On Sept. 8, 1953, A. N. McCallum High School, named after AISD’s third superintendent, opened its doors to the 1,336 students enrolled. They weren’t Knights yet because they hadn’t yet picked the mascot. The students would arrive at that decision during the school year.
Plans for a new high school were proposed in 1947, and were made official during a school board meeting on May 9, 1949. At the time, there was only one white high school in Austin, Austin High, which had been open since 1882 and was close to reaching 3,000 students, so the original purpose for McCallum (and also Travis to the South) was to help relieve overcrowding at Austin High. In the 70 years since McCallum opened its doors, its purpose has changed. It has shifted from an overflow center to a school that is a cornerstone of the North Austin community and home to a bustling Fine Arts Academy. To celebrate Mac’s birthday, we are proud to share how McCallum has evolved throughout the years for this week’s Tuesday Top 10.
Spaces
FRONT OF SCHOOL (1953, 2023): When the school first opened in 1953, there was no circle drive, as cars were less common. Over the year, trees, columns and a more prominent sign were added in an effort to make the front entrance of McCallum more inviting. Then photo from 1954 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
BACK OF SCHOOL (1953, 2023): If you were to stand exactly where the 1953 photographer took the previous picture, chances are you’d get hit by a baseball. Long gone are the open fields surrounding McCallum; in its place are fields with more specific uses including baseball, softball, soccer and football. Then photo from 1954 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
SOUTH VIEW OF GYM (1953, 2023): Now one of the most popular lunch spots, the courtyard has gone through its fair share of changes, too. Concrete steps make the space more accessible for lunch-goers, and of course the outdoor stage attached to the choir room is one thing of many that makes McCallum, McCallum. Then photo from 1954 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
CAFETERIA (1953, 2023): While the original 1953 photo features a cafeteria full of students, the modern 2023 photo shows the changes over time: windows and a mural of Austin’s skyline. Then photo from 1954 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
HALLWAY (1963, 2023): Despite the vast changes that have occurred across campus, the hallways remain exactly the same structurally. Only now, they are in worse shape with water damage stains on the ceiling tiles and leaks that occur when it rains. Then photo from 1963 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
Spirit
SPIRIT DAYS (1953, 2023): Still ever present in McCallum culture are spirit days before every football game, during homecoming week and throughout the year. On Feb. 26, 1953, McCallum celebrated its first Western Day. The two best-dressed students received tickets to the local rodeo. Although we might not go as far as riding a horse to school anymore, it’s safe to say Mac’s students still show up to spirit days in style. Then photo from 1953 yearbook. Now photo by Lola Guerrero Starling.
BATTLE OF THE BELL (1953, 2022): In 1953, the McCallum and Travis journalism departments purchased a locomotive bell for the two varsity football teams to fight over annually in the “Battle of the Bell.” For the past 12 years, McCallum has kept the bell and will compete to keep it again this year during the game against the Travis Rebels on Oct. 26. Then photo from the 1963 yearbook. 2022 photo by Dave Winter.
SENIOR CAR DECORATING (1963, 2023): The cars might look a little different, but the tradition of senior car decorating has lived on. The 1963 photo depicts Blue Brigade members decorating a car before a football game against Austin High, whom the Knights no longer play in football. Car decorating these days is less for football games and more for senior pride. Then photo from the 1963 yearbook. Now photo by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
HALLWAY DECORATING (1983, 2023): Of course, decorating the halls for various occasions has stayed. What would high school be without walking through halls with streamers hanging from the ceiling and balloons, decorating every nook and cranny? Then photo from the 1983 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
HOMECOMING MUMS (2000, 2022): Homecoming mums might seem strange to non-Texans, but at McCallum and throughout Texas, they are a tradition that spans the decades. What’s the point of the whole football game and anticipation for who will be on the court without the ribbons and ruffles? Texans may never find out. Then photo from the 2000 yearbook. Now photo by Naomi Di-Capua.
TACO SHACK BOWL (2013, 2023): Although McCallum’s rivalry with Anderson runs deep into the ’70s, the Taco Shack sponsorship of the annual game began in 2001. The last two rivalry games have proved to be less successful for McCallum than in years past, but the spirit that’s brought each year has remained constant. Then photo from the 2013 yearbook. Now photo by Julia Copas.
Student life
SECURITY GUARDS (1973, 2022): In the ’70s, our security guards patrolled the school by horse. These days they don’t ride horses, but they do come in police uniform. Then photo from the 1973 yearbook. Now photo by Sophie Leung-Lieu.
SHIELD ISSUES (1993, 2023): If you’ve read any of our Throwback Thursday articles pulled from our ’90s issues, you’ll know that the style and substance of Shield journalism has evolved quite a bit, but throughout the years, as these companion photos show, have been eager to read the latest issue. Then photo from the 1993 yearbook. Now photo by Dave Winter.
FASHION SHOW (2013, 2023): McCallum’s collective creativity has been expressed through the annual fashion show for many years. The biggest change? The styles. Then photo from the 2013 yearbook. Now photo by Morgan Eye.
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![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-1-1200x676.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-1200x800.jpg)
