books Week, a national event that helps bring awareness to the censorship of books and allows students to educate themselves on the issue.  The...

Smiling, Mallory Milner 24 rides Zilker Parks miniature train in 2013. Although a storm put the train out of service in 2019, the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) plans to complete its reconstruction this fall.

Beloved Zilker Miniature Train to Return

Mallory Milner, Reporter October 4, 2023

On Friday, Aug. 18, the Zilker Eagle Twitter account announced their plans to restore the currently out-of-service Zilker train. “Zilker Eagle” is the new name for the miniature train, which loops...

A college representative prepares to introduce her college to students and their families. On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Round Rock ISD (RRISD) held the Central Texas College Fair, where students were given the opportunity to meet admission representatives from colleges around the United States to learn more about college possibilities after high school.

Investing in the Future: Students Flock to Central Texas College Fair

Lilybeth Dooley and Valeria Tijerina September 12, 2023

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Round Rock ISD (RRISD) hosted a district-wide Central Texas college fair at 6 p.m. at Round Rock High School. The fair gave students the opportunity to connect and learn more about...

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