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
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Opinion
How the letters students wrote to editors back in the day probably looked. Can you believe that they had to use paper? Gross. Credit to Dim Hou on Unsplash.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Letters to the editor
Jessica Baum, Bert Kivell, Mack Patterson, and Amy Arredondo • September 22, 2022

Machines make cents Dear Editor, There is one necessity that is missing from McCallum that is important and useful…A CHANGE MACHINE! Everyday I happen upon my peers...

Los fundadores del Escudo Español desde la izquierda a la derecha: Sr Daniel Fuentes, Mateo Rodriguez, Carlos Aldrete, Tallulah Wilson, Maggie Coulbourn, Liliana Rodriguez, Esme Moreno, Ana Mejia
El escudo español
September 16, 2022
While Fine Arts Academy director Gabe Reyes inspects the damage last April, then senior William Benson points to an all-to-common Mac malady: a water leak, this one outside of history teacher Clifford Stanchoss classroom.
Outdated Mac should be included in bond proposals
July 18, 2022
Senior Grace Nugent takes a photo of seniors Colby Napier and Tino Rodriguez at her last football game of her high school career, the playoff loss to Alamo Heights in November. Nugent spent the last game enjoying her time with her fellow journalists even as the score was not in favor of the Knights. Photo by Charlie Partheymuller.
Friday (nights), I’m in love
June 4, 2022
There were seven students in Carly Kehn’s advisory class on Monday, April 18, and that is more than usual. They were tasked with SEL-related arts and crafts. It came as no surprise to Kehn that they all just worked on their computers instead. Like many teachers, Kehn admits to skipping over slides that seem redundant. I don’t ignore the lessons, I just skip over parts,” she said. “I try to go through it so students get the idea but we don’t do every single slide. It’s also hard to ‘think, pair share’ when there are only five people.”
Revise advisory, extend lunch.
May 17, 2022
Before simply changing your profile picture to the Ukrainian flag ask yourself- why am I doing this?
6,042 miles.
May 4, 2022
Sports
GETTING IN THE SPIRIT: On Saturday, Aug. 20, the cheer team gathered at the Domain Northside for a cheer-off against the Anderson cheer squad. Freshman Vivian Medina thought the cheer-off helped prepare her for cheering at the Taco Shack football game. “The cheer-off help me feel out what it would be like to cheer in front of a crowd,” she said. “It helped me overcome some of my nerves and got me excited [for] the game.” Despite narrowly losing the Domain cheer-off and the football game, Medina felt that this year’s Taco Shack was still a positive learning experience for the cheer team. “I was a little disappointed but I know there’s always next year. We know now what we can work on and what we can improve.” 
New kids on the pyramid
Francie Wilhelm, co-news, co-online managing editor • September 26, 2022

Under the bright stadium lights of the 2022 Taco Shack Bowl, the cheer team revved up the fans for the first football game of the school year. But Taco Shack wasn’t just...

Tying the game up for the Knights, David Houston runs in a five yard touchdown spinning past a Cougar. Tying the lead is not the only thing Houston would be responsible for in the third quarter as he would run in his third touchdown of the night a drive later to gain the Knights first lead.
Houston's seven touchdowns help tame the Cougars after Knights yield 28 points in first quarter
September 23, 2022
The McCallum swim team at last years 5A regional meet in San Antonio. The meet was split into preliminaries and finals. All McCallum swimmers advanced to finals. “The general atmosphere was great,” sophomore Maggie Coulbourn said. “Everybody was super congratulatory and excited. The team overall did so good, I was so proud of everybody’s hard work and and we had a lot of people drop time!”
AISD swimmers deserve a pool of their own
September 18, 2022
After completing the comeback win for the Knights, kicker Dash Levy gets to break the team out heading into district play.
Levy kick says good Knight to Cougars as time expires
September 15, 2022
Lexi Rosenblatt surveys the Jaguar side of the court during the third set of the varsitys sweep of LBJ on Sept. 2.
Rosenblatt rises above
September 14, 2022
First-year varsity player Mitchell Butler helped carry the load on offense providing much needed rushing relief to quarterback David Houston.
Knights look to reverse course, avenge 2021 defeat
September 2, 2022
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE: For senior Jack Stites, walking across the field as one of four captains during Thursdays game couldnt be more rewarding. “It feels like a lot of hard work paid off,” Stites said. “Ive spent a lot of time over the past three years preparing for this.” Before every football game, the chosen team captains for that game participate in the coin toss. The toss determines who kicks off and which side of the field the Knights will take first. Despite Thursdays loss,  Stites says there is nothing to do but learn from it. “We’re a young team,” Stites said. “We knew we would have to take this as a learning experience.”
Taco Shack 2022 offers a full range of emotions
August 30, 2022
Blogs
Tucked away in a non-descript shopping center on North Lamar just south of Justin Lane, Tous les Jours is a hidden gem, a bakery with a warm environment and menu items pleasing to both the eye and the palate.
Tous les Jours offers something for everyone
Elyza Bradsby, Mac photojournalism • August 8, 2022

Since I am always a fan of trying new things, especially bakeries, I decided to try out Tous les Jours, a French-Asian bakery located at 6808 N Lamar Blvd B-115. The bakery’s...

Home to greater immigrant diversity than any other place in New York, Jackson Heights often shares that diversity through food. One example is the Diwali Festival, a five-day long celebration of Hinduism and the victory of light over darkness. The Diwali Festival made a big in-person comeback in 2021 after the pandemic made it a virtual event in 2020. The street vendors in Jackson Heights offer another example. These vendors value the cultural exchange made possible through their cuisine but find it hard to negotiate the legal barriers to entry. Photo accessed on the Caitlin Regan Flickr account. Reposted here with permission under a creative commons license.
Jackson Heights street food vendors provide cultural exchange, struggle to survive amid city restrictions
July 25, 2022
Rhys Darby (Stede Bonnet) and Taika Waititi (Capt. Blackbeard) star in the HBO Max comedy series, This Flag Means Death.
'Our Flag' means laughter
June 9, 2022
Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) and Dash McMahon (Channing Tatum) venture the jungle stranded.
'The Lost City' a classic rom-com success
June 1, 2022
Robert Pattinsons Batman has an early tense exchange with Colin Farrell’s Penguin.
(The) Batman finally gets his dark victory
May 23, 2022
The prequel to the hit series Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, beautifully demonstrates how creative anime can be when handling grief.
For better or for curse
May 20, 2022
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People
Senior Reva Gill has been working year round for the City of Austin for four years. She started working as a lifeguard at neighborhood pools, but soon moved up the ranks and now works as a manager and at Barton Springs. Gill has had to cut back significantly on her hours over the school year so she has time to prioritize college applications, school work, and swim team.
For four Knights, lifeguarding a year-round calling
Kate Boyle, co-news, co-print managing editor • September 21, 2022

Lifeguarding is often associated with the sound of bare feet hitting the wet pavement, the smell of sunscreen and the sight of families and young kids trying to cool down...

Knight adviser Frank Webster discusses with Shield co-editor-in-chief Evie Barnard while covering the Taco Shack pep rally. Only two weeks into school and Webster has already jumped into helping with coverage coordination.
Back to the beginning
August 31, 2022
Home to greater immigrant diversity than any other place in New York, Jackson Heights often shares that diversity through food. One example is the Diwali Festival, a five-day long celebration of Hinduism and the victory of light over darkness. The Diwali Festival made a big in-person comeback in 2021 after the pandemic made it a virtual event in 2020. The street vendors in Jackson Heights offer another example. These vendors value the cultural exchange made possible through their cuisine but find it hard to negotiate the legal barriers to entry. Photo accessed on the Caitlin Regan Flickr account. Reposted here with permission under a creative commons license.
Jackson Heights street food vendors provide cultural exchange, struggle to survive amid city restrictions
July 25, 2022
Seniors write farewell letters to Mac
Seniors write farewell letters to Mac
July 8, 2022
Senior staff leaders Alysa Spiro (co-EIC), Lucy Marco (co-online EIC) and Madelynn NIles (co-EIC) proudly display the recently arrived fourth issue o 2021-2022 prior to heading out into the hallways to distribute it.
On Wednesdays we go to print
July 6, 2022
Tarrazas-Graham loves her dog Rain at least as much as she loves classical guitar, but after Rains owner earned a second Outstanding Performer distinction at UIL State, the dog may want to change the spelling to R-E-I-G-N just to stay on brand.
Terrazas-Graham closes classical guitar career with a flourish
July 5, 2022
FOUR BY FOUR: Mia Gomez surveys the field after the Knights lost in the area round of the playoffs to bring their stellar season and her brilliant high school career to an end.
Artistry on the pitch, hard work in the studio
June 12, 2022
Entertainment
Bloggs never expected something as graceful as the ballet to hold his interest. Photo original posted to Unsplash. Reposted here under an Unsplash license.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Joe Bloggs goes to the ballet
Joe Bloggs, Shield staff • September 29, 2022

From reading the headline, I know what you’re thinking: “Great…here goes Joe on another rampage making fun of everything that doesn’t appeal to him.” Perish the...

ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES: Seniors Mira Wagner and Tyler Mankinen duke it out during the first moments of the final round at the Cap City Marching Competition. The 2022 marching show “Seeing Stars” gets its name from its boxing theme, and according to Wagner, who represents the woodwinds section, the early fight scene “definitely sets the tone.” “Right off the bat you see two people fighting so you know that this show is full of energy,” Wagner said.”  “Even throughout the show the woodwinds and brass are ‘competing’ against each other which goes with the boxing theme.” Mankinen, who represents the brass section, believes the fight scene is a crucial element in the marching show.  “[The fight scene] usually gets the crowd pumped up and draws the attention of the audience into the show,” Mankinen said. “The show is super unique and seeing the crowd react to an unconventional element of a marching show is really exciting.”  Caption and photo by Morgan Eye.
Band shines bright at Cap City
September 27, 2022
Pinocchio (2022) has been panned by multiple critics with many calling it an insult and asking Disney to stop making live action films all together.
'Pinocchio': A cursed live action
September 24, 2022
How the path to dear Grannys house may have looked, had this story taken place on our plane of existence. Credit to Josh Miller on Unsplash.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Little Red Ridinghood revisited
September 15, 2022
The promotional material for Coca-Colas new Dreamworld flavor reveal its unexpected color scheme and appeal to the existential.
Coke’s final Creation not quite a Dreamworld
September 12, 2022
Keke Palmer (Emerald Haywood), Daniel Kaluuya (OJ Haywood), and Steven Yeun (Jupe Park) star in Jordan Peeles new sci-fi thriller, Nope.
'Nope' gets a yes from me
September 9, 2022
Photo Galleries
ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES: Seniors Mira Wagner and Tyler Mankinen duke it out during the first moments of the final round at the Cap City Marching Competition. The 2022 marching show “Seeing Stars” gets its name from its boxing theme, and according to Wagner, who represents the woodwinds section, the early fight scene “definitely sets the tone.” “Right off the bat you see two people fighting so you know that this show is full of energy,” Wagner said.”  “Even throughout the show the woodwinds and brass are ‘competing’ against each other which goes with the boxing theme.” Mankinen, who represents the brass section, believes the fight scene is a crucial element in the marching show.  “[The fight scene] usually gets the crowd pumped up and draws the attention of the audience into the show,” Mankinen said. “The show is super unique and seeing the crowd react to an unconventional element of a marching show is really exciting.”  Caption and photo by Morgan Eye.
Band shines bright at Cap City
JoJo Barnard , Gaby Esquivel, Morgan Eye , Helen Martin, Devin Neal, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Elena Ulack, and Francie Wilhelm • September 27, 2022

The Mac band participated in the Capital City Marching Competition on Saturday performing its 2022 dynamic, boxing-themed show "Seeing Stars." The band played through intense...

During the first faculty meeting of the school year, principal Nicole Griffith welcomes new social studies teachers Jennifer Richter and Catherine ONeal.
New school year brings mix of young, veteran teachers
September 20, 2022
Senior Maya Cidale (Mal) alongside senior Kathryn Dooley (Evie), junior Henry Mayes (Carlos) and senior Anderson Zoll (Jay) perform Ways to be Wicked, a number in which the four evils reunite to take over Auradon. For Cidale, developing her character was a significant aspect of her rehearsal process. “It was actually a very interesting process finding my version of Mal,” Cidale said.  “I started off by pretending to be Regina George if she had magic on her side, but then I took a closer look at how all of the iconic mean girls achieved that status. I realized it was all about making people second guess themselves. From that realization, I stemmed every tactic from wanting people to question what they know is right.” Reporting by Alice Scott. Photo by Meredith Grotevant.
'Descendants' brings Disney magic to life
September 13, 2022
FOCUSED: A lot of my moms work consists of her working from home, and that means meetings. While some are on the phone and some are on Zoom, they still require intense focus. As I watch her in this meeting, I can see how she is really paying attention to whatever is going on, and I know that once shes done, the light will go off, and we can hopefully hang out.
Love, labor and the little moments
September 6, 2022
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE: For senior Jack Stites, walking across the field as one of four captains during Thursdays game couldnt be more rewarding. “It feels like a lot of hard work paid off,” Stites said. “Ive spent a lot of time over the past three years preparing for this.” Before every football game, the chosen team captains for that game participate in the coin toss. The toss determines who kicks off and which side of the field the Knights will take first. Despite Thursdays loss,  Stites says there is nothing to do but learn from it. “We’re a young team,” Stites said. “We knew we would have to take this as a learning experience.”
Taco Shack 2022 offers a full range of emotions
August 30, 2022
UNDER THE UMBRELLA: Junior Wilson Corbitt heads toward his dad’s car near the portables during Monday afternoon’s rainstorm. Corbitt faired better than some students, having the forethought to bring an umbrella to school. “In that moment I thought ‘I bet you all thought I was crazy for bringing an umbrella on a sunny day,’” Corbitt said. His intuition proved right, but Corbitt connects this occurrence to a larger issue facing Austin and the planet. “Every year the weather in Texas gets more and more unpredictable and severe due to climate change,” Corbitt said. “And that’s coming off the back of one of the hottest summers on record where today was the first day since May under 90 degrees, which is making it progressively difficult to tell what might happen.” Reporting by Alice Scott.
Flash flood strikes Austin as school dismisses Monday
August 23, 2022
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Orchestra director Ricky Pringle helps a sixth grader in the fifth-period beginner cello and bass class at Lamar Middle School learn notes and finger position.

Budget constraints force Mac orchestra directors to take over Lamar Middle School program • 390 Views

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CHEMISTRY STRESS: After finishing her world history final sophomore Ellie Knoll already begins studying for her chemistry final which is the next day. Finals have been going on all week and its really stressing students out. “I’ve never been very good at chemistry so I just tried to write down as much as I could, but I still don’t know if it’ll be enough.”

McCallum adopts new final exam incentive policy • 356 Views

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A LEARNING EXPERIENCE: For senior Jack Stites, walking across the field as one of four captains during Thursdays game couldnt be more rewarding. “It feels like a lot of hard work paid off,” Stites said. “Ive spent a lot of time over the past three years preparing for this.” Before every football game, the chosen team captains for that game participate in the coin toss. The toss determines who kicks off and which side of the field the Knights will take first. Despite Thursdays loss,  Stites says there is nothing to do but learn from it. “We’re a young team,” Stites said. “We knew we would have to take this as a learning experience.”

Taco Shack 2022 offers a full range of emotions • 336 Views

4
Lexi Rosenblatt surveys the Jaguar side of the court during the third set of the varsitys sweep of LBJ on Sept. 2.

Rosenblatt rises above • 249 Views

5
SENIOR SEASON: Decked out in their jerseys, senior Parker Mitchell takes a photo of senior Sophia Kramer and friends before the first day of school in the senior parking lot. The night before, the class of ‘23 decorated their cars to show their senior pride going into their last year of high school. “It’s tradition for seniors to come and take [pictures] the morning before the first day of school,” Kramer said. “Being able to share that memory together is definitely bittersweet. I’m super excited for this year but I am anticipating all the lasts.” Reporting by Alice Scott.

Welcome back to Mac • 243 Views

6
Senior Maya Cidale (Mal) alongside senior Kathryn Dooley (Evie), junior Henry Mayes (Carlos) and senior Anderson Zoll (Jay) perform Ways to be Wicked, a number in which the four evils reunite to take over Auradon. For Cidale, developing her character was a significant aspect of her rehearsal process. “It was actually a very interesting process finding my version of Mal,” Cidale said.  “I started off by pretending to be Regina George if she had magic on her side, but then I took a closer look at how all of the iconic mean girls achieved that status. I realized it was all about making people second guess themselves. From that realization, I stemmed every tactic from wanting people to question what they know is right.” Reporting by Alice Scott. Photo by Meredith Grotevant.

‘Descendants’ brings Disney magic to life • 223 Views

7
During the first faculty meeting of the school year, principal Nicole Griffith welcomes new social studies teachers Jennifer Richter and Catherine ONeal.

New school year brings mix of young, veteran teachers • 206 Views

8
Ceiling panels bloat and sink, forming brown rings due to water damage in room 113 as Ashley Friedman teaches her AP World History class during sixth period on Tuesday.

Torrential rain leads to costly ruin • 199 Views

9
Knight adviser Frank Webster discusses with Shield co-editor-in-chief Evie Barnard while covering the Taco Shack pep rally. Only two weeks into school and Webster has already jumped into helping with coverage coordination.

Back to the beginning • 188 Views

10
UNDER THE UMBRELLA: Junior Wilson Corbitt heads toward his dad’s car near the portables during Monday afternoon’s rainstorm. Corbitt faired better than some students, having the forethought to bring an umbrella to school. “In that moment I thought ‘I bet you all thought I was crazy for bringing an umbrella on a sunny day,’” Corbitt said. His intuition proved right, but Corbitt connects this occurrence to a larger issue facing Austin and the planet. “Every year the weather in Texas gets more and more unpredictable and severe due to climate change,” Corbitt said. “And that’s coming off the back of one of the hottest summers on record where today was the first day since May under 90 degrees, which is making it progressively difficult to tell what might happen.” Reporting by Alice Scott.

Flash flood strikes Austin as school dismisses Monday • 184 Views

The Mac drumline continued its recent tradition today by kicking off the first faculty meeting of the school year with a five-minute-long performance that brought the faculty to its feet in appreciation.
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  • McCallum High School
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    A&M Consolidated
    4
    Mar 29 / Girls Soccer
  • McCallum High School
    1
    Weiss
    2
    Mar 24 / Boys Soccer
  • McCallum High School
    2
    Anderson
    1
    Mar 12 / Boys Soccer
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    LASA
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    Mar 9 / Boys Soccer
  • McCallum High School
    1
    Crockett
    1
    Mar 5 / Boys Soccer
  • McCallum High School
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    Llano
    13
    Mar 5 / Softball
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    8
    Akins
    7
    Mar 5 / Baseball
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    East View
    4
    Mar 4 / Baseball
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    Del Valle
    0
    Mar 4 / Baseball
  • McCallum High School
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    Sonora
    10
    Mar 3 / Softball
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