The Shield (Issue 4) March 6, 2017

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March/April

10 Spring Break begins.

13 21 Softball vs. Lanier @ Lanier 7 p.m.

24 Softball vs. Reagan @ Reagan 5:30 p.m.

Baseball vs. LBJ @ Nelson Field 7 p.m.

28 Baseball vs. Travis @ Northwest 7:30 p.m.

28 Softball vs. LBJ @ Noack 7 p.m.

06 Late start 07 End of fifth six weeks grading period 12 Shattered Dreams for juniors and seniors 14 No school; student holiday

ABOVE: Pitcher Nina Buford meets with her teammates at the mound during the varsity’s 11-8 victory over LBJ on Feb. 24. To learn more about Buford’s softball career and what it means to her, please see page 23. Photo by Sylvia Zamora.

RIGHT: Max Corney (Sir John) and Tristan Tierney (Bill Snibson) perform in the McCallum theatre production, “Me and My Girl.” To see more photos from the show, please see page 15. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Cover art: “Infinitely Graffiti” by Jackson Sutton.

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Austin has become ground central in the fight over national immigration policy and the state’s Sanctuary Cities bill.

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Junior Aydan Urias and her collaborators create a women’s empowerment website, Can’t Grab Us.

Accepted in the National Youth Orchestra, junior bassist Pablo Kennedy is set to tour Latin America

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Geography teacher Mr. Sanabria is back from a tour of duty in South Korea, but his primary duty is to his Mac students.

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Freshman Jackson Sutton’s autism isn’t a handicap; it’s an asset to his art and his mastery of languages.

Don’t know what to do over Spring Break? The Shield has you covered with fun Spring Break activities.

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Junior Nina Buford discusses her high school softball career and how it has shaped her into the person she’s become.

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Gregory James talks about his summer trip to Germany and how the Germans helped him see him homeland in a new light.

Staffer Anna Compton and editor in-chief Julie Robertson try out alternative exercise classes to switch up their usual fitness routine.

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Sometimes the greatest struggle of allergy sufferers is to get other human beings to take the time to take allergies seriously.

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Austin becomes immigration battleground Local officials fight to retain sanctuary city status despite funding cuts, executive order CHARLIE HOLDEN staff reporter

The Austin ISD board of trustees approved a resolution on Feb. 20 declaring all AISD classrooms to be safe spaces for every student, regardless of the immigration status of the student or their parents. This resolution’s accepting attitude contrasts markedly with recently proposed pieces of state and federal legislation, or so-called “anti-sanctuary city” bills, that seek to divert funds from cities who do not cooperate fully with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Gov. Greg Abbott has denied Travis County $1.5 million in grants that would have funded crime victim services, courts and other programs.

Despite losing state funding, Travis County sheriff Sally Hernandez, and Austin officials have pledged to keep Austin a sanctuary city.

Junior Josué Zepeda-Sanic, who legally immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2008, supports these measures.

“I think it’s good [that Austin is a sanctuary city] because I have a lot of friends who are illegal immigrants,” Zepeda-Sanic said. “They didn’t come to America to take jobs; they came

to America to have a better life compared to [their home countries], where there is a lot of poverty and death. They’re trying to escape that and make something better for themselves.”

Freshman Daniel Giro agreed that description is accurate for most immigrants but not all.

“I believe that [sanctuary cities] give a lot more citizens to the U.S. who are honest and want to do a good job,” Giro said. “But [being a sanctuary city] also attracts a lot more people who come into the city who are up to no good.”

President Donald Trump has long stood by this position, positing that illegal immigrants are a national security risk. On Jan. 25, Trump signed an executive order, titled, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” that withdraws federal funds from any sanctuary city in the country. Section one of the order states that, “many aliens who illegally enter the United States … present a significant threat to national security and public safety.”

Zepeda-Sanic is opposed to Trump’s executive order for a simple reason: “[Immigrants] are dying,” Zepeda-Sanic said.

“They want to be better. They don’t want to die.

That’s why they seek help. And it’s not like illegal immigrants come here to rob people, they don’t bring all these drugs—a portion of [illegal

immigrants] do bring them, but you can’t generalize a whole group of people, a whole race.

You can’t generalize a whole population. It’s just unfair.”

In addition to protesting what they view as discriminatory generalization, immigrants and their supporters have also sought to illustrate that immigrants are essential to American society. On Feb. 16, thousands of Austin immigrants, most of them from Mexico, Central, and South America, organized a day without immigrants. By staying home from work or from school, immigrants sought to show just how significant they are to the workforce.

KXAN reported that 20,008 AISD students were absent on Feb. 16, the day without immigrants. That’s an increase of 15,792 students from the day before. According to the official school attendace report, 21 percent of Hispanic students at McCallum were absent on Feb. 16, an 11 percent increase from the day before.

That’s an increase of 84 students. “[Missing school] is kind of over the top,” Giro said. “I feel like a different protest should have been held, and that a lot of people aren’t really understanding that Trump is trying to separate the good immigrants from the bad ones,” Giro said.

The Shield contacted the office of AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz for a comment on the board of trustees resolution and on the anti-sanctuary cities bill. Edna Butts, the AISD director of intergovermental relations and policy oversight, said via email that the school district cannot take positions on bills but that the anti-sanctuary city bill currently proposed in Texas, Senate Bill 4, would not apply to school districts.

A subchapter of the bill states that “This subchapter does not apply to a school district or open-enrollment charter school. This subchapter does not apply to the release of information contained in education records of an educational agency or institution.”

Regardless of whether or not the bill is passed, Zepeda-Sanic says that illegal immigrants will continue to come to the United States because they have no other choice.

“If you have a person whose family is being persecuted because of drugs, or their friends are getting killed, they’re not going to go through that whole process of getting papers and stuff,” Zepeda-Sanic said. “Getting papers takes a long time, and I know this because my mom had to get papers for me, and it took her about three years. So people don’t have time for that.”

Infographic by Sophie Ryland

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News in a FLASH Dance majors to perform at South By Southwest

McCallum therapist located in library

Some of McCallum’s dance majors will be missing class on March 7 in order to dance at a South By Southwest event.

“We’re performing our piece from the show called La Vie at 3 p.m.” junior Will Loewen said.

The piece is a modern dance about what it means to be human. The event is called the SXSWedu Expo and features student performances, speakers, and many exhibitors.

“They will be performing to represent The McCallum Fine Arts Academy,” dance teacher Natalie Uehara said.

Based in her library office, Karen McGarity provides individual therapy to students during the school day.

“Therapy on campus brings support directly to campus, rather than students missing school for appointments,” McGarity said.

McGarity currently sees 23 students regularly and uses traditional talk therapy, but also offers art therapy to students. Art therapy is a technique therapists use to get the person receiving therapy to open up about emotions or events through drawing, painting and

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other forms of art. “[There are] so many wonderful students I have met at MAC.” McGarity said.

Student photographers take home awards at ATPI The Association of Texas Photography Instructors Winter Conference was held Feb. 24-26 at the University of Texas at Arlington. The ATPI convention consists of classes that students can take to improve their photography and cinematography skills as well as a competition portion of the event where students can submit their photos to different categories to win awards.

McCallum photographers took home many awards. Senior Alyssa Moore won first place in digital editing in pieces; senior Henry Pitre won a superior award

for his environmental self portrait; senior Smith Johnson got second place in digital editing, and junior Madison Olsen and senior Claren Moyers both took home honorable mentions in environmental self-portrait and digital editing in pieces respectively. Even Shield adviser Dave Winter won an award for third place in faculty student life photography.

McCallum scores high in vocal and piano UIL Two weekends ago, the Vocal and Piano UIL Solo and Ensemble Contests were held at McCallum. Fifty-nine soloists competed, and 46 received first-division ratings. McCallum also had three competing ensembles, two of which received first-division ratings. Out of all of the performers, no one scored a lower than a 2.

-News briefs by Zoe Hocker

SUBMIT TO EXCALIBUR Send us your stories, your poems, your paintings, your mixtapes, your instrumentals, your drawings, your photos, your doodles, your good stuff, your bad stuff SEND IT ALL TO YOUR LOCAL LITERARY MAGAZINE

DO IT ! excalibursubmit@gmail.com 04 News

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Talented junior is all about that bass Kennedy accepted into National Youth Orchestra for training and international tour GRACE SCHMIDHAUSER staff reporter

Earlier this month on what he thought what was just a regular day, junior orchestra major and classical bassist Pablo Kennedy got some surprising news. Kennedy had been accepted into the National Youth Orchestra, a program which he had applied to on a whim.

“I frankly wasn’t expecting it at all,” Kennedy said shyly of his acceptance. “I almost didn’t even apply, but I’m really glad I did.”

The National Youth Orchestra is a highly selective and prestigious orchestra training program for young orchestral musicians aged 16-19 from all over the nation. The orchestra is put together by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, and includes three weeks of training with orchestra professionals.

After weeks of professional training, the orchestra will have its kickoff performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City, followed by an international tour of several vibrant Latin American music capitals including Mexico City, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Bogotá, Colombia. The program begins this coming summer in July.

The program states that they aim to cultivate “dynamic music ambassadors,” and Kennedy is especially looking forward to working with and being exposed to fellow musicians of such a high caliber.

“It’s pretty great to know that you’re going to be playing with people at that level of musicianship from all over the country,” Kennedy said. “I’m most excited about getting to play with people at that level of dedication.”

The audition process is quite thorough, in order to guarantee that the program find the kind of musicianship, dedication and personality that they seek within their applicant pool.

Applicants were required to prepare excerpts chosen for their specific instrument, as well as perform a solo piece of their choosing. In addition to the musical showcase, Kennedy was required to create an autobiographical video essay in which

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he talked about his most memorable musical experience.

The application resembles the audition process one may go through when applying for a music conservatory for college, which Kennedy said would likely be useful since he is planning on applying to music conservatories for bass come his senior year.

In addition to Kennedy receiving highlevel musical experiences and exposure to new cultures, he will also get to strengthen his family ties.

Because of the program’s venturing into Mexico, Kennedy will have the special opportunity to meet family in Mexico that he’s never been able to meet in person before.

Kennedy is the first ever McCallum student to be selected as a member of the National Youth Orchestra, and his landmark acceptance is a reflection on his successful journey in the McCallum orchestra program these past three years.

Ricky Pringle, chamber orchestra director and bass teacher, referred to Kennedy’s acceptance as a “humongous honor.”

Pringle, who has been working with Kennedy in different capacities since 2010, reflected on Kennedy’s remarkable growth as a musician and person throughout the time he has spent at McCallum thus far.

“Pablo is a very hardworking and dedicated young musician,” Pringle said. “He has grown and continues to grow as a leader and fine example for the McCallum orchestra program.”

Though Kennedy is currently one of the top five bass high-school level bassists in the state of Texas, Pringle says that doesn’t keep him from staying grounded and considerate of his fellow orchestra members at McCallum.

“Pablo is quite humble about his abilities and accomplishments”, he said. “[He] is always willing to help students that need it without hesitation.”

The skills and growth that Kennedy has demonstrated throughout his time at McCallum make it clear that the National Youth Orchestra is a natural next leg of his orchestral journey, and it’s unlikely he’ll stop there.

Junior Pablo Kennedy practices a solo piece during Mr. Pringle’s fourth-period bass class. Accepted into the National Youth Orchestra, he plans to pursue a career in orchestral bass following his graduation next year. Photo by Julia Robertson.

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A river runs through it Students join nonprofit after-school program that protects local ecosystems LORENZO ZARZOZA staff reporter

Austin Youth River Watch is a nonprofit after-school and summer program that goes from school to school recruiting students to help monitor and maintain the ecosystems of creeks, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water in and around the city of Austin.

AYRW volunteers monitor the water quality of rivers, and they also plant certain grasses and plants to prevent soil erosion and to filter the runoff water entering the creeks and aquifers.

Students also partake in team-building exercises like camping trips. After monitoring water qualities the volunteers meet up at the Eco-house where they have lunch. The shared meal times give the McCallum students in the program the chance to interact with and get to know volunteers from other schools.

McCallum became involved in the group when one of the coordinators, Tamera Sevier, met junior Nathan Sylvain and invited him to work with the group. Since then, the group has grown to nine Mac members who volunteer with the group.

The volunteers have been involved for as long as three years to as little as three months, but they all say that they have enjoyed their time in the program. They said they joined because they were curious and because they were motivated by the stipend they received.

On Feb. 9, the McCallum crew went to Lady Bird Lake with the Travis crew to plant gammagrass in the area to prevent heavy erosion and filter run-off water that enters the lake and the aquifer. After they finished planting they had a picnic and hung out; afterwards, the volunteers were dropped off at their homes.

Students and adults can join River Watch for a hands-on environmental experience. For more information, check out Austin Youth River Watchers’ website at www.riverwatchers.org.

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(1) Junior Jose Zarzoza digs a hole to plant a piece of gammagrass. (2) Program manager Adam Comer briefs the McCallum crew on where and how to plant the gammagrass. (3) Junior Nathan Sylvain, bottom left, enjoys lunch at the park with the rest of the crew from McCallum and Travis high schools. (4) Zarzoza and Comer plant gammagrass in the marked area.

Photos by Lorenzo Zarzoza

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It’s lit in more ways than one

McCallum’s literary magazine gets a makeover with a new adviser and fresh staff McCallum is a school known for its arts and talented students, so it seems appropriate for there to be some way to put the spotlight on those students who are known for their talents or prefer to stay anonymous but still show what they have to offer.

This is where McCallum’s literary magazine, Excalibur, comes into play.

“Excalibur really embodies McCallum’s voice and the students in it, and it’s a platform for McCallum students, whether they’re an artist or a writer or a musician, to really put themselves out there in a way others can see,” sophomore Isabella Hernandez said. “It’s just a really expressive magazine and open to anyone.”

Hernandez is the chief of content for the magazine and a first-year staff member. After hearing about Excalibur as a freshman, she wanted to get involved.

“I would see all these little Excalibur things that would promote Coffeehouse,” Hernandez said. “It sounded so cool to me that McCallum had its own magazine, and I thought that the process of making it would be fun. I love to see how a lot of McCallum people put their own self expression into what they make and I was intrigued by that.”

Excalibur’s process started with an event called “Chalk it Up” where students could go during lunch and write with chalk and

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For many years Excalibur had a logo that consisted of a pair of glasses that simply stated ‘Excalibur’ in between the two lenses. The staff this year felt that a change was needed and decided to try to redesign the logo.

Some of the students created their own designs and shared them with the class and then everyone voted on which was their favorite. The one pictured above is the one that ended up winning. The X is made to look like two swords or pencils. Senior Oona Moorhead was the designer. listen to live music performed by students.

This event helped to promote the magazine and the other promotional event that Excalibur’s staff puts on, “Coffeehouse,” which was held on Feb. 17. Coffeehouse is held twice a year in the library and students can audition to perform for the

fourth-period show. Student buy tickets in order to see the show. These events are put together by the marketing portion of the Excalibur staff. The third section of the staff is design, which oversees the process of putting the magazine together to create a final product.

Senior Ella Speer is the supervising chief and has been doing Excalibur for two years. She looks over content, marketing and design and makes sure everything is running smoothly. This year Speer says that they are trying to create a new tone for the magazine because there is a new teacher and new ideas. “[Previous Excalibur teacher] Mr. Susman had been doing Excalibur for 10 years so he had a hold on it, and he knew what he was doing as far as budgeting and stuff goes, but since it’s mostly a studentrun class, it’s not too different and it’s really interesting seeing the different ideas Mr. Myers has,” Speer said. “It’s not too hard of a transition.”

You can submit any original art, writing, music and other creative work to Excalibur by putting work into the submissions box in the library or emailing it to excalibursubmit@gmail.com.

Left: Sophomore Lillian Sease works on a sign for the hallway promoting the magazine.

Right: Chief of content Isabella Hernandez and sophomore Isabella Pell work on posters advertising submitting to Excalibur. Photos by Rachel Wolleben.

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The First One Hundred Days An in-depth analysis on President Trump’s actions since his inauguration MADISON OLSEN staff reporter

The first 100 days of a presidency have been used to measure the success of the commander in chief since the era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who coined the term in 1933 when referring to the 100 day session of the U.S. Congress. Each president uses this time to accomplish tasks such as appointing cabinet members, becoming acquainted with other foreign leaders and taking the necessary steps to fulfill campaign promises.

President Donald Trump has made numerous promises to the American people, both during the election and his short time thus far in office. Some of these promises include his vow to appoint Supreme Court judges who will defend the Second Amendment, to repeal and replace Obamacare and to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

But what has actually happened so far?

In the short time since his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump has issued 28 executive actions. Some have argued that Trump has issued too many executive orders compared to other presidents, specifically Obama and Bush. While it is is ultimately too early to determine if Trump’s first 100 days will be regarded as successful, many assert that Trump is on the path to surpass previous presidents in terms of the number of executive actions taken.

Taking a look at the context behind executive orders is vital in determining the necessity of executive action.

“The reason Obama was issuing [so many] executive orders was because it was hard to pass legislation when Congress was evenly divided,” U.S. history teacher Clifford Stanchos said. “You’ll see Trump doing the same because it’s going to be difficult despite [Republicans] having a majority in the House and in the Senate.”

In terms of the environment, the EPA received an email from the Trump administration within hours of his inauguration asking for “all contract and grant awards be temporarily suspended.” He also terminated the

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Stream Protection Rule, which had prevented coal industries to dump mining waste into rivers. Trump has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was signed between the United States and 11 other nations around the world that established a free trade zone.

In terms of differences in the first 100 days of the presidency, however, Trump’s coverage in the media has not exactly reflected the positive light in which many of his supporters view him. The president has accused media sources such as CNN, MSNBC and even Fox News of reporting false information in reference to the scandal with Russia.

Details reported by mainstream media sources concerning voter fraud, the attendance of Trump’s inauguration and the role Russia may have played into the election have been allegedly disproved by members of the Trump administration, sparking a full-on war between Trump and the media.

Editors from various news organizations Trump has attacked have spoken out against the treatment of mainstream news sources.

“Some of his tweets are straight up bullying people,” McCallum senior Amy McInnes said. “The president shouldn’t bully the media or limit the sources for the media and waste his time on these pointless fights.”

Many Trump supporters, and Trump himself, insist the media’s negative coverage of the new president has damaged the public’s opinion of him. “[Trump’s] blocking the New York Times and the Washington Post from Trump’s press conferences allude to the time Obama said that Fox News wasn’t really news,” Stanchos said. “Other news organizations rallied to Fox News’s defense, arguing [that] President [Obama did not have the right to] decide whether Fox was news or not.”

So where does that leave the American people? As Trump continues to promise to crack down on mainstream media, citizens are forced to question the esteem to which they hold journalists as well as questioning the extent to which the president can operate outside the standard course of political

History teacher Clifford Stanchos: Jackson and Trump are a lot alike • “Some would compare Donald Trump to Andrew Jackson as a president and the ushering in of Jacksonian democracy.

Andrew Jackson was seen as a representation of the common man, and many would make that comparison to Trump because he appealed to the working class people.”

• “... If you look at the demographic breakdowns for Trump supporters, he appealed to less educated voters... The same argument can be made for Andrew Jackson who appealed to the common man at a point in time when there was a shift in property

action, questions which continue to divide the population into two camps that hurl insults left and right. The First Amendment guarantees every citizen freedom of speech, and one principle most can agree upon is that this right cannot be compromised. But past quarrels between president and press comprise a nasty history that may suggest Trump’s course of action in dealing with negative coverage.

and qualifications for voting, so you do see a shift to less educated Americans voting during the Jacksonian era.”

• “... Now Donald Trump appealed to these working-class voters by telling them that the globalization and the political elite have led to this stagnation of wages and lack of progress for people. The same thing happened during the period of industrialization that lead to [Jackson’s] election...”

• -- Interview of Mr. Stanchos by Madison Olsen

“Trump’s approach so far seems to be to make the media into his adversary,” journalism teacher Dave Winter said. “It reminds me a bit of the way that President Truman turned the ‘do-nothing’ Congress into his adversary. When no one thought that Truman could win re-election, he blamed everything on Congress, and it worked. He got re-elected. It seems like Trump is employing the same strategy now.”

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ONEFOR ONEFOR THETEAM THETEAM Show your team spirit by joining us for a fundraiser to support McCallum High School Journalism Department . Come in to the Show your team spirit by joining us for a fundraiser to support Chipotle at 4400 N. Lamar Blvd. #101 in Austin on Thursday, McCallum Journalism . Come in to the Show yourHigh teamSchool spirit by joining usDepartment for a fundraiser to support March 9th between 4:00pm and 10:00pm. Bring in this flyer, Chipotle atHigh 4400 N. Lamar Blvd. Department #101 in Austin on Thursday, McCallum School Journalism . Come in to the show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re March 9th between 4:00pm and #101 10:00pm.

Bring this flyer, Chipotle at 4400 N. Lamar Blvd. in Austin oninThursday, supporting to makeand sure that 50% of the proceeds show on cause your 4:00pm smartphone or tell the cashier March 9thitthe between 10:00pm.

Bring inyou’re this flyer, will be donated to McCallum High School Journalism supporting theyour cause to make sure thatthe 50% of theyou’re proceeds show it on smartphone or tell cashier Department . School will be the donated High Journalism supporting causetotoMcCallum make sure that 50% of the proceeds Department will be donated to McCallum High. School Journalism Department .

If placing an order online during your fundraiser, please note you must choose the pay in-store option and inform our cashier of your participation before paying. Gift card purchases during fundraisers do not count towards total donated sales, but purchases made withnote an existing gift card will If placing an order online during your fundraiser, please you must choose the count. pay in-store option and inform our cashier of your participation before paying. Gift card purchases during fundraisers do not count towards total donated sales, but with anyou existing cardthe willpay count.

If placing an order online during your purchases fundraiser,made please note mustgift choose in-store option and inform our cashier of your participation before paying. Gift card purchases during fundraisers do not count towards total donated sales, but

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Junior Aydan Urias, creates website to give feminist writers a space to find their voice ANNA COMPTON staff reporter After the election, Aydan Urias wanted to create a platform where girls could express their creativity. With the launch of her website, Can’t Grab Us, on Feb. 1, she has done precisely that, offering visual (photography, paintings), audio (music) and verbal (essays, interviews) content, a monthly theme and a group of diverse contributors. Can’t Grab Us received about 1,000 cite views the first day it was launched.

“A lot of girls have submitted me stuff that I didn’t have before,” Urias said. “So more people are wanting to join so that’s really exciting.”

Her favorite clothing brand and book, Nasty Gal and Rookie Yearbook, inspired her.

Urias looks up to these successful young girls and draws inspiration from their creativity. She said that she hopes the website will offer an outlet for girls to express themselves freely and be just as creative.

“I am hoping to provide a voice to more girls,” Urias said, “and let them know they have this website as a resource if they ever want to creatively express themselves.”

After advertising her website on social media, many girls came forward wanting to contribute to the website. After asking all her contributors what they wanted to do, their decided to have submissions due at the end of the month.

The first month’s theme was Black History Month.

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ROXANNE SMITH: MUSIC CONTRIBUTOR

HANNAH WHELLAN: OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL CONTRIBUTOR

One of the website’s contributors is junior Roxy Smith, who specializes in the music section. Each month she comes up with a playlist of about 20 songs based on the theme of the month. For the month of February, her playlist was based off the concept of “letting go.”

“I have a huge music library that’s always growing, where I’ve saved pretty most every song that I’ve heard and liked, so every month when I hear the theme I comb through the library to find the songs that fit the best,” Smith said. “I try to mix songs by emerging artists with crowd pleasers that everyone likes. I also profile an artist or two to watch each month, so usually if I can find a way to tie in one of their songs to the monthly themed playlist, I’ll do that too.”

After Trump was elected, Smith felt like she needed a resource to express her emotions.

“After the election, it was really important for me that I and other girls had a creative outlet for some of the emotions that were arising,” Smith said. “And Aydan’s website seemed like a good place to make that happen.”

For her second playlist, Smith decided not to follow a specific theme: “This month is a little unconventional. The songs don’t follow a specific theme; instead, they’re just all songs by female black musicians that we admire. I usually make the playlists, but this month I asked everyone what artists they admire.”

Hannah Whellan, a junior at LASA, liked the idea and concept of Urias’ website and submitted an essay last month.

“It’s really nice to see all these other people that are in your similar situation and feeling the same things as you,” Hannah Whellan said. “I think that as privileged white girls, there’s not a lot that is affecting us really, except for women’s rights, but there is so much we can do because we have so much opportunity; and Aydan made a platform for that.”

Whellan has always been interested in creative writing and short stories. Her first piece wasn’t a short story, but this has been a great resource for experimenting with her writing.

For the launch of the website, Whellan decided to amend Trump’s inauguration speech. After talking about how embarrassing and bad it was for Trump to say how bad our country is in front of our past president, Whellan decided to revise the speech to include all the great things America has to offer.

“I wanted to write a speech that appreciates all the great things that have happened in America,” Whellan said, ”including the increase in diversity, how important all of our citizens are, and how important globalization is for America.”

Whellan said that Urias’ website has been a great resource for her and that she has really enjoyed the opportunity to contribute.

CAL HURD: WRITING CONTRIBUTOR Cal Hurd, another junior at McCallum, is a longtime friend of Urias and first heard of the website directly from her.

Hurd believes that men should be able to celebrate and contribute to an iniative that empowers women.

“I wanted to contribute because I love the idea of empowering people,” Hurd said. “It is specific to girls, but ... I feel like gender does not have boundaries, and I think empowering anyone that feels disenfranchised is important. And I love writing.”

Upon its initial launch, the website had no theme, so they were allowed to contribute anything they wanted. Hurd decided to write about how his diet has recently changed.

“My biggest philosophy about dealing and feeling like you’re not enough for society and stuff is to channel that into doing things that are good for yourself, and taking care of yourself,” Hurd said. “So I wrote a piece about my journey to stop eating dairy, and I wrote about how that has affected my life.”

After editing his piece to his best ability, he sends it to Urias who then uploads it to the website. Hurd said he is looking forward to contributing to the website again.

GO CHECK OUT AYDAN’S WEBSITE AT WWW.CANTGRABUS.COM

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Artistically Speaking: Nickie Cohen Junior film major gathers experience, prepares for future as a writer and director away that her dad was a Nazi. She’s one of the best people I know, and she’s so much more different than her parents must have been. When I showed her the documentary she really loved it and was really touched by it so that meant a lot to me because she’s such an amazing person. I’m glad that I was able to document her story and show people what she had been through. She’s also a really amazing artist so it kind of shows her life through her art and she was really happy that she could share that with people and that made me really happy.

ANNA ADDISON staff reporter The Shield: How did you get into film?

Nickie Cohen: I moved to Austin the summer before freshman year, and I really wanted to go to McCallum because I was zoned for Anderson and I hated Anderson, so I just applied to the film program. I was always a good writer so I wrote a script and when I got in I was just kind of like “OK,” because I really didn’t have much interest in film before then, but once I started the class I started to really to like it and found that I was kind of good at it.

TS: What’s your creative process?

NC: I usually find myself starting with a small detail like the names of my characters or something like that. I wrote this film about two teenage girls, and it was completely based off of the two names I came up with, which were June and Maisie, and so I just built the story off that. Yeah ... it’s kind of a mess. I usually just try to put a script together as best I can.

TS: What have you learned from McCallum’s A/V program?

NC: I’ve learned a lot about film obviously and how to write a script and how to format it and how to deal with people on set. We basically do everything for our films.

TS: What is your favorite thing about film?

NC: I just love being on set because there’s so much buildup to the day when you finally start filming. You have to get your actors there, and you have to get your crew there, and you have to set everything up, but once they start reading the words that you wrote and you see it all coming together and the vision you had in your head is becoming real, it’s really cool. And then you get to go back and look at that and be like “Yes! I did it!” It feels really good.

TS: Have you experienced any challenges as a fine arts major?

NC: I don’t think a lot of people even know that we have a film program, so it can be kind of hard to get recognition. A lot of times we don’t have enough funding for things we want to do, or we’ll do a fund-raiser and not many people will come. I think it’s because there’s not many people in the film program.

That’s kind of hard sometimes, but Mr.

06 March 2017

Junior Nickie Cohen grew to love film only after she had already been accepted to McCallum as a film major. Photo by Beth Cohen.

Rogers tries to make it easier. He applies for a lot of grants so we have a lot of really good equipment.

TS: Do you want to pursue film after high school?

NC: Yeah, I’m pretty much exclusively applying to film programs for college. I really want to be a writer and director, but I could also do casting directing. I just really want to be in the film industry in any way I can.

TS: What colleges are you going to apply to?

NC: I want to apply to NYU and Pratt because I really want to be in New York, but I’m also going to apply to some schools in LA like Chapman and maybe USC. Those are hard to get into, but we’ll see!

TS: What is your inspiration?

NC: I like writing about things that I know and combining them with things that I have to research. Right now I’m doing a film about this teenage girl, who runs away from this cult, that she grew up in with her little sister. Something I know a lot about is being a teenage girl but something I don’t know anything about is being in a cult so I just tried to write from my perspective and from what I could find by researching. So yeah, I like mixing what I know with what I don’t know.

TS: What project are you most proud of?

NC: I just did a documentary on my mom’s friend, Connie, who’s in her 70s. She didn’t find out until her parents had already passed

TS: Do you have any interesting stories from set?

NC: I made a film sophomore year with my two friends, Ella and Gabi, and there was a part in the script where they each had to jump into my pool, and it was freezing. So they had to jump in with all their clothes and afterwards they were really cold. We still talk about it! Like I’ll be like ‘Can you come help me with my film?’ And they’ll be like ‘Do I have to jump into the pool again?’ I actually made another film where Ella had to jump into the pool again, so she wasn’t too happy about that.

TS: If you could be the director of any movie that already exists, what would you choose?

NC: Probably the movie Nightcrawler because I think that movie was really well done and I love Jake Gyllenhaal, I think he’s a great actor so I would’ve loved to work with him. Yeah, either that or Palo Alto because I think that’s also a really interesting movie.

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From one tour of duty to another

World geography teacher fights the good fight overseas and in the classroom SOPHIE RYLAND staff reporter

It may seem that being a high school geography teacher and being a member of the U.S. military are very different careers. For one McCallum teacher, however, the two jobs have many unexpected similarities.

“I think that education is a lot like the military,” social studies teacher Michael Sanabria said. “Professionally, there are big parallels in terms of hierarchies: there’s administration, then teachers; in the military, there’s officers and NCOs [non-commissioned officers]. In terms of the skills, there’s a lot of carryover because ... a lot of people don’t realize what the U.S. Special Forces actually do in the military. I think there’s a notion that it’s all Call-of-Duty style direct action; that’s not the case entirely ... Special Forces soldiers travel around the world, instructing other militaries.

So actually becoming a teacher and being in a classroom every day has made me better at doing my job in the military, and the military makes me a better teacher because of some of the presence and confidence that you develop being a soldier.”

Sanabria is a Sergeant First Class and a Special Forces Communication Sergeant; he operates his team’s communication systems, working with satellite radios, establishing networks and setting up AM and FM radios.

Sanabria joined the military straight out of high school as a Special Forces recruit, then after two years of training, he was deployed all over the world to places like Afghanistan, Colombia and Honduras. He worked in the Army full-time for about five years and then left to go to college, paid for by the post-9/11 GI Bill, with the intention of going into education.

He continues to serve in the National Guard in addition to his teaching job at McCallum.

He asserts that he has been affected, both as a person and a teacher, by his military experience.

“It’s certainly made me someone who has a wider perspective on many things than other folks because I’ve travelled so broadly, had to interact with people, sometimes seeing the worst of humanity, sometimes the best aspects of humanity,” Sanabria said. “In that way, I’m able to bring a more global point of view into the classroom, which obviously applies to geography. I feel like I have a lot of experiences

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After student teaching at Mac, Michael Sanabria has taught social studies the past three years. He says his military experience has made him a better teacher. Photo by Gregory James. to share and a lot of neat things hanging on my wall from all over the world.”

Sanabria says that even though the military has helped to shape him through the years and his continued participation in it is important to him, teaching is his top priority.

“I kind of treat my military career at this point like a hobby,” Sanabria said. “It’s not the main thing I focus on; it’s something that is important to me, but in the event that there’s some sort of clash between my military responsibilities and my civilian responsibilities at McCallum, if I can help it, I skew towards McCallum because I consider myself a teacher more than someone in the military. That being said, sometimes the military trumps that, and I have to fulfill it; that’s kind of what happened with Korea.”

This school year, Sanabria had to miss all of the first semester when he was sent on a sixmonth-long overseas trip to South Korea. On these overseas trips, members of the National Guard, such as Sanabria, work with the other military personnel to teach each other useful skills or tactics; the collaboration builds trust and rapport between the military partners.

“The location was interesting, the people were real great, but it was very inconvenient being gone for six months,” Sanabria said. “[It was] stressful for my career here at McCallum

because I was teaching economics and then I got moved to a different subject. ... You [also] miss your wife, so it’s difficult there too, but overall [it was] not a bad experience.”

Katie Carrasco, like Sanabria a geography teacher and also the co-chair of the social studies department, says that though it was difficult to accommodate Sanabria’s absence, it was worth it in the long term.

“We found out that he was going to be deployed … [and that] there wasn’t a guarantee that he would get to go back to McCallum, but we felt like he’s such an asset to our department [and] to our campus, so we wanted to make sure we could pull whatever strings we could so that he could have a position to come back to,” Carrasco said.

During his absence, a permanent sub, Charles Mangum, took over his world geography and human geography classes.

While Mangum admitted that at times it was difficult managing all the classes for an entire semester, he also praised Sanabria for being an excellent teacher.

“I knew him when he and Mr. [Greg] Anderson did their student teaching here when Mr. Staples was here; they were [both] excellent teachers, and I’m just happy that Mr. Garrison employ[ed] them,” Mangum said. “[They are] very fine, excellent young men to be teaching

young students.”

Sanabria’s students, who studied under Mangum for all of the fall semester, admit that there was an interesting transition between the two teachers.

“It was a really difficult change because Mr. Mangum, as sweet as he is, isn’t very strict and wouldn’t give us as much work,” freshman Maryanna Tollemache said. “There was a lot of free time, then, switching to Mr. Sanabria, who is very strict about like, where you’re sitting. ... It’s a really big change, but I kind of like that.”

Students, despite just meeting Sanabria, report that they are impressed by his worldliness and insights.

“He’s really thoughtful, and he gives really good lectures and conversations,” freshman Sara Milliken said. “What I like is that he knows all the current events that are going on in the world, which helps, being a world geography teacher. He asks really thoughtful questions, and any time he gives a lecture, I am always left thinking about what we just talked about or I have a question in my mind.”

In turn, Sanabria, who was deployed in combat to Afghanistan at the age of 20, encourages students who are curious about joining the military to discuss it with him.

“I honestly try not to talk too much about being in the military, especially with students, because I don’t want to be perceived as trying to sell anybody on being in the military,” Sanabria said. “But for those students who are interested in the military, I would invite them to come talk to me because I don’t have any agenda [about]whether they join or not, so sometimes that might be a little safer place to go to ask advice or expectation management than talking to a recruiter.”

Though teaching is his main passion, Sanabria says that he continues to hold his military experience as something special and something that has completely shaped his life.

“I don’t know if it’s so much balancing the military and my Austin life as the military kind of balances me ... because so much of my formative years were spent in the military,” Sanabria said. “It would be a little bit weird for me if I didn’t have at least one foot in the door still. It’d probably be difficult to separate my military experiences from who I am; it’s so much a part of who I’ve become.”

06 March 2017

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When a prom plan comes together To help seniors get a head start, the Shield provides a step by step guide on how to prepare and schedule for the upcoming prom season

FIRST: FIGURE OUT WHO YOU’RE GOING WITH

NEXT: PICK OUT AND PREPARE FOR YOUR LOOK

THEN: DECIDE ON YOUR TRANSPORTATION

LATER: MAKE PLANS FOR YOUR DINNER •

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•

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Remember the official promposal season starts one month before prom night.

Big and public promposals are mostly recommended for people who already know their special someone will say yes.

Some promposal ideas include: Buy them food and write your question on their to-go box, make a cute poster, make a message out of sticky notes, or just walk up to them and ask.

If you decide to go with a group have who’s officially in the group sorted out between one and two months before prom night.

Make a Facebook group or group text and add people as necessary.

This is a great way to talk about plans with everybody involved.

See if your date or group wants to take pictures or get ready together on the day of prom.

06 March 2017

•

• • • •

Some great ways to start narrowing down your outfit choices are by deciding what colors, necklines and dress or suit cuts you do and don’t like, as well as setting a budget for yourself.

Renting your outfit can save you money.

Know exactly what you want to wear by at least a few weeks before prom night.

Break in your shoes by wearing them with thick socks around the house in your free time.

You can DIY anything if you want to, and it’s cheaper. But remember to book any beauty appointments you want at least three weeks before prom night. Some appointments you may have to schedule: • Nail appointment • Hair appointment • Makeup appointment • Tailor appointment

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•

If you’re in a group that wants to rent a limo or a party bus, you’ll need to rent it by at least one month in advance.

Using your own cars, or using a ridesharing service, is honestly the best option for both groups and couples. You’ll save money, and have a much more flexible transportation plan for prom night.

FINALLY: DETERMINE YOUR AFTER-PARTY PLANS •

•

When picking a ride, keep this table in mind:

Your Car

Maximum Occupancy

Average Total Cost for 4 Hours (fees included)

2-4

FREE (+ parking fees)

Limo

6-10

$710

Party Bus

Around 24

$910

SUV

4-6

$435

Ridesharing

2-4

Cost of fare

The usual procedure for getting dinner on prom night is to get it before you go to the dance.

Make dinner reservations three weeks to one month before prom night. Know exactly how many people you plan to have in your party.

Some great places to eat on prom night: Perla’s, Chuy’s, Hula Hut, Shabu, Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, Chez Zee, Pinthouse Pizza...

Ordering pizzas or a party-tray from Chick-Fil-A and having fun at a friend’s can also be a great time!

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Decisions on what you want to do after prom can be made from a few months before prom night to the day of, depending on what your date or group wants to do.

Some great post-prom ideas include going to a big party held at a friend’s house with lots of music and food for everyone, renting a hotel room with your friends and spending the night there, hosting a sleepover with your group, going to see a movie, or playing a round of mini-golf.

Just remember to stay safe do whatever makes you happy!

Story by Rachel Wolleben

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NEW TEASER TRAILER FOR SEASON 2 OF STRANGER THINGS HAS TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN WITH NEW FAN THEORIES

If you haven’t seen the entire first season of Netflix’s hit new show Stranger Things, look away now!

There are some spoilers ahead. The first teaser trailer for season 2 of Stranger Things premiered during Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, earning the most significant response through social media of any ad shown

COULD THE UPSIDE DOWN BE HAWKINS IN THE FUTURE?

COULD ELEVEN TURN OUT TO BE THE DEMOGORGON? • •

•

The Demogorgon could be the real-word representation of Eleven’s uncontrolled powers and emotional distress, essentially it could be Eleven.

Evidence: • Her flashback of when she first saw the Demogorgon came to her as she lost control of her powers in a fight with Lucas (Episode 5).

• Even though the Demogorgon appears wherever it can smell fresh blood, it never appears when Eleven has her nosebleeds.

• Eleven has expressed repeatedly that she is afraid of the Demogorgon. This could be because she is afraid of interacting with her emotional distress and losing control of her powers.

• Eleven recognizes the two main victims of the Demogorgon, Will and Barb, despite never actually meeting them before (Episodes 2 & 7).

• When Eleven has her final battle with the Demogorgon, it mirrors her movements, making the same motions with its arms (Episode 8).

If this theory is true, it could mean that the slug Will vomits out (Episode 8) is a manifestation of his emotional turmoil and the potential new powers gained after being trapped in the “Upside Down.” And the size and violent capabilities of these creatures may grow to the point where they look like the giant spider-monster seen in the season 2 trailer.

throughout the game. The marketing technology company Amobee reported that 307,000 tweets related to Stranger Things were sent between 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. that day, with the closest competitor being only 91,700 tweets related to T-Mobile’s ad. A lot goes on in this trailer, and The Shield is here to break down major theories on what may happen in the new season set to premiere on Oct. 31 this year.

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•

Instead of being an entrance to an alternate dimension, the gate that Eleven accidentally opened could be a tear in the space-time continuum that shows the town of Hawkins in the near future, most likely after the events of season 2. A future where the giant, spider-like monster seen in the season 2 trailer has already attacked the town, and in response the U.S. government has nuked the site, leaving it looking like the dark, barren place it appears to be in season 1.

• Season 2 will be set in the year 1984, right in the midst of the Cold War, when the U.S. government had a nuclear weapons stockpile as a result the prolonged conflict with the Soviet Union.

• Scientists from the Hawkins “Department of Energy” used Geiger counters to investigate the slimy substance from the Upside Down found in Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder’s) home (Episode 2).

• When Joyce and Hopper go into the Upside Down, they’re given hazmat suits by members of the “Department of Energy” and are told that the atmosphere in the Upside Down is toxic (Episode 8).

If the Upside Down really is a preview of Hawkins in the future, then we can be sure that the monster we see in the season 2 trailer will be as bad as it looks.

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

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Talking ‘bout ‘My Girl’

Mac theater goes back to the ‘30s to put on lighthearted musical Senior Max Corney junior and Tristan Tierney (‘18) dance together singing the number, “Love Makes the World Go Round.”

Cora Jordan (‘20), Miranda Vandenberg (‘17), and Pilar Rodriguez (‘17) in the front and Austen Juul-Hansen (‘18), Riley Simpson (‘17), and Molly Leach (‘18) in the back sing and dance to “A Weekend in Hareford.”

Cast as the Dutchess Maria, junior Hannah Young brandishes both her replica sword of the ancestors and her powerful singing voice. “[Before the show], I go hold the replica sword because it’s such a power trip,” Young said. “[My character] has to command the respect and attention of every person she meets, and that requires a strong sense of power and self confidence.”

Lead actress Anna, cast as Sally, smiles at junior Ivan Silva Perez during act II of Me and My Girl. “Being the lead is completely different,” McGuire said. “There is a lot more pressure to do things correctly, but it’s great because there is so much support in the cast.”

06 March 2017

Sophomore Sophia Mullican, junior Hannah Young and freshman Eliza Dean-Polacheck sing “Family Solicitor” during Act I of Me and My Girl. “It was challenging to have so many scenes,” Young said. “But they’re all really fun to do and you get to work with really awesome people.”

Photos by Madison Olsen.

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Bringing joy to the world

Diagnosed with autism at age 4, freshman Jackson Sutton reads dozens of languages, follows passion for the visual arts

CHARLIE HOLDEN staff reporter

N

ot everyone gets a chance to have their artwork featured in three shows before their 15th birthday. Not everyone composes their first song at age 3. Not everyone can write and understand dozens of languages or attempt to create their own. Not everyone can do all of those things, but then again, not everyone is Jackson Sutton.

Sutton, a freshman, was diagnosed with autism at age 4, and although it is easy to focus on the obstacles that accompany living with autism, Sutton sees his differences as an

asset not a handicap.

“It feels good [to have autism],” Sutton said. “It makes me a great artist.”

Sutton’s mother, Rene Craft, agrees.

“Jackson just sees things very, very differently than the rest of us,” Craft said. “He sees beauty and joy where others might not. He sees happiness in a street scene, he sees joy in a children’s birthday party, and he would

come home and draw those images in his personal style.”

He has been seeing things and then drawing them as they are in his imagination—or his “EyeTV,” as he calls it—long before he could speak.

“Jackson began drawing obsessively at 18 months old,” Craft said. “Once he could communicate verbally at age 5, he was able to tell

“ I feel proud of who I am. ” -Jackson Sutton

us how he was experiencing what most of us call reality: a wonderful place of beauty that he named Jackson’s EyeTV, that he alone could see inside his mind.”

Although it is Sutton’s dream to be a “big artist,” his first passion was language, specifically foreign languages. “[In preschool] Jackson was still unable to speak English outside of basic one- or twoword commands, but he would pantomime or scream ‘KOREA’ over and over again when we visited the public library until I figured out that he wanted me to check out children’s books in Korean,” Craft said.

“I was so desperate to get him to speak, I bought him the Putumayo CD, Asian Dreamland. He loved that CD and listened to it over and over again, and that was the beginning of something wonderful for him.”

For the past three years Sutton has placed first in the Austin Regional Japanese Language Speech Contest and will move on to compete at the state level at Rice University in March.

“Jackson can speak Japanese with more fluidity than he can speak English,” Craft said. “His neurologist calls

Go check out Jackson’s website at www.jacksonseyetv.com

Sutton studies in his Japanese II class, sketchbook close at hand. In the background is a piece of sheet music that Sutton wrote when he was only 3 years old. “Jackson describes that he can see music, and I believe him,” Craft said. “He sees the song, he sees the notes in the air. This is how he’s described it to me.” Photo

by Stephany Serna and sheet music courtesy of Rene Craft.

Over the years Sutton has developed his own identity as an artist, including creating his own style he calls Mexican Modern Art. “I’ve been deeply inspired by Latin American art,” Sutton said. This piece, titled “Floating off into the World” or “The Moon Sees Me” (2013) is an example of the Mexican Modern style.

Illustration courtesy of Rene Craft.

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him a linguistic savant. Jackson has taught himself pieces of hundreds of languages. He likes to create new languages and spends the majority of his time on linguistics doing a project he calls, “Language Blending.”

To encourage Sutton’s many projects as well as to raise social awareness about autism, Craft has created a website telling her son’s story and promoting his artwork.

“By publishing Jackson’s story and our family’s efforts online, we hoped to reach more families with information about autism and provide some window into the mind of one child who had autism,” Craft said.

“Jackson was active in reading the [blog] pages I wrote and giving me ideas. He is the one that said, ‘The autistic brain is very powerful.’ He wanted more people to know about autism and to help people with autism get more attention.”

Craft has also set up an online store to sell prints, canvases, mugs and other products adorned with pieces by Sutton. All proceeds from the sales go towards Sutton’s special needs fund, which helps cover medical expenses, enabling Sutton to reach his goals of becoming a working artist.

“I do not want to give the impression that guiding someone with autism through life is easy, cheap or involves quick fixes. It has been more than 11 years of non-stop work as well as Jackson’s natural intellectual gifts that yielded the progress, in my opinion.”

Sutton has many unique strengths, some of which come in the form of talent and intellect, and others that are a testament to his positive character.

“I think [Jackson’s greatest strength] is his joy. He is so joyful and the work reflects that. In this world, at this time, what do we all need more of? Joy.”

06 March 2017

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Bringing joy to the world

Diagnosed with autism at age 4, freshman Jackson Sutton reads dozens of languages, follows passion for the visual arts

CHARLIE HOLDEN staff reporter

N

ot everyone gets a chance to have their artwork featured in three shows before their 15th birthday. Not everyone composes their first song at age 3. Not everyone can write and understand dozens of languages or attempt to create their own. Not everyone can do all of those things, but then again, not everyone is Jackson Sutton.

Sutton, a freshman, was diagnosed with autism at age 4, and although it is easy to focus on the obstacles that accompany living with autism, Sutton sees his differences as an

asset not a handicap.

“It feels good [to have autism],” Sutton said. “It makes me a great artist.”

Sutton’s mother, Rene Craft, agrees.

“Jackson just sees things very, very differently than the rest of us,” Craft said. “He sees beauty and joy where others might not. He sees happiness in a street scene, he sees joy in a children’s birthday party, and he would

come home and draw those images in his personal style.”

He has been seeing things and then drawing them as they are in his imagination—or his “EyeTV,” as he calls it—long before he could speak.

“Jackson began drawing obsessively at 18 months old,” Craft said. “Once he could communicate verbally at age 5, he was able to tell

“ I feel proud of who I am. ” -Jackson Sutton

us how he was experiencing what most of us call reality: a wonderful place of beauty that he named Jackson’s EyeTV, that he alone could see inside his mind.”

Although it is Sutton’s dream to be a “big artist,” his first passion was language, specifically foreign languages. “[In preschool] Jackson was still unable to speak English outside of basic one- or twoword commands, but he would pantomime or scream ‘KOREA’ over and over again when we visited the public library until I figured out that he wanted me to check out children’s books in Korean,” Craft said.

“I was so desperate to get him to speak, I bought him the Putumayo CD, Asian Dreamland. He loved that CD and listened to it over and over again, and that was the beginning of something wonderful for him.”

For the past three years Sutton has placed first in the Austin Regional Japanese Language Speech Contest and will move on to compete at the state level at Rice University in March.

“Jackson can speak Japanese with more fluidity than he can speak English,” Craft said. “His neurologist calls

Go check out Jackson’s website at www.jacksonseyetv.com

Sutton studies in his Japanese II class, sketchbook close at hand. In the background is a piece of sheet music that Sutton wrote when he was only 3 years old. “Jackson describes that he can see music, and I believe him,” Craft said. “He sees the song, he sees the notes in the air. This is how he’s described it to me.” Photo

by Stephany Serna and sheet music courtesy of Rene Craft.

Over the years Sutton has developed his own identity as an artist, including creating his own style he calls Mexican Modern Art. “I’ve been deeply inspired by Latin American art,” Sutton said. This piece, titled “Floating off into the World” or “The Moon Sees Me” (2013) is an example of the Mexican Modern style.

Illustration courtesy of Rene Craft.

16 people

him a linguistic savant. Jackson has taught himself pieces of hundreds of languages. He likes to create new languages and spends the majority of his time on linguistics doing a project he calls, “Language Blending.”

To encourage Sutton’s many projects as well as to raise social awareness about autism, Craft has created a website telling her son’s story and promoting his artwork.

“By publishing Jackson’s story and our family’s efforts online, we hoped to reach more families with information about autism and provide some window into the mind of one child who had autism,” Craft said.

“Jackson was active in reading the [blog] pages I wrote and giving me ideas. He is the one that said, ‘The autistic brain is very powerful.’ He wanted more people to know about autism and to help people with autism get more attention.”

Craft has also set up an online store to sell prints, canvases, mugs and other products adorned with pieces by Sutton. All proceeds from the sales go towards Sutton’s special needs fund, which helps cover medical expenses, enabling Sutton to reach his goals of becoming a working artist.

“I do not want to give the impression that guiding someone with autism through life is easy, cheap or involves quick fixes. It has been more than 11 years of non-stop work as well as Jackson’s natural intellectual gifts that yielded the progress, in my opinion.”

Sutton has many unique strengths, some of which come in the form of talent and intellect, and others that are a testament to his positive character.

“I think [Jackson’s greatest strength] is his joy. He is so joyful and the work reflects that. In this world, at this time, what do we all need more of? Joy.”

06 March 2017

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Story by Anna Addison and Grace Schmidhauser

Spring Break in ATX SWIMMING

Austinites take a refreshing dip in The Green Belt.

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.

Looking to escape the heat and the chaos of South By but don’t want to endure the hordes of people with tourist guides flocking to Barton Springs? Check out these more secluded swimming spots to swim and get back to nature. There’s plenty of hidden gems right around the corner from downtown.

The Green Belt: Located right by Barton Springs, this little strip of Barton Creek offers prime swimming locations, great hiking, is dog friendly, and is, most importantly, free.

Bring a blanket and some snacks and have a picnic with your friends by the water.

Hamilton Pool: This South Austin gem is definitely worth the 45 minute drive. This breathtaking natural swimming hole features an overhanging rock formation and a spectacular waterfall. Located nearby is the equally beautiful Reimer Ranch Park which offers hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking. If you’re truly looking for an escape, this is the place for you.

Lady Bird Lake: We wouldn’t recommend taking a dip in the river due to pollution, but there are some activities you can still participate in on or by the lake. There’s kayaking, canoeing or, if you’re up for a challenge, paddle boarding.

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FREE SXSW SHOWS Don’t have a costly SXSW wristband? Not to worry, there are still plenty of opportunities for you to participate in the festivities. Venues like The Mohawk, Hotel Vegas and The Pearl St. Co-Op will be hosting free shows and unofficial parties throughout the entire week. Although you aren’t quite as likely to see any big names without throwing down some serious cash, free shows are a great way to discover new, lesserknown bands. Keep your eye out for pop-ups on street corners around town, as even well-known artists often use SXSW as an opportunity to hold intimate, secret shows in unexpected locations to accommodate fans. Never underestimate the surprises that SXSW offers. Additionally, free shows are usually all-ages, allowing you to escape the dreaded “21+ only” curse of most SXSW shows. Check out local online publications like The Austin Chronicle, Do512 and Sonicvault for day-by-day lists of all the free shows going on.

Your Sunny Spring Break Playlist “I Get Around”—The Beach Boys “My Old Man”—Mac Demarco “Girl”—Beck “Sunday Girl”—Blondie “...Baby One More Time”— Britney Spears “California”—Grimes “Coast to Coast”—Waxahatchee “Dreams”—Fleetwood Mac “Boyfriend”—Best Coast “Wakin on a Pretty Day”—Kurt Vile

FOOD TRUCKS

Famed local dessert truck, Hey Cupcake!

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.

Austin is renowned for our ever-growing food truck community with flavors from all around the world. Whether you’re looking for a quick snack amidst the chaos of downtown during SXSW or just looking to discover new areas while grabbing a bite around town, there are options for everyone. If you find yourself looking for great, low-cost food with endless choices for all of your friends’ specific tastes, we suggest checking out these food truck parks during the break.

The Midway Food Park: Located in far South Austin off of Capital of Texas Highway, The Midway is home to Austin classics such as Cafe Ybor and The Dock & Roll Diner, who are famous for their scrumptious lobster rolls.

South First Food Court: This South Austin trailer park is worth the visit just to eat a decked out frozen banana from Banancharchy. This park is also the home of Crepes Up Delicious and Gravy, a little biscuits and gravy joint. The court also holds a n ever-reliable Torchy’s Tacos truck.

East 6th Street: This location is ideal for those of you looking for something to eat during South By. Food trucks like Baton Creole, Halal Time, and Savor de Moi are all located downtown and east of I-35.

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Spring semester sports roundup GIRLS SOCCER

Having clinched regional berth, bowlers loses close match The McCallum bowling team lost a heartbreaker against the Round Rock Dragons on Feb. 17. The Knights fell behind in both of the singles matches and only earned two points out of a possible 14. Down 12-2 going into the Baker format, the team had to sweep the round in order to win the match and take third place in the district. The team won the first three Baker games by scores of 182-152, 152-121 and 209-158, which brought the Knights to within a single point, 12-11. Having already build a huge lead in total pins going into the final game, all the team needed to do was win one more game to complete an epic comeback. The Dragons, however, were able to regroup for the last game with an impressive 214-177 win. The match was exciting but not season ending as both teams had already advanced to the regional tournament. in Killeen, Texas.

—Julie Robertson

School

Photo by Adriana Boortz

Shimizu ends career by placing at State After winning three of her first five matches at State, Maya Shimuzu (‘17) won the final match of her illustrious high school wrestling career to place fifth in the state in the 138 class at the UIL state wrestling meet. It was her best finish in four trips to state. Afterward, teammate Adriana Boortz greeted her with an embrace, saying that she finally accomplished what her teammates and coaches always knew she could. “It was like a weight lifted off her shoulders,” Boortz said. “I was just repeating, ‘It all paid off, all four years. You did it!’”

Behind 4 Parker goals, Mac defeats LBJ, 5-2

Blue Brigade brings home the hardware from Austin Dance Classic McCallum's Blue Brigade performed all of its dances on Saturday February 25th at the Austin Dance Classic competition at Vandegrift High School.

The officers performed their officer contemporary dance to "You" by Keaton Henson. The officers earned Double Division 1 honors among large ensembles. In the solo competition for large ensembles, freshman Amelia Paul won first runner-up while Ellie Stites was named fourth runner-up. The team placed second runner-up in the Academic Champion competition. The team also won a Sweepstakes award, the Gussie Nell Davis Award and a Judge's Award for contemporary ensemble. Overall, the team finished third runner-up in the Best in Class competition for large ensembles. Photo courtesy of Ms. Honeycutt.

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The girls varsity soccer team defeated arch-rival LBJ, in a district game on Feb. 22. Freshman Lily Parker scored her fourth goal at the 15-minute mark to make the final score McCallum 5, LBJ 2.

Senior Emily Goulet also scored in the game as the Knights took sole possession of second place in the District 25-5A standings. The JV Soccer girls set the tone for the evening. At one point in the second half, the JV team trailed LBJ, 3-1. Then, Lajayshia Dotson happened. The junior scored three secondhalf goals to fuel a 4-3 McCallum comeback victory.

Dotson’s second goal created quite a spectacle as the ball landed in the back of the net right near where the varsity Knights were warming up. The goal not only tied the game but also sparked wild celebration among the varsity spectators.

Losses

Wins

Austin LBJ McCallum Richards Crockett Lanier Travis Reagan

0 2 3* 4 6 6 9 10*

10 8* 7 6 4 4* 1 0

*LBJ and Lanier have a shoutout win. *McCallum and Reagan have shootout losses

KNIGHTS BOWLING School

Wins

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Stony Point CO-OP Round Rock McCallum East View Leander

8 6 5 4 4 3

0 2 3 4 4 8

Schedule Girls Soccer

Boys Soccer

3/7 vs. Lanier @ 3/7 vs. Lanier @ House Park 7:45 PM Nelson 7:45 PM

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For freshman, taekwondo more than a sport Participating in martial arts offers diversity, discipline, harmony D’AZHANE YANCEY staff reporter In some ways, taekwondo, the Korean martial art form now being offered as a varsity club sport, resembles the other sports offered at McCallum. There is competition and winning and losing.

Freshman Marlena Taylor-Adair knows all about the winning part.

At a taekwondo tournament at the Delco Center on Feb. 4, Taylor-Adair won a grand championship medal for forms, a gold medal in forms and a silver medal in sparring. Fellow McCallum student Liam Hannon won a bronze in forms.

When we caught up with her, however, Taylor-Adair said that for her, the sport was less about the awards and more about the daily discipline it takes to master the art of it.

“The most important thing is not about the sport,” Taylor-Adair said. “It’s about respecting your instructors, saying, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ and ‘No

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ma’am,’ or ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘No, sir’ because they get very touchy about that, and it’s also really difficult, but it’s a lot of fun.”

She also likes that there are many different events all rolled up into one sport.

There’s sparring, which is fighting, and also forms that students try to perfect.

During practices, they do stretches, pushups, crunches and other general strength exercises; they use ladders to do drills, and they do self defense sometimes. Their practices aren’t at school.

The sport is being offered on campus as a varsity club sport, but Marlena-Adair was drawn to the sport before it came to campus.

“I was interested in taekwondo because I like martial arts,” Marlena-Adair said. “My friend’s dad taught taekwondo; it was nice to have people I knew, and they were already doing it so I started.”

While winning the grand championship was nice, she downplayed its significance.

“It was a grand championship for my belt level and my age in one competition,”

Marlena Taylor-Adair was first drawn to taekwondo because her neighbor’s dad taught it; now she likes the discipline and variety of it. Photos by D’Azhane Yancey, Brad Perkins.

Marlena-Adair said. “It was nice, and I was happy I guess, but I wasn’t especially excited or anything. I was also nervous because I had another competition after that.”

She plans to continue in the sport for the next three years of high school, in part because there are scholarships for taekwondo,

and she hopes to get better so can earn one.

She’s unsure of what college she wants to go to, but she doesn’t want to be too far from Austin. Her short list at the moment includes the University of Texas, Rice University in Houston, and Trinity University in San Antonio.

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March gladness JULIE ROBERTSON editor in-chief

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Our intrepid sports columnists fearlessly pick Final Four before brackets come out

Kansas Gonzaga

Villanova

Oregon

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picked them last year, and despite the fact that they failed to reach the Final Four, I am picking them again this year. Their regular season may not have been as groundbreaking as their season a year ago, but it was still stellar.

Kansas also has some star power with top player Frank Mason averaging more than 23 points per game and shooting more than 50 percent from the field.

Josh Hart meanwhile has contributed on both sides of the court, averaging 20 points, 5.3 assists and four and a half rebounds per game. It will take six wins in the tournament for Kansas to win the national title. Considering that they had a 17-game winning streak heading into their game against Texas earlier this year, that’s seems doable. he Washington state team from the West Coast Conference is almost always overlooked everywhere except the Pacific Northwest until the Zags end up securing a top seed in the tournament. Gonzaga shoots 52.1 percent, which is the best shooting percentage in the country. During their important win against Pepperdine earlier this year, forwards Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis both shone with important game-determining plays. Their quest for a perfect season ended when BYU pegged them for their first loss on Feb. 25, but that may prove a blessing come tournament time. Now they can just play ball and not worry about having to attain perfection. They have an excellent chance to crash the Final Four party for the first time in school history in this their 20th NCAA tournament appearance.

MILES HANSEN staff reporter

Kansas UCLA

o win it all last year, Villanova upset Kansas, humiliated Oklahoma and beat UNC at the buzzer in a classic title game. I just remember being glad that Duke wasn’t playing (knocked out in the first round, if I need to remind you). How big of a deal is it to hand Villanova their first loss? Enough for the Butler fans to storm the court. The key for this team is that they need to be able to maintain their cool in the beginning of their games and maintain their high shooting percentage throughout the game. That’s true for every team of course, but it’s especially true for the Wildcats as their home loss to Butler proved. The team benefits from offensive balance as leading scorer Josh Hart averages a mere 16 points per game, while his teammate Kris Jenkins averages 14. regon has been climbing its way to the top for most of the season. They started in the Top Five then suffered rough losses and fell out and had to earn their way back to the top of the AP poll. How did they get to the top?

Sixteen straight wins, a school record. The season started off statistically rough for them as well. At one point early in the season, the team averaged more than nine turnovers per game, but as the season progressed they starting taking care of the ball better, and the wins started to pile up. Even though they are ranked No. 7 in current AP Poll, they are strong enough to be able to waddle to the top of the Final Four if they keep themselves together.

Villanova Kentucky

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ill Self deserves more credit than he gets. Along with a 2008 national championship, Self’s team has won or shared 12 consecutive Big XII titles,and are poised to do it again. The roster is stacked with veteran forwards Landen Lucas and guard Frank Mason III, a preseason Wooden Award finalist, and a very much improved junior Devonte’ Graham. In addition to these stalwarts, a strong season from freshman Josh Jackson has left Kansas’s opponents facing a virtually unstoppable Jayhawk offense.

he whole success story for this years Bruins team is freshman superstar Lonzo Ball, whom people have already compared to Jason Kidd. He currently leads the nation in assists and is ranked 10th overall in shooting percentage.

Although the Bruins keep winning games, they aren’t getting their due respect from bracketologists. UCLA has beaten Kentucky and Oregon, yet it continues to be left out of the conversation for a No. 1 seed. The Bruins started February a perfect 5-0, winning those games by an average of 22 points. Steve Alford and the Bruins stand a fighting chance to bring home the Pac-12 title and a Final Fourth berth.

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he Wildcats have enjoyed another wildly successful season this year after a last-second championship-game winning shot against North Carolina completed the Wildcats’ storybook season last year. Nova has been ranked in the Top 4 all year long, despite early losses to Butler and Marquette. A commanding leader has emerged in senior guard Josh Hart, who’s averaging 18 points and shooting 40 percent from behind the 3-point arc. The ‘Cats stand atop the Big East standings, and if they can continue their current hot streak and fare well in the Big East tournament they will be an automatic No. 1 seed in the tournament.

peaking of freshman superstars, Kentucky has an entire roster of them with four active McDonald All-Americans, more than any other team in the country. Although that is old news for future Hall of Fame coach John Calipari, who has dominated the SEC in recent seasons and is looking at another title to add to his shelf. While this year’s team has suffered some tough home losses such as Louisville and Kansas, Calipari chalks them up to the inexperience of his roster. A few breakout players within the Kentucky arsenal are freshman guards Malik Monk (21.4 ppg) and De’Aaron Fox (5.4 apg, 15 ppg).

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Jesse Reed: Pitcher perfect Senior reflects on his baseball career and being named top 50 players in the state The Shield: When did you start playing baseball?

Jesse Reed:I started playing when I was 5 at North Austin Optimist. I started playing because I would always have fun hitting wiffle balls in my back yard so my dad signed me up for Little League.

TS:So when you got to McCallum what team did you play on? And what teams have you played on since?

JR: Schoolwise, I knew I wanted to go to McCallum since it was close to home and academically better than some in the area. I played at NAO until freshman year, then went to Austin Baseball Club, a select organization, that some of my friends from the freshman team played on.

TS: What team and position do you play for McCallum this year?

JR: I am on varsity, and I am a starting pitcher and shortstop.

TS: What is the pressure involved with each position?

JR: I look at it more as I just am doing my job rather than there is pressure. But pitching I have to make sure to keep hitters off balance while still throwing strikes and pitching to contact. At short, I just have to make the plays that are presented and help my pitcher get outs as many ways as I can.

TS:What is the biggest difference of playing in school baseball vs outside of school?

JR: In high school baseball, you have something to play for besides winning; you have the goal of making playoffs. In summer and fall baseball, you’re just playing to get more experience and more game reps. So there’s no real consequence for losing.

TS: How does the team get along? In what ways do y’all support each other on

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and off of the field?

JR: The team gets along great; we hang out a lot together and usually go out to eat after games. We just have each other’s back so we know we can depend on each other.

TS: Do you and your team have anything you do before your game that is for good luck?

JR: No not really, some of us have handshakes but that’s about it.

TS: How did you feel when you found out that you were ranked in the top 50 players?

JR: It was awesome to first find out I was ranked Top 50 in the region, but I was not expecting to be ranked top 50 in state.

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JESSE REED BY THE NUMBERS

STRIKEOUTS IN OPENING DAY START VERSUS FREDERICKSBURG: 10 RANKED IN TOP 50 5A PLAYERS IN STATE BY TXHighSchoolBaseball.com SECOND TEAM ALL-DISTRICT IN 2016 PITCHED SHUTOUT TO WIN BI-DISTRICT TITLE IN 2016 1. Jesse Reed runs after a runner with the ball to attempt to tag during a tournament game.

2. Coach Houston talks to the varsity infielders on the mound during the Fredricksburg tournament.

3. Senior Ben Wangrin lay down a sacrifice bunt in order to advance courtesy runner Davis Roe. 4. Infielders take a time out to collect themselves on the mound with Coach Houston. Photos by Anne Reed.

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After losing their opener to Fredericksburg 3-2, the Knights played two games on the following day, Feb. 24. In the first game, the Knights battled the Wimberley Texans to a 7-7 tie. Both teams busted out the lumber, and both rallied from three-run deficits. Junior Koehler Vandament doubled to drive in two runs, and senior Ben Wangrin went 3-for-4 with an run batted in. In the second game, the Knights defeated Burnet 9-6 to earn their first win this season. Junior Eric Worden struck out 5 batters.

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The fastball track to college Junior, ace pitcher Nina Buford prioritizes softball, school

The Shield: When did you start playing softball and why?

Nina Buford: I started playing in second grade because my parents were both people who wanted me to be in a sport, so they put in every sport you could imagine. Then I guess softball just kind of stuck with me.

TS: So do you play softball outside of school too?

NB: Yes, I do. I play for a club team called Impact Gold.

TS: What is the biggest difference between the two?

NB: I think that club softball is a lot more competitive because girls there are trying to play college ball, but some girls in high school are more just doing it for fun, which is fine, but for me I like to compete at more of a competitive level with girls who are going to help me achieve my goals of playing college ball.

TS: What has your college search been like?

NB: It’s been pretty smooth. It’s hard to get recruited, but I’ve been going to a lot of camps and getting recruited by some colleges.

TS: What’s the camaraderie like on your school softball team?

NB: I would say this it’s pretty good.

I will say there are some issues on our team. I think that’s just because we don’t all communicate enough and cheer each other on. I think that it is a work in progress.

TS: How has the softball program changed over the years that you have been at McCallum?

NB: I think that now that we have a new coach, there is this atmosphere where we are always being positive and uplifting.

It’s also a new experience for her too, so she’s still learning, but all the experiences we have had with Coach Matz are a lot better than the experiences that I had personally with Coach Fidelman.

TS: Can you describe the pressure involved with the position that you play?

NB: Well, I’m a pitcher and there is a lot of pressure associated with playing that position. For me, I like to live under pressure to carry my team to victory. It’s how I function better and play my game. It can get pretty intense sometimes when there are two outs and a 3-2 count in the bottom of the seventh inning, and you just need that one out; it comes down to what I say to myself in my mind.

I try to have a mindset of ‘You can do this, no negative thoughts,’ then I just try to tune everyone else out and do it for me and the name on my jersey.

TS: How many hours a week do you spend playing softball?

NB: I have no idea. Usually on a good day I will wake up around 5:30 and go to the gym. I will go to school, and then I have softball during the day and after school. After that, I usually have some sort of batting lesson or pitching lesson, something with a coach or my mom. So, a lot of hours.

And at the gym, I do exercises that will help me in softball.

TS: What is it like balancing school and softball?

NB: School and softball are my top priorities right now.

It can be a challenge because I have to work really hard to get good grades in my classes. There are nights where I have had to stay up pretty late, but I get my parents to help me. It can be hard for me to manage both, but I just try to get stuff done during the day because my body works in a way that I cannot stay up past 10.

Varsity, JV softball sweep LBJ The McCallum softball teams both defeated the LBJ Jags on Feb. 24 at Noack. The varsity won, 11-8, while the JV won, 15-3.

In the varsity game, Julia Crofut (‘19) homered for the third time this season. Nina Buford (‘18) pitched a complete game to earn the win and padded her already impressive season strikeout total. She’s now ranks No. 15 nationally in total strikeouts so far this season.

Sophomore Zoë Tormollen anchored the defense in center field with three putouts.

The defense came up big in the bottom of the seventh. With LBJ mounting a comeback, the Knights appeared to end the game with an unusual double play.

After a dropped third strike, the Knights got the second out when catcher Talina Briceno (‘17) threw to first baseman Zoë Hocker (‘19), who then threw back home to Briceno for a tag play at home that appeared to end the game, but the umpires called the LBJ runner safe.

The Knights rallied to end the game, however, with a putout at first on the next batter.

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NINA BUFORD BY THE NUMBERS

*Source for stats: Max Preps

ERA (earned run average): 4.14 IP (innings pitched this season as of March 1): 45.2 K (strikeouts recorded this season as of March 1): 57 OBA (opponent batting average): .280 FP (fielding percentage): 1.000

1. The varsity infielders high five before the start of an inning in the Killeen Tournement. The team won three games on the final day of the tournament to place first in its bracket. 2. Julia Crofut homers during the Killeen tournament. The sophomore slugger has already gone deep three times this season. Photos by Sylvia Zamora.

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Exercise some creativity Join two Shield reporters on their quest to find the most fun way to get in shape Going to the gym five days a week can get extremely repetitive. Run on the treadmill, row on the rowing machine, lift weights. While some people might enjoy these exercises, they can get old after doing them, even for just one week. The Shield set out on a quest to find more fun workout classes that are affordable, fun and difficult. Included are in-

tensity levels, prices, and the ideal post-workout recovery meals. These workouts will leave you sweating and sore the next day. They target different muscle groups than the same ones you usually work on when you simply run or lift weights. Plus, these workouts will push you out of your comfort zone as well as towards a healthy lifestyle.

Kick boxing

RIDE Indoor Cycling Photo by Nickie Cohen

RIDE Indoor Cycling is an all-out adrenaline rush. Considering that we attended the 7 a.m. class, we had a hard time believing that we would experience the rush that RIDE Indoor Cycling advertises. Our instructor, Alana, had such high enthusiasm that it was impossible to not get into the class. Even though at some points during the spin class we felt like we couldn’t go anymore, Alana somehow managed to push us on and push us to the finishing line. These music beat based rides are 45 minutes long but go by in a flash.

UFC kickboxing is a 50-minute calorie scorcher that makes your body burn in places that you did not know existed. Your arms get a super intense workout the entire time. We started off the class strong punching the bag with all of our strength, but as the class progressed it got harder and harder. At the end of the workout, however, we felt rewarded for making it through all of the difficult circuits.

Photo by Anna Compton

BREAKDOWN

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BREAKDOWN

Very intense/very sweaty

Extremely intense/very sweaty

Sweet potato and grilled chicken

Breakfast taco with avocado, eggs and bacon First class free

First class free

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Wanderlust Yoga

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Photos by Anna Compton

Wanderlust yoga offers many different kinds of yoga classes. The bittersweet yoga class that we attended focused on structure and form of different poses. Mostly focusing on arms and hand positions, the hour-long class left us feeling strong and flexible. This class is good for all levels, and pretty affordable at $19 a class, mat and bands included.

Following the class, we treated ourselves to Blenders and Bowls, which is connected to the same building as Wanderlust Yoga.

BREAKDOWN

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The core message of City Surf Fitness is to be strong in core, endurance and balance. First arriving at the studio, we were self conscious of all the boards, afraid that we might not be able to balance on them, but after a few awkward movements, we got it easily. The workout consisted of circuits of intense cardio and strength combos, with 10 second breaks in between. The 50-minute class flew by, and by the end we were sweating and breathing hard, but felt like we had gotten a great workout.

Not intense/not sweaty Smoothie bowl topped with bananas and granola $19 single class or 3 for $30

Barre3 Austin

BREAKDOWN Photo by Nickie Cohen

Very intense/very sweaty Brown rice, beans and veggies

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Varies by class; some are free, but others are $25

BREAKDOWN Fairly- intense/not too sweaty Barre3 combines tiny movements to feel the maximum burn. These 60-minute studio workouts use a ballet barre for some moves, but a lot of it is freely out on the floor. An excellent thing about Barre3 is that the instructors always give tons of modifications and ask at the beginning of the class whether she should be aware of any pains or injuries. The result of these awesome workouts are an endorphin high and a deep muscle burn.

06 March 2017

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Salad with veggies or protein smoothie $20 single class or 3 for $30 Sports 25

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Amerika die wunderschone

To learn what makes America great, sometimes you need to see it as others do GREGORY JAMES staff reporter

Over the summer, I traveled to Germany and Austria with my parents and my cousin. Everywhere I went, I meant someone who had something positive to say about the United States. In the wake of the election, many Americans from both political parties have lamented that we are more divided as a nation that we have ever been, but the people I met in Germany reminded me that no matter what struggles America faces internally, many people around the world view the United States as a land of freedom and opportunity.

I met the first person who expressed this opinion on the first day of our trip. We had just left the airport to encounter our taxi driver, a Cuban-German man who had lived his childhood in Soviet-controlled East Berlin following World War II. He was fluent in Spanish and German and semi-fluent in English. As a native of Soviet-controlled East Berlin, he made it clear how much he admired the free western half of the city when he was younger. Back then, the city was divided, and the western portion was controlled by Great Britain, France and the United States. He told us about how he had known people who had risked their lives to get into the Western half of the city, and that he feared for his life the whole time he lived in East Berlin. The tearing down of the Berlin Wall was a significant moment for him and many other Germans who saw U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s speech at the time as a testament of American freedom.

While in Berlin, we noticed how the wall was not just a physical barrier but also a cultural one. The architecture, food and people were different on each side of the wall. The dull Eastern half still has the Russian architecture of 50 years ago while the Western half is sleek and modern.

Sitting down at a Hard Rock Café in Berlin, we met a Berlin native, who loved America in general and Texas in particular.

His name was simply Tex because he had changed his name to convey his love of the Lone Star State. He has an internet radio talk show that focuses on western politics.

He was wearing a Boston Celtics hat and

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Left: Neuschwanstein Bavarian Castle. Top Right: Dachau Concentration Camp. Bottom Right: Rothenburg wall. Photos by Greg James shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He smoked a cigar and had a heavy German accent. He had grown up in West Berlin and absolutely loved America. His adoration for all things American ran counter to the stereotype we hear about anti-American groups. There is anti-American sentiment around the world, but it’s not the whole story. Americans should realize that for every anti-American out there, there is someone who idolizes America and its ideals. In these times where our president’s “America First” mentality is isolating America from the world, we need to know that the rest of the world doesn’t want to shut itself off from the United States and instead respects and admires America.

From Berlin, we traveled to Munich where we saw the famous Hofbräuhaus München and from there to the infamous Dachau concentration camp. After a sobering experience there, we drove on the Autobahn to Rothenburg, a city known for having a medieval wall surrounding it. While in Rothenburg we met an old woman who was the owner of a clock shop. Her name was Annalise Frank, and she told me about her life under Nazi rule.

She told us that the Nazis were everywhere in our little town during the war. They were positioned at the city gate. The town square.

The bakeries. Everywhere. At first she said, she did not understand why some of her friends had to leave or go into hiding. She

was 16, the same age I am now. Despite that dark time, Annalise found happiness later in life. She found that happiness through a prototypically American item: her Harley Davidson motorcycle. Still an avid rider, she flies to America every year to participate in the Sturgis motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. Annalise was the last and most memorable example of a German national who loves the culture of America. The people of Germany taught me that the world doesn’t dislike America. The opposite is more often true. The citizens of the world look to America for a way to live a better life. We should be building bridges to let them in not walls to keep them out.

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What a dose of summer camp can do Staff member reflects on the importance of virtues taught at sleep-away camp MADDIE DORAN staff reporter

Many dismiss the idea of summer camp, saying its too expensive or that it’s just for fun, but my six summers of sleep-away camp have proved that it is worth the money, and while fun, there is much more to it. Camp truly molded me into the person I am today through meaningful relationships, trustworthy counselors and being able to mesh with my cabinmates.

For my first four years of camp, I was more focused on making friends and doing activities, and it wasn’t until my years as an older camper that I truly began to see how summer camp was changing me as a person.

During my first years as a camper, I got to go do fun activities such as tubing, go-cart driving, wake boarding and rock climbing. I would eat all my meals with my nine new best friends that I felt like I had known forever, when in fact I had only known them for a couple of weeks.

Then several years later I became a senior camper. It wasn’t until I really began to give back to camp that I realized

just how much camp had given to me. Camp had given me confidence, taught me how to cooperate with my peers and how to work in a group as a leader and as a follower.

It isn’t necessarily easy to have confidence as a teenage girl. At camp, I have worn makeup about three times in six, going on seven, years. Camp has taught me that it is about showing your inner beauty, something that so many people need to be able to experience to understand.

At camp, when there is a problem in your cabin, it’s hard to just ignore it and hope it goes away, which is a bad habit which is easier to get away with in a school setting when you have cell phones and social media. The difference between school and camp is that at camp, you live and interact with yout friends almost nonstop throughout the day. I remember the summer between seventh and eighth grade, there was a lot of drama in my cabin. Instead of posting about it on social media or texting other people behind someone else’s back, we just sat down at a picnic table and talked it out.

It was then I realized how easy that was. Talking face to face is a skill that so many people lack if they haven’t had opportunities to solve real-world problems without the aid

of electronics. Camp has given me that opportunity.

It was just this past summer that I was tasked with the challenge of leading around a cabin of nine 9-year-olds to their activities. Leading nine kids that all have different agendas is not easy. It taught me so much about how to be a leader, like how I had to assertive but also make sure I was a friend to the kids.

I have learned tools about how to comfort someone when they are feeling super homesick, something I was never able to do before I went to sleep-away camp. In my cabin there was a girl who missed her family and had serious home sickness. I was able to help her through it and encourage her to stay the rest of the session. Camp has not only taught me how to communicate but how to relate to other people and put myself in their shoes. It shows you that there are more things to worry about than just yourself. Every person should have the chance to go to summer camp in order to learn valuable life lessons. My amazing, diverse counselors and kindhearted fellow campers quickly became some of my best friends, and I truly owe it to them for helping mold me into the person that I am today.

LEFT: Some of the best friends that I have made at camp throughout my six years. MIDDLE: The view of Lake LBJ from the front porch of my cabin.

RIGHT: My friends and I relaxing on the rainbow chairs at sail point.

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What will McCallum be like in 2030?

Our fearless prediction of what 5600 Sunshine Drive will be like 13 years from now

Mac in 2017

Mac in 2030 Fine Arts Program

The fine arts programs compete with each other but in the best way. Superior ratings and rave reviews are the rule, not the exception. The students in each discipline are a nuclear family connected to a larger extended Fine Arts family. Some programs (musical theatre, band, visual arts) are more well-known than others (guitar, piano, dance, tech theatre), but they all represent the brand well.

The visual arts majors are the glue that holds the family together, mainly because many of them are double majors who connect with another branch of the program.

Photo by Kennedy Schuelke The fall of 2016 was special for the sports program. The football team advanced to the area playoffs for the first time in three years, and the volleyball team only lost one district match in claiming the district title. The baseball team looks for its seventh consecutive district title this spring. Senior wrestler Maya Shimizu capped off a stellar career by placing fifth at state in her fourth and final try.

Freshman wrestler Amirica Luckie and swimmer Alex Lynch made their first splashes at State. The girls soccer and softball teams seems poised for a possible playoff run, and the bowling team advanced to regionals in just is second season. Other varsity teams looked ahead to ‘17-‘18.

Academics

Sports Program The interest in sports hit an all-time low after LASA and LBJ were split into two different 3A schools in 2019. Sure, McCallum won district more often than it did before, but it didn’t mean as much without a true arch-rival. All that changed after the LASA campus was moved again in 2022 to the Travis campus to create a new purple and red juggernaut. Suddenly, the Taco Shack Bowl became an afterthought while the annual game against the Travis Jaguars became the defining moment of each season. After losing the Battle of the Bell for five years in a row from 2024-2029, the Knights finally won it back last month to loud and raucous celebration after the game.

The school is split between high achievers and occasional achievers.

The smart kids say that Mac classes aren’t tough enough. Some of them even bolt to LASA for a stiffer academic challenge and then regret leaving. The struggling majority falls behind each six weeks, only to rally (or not) in the final week of a grading period, thanks to the lenient late policies of Mac teachers. Those students who stay afloat or even get ahead can write their college ticket while those who don’t scramble for a post-secondary plan that will provide a good education and a route to a lucrative, happy future.

Photo by Dave Winter In order to have students do better in their core classes, second-year principal Mary Ghazi radically revamped the curriculum. Visual art, classical guitar, digital interactive media and photojournalism become core subjects while language arts, math, social studies and science became elective courses. Suddenly, the graduation rate was 100 percent and Principal Ghazi was hailed as the AISD, Texas and U.S. Principal of the Year.

Photo by Georgia Boutot

Students here are from all walks of life; everyone fits into one peer group or another, and there is rarely anyone sitting alone during lunch. There’s a group of people for everyone. All a student has to do is look around a little to find them. There’s very little peer pressure or bullying, and there is a place on campus where every type of student feels safe and welcome.

Maculty The teachers are just as diverse and animated as the students they teach. The defining trait of a McCallum teacher is longevity: once you work here, you’re seldom leave to work anywhere else. The prime example, Mr. Lehman. Never left McCallum, not planning on it either. You can even ask new to Mac teachers who’ve worked at other schools. Just ask Mr. Carcione. In the two years since he came to McCallum from Anderson, he’s gone on several rants during class comparing the two schools; he’s pretty adamant that Anderson is “good” but McCallum is “better”.

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Now 13 years later, the visual arts majors have taken over and are the main attraction at McCallum, bringing in more than half of the fine arts enrollment. The theatre program still has some shining stars, but it hasn’t been the same since Mr. Denning left to join the cast of Henry Clay, the off-Broadway sequel to Hamilton now in its 10th season. The band is still the band; it’s always been band. The numbers of all of the music programs waned after prospective choir, orchestra, guitar and piano students were drawn to the shiny new Barbara Jordan High School for the Musical Arts, which opened across the street from the AISD Performing Arts Center, in 2027.

Students

In 2030, the freshman class is the first class comprised of students born during the Trump administration. For some reason, the kids have a huge distrust of both the government and the media. As a result, the kids don’t trust authority figures of any kind or anything they read. They also are incapable of writing any essays of any kind longer than 140 characters and overuse words like ‘sad,’ ‘tremendous’ and ‘winning.’

The staff has changed since 2017, but some mainstays remain. Mr. Lehman is still in Room 14#, teaching chemistry. In 2030, he celebrated his 94th birthday and joked that every single student in his class had a numerical grade lower than his age. The departure of teachers remained rare and the intermarriage of teachers remained relatively common. After all, McCallum is a family in 2030 just as it was 13 years ago... it’s why Mac remains one of the best schools in AISD and beyond.

Story by Joseph Cardenas

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Don’t drive me nuts Living with food allergies can be terrifying, especially when they aren’t taken seriously CHARLIE HOLDEN staff reporter

“But, it’s not like you’re going to die, right?”

The barista stared at me suspiciously, picking out a mug for the latte I had just ordered.

She looked over her shoulder to where her coworker had gone into the kitchen to ask if the pumpkin bread was made with nuts. I ground the heel of my shoe against the floor.

“Yeah. I could die.”

She didn’t respond. After several minutes of tense silence, her co-worker returned.

“The kitchen says they’re pretty sure there aren’t any almonds. But it’s not like you’re going to die, right?”

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, only two weeks before my 13th birthday, I lay in a hospital bed thinking, “Yeah. I could die.”

This summer, throwing up into a swampy porta-potty I thought, “Yeah, I could die.” One month ago I leaned against the doorframe to my bedroom, feeling my heart freeze up in my chest. Yeah. I could die.

At 7 years old I was told by my allergist not to worry, that my allergies would fade with time, that once I was older I would be able to eat almonds by the fistful. My body, however, had other ideas. When I was 11, I ate an almond chocolate and had my first experience with anaphylaxis, and this year I discovered that I had developed an allergy to tuna, a food which I have loved since I was a toddler.

Now that I’m 17 years old, I have episodes of anaphylaxis every time I accidentally eat tuna or almonds (including almond oil, flour, extract, butter or milk). My symptoms vary depending on the amount of food that I eat, but nausea, vomiting, tongue, cheek and throat swelling, mental confusion, nasal congestion, hives and low blood pressure are typical. When this happens, I have to stick myself in the thigh with an EpiPen, which is a springloaded shot of epinephrine. These shots can have side effects including dizziness, rapid heart rate, weakness and anxiety.

Avoiding tuna has been easy enough, but almonds are far harder to detect, possibly hiding in any food you can imagine, from green beans (the summer of 2013) to a peanut but-

03 March 2017

ter and jelly sandwich (newspaper UIL 2016).

So every time a waiter or cashier gives me a not-so-thinly-veiled look of annoyance when I ask them to check ingredients, it’s hard to not grind my teeth in anger. What is annoying to them is potentially lethal to me.

Living with serious food allergies doesn’t have to be hard—all I really need to do is remember to check ingredients and have enough self control to reject food that I don’t know the origin of (which can be difficult, I mean, who wants to turn down nice, homemade baked goods?) My job, however, is made harder when people around me don’t know how to handle my allergies. To be fair, when I was younger I kept the secret of my allergies close to me, afraid to be seen as an inconvenience to restaurant servers, teachers or the parents of my friends. Now, after multiple reactions that could have been easily avoided, I no longer mind if I’m seen as a bother because I know

that speaking up could save my life.

Here are some things you can do to help people with food allergies avoid reactions as well as give them some piece of mind.

Label food. If you’re having a party or a gathering and you bring food which does not come with an ingredient list, just put little notes on the containers, like “This has nuts.” or “Dairy-free.” I have had more reactions at parties and at social gatherings than anywhere else.

Don’t offer a friend with food allergies something unless you’re sure it’s safe. Several times I’ve taken food that was offered to me so as not to seem rude only to discover the food had almonds in it.

Ask them questions. Some people only have reactions if they ingest their allergens (like me), but other people can have reactions from something as simple as sitting next to their allergen. If you know a friend has an al-

Illustration by Charlie Holden lergy, ask them specifically what you can and cannot eat around them.

Be accommodating. For example, some restaurants cook most of their food in peanut oil, so people with peanut allergies just can’t go there. It can be embarrassing to tell someone, especially someone you don’t know that well, that they have to change their plans because you have an allergy. Stay positive, you don’t want your friends to feel like they’re a burden.

Don’t lecture them—too much. After I’ve had a reaction is probably the worst time to tell me how I wasn’t being careful enough.

Trust me, it’s a lesson that’s been learned the hard way. But if your friend truly is being careless about checking for their allergens, it’s OK to tell them, “Hey, I don’t want you to die. ” Trust that someone’s allergy is as serious as they tell you. I don’t want to hear, “It’s not like you’re going to die, right?”

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In need of sanctuary

crime as a result of feeling like they were under suspicion.

This is a perfectly natural reaction. If you are in fear of being separated from your family, you’re going to want to avoid interaction with law enforcement as much as possible, and that makes areas that don’t adopt “sanctuary city” policies more likely to be unsafe for everyone.

In addition to being harmful, the governor’s expectations for Texas cities is unrealistic. Undocumented immigrants can’t just disappear into thin air, they will always be here, and we will always depend on their work, so we might as well provide them with an environment where they can feel comfortable reporting criminal activity and keeping our cities safe.

Giving undocumented immigrants a comfortable environment to live in also means they will feel more compelled to work, reach for higher-

Blocked funding for “sanctuary cities” like Austin will hurt more than just undocumented immigrants Since Texas governor Greg Abbott blocked funding for crime victim services, courts and other programs in the city of Austin for its commitment to remain a “sanctuary city” on Feb. 1, the debate over national immigration policy has become come very close to home. Austin’s (and Travis County’s) status as a “sanctuary city” means that local police will not detain anyone simply because of their immigration status. The city and county will also provide all residents with city services, no matter what their immigration status is.

The looming threat of massive deportation has made immigrants and those who support them desperate for places where they can feel safe, and now politicians in the White House and Republican governors across the nation want to take that away from them as well. Sanctuary cities are necessary because they encourage good rela-

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tions between undocumented immigrants and law enforcement. Sanctuary cities aren’t just beneficial to immigrants. They benefit all of us, increasing our safety and improving our economy.

Why should undocumented immigrants feel compelled to report criminal activity, if they are afraid of being held in jail after their immigration status is revealed to law enforcement? A 2013 study by the Department of Urban Planning and Policy that surveyed Latinos living in major cities all over the country revealed that 70 percent of the undocumented immigrants were less likely to report a

paying jobs, and spend more freely. According to a study by Tom K. Wong, the associate professor of political science at the University of California-San Diego, immigrants are proven to be beneficial to both city and county economies. In the study, sanctuary counties enjoyed a higher median household income, employment-to-population ratio, lower unemployment rates, less poverty and less reliance on public assistance. A better economy means more money for everybody, and no one can doubt the benefits of that.

An estimated 1.4 million illegal immigrants live in Texas. They make up a vital part of the state’s labor force and communities, and the vast majority of them came to this country for a better life not to spread crime. These people need to be treated like citizens just like everyone else. We need sanctuary cities to provide them with an environment in which they can live without fear and have their voices heard. Gov. Abbott must restore funding to Travis County and let the county continue its work to leave undocumented immigrants alone.

The Trump administration should follow suit and let their decisions be dictated not by politics, but by what is right.

Illustration by Rachel Wolleben

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A.N. McCallum High School 5600 Sunshine Drive Austin, TX 78756 (512) 414-7539 fax (512) 453-2599 contact.macshield@gmail.com

editors-in-chief JULIE ROBERTSON AND RACHEL WOLLEBEN assistant editors MADDIE DORAN reporters

ZOE HOCKER

ANNA ADDISON, JOSEPH CARDENAS, ANNA COMPTON, MILES HANSEN, GREGORY JAMES, MADISON OLSEN, SOPHIE RYLAND, GRACE SCHMIDHAUSER, D’AZHANE YANCEY, LORENZO ZARZOZA

The Shield is published by journalism students in the newspaper production class. Although students work under the guidance of a professional faculty member, the student staff ultimately determines the content.

Students may not publish material that is obscene, libelous or that which will cause a “substantial disruption to the

30 Opinion

CHARLIE HOLDEN

adviser DAVE WINTER

educational process.” Content that may stimulate heated debate is not included in this definition.

The Shield operates as an open forum for exchange of ideas. Opinions expressed in editorials are the ideas of the staff. Opinions expressed in the columns are that of the writer’s alone.

Letters to the editor are encouraged

and must be signed. Positive identification may be required when a letter is submitted. Letters may be edited. Letters that are critical of the newspaper staff’s coverage of events or that present information that may stimulate heated debate will be published.

Letters that contain malicious attacks on individual reporters, the adviser or the

principal will be rejected.

Anyone interested in purchasing an ad should contact adviser Dave Winter at (512) 414-7539. The Shield is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, the National Scholastic Press Association the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association.

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Freshman Lynch makes UIL State finals Bowling team advances to regional tournament for first time in team history Cruz calls upon AISD high school students to envision their ideal learning spaces Mac holds pep rally to celebrate spring sports, Go Red for Women initiative Building A Strong ‘Roots’ Structure 06 March 2017

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Coffee Break

Students perform in semiannual event to benefit Excalibur 1. While playing guitar, senior Grace Schmidhauser sings an original piece called ‘Somehow’. “I’ve been writing songs since elementary school,” Schmidhauser said. “My friends run Coffeehouse and I really wanted to be a part of it.” Photo by Madison Olsen.

2. Senior Kiara Anderson performs a piece titled “inside” at her very first coffee house on Feb. 17. “I felt like I was stepping out of my comfort zone to share one of my songs with everyone,” Anderson said. “It made me really happy to finally share one of my songs with my peers and friends.” Photo by Dave Winter.

3. Junior Marielle Glasse reads her poem “Red Ribbons” during coffee house in the library. Photo by Madison Olsen.

4. Performing for her first time on the Coffeehouse stage, Daniela Gomez (‘20) sings her original song “Shattered” on Feb. 17. “For me it was a very personal song, as well as the first song I wrote, about my opinion for everything going on right now,” Gomez said. Photo by Madison Olsen.

5. Junior Jackson Brooks performs the song “Throw me Down the Stairs and Set Me on Fire.” Jackson co-wrote the song with senior Holden Crocker, who played guitar and sang during the performance. Photo by Julie Roberston.

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06 March 2017