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The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online

The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online

The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online

Protesters gathered on the Texas State Capitol grounds on Wednesday to protest against the Trump administration and Project 2025.
Photo by Arwen Pelletier
Hundreds convene at Capitol to join day of national protest
Arwen Pelletier, staff writer • February 7, 2025
Graphic of 3 highly populated districts ranked by average high school teacher salary per data from Dallas ISD and teacher.org. Graphic by Beatrix Lozach.
Mac faculty on Prop A
February 5, 2025
During the Austin anti-Trump rally at the Capitol on Feb. 5, resistance to Trump's plans to ramp up deportation of immigrants was on the top of many people's minds as reflected on their signs.
School districts should resist ICE access
Zev Zent, staff reporter • February 11, 2025

Imagine sitting in class, focused on your work when suddenly, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent enters your school. The presence of law enforcement in education...

Graphic shows students’ options during a pep rally period. While many choose to attend the rally in the gym, others go to the cafeteria or, per new administration rules, teacher pods. Photo by Dave Winter. Graphic by Nate Williams
Once roaring, now boring
January 8, 2025
Senior point guard Emy Chen finds resistance as she strives to drive to the hoop from the top of the key during the Knights' bi-district round playoff loss to Georgetown at Westwood High school. Chen said after that the Knights had a distinct height disadvantage but not played with heart and intensity despite being overmatched.
Eagles end Knights’ season but not will to fight
Shayla Allen, staff reporter • February 13, 2025

The girls varsity basketball team saw its season come to an end Monday night with a 67-20 bi-district playoff loss against District 23-5A champion Georgetown.  Despite...

 A sign sits outside of Richard Lord's Boxing Gym, which has been a staple of the Austin boxing community for decades.
One punch at a time
February 9, 2025
Senior Vincent Carney serves in practice on Dec. 16. Photo by Elizabeth Nation.
Game, set, MAC
January 30, 2025
Defensive lineman Rylan Kennedy tries to block a pass from UT quarterback Quinn Ewers  during the Lone Star Showdown game on Nov. 30, 2024.
A return to the rivalry
January 27, 2025
A NEW back was given to the deuce. "The signing of the Declaration of Independence" is the name of the painting on the rear. The front, however, is almost the same as ten years ago.
New money in circulation
unknown staffer February 13, 2025

Everybody is getting into the Bicentennial: airlines, the phone company, pinball machine makers, store owners, the media and every other organization under the sun. Some time...

In modern telecommunications, the use of satellites to bounce signals to receiving dishes all over the world is an inexpensive way to send sion signals over a great distance.
What’s a satellite?
November 14, 2024
Senior Chris Hernandez poses for a picture in his ESL class. Hernandez moved to Austin from Villahermosa, a city in southern Mexico, in the summer of 2023. Hernandez plans to pursue higher education and has started applying to colleges. Senior Abdiel Hernandez, and Freshman Metzi Luna did not want their picture to be used.
Moving forward
Lillian Gray, staff reporter • February 15, 2025

Senior Chris Hernandez decided he wanted to pursue higher education in the United States three years before he made the move. Hernandez was born in the U.S. but had lived...

Senior Uzma Rahim left Laghman, an eastern province of Afghanistan in 2021. Her three siblings and parents, left the country after the Taliban began to take over. Not too long after, Rahim started school at McCallum.
We are all humans
February 13, 2025
A small black cat named Suertudo ("lucky one" in English) looks up at a tree in Coquimbo, Chile, the city where Larenas was born. Larenas took this picture while she was on vacation in Coquimbo and her family took her to a campo ("field" in English), that was owned by her great grandfather. The cat Suertudo was given that name because Larenas great grandfather found him abandoned in a feria. Photo courtesy of Pia Larenas.
Staying connected
February 12, 2025
When Jasmine Aung was in elementary school, she started to resist her Burmese food and language at home because it made her feel separate from her school friends. “I wanted to be American. I wanted to be those beautiful blue-eyed, fair-skinned people," Aung said. "I didn't want to be myself basically.” Since then, she worked hard to connect with her Burmese heritage.
All that followed
February 10, 2025
Spanish teacher Janette Miranda-Santiago poses in her Spanish class. “I fell in love with the teaching career,” Miranda-Santiago said. “Why not let me use my talents, let me use my experience? I'm so happy with it.”
A touch of Puerto Rico
February 8, 2025
Junior Lark Thompson performs with color guard during halftime at Bastrop on Sept. 17.
Concentrating on color guard
Josie Mullan, co-web managing editor • February 16, 2025

Starting next school year, for the first time ever, middle school students can audition for the Fine Arts Academy as a color guard major. Although the major will be a smaller...

Matcha and matcha whisk (chasen).
From jitters to zen
January 22, 2025
While simmering the cranberries with sugar takes a long time, it is worth it to brings out their rich flavor and beautiful ruby color.
Baking up cheer
January 19, 2025
REACHING FOR THE STARS: Junior Zane Shieh sings an original song while playing the guitar with his band, Spiral Maze, at the Battle of the Bands last Thursday.

He sings the long note of his band’s original song entitled “Reach,” a part of a new album coming soon.

“This is my second year doing Battle of the Bands and with Spiral Maze,” Shieh said. “We had a pretty tight set, but I think it went really well, and the crowd liked us a good bit.”

Shieh said his excitement toward playing at the Battle of the Bands this year was being able to showcase his band’s new music.

“My favorite part was performing our new song, and playing for a bunch of my friends was super sick,” Shieh said. “It was stressful at first—like a little nervous—but it all cleared up right after the first song, and the atmosphere was very chill.”

While it was not his band’s first time performing in front of a crowd, Shieh said he loves playing music at his own school and performing original music.

“We’ve played at the Austin Rodeo two times and a few restaurants like Tamale House and Freddo’s ATX,” Shieh said.

Shieh and his band will be back performing at school at the upcoming first annual McCallum Art Party fundraiser on Feb. 22.
Caption by Nate Williams.
Battle of the Bands brings Mac musicians together
Shila Gill, Lillian Gray, Maggie Mass, Sophia Manos, Josie Mullan, Callen Romell, Sofia Saucedo, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, Wren Vanderford, and Nate Williams February 11, 2025

The classical guitar program held its annual Battle of the Bands in the Fine Arts Building Theater last Thursday evening. Each band performed three original or cover songs,...

AN UNLIKELY PAIRING: Fried chicken/biscuits and a weight room. These two things are not the kind of businesses that you would be expecting to work together let alone share the same building. Dane's Body Shop and Bird Bird Biscuit both use up half of a singular building at 2701 Manor Road. Surprisingly, they actually work together very well even if they provide opposite results for their customers. Both Dane Krager, the owner of Dane’s Body Shop, and Brian Batch, the owner of Bird Bird, believe in positivity about oneself. They both think that it is good to treat yourself to some biscuits once you have finished working out. Along with that, Dane also thinks that being alongside Bird Bird benefits his business. “Whenever they’re sitting and eating biscuits,” Dane said, “They will look up and feel guilty, which pushes them into buying a membership.”
Barbells and biscuits
January 21, 2025
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SPECIAL EDUCATOR: In an off-the-court victory for boys basketball, Coach Carlin Shaw was named the 2025 Teacher of the Year today. Shaw is a Social Behavior Skills teacher and a special education case manager, and he is the head JV boys basketball coach and an assistant coach for varsity boys basketball. Assistant principal Gabriel Adame presented Shaw with a gift basket in the large gym, announcing his win. Shaw had tears in his eyes as he expressed his gratitude for the community that motivates him. Video by Dave Winter.
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