the
shield
McCallum High School / 5600 Sunshine Drive / Austin, TX 78756 Feb. 9, 2024 / Volume 71 / Issue 3
Changes affect Mac community Newly discovered prehistoric species suggest rich Texas history page 4 Tutoring center created to help Fine Arts Academy students page 12 UIL realignment to alter conferences, districts, rivalries page 21
NEW BEGINNINGS
the
shield
issue 3 volume 71
feb. 9, 2024
Feb. 9 Feb. 11 Feb. 17 Feb. 17 Feb. 19 March 5
save the date
february
Songwriting strikes a chord Musical course returns after pandemic hiatus with help of yearbook advisor Frank Webster
Knights thrive thanks to timeless talent For senior girls basketball players, four years of teamwork have made the dream work
Battle of the bots Robotics team fights through challenges at home-court tournament on road to state championships and beyond
Out of the game Injuries, their side effects erode athletes confidence and skill; patience, discipline keys to full recovery
AI isn’t near, it’s here Artificial intelligence is not a new thing nor is it wholly evil; we should embrace it and learn to use it ethically
macshieldonline.com
2023 IN REVIEW: In the first Tuesday Top 10 photo essay of 2024, we commemorate the year that was 2023 in photos. We feature two throwback photos from each month, which adds up to 24 images and corresponding captions, a nod to 2024. Photo by Ingrid Smith.
2 table of contents
inside
only
online
Intensifying application culture ushers in wave of influencers sharing advice on social media
the issue
03 10 16 18
table of
a&e center people sports opinion
Competitive admissions cause college content craze
contents
news
Staff development day/student holiday Robotics tournament @ Bowie, time TBD Robotics tournament @ Mac, time TBD MAC Fashion Show @ Mac, 7 p.m. Staff and student holiday SAT day
20 28
Cover art by Mira Patel.
pg. 06
As plans to expand I-35 move forward, community displacement and public outcry continue as stakeholders consider whether expansion will alleviate or worsen gridlock. Graphic accessed on Wikipedia Commons. Published here under a creative commons license.
news
feb. 9, 2024
Competitive admissions cause college content craze Influencer-provided information affects application process, students’ outlook
Ingrid Smith co-editor-in-chief When Grace Valdez was a freshman, Gohar Khan appeared on her social media feed like a knight in academia armor, protecting viewers on the quest to their dream schools. Now a junior, Valdez has folders of saved Instagram reels that she plans to reference as she navigates college admissions. “I was trying to figure out the best way to tackle the college admissions process, and from there, more and more stuff would show up on my feed,” Valdez said. From 30-second application tips to students sharing “The Essay That Got Me Into Harvard,” content surrounding admissions for top-20 universities garners millions of views across social media platforms. Many college admissions content creators are former admissions officers or experienced counselors. But others are recent college students with one particularly attractive qualification — their acceptance to an elite university. Senior Hazel Reddy turned to Instagram influencers to better understand the purpose of each application component. For essays and short answer questions; however, she almost always rejected social media advice. “I think authenticity is my biggest value, so I don’t want to start using somebody else’s strategies,” Reddy said. Duke University student Daniel Lim, “limmytalks” on social media, posts daily videos about successful applications and predicts students’ admissions results. While he has never worked in an admissions office, Lim said he bases his videos off of common data sets and trends throughout the thousands of applications he’s read. Lim posted his first college-related video in August 2022 after receiving multiple comments asking how he got accepted to Duke. He has since gained over a quarter million followers on TikTok, started a podcast and launched an admissionsrelated startup. “The goal with my content is to make admissions information actually accessible to everybody,” Lim said.“The name of the game is equity.” But many college admissions influencers aren’t giving out advice for free. Lim said he made around $1,000 from the TikTok Creativity Beta Program in July, in addition to doing sponsored posts. Other influencers create social media content to promote their private counseling businesses. Kelsey Hoskin, a Harvard
Graphic by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
graduate with over five million likes on TikTok, charges $675 for a one-hour private Zoom session and $7,750 for personal coaching. Khan used social media to launch Next Admit, a college admissions firm that he co-founded. Other creators offer essayediting services at a wide range of prices. “There’s always going to be people that are trying to make a quick buck on something that they’re not really qualified to gauge, but if you look on the side of a content creator it would also not make sense for them to be doing something completely out of the kindness of their heart.” Lim said.
Reddy said she tends to trust younger influencers who aren’t seeking profit. “When it’s people who are just giving advice for free, and who are in college, I feel like I relate to them more, and I trust them more to be looking out for my situation and my personal success rather than just trying to make money for themselves,” Reddy said. Now waiting for her college decisions, Reddy “doom scrolls” through Instagram reels, comparing her stats to previous applicants. “Oftentimes, it just makes me feel bad about myself when I see that somebody who has perfect grades and a perfect
SAT score is still not getting into these schools,” Reddy said. “Somehow I just keep coming back to these videos hoping to find some reassurance.” Reddy said by highlighting extraordinary applicants, college admissions influencers like Lim set impossibly high standards and diminish average students’ accomplishments. “Social media definitely perpetuates that cycle of college admissions feeling increasingly important in people’s lives,” Reddy said. “All of these different strategies make me feel like if I don’t plan out my entire high school career to lead up to college, everything’s going to go badly.” While Valdez is not yet applying to colleges, she said admissions content has influenced multiple aspects of her academic life, from scheduling to stress level. After an Instagram reel told her to limit extracurricular involvement and focus on streamlining her application angle, she considered quitting activities where she lacked a leadership position. “I’m in Samba Knights, and we only meet a couple times a month, but I consider if that would be worth putting in my resume or whether it would detract from the overall story I’m trying to give, ” Valdez said. College and career counselor Camille Nix said college admissions social media is both dangerous and helpful for students in the application process. “You have to be mindful of who the resource is,” Nix said. “If it’s a random kid who applied to eight schools and is now pretending to be the guru of admissions, that’s probably not the person you want to listen to. But if it’s a true admissions adviser at Stanford giving kids some tips on what makes a good applicant that’s worth listening to, that’s very helpful.” This fall, seniors asked Nix to fact-check a particular viral TikTok. She said the video was dead wrong. “Students will come to me in the morning, panicked about something they saw, and I have to clarify things quite a bit,” Nix said. “They’re just misleading, and students take the information and run with it or get their hopes up. And it’s false hope.” According to Reddy, admissions influencers focus almost exclusively on top 20 universities, ignoring the benefits of state schools and other post-grad trajectories. “There are so many other paths in life and I do think that influencers could have a positive impact by showing other options for people,” Reddy said. Read the full story at macshieldonline.com.
03
the
shield
issue 3 volume 71
feb. 9, 2024
Prehistoric Perucetus and Malefica hit the record
Archaeologists discover marine giant, dinosaur who once roamed Americas Kyan Adams staff reporter
ack in 2010, the first vertebrae of a colossal aquatic animal were found by Mario Urbina poking out of the sand in the silt-clay Paracas Formation in Peru. Little did Urbina know, right below him was possibly the heaviest animal ever to live, stuck in the core of a mountain. After this original discovery, it took three years for Urbina and his team to excavate the fossils that would then be shipped to the capital of Peru where they’ve been under study and preparation ever since. The finished holotype, meaning the first single example of an organism used to name it, was (MUSM 3248) comprised of 13 vertebrae, four ribs and a partial hip bone. All the hard work paid off in 2023 when Perucetus
colossus (meaning “colossal whale from Peru”) was described. In short, described means giving it a name and what makes it different from other species. Perucetus is a mammal that’s part of the Cetacean infraorder and Basilosauridae family. Cetaceans are whales, dolphins and porpoises. Body build and appearance stay relatively the same between species, featuring a long torso, dolphin-like head with sharp teeth, two large front flippers and two small flippers at the end of the torso, a fluke tail and a short dorsal fin. Perucetus follows the criteria except for one thing. Instead of a slim body that grants grace and agility, Perucetus became equivalent to a living submarine that would cruise along the shallow Eocene ocean floor of Peru,
alefica (meaning “witch” or “sorceress”) in Latin, was a large herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Campanian stage of the late Cretaceous Period in the Aguja Formation. Decades ago, a partial left maxilla (jaw bone) was recovered from Bruja Canyon in Big Bend National Park. Then, in 2002, this maxilla was assigned to the genus Kritosaurus. Twenty years later the fossil was re-examined by Albert Prieto Márquez when he was combing through the paleontology collection of the Division of Science and Resources at Big Bend National Park. The maxilla showed many defining features which suggested a new species, named Malefica deckerti. Malefica is a hadrosaur, also known by the nickname “duck-bills,” was a family of dinosaurs in the Ornithischia clade, which is a grouping term for species. This clade had many diverse forms, but some of the main features were herbivory, facultative biped
ability, beaks and fancy crests. Due to Malefica’s fragmentary remains, it’s tough to know what its appearance was like, but based off the remains of similar species, paleontologists can get a relatively accurate image of the animal. Malefica would probably be a truck-sized quadruped, with the possibility of a nasal “balloon” that could inflate when calling, the signature beak or “duck bill” and either a smooth back or a back lined with “spikes.” While found in Big Bend, Malefica’s range may have extended much farther, and it could have even reached Austin. Most of Austin during the late Cretaceous consisted of marine environments, but we do know that some areas had land where dinosaurs roamed. During this time, Austin was a tropical coast with rich marine life from giant reptiles to huge fish. Back on land, Ornithomimus was abundant, and alongside them could have been the ancient sorceress, Malefica.
B
M
Life restoration of Malefica deckerti. Graphic by UnexpectedDinoLesson. .Accessed at WikiMedia Commons. Published here under a creative commons license.
4 news
eating any invertebrate in its path. Perucetus’ impressive bone density and size, plus almost kevlar-thick blubber add up to an estimated weight ranging from 85 to 340 tons. Using the relatively complete skeleton, scientists measured a length of 55.8 to 65.9 feet. So while Perucetus wasn’t longer than the blue whale, which has a max length of 98 feet, it could have outweighed it by as much as 141 tons at the maximum estimate, making it the heaviest animal to have ever existed.
Life restoration of Perucetus colossus diving. Graphic by Camus Altamirano.
Image accessed at Deviant Art.com. Published here under a creative commons license
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
El Niño deescalates 2024 winter weather predictions Meteorologists forecast mild season, low risk of previous years’ ice storms
Maggie Mass staff reporter In the past few years, winter weather in Austin has been a gamble, with everybody trying to predict whether it will be brisk and slightly chilly, or if we need to stock up on necessities again. This year, experts expect a chilly, but less icy season contrasting from February 2023. According to KXAN, last February’s winter storm was the worst icing event in the region in more than 15 years. Power lines broke, water pipes froze and trees collapsed. Conditions for those without power, like senior Clark Butler and his family, who live in Allandale, were unbearable. “We were one of the last people to get power back,” Butler said. “It
The Pacific Jet Stream is a fast and narrow air current that flows from west to east, connecting the El Niño to North American winter climate Graphic by Zwi Witchel.
took nine days.” The sub-freezing temperatures left many Austinites without electricity, water, and even a home. According to the Texas Tribune, the scramble for shelter, amenities and, in the worst cases, even a home, for more than 400,000 Texas electricity users was worse and more dangerous than predicted. Following the winter freeze, Austin experienced its hottest summer on record. Temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks raised questions about climate change and other environmental issues. After harsh conditions this past year, there were rumors of a 2024 winter so intense it would trump the weather of the ice storm last year. These conditions were predicted by The Farmer’s Almanac, which historically has less than perfect accuracy. KXAN Chief Meteorologist David Yeomans, a Westlake graduate with a bachelor’s in meteorology from the University of Miami,
said Austinites should not be worried about The Farmer’s Almanac’s prediction for severe winter weather this year. “Their accuracy is not as good as most modern weather forecasts,” Yeomans said. “Our predictions for this winter are a strong El Niño pattern.” El Niño is a weather phenomenon that occurs every few years where warm ocean water in South America that is typically pushed towards Asia moves towards the west coast of the Americas due to weakened trade winds. According to Yeomans, the warmer water coming out of the Pacific should lead to cooler and wetter temperatures. “When it comes to ice storms or epic winter storms like the past couple of winters, the chances of that should be lower this winter,” Yeomans said. “Even though El Niño means wetter weather, and it can mean cooler temperatures, there are fewer extreme cold outbreaks in an El Niño winter like this one.” Students and residents like Butler are relieved by the news of a much calmer winter as opposed to an ice storm. “I don’t want another ice storm,” Butler
said. “I do wish it was colder this year, but I’m glad it’s not freezing.” Sophomore Shoshana Witchel’s experience with ice storms is limited to the past two years of frosty Austin weather; however, she is relieved by the promise of calmer conditions. “I’m glad my family won’t have to sleep on the floor like last time,” Witchel said. “It’s nice that it will be a more normal winter.” Even if the weather projections seem mellower this year, Yeomans said it is still important to be cautious, especially since the reliability of the power grid is substandard. “It is wise to be ready to lose power for one or two days in case there is a bad cold snap that leads to rolling blackouts or an ice storm that brings down power lines,” Yeomans said. According to Yeomans, preparing by purchasing gallons of water and nonperishable food, as well as stocking up on firewood, may be a wise, preventative decision. Even with the El Niño pattern in effect this winter, baseline of climate change is always an influence on weather. “Winters now are overall warmer than they used to be 50 or 60 years ago,” Yeomans said. “Research has shown that those coldest events are actually getting warmer as well.”
Campus spots on Feb. 1, 2023 were adorned with icicles due to the storm that shut down AISD for four days. With the presence of El Niño, there is a lower chance of the Austin area enduring a freeze this year. Photos by Dave Winter.
news 05
the
shield
issue 3
feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
Drainage connections
Pedestrian bridge and MLK Jr. Boulevard bridge For east and west connectivity over I-35 while construction is underway.
Includes a separate drainage tunnel from I-35 East along Cesar Chavez Street with an outfall into the Colorado River and another drainage tunnel along I-35 from south of Holly Street to north of MLK Jr. Boulevard.
Summer 2024, three-year duration.
Spring 2024, two-year duration.
spring 2024
I-35 from SH 71/Ben White Boulevard to south of Holly Street
This phase includes a new bridge across Lady Bird Lake, with the proposed I-35 improvements and drainage connections construction.
Spring 2024, seven-year duration.
Initially, the project will need new drainage connections for the proposed I-35 improvements from 30 Airport Boulevard to Ninth Street.
Spring/summer 2024, two-year duration.
Construction of highways .
I-35 from MLK Jr. Boulevard to 51st Street
Summer 2026, six-year duration.
Construction of highways.
Summer 2026, four-tofive-year duration.
summer 2024 Drainage connections
I-35 from south of Holly Street to north of MLK Jr. Boulevard.
summer 2026
fall 2024
Railroad (CapMetro Red Line) at Fourth Street with pedestrian bridge
I-35 from 51st Street to US 290E
Construction of highways.
Allows railroad operation while I-35 construction is underway. Included is I-35 from MLK Jr. Boulevard to Airport Boulevard. SB deck retrofits, providing additional capacity to improve mobility during construction with the NB deck demolition project.
Construction starting fall 2024, three-year duration.
Late summer 2026, two-year duration.
A timeline from of intended construction plans regarding the I-35 renovations. Included with each project is the predicted starting date of construction and predicted duration. Graphic by Priya Thoppil.
I-35 expansion evolves
Changes to infrastructure plan met with mixed opinions; project to begin in spring Priya Thoppil staff reporter While the expansion of I-35 has long been in the works, recent changes to the plan and process have led to more community interest, opinions and advocates for change. Notices have begun to arrive at the front steps of many businesses and homeowners along I-35, telling them they will have to vacate due to the expansion. Around 111 households and businesses will have to relocate, according to the state’s count. Oliver Harrington, a Mac graduate and freshman at UT, heard about the expansion in 2020 when the city was preparing to vote on Prop A, which funded the Project Connect transit expansion. He said he was frustrated that the Texas Department of Transportation wasn’t required to put its I-35 expansion plan up for a vote. “I have a feeling that the I-35 plan wouldn’t have passed had it been put up for a vote,” Harrington said. Harrington feels that the added lanes will not help traffic and instead increase demand for driving. “Induced demand states that adding more lanes to a roadway invites more people to drive, and the new lanes are filled up with the same traffic that plagued the roadway before the expansion, but now worse,” Harrington said. “This has been observed in cities across the country, such as LA and Houston, and the same thing will happen in Austin.” Wilshire Woods apartment complex resident Elissa Steglich lives directly next to I-35, with only a railroad track separating her house and the highway. Though she is very close to the highway, she will not have to
06 news
relocate, but she does know of businesses that will, such as Spanish immersion preschool Escuelita Del Alma. Due to her proximity to I-35, Steglich has noticed a lot of background noise at all times of day. But, as she has lived in her current house for more than eight years, she said she has learned to tune it out. “You can hear it more in the winter when all the trees have lost their leaves, so there is less to obstruct the noise,” Steglich said. Freshman Devlinn Fitzpatrick is similarly close in proximity to the highway, but is affected differently. Fitzpatrick, who has lived next to I-35 his whole life, is not completely opposed to the expansion. “A negative effect of this is all of the local businesses being taken down along the highway, some of which I go to, which is sad,” Fitzpatrick said. “Although not a whole lot, I do think it will help with traffic a little.” The original construction of I-35 through the city of Austin created a giant racial divide, with the east side of the highway holding largely Black and Latino populations that received less funding than their largely white counterparts on the west side of the highway. As the City of Austin said in its proposal, “TxDOT has proposed to remove the barriers by lowering the main travel lanes below street level, allowing the City of Austin and partners to create a cap to bridge the EastWest divide.” Steglich feels that the expansion will decimate the business community that is on I-35 but also further the racial divide the highway has created. “I think that it will kind of further entrench that east/west divide that was largely racialized initially,” Steglich said. “And I think it’s the last opportunity to rectify some of
those past harms.” change the outcome of I-35. Many groups have rallied to protest “That’s what’s complicated,” Greenfield this highway expansion, among them the said. “You know, the public is screaming, the grassroots movement Rethink35. Passionate media is publishing negative articles. The about living in an ecologically sustainable elected officials are standing up at the city and vibrant city, board president Adam level, the county level, the state level and the Greenfield founded Rethink35 in the fall national level. There’s lawsuits being filed, and of 2020. Greenfield noticed the severity of then the whole thing just becomes so toxic climate change when living in San Francisco that it just gets withdrawn.” and experiencing wildfires firsthand. Greenfield’s ecological concerns are partly “It kind of hit me that climate change is addressed by the City of Austin’s proposed very, very serious,” Greenfield said. “And I plan to combat the environmental effects started to get very serious about addressing an expanded highway will have. Less than climate change.” a month ago, city council officials approved With these ideas in mind, Greenfield a resolution that asked TxDOT and Capital formed Rethink35 in hopes of getting the Area Metropolitan Planning Organization City of Austin to hold off on any funding to recognize for the plan until two the impact environmental studies, this highway CAMPO’s Regional Mobile expansion will Emission Reduction The expansion and the have on the Plan and the Austin sheer number of vehicles city and the MSA Climate Plan, are environment. completed. will create more noise. “Our main Harrington feels that mission is there are other options to stop the to decrease traffic and - Wilshire Woods resident proposed increase efficiency, without Elissa Steglich expansion expanding an already large of I-35 and interstate highway. push for a “Investing much more sustainable heavily into infrastructure alternative,” Greenfield said. “And we want to that doesn’t promote more car dependency is push for alternative options [to expansion].” the best thing we can do instead of expanding Greenfield noted that even with several I-35,” Harrington said. “Project Connect, for organizations fighting against the expansion example, will transform Austin’s mediocre of the highway, it requires a lot for major transit system into a world-class network plans like this to be fully stopped. The plan of rail, bus and bike services, connecting for expansion is still underway, but he hopes the city in a more affordable, equitable and the multiple layers of protest might still environmentally friendly way.”
“
”
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
Near misses cause concern
Recent airport deaths, near collisions strike chord with policymakers, safety experts Mira Patel staff reporter
almost hitting each other. In April 2023, a SkyWest Airlines jet was routed to ascend into the path of a descending Southwest aircraft. In June 2023, there was a near miss Following a series of near misses and involving an Allegiant Air flight and a small two tarmac deaths earlier this year, private aircraft. In September 2023, there was policymakers have raised safety concerns a near-miss incident between a military F-18 at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. fighter jet and a small private aircraft. Frustrations between elected officials and city Near misses are becoming more frequent staff have escalated, particularly in light of at ABIA and have struck a chord with the increasing passenger volumes. policymakers and safety experts, who are Data published on the ABIA website demanding more indicates efforts to ensure higher the safety of passenger airport staff and volumes for passengers. every month In collaboration of the year in Our airport is not designated as with U.S. Rep. 2022 compared a ‘level 10 terminal’ due to size Lloyd Doggett, to the previous D-Austin and four years. and other factors. U.S. Rep. Greg In 2022, the Casar, D-Austin, total passenger —District 10 city council member the resolution count was brought forward 21.89 million Alison Alter by city council passengers, up members Vanessa 55.4% from Fuentes and 2021, making Alison Alter 2022 the encompasses airport’s busiest several actions the Federal Aviation year ever. Administration can implement at the Austin In April 2021, an American Airlines worker airport to improve airline and traveler safety. died from traumatic injuries sustained in an These actions include the passage of the accident while driving a service vehicle in the FAA Reauthorization Act and robust safety area where planes pull up to the terminal. In reforms such as designating ABIA as a October 2023, an Austin Aviation employee “level 10 terminal” facility, which would was killed by a vehicle on the tarmac near the enable the airport to access place where passengers board. Additionally, there have been several reported near-plane collisions at ABIA in the past two years. In November 2022, there was a near miss between a Southwest and an American Airlines aircraft on the runway. In February 2023, a landing FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest aircraft departed on the same runway at the same time,
“
”
In September. 2023, a military fighter jet and private aircraft nearly collided on the runway, prompting questions about ABIA safety policies. Graphic by Mira Patel.
additional resources and provide increased Alter, who represents District 10, council compensation to air traffic controllers. member, told the Shield that she engaged Other provisions include expanding ground the Aviation Department’s overseer to learn surveillance and detection equipment at large about the investigations and proactive safety and medium hub airports to better inform air measures the city would take to ensure that traffic controllers the conditions of potential danger that led to the and prevent near misses are runway incursions addressed and as well as ensuring resolved. that a minimum Some issues There are several issues of 12 hours of that impact safety that need to be considered on-the-job training standards at the is provided to fall under regarding safety at the airport. airport each certified the purview of professional the FAA, such —District 2 city council member as addressing controller every week. Vanessa Fuentes vacancies The FAA has sole among air-traffic jurisdiction over controllers and air traffic control other significant and therefore the issues. city has limited “One challenge ability to implement specific policies around we experience locally as we attempt to near misses. access additional federal resources is that “The city does have a say over the airport’s our airport is not designated by the FAA as ramp control system,” Fuentes told the Shield. a ‘level 10 terminal’ due to size and other “Currently, individual aircraft are responsible factors,” Alter said. for their own safety and navigation around Designating the ABIA as a level 10 terminal the ramp. Implementing a localized ramp would allow the ABIA additional federal control system is one action we can take as a resources that could enhance the safety of city to help ensure the safety of travelers and both personnel and passengers. the general public.” According to Alter, the council has Some larger hub airports utilize one directed the city manager to collaborate airline to manage ramp control; however, with the FAA to develop and implement a as Austin is still growing, staff will be ramp control system at ABIA to facilitate exploring an innovative virtual ramp and support safe navigation of the ramp control to safely instruct pilots on and aircraft pushback. At a broader level, maneuvering their aircraft the council has urged the U.S. Congress on the ramp prior to entering to adopt an FAA reauthorization law that and after exiting taxiways that includes robust safety reforms, including lead to the runways. setting a hiring target for controllers to “There are several issues that be set at the maximum able to be trained, need to be considered regarding a required study on congested airspace, safety at the airport,” Fuentes and expansion of ground surveillance and said. “One of the most detection equipment to better inform air pressing is staffing. traffic controllers of potential danger and The Federal Aviation prevent runway incursions. Administration is “I look forward to receiving a experiencing air comprehensive update from the city manager traffic controller labor on this critical work with the FAA and our shortages across the federal partners, which I anticipate will occur country.” in February of next year,” Alter said.
“
”
news 07
the
shield
issue 3
FR SHA EE KE!
SUPPORTER OF McCALLUM HIGH SCHOOL Get a free 20oz drink or a free regular shake (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or cookies and cream) with a valid high school ID and with the purchase of any burger, sandwich or 8-piece chicken nuggets.
YOU ARE GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL…
Now What?
SHAPE YOUR FUTURE. STRENGTHEN YOUR COMMUNITY. Through AmeriCorps, you can:
Get paid for giving back Receive an educational award Learn valuable skills Explore career options Create your professional network
APPLY TODAY! No Experience Required A STRONGER CENTRAL TEXAS STARTS WITH YOU. More information at AmeriCorpsCTX.org/pathways | (512) 270-8345 | Act@AmeriCorpsCTX.org
08 ads
@AmeriCorpsCTX
the
issue 3 volume 71
feb. 9, 2024
news briefs MACulty votes Winter to be school’s teacher of the year
During FIT on Jan. 25, Principal Andy Baxa and the assistant principals surprised this year’s Teacher of the Year, Shield adviser Dave Winter, with a celebratory cake as he was surrounded by cheering photojournalism and newspaper students. “[Teacher of the Year is] a familiar thing [to me] because we covered Adame winning last year, so it had the same ingredients, but I had a different role, so now what do I do?” Winter said. “It was a bit of an unusual role because we [MacJournalism] are covering ourselves instead of someone else.” For Winter, the highlight of working at McCallum has been seeing the good in people who form a part of the community. “I like writing stories about the people doing great things here,” Winter said. “I know journalism is sometimes bad news, but I like catching people doing the things that make [this school] great and then telling that story and having my students do the same.” Senior Shield co-editor-in-chief Alice Scott is grateful to have been in Winter’s newspaper class all four years of her high school experience, describing it as a rewarding experience. “I think that really comes down to Mr. Winter’s leadership
shield
calendar Feb. 15
Black History Month Movie Knight: Sister, Sister Feb. 19
President’s Day, no school Feb. 20
SOCA Student Panel Knight Knight Steppers, Black Girl Magic winner announced Students pose with journalism adviser Dave Winter after he was announced as the 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo by Tami Ballard. of the program and his ability to keep on making opportunities for people to succeed,” Scott said. “While also always believing in his students to succeed.” —Gaby Esquivel
March 5
Primary election SAT day
AISD trustees hire Segura as superintendent
Shield co-editor in chief Ingrid Smith and staff reporters Emerson Merritt and Chloe Seckar-Martinez, shown with Matias Segura, AISD trustees, forum emcees and other student panelists, represented McCallum journalism at the Jan. 20 Superintendent Public Forum held at Marshall Middle School.
Formerly interim Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura was permanently named to the position Jan. 26 during a scheduled vote from the district’s Board of Trustees. Segura was the only remaining candidate in the race for superintendent since he was selected by the board as the lone finalist on Dec. 14, but state legislation demanded a wait period of at least 21 days from that point before any sort of contract could be formally offered. According to the AISD website, Segura’s establishment as the interim leader on Dec. 15, 2022 was only meant to be temporary, but by March of last year his contract had been renewed through June 2024. The initial vote that gave him the interim position and extended his contract, as well as the most recent one to name him the lone finalist, were all unanimous decisions by the board. Segura campaigned on a platform of his family ties to education. Not only are he and his daughters AISD educated, but his mother is a former AISD teacher with more than 40 years of experience. Segura began his AISD career as the chief operations officer, helping allocate the 2017 bond and laying the groundwork for 2022’s even larger one. Based on his recent policies and proposals, such as electric school bus
integration and fighting to raise the pay of all teachers and staff, Segura appears to be focused on strengthening the district’s assets and improving infrastructure. In a recorded video message posted on the Austin ISD YouTube channel, Segura spelled out his mission statement for the district’s future: “What I want for Austin ISD is what our community told us we needed in our next leader: trust and high standards of integrity; ambitious goals that increase student achievement across all groups; a commitment to special education, Scan the QR code inclusive practices, multilingual education and for clips of Shield staffers interviewing high quality instruction for Superintendent Segura. all students; and always, always remaining engaged, curious, welcoming and committed to equitable practices system-wide.” —Noah Braun
5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocks book rating law enforced by TEA A law enforced by the Texas Education Agency that required bookstores to rate all books sold to schools for sexual explicitness was blocked by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 17. This decision, handed down by one of the most conservative courts in the nation, affirmed the lower court’s ruling that sided with bookstore owners who sued the state, arguing that House Bill 900 infringed on their First Amendment rights. The law, which was initially passed in April of 2023, required that book vendors label books as either sexually relevant (material
portraying sexual activity in a book that is part of required curriculum) or sexually explicit (material portraying sexual activity that is “patently offensive” in a book that is not part of required curriculum). Books rated “sexually explicit” would be banned from school libraries and books deemed “sexually relevant” could only be checked out by students after receiving parent permission. According to senior and Banned Books Club founder Keegan Sarwate, this law could have had significant effects on student education.
“I think that by limiting what people can read, you’re preventing yourself from learning about people who have different experiences than you, or people who, have gone through things that you might not personally know about,” Sarwate said. “You’re limiting your knowledge to only very specific things, and it prevents you from accessing a lot more stories.” HB 900 hasn’t been blocked in its entirety — a provision that requires ratings from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and prohibits school libraries from procuring material deemed as sexually
explicit is still in place. Despite the law being blocked the issue remains divisive with book bannings increasing across the nation. “While yes, I obviously think that younger children shouldn’t necessarily be exposed to sexual content, I also think that that’s not necessarily something that should entirely limit reading,” Sarwate said. “I feel like that would limit [reading] for high school age students who can connect with those books. I think censorship is very easy to go too far. I’m glad that’s being prevented.” —Alice Scott
news 07
a&e
feb. 9, 2024
Songwriting strikes a chord 23-year-old class returns to campus after brief departure during COVID
Knox Williams, a student in Frank Webster’s songwriting class, uses class time to work on an original song. Photo by Henry McDaniel. Graphic by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
Chloe Lewcock people editor By design, McCallum’s Fine Arts Academy creates an environment to induce creativity and produce both academically and artistically well-rounded students by the end of their four years. Taking this purpose to heart, Frank Webster decided reintroducing the once-popular songwriting class back into the curriculum was his mission as he began his first year of teaching at McCallum. By his second year, Webster was able to persuade administration to put the class back onto choice sheets and offer this unique introduction to writing original music. A musician and songwriter himself, Webster understands the value of bringing the songwriting experience to aspiring young artists. “Often in the music department, unless you’re doing composition or something creative, it’s about how you interpret somebody else’s work, how to play a song well, and just mastering your instrument,” Webster said. “In songwriting, you’re starting with a blank sheet of paper, which doesn’t really happen in a traditional music class too often.” The class was originally developed 23 years ago at the very dawn of the Fine Arts Academy by former choir teacher Gene Raymond and English teacher Robert McArthur, for whom Webster was student teaching for at the time. “They started the program, and it was wildly successful from the very beginning,” Webster said. “It was just really cool to be here at McCallum in this environment where not only were the kids creative because of the environment, but also the home environment was a creative place, and songwriting seemed like a very natural fit for what this school could do and become known for.” Despite its popularity, the class was
10
dissolved several years ago, long after Webster left his student teaching role. “The songwriting class is a creative writing class,” Webster said. “It’s about lyric writing and things like that, and it’s not necessarily about music theory. Nobody just improvises a perfect song. There’s lots and lots of writing process that goes into that, and that might be a little bit different than the way a traditional music teacher might teach it.” Webster starts from the basics and works up from there to create a cohesive knowledge of songwriting. No matter the level of the student, or what their musical background is, the class provides opportunities for everyone. “What was really important to me in the songwriting class versus all my other classes is creating a sense of community from day one, where the kids respect one another,” Webster said. Webster hopes to convey a sense of respect both in and outside the classroom. “Throughout my experience of 30 years of hanging out with some of the greatest songwriters in the world, I’ve found that they always respect other songwriters, no matter where they are in the process,” Webster said. “They know the struggle, how hard it is, and they know that you have to write 100 mediocre songs before you get that one.” The wide range of experience of the students in the class make the songwriting process different for each student. For sophomore Chim Becker, the class gives her more confidence in the musical world and provides insight into the industry of songwriting. “I want to be a musician and songwriter when I grow up, and I have learned valuable skills in the class, having to do with both writing and the business side of pursuing music as a full-time career,” Becker said. “It’s a very open and accepting space and when we present our works. I feel very comfortable.”
The class is unlike most for Becker since it produced music of their own, the class still gives her creative freedom to develop music shows new ways of creating songs. while learning at the same time. “I think the best part of the class is everyone “My favorite part of the class is how expressing themselves in a unique way,” flexible it is,” Becker said. “We get a lot of White said. opportunities to work independently and White, part of the band Red River Trucking collaborate on different projects.” Company, takes the opportunity to try Most classes begin with an exercise that something new, something that helps both Webster creates from things he and others his band as a whole and him as an individual. have found useful when writing songs. “Being a songwriter involves a lot of “It’s all about exercises and how you begin creativity, so that’s awesome to see in a thinking like a songwriter,” Webster said. “We classroom with your peers,” White said. “I might write on a theme. A lot of songwriters prefer working alone because it allows me to will have a short little phrase and use that as a express myself to the fullest extent.” springboard to build a song off of.” As one of the music capitals of the world, In addition to writing Austin is the songs in the class, ideal spot for students must also blossoming perform them. artists, and There’s a permanence to “In-class performances Webster hopes are just kind of showcases [writing songs], as far as the by the end of the where the kids have to year students will experience goes, that will present where they are with be a step closer their music at any particular to diving into last them their entire lives. point,” Webster said. this community. While the class “In Austin, - songwriting teacher does create some people respect Frank Webster temperamental moments, songwriting, they are part of the and they respect greater picture of getting original music,” to be a performer with Webster said. original pieces. To aid with the challenging “But I think there’s a whole different level of moments and provide insight, Webster invites respect when you’ve created everything that guest speakers to share their experiences. the audience hears. If they hear it and like it, “My hope is I can get guest speakers in on a they respect the process, respect the writing.” Monday every two weeks,” Webster said. “[I The reintroduced class allows Webster to hope] whatever they say, whatever they share, help students on the journey he once had. can be a springboard for the next writing “There’s a permanence to it in a way, as far assignment. It’s cool to hear someone who’s as the experience goes that will last them an absolute professional.” their entire lives,” Webster said. “I still have Even for students such as senior Cash the songs I wrote when I was a junior in high White who are already developed in the school. They’re still part of who I am. And music industry, have been on tour and even you just don’t lose it. You hold on to them.”
“
”
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
Below and behind the stage Sophomore Maggie Brown finds a way to balance her two greatest passions
Mira Patel staff reporter
“One of the ways that pianists make money is by accompanying other musicians—one of the things that collaborative piano majors are When sophomore Maggie Brown started exposed to during their time at McCallum,” at McCallum as a freshman performance Wiley said. theatre major, she never thought to audition The collaborative piano majors for the collaborative piano program as well. accompany orchestra, band and choir At the time, she was taking lessons outside students for performances as well as of school from a piano teacher she’d been competitions throughout the year, in learning from for seven years, where she addition to working on, and competing could grow individually, with her teacher as with, their own solo repertoire. her guide. “Maggie is a fantastic musician,” Wiley “I started taking piano in second grade said. “She contains a very special leadership when I saw my elementary-school music quality, which will be fantastic next semester teacher play Christmas carols on the piano when she has multiple soloists that she for us,” Brown said. “I wanted to do that. I is accompanying for UIL competitions. want to make music that makes people want Maggie has not only stepped up with her first to sing along.” accompaniment job, choir cabaret, but has Soon after freshman year started, Brown’s also taken on helping a student in her class piano lessons halted. She had been cast in the period exceed expectations as far as musical fall musical, Disney’s Descendants the Musical, ability, in addition to helping that student so she put off finding a new teacher. gain confidence.” “I got so enthralled in the theater, I had To audition to be a collaborative piano pretty much stopped playing piano at all,” major, students must play two contrasting Brown said. “Every time I passed the upright Level 1 UIL pieces, be able to play all 12 piano in my room I felt a sense of sadness major and harmonic minor scales, sight read, and grief like I was missing this love of mine, transpose and have a short interview. but I didn’t know how to get back to it.” “Mrs. Wiley is incredibly kind and smart, Brown’s turning and she helped point was ease the transition participating in the back into fullstudent-written time learning production, Cows: on the piano I played the piano in the pit The Moosical, which after almost a for ‘Cows,’ and after I knew she composed, year away from arranged and professional piano would always be a co-orchestrated instruction,” last year. Some Brown said. part of my life of Brown’s senior “Mrs. Wiley’s —sophomore class is one of peers had been talking about Maggie Brown my favorites this wanting to write year. I always look a musical they forward to it.” could stage and Brown’s love for perform with a live piano resurfaced orchestra, and while it was an ambitious at the same time as a new love of hers came vision, with months of hard work they forward: musical direction. created a full score and put on the show “For years, I’ve always struggled to try and with a 22-piece orchestra and a sold-out decide which way to go in terms of college audience for both nights of performances. and beyond,” Brown said. “Once I accepted During its production, Brown was thrown that I wanted to do something arts-related, back into her love of piano headfirst because I was torn between theatre and piano, and she was composing music from scratch. assumed there wasn’t a job that included “I played the piano in the pit for Cows, and both. But it turns out musical directing is the after the performance I knew piano would best of both worlds for me.” always be a part of my life,” Brown said. Brown gets to constantly interact with Brown, knowing piano was something she musical theatre and tell a story through was committed to pursuing, signed up for music, while also engaging her knowledge piano class for her sophomore year. After the of music theory, orchestration and vocal first class, she knew it was the right place for anatomy. After working on Cows: The her. Brown found old knowledge and skills Moosical, where she taught the cast the coming back to her the more she played. harmonies and songs she had written, Brown Sarah Wiley, Brown’s piano teacher, says applied to be the student musical director for that her goal for her collaborative piano Sweet Charity. majors is to set them up for “real life” “Both experiences showed me that musical piano experiences. directing is where I find my true passion,”
“
”
Brown said. “I knew I wanted to set myself up for success before applying to colleges in two years.” That’s when Brown thought to ask her piano teacher about becoming a piano major next year. Brown assumed she couldn’t join in partway through this year, but the idea of being a double major and getting to expedite her growth as a pianist was enough for her to wait for it. To her surprise, Wiley encouraged her to join the collaborative piano program this year. “I was thrilled, and I immediately sensed that I had found the right way to balance both music and theatre, my two greatest passions.” Brown loves her experience as a double major, and she feels like it helped her gain confidence in both areas of study. “I think theatre helps me play my pieces with emotion and thought, the same way I’d perform a scene,” Brown said. “Piano constantly helps me in theatre, since I’m able to look at a piece of music I’m supposed to sing and immediately glean vital information the same way I would when approaching a piano piece.” Brown hopes to continue advancing in piano, especially collaborating with other artists this year. “I love working with other forms of music, and I always feel like I have the honor of bringing something valuable to a piece when I’m asked to accompany someone,” Brown said. “I’ve only been an official piano major for a couple of weeks and it’s already opened up so many opportunities for me.” After helping musically direct Sweet Charity, Brown is hoping to be cast in Seussical The Musical in the spring and jump back into performing as well. “I’m constantly reminded of how lucky I am to go to a school that allows me to study both of my biggest passions, and I’m excited to see where they take me in the future,” Brown said. Brown performs in MacTheatre’s Pippin with sophomore Owen Griffin. Photo courtesy of Brown.
a&e 11
the
shield
feb. 9, 2024
Centered on the arts
issue 3 volume 71
Senior aims to create tutoring service he wishes he had as an underclassman Chloe Seckar-Martinez staff reporter It’s the Math Center, it’s the History Center, it’s the Science Center, NO! It’s the newly-created Fine Arts Center, dedicated to helping students involved in fine arts classes. For junior and founder Maverick Palacios, the center has been something he has wanted to revive ever since he heard that there was such a thing. “We had a Fine Arts Center before my time,” Palacios said. “But it ended around COVID.” Palacios’s center will act as a safe space for McCallum students to get help with their difficult fine arts classes and projects. “The students can come whenever they need another student’s help,” Palacios said, “or if they need to get a second opinion.” As a junior piano major, Palacios has struggled with the hard courses he’s taken. He created a center based on something he wished he had when he was an underclassman. “Having something like this center in my underclassmen years would have been very helpful,” Palacios said. “I thought it would be helpful for people who are also struggling.” Palacios hopes this center will make a positive impact on the fine arts community at McCallum. “I think, overall, this center will help increase quality of life,” he said. Palacios hopes this center develops into a thriving community that has different sections dedicated to specific fine arts. Any student enrolled in a fine arts class can go to get one-
on-one help without having to pay the high expenses of a tutor. “I hope it grows to be an overarching fine arts center with tutors who do their specific major,” Palacios said. Being a founder and leader has caused many challenges for Palacios, such as finding tutors and getting the word out to the community. “We need more tutors,” Palacios said. “It’s hard because of course not everyone can tutor all the time.” Despite these challenges, Palacios has enjoyed getting to know the tutors, who are very passionate about their major. “My favorite part of this process has been finding people who want to help and be there,” Palacios said. “This is the whole reason: that they want to help other people.” Palacios doesn’t just want passionate tutors. He also looks for students who are experienced in the fine arts and their specialized majors. “You want a tutor who’s been doing their major for a while,” Palacios said. “Tutors who can help aid these students in whatever they may need.” One of these passionate and skilled tutors is junior dance major Gaby Alvarado. When Palacios came to Alvarado to ask if she would be a tutor, she said she was eager to become a leader that dance students could rely on. “When Maverick asked me, I was so excited
Sophomore Julia Rasp and juniors Gaby Alvarado and Sasha Grapko represent the McCallum Youth Dance Company at the Fine Arts Showcase on Nov. 8, 2023. Photo by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
12 a&e
and elated to be able to represent McCallum “I hope people can find a new love for Youth Dance Company in any way, shape or dance,” Alvarado said. “Sometimes as we form,” Alvarado said. “It meant a lot that he get older, our passion fades, so being able to asked me.” rekindle their passion is very important.” For Alvarado, the most important part To fine arts director and assistant principal of the Fine Arts Center is creating a space Samuel Parrott, the center will students to where the dance students feel comfortable help each other. enough to express their passion. “Sometimes it’s easier to hear feedback “I think it’s super important to create a from your peers than it is to hear from welcoming your teacher,” environment Parrott said. for people who To Parrott, may struggle the center can in a certain also benefit fine Sometimes as we get older, fine arts class,” arts teachers by Alvarado said. allowing them to our passion fades, so being Alvarado help more students believes that while also helping able to rekindle their passion the center will the experienced is very important. allow people students become to get feedback leaders within - junior dance major without the their major. judgment they “Having another Gaby Alvarado may feel from student who’s their teachers. willing to give “I feel like if others their time you’re given builds a sense of a peer review community and over your work, it can mean more to you,” connection,” Parrott said. Alvarado said. “It’s also not as scary.” As the center grows, Parrott hopes that Alvarado feels that students will benefit it can gain more passionate students while from learning from experienced majors, and also promoting determination within the tutors will benefit from being able to share fine arts program at McCallum. their expertise. “I hope it grows to a large cohort of people “It gives the room and the ability for the who are eager to offer their services and tutors to share their knowledge with these learn,” Parrott said. students,” Alvarado said. Parrott hopes that the leaders of Alvarado’s main focus in the center will this center are able to use this as be dance. She will help dance students an opportunity to grow not only in choreographing different styles they as artists but as leaders within may study and on the many projects their major. they do throughout the year. “I hope that they can take “I will lend a helping hand to the what they learn from students who may struggle with technique, this great leadership choreography or just helping people opportunity and take understand dance overall,” Alvarado said. it with them when Alvarado hopes she can both show and spread they go to college,” her love of dance to the students she helps. Parrott said.
“
”
the
issue 3 volume. 71
feb. 9, 2024
fine arts briefs
Red River rocks Battle of the Bands
calendar Feb. 17
Student bands took the stage in the Fine Arts Building Theater and battled it out on Jan. 18 during this year’s edition of the Battle of the Bands competition. An annual fundraiser, Battle of the Bands is one of the classical guitar program’s biggest and most popular events. This year, ticket sales raised money for new guitars, equipment and scholarships for the program’s upcoming performance in L.A. The lineup included Spiral Maze, Nest, Pipe and more. Red River Trucking Co. and Henry Jewesson earned the right to play at Hole in the Wall by placing first and second, respectively, in the competition. Coming back to play at Battle of the Bands after their summer tour, numerous practice sessions and a second-place win the prior year, Red River Trucking Co. was able to play for the McCallum community and reconnect with their roots. For senior Joaquin Frazier, a member of the band, the performance gave reassurance on how the group has improved musically and how far they have come member by member. “Being able to play to a school crowd again was the best part of the performance,” Frazier said. “It was cool being able to show how much Senior King Perez Cude performs with Red River we learned about showmanship on the road.” Trucking Co. at Battle of the Bands. Photo by Julia Copas. —Eliza Jensen and Chloe Lewcock
Choir, piano, guitar and orchestra qualify a combined 64 students for UIL State Solo and Ensemble in May Musicians from orchestra and guitar, followed by choir and piano, competed in the region UIL Solo and Ensemble competitions on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. After performing solo or in small ensembles for a judge, the Knights received feedback and ratings. Around 160 students competed, and 64 qualified for the state competition, including eight for choir, 12 for piano, 18 for guitar and 26 for orchestra. To advance to UIL State Solo and Ensemble at UT in May, the musicians performed “Class 1” pieces for memory and received the highest rating of a “1.” Junior Bella Lorenzini, who performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, is one of the state-qualifying students. With experience from three prior solo and ensemble competitions, Lorenzini pushed her nerves aside and received positive feedback from judges.
“My performance was actually better than I’d expected, and I really appreciated the help I got from my accompanist in preparing and performing,” Lorenzini said. “I’m glad I’ll have more time to practice and hopefully give a better performance in May.” Lorenzini said the judges’ individualized feedback is important as she prepares for college auditions. “Solo and ensemble gives you experience performing your piece before concerts or auditions, and the judges you play for advise you on how to improve,” Lorenzini said. “It’ll be helpful to perform this piece as much as I can and get advice from the judges to improve as I’ll be using it for college auditions next year.” The band Solo and Ensemble competition is scheduled for Feb. 17 at Bowie High School. —Ingrid Smith
Visual artists take top honors at Scholastic Awards McCallum artists won 90 awards in the 2023-24 Central Texas Regional Scholastic Awards, the most from any school in the region. The awards included 20 Gold Keys, 32 Silver Keys and 38 Honorable Mentions. The Gold Key winners will advance to the national Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and National Medals will be announced by mid-March. Sophomore Mia Gonzales was working in the art room when the teachers announced the Gold Key winners. Her painting Dragging was on the list. “The painting that won Gold is my favorite thing I’ve ever made,” Gonzales said. “The reference picture came from me taking my makeup off one night. I thought it would be a cool painting and then I ended up using it. I loved the process of making it since it was the first time I had used oils.” Gonzales also won a Silver Key for her print Ivy and Honorable Mention for a vase called A Rustic Path. “The vase that won Honorable Mention and the print that won Silver were inspired by a trip I took to Costa Rica this past summer,” Gonzales said. Gonzales decided to submit pieces made from various media to maximize her chances in the competition. “I didn’t realize that it wasn’t common to win as a multi-media artist,” Gonzales said. “My teacher had told me that Scholastic normally favors a certain type of art each year, and I just wanted to have as many different types as I could. I think the freshman-year design classes helped me gain skills in a bunch of different media.” – Ingrid Smith
Sophomore Mia Gonzales poses with her Gold Key winning piece “Dragging.” Photo by Liliana Gonzales.
shield
McCallum Fashion Show 7-10 p.m. @ the MAC Feb. 18
McCallum Fashion Show 2-5 p.m. @ the MAC Feb. 24
Blue Brigade team contest@Dripping Springs HS Feb. 28
UIL Full Orchestra & Sight reading- all day @ the PAC Junior Aubrey Mitchell performs at Mardi Grazie. Photo by Lucas Walker
Putting the fun in fundraiser The band held its first Mardi Grazie fundraiser show since 2020 on Jan. 26 in the cafeteria and Fine Art Building Theater. While typically an annual event, the concert had been canceled for the past three years due initially to the COVID-19 pandemic and then to cold weather. The event began with a dinner portion in the cafeteria catered by CraigO’s Pizza & Pasteria. During the dinner, which cost $15 per ticket, the Knights of Steel and the jazz band performed. The fundraiser then transitioned to the FABT, where the concert, symphonic and wind ensemble bands performed with auctions for band-related goods and services in between each group. “The fundraiser happening during the concert was great because it is a huge help for marching season,” senior euphonium player Zak Burns said. In addition to general fundraising, the band raised money to cover costs and provide scholarships for its trip to Winter Park, Colo., in the spring. Opportunities such as private concerts from the jazz band, parking in a reserved spot for a week and learning to drive the Mac Band trailer were auctioned off between performances. While the band has multiple fundraisers throughout the year, Mardi Grazie allows the band to purchase necessities during marching season. “It does really help, especially with extra snacks and food for people who couldn’t order their own,” Burns said. “It can help us get nicer things like buying paint for the dots in the parking lot or supplies to build props.” Due to the previous years’ cancellations, this year was wind ensemble member Burns’ first Mardi Grazie. One piece, “A Simple Song,” not only featured junior choir member Nathan Howard as a vocalist but also a solo by Burns at the beginning. “I was a little nervous since [my solo] started the piece,” Burns said, “but it all went well and I couldn’t have been happier with it.” —Lanie Sepehri
a&e 13
people
feb. 9, 2024
Environmental Knights garden comes to life
Club members plan to install natural community space to unite student body Maggie Mass staff reporter
these hearty plants will return year after year. The club plans to include placards next to each plant to explain its position in the garden and encourage students to both learn The goal of the Environmental Knights from and enjoy the beauty of the garden. club has always been to encourage the “One of our goals with the project is to get student body of McCallum to reflect on people to know more about native plants,” their environmental practices. The club has Johnson said. “We hope the placards will help spent hours organizing trash pickups and the whole community get more involved.” an entire Green Week at school last year to Junior and club vice president Ivy Christie help achieve this hopes the garden will mission. Their latest have the additional sustainable endeavor benefit of acting as a is coming to life relief from technology after months of for students. We wanted to do planning. “Our education relies something that created Junior club a lot on electronics president Hazel and online learning,” a lasting impact. Johnson first Christie said. “Being - club president imagined the idea able to remove yourself of a community [from technology] is Hazel Johnson garden and put the extremely important for idea before the club.. mental health, especially Johnson strives as school gets more not only to solve stressful.” the campus’s erosion problems but also to Although the project was set to start in the encourage the community to get outside. fall of 2023, the club is waiting to hear back “Our whole mission with the about the grants they applied for to fund Environmental Knights is environmental the project. Once the club secures funding, stuff generally, but on our campus it will start building and planting the specifically,” Johnson said. “We wanted to do garden, hopefully this coming spring. something that created a lasting impact.” “Now, we just have to wait until the The final product will include a variety of next planting season,” Johnson said. native plants and perennials. Johnson hopes
“
”
In the meantime, the club will focus on nurturing the campus to ensure it is a healthy environment for the eventual garden. According to Johnson, maintenance is essential to keep a garden functioning and beautiful. Additionally, she said, keeping the campus clean is also vital to ensure a successful, thriving community garden, which is why getting involved in campus cleanups is so important long-term. The Environmental Knights have many allies amongst other McCallum clubs. Bird Club and Angling Club, for example, have been extremely helpful in the process of starting the community garden so far. As part of the leadership team for the garden, junior and Angling Club president Fin Kirsch was involved in trying to secure the grants, as well as organizing a few community cleanups on which the Angling and
environmental clubs collaborated. “[The garden is] a really good idea,” Kirsch said. “I think it brings a lot of beauty back to the campus, which we definitely need.” Kirsch encourages everyone to take part in the campus cleanings. “It helps to bring life back to the campus,” Kirsch said. “It’s a great volunteer opportunity.” The garden is set to be located in the English hall courtyard, giving faculty like social studies teacher Ashley Friedman a great view of the garden. “I’m very excited, I think it will be a good addition to the courtyard,” Friedman said. Johnson is confident that the garden, once complete, will prove to be a unifying agent. “I hope that people interact with it a lot,” Johnson said, “and that it becomes a spot that people like to be around.”
Juniors Hazel Johnson and Ivy Christie sit in the English courtyard, where the prospective garden will be built. Photo by Maggie Mass.
A map of the environmental garden intended to be built in the English hall courtyard. Once the Environmental Knights secure grant funding, construction will begin. Graphic by Zwi Witchel.
14
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
Wood’s words of wisdom
English teacher, Excalibur adviser finds love in her dog, literature, being outdoors According to Vanity Fair, the Proust Questionnaire was originally made as a parlor game popularized, but not made by, Marcel Proust, a French essayist and novelist. Proust believed that answering the 35 questions reveals the true nature and values of a person. In this shortened edition of The Proust Questionaire, Shield staff reporter Elena Ulack interviews English teacher and Excalibur adviser Jennifer Wood. TS: What is your idea of perfect happiness? JW: Perfect happiness, for me personally, is being outside and present enough to enjoy the details, not worrying about the future and not thinking about the past. So the only way I recognize that is definitely leading a life where I’m often worrying about the past and the future and working really hard, then those moments occur and I recognize them for being happy. If I was always outside without thinking about the past or worrying about the future I wouldn’t recognize the happiness as much. If that makes sense. TS: What trait do you most deplore in others? JW: Oh gosh ... I really deplore a lack of transparency. Like deeply. Because if someone’s transparent, even if I don’t like the answer, I can then mold and figure out even myself. If I know they’ve respected me enough to talk to me and I’m then able to respond in a transparent way. TS: What is your greatest extravagance? JW: It’s two things. I consume way too many things for my classroom and for myself as far as clothing and shoes. It’s horrible! And makeup and stuff like that. TS: What is your current state of mind? JW: Right now I’m having a great day, I took the day off yesterday and got better. Spent some time outside with the trees, my perfect happiness! TS: What do you consider the most overrated virtue? JW: Loyalty! It sounds so not intuitive. I don’t stay friends with people out of loyalty. I just think that everyone’s always saying they want “loyal, loyal, loyal, loyal,” and I think
that we change as people and sometimes that loyalty is what ruins our lives. TS: Which words or phrases do you overuse? JW: “I’m struggling” and the funny part about that one is when I became a teacher I became best friends with the department chair. He was significantly older than me. He had a big bushy beard, such a quintessential English department chair. I would always go in his classroom and go, “I am so struggling!” and by the time he retired, that’s what he said about me, that I’m the struggler. TS: What or who is the love of your life? JW: My dog. And when I say “my dog” I mean The Dog. The one I have. Whichever dog that is at the time. It’s the dog. I have this really sweet picture of me in middle school with the current dog my dad had, and that was just the thing I loved. I’m an animal person, I have cats too, but yes I would consider myself a dog person. There’s this whole psychology behind having a dog. The book, I think it’s called The Unbearable Lightness of Being, it’s about our capacity to love something that is a dog, that just needs us and will leave us. And you know that going in, but it’s such a special relationship if you love it in that way. TS: When or where were you happiest? JW: OK, so one period of time I think I was really happy, I mean several times, but at my grandparents’ house. They had a ranch and a lot of outside, stuff like that. I loved Christmas morning, lots of really good memories. I loved getting those new toys and like lining them up. We didn’t really get a lot of presents throughout the year so it was a big deal. I was happiest my last two years of high school. I finished my last two years in La Grange, and I remember just being deliriously happy with my friends there. Like hysterical. And hysterically happy with my best friend, who I’m still best friends with. TS: Which talent would you like to have? JW: I think looking back I would’ve liked to have been an actor.
I’ve noticed that I gravitate to the more JW: I think it’s alienation. theatrical types in class, but also I absolutely TS: What is your most marked love movies. Like an obsession. I think I characteristic? would’ve had fun learning to do that. I don’t JW: I think of myself as super sensitive. know if I would’ve done it, but working Like it’s all over me. I can’t hide it. on that skill. And I love literature! So the TS: What do you most value in your friends? combination would’ve been good because I JW: Humor. I love a funny gal. Funny understand the writing so well. If I could’ve anyone. I don’t know how to verbalize this translated that as a character, I think that but people that don’t need me to call them would’ve been fun. every day: I like their independence. I like TS: If you could change one thing about inclusiveness, empathy. I need them to be yourself what would it be? supportive of my beliefs, not to say I don’t JW: I wish I wasn’t shy. I know I don’t seem want to be friends with people that are it, but I wish I was different than me, but more extroverted. it’s nice to surround I wish I was taller! myself with people on I think it would’ve the same spectrum of made it easier for tolerance as me. I like I wish I was taller. I think it me in life. Just a people who are often would’ve made it easier for smarter than me and little taller. TS: Where funnier than me. me in life. Just a little taller. would you most TS: Who is your like to live? hero of fiction? - Jennifer Wood JW: Not here. JW: I really like Maybe Seattle or Hillela from this Portland. Hmm or book called The maybe somewhere Sport of Nature. It’s in Europe. But on so stupid why I love a micro level, on a lake with like a forest. her, but she wore this yellow bikini and Secluded but not too far from something. then she ends up being a professor and she With seasons and not as many mosquitoes, wears Birkenstocks and hippie clothes later stuff like that. I mean, it really bothers in life and she just goes through the whole me. I say that 100% horrible summer this book changing her outfits,and I always just summer. Terrible. thought it was awesome! It all goes back to TS: What is your most treasured clothing! But she’s also a revolutionary in possession? the book so that helps. JW: Hmmm… Something I own… TS: What are your favorite names? So if everything burned and there JW: I love gender-neutral names. I was one thing I would want to run would’ve named my baby Willie. After my into the fire to save…I have a book grandpa. The Old Man and the Sea that TS: What is it that you most dislike? was my grandfather’s, who was JW: Mondays. in World War II and that was TS: How would you like to die? his favorite book. He was an JW: The slow nursing home death is so sad, English major and it was a it’s so alienating. Definitely at home with first edition. It just means people that want to be there with me. I hope something to me. not a burden to people and doing something TS: What do regard as the you like or just in your sleep. lowest depth of misery? —interview by Elena Ulack
“
”
While exploring Bastrop State Park, Jennifer Wood and a photographer friend happened upon this dam, which Wood climbed onto for a quick photo op. “I was messing around,” Wood said. “We probably weren’t supposed to be down there.” Photo courtesy of Wood.
people 15
the
shield
issue 3 volume 71
issue 3 feb. 9, 2024
Knights thrive tHanks to timeless talent ‘Fab Four’ attribute athletic success to years of friendship on and off the court
Francie Wilhelm co-editor-in-chief When it comes to the senior starting lineup of the varsity girls basketball team, there are three possible origin stories. “We were on the same team in seventh grade,” senior center Sam Cowles said. “But I think we’ve played against each other [in] rec league since probably third or fourth grade.” But according to Cowles and her teammates, seniors power forward/center Sam Shreves, point guard Lily Hobbs and shooting guard Esme Barraz, it wasn’t these preteen encounters that banded the Fab Four into the group they are today. Really, it was a pair of goggles in a COVID-ridden freshman year that made the quartet feel and play like a team. “We could just bond over playing in matches and having those stupid goggles,” Shreves said. During the 2020-2021 basketball season, former girls basketball coach Lorie Campbell had players wear goggles for dribbling drills that prevented them from looking at the ground, though oftentimes the players would continue wearing the goggles throughout practice. “Even if it did not involve dribbling, we were wearing goggles,” Cowles said. “It was really bad because you couldn’t have a side view either, so we were doing transition drills and couldn’t see.” Aside from the uncomfortable practicewear, playing together during COVID meant hours of close proximity when most other social activities were limited. “That’s your only human interaction over COVID, so we were kinda forced to become close,” Cowles said. The current seniors have experienced somewhat of an inverse of program unity. As freshmen, they experienced divisions, despite there being only a single varsity
squad, due to roster changes and pandemic winning Tuesday’s regular season finale at Ann restrictions. They feel that the current Richards to repeat as district champs, the nextprogram, with separate freshman, JV and level goal awaits: win a playoff game and earn a varsity teams, is more integrated. Shreves bi-district title. and Cowles point to a culture of positivity, “[We want to] go out with a bang,” Barraz said. encouraged by everyday traditions like Still, the quartet has loftier goals than just “positive touches” and “celebrations,” as a winning another trophy. The seniors hope to driving factor and something that seniors provide the program with longevity. have worked hard to foster. “I want to make sure we set up the “I feel like I’m underclassmen below us with friends with every the best possible basketball single person on program for next year since all three teams,” we are such a big group, and Shreves said “I most of us are starters,” Shreves We want to don’t think there’s said. “I want to make sure the a single person freshmen and sophomores go out with a bang. I couldn’t hold a know the plays. I want them to conversation with.” be able to take over our squads senior Esme Barraz Even though they and be leaders in the program.” weren’t close with Shreves believes that the the upperclassmen program has grown stronger not as freshmen, just compared to other schools, the now-seniors but also internally. worked to make their first year as varsity “We’re very competitive with each other,” athletes worth it. Shreves said. “Me and Sam [Cowles] love to “We wanted to make them proud,” Shreves compete. We’re always just pushing each other said. “It was their senior year, and it was and getting better at [basketball].” COVID, so it was rough for them.” According to Hobbs, the closeness of the The team’s hard work culminated in a final starters is a major contributing factor to the district ranking that paints a very different team’s current success. picture of the girls basketball program today. “The more you play with someone, the “Freshman year, we were surprised that more you understand each other’s playing we finished fifth in district, and the styles, strengths and weaknesses and that [then] seniors were so surprised,” builds a lot of chemistry,” Hobbs said. “Also Cowles said. “And then junior year just because we’re friends, we support we go first in district and undefeated.” each other a lot, and that Last year’s district adds positive energy on title marked the the court.” first time the Compared to their varsity girls freshman year, the basketball group’s time spent team has won together is much district since more voluntary. By 1994. After the Knights’ own
Then-freshmen Hobbs and Shreves high five at the final district game against Crockett, where the Knights solidified their fifth-place standing. Photo by Makenzie Mason.
16
“
”
Cowles takes possession of the ball in the 2021-2022 season playoff game against Pflugerville, which the Knights advanced to after placing third in district. Photo by Lexi Ramos.
2021
2022
calculations, the four can spend up to 30 hours a week together at practices, games, tournaments, bus rides, lunches in Coach Carly Kehn’s classroom, celebratory dinners and trips to Amy’s Ice Cream. “We spend a lot of time together in basketball, but we still want to spend time outside,” Barraz said. “You’d think I’d be sick of them.” The hours upon hours together also means the seniors have had front row seats to their evolutions as players and as people. “Individually as players we’ve all grown tremendously since freshman year but also as a team,” Cowles said. Cowles more than quadrupled her points scored, going from 62 points scored as a freshman to 252 as a junior. Barraz’s 107 points scored freshman year pale in comparison to the 257 she scored during the 2022-2023 season. “It’s crazy to think back to freshman year,” Hobbs said. “Like Sam [Shreves], you were on the bench all the time (Shreves: “So were you!”) No, but I’m saying, now you’re a starter, and now you’re a big part of the team. And Sam [Cowles] growing with her confidence and Esme has always been hustling. She’s one of our best defenders. I’ve just seen so much
Lone freshman on varsity captures the ‘hart’ of the team
growth in everyone.” Hobbs ended freshman year with only 11 points scored but completed her junior season with 91. Shreves experienced a similar point jump, from four in the freshman season to 84 as a junior, as well as a large increase in playing time as her skills matured. But the seniors don’t just contribute points on the scoreboard. They also act as leaders within the program, with Shreves and Barraz specifically named as official team captains. “My freshman year I never would have thought to give someone advice,” Shreves said. “I just want to help make sure everyone has the best possible chance they can to be good at the sport.” After playing basketball for so many years against, beside and now truly with each other, the Fab Four’s memories of the sport are inherently memories of each other. “We have so many highs and lows, but the constant is that we’re all together throughout all of it, and it makes everything so much better,” Hobbs said. “It makes the highs higher and the lows also higher.”
Chloe Seckar-Martinez staff reporter Ever since second grade, when freshman Ruby Airhart started playing basketball, she knew that playing the sport on a higher level team would be a dream she wanted to live out. “In middle school, I would go see some of the McCallum games and knew I always wanted to be a part of the team,” Airhart said. Airhart began playing on rec teams and Amateur Athletic Union from a young age. Over the past two years, Airhart called the Lamar Middle School basketball court her home. After trying out for the McCallum program this year and learning she made varsity, Airhart was filled with many emotions. “I felt surprised, excited and nervous all at the same time,” Airhart said. From the moment head coach Carly Kehn saw the type of basketball player and teammate Airhart is, she knew she would make a great addition to the varsity team. “We look for someone who is a
good student,” Kehn said, “as well as someone who is a student of the game.” Something that stood out to Kehn was when Airhart displayed initiative. “She was doing the right thing,” Kehn said. “There was this time where all of the basketballs fell off the cart and without being asked Ruby stopped what she was doing and picked them all up.” Airhart has loved being able to grow as a basketball player as well as a teammate. “Seeing how I’ve improved in the last few months has been very rewarding,” Airhart said. “I have also loved meeting so many new people.” Although there are many rewards to being on varsity, Airhart has also had to overcome the struggles of coming from middle school and adjusting to the complexity of playing high school basketball. “The biggest challenge has been learning all of the norms,” Airhart said, “especially remembering a bunch of the plays and positions.” Another challenge has been adapting to an environment of people who are older than her. Although she has been unable to play alongside her freshmen peers, she has enjoyed getting to know the upperclassmen on varsity, leaders who inspire her every day. “They are all role models that I really look up to,” Airhart said. “They are also very welcoming of me and help me learn all of these new plays.” One of these role models is varsity point guard junior Emy Chen, who feels that Airhart has been a great addition to the team. She believes that
Airhart is a player who is passionate about basketball and who is a positive role model even though she is only a freshman. “I think Ruby really does love playing basketball,” Chen said. “You see the joy on her face every time she plays.” In the time that is remaining in her freshman season, Airhart hopes to incorporate these new plays into her everyday basketball vocabulary so that she can help her class and younger players who join the program just like the upperclassmen are helping her now. “I hope that I can pick up all of the things that I am learning and use them to get better every year,” Airhart said. “I also want to become a leader for my grade and [for the younger grades] to come.” This season, the team has experienced a dynamic shift due to all of the first-year varsity players joining the roster. Chen thinks that Airhart has done an amazing job integrating with the veterans and learning all of the plays. “It’s a big shift coming from middle school to varsity,” Chen said. “I think she’s adjusting very well.” Chen said that Airhart brings a wave of enthusiasm even through the hard times on the court. “She’s always so positive regardless of the score,” Chen said. “She always gives positive touches and compliments.” Airhart’s year of varsity experience will prepare her to be a strong leader for the team for the next three years. “Having a freshman on the team is reassuring,” Chen said. “We know that we are leaving our future in good hands.”
Airhart plays against Eastside on Jan. 26. Photo by Francie Wilhelm.
The 22-23 varsity team celebrates their undefeated district victory. Captains Barraz (left) and Shreves (right) hold the trophy. Photo by Francie Wilhelm.
2023
2024 17
the
shield
issue 3 volume 71
issue 3 feb. 9, 2024
Knights thrive tHanks to timeless talent ‘Fab Four’ attribute athletic success to years of friendship on and off the court
Francie Wilhelm co-editor-in-chief When it comes to the senior starting lineup of the varsity girls basketball team, there are three possible origin stories. “We were on the same team in seventh grade,” senior center Sam Cowles said. “But I think we’ve played against each other [in] rec league since probably third or fourth grade.” But according to Cowles and her teammates, seniors power forward/center Sam Shreves, point guard Lily Hobbs and shooting guard Esme Barraz, it wasn’t these preteen encounters that banded the Fab Four into the group they are today. Really, it was a pair of goggles in a COVID-ridden freshman year that made the quartet feel and play like a team. “We could just bond over playing in matches and having those stupid goggles,” Shreves said. During the 2020-2021 basketball season, former girls basketball coach Lorie Campbell had players wear goggles for dribbling drills that prevented them from looking at the ground, though oftentimes the players would continue wearing the goggles throughout practice. “Even if it did not involve dribbling, we were wearing goggles,” Cowles said. “It was really bad because you couldn’t have a side view either, so we were doing transition drills and couldn’t see.” Aside from the uncomfortable practicewear, playing together during COVID meant hours of close proximity when most other social activities were limited. “That’s your only human interaction over COVID, so we were kinda forced to become close,” Cowles said. The current seniors have experienced somewhat of an inverse of program unity. As freshmen, they experienced divisions, despite there being only a single varsity
squad, due to roster changes and pandemic winning Tuesday’s regular season finale at Ann restrictions. They feel that the current Richards to repeat as district champs, the nextprogram, with separate freshman, JV and level goal awaits: win a playoff game and earn a varsity teams, is more integrated. Shreves bi-district title. and Cowles point to a culture of positivity, “[We want to] go out with a bang,” Barraz said. encouraged by everyday traditions like Still, the quartet has loftier goals than just “positive touches” and “celebrations,” as a winning another trophy. The seniors hope to driving factor and something that seniors provide the program with longevity. have worked hard to foster. “I want to make sure we set up the “I feel like I’m underclassmen below us with friends with every the best possible basketball single person on program for next year since all three teams,” we are such a big group, and Shreves said “I most of us are starters,” Shreves We want to don’t think there’s said. “I want to make sure the a single person freshmen and sophomores go out with a bang. I couldn’t hold a know the plays. I want them to conversation with.” be able to take over our squads senior Esme Barraz Even though they and be leaders in the program.” weren’t close with Shreves believes that the the upperclassmen program has grown stronger not as freshmen, just compared to other schools, the now-seniors but also internally. worked to make their first year as varsity “We’re very competitive with each other,” athletes worth it. Shreves said. “Me and Sam [Cowles] love to “We wanted to make them proud,” Shreves compete. We’re always just pushing each other said. “It was their senior year, and it was and getting better at [basketball].” COVID, so it was rough for them.” According to Hobbs, the closeness of the The team’s hard work culminated in a final starters is a major contributing factor to the district ranking that paints a very different team’s current success. picture of the girls basketball program today. “The more you play with someone, the “Freshman year, we were surprised that more you understand each other’s playing we finished fifth in district, and the styles, strengths and weaknesses and that [then] seniors were so surprised,” builds a lot of chemistry,” Hobbs said. “Also Cowles said. “And then junior year just because we’re friends, we support we go first in district and undefeated.” each other a lot, and that Last year’s district adds positive energy on title marked the the court.” first time the Compared to their varsity girls freshman year, the basketball group’s time spent team has won together is much district since more voluntary. By 1994. After the Knights’ own
Then-freshmen Hobbs and Shreves high five at the final district game against Crockett, where the Knights solidified their fifth-place standing. Photo by Makenzie Mason.
16
“
”
Cowles takes possession of the ball in the 2021-2022 season playoff game against Pflugerville, which the Knights advanced to after placing third in district. Photo by Lexi Ramos.
2021
2022
calculations, the four can spend up to 30 hours a week together at practices, games, tournaments, bus rides, lunches in Coach Carly Kehn’s classroom, celebratory dinners and trips to Amy’s Ice Cream. “We spend a lot of time together in basketball, but we still want to spend time outside,” Barraz said. “You’d think I’d be sick of them.” The hours upon hours together also means the seniors have had front row seats to their evolutions as players and as people. “Individually as players we’ve all grown tremendously since freshman year but also as a team,” Cowles said. Cowles more than quadrupled her points scored, going from 62 points scored as a freshman to 252 as a junior. Barraz’s 107 points scored freshman year pale in comparison to the 257 she scored during the 2022-2023 season. “It’s crazy to think back to freshman year,” Hobbs said. “Like Sam [Shreves], you were on the bench all the time (Shreves: “So were you!”) No, but I’m saying, now you’re a starter, and now you’re a big part of the team. And Sam [Cowles] growing with her confidence and Esme has always been hustling. She’s one of our best defenders. I’ve just seen so much
Lone freshman on varsity captures the ‘hart’ of the team
growth in everyone.” Hobbs ended freshman year with only 11 points scored but completed her junior season with 91. Shreves experienced a similar point jump, from four in the freshman season to 84 as a junior, as well as a large increase in playing time as her skills matured. But the seniors don’t just contribute points on the scoreboard. They also act as leaders within the program, with Shreves and Barraz specifically named as official team captains. “My freshman year I never would have thought to give someone advice,” Shreves said. “I just want to help make sure everyone has the best possible chance they can to be good at the sport.” After playing basketball for so many years against, beside and now truly with each other, the Fab Four’s memories of the sport are inherently memories of each other. “We have so many highs and lows, but the constant is that we’re all together throughout all of it, and it makes everything so much better,” Hobbs said. “It makes the highs higher and the lows also higher.”
Chloe Seckar-Martinez staff reporter Ever since second grade, when freshman Ruby Airhart started playing basketball, she knew that playing the sport on a higher level team would be a dream she wanted to live out. “In middle school, I would go see some of the McCallum games and knew I always wanted to be a part of the team,” Airhart said. Airhart began playing on rec teams and Amateur Athletic Union from a young age. Over the past two years, Airhart called the Lamar Middle School basketball court her home. After trying out for the McCallum program this year and learning she made varsity, Airhart was filled with many emotions. “I felt surprised, excited and nervous all at the same time,” Airhart said. From the moment head coach Carly Kehn saw the type of basketball player and teammate Airhart is, she knew she would make a great addition to the varsity team. “We look for someone who is a
good student,” Kehn said, “as well as someone who is a student of the game.” Something that stood out to Kehn was when Airhart displayed initiative. “She was doing the right thing,” Kehn said. “There was this time where all of the basketballs fell off the cart and without being asked Ruby stopped what she was doing and picked them all up.” Airhart has loved being able to grow as a basketball player as well as a teammate. “Seeing how I’ve improved in the last few months has been very rewarding,” Airhart said. “I have also loved meeting so many new people.” Although there are many rewards to being on varsity, Airhart has also had to overcome the struggles of coming from middle school and adjusting to the complexity of playing high school basketball. “The biggest challenge has been learning all of the norms,” Airhart said, “especially remembering a bunch of the plays and positions.” Another challenge has been adapting to an environment of people who are older than her. Although she has been unable to play alongside her freshmen peers, she has enjoyed getting to know the upperclassmen on varsity, leaders who inspire her every day. “They are all role models that I really look up to,” Airhart said. “They are also very welcoming of me and help me learn all of these new plays.” One of these role models is varsity point guard junior Emy Chen, who feels that Airhart has been a great addition to the team. She believes that
Airhart is a player who is passionate about basketball and who is a positive role model even though she is only a freshman. “I think Ruby really does love playing basketball,” Chen said. “You see the joy on her face every time she plays.” In the time that is remaining in her freshman season, Airhart hopes to incorporate these new plays into her everyday basketball vocabulary so that she can help her class and younger players who join the program just like the upperclassmen are helping her now. “I hope that I can pick up all of the things that I am learning and use them to get better every year,” Airhart said. “I also want to become a leader for my grade and [for the younger grades] to come.” This season, the team has experienced a dynamic shift due to all of the first-year varsity players joining the roster. Chen thinks that Airhart has done an amazing job integrating with the veterans and learning all of the plays. “It’s a big shift coming from middle school to varsity,” Chen said. “I think she’s adjusting very well.” Chen said that Airhart brings a wave of enthusiasm even through the hard times on the court. “She’s always so positive regardless of the score,” Chen said. “She always gives positive touches and compliments.” Airhart’s year of varsity experience will prepare her to be a strong leader for the team for the next three years. “Having a freshman on the team is reassuring,” Chen said. “We know that we are leaving our future in good hands.”
Airhart plays against Eastside on Jan. 26. Photo by Francie Wilhelm.
The 22-23 varsity team celebrates their undefeated district victory. Captains Barraz (left) and Shreves (right) hold the trophy. Photo by Francie Wilhelm.
2023
2024 17
the
shield
feb. 9, 2024
issue 3
Battle of the bots
volume 71
Despite challenges, robotics team earns year’s best result at home tournament Shila Gill staff reporter The robotics team has been working to prepare and compete in tournaments this school year; they competed in two tournaments in which they made it to elimination and then another on Dec. 2 where each bot got five qualification matches and the top performing bots made it to the elimination bracket to decide the winner in which they placed 13th. This tournament was hosted by McCallum, which is how the robotics team is able to get most of their funding. Senior Henry Holmes, who has been on the robotics team for three years, builds and also manages their notebooks. He takes pride in specific aspects of the robot. “The entire year will be one big project working on our robot,” Holmes said. “For me personally though I’m most proud of our robot’s drive base.” For Holmes, teamwork is crucial to success. “Our teamwork this year has been especially excellent with each person having a crucial role in competitions as well as club meetings,” Holmes said. Holmes feels that the December tournament was a learning experience for the team. “We learned a lot from that tournament,” Holmes said. “Unlike in the past, a clear Senior Jesse Silverman, junior Zane Wiggins and senior Henry Holmes await results of a match at the VEX robotics competition: over under. strategy has emerged for every alliance with The tournament took place at McCallum on Dec 2. The team overcame challenges to qualify for the elimination bracket. Photo by Shila Gill. one scoring and one match-loading, with a good bit of nuance in between.” Overall Holmes is satisfied with the results, behind every time. We are there for at least idea of building robots was cool to me.” compete against teams from all over the even if some aspects could have been better. eight hours. At one point I was there for 12 Wiggins, like Holmes, felt as though their world,” Wiggins said. “They also help us “As a team, we did well,” Holmes said. “We hours. This is definitely not McCallum’s fault, teammate was their biggest challenge but learn about our robot, so we can improve it have placed the highest we have this season and I’m not sure how to fix this but it’s a real felt as though they found a way to overcome for the next tournament. Most teams at the despite having a difficult strength of schedule issue.” this obstacle. competition are super nice and you always [a measure of These flaws in the tournaments have “Our biggest feel welcome and that you belong there.” how challenging consequences on the teams competing. challenge was since And while the tournaments are always opponents “For the more experienced teams, it’s our teammates positive experiences, senior are.] We maybe Our teamwork this year has were random, it incredibly exhausting,” Silverman said. “One Jesse Silverman who codes could have competition my sophomore year I was there was a coin toss on and builds the robot picked a better been especially excellent from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It whether we got as well as assists in teammate in the also means we can’t play a teammate that mentoring freshmen, eliminations, but with each person having a as many matches. All worked well with our believes that there overall I think we in all, it’s a huge are still some crucial role in competitions. bot,” Wiggins said. did the best that bottleneck for “We combated this improvements to be we could have.” —senior challenge by having everyone who made in them. Junior Zane is serious “I’m very grateful Wiggins has been Henry Holmes lots of different about driving strategies for for how many on the robotics robotics.” each teammate we people love team since his had.” robotics, but freshman year For Wiggins, these the pre-existing The robot the and is the team’s robotics tournaments are important for the infrastructure driver. Wiggins became interested in robotics McCallum robotics team for several reasons. can’t handle from a young age. team created to “These tournaments benefit the team it,” Silverman “I got interested in robotics from watching compete in the Dec. 2 VEX because if you win them, you can move on said. “These shows like Battlebots when I was really robotics competition to the all-state championships, which can competitions will young,” Wiggins said. “I joined the team placed 13th. Photo by Shila Gill. get you into the world championship and run two to three hours because I wanted to meet new people and the
“
”
18 people
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
Penpalling to Paris
Students share bonds, experiences with French counterparts
their free time. The benefit is really language, but it’s also culture exposure.” Favrin also thinks that being in contact with French students helps to improve her Many culture classes have adopted pen students’ vocabulary and comprehension pals to gain a better understanding of the because they hear how people in France culture and language that they have been speak and the slang they use day to day. studying. One of those classes is the upperJunior Nathan Howard, who has been level French class at McCallum, which learning French for five years, has maintained has adapted the pen pal process through a relationship with the same pen pal over exchanging letters and videos with students several years. This consistency has allowed in France when French teacher Charlotte Howard to build a friendship with his pen pal Favrin introduced the program to the school since they first met. four years ago. “We both are really into music; he plays the “I have a partnership with a teacher who upright bass,” Howard said. “We’re also both works at a school in Paris in the 13th district into nature, though he seems to get around it and she’s an English teacher, so she teaches a lot more than I do.” her students English,” Howard Favrin said. “We met sees this about four years ago experience and we decided to do as a way to You’re in contact with real an exchange with her learn about students and my students.” a culture people who speak French... The students started fully off sending traditional removed The benefit is language but letters back and forth, but from his also culture exposure. due to the time and cost daily life. of sending these letters, “Despite —French teacher they switched to videos, living in audio files and emails — a such a Charlotte Favrin more modern take on melting pot pen pals. For Favrin, part of cultures of the benefit of having here in students talk with other the United kids their age is their States, we ability to converse instead of just learning don’t see the complete differences [between the material. different cultures],” Howard said. “There’s “When you have a pen pal, you’re in contact always some kind of similarity. It’s nice to see with real people who speak French,” Favrin and talk to someone as different as you can said. “It’s exciting, and it’s interesting for them make it from you.” to get to know those people and see Howard has also noticed an improvement how they speak, how they in his French skills and ability to talk to dress, how they act, people in the language. He has written in what they do French through the letters and picked up in texting acronyms and equivalents to English phrases and sayings. A long-term benefit that Howard has
Callen Romell staff reporter
“
”
observed is that if he ever travels to France, he’ll have a better understanding of the language and culture. Sophomore Milane Boudou will be getting a pen pal for the first time this year. Boudou was born in France but moved to the United States when she was less than a year old. She is looking forward to meeting new people and gaining a better understanding of the French school system. “I already know about French culture, but I moved before I could be exposed to how education works,” Boudou said. “I also don’t know many French people from my generation, so it’ll be interesting to see how people my age in France are different to teenagers in the U.S.” Boudou has some ideas on teen life in France from family but feels that isn’t the same as a direct experience such as the pen pal letters. She also wants to share her own culture and exchange similarities and differences between the two countries. To Boudou, learning about different cultures and ways of life is extremely valuable. “[Different cultures] give us a better understanding of how different countries and people do things, which I think gives us a better understanding of how the world works,” Boudou said. For Boudou, there is also the added benefit of getting to know her family members’ experiences of growing up in France. In the summer, Boudou plans to return to her birthplace and stay with her grandparents for six weeks. She hopes to return after high school and eventually move back given she is already a citizen. “One of my main goals is to go to college in France,” Boudou said. “I definitely want to live there for at least a part of my life. I want to experience both the American and the French way of life.”
Graphic by Callen Romell. Photo of stamps licensed with permission by Adobe Stock.
people 19
sports
feb. 9, 2024
Surviving the sidelines
Damaging injuries, side effects impact student athletes’ confidence, skill Priya Thoppil staff reporter With busy extracurricular-filled lives, many McCallum athletes don’t realize the toll injuries can take on their bodies, especially ones that have long-lasting effects, until they suffer one. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, over 1 million high school students suffer from sports injuries each year. Dr. Julie Mankinen, an orthopedic manual physical therapist and owner of Symmetry Physical Therapy in Austin, sees patients with ages ranging from 7 to 97 and notes that fewer than 20% of her patients are teenagers. Some of the most common injuries she sees in her clinic are quad muscle and calf muscle problems in adolescents. “Knee ligament sprains such as MCL and ACL are extremely common in young athletes, particularly girls,” Mankinen said. “Ankle sprains and strains are also very common in kids and teens.” While different age groups are prone to different types of injuries, kids are more prone to falls, car wrecks and sports injuries than adults are. “That said, more and more adults are Junior Mitchell Butler breaks through the line of scrimmage for a 56-yard gain during the having sports injuries because people are Knights’ 37-22 district win over Crockett on Sept. 14. Butler suffered a season-ending knee playing sports way later into their lives injury in the Knights’ next game, a 32-14 loss to LBJ two weeks later. Photo by Julia Copas than several generations ago,” Mankinen said. “Teenage kids are way more at risk of experienced a lot of self-perseverance trying 14 months passed from her first surgery to [suffering a] knee ACL injury than adults, to stay positive,” Butler said. when she got cleared to play again. Stopping and some of it has to do with not being fully As a physical therapist, Mankinen her sport for a year was frustrating for Ashley, ‘mature’ with regard to bone and soft tissue recommends prioritizing overall fitness, as she had to overcome a lot of complications condition.” agility, along the way. When students flexibility, “I did lots of physical therapy, and since suffer injuries balance and my mom is a physical therapist, I was like ACL tears, it coordination. able to do PT almost every day for most changes their life. “People of my recovery time,” Ashley said. “It was I had to get a second Junior Mitchell should be definitely very mentally challenging because Butler, a varsity taught about I went from playing soccer almost every surgery and had quite a football player, got healthy day to not being able to play for over a year. injured during the few setbacks before I could nutrition That was really difficult.” second quarter of and body Like many other athletes experiencing a finally get cleared. a game, tearing his maintenance serious injury such as an ACL tear, Ashley ACL and meniscus - junior habits,” put in a lot of time and effort to ensure that and rupturing the Mankinen she recovered fully. Ashley Mankinen cartilage in his said. “It was also very frustrating to be knee. “Everyone putting in so much work and still have “The total should be complications that I couldn’t control and recovery time encouraged that increased my recovery time,” she said. is around nine to speak up if Injuries affect the players physically and months,” he said. “It really depends on they are having pain and to address minor mentally making the return to their sport how my physical therapy goes throughout pain issues before they become big injuries.” doubly challenging. my recovery.” Similar to Butler, Mankinen’s daughter “It also affected my confidence because Not only do injuries have a significant Ashley tore her ACL during a soccer game in I felt behind after missing a year,” Ashley impact on an athlete’s body, but it also 2022. Ashley, a junior, said that she landed on said. “After not doing anything for so long, changes their perspective. her knee fully bent and twisted. Her recovery my fitness was much worse and my touch “I’d say through the injury I’ve journey took a little longer than Butler’s will: always felt off at the beginning.”
“
”
20
Graphic by Priya Thoppil. Similar to Ashley, Butler said he is focusing on what he can control and not on the injury, which is out of his hands. “I try not to let myself get down, as the injury is something I can’t control,” he said. When student athletes have serious injuries, taking time off from a sport can create a re-learning curve that an athlete must solve before returning to the field as they were before the injury. “You have to refamiliarize yourself with everything,” Ashley said. “It’s also hard because at first [when I recovered] I would feel kind of timid because I don’t want to get hurt again. But at the same time, you just can’t really be timid. You have to just go for it and trust that you’re prepared.”
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
2024-26 UIL realignment sets new district standard
The Knights’ longtime district opponents will no longer play up beyond their size classification; in the long run, the change will benefit McCallum, all AISD schools Julia Copas staff reporter Every two years, the University Interscholastic League looks at a variety of factors, but most importantly enrollment numbers, from its member schools to accurately re-classify and re-align schools to be in athletic districts that provide competitive equity. Competitive equity, the core purpose of re-alignment, is something that Austin ISD high school athletics have long been missing. Currently, there is a large disparity in enrollment numbers in AISD high schools. Some schools, like Bowie and Akins, are over-enrolled beyond their facilities’ capacity, while others, like LBJ, are under-enrolled at less than half of their capacity. In McCallum’s current athletic district, five of the nine teams do not have enrollment numbers that align with the classification in which they have been put. The UIL does allow for school districts to choose to opt up by just one classification, but there are some schools, like Eastside and LBJ, that jump up two. AISD might support “playing up” for a multitude of reasons, but the most likely one is to reduce transportation costs because of the amount of money the district loses every year due to House Bill 3, also known as the recapture or “Robin Hood” plan. Each year, AISD loses nearly $900 million to recapture, or 56% of the district’s projected tax collections. According to a breakdown on the AISD website, 1 cent for every dollar of AISD’s $835 million budget is spent on “Other,” which is likely the category for athletic costs like transportation, new uniforms, and equipment. This equates to about $8 million for the entirety of the “Other” category. To put it in simpler terms, AISD does not have the budget to pay for the expenses that would come with its schools playing in conferences and districts that reflect their enrollment numbers. As the 2024 UIL re-alignment
conversation begins to move to the forefront of Texas high school sports talk, it’s time to revisit this decision and its impact on AISD schools. Every single one of McCallum’s sports went to playoffs last year, with multiple undefeated teams. While the accomplishments and skill level of McCallum’s athletes is evident in these results, the achievement is significantly diminished because McCallum plays in a district where the majority of its opponents are not at the same competitive level that McCallum is. This is largely because these schools are historically underserved and have a large population of students that are economically disadvantaged. And while AISD has released a long-range plan and passed bonds that address these issues and aim to eventually solve them, these issues most likely won’t be solved until at least the next re-alignment. So
what does this mean in the meantime? For UIL Snapshot Day on Oct. 20, the UIL collected data from its member school districts around the state, using whatever each school’s enrollment was on that day as the baseline for re-alignment. On Sept. 7, principal Andy Baxa announced to parents at the first parent-principal meeting that McCallum’s enrollment was at around 1,950, which would put McCallum in 5A Division I. On Dec. 5, however, the UIL released the official enrollment numbers that were collected on Snapshot Day. The official enrollment number that the UIL was given for McCallum was 1,854, which would keep McCallum in 5A Division II. When UIL announced the new district
alignments on Feb. 1, McCallum learned that it would no longer have district opponents that were playing up to the 5A level. In football in place of Eastside, LBJ, Northeast and Travis, McCallum and the remanining 5A AustinISD football teams (Crockett, LASA and Navarro) would now play Bastrop, Connally, Elgin, Liberty Hill and Pflugerville in district. Baseball, basketball, soccer and softball meanwhile would lose the same distict opponents and pick up as district opponents Anderson, Bastrop and Cedar Creek. Ann Richards will remain a district opponent in girls sports. Sophomore volleyball captain Lexi Rosenblatt says she feels the new UIL alignment will be good for the volleyball program. “I can only speak for volleyball, but I think it’s clear that we’ve had a lot of success in our district, and we are ready for some higher level competition,” Rosenblatt said. “We’re more than capable of playing tougher teams than we have been for the past few years. It may take a year or two to adjust, but I have no doubt that we will be able to compete.” Sophomore boys basketball captain Ethan Plummer echoed Rosenblatt’s sentiments. “I feel like there have been times where we have games against teams that aren’t quite the highest level of an opponent, and to me, that can limit our progression throughout the season,” Plummer said. “Playing tough games against good opponents helps with our development as individual players and helps us be more prepared for the playoffs. Looking at the realignment, I see some really solid opponents that could really push us into close and competitive games.” It appeared as if the Battle of the Bell rivalry football game between McCallum and Travis, which originated in 1953, might be a casualty of the realignment, but athletic director and head football coach Thomas Gammerdinger told the Shield Tuesday that the game would continue. “Coach Martinez and I are planning on keeping the rivalry going as long as we are around,” Gammerdinger said. The teams have tentatively agreed to play each other in a nondistrict game during week Graphic by Julia Copas. two of the 2024 season.
sports 21
the
shield
issue 3 volume 71
feb. 9, 2024
Climbing rocks and prices Bouldering limits possible participants due to financial disadvantage
Camilla Vandegrift sports editor Austin is one of many cities with a bouldering scene on the rise. As interest in competitive rock climbing continues to expand, bouldering gyms like Austin Bouldering Project continue to provide climbing space and generate revenue, though at a high cost for climbers. Although rock climbing can be an outdoor activity, much of the sport’s culture and learning space takes place within the walls of a gym, whose membership prices are much higher than your average gym. Though it can be claimed that bouldering deserves just as much financial investment as any other sport, the price tag on a membership limits the accessibility of bouldering to the general public and all the enjoyment that can be gained from it. Climbing gyms and equipment vendors should offer more equitable options to fit a wider range of potential climbers. As someone who only got into bouldering over this past summer, I can’t say I have a lengthy experience with the sport. I can’t assert how it has changed over time, but one of the first things I noticed about bouldering was how much it was costing me to go when I wanted to. At Austin Bouldering Project, I was buying a day pass for $18 plus tax each time I went to the gym, as well as renting climbing shoes for $4 each session. While I was lucky that ABP supplied me with chalk bags, which are an integral part
of climbing that aid with gripping the holds, free of charge whenever I asked for them, this luxury does not universally apply to all gyms. I soon found that for the rate of my visits to the gym, it would save me money to buy a membership for $75 per month (though it costs more than this for people aged 24 and up), as long as I kept going about four times each month. While the membership comes with perks, I’ve found that it doesn’t even save me that much money because I had to pay a $50 upfront activation fee to create my membership. All in all, I’m only saving a few dollars every month and if for some reason I can’t make it to the gym four times, I’m actually losing money. All of this is to say that going to the gym for me has proven to be more expensive than I thought it would be. There are alternatives, however, such as outdoor climbing, which is usually free to access in many public parks, so no money is expended other than gas to get to some of the more remote locations. That being said, outdoor climbing usually has less regulation so less equipment is available to rent. Even more equipment is required for outdoor climbing, like crash pads which are a necessity to break your fall from high boulders when you’re outside among
sharp rocks and rough ground. At this point, having full ownership of equipment rather than renting it becomes increasingly more desirable. Not needing to worry about whether you’ll be able to access the right equipment and how much it will cost you is a weight off of a climber’s shoulders. But this is no cheap deal either – many quality climbing shoes cost over $100, with some major brands having shoes in the high hundreds. For higher boulders and rocks, even more equipment may be required, such as ropes, clips or helmets, all of which dip a climber a little bit farther into the red. While no sports are truly free of cost for the player, I find bouldering unique in that it seems to cost so much per use. Buying climbing shoes would indeed save me a bit of money in the long run, but that would be a large undertaking to make to ensure that I get my money’s worth, which is something that many new climbers especially cannot commit to. I consider myself lucky that my family is in a financial situation in which I can afford to have a monthly membership for climbing, but I wish that everyone could experience it just as I do. I find
a lot of joy in bouldering and I think that many of my friends would as well if it was more accessible to them. I can bring two friends to the gym per month and get them in for free, but otherwise, newcomers are expected to pay for all of their own expenses and also for classes if they want to learn basic techniques. I am aware that there are families in Austin who have less favorable financial circumstances than my own, and I find it unfortunate that someone my age might be unable to try bouldering simply because of the lack of affordability. Although ABP does have an honor system program for reduced membership available to some groups of people like nonnative English speakers, other local gyms like Mesa Rim and Crux do not have such pricing options posted on their websites for those other than veterans, students and first responders. I hope that more climbing gyms might follow in ABP’s footsteps and someday offer free clinics to the public, which I have seen happening for other sports, and take the initiative to offer scholarships, especially to young people and students who might need an outlet for physical activity. I think that as bouldering changes from a more private, membershipbased sport, local public parks and recreation centers can maybe be sponsors and that bouldering can become more accessible as it becomes more mainstream.
Three of the most popular bouldering gyms in the Austin area all have monthly membership prices at $70 or above for high school students, not including initiation fees to open an account. Graphics by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
22 sports
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
Vaulting over the hurdles Senior committed to collegiate diving after switching from gymnastics
Lanie Sepehri co-editor-in-chief Senior Asa Rosenberg is used to sticking the landing. Ten years as a gymnast taught him that much. But now, there’s no solid ground to catch him. There’s just the free fall from three meters up and the breaking glass of the pool’s surface. He switched to diving just over four months ago, but Rosenberg is ready to dive from new heights after committing to California State University at Bakersfield. Switching sports was a matter of practicality for Rosenberg. Although he had been competing as a gymnast, he realized there were few opportunities to do so in college. But there are hundreds of different diving programs across the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s three divisions. Rosenberg knew what he had to do. “A lot of divers are ex-gymnasts,” Rosenberg said. “It’s a big thing to switch from gymnastics to diving.” Many of the skills utilized in diving are similar to those employed in gymnastics. Rosenberg began taking gymnastics classes at Crenshaws Athletic Club when he was 4 years old. “It just kind of snowballed into something I had a passion for,” Rosenberg said. That devotion grew when the coaches at Crenshaws picked 7-year-old Rosenberg out of the classes to join the club’s competitive team. “It was intense,” Rosenberg said. “Gymnasts have to train really hard. But … I liked how hard it was. In my eyes, it is the hardest sport. I liked being able to do it and do it as one of the best in the country.” Male gymnasts compete in six events: floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. Until sixth grade, Rosenberg regularly attended meets and competed in all six events. Though Rosenberg’s passion for the sport stemmed from its intensity, competing eventually became so stressful that in sixth grade, Rosenberg decided to quit the sport. “I never even thought that I would want to go back to it,” he said. For three years, he didn’t. But his interest in gymnastics was rekindled after meeting another gymnast from the Crenshaws team at summer camp. He decided to get in contact with his old coach, who offered to let him come in and train together for a day. “I was like, ‘I want to come back tomorrow,’” Rosenberg said. “And I never stopped.” So it was back to the intense workouts,
the arduous training—back to the sport he loved. The year after he returned, Rosenberg qualified for the 2023 USA Gymnastics Developmental National Championships in Oklahoma City. “That was a big accomplishment for me,” Rosenberg said. “It was a really good feeling to make it.” With Nationals under his belt, Rosenberg knew he couldn’t continue gymnastics into college. One sport, however, would allow Rosenberg to hit the ground running: diving. “The skills in diving come super naturally to [gymnasts],” Rosenberg said. “Everything, like the air awareness and all that, I just already had.” Once he decided to switch, it was time to find a coach and a place to train. After hearing that sophomore Iris BurnsTrahanovsky dove with the Longhorn Junior Aquatics Program at UT, Rosenberg reached out to her to learn more. “He asked me where I practiced and who my coach was, and he emailed my coach to set up a tryout,” Burns-Trahanovsky said. Rosenberg said the UT coaches seemed to recognize that diving was Rosenberg’s way ahead. But at that point, at the start of his senior year, most athletes were already looking for colleges to commit to. He was only just starting the sport. “I had to kind of fasttrack my way to the top,” Rosenberg said. “So it wasn’t even a tryout in my head. It was like, ‘OK this is where I’m going to be for the next year. How can I start learning really quickly?’” The Longhorn Aquatics diving program has three teams with increasing levels of skill: High School, Talent ID and Podium. Rosenberg initially began on Talent ID but was moved up to Podium after just a few days. So far, Rosenberg has competed in three meets—and took first place at his first
one. “[One of the last] competitions I went to was really fun,” Rosenberg said. “Everyone was cheering. When someone smacked, which is when you belly flop or mess up really hard, everyone cheered. It just made it fun.” Rosenberg mainly dives off the 1- and 3-meter springboards, although some athletes dive from as high as 10 meters. “I have jumped off the 10-meter, and it’s really nerve-racking,” Rosenberg said. “I can’t imagine diving off it. But I like jumping off high stuff. I just like the adrenaline.” In October 2023, Rosenberg was contacted by diving coaches at California State University, Bakersfield, a D1 school. They invited him to come out for an official visit in early November. A few days after that, Rosenberg committed to diving at CSUB. It was a perfect fit for a myriad of reasons. “CSUB is a really ideal place for me to go,” he said. “I have a lot of family from California, and I was born there myself. Not only the location, but the coach was awesome. She used to be a gymnast, so she knows how to teach ex-gymnasts.” While Rosenberg looks forward to diving in college, he doesn’t see himself going pro. “It’s just something I’ll enjoy during college and maybe give up after,” he said. “I think, nonetheless, it’ll teach me a lot of lessons. My dream is not to go to the Olympics or anything, but we’ll see. Maybe I will want to go.” Even if Rosenberg isn’t aiming for deeper waters after college, the hard work and dedication he’s put into both gymnastics and diving in turn have secured him a spot on a D1 diving team. Neither sport has been easy. But that is what he loves about them. “I guess I like the challenge,” Rosenberg said. “I’m an ambitious person. It’s just how I am. I shoot high, and I’ll get there one way or another.” Photo courtesy of Asa Rosenberg.
Rosenberg twists in the air during his floor routine at the 2023 USAG Developmental National Championships. Rosenberg said that because it was his last meet, no matter what, his only goals were to do his best and have fun. Photo courtesy of Rosenberg.
sports 23
the
shield
feb. 9, 2024
issue 3
Win, lose and draw
volume 71
Mixed results in recent LASA battles suggest Raptors have emerged as a top rival BELOW: Senior Caroline Owen (No. 18) chest bumps teammate Kat Klein after the duo teamed up to tie the score of Jan. 26’s district showdown between the Knights and Raptors at House Park. Twenty minutes into the second half, Owen scored McCallum’s sole goal by heading off a corner kick taken by Klein. The game concluded in a 1-1 draw. Owen knew that her competition would be fierce before the game even started.“LASA is at a higher level than most of the teams we play,” Owen said. “This game was harder mentally because we’re not used to playing such close games.”Even though her team didn’t necessarily win, Owen is glad to not have had to walk home with a loss. “I’m glad we got the first round against them out of the way without a loss because next time we’ll know what to expect,” she said. Caption by JoJo Barnard. Photo by Julia Copas.
ABOVE: On Jan. 26, the Knights beat the LASA Raptors 56-51. The game provided the Knights a sense of confidence as the season progressed according to junior George Brode, one of three Knights to score in double figures. “The whole game was pretty intense and back and forth,” Brode said. “I think the biggest parts were towards the end where we began to pull away with a few minutes left in the game; however, we made clutch free throws by Ethan Plummer which was a highlight.” After the win, the Knights were able to connect with the crowd, take in the victory and experience celebration with the win in their pockets. “We were pretty ecstatic after the game,” Brode said. “We learned how to stay focused throughout the game and with everybody going 100% we can get the job done against good teams.” Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Julia Copas. To see our more complete photo essay of the varsity and sub-varsity match ups against the Raptors, scan the QR code or visit macshieldonline.com
24 sports
RIGHT: Junior point guard Emy Chen eludes three Raptor defenders for a lefthanded layup during the Knights’ loss at LASA on Jan. 23. Despite Chen’s teamleading 19 points, the girls basketball team suffered its first district loss in two years 40-37. The Knights were down by 10 after one quarter at 18-8. “We were just talking about how we needed to chip away little by little,” Coach Carly Kehn said. “You need to double what they give.” And chip away they did. By the second quarter they were down seven at 24-17. “It was kind of an uphill battle from there,” Kehn said. Kehn stressed that she and her players need to stay composed in difficult situations like the ones they confronted on that January night. “I was not as composed as I needed to be, for sure,” Kehn said. “We only chipped away one point in the third quarter, but at that point it was hard not to be frustrated with how we started the game, but it’s also like we have to look forward to what we need to do.” Caption and photo by Morgan Eye.
ABOVE: The varsity boys soccer team lost 2-1 to the Raptors on Feb. 2. Senior Tucker Martinson scored the Knights’ only goal 17 minutes in . “After [the Raptors] scored their first goal early in, I could tell the team spirit dropped a lot,” Martinson said. “[But after I scored], the momentum switched, and it seemed like we had control of the game.” Still, 38 minutes in LASA scored off a deflection to secure the win. Caption by Lanie Sepehri. Photo by Julia Copas.
the
issue 3 volume 71
feb. 9, 2024
sports briefs Boys basketball retains undefeated district streak after Crockett win The McCallum boys varsity basketball team beat the Crockett Cougars 73-31 on Feb. 2 in their second-to-last district match. Their current record is 13-0, putting them first in the district. According to junior small forward Tommy Ammerman, the Knights started out strong and kept the momentum throughout the game. Ammerman feels the team’s high energy was partially due to the cancellation of the previous game against the Travis Rebels after the opponents forfeited. “We were stripped of our third-to-last game, so we all wanted to play hard,” Ammerman said. “We started strong and at the end of the first quarter we doubled their score. When our second rotation of guys came in, they did great, so they stayed in and widened the score more.” Ammerman feels the Knights’ undefeated record is a product of the team’s hard work since beginning practices last August. According to him, the reason for the team’s dedication can be summed up in one word: playoffs. “We will play tough teams in the playoffs so using every possession as a chance to sharpen our skills is crucial, even in blowout games,” Ammerman said. The varsity team will take on the Northeast Raiders next Tuesday, Feb. 13, in their last district game before moving onto playoffs. While Ammerman is looking forward to the playoffs, the Knights still have room to grow. “We have to improve on defense,” Ammerman said. “The teams we will see in playoffs will mostly likely be much more skilled and athletic than the current teams we are playing, so being a strong, defensive-minded team can keep us in a game if our shots are not falling.” —Lanie Sepehri
shield
calendar Feb. 13
Boys basketball vs. Northeast, varsity–8 p.m. Girls soccer @ Nelson, varsity–7 p.m. Feb. 14
Boys soccer vs. Eastside, JV-A @ Noack–6 p.m.; varsity @ House Park–7:45 p.m. Feb. 16
Girls soccer @ Nelson, varsity–6 p.m. Sophomore Ethan Plummer dribbles down the court during the Jan. 23 win over the LASA Raptors. Plummer scored 18 points and sank five crucial fourth-quarter free throws to cement the 56-51 win that kept the Raptors in second and the Knights undefeated. Photo by Julia Copas.
Girls soccer secures shutout The varsity girls soccer team headed out to Burger Stadium to face Crockett on the morning of Feb. 3 and started their weekend off right with a 5-0 win. Senior Hannah Herrera was not thrown off by the early start but instead embraced it. “I actually prefer morning games instead because you kinda have to force yourself to get higher energy,” Herrera said. Like Herrera, junior Ashley Mankinen brought enthusiasm and power into the game. Aware of some powerful players on the opposing team, Mankinen and the rest of the team figured out early on how to deal with their aggressive challenges. Freshman Ethan Leung-Lieu, Sam Archer and Sean Sanders shoot “We made sure we knew which players were more dangerous individually during the second flight of the day on Jan. 26. Theo Northcutt and then we just tried to make sure that someone was marking placed first in the high school division. Photo courtesy of Nhi Leung-Lieu. them at all times throughout the game,” Mankinen said. Despite the early start and the intimidating opponents, the team focused on earning a shutout and achieved that goal. “This game was different compared to other games because I feel Senior Ellie Knoll guides the ball past a Cougar on like we all did so much better as a team,” Herrera said. “I think we the varsity girls’ soccer team’s Feb. 3 game against The McCallum archery team participated in the Birds Barbershop worked really well together and had strong energy the whole game.” Crockett. Photo by Maggie Mass. Lunar New Year Texas State Qualifying tournament on Jan. 26-28 at —Maggie Mass Lamar Middle School, where surrounding archery teams from schools in Central Austin competed for eligibility to shoot at the annual NASP State Tournament. The tournament was sponsored and hosted by Birds Barbershop and the Rapaport Family and was held in celebration of Lunar New Year. The swim team competed at the district-wide meet at Cedar Ridge McCallum archers shot in the high school division, together High on Jan. 27, in which junior Liliana Hollinger (in the light green bathing qualifying for state as a team and as individuals. Junior Theo Northcutt suit in the middle lane) placed in several of her events, including first in the 100 placed first in the high school boys category, scoring a 290 out of 300 freestyle race and second in the 50 free. Although the LASA team ultimately points with 20 bullseyes. won the meet, Mac athletes like Hollinger were able to dominate in their Over the course of the two-day tournament, 12 flights were held, individual events. Hollinger and her teammates in the 200 free also earned a each holding a one-arrow shootoff to close off the flight. Archers meet highlight just beating LASA to the touch line to win first in that event. would pair up and have one arrow to score higher than their partner. Hollinger—along with teammates Genevieve Appl, Iris Burns-Trahanovsky, The partner with the arrow closest to the bullseye would advance to Maggie Coulbourn, Viggo Gonzales, Thomas Perkins, William Perkins, Riley the next round, and archers continue shooting until a champion is Pita, Kiyomi Rathnasingham and Ian Sebastian—will be moving onto the declared. From Mac archery, Flynn Cliyes, Milo Conner and Nerrill regional meet Feb. 9-10, hoping to advance to the state meet. Schumacher emerged victorious from their flight’s one-arrow shootoff. Hollinger said this meet was definitely her best of the season. The NASP State tournament will take place from March 26-27, where Junior Liliana Hollinger (third from left) “I got my best times,” she said. “The team spirit was really good, and I was very the Mac archers will travel to Belton to compete as a team. confident, and you know, just very happy the whole time.” prepares to dive at the district swim —Sophie Leung-Lieu meet on Jan. 27. Photo by Riley Pita. Hollinger said she has been trying to make state since her freshman year, and this is the year she hopes it will finally happen. —Camilla Vandegrift
Mac archers qualify for state
Swimmers make a splash at Cedar Ridge High
sports 25
opinion
feb. 9, 2024
Streaming service swindle Monthly subscription services harmful for consumers, writers, content Evelyn Jenkins staff reporter As consumers, we must rely on businesses and business owners to accommodate us and treat us well, but recently it seems as though many industries are willing to do whatever it takes to increase their revenue, even if it means hurting customers. Lately, streaming services have begun to put out less entertaining material and have raised their subscription prices. This double whammy has left customers paying more for worse content. The five most popular streaming services in the U.S. are Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Max. Netflix was founded in 1997 as a DVD service where people could order DVDs off of their website and have them delivered to their door. Netflix later developed to be a completely online service, paving the way for other
out whatever content they think will increase streaming services to pop up. their revenue the most, even if it’s poorly Each of these services has different written, directed or edited. This often ends up subscription plans and prices. Most of the harming consumers and creators of television five offer monthly plans with the option to content. pay less and have ads included, or to pay The Screen Actors extra and have Guild-American the platforms Federation of be ad-free. All Television and basic plans with Radio Artists ads included strike began on are $10 and July 14 and ended under while Nov. 9. One of the ad- free Whether we would like to the major reasons versions range admit it or not, the future for the strike from $14centered around the 18 a month. of the streaming service streaming service This means industry. Before customers industry is in jeopardy. these networks would be became so paying more prevalent, creators than $60 a of shows and month if they movies got a cut of subscribed to profits every time all five. their production A major aired. But with streaming sites, actors and problem here is how different content is writers demanded a larger portion of the divided among the major streaming services. profits when their content was purchased or Each one has the rights to different films and rerun due to its success. TV shows, meaning that if you want to watch During the strike, streaming services were particular shows or movies, you might have forced to negotiate with writers and actors to pay for several streaming services. until their demands were finally met and the The content on these services also strike was settled. fluctuates. One month you could be watching From 2007 to 2008 there was another your favorite show on a certain network and writers’ strike in which the Writers Guild within a couple weeks it will have moved to of America union fought for more financial another. In July of 2020, NBC launched its compensation for DVD sales and content own streaming service, Peacock, and took distributed on the internet. During this many beloved shows, such as Parks and time, reality TV became highly successful Recreation and The Office, off of Netflix, Hulu due to its mostly unscripted programming, and other sites. This left fans of these shows which didn’t require the work of writers. The wondering if it was worth the extra money to decrease in quality programming helped watch their favorite TV shows. show audiences how important good writers Another change in streaming terms is were for television. Netflix’s “different household” policy. Unfortunately, since then there have been To try and combat password sharing, many other frustrating circumstances than Netflix has been trying to locate the writers, actors and audiences have had to primary account holders’ homes by endure and overcome. using their IP addresses. This means All of these factors negatively affect that friends and family who don’t consumers of television. Whether we would live together will no longer be like to admit it or not, the future of the able to share accounts unless they streaming service industry is in jeopardy, and want to pay extra to change their unless these networks and their owners are monthly plan. willing to make some major changes and stop This highlights the selfishness of bleeding consumers dry, we will continue to these steaming services and their suffer in silence. owners. Many are willing to put
“
Graphic by Nate Williams.
26 opinion
”
the
issue 3
shield feb. 9, 2024
volume 71
No taboo around therapy
With so many contemporary factors causing teenagers to doubt themselves, taking advantage of mental-health resources should be seen as a sign of strength Gaby Esquivel staff reporter As life goes on, we continue to grow and mature, but we also face life events that can take a toll on our mental health. We may have big events going on in our lives like tests or a new job, so we choose to sweep our mental health issues under the rug. Though that works temporarily, our mental health deteriorates little by little, and it starts to impact our daily functions. When people’s mental health deteriorates, they don’t seek therapy right away and wait until it’s too late—most likely because therapy is viewed in a negative light. Being able to go to therapy should not be looked down upon; it should be embraced as an opportunity to grow. We should realize how strong a person is to acknowledge that they need aid to heal their mental health. During the last decade, depression and anxiety have risen to a higher level among teenagers, which puts a strain on their emotional health. One of the reasons why more teenagers are suffering from mental health issues is likely due to unrealistic standards set up by social media. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have put pressure on teenagers’ physical appearance and the number of likes and comments contributes to a need for validation from others. Another reason why my generation of teenagers
“
Not only did talking about my feelings help me identify them, but I also had to have the right mindset and be willing to heal and move forward.
”
is suffering with their mental health is the extended amount of screen time. The average screen time of a teenager is six to seven hours, so if a teenager is spending that much time on their phone, they are not getting enough social interaction or meeting new people. The reason why teenagers don’t speak up about their mental health or don’t seek therapy can be because they are worried that a counselor won’t understand how they feel. It can definitely feel weird to open up your feelings to someone who is a stranger, but counselors and especially therapists are trained to help their patients out and identify their goals for the therapy sessions, what makes us feel what we feel and what solutions they can help you identify and implement. As someone who has sought therapy before, it has been one of the most helpful things that I done while in high school. I
already have to deal with my school work and extracurriculars, so dealing with personal issues was something that I could not fix on my own. I decided that seeking therapy would be really beneficial for me. At first, I was hesitant about it because I was unsure if my reasons were justified, but I thought the situation I was going through then was affecting my mental health and my ability to enjoy myself at school. Going into it, I was very pessimistic, thinking that no therapy sessions could help me move forward in school and in my personal life. Four or five sessions later, however, I felt like I was carrying less every day because I had someone who helped me sort out my emotions. Not only did talking about my feelings help me identify them, but I also had to have the right mindset and be willing to heal and move forward. Having the ability to attend therapy was truly a blessing for me. Life is not always perfect, and there will be times when you might not feel the best mentally, whether it’s confidence issues or a personal event that has impacted you. It is never a bad or embarrassing idea to seek help from therapy because it can be a perfect opportunity to grow as a person and get professional help to help you heal or get better. Therapists can be found in your school or your local community clinic center. Another option is getting therapy online, though a majority of therapists will cost money. The most recognized therapy websites are Talkspace, Brightside, and BetterHelp.
Graphic by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
opinion 27
the
shield
feb. 9, 2024
issue 3
AI isn’t near, it’s here
volume 71
Instead of fearing a fast-paced, technologically advanced future, educators should embrace benefits of artificial intelligence
Alice Scott co-editor-in-chief
If you want to throw out AI, consider first that you would be throwing out your Amazon Alexa, autofill, voice transcription apps, Siri, Netflix’s recommendation algorithm and Google Maps. I could list more. Artificial Intelligence — despite what many people have come to believe — is not synonymous with Chat GPT. And it’s not pure evil either. Generative AI like Chat GPT is just one form of a trend that has been long developing. The first use of AI was when computer scientist Arthur Samuel created a program that could play checkers independently. And that was in 1956. AI has been around for a while. But more importantly, it’s not going away AI is expected to see an annual growth rate of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030. But that’s not an inspiring fact for most. According to Forbes, 77% of people still fear that AI will cause job loss in the next year. That’s not to say these fears don’t have merit; however, we were also afraid of the internet before it became an everyday necessity. And now, only about 40 years after the internet was first created, we are so reliant on it as a tool for work and school that most students would not be able to make it through their first-period classes without it. With all class materials anchored on BLEND and most activities involving online tools like discussion boards, Google Doc worksheets or Go Guardian-protected tests, it’s apparent that the frequency of internet usage has shifted drastically since its initial launch It’s hard to imagine AI won’t follow a similar pattern as the science and technology behind it progresses. So how do we cure the fears of artificially intelligent robots taking over all job industries or teaching students only to cheat? Exposure. Everyone should be learning to use AI in their various fields of employment or study to develop their knowledge of the technology as a tool, not an enemy. This starts at the high school level. Students should be using AI to increase productivity in school so that they can focus more on tasks that will contribute to their lives beyond the classroom. We as a society have already moved towards utilizing tools that make our lives easier by taking away time-consuming tasks. Think about a Roomba that vacuums your house without you ever needing to get out
28 opinion
of your chair. Or microwaves that speed up the cooking process. Or even comical ’80s technology like The Clapper saved people the time of getting up to turn off the light. Generative AI can be used to save time in the same way. And I’m not talking about using Chat GPT to do your work for you. There are generative processes involved in projects and school work that are not necessarily the final product. What I mean by this is that tasks like brainstorming research topics, revising essays for word count or even coming up with a list of rhyming words for a poetry assignment are all instances where Chat GPT could free up a student’s time to allow them to focus more on the work that involves higher level thinking. Of course, this is not a black-and-white issue. OpenAI’s Chat GPT is roughly a year old and is already involved in more than a dozen lawsuits. Take the Walters v. OpenAI, LLC, case. The Chat GPT software is reported to have had what developers describe as “a hallucination” which simply put, is when the software gets its facts very wrong. In this case, the plaintiff, Georgia DJ Mark Walters claimed that the program created a false criminal record for him. But that’s an extreme example. And something that would likely not happen in more simplified student uses of the platform. Courts are right now trying to figure this out. Students and staff should be at the forefront of experimenting with ethical uses of this new technology in the school environment — isn’t that what education is all about?
Shila Gill staff reporter
Telling someone not to do something has never stopped them from doing it. Prohibiting the use of most AI in the classroom is no different. AI has been seen by schools in a pessimistic light that is not always deserved. While there have been instances of cheating in classes using it, a wholly negative viewpoint focuses only on the drawbacks of AI while ignoring its possible positive uses. Whether or not schools want to accept it, AI is the future, the future of all of the students currently being discouraged from using it. Students should be taught how to properly use AI to its full potential. Those who will use it for academic dishonesty will do it whether or not it is taught to students. The purpose of school is to help students prepare for their future, but how could they ever be expected to succeed when such an evolving part of our modern world is demonized? The world and students futures are constantly evolving, and the education system needs to evolve with them. We are shifting more and more to a technology-centered and dependent world. So why are we still discouraging the use of such a broad tool that can be so helpful? Adaptation is so crucial to the success of our future lives and that begins with understanding the different perspectives on AI and how crucial it is. The only exposure that students have to AI involving school shouldn’t just be a mention in the syllabus of English classes telling them what not to do. Instead of looking for ways to stop the infiltration of AI, how about we start incorporating it? AI can be used to find new and innovative ways of viewing certain topics, and it can give writing inspiration. It
can also be used creatively in the music and film industry, which McCallum teachers and administrators take into account considering that the school’s Fine Arts Academy’s focus. There are so many possibilities for AI, that are being overlooked because of the possibility this tool could be misused, even though that will happen no matter if students are taught how to better understand it or not. This brings me to another issue involving AI: essays that are not plagiarized have been getting flagged by AI for being plagiarized. If the author of the essay is not able to provide proof that they wrote it, it could result in severe consequences that may not be deserved. This AI is untrustworthy, it flags essays that are not plagiarized and then doesn’t flag some essays that are. One example of a more modern way of thinking about AI is the policy implemented at the University of Texas. Obviously, the students are not able to use AI in order to plagiarize or without permission; however, if the student wants to use AI properly, they can as long as they cite it properly. At McCallum and in Austin ISD, we need to follow in the footsteps of UT and incorporate AI to allow students to use this incredible resource with reasonable limitations to maintain academic integrity. This tool needs to be included in our education system; we need to continue to evolve and move forward, recognizing all the advancements we have made instead of trying to ignore AI because it’s the easier thing to do. Photo licensed with permission by Adobe Stock.
the
issue 3 volume 71
The rich get richer
shield feb. 9, 2024
College Board, government must make AP exams more affordable for low-income students Josie Mullan staff reporter College Board has been broadening its program for decades, making taking AP classes the norm at schools across the United States. AP classes are objectively known to improve success in college, and make student transcripts look rigorous for top colleges. In addition to these academic advantages, they can also save college students thousands of dollars by enabling them to avoid taking and paying for expensive college classes.
So who needs AP credit the most? Lowincome students, first-gen students. But that isn’t who College Board is reaching, for one big reason: the unaffordability of the fees. If you take multiple AP exams the total cost is several hundred dollars. With siblings, the total cost for families can balloon to several thousand dollars. That’s just unaffordable for many families. To pay the fees, many low-income students have to get a job and end up having to pick between gaining college credit and high scores on AP exams and their hobbies and sports. It’s a no-
win tradeoff because both extracurriculars and high AP scores are essential for high school students to be strong candidates for top colleges and universities. What’s even worse, low-income and first-gen students are the ones who need to save money for college the most, with most colleges costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, which can be more than triple what a low-income family makes in a year. College Board clearly is aware of this issue because during its expansion process, it pitched College Board programs to low-income schools and to their students, marketing AP exams as an economic equalizer for college. But they haven’t delivered on that promise, demanding about $100 dollars per exam. Even then if low-income students are able to gather up the money for their exams, over half of them would score too low for college credit. The frustrating thing is College Board reports earning millions of dollars from government funding. But even after government funding, they still charge hundreds of dollars for their exams towards families. They have over a billion dollars in assets. The executive director of the College Board alone takes a
grand total of over $2 million per year. Some people might argue there are scholarships available and grants. But there’s always a limit of scholarships, and in many cases, it relies heavily on other parents of the school who are already paying hundreds of dollars for their own kids’ exams. Applying to scholarships is competitive and can often be lengthy, adding an even greater unfair burden of time and effort on low-income families. Furthermore, in many schools, students have to go speak with their AP coordinator or teacher, admitting they are low-income, which can be extremely humiliating for many students. Overall, scholarships and grants as a solution to this problem subconsciously count on the fact that a limited number of low-income students will apply because there are simply not enough scholarships for AP classes full of low-income students. It excludes fully capable low-income students from classes that they deserve and need to take. So what is the solution to this problem? Government funding from the state education agencies. AP Classes need to be recognized as a major component of secondary education and need to be treated as such, including the exams. Making students pay for exams goes completely against the concept of public education and is failing too many students.
AP Exam Cost Structure Data from UWorld College Prep (2023)
$97per exam
at schools in the U.S., U.S. territories, Canada and DoDEA Schools (by Nov. 15)
$40per exam
in addition to the base exam fee, for late orders after Nov. 16
Graphics by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
$40 per exam unused/canceled exam fee
after Nov. 16 and by March 15
opinion 29
the
shield
issue 3 volume 71
feb. 9, 2024
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 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 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.
Story lacks context, balanced reporting I’m writing in response to Beatrix Lozach’s article in the December issue of The Shield “A History of Conflict.” Beatrix did an admirable job seeking out multiple perspectives for this article and attempting to provide a background history to the reader. She succeeded in some areas and should be commended, as it is a difficult subject that many adults do not fully understand. I’m happy to see this topic receiving page one attention, as it is a deeply troubling event in our history and our current students need the education. However, I would be remiss if I did not point out some failures in her reporting, most notably in the opening paragraph. Though Lozach mentions Hamas’ initial rocket strike against Israel in the first sentence, she describes “Palestinians subjugation… and recent assaults by Israelis” as Hamas’ reasons for the attack, without ever mentioning that Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israeli citizens – including women and children - including beheading babies, raping women, burning civilians alive, among other horrific acts. There is also no mention of the 240 kidnapped of which over 150 are still being held hostage. (She mentions the 1,200 number at the end of the paragraph, though only as a general count of total deaths amassed by each side of the conflict). The second paragraph then dives deeper into the horrific pain the citizens of Gaza
30 opinion
are currently experiencing, a sorrowful reality that I do not contest. But to use the word “history” in the title and offer so little historical facts around the events of Oct. 7 and its aftermath, is unbalanced reporting. Later in explaining how this conflict affects Americans she uses two unrelated incidents of a Palestinian-American child stabbed in Illinois and the death of Al Jazeera journalist Abu Akleh, who was covering an Israeli military operation. Left out of course is any mention of American suffering because of what Hamas and other terrorist organizations inflict on the citizens of Israel. Lozach also uses the term “genocide” to describe the context in Gaza, which is factually incorrect and misleading. It also serves to demonize Israel, and it diminishes actual recognized acts of genocide such as those that occurred in the Holocaust and Rwanda. A more interesting point that many don’t realize is that there are over 2 million Arabs living in Israel as Israeli citizens— Israeli Arabs serve on the supreme court, in the Israeli parliament, they vote, they are full-fledged members of society, enjoying the Democratic freedoms that Israel offers— including the freedom to be openly gay—a freedom that Gazans certainly do not enjoy. Further, Israel has offered the Palestinian people a two-state solution—their own ownership over their own land, over five times over the last 60 years. The Palestians’ own leadership has turned down those offers. While the number of Palestinian deaths resulting from this war is horrific and tragic, it is NOT a genocide. —Jayson Rapaport
access to internet separate from that of AISD’s. Changing things just to change them doesn’t mean anything. It feels so heartless. Noah Braun worded this so well. —Avi Zeifman I have also been curious about why the fence is up. It doesn’t make a lot of sense why the fence is up in that place. It might be to make it look like there is more security than there actually is. But overall it does nothing and is unnecessary. It just causes confusion. —Rowan Ornes
Students weigh in on new security measures The image censorship is high school is what gets me. Teachers are able to speak about less and less as new restrictions are placed. Now more than ever, students should be able to explore to world on their own. I feel grateful to have my own devices and
It’s not just images that are getting censored—it seems that JavaScript and CSS gets disabled on some websites, completely breaking them, and some sites are just blocked entirely. This happens to sites that have nothing wrong with them and have never been flagged before and hinders school assignments that require research and sources. This AI filter was completely unnecessary, especially for high schoolers. I’ve never experienced this level of censorship until this. —Pablo Arteaga
Scan the QR code below to learn more about out letters to the editor policy.
Garage not solution Parking garages can cost up to $50,000 per space. Better to spend millions on the school and teachers. MAC should encourage more walking and biking. Better for students and the environment. —Anna Griffin Martin
the
issue 3 volume 71
Set up for rejection
shield
feb. 9, 2024
AISD should invest in more college resources to level admissions playing field Shield staff Don’t trust everything you see online. Especially if it’s regarding your chances of getting into your dream college. In recent years, college-admissions influencers have found an audience of stressed, uninformed teeangers and provided their fans the “need-to-know” tips for earning an acceptance to a top-tier school, though not without a price. Oftentimes, these influencers have little credibility besides their acceptances to impressive institutions and highly focus on exceptional applicants, sending the average high school senior into a defeatist spiral with the only way out seeming to be to pay more to these self-proclaimed gurus. Students should not be forced to turn to social media for college support. Public school districts need to invest in more resources to set their students up for success and reduce disparities between them and private-school students. It’s no secret that private schools offer much more in terms of college preparation than public schools, especially in college counseling. St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, for example, has four college counselors and an office manager for around 100 senior students, while McCallum has a singular college counselor for more than 450 seniors. Not to say that Austin ISD college counselors don’t go above and beyond for their students with essay help, scheduling college visits and more, but it’s an immense workload to expect from a few individuals. AISD should hire a proportional number of college counselors for senior class sizes. Reaching the 1:25 ratio of St. Stephen’s may not be possible, but even 1:50 or
1:100 would be beneficial. While there are many factors at play concerning private-school students’ prevalence in the Ivy League and similarly sought-after universities, access to high-quality counselors correlates with admissions success, as shown in a 2022 Harvard and Brown university study. Adding more in public schools could extend this trend to more students. Hiring more counselors would not, however, eliminate the barrier of cost many public, middle-class students face. Many private school students are financially well-off enough to pay hefty tuition for years of primary education and are therefore able to shell out 80 grand a year for a bachelor’s degree, contributing to large numbers of private school students at Top 20 schools. The Stanford class of 2025, for instance, is made up of nearly a quarter private school students, despite only 14% of students in the U.S. attending private school. When other students, especially those in public schools who are middle or lower-class, get into their dream schools, they are often forced to leave that fantasy behind when they see the price tag. While leveling the playing field won’t guarantee that every AISD student attends an Ivy League school, it is the only way to make those dreams somewhat possible. And more college support could increase access to scholarships, reducing the gap in affordability. Public school students deserve a fighting chance in the battle that is modern college admissions. Unaware students and overworked counselors benefit no one, except the private school competition and viral grads looking to make some extra cash.
Graphic by Ruby Cerda-Lopez
shield staff
the
A.N. McCallum High School 5600 Sunshine Drive Austin, TX 78756 (512) 414-7539 fax (512) 453-2599 contact.macshield@gmail.com
print managing editor
news editor
web managing editor
a&e editor
Caroline Owen JoJo Barnard
social media managing editor Naomi Di-Capua
design editor
Sophie Leung-Lieu
Morgan Eye Eliza Jensen
people editor
Chloe Lewcock
sports editor
Camilla Vandegrift
opinion editor Nate Williams
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 educational process.” Content that may stimulate heated debate is not included in this definition.
editors-in-chief Alice Scott, Lanie Sepehri, Ingrid Smith, Francie Wilhelm staff reporters Kyan Adams Noah Braun Dylan Bryl Julia Copas Tristen Diaz Gaby Esquivel Shila Gill August Gleason
Lillian Gray Evelyn Jenkins Helen Martin Maggie Mass Emerson Merritt Josie Mullan Ephraim Paprock-Schue Mira Patel Callen Romell
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
Tito Ruetz Sofia Saucedo Chloe Seckar-Martinez Maya Tackett Priya Thoppil Elena Ulack Lucas Walker adviser Dave Winter
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 advertisment should contact Shield adviser Dave Winter by phone at (512) 414-7539. Advertisments published in The Shield do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff.
editorial 31
issue 3, volume 71 feb. 9, 2024
4000 S Interstate 35 Austin, TX 78704-7420
See our socials: @macjournalism @macjournalism @macstudentmedia @macjournalism Interested in advertising in The Shield? Advertising in The Shield—in our print edition or on our website—gives you a chance to give your business wide exposure while at the same time showing to your customers that you support McCallum High School and the community we serve with our publications. Analytics reveal that advertising in The Shield Online makes a big splash. A recent website ad (a sidebar and in-story ad) received a total of 139,621 views and 105 clicks. Advertising in The Shield is affordable. It’s effective. It’s altruistic. And it’s a good investment. Please consider advertising in the Shield now and during the 2023-2024 school year. If you are interested in advertising in The Shield or The Shield Online, please contact adviser David Winter at david.winter@austinisd.org. To find more exclusive stories from MacJournalism, visit our website at macshieldonline.com. Subscribe to our reporters by installing the Student News Source App available in iOS and Android app stores.
32 back cover
Graphics by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
Issue 3 crossword
1 2 3 4
5
6
7
8
Across 4. The Febuary holiday for romance: ____ Day 6. Last name of an assistant principal with the first name Larry 7. Our school day ends at _:35 8. A popular streaming service (p. 30)
Down
1. Sandwich shop located west of McCallum on Burnet Road. 2. El ____, the weather pattern that should make Austin’s winter more mellow (p. 5) 3. A sport played throughout January in the gym (pg. 25) 5. The collection of classroom buildings behind the math hallway is known as _____ city. 7. The McCallum building where sports teams have their locker rooms and gather for practice.
1. Thundercloud 2. Nino 3. basketball 4. Valentine’s 5. portable 6. Featherstone 7. (across) four 7. (down) field house 8. Netflix
the
shield