During Thanksgiving Break, McCallum students traveled far and wide, from New Orleans to New York, encountering everything from picturesque beaches to Hawaiian volcanoes. From brief road trips to epic treks, McCallum students learned about everything from marine animals to the history of the Texan Revolution.  One could suppose these odysseys proof enough that, as Gandalf wrote to Frodo in Lord of the Rings, “not all who wander are lost.”

We are proud to present a collection of student images from Thanksgiving Break as this week’s Tuesday Top 10.

A BIRTHDAY BASH IN BATON ROUGE: For freshman Lotus Morrison Thanksgiving break offered the perfect opportunity to celebrate more than just what she was thankful for. Morrison visited Baton Rouge, La., with her grandparents in celebration of her recent birthday.

“It was super special because I don’t get to spend much time with my grandparents,” Morrison said. “I wanted to go back after I had so much fun the first time back in 2021.”

Morrison got the chance to visit restaurants, exclusions and see an LSU game while on her birthday bash away from home.

“My favorite part was getting to hold baby alligators,” Morrison said.

Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo courtesy of Lotus Morrison.

A STEEP (JAW) DROP: Mac alums Annabel (2022) and Henry (2020) Winter sit atop the Doe Mountain Summit in Sedona, Ariz. Over Thanksgiving break, newspaper adviser Dave Winter traveled to Arizona to spend the holiday with his family of four. His son already lives there because of work, and his daughter came from Arkansas to traverse enjoy the sights and hike the trails as well. 

“My wife and I had never been to the Grand Canyon,” Winter said. “During spring break, Henry and Annabel went there together without us parents.”

Winter said he had been looking forward to this vis​​it and was overjoyed once he arrived. This wasn’t his first time in Arizona, but he had never seen anything quite as jaw dropping as the Grand Canyon.

“You learn in U.S. history class about how amazingly gorgeous and beautiful the West is in the United States, and how it kind of gives you this idea of American exceptionality,” Winter said.  “You think it’s all not true until you’re actually there and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is really gorgeous.’ You just feel like there’s probably no place like it.”

Winter explained how special it was to be able to see it in person. 

“Nothing that you could see that would be a vicarious experience can do justice to what it feels like to just be there,” Winter said. “It’s inexplicable. I believe in the power of photography, but I don’t believe that a photo can capture the beauty of the Grand Canyon. It’s like every time I took a picture and looked at the screen it was like, ‘Nope. It doesn’t capture it, not even close.’”

Getting to spend quality time with his family was also a highlight of Winter’s trip. 

“Us getting together as a family meant everything because both of my kids have moved out of the house and they’re onto the next chapter of their lives,” Winter said. “When they were younger, it was like this magic thing happened where we all got along when we went on vacation. We have all these great pictures of them together on vacation and they’re arm-and-arm. That doesn’t happen anymore, because we don’t live together all the time.”

Even though Winter misses his kids, he’s grateful that they are able to get back together and visit, despite being states apart. Having his children out of the house, Winter is left to decide what the rest of his travels will look like.

“I guess I’m looking forward to the time in my life when my wife and I don’t have all the responsibilities that we have had for a long time, and we’re able to just go somewhere,” Winter said. “I could see us going back to Arizona just because it would be a good place to go on an adventure together. As long as my son’s there, we’re gonna go just to see him.”

Caption by Carlo Hinsdale. Photo by Dave Winter.

A BREAK PACKED FULL: For junior Ava Dallesandro, Thanksgiving break was the opportunity to do everything. While on the day of Thanksgiving she stayed home and had dinner with her family, she used the majority of time off to visit friends and family and vacation. Part of Dallesandro’s packed full week was visiting Port Aransas. 

Dallesandro visited the beach with her friends and family friends, something that was memorable to her since she didn’t always have the opportunity to travel with the group. 

“We watched the sunrise on the beach at 6:30 a.m. and went back at midnight to mess around in the water,” Dallesandro said. “We went shopping and I got to run in the mornings around the beach.” 

The next leg of Dallesandro’s break was a visit to Dallas for a three-day college showcase. While the visit was for bettering her soccer career, she was able to also meet a friend from Pflugerville who was at the same event.

“I hadn’t seen her in a while so that was super nice,” Dallesandro said. “I also ended up having my own hotel room for a night, which was such a nice reset after a busy day of driving and being around people.” 

While Dallesandro made her rounds around Texas she finished her week by seeing the new Wicked movie. Moments of rest and relaxation, like these, were momentous according to Dallesandro. 

“This break was special to me because junior year has been nothing but work and stress,” Dallesandro said. “And this was just a much-needed break. None of it involved school work and that was so refreshing, I got to spend my energy on things I wanted to and was passionate about as opposed to worrying about my next assignment.” 

Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Ava Dallesandro.

THANKFUL FOR FLATONIA: This Thanksgiving, like many in the past, Junior Max Satterwhite spent his at his grandparents’ ranch outside of Flatonia, Texas. Satterwhite has enjoyed going there for numerous years and feels calm away from Austin.

“It’s a great place to be during Thanksgiving break as it’s very peaceful away from the city,” Satterwhite said. “It’s always fun to relax in the country with family while watching football.” 

Out in the country, with not much city around, Satterwhite likes to connect with the nature around him.

“I like to walk down by the dry creeks, and sit by the fire at night,” Satterwhite said. 

His grandparents have owned the ranch for around 15 years, and his family has made use of it ever since he was little, and has made long-lasting memories every trip. 

“We’ve been going there since I can remember,” Satterwhite said. “Eating my grandmother’s amazing cooking at a big table with my whole family makes every Thanksgiving memorable.” 

Caption by Priya Thoppil. Photo by Max Satterwhite. 

FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS: Junior Jacob Mikesh visited Goliad, Texas, over Thanksgiving Break, a city rich in historical significance as a major battle site of the Texan Revolution. The city was the site of the Goliad massacre, in which several hundred Texan soldiers were slaughtered on the orders of then-President of Mexico Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Twenty soldiers were spared execution due to the intercession of Francita Alavez, wife to one of the commanding officers who carried out the massacre. Alavez would become known as the “Angel of Goliad.”

Mikesh said he found the historical eminence of the site especially compelling. 

“We stayed in an old fort in Goliad, and it was really interesting because I learned about Texas history during the revolutionary period,” Mikesh said.

Mikesh noted that the architectural nature of the fort gave him a new appreciation for human creative capabilities.

“It was really fascinating being able to walk around the fort and really appreciate how we can build things and to be almost a part of history,” Mikesh said.

Caption by Beatrix Lozach. Photo by Jacob Mikesh.

SMILING IN THE SNOW: Sophomore Max Turner stands in the snow while visiting Eagle Nest, New Mexico, during Thanksgiving break.

With a climate extremely different from central Texas, Turner was happy to experience the winter snow. 

“It is very fun in [Eagle Nest] and I had a lot of fun,” Turner said. “I like the cold and it is very beautiful.”

Turner spent his time in New Mexico relaxing and taking a break from the busy school schedule.

“I saw my family and ate lots of yummy foods,” Turner said. “I watched movies with my dad.”

While it wasn’t Turner’s first time in Eagle Nest, he said he would love to go back.

Caption by Nate Williams. Photo by Max Turner.

ISLAND THANKSGIVING: Sophomore Mia Foster smiles next to the volcano warning sign in Hawaii during Thanksgiving break. Foster and her family travelled to the island to visit national parks, scuba dive and enjoy the beach. Although the travel time to get there was long, Foster thinks the trip was worth it. 

According to Foster, it was nice to spend time with family while embarking on scuba diving adventures. She was excited to see lots of different sea creatures, such as clownfish and moorish idols. 

“Having the experience to go, and to finally go on a vacation with my dad and us being able to bond and scuba dive [stood out to me],” Foster said. “It was really cool to be able to go underwater and see creatures that you wouldn’t be able to see in an aquarium.” 

In addition to scuba diving, Foster also hiked in the national park there. Foster saw an active volcano and lots of sulfur crystals. Foster wishes to visit the island again someday. 

“I love it there,” Foster said. “I miss it already.” 

Caption by Riley Pita. Photo by Mia Foster.

TRIP TO THE BIG APPLE: This Thanksgiving break, sophomore Aubrey Macedo visited New York city with her parents. She kept herself busy by visiting The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, and other famous spots.

“I visited the Rockefeller Center, Jellycat Diner and Oprah Winfrey’s top cafe,” Macedo said. “Central Park was my favorite place I went to because it was cool but not too cold. The leaves were changing color and it was very nice and pretty.”

Caption by Delaney Lavelle. Photo by Aubrey Macedo.

PRACTICE MAKES POINTS: After scoring her 1000th point during the Knights’ game vs. Georgetown the Monday of Thanksgiving break, Senior Emy Chen celebrates with other members of the basketball program. Although a top scorer on the varsity girls’ team, Chen said the news came as a surprise. 

“I knew coming into the season that I would get to 1,000 points, but I didn’t realize that it happened until after Coach Kehn called timeout during the game,” Chen said.

For Chen, the milestone was a reflection point to measure her appreciation for the game and her progress within it.

“What 1,000 points represents for me as a player is all the hours of work spent in the offseason practicing,” Chen said. “It’s really been a lifelong love of competing and playing basketball.”

Caption by Noah Braun. Photo by Harper Maxwell.

WHERE THERE’S A BROAD, THERE’S A WAY: Sophomore theatre major Delilah Grad went to New York over Thanksgiving Break to see a slew of Broadway shows, such as The Notebook, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, and Sunset Boulevard. A big highlight was Grad being able to see her friend and budding Broadway starlet Anna Zavelson in the production of The Notebook.

Zavelson, a Zach Pre-Professional Company alumnus, 2022 Jimmy Awards finalist, and Austin native, created a stir in the Austin theatre community last year when she landed the role of Clara in the NY City Center Encores’ production of The Light in the Piazza, making her Broadway debut. Recently, she took over the role of Younger Allie in The Notebook. But Grad knew Zavelson long before her success in the Big Apple. According to Grad, she met Zavelson when they starred together in a production of Les Miserables.

During that show, I was in third grade and she was in eigth so I’ve known her for about seven or eight years,” Grad said. “It is so incredibly powerful to see someone that I’ve known, and someone who has inspired me for so long, playing a lead in a Broadway show!”

Grad gushed over her friend’s talent, and noted that Zavelson’s success motivated her to pursue her own musical theatre dreams.

“It was magical to see how brightly she shined up there on the stage of The Notebook and how much joy it brought to her and everyone watching,” Grad said. “She inspired me to think that someday I, as well as my other performing friends, can make it there too.”

Caption by Beatrix Lozach. Photo by Delilah Grad.

OFF TO THE COUNTRY’S CAPITOL: Sophomore Fletcher Vandegrift visits the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. Over Thanksgiving break, Vandegrift travelled with his family to the nation’s capital on the way to see his extended family in Charlottesville, exploring many of the nation’s famous monuments.

Vandegrift said he enjoyed seeing all the national museums.

“It was legendary,” Vandegrift said. “We went to all three Smithsonian museums, we saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial. We didn’t see the Jefferson Memorial although I wish I would have.”

Vandegrift’s favorite part of the trip, however, was visiting the Arlington Cemetery.

“I saw the Tomb of the Undead Soldier and the JFK Memorial,” Vandegrift said.

Although this wasn’t Vandegrift’s first ever time in D.C., it was his first time spending a lot of time touring the city.

“I happened to be in Washington D.C. before, but it was just for [my older sister] Vaughn’s volleyball tournament,” Vandegrift said. “It was my first time actually visiting to go see things.”

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Fletcher Vandegrift.