The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online
The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online
The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online
Categories:

The Real Teachers’ Pets

Grace Schmidhauser
October 24, 2016
Senior English teacher and Songwriting teacher Mr. Watterson with his dog, Otis.

The Shield asked faculty members to share pet photos and got a virtual MAC menagerie.

1
View Story Comments
Print this Story
Donate to The Shield Online
$50
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of McCallum High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
More in MACulty at Work
Moments after he discovered he had been voted Teacher of the Year, Carlin Shaw posed for a group photo with his players and Coach Daniel Fuentes.
Shaw honored as 2025 teacher of year
Art teacher Jessica Garcia, demonstrates an aluminum foil art project to Vivian Garris and Vera Petrowsky, freshmen in her Art 1 class.
Teaching through laughter
Preparing to march in the Dia de los Muertos parade, Harlow Mallison twirls through the streets of downtown Austin. Mallison is a sophomore in the Spanish 2 class at McCallum and was invited to join the annual Dia de los Muertos celebration with Ballet Folklorico, which walked through Fifth and Sixth streets. " I had a lot of fun and it was nice meeting new people," Mallison said. "I loved how everyone came together and were so supportive of each other."
Señora A, McCallum's cultural ambassador
This is Paul Pew's high school graduation photo. The 2023-2024 school year marked his 34th year of teaching. He began his career in Washington, then came to McCallum where he has taught for the past 17. At heart though, he’s really a musician. One that grew up in many different places, including Chicago and California, who took interest in teaching from a young age. His high school choir experience, along with some international singing in college, persuaded him that teaching was his path. He knew he wanted to be able to help create works of art in the fine arts department as well, so he joined McCallum. He’s worked on many of the musicals over the years, even before Joshua Denning, the former theatre director of the fine arts program arrived. Before him was a different director: Tatum.  “I was the music director for all the musicals,” Pew said. “[Mr. Tatum and I] worked very hard, and I just got to the point where I was satisfied with it.” Although he may not be as prominent of a member in the musical theatre community at McCallum anymore, he still plays piano. “I still do a lot of music down at the Music end of the building,” Pew said. Photo courtesy of Paul Pew.
The musician 
Bucher, standing in Portable City, is teaching his last semester at Mac before leaving Texas and moving to Minnesota in the fall.
Bucher bids farewell
Teacher of the year, Dave Winter, poses with his celebration cake surrounded by his newspaper staff and digital media students who were present for the surprise.
Winter named 2024 teacher of the year
More in People
Amy Brodbeck, head volleyball coach, head of the english department and student Council, poses for picture.
Brodbeck does it all
AP Biology teacher Ishan Saharoy assists junior Berit Ellwanger during class.
From Viking to Longhorn to Knight
Sophomore Layne Long attends a JSU meeting during lunch.
Jewish Student Union forges community
BIM teacher Ms. Primeaux in her classroom.
Business in fashion
Seniors Zara Cacci, Jada Silk and Iris Guzman talk to the class of 2029 during Big Mac Day on Aug. 8.
Linked since day one
Jane McKenna with her finished Mosaic, outside the McCallum Arts Center.
Breaking the glass ceiling
More in Photo Galleries
A protester holds a No Kings sign up as Mexican and American flags share the Austin skyline.
'You are not alone'
WARM WELCOME: Freshman Juliana Lotz performed her long prepared monologue on October 6th during the Freshman Theatre Showcase. During this year's showcase, Lotz highlighted that the amount of people cheering in the crowd was special to her and made her feel comfortable in her ability on stage. "I wasn't really that nervous after all,” Lotz said. “It was a very supportive space considering the turnout of the older theatre majors.” In the past week, Lotz and other freshman theatre students were given one week of time to practice their monologues in class previous to the showcase. In her monologue, “Between the Lines,” Lotz mentioned she was very excited to perform in the play because it was challenging herself to exaggerate her act and fully pursue herself to the audience. “I’ve always imagined myself wanting to go on and do acting at McCallum,” Lotz said. “My major takeaway is getting my timing down but I think that's honestly it.” Caption by Ethan Roberts. Photo by Isadora Truan.
Debut acts, big impact
HONORING HER HERITAGE: Last Tuesday, McCallum’s Ballet Folklorico put on a showcase in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Senior Abigail Peacock says it was nice for Folklorico to showcase their traditional Hispanic folk dance during Hispanic Heritage month, due to the fact that they are no longer able to perform for Cinco de Mayo. Because of the new Texas laws that prevent certain cultural groups from performing, Peacock says they will take what they can get, and Hispanic Heritage Month was the perfect opportunity to celebrate dance. “To me, it's important that Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated at McCallum because it's an integral part of our school's culture,” Peacock said. “Additionally, it's especially important that we are able to dance for Hispanic Heritage Month because we may not be able to put on a Cinco de Mayo this year. Our club works hard, and I think there should be a way to showcase our hard work to the school.” Peacock says the Folklorico dance is an important part of Hispanic culture, and can represent various Hispanic cultures and backgrounds through music and art. “Folklorico is representative of the different cultural influences that come together to create Hispanic culture,” Peacock said. “Folklorico originated as a combination of indigenous and Spanish-style dances, and can represent different regions of Mexico that have unique dance attire and steps that show even more specific influences and history of the individual regions.” For Peacock, the community that surrounds Folklorico is what makes the club such a welcoming and fun environment where students can spread Hispanic culture. “My favorite part about being in Folklorico has been learning about and being able to experience Hispanic culture. It is what makes Texas so special, and I have loved becoming more involved in the community that surrounds me,” Peacock said. “I've also loved meeting everyone involved in Folklorico, from teachers to club members and people involved in our events. It really has been such a wonderful experience.” Caption by Sofia Saucedo.
Homage to heritage
VOLLEYBALL BUDDIES: Junior Mia Davis and Senior Kafia Jackson-Woods join hands after a play against Ann Richards Varsity at Ann Richards on September 26. Both student sections were energized. Moments prior, the girls had scored and brought the points up. Davis, one of two setters, felt grateful to have Jackson-Woods by her side. “I’ve played with Kafia since my freshman year because we were both on JV,” Davis said. “I really like her competitive spirit, and that she isn't afraid to tell me what I need to fix so that we can connect better. I just really like her energy and her personality.” Playing with her friends gives Davis more confidence and assuredness. She knows how the girls will play and how her teammates feel. However, because the gym was smaller, the crowd was louder. Davis believed that affected the team’s play. “I think we let the crowd get to us a little bit because when we were on the side with our student section, we kept them 12 and under,” Davis said. “When we were on the other side they beat us in one set and we went over 25.” Caption by Carlo Hinsdale.
Setting the stage for success
BEATING BOWIE: Senior Will Bowman swims towards the ball, attempting to gain possession, in the first district tournament for water polo on Sep. 13. The Knights faced Austin High, Anderson, Bowie, and LASA, but Bowman’s favorite game was their victory over Bowie. “It was great,” Bowman said. “We knew going into the game we had a good shot, and we were able to deliver.” Although Bowman wishes the Knights had beaten Bowie by a greater number of points, he enjoyed the consistency of the Knights’ performance. “We didn’t crush them hard,” Bowman said. “But it’s fun when you’re actually playing and shooting goals and doing good.” Bowman primarily plays point, covering the middle of the court and making long passes. He occasionally fills in at set. He acknowledges that while the position still feels difficult, he has greatly improved at it since freshman year, when he began playing water polo for the first time. “When I was a freshman, I was a skinny little kid,” Bowman said. “I still am, but I know what I am doing, and it’s pretty satisfying.” After playing water polo all four years in high school, Bowman will miss the sport when he goes to college next year. “It’s a little unfortunate this is my last time playing because I don’t think I’m going to play in college,” Bowman said. “At least I’ll have memories of these four years.” Bowman has one more opportunity to form more memories with the water polo team this Saturday, Sep. 27, at the second district tournament. If the team wins one game, they will advance to bi-districts which will take place on Oct. 6. Bowman hopes not only to make bi-districts but to make a run in the playoffs and believes that the team can as long as it plays consistently. “As long as we’re making goals and hitting well, we should do good,” Bowman said. Caption by Elizabeth Nation.
Treading toward success
CALLING THE PITCHES AND THE SHOTS: Senior Grace Yemington catches pitches behind the plate during the softball team’s fall ball practices. For Yemington, softball has been a part of her life for 12 years and catching’s a family tradition. “My older sister was a catcher, so I decided to follow in her footsteps,” she said. Consistently serving as a reliable player for the team, Yemington now thrives in the leadership side of the position. “I like being able to sort of conduct the infield; help call pitches, remind infielders of the play, and play an important role on the field,” she explained. Looking ahead, Yemington is primed and ready to close out her senior year strong. “I’m looking forward to this season and excited to continue playing fall ball with the team this year,” she said. Caption by V Overstreet. Photo by Magnolia Smith.
Softball's soft launch
Donate to The Shield Online
$50
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Menu
Activate Search
Home
The Real Teachers’ Pets