John Hamlet

John Hamlet is everywhere. He’s on the football field on Friday nights with the marching band, he’s onstage with the symphonic and jazz bands, he’s in National Honor Society meetings, he’s sitting in the writing center ready to tutor, and he’s in room 115 with the Mac Christian Community. 

Although Hamlet wears many hats at McCallum, his favorite is the shako that comes with the marching band uniform.  “In my sophomore year, when we went to state, I really fell in love with marching band,” Hamlet said. “I love the community that comes with it, and the bond that we all form with each other.” 

Hamlet is a quadruple threat when it comes to instruments. He plays french horn in symphonic band, trombone and trumpet in jazz band, and mellophone in marching band. 

He was also a drum major in marching band this past year, which is a leadership role that, surprisingly, has nothing to do with the drums. “The drum majors are like the student directors of the band. We conduct the whole show and help the band stay in time while they’re marching and playing,” Hamlet explained. “It was so special to be able to come back and be a drum major this year and have another super successful season.”

Hamlet plans to continue his marching career in college. Through the Coordinated Admissions Program, Hamlet will attend UT San Antonio his freshman year, and then transfer to UT Austin his sophomore year. He looks forward to experiencing a smaller version of the University of Texas during his first year. “I’m excited about meeting other CAP students, learning what life in college is like, and being able to take a lot of my intro courses in classes that are less crowded than they would be at UT Austin.”

Hamlet plans to be a psychology major, driven by his desire to understand the minds of those in need in order to support and guide them. During band camp over the past summer, Hamlet had an encounter that sparked his interest in physycology. “One of the freshmen kept needing to sit out, so I would sit with her and make sure she was okay. We got close enough that she was able to open up to me,” Hamlet remembers. “That experience made me want to study psychology to be able to help more people that way.”

As he moves onto the next phase of his life, Hamlet knows he will reminisce about his high school years. ““I’m going to miss some of my amazing teachers, Friday night lights, marching band competitions, and pep rallies,” Hamlet said. “I’ll also miss my closest friends and the community I have at Mac.”

Band 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade 

State Finalist for marching band, 2021; 14th in state for marching band in 2019 Uniform 

Manager; Drum Major 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade +3

Baseball (9th,10th)

NHS (11th, 12th) 

Officer (12th)

Writing Center (12th)

McCallum Christian Community (10th, 11th, 12th) Leader (11th, 12th) 

Jazz Band (11th, 12th) Division 1 at the Temple College Jazz