A scenic hike around McCallum
A photographic tour around our beloved 69 year old school, rich with nature, history and community
January 26, 2022
Nov. 18, 2021
Although McCallum’s relative lack of renovations since it first opened for business in 1953 does mean the building has infrastructural issues, it also means that the nature and scenery on 5600 Sunshine Drive has remained relatively unchanged for nearly 70 years. The untouched central Texas nature as well as nostalgic architectural styles of the past highlight the often overlooked charm of our school. Photo by Caroline Owen.
Nov. 20, 2021 and Jan. 13, 2022
Often called “The” Tree, the giant oak next to the soccer field is a staple of the Mac landscape yearound, whether it’s lush and green or deciduous and frigid. Photos by Caroline Owen.
Nov. 30, 2021
Although relatively new, the row of murals behind the outdoor stage have already become a centerpiece of McCallum’s art repertoire. They add a colorful, refreshing flare to the vast, once bare brick wall that was practically begging for artwork. Photo by Caroline Owen.
Jan. 13, 2022
Providing shade and ambiance for the picnic tables and walkway below, the sycamore in the courtyard across from the cafeteria acts as a functional but attractive canopy over this popular dining spot. Photo by Caroline Owen.
Oct. 19, 2021
Although the entire celestial sphere doesn’t technically belong to McCallum, we can’t forget to mention the Texas sky when it comes to scenery on campus. Even if you just choose the outside route to get some fresh air during the passing period, the big, vibrant, firmament above never seems to disappoint-even if you’re looking from asphalt between the math and science halls. Photo by Kenta Asazu.
Nov. 19, 2021
The courtyard right beside the breezeway is undoubtedly the primary outdoor social spot on campus not only because of the ample seating and shade, but because of the nature. Surrounded by both small and mature trees as well as other shrubbery, the courtyard provides a shaded and scenic corner of campus for students to gather. Photo by Camilla Vandegrift.
Nov. 30, 2021
The patterned concrete wall behind the field house is an architectural gem on campus that often goes unnoticed. The brickwork and the greenery sprawling through the gaps makes this corner of campus unique, retro and representative of the building’s elements of mid-century architecture. Photo by Liv Tornbjerg.
Nov. 19, 2021
Although hidden corners of campus like this spot at the back of the building facing Grover are rarely acknowledged, the small, pleasant details become more noticeable upon second glance. The brickwork on the wall is a pattern seen all around campus, as are the giant trees. However, something about the architecture along with the small pockets of light in the grass left by gaps in the tree canopy is what makes this spot so interesting. Photo by Esme Ostrow.
Nov. 18, 2021
The view from the back of the band hall, peering out on the recreational field, where students like to sit with friends and play soccer, the tennis courts, and Grover Avenue, a popular street to park on. The tall, modern apartment complex, “The Pearl,” is a relatively new neighbor to McCallum, existing since 2020. Its prominent palm trees can be seen from behind the band hall. To the far left, lies the blue, red and grey empty building which was once Dart Bowl- the beloved bowling alley that didn’t survive past 2020. Photo by Caroline Owen.
Nov. 2, 2021
An outside view of the fine arts building, which contains the art classrooms, an art gallery, the fanciest bathrooms in the school, and the theater, which are all very important to the McCallum community. The wide-open fine arts building also serves as a voting location and recently as an AISD Covid-19 testing location. Photo by Dave Winter.
![A PRIDE-FUL WEEK OF CELEBRATION:
As part of AISDs week-long celebration of PRIDE, students of the McCallum Spectrum Club worked to create a week full of activities, prizes and helping hands to support the schools LGBTQ+ community. The club is widely available for anyone to join, and specializes in creating a safe space for students to share and give advice. While Pride month itself isn’t until June, AISD designates one week in March to celebrate and commemorate the importance of this part of the student body.
As part of the week of festivities, the club held a booth in the front hall handing out pride stickers, pins and merch to passers by. For junior Zane Joly, the booth idea was brought up as a way for students to engage with one another, and connect with the community.
“I call out to people in the halls, ‘hey, do you want stickers?’” Joly said. “We just give out free pride stickers and sometimes other free pride merch to the students of Macallum because everybody likes pride stickers.”
While the week itself is packed with a variety of different activities, the overall goal is to bring students closer together and create a safer environment for self expression at McCallum.
“The idea for the student panel largely came from the black [history] student panel that is done during Black History Month,” Joly said. “And the idea for giving out free stuff was developed at Spectrum last year.”
Joly is not only a member of the Spectrum club, but also holds a leadership position giving them a more hands-on role with the projects and Pride Week activities.
“McCallum has a very high queer population,” Joly said. “I think Its nice that we get a chance to celebrate Pride because Pride Month is during the summer, and I think its just a nice thing for the community and getting to just celebrate it.”
While the merch table at lunch was only a small part of the numerous parts of McCallum’s Pride week, for Joly this small impact made all the difference.
“The purpose of Pride is to make people not feel alone and to make them feel safe,” Joly said. “The goal is [to make people] happy about a part of themselves that theyre often conditioned to not feel good about.”
Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Shila Gill.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/53597258192_6e7168d8ae_o-1-600x338.jpg)
![BACKGROUND IN THE BUSINESS: Dressed by junior designer Kaitlyn Gerrie, senior Chamila Muñoz took to the “Dreamland” runway this past weekend. While it was her first time participating in the McCallum fashion show, Muñoz isn’t new to the modeling world.
I modeled here and there when I was a lot younger, maybe five or six [years old] for some jewelry brands and small businesses, but not much in recent years,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz had hoped to participate in last year’s show but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. For her senior year, though, she couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by.
“It’s [modeling] something I haven’t done in a while so I was excited to step out of my comfort zone in a way,” Muñoz said. “I always love trying new things and being able to show off designs of my schoolmates is such an honor.”
The preparation process for the show was hectic, leaving the final reveal of Gerrie’s design until days before the show, but the moment Muñoz tried on the outfit, all the stress for both designer and model melted away.
“I didn’t get to try on my outfit until the day before, but the look on Kaitlyn’s face when she saw what she had worked so hard to make actually on a model was just so special,” Muñoz said. “I know it meant so much to her. But then she handed me a blindfold and told me I’d be walking with it on, so that was pretty wild.”
Caption by Francie Wilhelm.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53535098892_130167352f_o-600x400.jpg)
