On the one year anniversary of the first cases of COVID-19 in Austin, Texas, and the cancellation of AISD schools before spring break of 2020, McCallum students reflect on their last day of pre-pandemic life.

“I was just talking to my friends in the hallway, getting ready to go to class, and I was talking to the teachers,” freshman Serena Galloway-Mark said. “It was just like a normal day.”

A busy day at McCallum and other schools across the district, students were preparing for UIL competitions, going on field trips and participating in various sporting events.

“I remember having a great win against College Station,” senior Trini De La Garza said, referring to McCallum’s participation in the Leander ISD 2020 Baseball Tournament. “Seeing everybody step up, was great for everyone as far as confidence building.” 

Expecting to return to school the next day, on Friday March 13, students woke up to the news that the virus had reached Austin, and that schools would be closed early for spring break.

“I remember waking up super early, and I was like ‘I do not want to be up this early,’ senior Ari Miller-Fortman said. “And then I remember looking at my phone and getting a bunch of news messages saying that there were, I think it was two COVID cases in Austin and that they had cancelled school.”

The initial cancellation of schools was extended as cases rose and public health conditions worsened throughout the city.

“In the beginning, it was kind of fun. It was just like ‘Oh, extra days of spring break,’” junior Wynter Winston said. “But then it went a month, and then another month, and then it went through the next school year, and now we’re sitting here at a year.”

The time spent quarantining from the COVID-19 pandemic had caused students to consider how they have changed and what has become most important.

“Just live life to the fullest,” Galloway-Mark said. “Because you never know when something might happen and you can’t anymore.”

— with reporting by Kate Boyle, Anna McClellan and Grace Nugent

A March 12 and 13, 2020, gallery

GUARDIANS OF OUR GALAXY

The custodial staff begins a deep clean of the Mac campus on March 13 by wiping down the tables in the cafeteria. Originally the deep clean was to take place during spring break, but because of the districtwide cancellation on the Friday before spring break, administrators decided to start the deep clean on March 13 instead. Assistant principal Gabe Reyes urged all teachers to make their classrooms ready for the deep clean by 10 a.m. today. Photo by Dave Winter.

KICKING SOME SERIOUS GRASS

The MacTheatre UIL one-act play, “The Grass Harp,” enjoyed success on Wednesday March 11 in district competition at Dripping Springs. The play earned an excellent rating from all three judges, and multiple students garnered individual awards. Freshman Finn Sewell McCann and Clarissa Castro were named honorable mentions all-star cast members. “It was a really cool bonding experience,” Sewell McCann said. “It was also really stressful because we were going against seniors, but I thought it was a good time.” Augustine Ugarte was awarded the All-Star Tech Award along with crew members from eight other schools. “I really enjoy UIL,” Ugarte said. “It’s very fun to watch other’s shows. It’s really a bonding moment in theatre.” Lauren Ryan Holt, who was the protago received the All-Star Cast Award. “That just means that the judges saw her character as an all-star character, and I totally agree,” Sewell McCann said. Reporting by Josie Bradsby and Lydia Reedy. Caption by Caleb Melville.

LUNCH AND LIT

Pearl Heinley, Ginger Bolton, Viv Osterweil and Ella Glass were repping Excalibur merch during lunch on March 12 in the main hallway. The staff sold T-shirts to promote the Excali-Gala, the release party for the magazine, which was scheduled to take place later in then not-yet-canceled semester. Photo by Dave Winter.

BURGER BOYS (1 of 2)

At the same event, junior Andres Rodriguez cleared 16 feet in the JV long jump, nearly reaching the personal best of 16 feet, 5.75 inches he established at the St. Andrew’s School Relays on Feb. 29. Photo by Gabby Sherwood.

BURGER BOYS (2 of 2)

At the Austin Relays at Burger Stadium on Thursday, junior Luke Allen (top) finished fourth in the JV 400 meters with a personal-best time of 2:13.54. Photo by Camille Wilson.

EVERYONE SKIP DAY

As the custodial staff began a deep clean of an unexpectedly empty campus on Friday, seniors learned that their intended Senior Skip Day wasn’t a skip day at all. Friday the 13th was supposed to be the last day of school before spring break and “Senior Skip Day.” Like many seniors, Molly Gardner awoke to the very unsettling news. “When I woke up to a text from my dad saying today turned into everybody’s skip day, it made my blood boil in the pettiest way possible,” Gardner said. “It really saddens me that our senior class doesn’t get to celebrate our last year of high school, but with that said, all precautions that are being taken are not just for the safety of seniors but for everybody.”

FIELD(ING) DAY

Senior Cole Davis unleashes a pitch during the Knights’ 6-1 win over the College Station Cougars. Davis struck out four over two scoreless innings to start the game before yielding the mound to Fabian Castillo who pitched the final five innings. Davis said the Knights had one goal in the game: “to show the world that we can compete with and beat the best.” Mission accomplished. “We went out there and didn’t let off the pedal.” In addition to setting the tone early on the mound, Davis helped his team at the plate. He was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and all four of his plate appearances were quality at-bats, meaning he made the pitcher throw three pitches after he had two strikes, made the pitcher throw six pitches during the at-bat, had an extra base hits, hit the ball hard, walked or executed a successful sacrifice. Against Akins on March 7, Davis drove in three runs with a double and three bases on balls. In the season-opening win over Fredericksburg, Davis went 3-for-4. Photo by Grace Nugent.

CASTILLO’S COMMAND

Junior Fabian Castillo took the mound in the bottom of the third with a one-run lead. When his first pitch was hit for a game-tying home run, Castillo did not panic. “I had confidence because I knew Coach trusted me to let me pitch the five innings, and that I did,” Castillo said. After giving up the home run, Castillo threw 70 percent of his pitches for strikes and shut the vaunted Cougar bats down, allowing only one more hit and walking no one. Junior shortstop Trinidad De La Garza said that he was “very impressed with Fabian stepping up and pulling us through ... to a win.” It was the last game the Knights would play as COVID-19 wiped out the district season, where the Knights had hoped to earn their 10th straight district title, and what the team hoped would be a long state playoff run. “At least our last game was one of triumphant victory,” De La Garza said, “and one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever seen.” Photo by Grace Nugent.

LEARNING ABOUT DRUNK DRIVING ALA CARTE

Health students during sixth period on Thursday March 12 participated in a drunk driving simulation that taught them in a fun way how alcohol consumption inhibits one’s ability to drive. The drunk driving simulation contained multiple activities for students to learn more about dangers of drunk driving in a safe way. “The goggles were supposed to simulate being drunk,” senior Zach Allen said. “We had to drive these golf carts through cones, and everyone was having so much fun.” The activity is a staple of Nancy Searle’s health class during normal times, but the pandemic started the next day, and the simulation and most of the students haven’t been back to campus since. Photo by Lindsey Plotkin.

TOEING THE LINE

During the sixth period health class on March 12, 2020, students participated in a drunk driving simulation in the parking lot outside McCallum. The activity has students wearing goggles, and practicing alcohol intoxication tests where they walked down a straight line in different patterns. “It was really fun because we were all just out in the parking lot laughing,” senior Lindsey Plotkin said. “We were making fun of each other, doing the drunk driver thing, and playing with the goggles.”

A SOBERING EXERCISE

Preparing to simulate driving while intoxicated, then junior Hannah Zuniga adjusts her goggles for the drunk driving lesson in her health class. The activity had students practice sobriety tests and drive golf carts through cones in the McCallum parking lot while wearing goggles meant to simulate the effects of alcohol on a person. Photo by Lindsey Plotking.

FOUR-FOR-FOUR WHEEL DRIVE

On March 12, the day before the first COVID-19 case was detected in Austin, the team played and won what would be their last game of the season against nationally ranked College Station. There were several standout players in the game. Senior Marc Juarez keyed a three-run fourth inning with a line drive single that drove in two runs. Junior Trini De La Garza, shown her, went 4-for-4, and junior Easton Salinas, 3-for-4. Junior Connor Boggs belted a solo home run. Senior Cole Davis threw two shutout inning to start the game. Junior Fabian Castillo pitched five innings in relief of Davis. After giving up a home run to the first batter he faced, he threw shutout ball, allowing only one hit and walking no one with two strikeouts. “I was very impressed with Fabian stepping up,” De La Garza said. “[It was] one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever seen.” Photo by Grace Nugent.

THE MOST ACCURATE FILM TITLE EVER

During a class assignment in film, Erik Jensen, Quinn Lawrence-Sanderson, Jude Gravois and Dylan Hildebrandt produced and directed a short film entitled “Win for Me.” "It was really a big collaborative effort," Lawrence-Severson said. "Erik Jensen wrote it, and two of my other classmates, Jude Gravois and Dylan Hyldebrant, produced and directed it, and I was the cinematographer for it." These students took their film to the Boulder International Film Festival in Boulder, Colo., where it won the award for best cinematography. “I really wasn't expecting it at all,” Lawrence-Severson said. “The way it worked out, there were a lot of local [Colorado] schools who submitted. We were some of the only people from out of state, so winning an award there was definitely a little unusual, but it meant a lot.” Reporting by Josie Bradsby and Lydia Reedy. Caption by Caleb Melville. Photo courtesy of Ken Rogers.

PLEASED TO MEET YOU

The boys track team poses for a team photo on March 12, the last day they would compete before COVID-19 shut the season down. Front row: Anthony Hernandez, Edward Johnson, Jacob Verostegy, Charlie Weatherby. Row 2: Eric Thatcher, Andres Rodriguez, Jake Hissey, Erik Lopez, Demetrius McClarin-Martinez, Santiago Ortiz, Jonathan Porter. Back row: Cash Robinson, Bodhi Tripathi, O’mari Hill, Chris Riley, Max Pipkin, Xavier Hutson, Luke Allen, Colby Jones, Thomas Melina-Raab. Some season highlights: Junior O’mari Hill took first place in the boys varsity high jump with a personal best 5 feet, 10 inches at the Giddings Invitational Track Meet on March 6. Alvino Carbajal placed third in varsity shot put at the same meet with a personal best 46 feet, 2 inches. Chris Riley and Ian Clennan both ran personal-best times in the varsity 3,200 meters with Riley finishing second at 9:55.72 and Clennan, fifth, at 10:18.86. Riley also placed third in the 1,600 meters. Bryn Lewis finished second n men’s junior varsity triple jump at the AISD Invitational Meet on March 12 with a personal-best jump of 39 feet even. The district, region and state meets were canceled because of health concerns about COVID-19. Photo by Olivia Escalante

BUT THERE'S A CATCH

Examining the squid in her classmate’s hand, freshman Serena Galloway-Mark studies aquatic life on her marine biology field trip from Kealing Middle School. The class departed for Port Aransas on March 12, and were scheduled to stay the next day, but returned home early the following morning due to concerns of COVID-19 in Austin. “We spent the night in Port Aransas and the next morning we got a call at like 6 a.m. that we had to come back early.” Galloway-Mark said. “We were like ‘why do we have to come back early?' And they were saying that basically, school was cancelled. So we had to go back, and then we never came back to school.”

SOCIAL DISTANCING FOR MILES AND MILES

Just north and west of the UT campus, the traffic on MoPac near 35th Street at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday was so light that this motorcyclist turned the state highway into a practice track for wheelies. Photo by Dave Winter.

JUMPING FOR FIRST

During the Austin Relays on Thursday, freshman Jolie Gabriel clears the bar during the JV high jump, which she won. “The whole day was just very exciting but very hot,” Gabriel said. “It was nice to be able to see all the AISD schools at once. I was able to PR in two of my events (high jump and 100-meter hurdles) and I was very close to PRing in my third (long jump). I got first place in high jump and got a height I have never jumped before, even in practice (4 feet, 8 inches). For me, I felt like this was a very successful meet to unexpectedly be the last one of the season.” Photo by Camille Wilson.

PASSING THE BATON

Sophomore Jake Hissey passes the baton to junior Daniel Duenas during the JV 4x100 relay at the AISD Invitational Meet. At the Giddings Buff Relays on March 6, Hissey was first in the JV high jump at a PR 5 feet, 8 inches and Duenas second in the JV long jump at a PR 17 feet, 11.25 inches. Photo by Olivia Escalante.

POLE POSITION

At the Austin Relays on Thursday at Burger Stadium, sophomore Charlotte Stevens clears the bar at nine feet en route to a first place finish in the JV competition. It was her second first-place finish of the season. She beat her nearest competitor by two feet. Stevens also enjoyed top 10 finishes and personal bests in the 200 meters, the 300-meter hurdles and the high jump. Photo by Olivia Escalante.

ENDING WITH A BANG

Coach Brandon Grant leads his team in the “Yes chant” to celebrate Mac’s 6-1 win over College Station. The Cougars were state champions in 2014 and boasted two D1-bound pitchers, but the Knights didn’t let their opponent’s pedigree intimidate them. After two innings, the game was scoreless, but in the top of the third inning, junior shortstop Trinidad de la Garza doubled to bring home senior outfielder Jacob Castillo with the game’s first run. College Station answered in the bottom of the third with a game-tying home run to left field off relief pitcher Fabian Castillo’s first pitch of the game. But Castillo and the Knights steadied after the blast and turned the game forever in their favor with a three-run fourth inning, keyed by a two-run single by senior Marc Juarez. The final blow to College Station’s hopes came in the top of the seventh inning as junior Connor Boggs homered on a line drive to left field bringing in De la Garza for a decisive 6-1 victory. For Coach Grant, the game was more than just a win; it was a demonstration of what the team was capable of accomplishing when they put in hard work and play with determination and confidence. Photo by Grace Nugent.