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The Student News Site of McCallum High School

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The Student News Site of McCallum High School

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Knights ambush Trojans to reclaim Taco Shack trophy

Julie Robertson
August 31, 2016
Senior defensive back Ben Davis gets hyped up on the sidelines before the 2016 Taco Shack Bowl. The Knights won the 15th edition of the annual House Park rivalry game, 27-21, and brought the trophy home for the first time since 2013. Photo by Adrian Peña.
Senior defensive back Ben Davis gets hyped up on the sidelines before the 2016 Taco Shack Bowl. The Knights won the 15th edition of the annual House Park rivalry game, 27-21, and brought the trophy home for the first time since 2013. Photo by Adrian Peña.

The McCallum Knights varsity football team defeated the Anderson Trojans, 27-21, on Thursday Aug. 25 to reclaim the Taco Shack Bowl trophy for the first time in three years. With a strong start from the opening kickoff fueled by three Anderson turnovers, the McCallum Knights took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and a 27-7 lead at halftme. A tight second half had everyone on their feet as Anderson closed to within six points in the fourth quarter. The Knights literally ran out the clock down to the final minute to close out the game. Photos by Charlie Holden, Greg James, Tony Lavorgna, Madison Olsen, Mia Orrick, Adrian Pena, Jeff Rudy, Tedi Winn and Dave Winter.

The McCallum band performs the school fight song at the Taco Shack Bowl on Aug. 25, 2016. McCallum defeated rival Anderson, 27-21, to win the 15th edition of the annual grudge match between neighboring AISD schools. Photo by Jeff Rudy.

The MAC band and cheerleaders perform together at the first pep rally of the school year in the gym on Aug. 25, 2016. The Knights went on to win Taco Shack Bowl XV, 27-21, ending a two-game losing streak and winning the coveted Taco Shack Bowl trophy for the first time in three years. Video by Dave Winter.

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AN ABUNDANCE OF OPPORTUNITIES: Senior Harper Freach, a cello player in the chamber orchestra, plays the first movement of “Triptyque” by Yasushi Akutagawa, which they began practicing in August. Freach said she was nervous going into the concert, having recently focused on other pieces. “I was feeling pretty nervous because we hadn't played it for a while because we had been focused on pieces for another concert, so everyone was a little rusty,” Freach said. After the performances, the fine arts majors separated into smaller groups so that the audience could interact with whatever fine arts they were most interested in learning about. Freach’s younger sister is interested in the dance department, so they went into that group. “We went to the dance building and got to watch a bunch of different types of solos of all different dance types to show what you could audition with for your audition and got to talk to the dance teachers,” Freach said. Freach said she had a very different experience with orchestra before high school. “I went to a private school, and we had a very different way of playing, we would have to audition for actual seatings and chairs,” Freach said. “It's different because now you walk into orchestra, and you don't know what to expect. Pringle will either have you play for the class or play with a different section; it's just a very broad range, and you never know what you're going to get. I like it because it tests my abilities and tells me what I need to work on and sometimes shows that I can pick up on things faster than I thought I would be able to.” Freach’s advice for any new Knights is to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. “Any opportunity that you are presented with you should take it,” Freach said. “I couldn't do that my freshman year because we were still pretty shut down due to COVID. I was scared to try other things besides orchestra, but I regret not involving myself in other areas at McCallum where I could have possibly found my passion.” Caption by Shila Gill.
Inspiring aspiring artists
AS EASY AS PB&J: At the blindfold sandwich-making station, senior Zane Wiggins and Kai Talebi attempt to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The activity allowed students to experience the mundane task without sight. Wiggins found that the simple activity turned into a challenge in almost every aspect of the process. "It was pretty rough," he said. "My bread wasn’t put together properly, and I put my jelly right next to my plate and not on the plate, it was really difficult. I was expecting it to be easier than it was cause I'd made sandwiches all my life, and I thought 'I can do this from muscle memory,' but it was a lot harder than I thought, and it makes you not take your sight for granted. Access to your sight makes things so much easier." Since students participating are used to having full sight, it was difficult to adapt to the sudden loss of a sense. "I had to kind of guess where things were and the plate was moving a lot," he said. "Every time I would reach for the plate it would be in a different location, so I kind of had to feel around for everything." Along with that, Wiggins had to work together with Talebi to communicate to communicate which ingredient he needed next. "I had to share the peanut butter and the jelly with Kai, so we had to coordinate with each other on who gets what first," he said. "I knew Kai was right next to me, but it was hard to know where her hands were. We had to find each other's arm and make our way up to pass the ingredients." Caption by Lillian Gray.
Learning to see without sight
ONE LAST BATTLE CRY: Seniors Joe Colaleo and Theo Northcutt dressed as Mario and Waluigi cheer hard as they win their last senior battle cry. “I was very excited and happy because we had just won,” Colaleo said. “Now that I look back on it, it feels a little sad knowing I can’t go to another one.” Colaleo said although the moment was bittersweet, it’s also nice to know other things in life are coming up. Colaleo and his two friends said they dressed as Mario characters because it was a simple and fun costume idea. “I decided on the costume because it’s so iconic and recognizable,” Colaleo said. Caption by Josie Linton.
Students, faculty convene campus costume party
HIGH KICKS, HIGH SPIRITS: On Friday, Oct. 18, McCallum culminated a festive spirit week with the homecoming pep rally. During the pep rally, the class winner of the hallway decorating contest was announced as well as the usual spirit stick award. Sophomore and Blue Brigade member, Peyton Robenhorst noted how festive the student section was. "It felt good to perform for the homecoming game," Robenhorst said. "I knew a lot of people were going to [cheer for us]."
From spirit days to dance nights, homecoming brings high spirits
A CELEBRATION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE: Ballet Folklórico dancers Valeria Alcauter Robles (red), Carley Castro-Seiler (turquoise), Abi Peacock (black), Shirel Behar (green) and Mailyn Gil (periwinkle) perform this past weekend at the AISD Performing Arts Center, competing in AISD’s Fiesta for Hispanic Heritage Month. Gil has been a part of the club since her freshman year. Upon joining the group she had no idea what it was, but was inclined to join due to influences of her grandfather. “I joined because my grandfather loved the traditional dances and that it showcased all regions,” Gil said. “I wanted to honor him in a way, as well as learn more about my culture.” Competing in a small group ensemble during the Fiesta, Gil felt that the members as well as herself were very composed and performed their routine smoothly. “We were very comfortable in our pieces, enough to just get on stage and do what we did, and have fun,” Gil said. “The only difference between this performance and the past was that we had judges this time, so it was a little nerve wrecking since it was a competition.” Groups from different schools competed in a variety of categories, some being soloists, music groups, and bands. The groups each performed their pieces, and then the judges took 15 minutes at the end to go over scoring before they announced the winners. Gil said that even though the club did not win, they felt proud of their performance. “We were very positive and respectful, and even though we didn’t win we felt proud of our accomplishments,” Gil said. “I was proud of our newcomers because they learned everything so quickly and got the hang of it.” Caption by Priya Thoppil.
From the 15th to the 15th, nothing but food, festivities, fun, family, fellowship
Setting a new Pink Week precedent, puppies were introduced into the Pink Week festivities this year. Two 6-week-old puppies-Mae and Millie were brought from Austin Pets Alive, and students, including Mariana Silva shown here, were able to pay to cuddle and play with the puppies. The event turned out to be extremely popular at McCallum with a huge line twisting around the courtyard, and the PALS program reported that just on Tuesday alone, the group raised $700 dollars for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas. Not only did the puppies help to raise money for the BCRC, but the event also served as an adoption event for Austin Pets Alive, as students and their families were given the puppies' information about how to adopt puppies in the future. Caption by Josie Mullan.
PALS work to fight breast cancer, bring campus together
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ONE FINAL HURRAH BEFORE THE TORCH IS PASSED DOWN: With the upcoming football season nearing a fast approach, the marching band is preparing its halftime segment for the games. While the first game isn’t until Thursday, the band took the opportunity to put on its annual Bandapalooza for family and friends. The event's goal is simply to show off what the band has been working on and to give the community an early peek at what's to come. For senior Frank Montesinos, Bandapalooza is not only a fun experience but also a beneficial one.  “The showcase gives a perspective of how our rehearsals are run,” Montesinos said.  While the show itself is a whole marching band production, Montesinos is part of a saxophone quartet with a feature in the second movement of the show along with William Viner, Elliot Taylor and Aubrey Mitchell.  “It’s nice being able to show off our individual talent in such an exposed section,” Montesinos said.   One of Montesinos fellow quartet members, senior William Viner said it was worth all the hours of work he and his bandmates put in. “Bandapalooza is always the first performance we do for people,” Viner said. “It’s satisfying to finally get to put together a month's work of heat and hard work.”  But given that he’s a senior, it also means that this was Viner's last Bandapalooza.  “I thought I would be very sad in my last year,” Viner said, “but it’s honestly more sweet than bitter. I feel much stronger and more confident as a senior and a leader. It’s fun to pass the band torch down to new underclassmen.”  Viner said he is excited to pass the tradition on to younger high schoolers just as early band members passed it on to him. Caption by Chloe Lewcock.
MacBand reaches for the stars
Junior Freja Ljungqvist and Austin High freshman Jameson Webster stand atop a rock at the end of the Grapevine Hills Trail.
Bend and snap
FOCUSED: A lot of my mom's work consists of her working from home, and that means meetings. While some are on the phone and some are on Zoom, they still require intense focus. As I watch her in this meeting, I can see how she is really paying attention to whatever is going on, and I know that once she's done, the light will go off, and we can hopefully hang out.
Love, labor and the little moments
The Class of '22 bids adieu to high school
The Class of '22 bids adieu to high school
GRATITUDE AND FAREWELL: Ms. Northcutt decided earlier this year that it was time to say goodbye to McCallum, and possibly teaching in general, once and for all. “I am a teacher to my core. Northcutt said in a email to students and family. “I love McCallum and planned to be here until I retired; however, these last few years have revealed to me disheartening truths that I can’t unsee. I am no longer willing to work at an unsustainable pace at the expense of my mental heath and the health of my family and I can’t figure out how to do this job at any other pace without sacrificing my integrity.” A lot of other teachers at McCallum have also expressed their annoyance with the work circumstances provided by Austin ISD.
A tribute to Ms. Northcutt on her last day of class
FIVE-STAR CAPTAIN: In "One Night Only," the opening number of the spring show on Saturday night, Blue Brigade captain Charli Cevallos is front and center setting the mood and tempo for the number and entire show. Cevallos said the opening number of the spring show is always upbeat and fun and this year’s edition was no exception. Cevallos said she remembers the moment as one of pure adrenaline. “Since opener is the first dance, the excitement is running high and it’s such a great feeling to be performing our hard work for an audience.” As the photo suggests, the team was able to perform the number in sync even though it was a new dance choreographed exclusively for the spring show by first lieutenant Annabel Winter (left) and senior lieutenant Emily Garza. “Opener was our first spring show dance we learned,” Cevallos said, “and it came together super well. … [It was] definitely a team favorite.” Cevallos said her favorite part of the number was the very beginning when Winter (left) woke her up stage left from a deep sleep to start the show. “It’s so fun,” she said, “and the audience loved it.” For the first time in three years, that audience was in the MAC and at full capacity without pandemic restrictions.
'Starry Knights' return to their proper alignment
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Lentz reflects on successful season, looks forward
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From Germany to game day
Junior Julia Lentz races the five-kilometer course at the UIL District 24-5A Championship, Oct. 11.
Season almost complete
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Knights ambush Trojans to reclaim Taco Shack trophy