Shield Volume 66, Issue 2 -- Nov. 2, 2018 by The Shield

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McCallum High School / 5600 Sunshine / Austin, TX 78756 / Nov. 2, 2018 Issue 2 / Volume 66

WHAT’S INSIDE If you can’t beat scooter invasion, you might as well join it page 8 What you need to know about midterm elections page 12 Two Mac rowers travel to Boston to compete in Head of Charles Regatta page 17

FALL DANCE SHOW page 15

RISES FROM THE ASHES page 3

the date

Football vs. Crockett at House Park, varsity 7:30 p.m.

Homecoming Dance in cafeteria 8:30 p.m.

MAC Football vs. Travis at Burger, 7:30 p.m.

Boys basketball vs. Hay at MAC, varsity 8 p.m.

Girls basketball at Crockett Varsity Tournament

Thanksgiving Break begins.

Girls basketball at Lago Vista, varsity 6 p.m.

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Thanksgiving break ends.

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November

Junior Sarah Slaten and senior Raiya Myren competed in one of the biggest rowing races in the world: the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. Photo by Sarah Slaten. COVER PHOTO: The Pre-professional Dance Company performs “OnsentIc,” inspired by the “Me Too” movement. The fall dance shows were held at the AISD Performing Arts Center on Saturday after two fires left the MAC unfit to host them. Photo by Bella Russo.

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Two fires in the MAC prompt heroic action by two tech theatre students, force dance program to relocate its fall show. Paper tarriffs have driven many printers, publications to brink of extinction and driven up cost of printing The Shield.

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Girls basketball vs. Vandegrift at MAC, varsity 7 p.m.

the issue

World renowned violinist will play with McCallum orchestra Nov. 10. Orchestra students reflect on what they hope to gain. In our latest Proust Questionnaire interview, Pew reveals the best time in life is right now and that good looks are overrated.

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Austin, surrounding areas have plenty in store for November. Read our recommendations on what’s on tap for this month. For the 10th year, Spanish and Ballet Folklorico students march in the Mexic-Arte Museum parade to celebrate Day of the Dead.

sports Mac junior and senior honored to participate in the largest rowing competitions in North America, talk about experience. Senior Claire Rudy explains how she balances swimming, color guard and band and what drew her to them in the first

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Senora Altimarano and her daughter Valentina dressed as famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo for the 35th annual Vida La Vida parade. The parade and festival brings together many groups from around Austin. Photo by Gregory James.

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Mandatory health education classes have failed to protect Americans from high rates of STDs and teen pregnancy. Our generation has become dependent on our cell phones. The screen-time addiction has led to toxic, disconnected lives.

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Consecutive fires strike MAC

Two tech theatre students extinguish dangerous situation during fall dance show rehearsal KRISTEN TIBBETTS staff reporter

To prepare for its program concert on Saturday Oct. 27, the McCallum Youth Dance Company rehearsed in the MAC theatre the night of Monday Oct. 22. Everything seemed to be running as usual, until students began to smell smoke at the start of the second act. While junior Tosh Arora and senior Liliette Rodriguez rehearsed their duet on stage, dance teacher Natalie Uehara assumed the strange fogginess hovering around stage left was light reflecting off of dust particles in the air. A few minutes later, when students began to complain about a burning smell, Uehara began to investigate. “We thought that there was a curtain that was touching a light,” Uehara said. “We thought we had moved it well enough away [from the curtain].” According to Uehara and multiple technical theatre students, it is not uncommon for the curtain to heat up and smell burnt after being too close to a light. After moving the light so that it was not in direct contact with the curtain, everyone assumed the problem was solved. Not finding any burns on the curtain, the rehearsal continued. When junior Mary Roe went on stage after Arora and Rodriguez, however, both the smoke and the smell had not fully dissipated. “I was getting a little nervous,” sophomore technical theatre student Bela Tapperson said, sitting in the audience at the time. “But we kept going with rehearsing the piece.” Meanwhile, the smoke continued to get worse. While seniors Chloe Shields and Belle O’Quinn, juniors Connie Pierce and Blair Kinsey, and sophomore Nelle Kanewske were on stage, they assumed there was a fog machine backstage. “I was on stage dancing, and I have asthma, so I asked if we could turn the smoke machines off because I couldn’t breathe,” Pierce said. “We were dancing and running around and talking, and everyone was breathing in smoke.” Because of some technical difficulties with the music, the dancers had to restart their piece multiple times. After only a few minutes of being onstage, all of them were very uncomfortable. “You could smell everything, like burning s’mores, but disgusting.” Shields said. “And, it was really heavy, you couldn’t breathe in it.” Uehara eventually called the five dancers to wait in the audience so that they could get out of the smoke. “At first I thought someone had lit a match or something,” Kinsey said. “But then the smell was a lot worse. I was thinking ‘This can’t be right, there’s smoke everywhere.’” Sophomore Corin Vandenberg entered the theater just as the curtain caught fire. He and Tapperson rushed to the stage as Uehara called 911, pulled the fire alarm, and tried to usher students outside. At the same time, Kinsey and junior Mia Terminella hurried backstage to warn those in the dressing rooms about the fire. “It was literally all happening at once.” Uehara said. Because the smoke was coming from a spot

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on the curtain about 10 feet above the ground, Vandenberg ran to the fly rail to lower it. When it was low enough, Tapperson opened the folded curtain. “The scariest part was not knowing what it was until we opened up the curtain.” Vandenberg said. As the curtain was opened it became clear where the fire was located. “There was this ‘Shoom!’ and it glowed bright red,” Tapperson said. “I ran around and grabbed the fire extinguisher and started to put it out.” Luckily, the nearest fire extinguisher was just around the other side of the curtain near the front of the stage. “I was really alarmed at first,” Tapperson said. “But then I stayed calm and I helped put it out.” Unfortunately, the powder inside the extinguisher made it even more difficult for the students to breathe, so after a while Tapperson had to pass the extinguisher off to Vandenberg. “It was very hard inhaling all of that,” Vandenberg said. “We were both in tears from the smoke.” Not long afterwards, the fire extinguisher ran out of powder and Tapperson and Vandenberg were forced to evacuate along with the rest of the students. Within minutes, the fire department was there to take care of the rest of the fire and search the area for embers. EMS trucks also arrived and evaluated Pierce because of her asthma. Other students waited outside for the building to be cleared to enter, not knowing what was going on or when they’d be able to go back in to get their belongings. According to Uehara, by around 9 p.m., the fire department deemed the building

Sophomore Bela Tapperson inspects the charred curtain Tuesday morning. Tapperson was shocked when she saw the Austin Fire Department’s post about the second fire on twitter. “I thought it was a mistake at first,” Tapperson said. “There were like 6 fire trucks here [yesterday] and we thought they put it all out.” Photo by Kelsey Tasch. Firefighters investigate the building after putting out the second fire. The ignighted curtain was destroyed and a portion of th estage was burned. Photo courtesy of the Austin Fire Department. safe to reenter. However, at 5:30 a.m. the very next morning, there was a second fire. According to principal Mike Garrison, head custodian Daniel Sena found smoke coming from the MAC and immediately called 911. This was the second time that the fire department arrived at McCallum in less than 12 hours. The portion of the curtain that had not been taken down the previous night had reignited, causing severe damage to the curtain and burning a small section of the stage floor. According to Uehara, the most likely scenario is that an ember from the first fire flew into the fly rail and was not found Monday night. It is assumed that the ember reignited the curtain sometime during the night, but how this happened is still unknown. All classes that usually meet in the MAC theatre were moved to the cafeteria for the week and the dance rehearsals and performance were moved to the AISD Performing Arts Center.

“I’m still feeling very shaken up,” Uehara said. “I tried my best to make the right decisions at the right times and make sure everyone was safe. And luckily everyone is safe.” Uehara agrees that there should be more fire safety training for everyone who uses the theater. Tapperson and Vandenberg had received training during their technical theatre I class last year with former teacher Laura Kieler, where, among other things, they learned how to properly use a fire extinguisher. “Of all the people to put out a fire, it would be Bela Tapperson and Corin.” Kinsey said. Everyone involved agreed that Tapperson and Vandenberg were the heroes of the night. Their quick thinking and understanding of how to use the equipment prevented what could have been a disaster. “If they hadn’t been there to extinguish the fire, I don’t know what would have happened,” Nat said. “I’m really thankful for them being there.”

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FLASH As part of the school and district’s reaction to the citywide boil water notice, custodian Kenneth Sterling passes out bottled water before school on Oct. 22. Photo by Dave Winter.

Austin Water officials lift boil water notice Just under a week after Austin city officials issued a boil water notice, sending residents into a panic and then irritation, Austin Water officials on Sunday gave the green light to resume drinking water out of the tap. Residents no longer need to boil water before drinking it, cooking with it or making ice from it. Austinites also do not need to flush the pipes in their homes. Austin Water issued the boil water notice on Oct. 22 and later instituted emergency conservation restrictions after water treatment operations became overwhelmed by large amounts of silt, debris and dirt that

washed into the Highland Lakes from the Llano River basin after a duration of rain. The water quality alert sent many residents scrambling to grocery stores for bottled water, which quickly sold out. Officials for AISD accumulated enough bottled water to make sure students had drinking water throughout the school day. Bottled water at McCallum was donated by HEB and picked up at the Delco Center by head custodian Daniel Sena. The school also received donated water and water purchased by the district. —Mia Terminella

Senior Liv Arden performs a song during Coffeehouse. “Everyone did so amazing and it was a cool experience to be a part of, especially it being my senior year and some of my last experiences in a high school community,” Arden said. Photo by Bela Tapperson.

Excalibur hosts first Coffeehouse of year During eighth period last Friday, Excalibur hosted the first Coffeehouse of the year. Students who bought tickets gathered in the library to watch their fellow students perform original music and poetry. Junior Sophie Knifton, one of the head members of the Excalibur website staff,

helped run auditions, made posters and emceed for Coffee House. “My favorite part of Coffeehouse was probably decorating the library and getting to spend basically all of Friday doing it,” Knifton said. —Janssen Transier

knmanagement.com/careers

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Paper industry faces high prices

Increased paper prices affect McCallum, cause problems for local newspapers KRISTEN TIBBETTS staff reporter

It may not seem like something as irrelevant as the paper industry has an effect on everyday life. In fact, you could probably still go to the store and buy a ream of paper possibly without even noticing a price increase in the past year. For small-scale newspapers and printers, however, this change is a very big deal. For the past 25 years, there has been little change in the paper industry. This is odd considering that inflation has increased the prices of everything else we buy. Because of massive supply and decreasing demand for paper, however, mills have been unable to increase their prices. On top of this, Canadian paper mills flooded to United States market, offering paper for cheaper than the domestic supplies could charge, keeping prices consistently underinflated for years. Understandably, United States paper mills had trouble making a profit. Around five years ago, according to William Dahlstrom, the vice president of manufacturing at Community Impact Printing (which prints this newspaper), many mills were bought out by private equity firms who decided that the only way to earn a better profit was to shut down manufacturing machines. They hoped to shut off machines gradually, even out supply and demand, and finally be able to charge more for paper. It did not go as planned. All of the machine shutoffs came through in

the past 18 months, Dahlstrom said, turning what was supposed to be a gradual reduction into pandemonium. To make matters worse, at the same time, tariffs were levied on paper from Canada. According to Dahlstrom, in October of 2017, the North Pacific Paper Company, a paper producer based in Washington State, claimed that Canadian mills were pumping paper into the United States, in order to keep prices uncompetitive. In response to the claim, the U.S. Commerce Department decided to levy tariffs on uncoated groundwood paper, increasing paper prices by 30 percent. Paper producers passed the increased cost onto their customers. “If you were paying $1,000,” Dahlstrom said, “you just had 300 added to your paper. That’s an unbelievable increase in cost.” For small newspapers, that cost could be too much to bear. Luckily, The Shield is subsidized by AISD, so the newspaper program doesn’t have to bear the full cost increased caused by the tariff. “We are really fortunate that we don’t have to raise all the revenue for printing costs on our own,” newspaper adviser Dave Winter said. “Other schools that have print newspapers have to do that.” After the 30 percent price increases on paper from Canada, Dahlstrom said, many Canadian mills chose to pull their supplies from the U.S. market and instead shipped paper overseas. “It decreased supply again, and there was a huge shortage of paper [in the U.S.],” Dahlstrom said. “Printing companies were going out of business, and they still are some of them. The mills have two

and a half to three months of backlogging orders that they can’t fill. There’s too much demand.” Dahlstrom said that other problems have occurred recently with the United States exporting paper as well. For years, China was a major purchaser of gray pulp, made from recycled materials, but recently switched to birchen pulp, the same kind paper used most often in the United States. As a result, there was an even greater shortage of paper in the United States. Other recent law changes have had an impact on the industry as well, Dahlstrom said. For example, federal laws limit how many hours truck drivers can legally operate their vehicles. Because of this limitation, shipping paper, or anything, across the country takes longer, therefore increasing prices. For Community Impact Printing, changes in the trucking industry alone have accounted for a 40 percent cost increase, a price that is passed onto their customers, including MacJournalism. Community Impact, however, is a very large company. Dahlstrom said that finding and purchasing paper has not been an issue for them, but for smaller companies, it is a challenge. “They aren’t at the top of the heap for priority,” Dahlstrom said. “Even now, they’re still struggling to get paper, and they’re paying a lot of money for it.” In August, the Federal Trade Commission voted on whether or not to repeal the tariffs on Canadian paper. The final decision was to repeal nearly all of the tariffs, allowing Canadian paper mills to bring their product back into the market.

“It’ll take time because they have agreements with people overseas,” Dahlstrom said. “And, do they want to bring it back to the United States? Will they get the price that they want?” Even in the United States, immediate price drops are unlikely. “They’re not coming down off of those price increases,” Dahlstrom said. “Who would? They weren’t able to increase their prices for a lot of years.” There is still a supply and demand inequality, only now with more demand than supply. “It’s a good thing, no it’s a great thing that the tariffs were shut down,” Dahlstrom said. “But the damage to equilibrium in the market has already been done.” As for what will happen in the months to come, nothing is for certain. For an industry that has seen hardly any change or inflation in a quarter of a decade, it will take time to recover from the impact of multiple, simultaneous and drastic changes. “The market has to find its balance point again from the trucking side, the recycling side, the raw materials side, to the paper and milling side,” Dahlstrom said. “All of these things have to find their points of equilibrium.” Dahlstrom expects prices will stop increasing and begin to level out. It is certainly possible, even, that they will decrease from the current rate. “Our country is making a lot of changes and there’s a lot of good stuff happening,” Dahlstrom said. “But you’ve got to see how when so many things hit at once in this industry, it’s just a perfect storm.”

Questions about College? Go 1-on-1 with ACC today! ACC advisors are here to help with your college and career planning. 1-on-1 assistance is just a visit, call, or click away!

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During the second tech rehearsal of MacTheatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Oct. 30, director Adam Miller-Batteau assists the cast with staging. Photo by Kristen Tibbetts.

Guest director Shakes(peares) it up Adam Miller-Batteau collaborates with MacTheatre on ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

JAZZABELLE DAVISHINES staff reporter

Adam Miller-Batteau is the guest director of MacTheatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is a director and fight director who works with Austin theatre companies at both the high school and collegiate level. MacTheatre’s director Joshua Denning has brought in guest directors several times to direct the straight (not a musical) plays at McCallum. “It came about from my work with McCallum through my fight direction,” Miller-Batteau said. “I fight directed Cyrano: The Musical, Animal Farm, Starmites, and Robin Hood.” Having other directors than Denning gives students the experience of working with different directional styles, a useful skill for those who plan to pursue professional theatre. “Diversity is a virtue,” MillerBatteau said. “There’s no right or wrong way of doing Shakespeare; there are just different ways. It is important to have a broad path of experience.” In addition to offering MacTheatre students valuable perspective and experience, Miller-Batteau said he gets personal satisfaction from directing them. “I really like working with these students,” Miller-Batteau said, “and I’ve always been interested in high school performance. It’s an age group that really interests me, the transition from high school to the collegiate

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“Great writers are able to contain deep ideas in marvelous words. Shakespeare is one of them.” —Guest director Adam Miller-Batteau level, where I also work.” Miller-Batteau has worked on many Shakespeare productions in the past, both as an actor and as a director. He enjoys working with Shakespeare’s plays immensely. “Shakespeare gives actors a way to fully express themselves,” MillerBatteau said. “That body of work has had an indelible impact on the way we think.” Miller-Batteau has a great deal of diversity in the content he works with, but he is truly passionate about sharing the stories of the Bard. “I think Shakespeare’s theatre is more interesting than a lot of contemporary theatre,” MillerBatteau said. “The way that Shakespeare plays with language, character and ideas; investing in those is a worthwhile endeavor.” Miller-Batteau says that Shakespearean plays are incredibly well-known worldwide for a good reason: Shakespeare has written

Miller-Batteau works with senior Matthew Hernandez during tech rehearsal for A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Oct. 30. Photo by Kristen Tibbetts. works that appeal to the human condition and stand the test of time. “Great writers are able to contain deep ideas in marvelous words,” Miller-Batteau said. “Shakespeare is one of them.” Though this play was written centuries ago, its story is still relevant to modern audiences as a form of escapism, a wonderful aspect of theatre. “This show is kind of a descent into a dream world,” Miller-Batteau said. “And there is something transformative about dreams that take us to a different place. When we enter into the fairy world, that is when we just give ourselves over to the dream that is the theatre.”

Many young actors struggle to work with Shakespeare because it can appear complicated and far removed from contemporary works. MillerBatteau, however, encourages young actors not to be deterred. “There’s no better training for young actors than Shakespeare,” Miller-Batteau said. “It requires your full capacity in vocal, character and physical work.” He ensures that his students fully understand their text through individual directing sessions in which they review their lines and define words and phrases specifically. “Shakespeare is not actually that foreign to us,” Miller-Batteau. said. “It can come off as almost a

foreign language, but there is a lot of commonality with our own language; we know most of the words because they are still used.” Though the difference in language may appear daunting to young students, Miller-Batteau is confident that it can be understood and communicated directly to a highschool audience. “The language is not that hard, it just feels hard to us,” Miller-Batteau said. “With just a dictionary, and maybe a well-edited copy, we can understand this stuff. If we are going to say these words, we owe it to the language to speak it with truth, energy and conviction.” He added that working together and helping one another are two of the most important things to do when taking on a complex, possibly intimidating piece with a large group of students. A large part of ensuring success in this or any production is teamwork, and working together as an ensemble is a priority for Miller-Batteau. “When I was in grad school I read Phil Jackson’s book about his time coaching Michael Jordan,” MillerBatteau said. “He wrote about this Bantu term, ‘ubuntu,’ which translates to ‘I am who I am because of who we all are.’ Miller-Batteau said he embraces “the idea that we are all connected, that we are defined by one another. We are in this together, whether we like it or not.”

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Pro violinist to play with orchestra

Soloist, teacher Salerno-Sonnenberg to mentor Mac musicians as they perform together Nov. 10 ELLEN FOX

staff reporter On Saturday, Nov. 10, distinguished violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg will play with the McCallum Orchestra for a fundraiser at the AISD Performing Arts Center. Last year when the McCallum Orchestra went to Loyola, where Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg teaches, she saw them perform and was impressed by their abilities. She was approached by Cathy Wood, an orchestra mother, to play with the McCallum orchestra in a concert. She accepted the invitation is set to come to Austin to play with them on Nov. 10. Nadja is known throughout the world for her skill in playing the violin. She told The Shield that finding success as a musician is one part natural talent, one part ability to learn, and one part having someone or multiple people who are good to learn from. She said she hopes to serve as a mentor of sorts to the McCallum orchestra through doing this show. The orchestra students hope the same thing. “I’m really excited to get the opportunity to play with such a world-renowned violinist,” senior cellist Clayton Boyd said. “It will teach me what to expect when working with professional soloists if I continue on with music at a higher level.” Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg started to gain international recognition as a violinist when she won the Walter W. Narumburg competition in 1981. From there, her notoriety grew as she received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1983, was named 1988 Ovations Debut Recording Artist of the Year, and in 1999 received both the Avery Fisher Prize and the first honorary Master of Musical Arts from the New Mexico State University. May 20 was declared “Nadja SalernoSonnenberg Day” by the San Francisco County, and New Orleans Magazine named her one of the top female achievers in its June 2017 issue. She has been the subject of a Sundance Film Festival film, Speaking in Strings, and has appeared on many radio and talk shows. She has also started her own record label, NSS Music, which features many individual artists and groups. Throughout her life, Salerno-Sonnenberg has learned a lot about how to live your life as a musician and about her craft itself. She says that this is why teaching and doing shows like this one are so important to her: she has all of this knowledge, and she wants to pass it on. She is currently the professor of violin at Loyola University New Orleans. “Teaching is one of the most gratifying things I have ever done,” Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg said. “I love the work ethic and education that [Loyola] brings. It is a step above, and I wanted to be a part of that.” It is her dual role as teacher and violinist that drew her to collaborate with the Mac orchestra for the concert on Saturday Nov. 10. This show will be different than other Mac orchestra shows. Instead of having a conductor lead the orchestra, the students will have to follow Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg’s lead

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“This experience will definitely be different because it requires all of the orchestra to know all of the music well enough to follow the soloist without a conductor, and it really requires the orchestra to really be in sync with one another.”

—Clayton Boyd, senior cellist

as a soloist. “Usually with a conductor, it’s pretty clear cut: when their hands go down that’s the down beat of a measure,” senior violist Sophia Shampton said, “so it’s gonna be a lot easier to get lost if we’re following a soloist. She’s also supposed to be known for taking time and being more dramatic and stuff, so we’re gonna have to be super attentive to keep up with her.” Boyd agreed that following a soloist requires more attention to detail than being directed by a conductor. “This experience will definitely be different because it requires all of the orchestra to know all of the music well enough to follow the soloist without a conductor, and it really requires the orchestra to really be in sync with one another,” Boyd said. To prepare for this performance, the orchestra had Peter Bay, the conductor from the Austin Symphony, come to practice with them. They are also taking class time to look at the pieces for the show while also having to prepare for region and state orchestra competitions. “He came to two of our classes during orchestra period,” sophomore violist Cosette Hendrickse said. “I’d say it was definitely a privilege to have him there.” Since this is such a big show for McCallum, to promote the show they also had a small group play a piece of their show on the radio station KUTX 98.9 FM. They recorded a section from their show on Monday and then spoke a little bit about the performance that they will be doing to try to sell tickets. Their performance was then broadcast by the station the following morning. The show will take place at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10. Tickets start at $22.85 for balcony seats. You may also purchase tickets in the mezzanine and orchestra sections of the audience. Tickets are available online at http://eventbrite.com/e/nadja-livenadja-salenro-sonnenberg-and-the-mccallumfine-arts-orchestra-tickets-49917896773. Proceeds benefit the orchestra program.

Kai Cole, Isabella Demoss, Emma Wood, Iris Horn, Sophia Shampton, Javi Cavazos Weems, Clayton Boyd and Jack Montesinos play on the radio station KUTX 98.9 to promote their concert with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Portrait of Salerno-Sonnenberg by Kristin Hoebermann. Orchestra photo courtesy of McCallum Orchestra Facebook page.

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Scooter trooper, rides are gonna find you The Lime and Bird products are ubiquitous in the ATX. Enforcement of their rules? Not so much. MAX RHODES

assistant editor Austin has been invaded by scooters. Anyone who has been to the UT campus or downtown in the last six months has surely seen them, parked on nearly every street corner and being ridden down the sidewalk or street. Currently, the three main companies are LimeBike, Bird Rides, and Uber has started its own brand, called Jump. To keep up with the competition, all three brands charge the same amount, $1 to unlock it and then 15 cents a minute. One of the appeals for the scooters is that they’re dockless, meaning you can leave them wherever you please and pick them up just about anywhere. They have a clever way of making this happen: the companies hire people to pick the scooters up at night, charge them at their house, and drop them off at various street corners in the morning. When used responsibly, the scooters can be a great way to travel to events downtown or at UT where parking is limited, but for drivers and pedestrians, they can be a bit of a nuisance. Lime and Bird, the companies that have been in Austin since April 2018, both claim on their websites that safety is their utmost concern, and that riders need to wear a helmet, ride in the proper area and be of a certain age. The only problem is, they don’t really have a way to enforce these rules. One of the rules they have in place is that kids are not allowed to ride them: you have to be over 18 and have a driver’s license to operate one. This brings up the fact that 16- and 17-year-olds can drive a car but not a scooter. Of course, you have to be 25 to rent a car, but an electric scooter with a top speed of 15 mph feels a little different. You may have heard of how back in April, the City of Austin had to kick both Bird and Lime out and put in some regulations because they were essentially operating in the city without official permission. After laws were put in place, the two firms got their scooters back on the streets as soon as possible. The city may have just expected these scooters to be more of a temporary fad, because the regulations that were put in place don’t really address all the issues the scooters present; for example: where should they be ridden? The official app says in the bike lane, but this restriction is rarely observed or enforced. In order for the rules and regulations to be efficient, they should be made by the city, not the company. There are places where the bikes can be ridden, cars can be driven, and people can walk, but scooters? There’s no designated scooter lane. These scooters may be annoying to drivers and pedestrians, but how is it to actually ride one? I embarked to find out. I figured that while it is technically illegal for anyone under 18 to ride a Bird or Lime scooter, it posed no problem if done with adult supervision. Getting an account and setting up the app for both Bird and Lime is pretty simple and user friendly, although Bird gives you some more information on how to ride one and where to park it, while Lime doesn’t. To get started, you need to scan your driver’s license, but that’s only the first time you use one. Before you can ride, you

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Rhodes takes a joy ride on a Bird scooter within the safety of a parking lot in the presence of a responsible adult (or at least so he claims). “need” to read the terms and agreements, which has to be at least 3,000 words, and says things like you can’t carry a backpack or briefcase, use your phone, or ride with another person, all of which I’ve seen broken at one time or another. After you’ve thoroughly read all the terms and services, its time to actually find one. The app provides a handy map showing your proximity to the scooters in a given area. Once you’ve located a scooter, just scan the barcode with your phone camera, and it says it’s ready to go. On some scooters, there are two little levers, marked “start” on the right and “stop” on the left; on others, the brake is a handle like the brake on a bike. The levers are kind of like pedals on a car, just a bit more sensitive. They have an impressive acceleration, and for someone who doesn’t partake in scooter activities very often, I found them pretty easy to ride. Going quickly on an uneven surface is a little sketchy, as well as turning at high speeds. But once you’ve negotiated those hurdles and you’ve finished riding, you just re-open the app, and hit the lock button to turn the scooter off. To make sure you park it in a responsible spot, Bird asks you to take a picture of where you park it, although this parking verification is not required. The scooters have taken Austin by storm, and the city has been struggling a bit to properly deal with them. They can be very handy to quickly move around downtown, but they’re not saving the environment by reducing car use. People usually ride them instead of walking. The idea of dockless scooters in practice may work very well, but there are still a few real-world issues that need to be resolved.

The Scoop on Scooters • • • • • • • • • •

Bird and Lime were founded in early 2017 Both companies moved to Austin in early April 2018 Both had to leave Austin on April 27th They were allowed back on May 8th While Bird only offers scooters, Lime also offers rental bikes Bird was started in California while Lime was started in North Carolina Bird has scooters in 21 states, five cities in Texas, and in five European countries Lime has scooters in 26 states, five cities in Texas, and in six European countries Bird was founded by Travis VanderZanden, a former employee at Uber

Sources: Bird website, Lime website, KXAN, Curbed Austin daily newsletter

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For Pew, the best time in life is now Former banker turned veteran math teacher settles into his role in McCallum

The Shield: What is your idea of perfect happiness? Paul Pew: Being useful to people. When people need me and I can give them what they need, that’s what I love about teaching TS: What is your greatest fear? PP: I’m not really motivated by fear. I guess the biggest one is that I’ll disappoint people. Or maybe dying of something itchy. TS: What is the trait you most deplore in others? PP: In students, I greatly admire courage, willingness to try something and intellectual curiosity. Those are my two favorite traits in young people—if they are curious and want to know something and are brave enough to try it. TS: What is your greatest extravagance? PP: I am not a person to buy myself things. I don’t like stuff, but I do like M&M’s, and I make sure I always have them. I just don’t have a need for much. My car starts in the morning, I have clean clothes, my house doesn’t leak, so I’m good. If I cared about having a lot of stuff, I would’ve kept being a banker. TS: What is your current state of mind? PP: I’m happy and healthy. I feel settled. It’s nice being old because you know who you are, you aren’t wondering about who you’re going to be when your growing up. I think my 50s have been my favorite decade so far because I was settled. My relationships with my wife, my kids and my family were all good, my professional situation was solid, and I was 20 years into a job that I loved. TS: what do you consider the most overrated virtue? PP: Good looks because they fade; you get old and ugly. Good looks don’t stick around. I would rather surround myself with people who are kind than people who are pretty. TS: Which person, living or dead, do you most despise? PP: Pol Pot is on my list. He’s a good one because no one’s ever heard of him. Maybe they’ll look him up. TS: What or who is the greatest love of your life? PP: My sweetheart. My wife’s name is Mrs. Pew, or Kathryn to me; she’s a librarian and a computer whiz. TS: When and where were you happiest? PP: Honestly, right now, right here. I’m enjoying my advancing age; it’s fun, I’m settled. TS: What is one talent you wished you had?

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Mr. Pew demonstrates to his sixth period geometry class how to find the base angles of an Isosceles Triangle. Photo by Janssen Transier.

Mr. Pew answers questions from his students. Photo by Janssen Transier. PP: I wish I could speak fluent Spanish like so many people here at McCallum can. TS: What do you consider your greatest achievement? PP: I think I’m a good teacher; I’m a good piano player. I like that I’m able to do those things. TS: If you were to die and come back as any person or thing, what would it be? PP: I’d come back as a big rock because they last a really long time. Then you wouldn’t care if its cold or hot out because you’re just a rock. TS: Where would you most like to live? PP: I would like to live in Seattle

because my grandchildren are there. TS: What is your most treasured possession? PP: Probably my piano. I was 58 years old when I got a good piano, and I’ve been playing since I was 4. Now I have a very nice grand piano, and I love it. TS: Who are your favorite writers? PP: I think J.K. Rowling is a terrible writer, but I love her stories, and I love the Harry Potter, series. TS: Who is your hero of fiction? PP: Prior Phillip. Prior Phillip is a character in the novel Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, which is my favorite book. It’s set in the 12th century, and it’s based around

Mr. Pew finishes demonstrating something on the board. “In students, I greatly admire courage and willingness to try something.” Photo by Janssen Transier. the building of a cathedral. It’s very interesting, because he has to try and do the right thing amongst a bunch of corrupt bishops, sheriffs, soldiers, and kings and queen; he just has to hold his own and get his church built. TS: What historical figure do you most identify with? PP: Alexander Hamilton because I want someone to write a musical about me. TS: Who is your real-life hero? PP: Some of the people I work with here are extraordinary. Especially Mrs. Seckar and Ms. Sherline. They’re just good, strong, honest people who are amazing to work with.

TS: What are your favorite names? PP: I guess David, Emily and Ellen because that’s what I named my children. TS: What is your greatest regret? PP: That I spent 10 years in banking when I should’ve just gone straight to teaching. I just got into banking because it was numbers and people and I was good at it. I was young and it was a stupid career move. TS: How would you like to die? PP: I get miserably sick and die in my sleep. Nothing dramatic, as Woody Allen said “I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t really want to be there.” —interview by Janssen Transier

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This month: N O V E M B E R Photo and reviews by Zoe Hocker. Senior Zoe Hocker looks at the art of one of many artists featured in the 2016 East Austin Studio Tours. This year the event has 277 participating artists. Photo by Ella Whitaker.

WHAT TO EAT

We can all agree that Austin is known for its live music scene and good tacos. There is, however, a major part of Austin that is overlooked often by locals and tourists: the art. Other than what is at the Blanton Museum, the local art does not get enough attention. The East Austin Studio Tour is giving local artists a chance to showcase their art to the public in a series of free studio tours all over East Austin. Featuring 277 artist studios, the annual event allows the people to wander through studios and look at art while chatting with the artist about the pieces or potentially buying them. With every type of art you can think of from more than 500 different local artists, there is bound to

be something for everyone. EAST starts on Nov. 10 with a kickoff breakfast at Springdale General that is open to the public and completely free. There will be complementary food and drinks from local businesses as well as a free concert and activities. The East Austin Studio Tour itself runs from Nov 10-11 and Nov. 17-18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is free to the public and selfguided. Grab some friends who love art and spend an afternoon checking out different locations. Most locations have multiple studios at them with various styles of art and sometimes free goodies. A map and full list of artists and studios can be found on the EAST website http://east.bigmedium.org.

CHECK THIS OUT TOO As winter creeps closer, going to the movie theater on a cold day is becoming a more appealing activity. Alamo Drafthouse is known by Austinites as the go-to dine-in movie theater where not only can you see a movie but also get quality food and drinks while watching it. Alamo is also unique in the fact that at least once a week in the upcoming month, they are hosting movies that aren’t new releases. Although the movies coming out now in theaters look promising, sometimes it’s nice to see a film that you know the ending to. The Ritz location downtown has special showings all throughout November of movies like The Notebook,

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The Goonies, La La Land and Blade Runner 2049. Every Sunday the theater also does an “In Brunch We Trust” special showing where people can attend and see a film that isn’t in theaters anymore and also have a brunch served to them. The Ritz also hosts music video-themed dance parties where audience will see movie clips, live performances or guests and of course videos. These parties in November are themed with artists such as Queen, ’90s hip hop and M.I.A. A full calendar and tickets are available on https:// drafthouse.com/austin/calendar/ritz and the theater itself is on E. Sixth Street.

WHAT TO WATCH

WHERE TO GO

In the fall, you can never have too many good cafes to go to. With weather getting colder and days getting shorter, it can be nice to go hangout at a cafe and get work done or chat with a friend. Cenote is a good place for all of the above. With an East Austin and a Windsor Park location, there’s an option for both Central and North Austin folks. At the Caesar Chavez location, the restaurant is held inside an old restored house that has multiple rooms and lots of outdoor seating. There are two large patio seating areas with lots of shade for when the weather is nice. Location and atmosphere aside, the food is also very noteworthy. Cenote has a full coffee and tea menu as well as pastries and breakfast food for in the morning. They also have a lunch and dinner menu which has items such as tacos, sandwiches, salads and burgers. Only open until 4 p.m. on most days, go early to catch a good meal in a cozy location.

People love ’80s and ’90s movies. Something about the nostalgic blast from the past feeling makes even the cheesiest of movies lovable to generations young and old. Recently added to Netflix, Empire Records is a forgotten ’90s classic. The movie follows a gang of friends that work at an independent record store that is threatened to be taken over by a large name brand company, Music Town. The store must come up with a large amount of money to be able to continue on its own terms and not be forced into the Music Town corporation. Although the movie begins with Empire Records having $9,000 and the ability to pay off Music Town, this money is lost almost immediately by an employee who wants to help and decides to gamble the money in hopes to double it. He, however, loses

all of it and finds himself and the store in a bad situation. From there, the movie bounces between the relationships of the employees and the urge to save the store and its records. The characters are very lovable and the story takes multiple turns that are surprising.

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Artist profile: Daniela Bodoh Junior lands two orchestra All-State auditions, one for violin, one for piano

ELLEN FOX

staff reporter At the Texas Music Educators Association region competition, junior Daniela Bodoh competed in both violin and piano. In violin, Bodoh placed 15th chair; in piano, she won first chair. For her efforts and achievements being in the top 24, she was able to advance and auditioned for State on Saturday, Oct. 27. In piano, only the top two finishers advanced. Bodoh and the second chair winner earned an All-State audition. Bodoh has been playing both instruments for many years; violin for six, and piano for nine. She started playing the piano young because her parents noticed that she had a natural interest and talent for music. “I started because my parents saw that I was starting to get into music, and they asked me if I was interested in taking piano lessons, and I said yeah, and so I did it and I still take piano lessons and same for violin,” Bodoh said. Soon though, just the piano wasn’t enough to satisfy her love for music. She started to become interested in violin as well, and begged her parents to let her study two musical instruments. “I was always kind of just drawn to [piano and violin]... I really wanted to play violin, but I didn’t want to quit piano so I convinced my parents that I had time to do two instruments. They saw that

Bodoh practices before UIL solo and ensemble 2018. Photo by Sophia Shampton.

Bodoh practices one of her piano pieces. “I practice one to two hours a day for each instrument, depending on what I feel like doing and what events are coming up,” she said. Photo by Finn Shehan.

I was dedicated.” After she began to play the violin, she had to learn how to balance both of these instruments, not wanting either of them to be second fiddle. “It’s not easy, but I basically just need to practice as much as I can,” Bodoh said. “Sometimes there will be one that is more important than the other, like there’s an event coming up for that instrument, so I’ll practice more for that one. I practice pretty much every day, it ranges from about one to two hours a day for each instrument.

It depends on how much I really want to do and what’s coming up though.” Her dedication to practice at home, lessons outside of school and her school practices, combined with her natural ability, has made Bodoh an accomplished artist. Prior to this year’s region competition, she has auditioned for region three times on violin and once on piano- but this time she has beaten all of her prior scores. “It was really nerve-wracking, because you know it’s an audition, and I didn’t think that I

would actually get to advance to audition for state but I was really surprised when I found out,” Bodoh said. She thinks that her experience auditioning before and her practice regiment helped her realize this year’s success. “I practice a lot more than I used to, and since I’ve auditioned before I’ve already got that experience of auditioning and I’ve learned some lessons along the way that are useful in knowing how to be successful.”

Moms in Prayer Meet at Covenant Presbyterian Church Library

(Fellowship Education Building, 1st floor)

9:30-10:30 a.m. October 11 November 8 December 13 January 10 & 24

February 14 & 28 March 14 & 28 April 11 & 25 May 9

Krista Sherwood 512-636-5854 ksherwood7604@gmail.com 02 nov. 2018

Generic medications for less 512-465-9292 medsaverspharmacy@gmail.com 1800 W 35th St a&e 11

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The Shield presents a McCallum guide to the 2018 midterm election STATEWIDE ELECTIONS

LOCAL ELECTIONS Ashy, Price vie for open AISD Board District 4 seat; incumbent mayor, city councilwoman challenged

Democrats try to break though in statewide elections for first time since Anne Richards in 1994 GREGORY JAMES photo editor

UNITED STATES SENATE The Texas political race this year that has attracted the most national attention has been the race for one of the two Texas Senate seats. Political analysts and major media outlets across the country have covered it. The candidates, Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and state representative Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) stand at opposite ends of major issues that face the state, such as gun control, health care and immigration. The third-party candidate on the ballot is Libertarian Neal Dikeman. O’Rourke, who campaigned in all 254 counties in Texas, discussed lenience for undocumented immigrants and those with DREAMer status during a debate between the two candidates,. “I care about the safety of every single person in the state of Texas,” O’Rourke said. “No wall is going to solve legitimate security concerns, but smart policy will.” Sen. Cruz, meanwhile, shows strong support for ICE and increased border security. “My views on immigration are simple, and I have summed them up many times in just four word:, Legal good, illegal bad,” he said. “I think the vast majority of Texans agree with that.” Texas shares the largest border with Mexico of all the Southern states. This stark divide between the two party ideologies on the issue of immigration has sparked national debate. O’Rourke is garnering strong support in a state that has been historically Republican-controlled. Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since Ray Bentsen in 1988, and a Democrat has not won a statewide election since Gov. Ann Richards in 1994. Despite this, O’Rourke has out-raised Cruz with $61 million to Cruz’s $34 million. O’Rourke has also outspent Cruz on statewide television ads, which he began airing on Oct. 22, the first day of early voting in Texas. The enthusiasm for O’Rourke, as well as national pollsters calling the race in Texas a “toss-up,” saying that it’s too close to predict a winner. TEXAS GOVERNOR The Texas governor race features two qualified candidates with extensive track records in both Texas and national politics. The two frontrunners are incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger, Lupe Valdez. Valdez is the current Dallas county sheriff and the first openly gay, female Latina candidate for governor in the state of Texas. She has a long history in Texas politics, specifically in Texas law enforcement. Valdez has held government jobs such as county jailer and federal investigator for the General Services Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Customs Service. Abbott, who has previously been Texas Attorney General and Texas Supreme Court Justice, is strongly favored to win reelection; Texas has not had a Democratic governor since Ann Richards in 1994. He gained the seat in the gubernatorial race against Wendy Davis in 2014.

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TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL Republican Ken Paxton is the incumbent attorney general for the state of Texas. He has faced mass scrutiny in the wake of his indictment three years ago for federal charges of security fraud. He has not been convicted, and is still likely to reclaim the seat. Paxton has prided himself on promoting a “tough on crime” philosophy in Texas. Democrat challenger Justin Nelson has previously been a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He has stated that the state public education finance system needs reform and that he wants to protect pre-existing conditions for health care. Nelson unfortunately faces an uphill battle against the staunchly Republican establishment, as does the Libertarian candidate, Michael Ray Harris.

U.S. CONGRESS

SOPHIE RYLAND

Democrat Julie Oliver is currently running against Republican incumbent Roger Williams (R-Austin) to represent Texas’ District 25 in the U.S. House of Representatives Williams has been a supporter of lowering taxes for Texas business owners and increasing border security. Oliver, who has run a grassroots campaign, going door to door herself and campaigning in the community she hopes to represent in Congress, supports health care for all, immigration reform and more restorative criminal justice. The Libertarian candidate is Desarae Lindsey.

co editor-in-chief SCHOOL BOARD

Kristin Ashy and Zachary Price are facing off for the position on the Austin ISD Board of Trustees representing District 4, which includes Anderson and McCallum High Schools. Julie Cowan, who previously occupied the position, is not seeking reelection. “Seeing my term on the AISD Board come to an end is bittersweet,” Cowan said. “While I look forward to a less hectic pace of life and spending more time with my family, I will miss the exciting work

Voting locations near McCallum

TEXAS STATE SENATE District 14 of the Texas state Senate is currently represented by Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin). His challenger for the seat is Republican George Hindman , who has never held a public office. Hindman comes from a technology background, as he started Keystone Aerospace, where he researched deep space navigation. Hindman is in favor of lowering property taxes by reducing the public school budget. He also has been a proponent for imposing a limit on the amount that the property tax is raised each year. Watson has focused on public health accessibility for the Austin community and is working to make Austin better prepared to handle flooding, particularly in the wake of the recent boil-water notice. During his tenure, Watson also introduced legislation in the Texas Senate to reduce property taxes for Texas homeowners. The candidates are joined on the ballot by Independent Micah Verlander. TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Texas District 49 runs through the heart of downtown Austin from north to south. Incumbent Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) is running for her second term in office after being elected in 2016. Her opponent, Kyle Austin, is running without prior experience holding public office. Austin is unlike the majority of Republican candidates on the ballot this November; he is 25 years old and supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. Another policy proposition: he wants to privatize K-12 public schools. Hinojosa is in favor of keeping public schools public. Before she was elected to the Texas House, she served as president of AISD’s Board of Trustees in 2015, and stopped special interest groups looking to privatize Eastside Memorial High School. She also supports women’s reproductive rights, stricter gun-control laws and action against climate change. We omitted the lieutenant governor’s race due to space. To read about that race, visit macshieldonline.com.

Be sure to bring a Photo ID with a name that exactly matches the name on your voter registration form; if there is any issues in the identification process, you can request a provisional ballot. Starred location: McCallum, which is not a voting location. 1. Highland Park Baptist 2. Gullett Elementary School 3. GTAustin 4. Brentwood Bible Church 5. ACC Highland 6. Messiah Lutheran 7. Red River Church 8. Church of Christ in Hyde Park 9. DARS State Office Bldg 10. Congregation Beth Israel 11. Bryker Woods Elementary Map by Sophie Ryland.

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and opportunities this service has offered. ... AISD staff and District 4 principals have become friends over the last four years, and I will definitely miss the opportunity to work with them on a regular basis.” Ashy is 45 years old, went to Crockett High School and now has two children in AISD. She serves on the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee. Her platform includes making mindful budget cuts to address the budget deficit, providing full-day pre-K to all AISD families and carrying out the recommendations made in the Facility Master Plan to modernize schools. “Campaigning has been really fun,” Ashy said.”I have attended several meet & greets getting to know more people within District 4 with more scheduled for the next several weeks. … I’ve enjoyed meeting many people from both the Anderson and McCallum vertical teams. Many people want to know more about our state’s education funding system, commonly referred to as ‘Recapture,’ about how the Facility Master Plan can address overcrowding in District 4, and how the Board of Trustees will address the $30 million shortfall in the budget.” Cowan, who appointed Ashy to the FABPAC, has endorsed her. “[Ashy] thinks critically, communicates well and is willing to collaborate with others,” Cowan said. “Kristin is also a parent with two children in AISD schools, has volunteered in multiple capacities at her kids’ schools, has an education background and is a taxpayer. I think these are attributes that can serve her well as she represents District 4 on the AISD Board.” Zachary Price is 20-year-old government major at the University of Texas at Austin, an Anderson graduate and has worked for Austin Partners in Education, Communities in Schools and at the Texas Legislature. His platform prioritizes mental health, preventing sexual assault and educational equity. His suggestions include setting up an online and anonymous reporting system for sexual assault and harassment and establishing an advisory body made up entirely of students. Price has been endorsed by several organizations, including Education Austin, The Austin Central Labor Council and Austin Young Democrats. “I go and talk about these issues that no other current member of our school board, no other candidate is talking about, and I get fantastic responses from students, parents and community members and teachers,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, our schools are about our students. And if we’re not doing everything we can to provide a good community for them, somewhere where they feel safe, somewhere where they feel like there are resources in place in case they need them, then we’re failing.” He wants voters to focus not on his age, but on his experience, policies and passion for the work the position entails. “I may be young, but I am absolutely qualified to hold this position, and prepared to work day-in day-out to make our schools better,” Price said. “Young people are the most affected group by the policies the school board puts in place--why on Earth shouldn’t they get a voice in the process?”

CITY COUNCIL In the city council race for District 9, Danielle Skidmore is the frontrunner to challenge incumbent Kathie Tovo. Skidmore is a transportation engineer and a special-needs parent. If elected, Skidmore would be the first openly transgender person to serve in elected office in Texas. Her platform includes improving housing accessibility and affordability, providing better public transportation and supporting urban density with infrastructure. She also serves on Austin’s LGBTQ Quality of Life commission and fought against last year’s “Bathroom Bill” that attempted to prevent transgender people from using the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity, an event that she says inspired her to run for office. She has been endorsed by organizations including Friends of Hyde Park, Austin Young Democrats and the Austin Board of Realtors. Tovo, also the mayor pro tem, has served on the Council since 2011. Prior to her service, she served on several city and AISD task forces and was the president of her local neighborhood association in addition to being a major voice in the movement to prevent AISD school closures. Unlike Skidmore, she does not favor urban density, instead advocating for preserving neighborhoods within District 9. During her terms, she has supported affordable housing, the new Sobering Center and the Austin Community Climate Plan. Organizations that have endorsed Tovo include the Austin Chronicle, Black Austin Democrats and Education Austin. MAYOR Laura Morrison is the frontrunner to challenge incumbent Steve Adler, who was initially elected in 2015. Adler was elected a Trustee of the United States Conference of Mayors in 2017 and was voted the “Best City Official” by the readers of the Austin Chronicle. During his term, he passed a paid sick leave measure, greatly reduced the number of veterans experiencing homelessness and is currently pushing for affordable housing legislature. Prior to becoming mayor, Adler worked in civil rights and eminent domain law for more than 30 years, served as a chief of staff in the state Senate for more than eight years and has been on various non-profit boards for about 20 years. Adler is endorsed by various organizations, including Education Austin, the Austin Chronicle and the Austin Central Labor Council. Morrison served on the Austin City Council from 2008 to 2014, and prior to that she was an engineer and a program manager. She is also the former president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council. Her platform includes implementing affordable housing in every Austin zip code, reforming the school finance system and increasing public transportation and support for infrastructure. She has been endorsed by West Austin Democrats, Austin Environmental Democrats and the Greater Austin chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus.

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The Shield presents a McCallum guide to the 2018 midterm election STATEWIDE ELECTIONS

LOCAL ELECTIONS Ashy, Price vie for open AISD Board District 4 seat; incumbent mayor, city councilwoman challenged

Democrats try to break though in statewide elections for first time since Anne Richards in 1994 GREGORY JAMES photo editor

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U.S. CONGRESS

SOPHIE RYLAND

co editor-in-chief SCHOOL BOARD

Voting locations near McCallum

02 nov. 2018

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A Midsummer in mid-autumn

Shakespearean comedy has been staged so many different ways, it offers actors creative freedom MIA TERMINELLA staff reporter

As fall began, so did rehearsals for Mac Theatre’s fall straight play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mac Theatre held auditions for the Shakespearean comedy immediately following the close of the fall musical Starmites. Monday through Friday after-school rehearsals for the show started the following week. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is being directed by both guest director Adam Miller-Batteau (see page 6) and assistant student director Javier Garcia. Joshua Denning, the director of MacTheatre, is tech directing the show. Junior Dexter Murphy talked about some of the changes that came with having a new director. “Every director has different ways of preparation for a show,” Murphy said “The actors were given a lot of freedom to add their own ideas and to create something original.” Sophomore Magnus Bowls also said that the preparation for A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been very different. “The preparation was interesting,” Bowls said. “Adam and Denning have different styles of rehearsing that each have their own unique aspects.” Shakespeare’s comedy portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. A courtier seeks the Duke’s intervention because his daughter, Hermia, will not agree to his choice of Demetrius as a husband: she’s in love with Lysander. The play’s storyline includes the adventures of four young lovers and a group of six amateur actors who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies inhabiting the forest. Although A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a

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classic production, senior Matt Hernandez said that “this show is different, and the concept is totally different from any show we have ever done.” Hernandez plays the role of Oberon, king of the fairies. Hernandez said his favorite part of preparing for the show was working so closely with Sophie Knifton, who plays Titania, queen of the fairies: “Sophie is so sweet, talented and hard-working” Hernandez said. Junior Dexter Murphy said the play is interesting because it has had so many interpretations on stage. “Midsummer is a very interesting show because it has been done many different ways before,” said Murphy, who plays the role of Egeus in the show. “I have had a lot of fun getting to create my character” Murphy said. “I was glad to be able to take my character to the fullest and find something that worked well for me.” In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are many character groups such as the Athens, Fairy Land and the Mechanicals. The large cast of characters resulted in a fairly large cast of about 30 new and returning McCallum actors. “I had fun meeting the new members of the Academy and being able to work closely with the cast,” Murphy said. During the two-hour weekday rehearsals, the cast had time to do character work. The actors were given freedom to develop the classic Shakespeare characters in their own unique ways. A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens this Thursday Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building Theater and runs through Sunday, Nov. 11. Following the closing of A Midsummer Night’s Dream MacTheatre is holding auditions for the spring musical 42nd Street on Thursday Nov. 12. To purchase a ticket for A Midsummer Night’s Dream or to sign up to audition for 42nd Street visit mactheatre.com.

Top left: The Midsummer cast runs through a scene during their Tuesday tech rehearsal. Top right: Senior Matt Hernandez plays Oberon king of the fairies. Hernandez said that the rehearsal process “has certainly been a new experience.” Above: Senior Jazzabelle Davishines rehearses scene 3, in which her character follows Demetrius thought the woods. Photo by Kristen Tibbetts.

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Dancers take their ‘Act’ to the PAC

Just five days after two fires left them MAC-’less, dance program refits then stages fall shows HAZE: Anna Marceau performs her solo choreography “Haze.” Marceau was one of eight student choreographers who had a piece in “Balancing Act.” “I think that this show really focuses on that more than any of the other fall concerts that we have done so far,” dance instructor Natalie Uehara said. Photo by David Winter.

IN THE BALANCE: Junior Mia Terminella

and Tosh Arora perform in “Tabula Rasa.” Photo by David Winter.

WHATS IN A NAME? Junior Connie

Pierce, senior Belle O’Quinn and senior Chloe Shields perform Shields’ original choreography, “He is She”. “Pretty much the whole premise of ‘He is She’ is names and how we relate to each other through names and the fact that everyone is different but there can be 20,000 people with the same name and you still think of yourself as an individual,” Shields said. Photo by Bella Russo.

STANDING TOGETHER: In the shows finale,

COME TOGETHER: Sophomores Tyrell Hall

spins Sophia Tissembaum during “Come Together.” Photo by David Winter.

DYNAMIC TRIO: Sophomores Avery Miller, Rachel Plotkin and Isabel Baird perform their original choreography, “Convergence.” Photo by David Winter.

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the Pre-Professional Dance Group performs “Onsent(i)c,” a piece inspired by the #MeToo movement. “[Onsent(i)c] is a feminist piece, and it deals with the lines that are often crossed when dealing with female power and things like that,” dance instructor Natalie Uehara said. The powerful movement that fused showstopping choreography with visual motifs like blindfolds and the red hand prints on the dancers costumes was a favorite of many of the “Balancing Act” performers. “I really liked Ms Murray’s piece,” dancer Mia Terminella said in reference to the final act. “We all came up with it together; it was a group effort, which was really cool.” Photo by Bella Russo.

POWER POSE: Members of Mac Dance’s

Pre-Professional group strike pose in the final act “Onsent(i)c.” Photo by Anna Schlett.

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A decade of Day of the Dead

Gun: ‘The event is a great way for all the communities in Austin to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos’ DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: For the 10th year, Mac students march alongside other Austinites in the parade.

SKULL SET-UP: Junior Skye Hospod (right) paints sophomore Sophia Olivares’ face before the group departs for the Viva La Vida parade in downtown Austin. Photo by Janet Perez.

CALAVERA DE LA CATRINA: Spanish teacher Juana Gun smiles as she dresses as the Calavera de la Catrina, the subject of a famous Mexican painting associated with the Day of the Dead tradition. Photos by Gregory James.

VIDA LA VIDA: Mexic-Arte volunteers hold a banner advertising the festival as they march in the parade. Photo by Gregory James.

ELl NIETO COCO: Teaching assistant Georgia Gonzalez stands with her grandson Apollo, who is dressed as Coco from the 2017 Disney movie about Dia De Los Muertos. The dog standing next to them is also based on the movie, a dog called Dante, and is a Xoloitzcuintli or Mexican hairless dog. PROTESTA: Two parade participants protest President Trump’s proposed border wall and the detention of immigrants at the border by ICE agents. Photos by Gregory James.

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SWORD BRAWL: Junior Kay Villareal play fights with Spanish teacher Telvi Altamirano’s son Beto. The Vida La Vida parade went through the heart of downtown and culminated with a festival with games, art and food available to play, buy and eat. Photo by Gregory James.

POKEMON IN THE PARADE: a parade participant from the MexicArte museum dances in a very fesive Pikachu outfit along the parade route. Photo by Gregory James. PAINT PREPARATION: Sophomore Andrea Paredes paints freshman Lara Lashus’s face before departing for downtown Austin. The event celebrates Dia De Los Muertos and is put on annually by Mexic-Arte musem. Photo by Janet Perez.

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Mac rowers race on biggest stage Senior Raiya Myren, junior Sarah Slaten compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston STEVEN TIBBETTS assistant editor

The Head of the Charles Regatta, which was held on the Charles River in Boston Oct. 20-21, is the one of the most revered rowing events in the United States. More than 10,000 rowers compete in the regatta every year in almost 2,000 boats. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of people to Boston to compete in and to witness the competition. In other words, it’s a pretty big deal. Among the thousands of rowers throughout the world who were invited to compete in the regatta were McCallum senior Raiya Myren and junior Sarah Slaten. “It’s the biggest two-day regatta in the whole world, and it was crazy because people in Boston actually come to watch it,” Slaten said. “They didn’t have anything to do with it, but everywhere we went they asked why we we’re here, and we said, ‘We’re here for the Head of the Charles’ and they’re like, ‘Oh My God.’” The Head of the Charles attracts people not only from across the United States but throughout the entire world. “There were people from London and Canada,” Slaten said. “There might have been some Australian people, so that is pretty cool.” Both Myren and Slaten were invited based on a random drawing of rowers who applied (only the top 25 percent of rowers from the previous year’s race are automatically invited). Myren was invited to compete in the Women’s Youth Singles division while Slaten raced with three other teammates in the Women’s Youth Fours division. “[My coach] called me after practice and told me [I had been invited], and I started screaming,” Slaten said. “And then I hung up and I ran around the house and called my mom and my dad and told them. It was great.” Beyond the challenges that come with racing on a course as difficult as the Head of the Charles and competing against some of the best rowers in the world, each of the rowers had other challenges to overcome. One of those challenges was the persistent rain and flooding in Austin in the days leading up to the race. “Because of the weather, we hadn’t been able to practice on the water recently,” Myren said. Maybe an even greater challenge for Myren, however, was the fact that this was going to be the first time that she had ever competed in a singles competition. The first time she would ever race by herself would be on the biggest stage in the continent. “It was kind of scary because I was rowing a single-person boat, which I had never done before, and I was doing it at the biggest regatta in North America, which is known to be a really challenging course,” Myren said. Myren was understandably intimidated by the course before she competed, but she finished the race feeling good about her performance, which placed her 27th out of 31 rowers. “I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it ended up being,” Myren said. “It’s played up

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The BNY Mellon Boathouse was crowded with rowers, coaches and fans during the Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston on Oct. 20. For two days, thousands of elite rowers sprinted by the boathouse with the finish line in sight. Photo by Sarah Slaten. as this impossible course with huge turns. You have to make a 90-degree turn at one point, but it wasn’t that bad and everyone has the same struggles, so I didn’t feel as singled out as I thought I was going to. ... And I achieved my goal of not hitting anything or anyone of flipping or breaking equipment and I didn’t get last. And when you are competing against a bunch of national champions that’s all you can hope for. I think I did pretty well.” Another challenge Slaten and her team had to face was that they had never competed together in the same boat before. “My boat hadn’t raced against anyone so we had absolutely no idea how we were going to do,” Slaten said. Despite their inexperience in racing together, the team did better than Slaten had expected, getting 17th out of the 42 teams. “I didn’t think we were going to do very well, but we got top half so it was better than I expected,” Slaten said. Although the team wasn’t quite able to finish within the top 25 percent of teams, which would have given them automatic qualification into the 2019 Head of the Charles Regatta, finishing in the top 50 percent improves their odds of getting into next year’s race. Both Slaten and Myren had a good experience in their first Head of the Charles. “It was fun, and it was a great way to experience Boston with my close friends, but in an atmosphere that was directed to rowers,” Myren said. “The whole city was getting pumped about it which doesn’t happen [in Austin], so it was interesting.” Slaten and Myren’s next race will take place on Nov. 3 or 4 at the Head of the Hooch Regatta

Raiya Myren carries her boat during the 2018 Central Youth Championships that took place in Oklahoma City back in May. In the Head of the Charles, Myren finished 27th out of the 31 rowers in the Women’s Youth Singles division but was still happy with her race. “It turned out to be not as overwhelming as I thought it was going to be,” Myren said. Photo by Sarah Slaten. in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Head of the Hooch is the second biggest regatta in North America behind only the Head of the Charles. Myren hopes she can improve on her result from the Charles at the Head of the Hooch. “I’m rowing a single, so hopefully I do better in [the Hooch], and the competition won’t be as fierce,” Myren said. Myren also said that she wants to continue rowing in college, listing MIT, Smith, Rice and Georgia Tech as places where she may continue

her rowing career. Myren loves rowing and wants to continue competing in part because she feels it helps with her mental health. “[Rowing] helps me destress and get out the obsessive compulsiveness,” Myren said. Slaten has very high hopes in her team for their next race at the Head of the Hooch. “I’ve checked, and the people who beat us in Charles are not at Head of the Hooch and people that we beat are there,” Slaten said, “so I expect to win.”

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Zach Steiner scales a boulder in Waco Tanks, in El Paso. “[Waco Tanks} is a group of huge rock structures and they’re situated all around the desert,” Steiner said. Photo courtesy of Zach Steiner.

‘Climbing just for climbing’s sake’ Once a Ninja Warrior hopeful, Zach Steiner sets sights higher The Shield: When did you start rock climbing and what originally got you into it? Zach Steiner: I started almost four years ago now. I started because I was into American Ninja Warrior. American Ninja Warrior was really popular and seemed super fun, so I thought that climbing would be a good way to get on the show. Eventually I sort of moved away from that and started climbing just for climbing sake. TS: How long has the Climbing Club been around at McCallum? ZS: The Climbing Club has been around for a while. I think even before Mr. Wydeven took over. It’s been around for a long time, but it’s gotten really big recently. TS: What has been your biggest accomplishment in your four years of climbing? ZS: My biggest accomplishment so far has probably been doing five V-7 Outdoors. V-7 is just a grade in climbing, it’s sort of like an intermediate level. That’s just my personal best, being able to do that has been really awesome. TS: How are climbing competitions ranked? ZS: For ranking, in big competitions, it’s based off how far up you get on a route and how many tries it took you to get to that highest point. There’s three divisions in USA climbing. There’s “sport” which is ropes climbing, “bouldering” which is climbing without ropes and shorter more dynamic climbing. There’s also speed climbing, which is a whole other discipline. TS: What type of climbing do you practice? ZS: I practice predominantly bouldering and some sport climbing.

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TS: How often do you practice? ZS: With my new schedule that I’m on, I practice three to four days a week. TS: What does a typical workout look like? ZS: A typical workout is usually just some climbing, working on particular routes, and different moves that trip me up. After that we usually do a core or an arm workout. TS: Do you have a coach or a trainer who instructs you? ZS: When I was on a team I had a coach, but now I have a private trainer. He gives me a schedule for the month that tell me what I need to do each day. I just follow the schedule every month and that’s how I train. TS: Do you think that you being vegan and very diet conscious gives you an edge over your competitors? ZS: I haven’t thought about that a whole lot. I think that being more conscious about my diet has helped me get to where I am as fast as I have. For most people getting to the level that I’m at can take a really long time, but because I’m conscious about my diet I was able to improve a lot faster. TS: Tell me a little bit about the Rock Climbing Club. ZS: Our first meeting [was] October 23 and for our first meeting [we just talked] about what we want the climbing club to be this year, how often we want to go out and practice, how relaxed we want to be, times, membership details and stuff like that. But when we get farther into the year, all it will be is [meeting] every Thursday at Austin Rock Gym, and we just climb and hangout. It’s a super relaxed environment and you really don’t have to have any prior experience to join. TS: Where’s your favorite spot to climb? ZS: I think my favorite spot would have to be Waco Tanks in El Paso,Texas. It’s basically this group of huge rock structures and they’re situated all around these mountains. It’s one of the premiere bouldering spots in the world and it’s just right outside of El Paso.

Zach Steiner practices bouldering, a type of rockclimbing. “Bouldering is climbing without ropes, and shorter, more dynamic climbing,” Steiner said. Photo courtesy of Zach Steiner.

Steiner boulders at Waco Tanks in El Paso. “Waco Tanks is one the premiere bouldering spots in the world, and it’s just right outside El Paso,” Steiner said. Photo courtesy of Zach Steiner.

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Claire Rudy enjoys being busy And between swimming, color guard and band, the senior stays that way

The Shield: Can you tell me a little bit about the UIL competition on Aug. 23? Claire Rudy: It was our UIL competition and since it’s not a state year for us this year, it’s like our main contest of the year: what we’re building up for, what summarizes our marching season and what we’ve been working for. Division 1 ratings are the best, and I think Division 4 is the worst. We ended up getting straight 1’s yesterday. TS: Do you get multiple ratings from different judges? CR: Yes, there are a few judges, and they have different categories that they are judging. There is musicianship and marching technique and other things, and then they will grade you on those scales, and straight 1’s means the average of all their scores ending up being a 1, or they all submitted 1’s. TS: When did you start doing color guard? CR: I started freshman year, so four years. TS: What got you interested in that? CR: I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to play my instrument, [the oboe], marching on the field because the reed doesn’t work, and it is such a sensitive instrument that being outdoors would be weird for it, but my older sister, went here and she did color guard because she also couldn’t march her instrument. And my dad used to do color guard, and I’ve just been around it, so I was like, ‘I want to try it.’ Really I could have played flute or something like that in the marching band, but I like the color guard uniforms a lot more. TS: How did that start, you doing color guard freshman year? CR: It’s learning an entire new skill set. I remember coming to one of the camps in eighth grade in May. We called it our audition, but really it was, ‘Let’s see if you can learn this and see how you like it,’ and I remember I was struggling with it, and it was really difficult to figure out. I was like, ‘I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how this is going to work out,’ but as you do it more and more, like when summer band camp happens, and we spend all day working on technique things and just getting to be part of a group, you pick up on it. It was fun. TS: What is your favorite part about it? CR: We just started saber this year, which is a new piece of equipment. It looks like a sword, and I really like that so far, it’s been really fun. TS: What do you guys do during the nonmarching season? CR: In the non-marching season is our winter guard season which really starts in winter, so it officially starts in January, but I guess we will be starting on it kind of early this year, getting our show under way and learning equipment, but that’s just solely color guard, and it’s indoors, so we’ll perform in a gym of a school and it’s on a tarp, and it’s just color guard, and it’ll be fun. TS: Do you guys use the same equipment? CR: Yeah, we use flags, poles and sabers. It’ll be different looking probably. We’ll probably get a new set of flags. We’ve had colored rifles before, but that is just putting tape on it. I don’t know if we’ll do that again.

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Co-captain Claire Rudy performs her winter guard routine, “Incased,” at the Texas Color Guard Circuit on March 3 last year. Photo by Sydney Gomez.

Senior Claire Rudy acknowledges the cheering crowd after her name was called during swim team introductions at the Pink Week Pep Rally on Oct 18. Photo by Kristen Tibbetts. TS: Since you’re on the swim team too, how do you manage morning band practices and practices for swim team? CR: It makes for really long days, but marching rehearsal starts at 6:50 [a.m.] and then swim practice goes from 8-9:30 [p.m.]. And then we live in Southwest Austin so it’s also a lot of driving and a lot of car time, so it’s a balance between figuring out when to sleep and when to do homework. It’s a lot of moving, but I like it. It’s good to be busy. It also makes weekends, if I’m not doing anything, like, ‘I need to calm down.’ TS: What got you into swimming? CR: I’ve done swimming since I was 5. I’ve never done year-round swimming, which I kind of have some regrets for not doing, but at the same time I knew I wanted to do band

and focus on school, band and color guard, and if I do year-round swimming, that’s going to take up everything, so I have done a summer league since I was 5, and it’s my neighborhood one on the City of Austin League. My sister did swimming first, and I remember signing up for lessons, and they were like, ‘You should really continue this,’ so I went and joined swim team and ever since then I’ve been in to it. I love the sport. It’s something you can do forever because it doesn’t have to be fast, it can be therapeutic. That’s why you see people that are 90 years old still swimming. TS: How has the swim season been so far this year? CR: It’s been good. We have a junior that just recently broke one of our team records, so

people have been doing well. There is a lot of new freshman this year and so it’s good to see a lot of new people learning as well. TS: What is it like to have your dad also be your coach? CR: Interesting. There’s ups and downs definitely. It’s nice in a way. I don’t have my license so my dad goes everywhere with me already, so I have a ride. I don’t have to worry about that. It’s nice to always have someone to turn to that I know really well. TS: Did your dad do swim team in high school too? CR: No, he’s never done swim team, but he’s watched my sister and I swim, and he’s one of those people that can pick up on stuff for whatever reason. He’s just naturally talented at stuff. TS: What are you most looking forward to? CR: For the rest of the season I am really looking forward to winter guard for sure because we had a really good season last year and ended up making state, so I really want to do that again. That would be awesome. My goal for swimming this year is just to be there. I didn’t really have a season last year because I was out all the time with a concussion. TS: How did you get a concussion? CR: I swam into a wall really hard. It was on backstroke and your bound to hit the wall at some point. I’ve done it a million times; it just happens, but it just happened that I was sprinting and usually you will have something to block the way, like your arm will hit first and you’ll slow down, but for some reason I had nothing, and so I just went straight into the wall. It happened in last September and it affected me throughout November and then after swim season, when I came back I qualified with a relay team to go to regionals, but I ended up getting the flu so I didn’t go to regionals. —interview by Kristen Tibbetts

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District 25-5A roundup Boerne-Champion defeats Mac in Round 1 of state playoffs The varsity volleyball team got knocked out of the playoffs in the opening round by the Boerne-Champion Chargers on Oct. 29 at Lehman High School. The team lost in straight sets, 25-15, 25-14, 25-15. Leading the team with eight kills was sophomore outside hitter Preslie Boswell, who also posted McCallum’s only two aces of the night. Junior Alexa Fannin led the team in kill percentage, converting five out of her 11 attempts. Freshman middle hitter Grace Werkenthin led the Knights with three total blocks. Sophomore defensive specialist Brienna Martinez had a team high nine digs on the night and sophomore Sophia Henderson led the Knights with 12 assists. The loss ends the Knight’s season with a 21-19 overall record (10-4 in district play). The Knight’s finished third in District 25-5A behind only Dripping Springs and Lockhart. The Knights finished one spot ahead of rival LBJ in the standings, beating the Jaguars three times throughout the season. Those three games ended up being some of the closest battles of the Knights’ season as McCallum beat LBJ by one set each time. In the AISD Jason Landers Invitational, the Knights won 2-1. The next time the teams played, the Knights won 3-2, and after losing the first two sets to the Jaguars the final time they played, the Knights won the next 3 sets to sweep the season series 3-0. The Knights also enjoyed a 3-2 road victory at Anderson this season. For senior libero Lindsey Willey and senior setter Claire Caudill, the game against Beorne-Champion was their last for McCallum. In Wiley’s last season for the Knights, she led not only McCallum, but all of District 25-5A with 586 digs on the year according to MaxPreps. Caudill had both the second most

District 25-5A Standings Latest Result (Oct. 26) Win vs. Dripping Springs 42-39

District Record 5-0

Dripping Springs

Loss @ Seguin, 4239

4-1

LBJ

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4-1

Crockett

Win vs. Travis, 57-0

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McCallum Win @ Reagan, 49-11

2-3

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Idle

1-4

Reagan

Loss vs. McCallum, 49-11

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Loss @ Crockett, 57-0

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NIGHT AT THE POOL: Sophomore Madi Baylor competes in the 100 meter backstroke Tomball Swim meet on Sat. Oct. 27. Photo by Jordan Trimyer.

Mac takes first in 3 events END OF THE ROAD: The Varsity volleyball team breaks out of the huddle at their playoff loss to Boerne-Champion on Mon. Oct. 29. Photo by Molly Gardner. assists on the team with 198 and the second most aces with 46. Boswell led the district in kills with 469, while Henderson’s 636 assists were the second most in the district. Junior Shane Rozman led the team in kill percentage at 36.9 percent and Henderson led the team in hitting percentage at 27.6 percent. Boswell’s 76 aces and 60 blocks were both McCallum highs also. The Knights will look to improve on this year’s results next year as they are returning 13 varsity players including nine who are juniors. —Steven Tibbetts

At the Tomball Swim Meet on Saturday, freshman Zoe Lynch won first place in two events, the 100 breaststroke and the 100 freestyle, and sophomore Izak Zaplatar captured first in the 100 breaststroke. Junior Cole Kershner took second in the 50 free and third in the 100 back, and sophomore Jack Hester took third place in the 200 freestyle. Sophomore Madi Baylor brought home third place in the 100 backstroke and fifth place in the 50 freestyle. In the boys 500 freestyle, junior Jordan Trimyer took second while sophomore Kyle Larson took fifth. In the girls 200 individual medley, senior Claire Rudy took seventh while Claire Greenberg took eight in the 100 breaststroke. The girls A relay team took third place in both the 200 medley and the 400 free. In boys relay events, the A team took second in the 200 free and fourth in the 200 medley. —Elisha Scott

Knights route Raiders, face Cougars for final playoff berth The varsity football team was back in business on Friday night at Nelson as they beat the Reagan Raiders 49-11 in a huge win for the Knights. The victory put the Knights one game closer to making the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons. The Knights struck quickly against Reagan, scoring on the second play of the game with a 76-yard touchdown run by Deron Gage. On their next possession, they almost scored again, but were stopped when they fumbled the ball near the end zone. The Knights defense would force a three and out against the Raiders offense, and Darius Lewis would return a punt for the Knights’ second touchdown. After Gabe Williams recovered a Reagan fumble, Deron Gage scored again on a long touchdown run to make the score 21-0 in the second quarter. Reagan would answer that touchdown with a field goal. Knight quarterback Cole Davis also got a touchdown on a 42-yard scramble to make the score, 28-3. After the half, the Knights offense did not slow down. Jalen Sutton scored three rushing touchdowns in the second half for the Knights to get the Knights to 49 points on the night. The Raiders scored a garbage-time touchdown late and added a two-point conversion to make the final score, 49-11. “We played a great game on both sides of the ball,” Gage told MacJournalism after the game. “It all started with a great week in practice. Our practice habits are getting better, and it’s showing on the field. We’ll be practicing at House Park for the week so we can prepare for the [Crockett] game and come out with a win.” In addition to determining the Knights’ playoff fate, the game is also the school’s homecoming game. — Gregory James

AN UPLIFTING WIN: Deron Gage is lifted up into the air by Alivino Carbajal after Gage scored an opening-drive touchdown in the Knights’ 49-11 win over the Reagan Raiders on Oct. 26 at Nelson Field. Photo by Anna McClellan.

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Students must be educated

Health curriculum should be changed to reflect real life STELLA SHENKMAN staff reporter

In order to graduate high school, AISD students are required to complete a semester-long health course which covers nutritional, mental and sexual health. But does this course effectively serve students need for proper education? If you were to ask me about where it was that I got my sexual education, I would give the same shameful answer as many youths: my friends and the Internet. Today’s big social problems such as unwanted teen pregnancies, drug abuse, and sexual assault have been caused largely by ignorance. If our officials wanted to start anywhere in mending these unhealthy habits, it should be in the classroom. The district’s health curriculum desperately need restructuring, one that establishes the expectation that we students receive the modern and realistic education that we deserve. It was not in health class that I learned about sexual health, It was not until my classmates began holding their own personal classes in the hallways. Every conversation that I overheard taught me a different myth about my own body and sexuality. With students left in the dark about

their own health, they are forced to find answers from unreliable sources, and educators then lose the power to shape healthy habits by teaching students what they really need to know. Normalizing sexual health can create a healthy foundation for discussion. Students who are too afraid to ask questions about these taboo subjects are more likely to avoid speaking out on sexual harassment, or any other unsafe situation they might have been put in or observed. Young men and women must feel comfortable talking about their own bodies so that they feel comfortable to ask questions and clarify subjects they may not understand without judgment from their educators or their peers. Especially for students without a trusted adult in their life to talk to about these intimate subjects, it is imperative that teachers create a safe and confidential learning environment. Health class sexuality units should not be isolating students by making them believe that the only moral option is to abstain from sex, but rather to understand it, and how to avoid unsafe situations. It is unrealistic for educators to believe that all students will abstain from sex, drugs and alcohol. Currently, the world that our generation lives in is surrounded by those things, and teenagers must be properly educated on how to live in this environment safely. Rather than teaching students to always abstain and to be ashamed of their sexuality, educators should be informing them on their options; whether to abstain or not, consent, contraceptives, the effect that sex has on

Graphic by Stella Shenkman. relationships, etc. Sexual health is not the only unit that Texas schools fail to properly inform students in. The recreational drug abuse unit in the health curriculum teaches students to simply “not do” illegal drugs. It is unrealistic to believe that all students will adhere to this instruction, and a more effective form of education would be to advise students on how to safely react to these types of problems. Then, once students are properly informed, they are able to

make their own mature decisions on what they should do to keep themselves safe. Being that 2018 is a time of immense progression, it is time for our district officials to step up and provide the practical education that the students of our time must have. With the proper changes, we can diffuse ignorance, and provide students with a healthy outlet to learn about their sexuality, about speaking out, and about being safe.

Moving to Austin was (Fort) Worth it ELISHA SCOTT staff reporter

My life changed a little over a year-anda-half ago when I found out that I would be moving away from my home of 11 years. My dad had gotten a job offer in Austin, so we would have to leave my old city three hours north of here, Fort Worth. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t reluctant at first. I felt as if I was being ripped away from the only place I knew. However, as time has gone by, I’ve become much more comfortable here. One of the biggest worries of mine was that I would be moving here right before my freshman year of high school. My parents gave me the option to move right before eighth grade or to wait a year. Of course, I chose the option to stay with my friends longer, which meant that not only would I be moving to a new city, I would be starting a whole new school with a completely different dynamic than I had ever experienced. Moving to Austin was definitely a new and weird experience for me. I hadn’t moved since I was 3 years old and that I don’t remember much about that. The city wasn’t completely new to me, part of staying for an extra year was that my dad had to move down on his own and rent an apartment until we got there. We visited almost every other weekend so I was somewhat familiar with Austin. However, I definitely don’t know my way around the city or everything about it. It is very different from Fort Worth so it takes some getting used to.

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Austin has a much bigger population, and it has a much busier feel to the city. A lot more people visit Austin since it’s the capital and it has several festivals and events that bring visitors to the city as well. There is constant traffic and bustle when trying to get places. There weren’t people speeding through the sidewalks and streets on electric scooters or annual popular music festivals like ACL, that crowded the city even more, in Fort Worth. One thing I really like about Austin, though, is the lakes. I love going kayaking with my family and friends and even my dog. Another thing that I like is how dog friendly the whole city is. Ever since I could remember, I had always wanted a dog, so when my parents got me one for my 12th birthday, I was excited to take her places and do stuff with her. However, there aren’t many places in Fort Worth that accepted dogs. Here, there are two times as many dogfriendly restaurants and I’ve seen several stores that specialize in dog items. Even though the city took some getting used to, the school was what took the most. McCallum was one of two schools that my parents considered, along with Austin High School. However, Austin High wasn’t as flexible with our schedule to tour the school, and we found a better house in MAC’s zone, so it was decided that I would come here. To say I was scared was an understatement. I dreaded Aug. 20 for weeks to come. My first day felt like hell at the time, but as I look back two months later, it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to

be. There were a lot of different things that were new to me. I had never had to navigate such a big school by myself, so I got lost often the first week. I also haven’t had an A/B schedule since sixth grade, so I had to get used to it again, but I was glad to get seven-minute passing periods. It wasn’t just the dynamic and the way MAC works that was different; it was the feeling of it as well. It had a warm, welcoming and inclusive feel to it, which I really like. It’s very diverse and people notice that and appreciate their differences. I was scared to be going into high school at first because I had heard such awful things about it from middle school teachers, friends and my sisters. I was nervous, especially since I didn’t know anyone. However, it is a lot less scary than everyone made it out to be. McCallum makes sure that incoming freshman and students feel comfortable and welcome on their first day. It wasn’t quite as bad since I had the opportunity to go to an orientation, something I doubt a lot of high schools would have done. There were friendly people all throughout the hallways to help us get around and feel safe on our first day. It’s not just the teachers though; the students are also very welcoming. Everyone is very inclusive and accepting of differences, which is far from most of my experiences in school. You pass people in the hallways, and they know your name. Students, staff and administrators alike take the time to learn each other’s names. I expected it to take months for anyone to really know me, but I know several students and

administrators around the school who know me and smile at me in the hallway, which is a really good feeling. A big part of this accepting feeling is the Fine Arts Academy. Students from all over Austin and even outside of it can come to MAC and express themselves. I love how it allows students to focus on and practice their passions instead of just sitting in a classroom every period. These likes and passions are accepted by everyone and allow students to find a least one thing that they’re really good at and love. Even though I wasn’t happy to be moving, when I came to tour the school, one of things that made me excited was all the arts facilities. I had never been to a school with so many different art classes and places dedicated to allowing students to practice it. If I had any advice for someone starting new at McCallum or any school, it would be to join something, a club, team, anything where you’re not just listening to the teacher talk and doing worksheets. Being on the newspaper staff and the tennis team have both really helped me transitioning to McCallum. They’ve helped me make friends and talk to people and they’ve made me feel a part of something at school. Even though, I would give anything to live in the same city as all my friends and family in Fort Worth, I also love the friendships and connections I’ve made here. It’s gong to take getting used to and it will never be the same but I know eventually, I’ll find my place here.

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Tuning in has led to tuning out When out getting lunch or coffee with a friend or doing just about anything really, people generally keep their phones in their pocket. If one person takes out their phone, then the other also pulls our their phone. People used to be courteous about this; if we were expecting a text message or an email, we would use our phones. But now it occurs unconsciously as well. We often won’t even notice until the screen is displayed in front of us. Keeping an eye out lately has largely confirmed our suspicions. It is common even with siblings only a few years younger than us; their generation generally finds it acceptable to browse their phones frequently, even when among friends. It is a powerful attraction. Studies of conversation in natural and laboratory settings from psychologists and universities show that when two people are communicating, the simple presence of a phone on a table between them changes both what they talk about and the amount of connection that they feel. Conversation is kept on topics where people won’t mind being interrupted. Even a silent phone disconnects us. Authors and psychologists are saying that many youth are changing to the “app mindset,” which motivating teens and youth to seek easier access to other people. In terms of identity youth today packaged theirs with the “cool” look of online profiles. But often we have found that the polished and perfect look often hides anxiety or an outwardly expressed need for approval. There has been an abundance of articles warning that phones are making us prone to distractions, that Instagram is preventing us from enjoying the world around us, that young people don’t know how to hold a conversation or ask someone out. And so on. But they don’t get at the real problem with phones and social media: they create an addictive and toxic world that revolves around a dull and unfulfilling platform of superficial engagement, replacing real sources of meaning with artificial ones. We lose track of the number of times we find our close friends scrolling through social media without any real purpose. Paradoxically, as cell phones have made us more alone, we believe they have made it harder to be alone. From Snapchat to Instagram, to simply texting, you are always able to be in contact with someone. But social media, since it allows you to meet new people and build deeper friendships with people you already know, could decrease your in-person social engagement. Since social media replaces conversations and other forms of interaction that would be made in person, it makes people less willing to go out and meet people, and provides an endless amount of low-quality entertainment to keep us occupied (distracted). Cell phones have started a new types of conversation that have restructured our social environment.

Cartoon by Bella Russo

Students have mastered how to look someone in the eye and type on the their phones at the same time. They say it’s a skill mastered in middle school when it was a necessity to text in class without getting caught. Now the skill is used when students want to be both with their friends and “elsewhere.” Currently we feel less of a need to hide the fact that we are dividing out attention. Many speak enthusiastically about the good things from a life lived with technology. You can therefore you can put your attention wherever you want it to be. You never have to be bored. You can change your attention from the people in the room to the world you can find on your phone. Even if we think we are bored, the brain is working hard to process information we’ve taken in to in to replenish itself .Even if the most pessimistic view of modern technology is correct; it is just like any number of things, an impediment to finding meaning and happiness in life. It doesn’t make a full and worthwhile life impossible, it just makes it slightly more difficult. Now, constant connection to the Internet via cell phones and laptops has changed well established rhythms of human thinking. There used to be times when we would socialize and learn from the people and the world around us and times when we were simply able to be alone with our thoughts. This stream of distractions not only prevents deep thinking but also the deep feeling that allows us to connect emotionally with others.

We have adapted to being connected all the time, but that has also meant that we avoid open-ended and spontaneous conversation. The kind of conversing where we learn to make eye contact, to become aware of another person’s posture and tone, to comfort one another, and to challenge one another. During these conversations is where we learn who we are. If you are unable to be alone with your own thoughts, you are unable to hear what others have to say. The lack of face-to face interaction is depersonalizing the way in which we communicate. There is an absence of vulnerability in conversations over cell phones and this deficiency may translate into substantial changes in human development. Think of the feeling you have after an afternoon or evening spent with the people you love; imagine the effect it has on your mood, your sense of belonging and self-worth. Now think of the feeling you have after an afternoon or evening spent texting, playing games on your phone, or scrolling through social media. In our experience, there is no comparison. Empathetic conversations can still be found today, but the trend line is clear. Research is now catching up without intuitions. We are faced with a decision. It’s not about giving up our phones, but about using them with different, greater intention. Conversation, face to face, is still there for us to reclaim. Want to talk about it?

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

editors-in-chief ZOE HOCKER AND SOPHIE RYLAND assistant editors GREGORY JAMES

MAX RHODES

KELSEY TASCH

STEVEN TIBBETTS

adviser DAVE WINTER

reporters GRAYSON CRUISE, JAZZABELLE DAVISHINES, DIAMANTE DIAZ, ELLEN FOX, LASZLO KING-HOVIS, BELLA RUSSO, ABIGAIL SALAZAR, ELISHA SCOTT, STELLA SHENKMAN, SARAH SLATEN, MIA TERMINELLA, KRISTEN TIBBETTS, JANSSEN TRANSIER, OLIVIA WATTS 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

22 opinion

educational process.” Content that may stimulate heated debate is not included in this definition. The Shield operates as an open forum for exchange of ideas. Opinions expressed in editorials are the ideas of the staff. Opinions expressed in the columns are that of the writer’s alone. Letters to the editor are encouraged and

must be signed. Positive identification may be required when a letter is submitted. Letters may be edited. Letters that are critical of the newspaper staff’s coverage of events or that present information that may stimulate heated debate will be published. Letters that contain malicious attacks on individual reporters, the adviser or the

principal will be rejected. Anyone interested in purchasing an ad should contact adviser Dave Winter at (512) 414-7539. Ads published in The Shield do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff. The Shield is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, the National Scholastic Press Association

02 nov. 2018

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A Pink Week pep rally postscript

With 49-11 win over Reagan, Knights stay on playoff track

Photo by Caleb Melville

Photo by Annabel Winter

Photo by Kirsten Tibbetts

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Like us on facebook.com/MacJournalism Follow us on Twitter: @macstudentmedia Follow: @macjournalism on Instagram 02 nov. 2018

Cross-country senior co-captains reminisce about team, friendship online preview 23

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Princess and the Tea

MacTheatre holds its fourth annual Princess Tea Party fundraiser with record level turnout Senior Persephone Harris (Tinkerbell) asks young Tea Party attendees to make a wish and sprinkles them with pixie dust. Photo by Sarah Slaten. Junior Julia Blackmon (Rapunzel) sings the first part of “I See the Light” while the children dance at the front of the auditorium. “We had a really good turnout and the kids seemed excited to be here,” Blackmon said. “My favorite part is signing autographs and dancing with them.” Photo by Kristen Tibbetts.

Juniors Javier Garcia, Sam Richter and Lilah Guaragna play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger while narrating and introducing each act. Photo by Kristen Tibbetts. Junior Abigail Lerma (Moana) belts out “How Far I’ll Go”. “I love playing Moana,” Lerma said. “[It] came out my sophomore year, and before that there wasn’t a princess that I could really play.” Photo by Kristen Tibbetts.

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Junior Maryanna Tollemache (Elsa) waves to the crowd of children who gathered around the stage. “The Princess Tea Party is one of the biggest fundraisers for MacTheatre, and since I love being a part of this phenomenal group, I decided, ‘Why not help?’ Tollemache said. “Also, it’s incredible to see how happy the kids are when they see their favorite princes and princesses!” Photo by Sarah Slaten.

Sophomore Marley Foster sings the final notes of “Almost There.” “I’m a choir major with a musical theatre certificate,” Foster said, “but I love theatre so I try to participate in everything that theatre does.” Photo by Olivia Watts. Junior Duval Bingham (Flynn Rider) dances with a little girl who came onstage during the interlude of Bingham’s duet with junior Julia Blackmon (Rapunzel). “I like [the kids] being on the stage with us,” Bingham said. Photo by Sarah Slaten.

02 nov. 2018