Progress at Reagan High School

There has been a push among the teachers at John H. Reagan Early College High School to help students not only receive their high school diploma, but also their associate’s degree. The last six years have a seen a steady increase of gradation rates and college enrollment for the graduates.
            The class of 2006 only had 20 percent of its graduating class move on to a higher education, but in 2008 it increased to 33 percent and by 2010 it had moved up to 43 percent. The past seven years have seen a large increase in students to pursue a college degree. Before now Reagan High School had been known as one the lowest performing schools in the Austin Independent School District. While a majority of the other schools were seeing more than half of their students move on to college, Reagan was well below that percentage by only seeing maybe a third of their students go to college.
            A strong push by faculty and staff for not only succeeding in extra curricular activities, but also in academic performance has allowed the students to push themselves to do more with their time in high school. The ideal goal for Reagan students are for them to start taking dual credit courses their freshmen year and by their senior not only graduating with their high school diploma but also an associate’s degree. This sets the students up to have the opportunity to enter the workforce with a degree and have the chance to work on their bachelors degree in a more specific field.
             “We live and breath college readiness”, Counselor Alycia Lantagne said and went on to explain how the students have free tutoring and support from not only the teachers, but the coaches, band directors and other leaders of after school activities. For instance, football players have a double block allowing them an extra hour for their class. They spend half that time practicing for football and the other half is a study hall session. Lantagne explains that that the reputation Reagan has is different than what is actually happening at the school. Compared to other schools the graduation rate and college enrollment is not as high. The progress they have made in the last five to six years can be shown in their graduation rate and college enrollment. Every year the numbers keep going up.             Lantagne claims all of the positive reinforcement with the students is showing a promising feedback as enrollment has increased to approximately 1,300 whereas before it was around 900 students.
            Although the reputation and data for John H. Reagan Early College High School show an academically low performing school according to the AISD Department of Research and Evaluation, its current faculty and staff argue differently. The progress that has been made in the last six years shows that the school is improving every year and that it has nothing but plans for improvement in the future.

Gathering for Rez Week

The South Mall of the University of Texas campus is usually full of students working on homework, playing games or chatting with friends on their way to their next class. On March 24 though, two large white tents occupied the open space. The smell of fresh coffee in the early morning had students buzzing around the tents. Anything free and caffeine related is an instant bonus among students.  Campus Renewal Ministries members stood under the tent handing out coffee and were engaged in conversation. It was their first year to be able to occupy such a popular space, and they were not letting this opportunity go to waste.

Resurrection Week – commonly known as Rez Week – starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter, the day Jesus rose up from the grave. This week focuses on his time from being welcomed in Jerusalem to being captured by the Romans and dying on the cross.

Rez Week has been held every year for the past 19 years at the University of Texas. Justin Christopher is the main leader of this event and co-founder of Campus Renewal Ministries. He assists in helping students plan the event, raise funding and find the main speaker for the it. While it usually takes place at the Gregory Plaza, this year the students had the chance to be placed in the limelight on the South Campus mall, directly in front of the university Tower. Every year the group has two main goals; to have an area for people to come together and discuss religion freely and openly with one another and the local Christian groups across campus to come to gather in celebration of Rez Week. During the day a multitude of events take place. From painting murals, to listing to Dan Kimball speak on the topic of “Re-organized Religion,” including a through look at judgment and hypocrisy.  Students can stop by any time of day, either for a warm cup of coffee in the morning, or for $1 lunch and $1 Bananarchy’s – a frozen banana covered in your favorite topping.

Leaders such as Ashlye Elizondo have been apart of Rez Week since her freshmen year. She started out as simply attending weekly prayer meetings and now into her junior year she is interning with Campus Renewal and was given the chance to work with planning the event. She explains “Rez Week is definitely open to everyone which is why we want to have it on a large open space on campus.  We also encourage and invite everyone to come out through many different forms of advertising around campus.  Like I said, we want to start conversation with all people…!”

Rez Week at the university ends on the Thursday before Good Friday, allowing students to go home and celebrate Easter with their family and friends.