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
WISHFUL WINDOW SHOPPING: Senior Mia Plemons observes the displays in the MAC during the 5x7 gallery night. Although not a member herself, Plemons feels a connection to the program through her friends and peers. “I have a lot of friends in art,” Plemons said. “And I’ve seen a lot of their work and it’s all really nice and beautiful, and I really enjoy seeing some of the nice pieces people have made.” Plemons didn’t manage to secure a piece of her own, but left impressed by all the ones she saw. “I didn’t [have a favorite], every piece of art I saw was just absolutely breathtaking,” Plemons said. “I think they should definitely do more things like this in the future. I think it’s definitely great for people in the art program to get their art out there and getting experience with making things that people buy.” Caption by Noah Braun. Photo by Lilah Lavigne.

Limited size, unlimited possibilities

Noah Braun, Shila Gill, Carlo Hinsdale, Evelyn Jenkins, Lilah Lavigne, Sophia Manos, Tallulah McAuliffe, Mira Patel, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, and Wren Vanderford
December 10, 2024
Roy Clark on Austin City Limits.

PBS’s ACL showcasing Austin music

David Brock, staff reporter
December 5, 2024
SPENDING THANKSGIVING IN NATURE: Junior Elizabeth Falkin feeds deer who wander around her grandfather’s lakehouse on Lake Buchanan during Thanksgiving break. Falkin travels to her lakehouse during long breaks and spent six days there during this break. One thing that makes Falkin’s lakehouse special for her is the ability to feed the deer. “There are a ton of deer up there, and we always keep tins of deer food so that we can feed them and see them more up close,” Falkin said. This trip also allowed Falkin the opportunity to see her cousins, who showed up to her family’s lakehouse on Thanksgiving without her knowing they were coming beforehand. “I never get to see my baby cousins, so I loved going to the beach with them and sitting by the fire at night,” Falkin said. “I love the fire because I feel like I don’t have to worry about anything else like school for just a little while.” Falkin has been going to the house for as long as she can remember and always enjoys the sense of serenity it brings. “It is an amazing, isolated place that allows me to calm down and spend time with the people I care about as well as with nature,” Falkin said. Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Falkin.

All over for autumn

Noah Braun, Carlo Hinsdale, Delaney Lavelle, Beatrix Lozach, Chloe Lewcock, Riley Pita, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, Nate Williams, and Josie Mullan
December 3, 2024
Kacey Musgraves performed at the Moody Center on Nov. 26 and 27, selling out both nights. Her concert was very visually appealing, with a variety of colorful lights and eye-catching backdrops.

Musgraves aids Austin in finding ‘Deeper Well’

JoJo Barnard, print managing editor
December 3, 2024
In modern telecommunications, the use of satellites to bounce signals to receiving dishes all over the world is an inexpensive way to send sion signals over a great distance.

What’s a satellite?

Mike Wilhite, staff reporter
November 14, 2024
Safe to say, we're still at least a few years away from this...

20 seconds into the future

Dalit, Baranoff
November 7, 2024
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

Julia Copas, Josie Linton, Sienna Martens, Katie Martin, Harper Maxwell, Elizabeth Nation, Mira Patel, Eva Sanchez, and Wren Vanderford
November 5, 2024
Knight and Shield editors, Karen Behrens and Cathy Croft prepare to guard the victory bell.

Spirit high for homecoming

Mary Gonzalez, staff reporter
October 24, 2024
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

Noah Braun, Carlo Hinsdale, Evelyn Jenkins, Sophia Manos, Maggie Mass, Tallulah McAuliffe, Piper Norfolk, Sofia Saucedo, Priya Thoppil, and Camilla Vandegrift
October 22, 2024
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

JoJo Barnard, Daniela Di-Capua, Carson Duncan, Josie Mullan, Elizabeth Nation, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Adele Seeboth, and Fletcher Vandegrift
October 15, 2024

Day of Dance debuts at Austin ISD PAC

Shayla Allen, Shila Gill, Lillian Gray, Josie Linton, Beatrix Lozach, Elizabeth Nation, Josie Linton, Beatrix Lozach, Vera Petrosky, Callen Romell, Eva Sanchez, Maya Tackett, David Winter, and Abigail Wood
October 8, 2024
FRIENDS, FUN AND TUCK: For junior Zane Shieh (second from the left), being a part of Tuck Everlasting has not only brought him closer to his castmates and crew, but has also brought up some mixed emotions seeing that this was the last performance together for many senior classmates.  “I did have to do Tuck because of my major, but I also knew lots of friends that were auditioning and I wanted to work with the seniors that will not be here for long,” Shieh said.  Because it's the last performance for a lot of seniors, Shieh says it is a bittersweet feeling when experiencing someone's last show at McCallum.  “I feel very sad because all the seniors are so cool, and kind and funny and I think I'm gonna miss them,” Shieh said. Caption by Sofia Saucedo.

‘You don’t need to live forever; you need to just live’

Sofia Saucedo, Mira Patel, Camilla Vandegrift, Katie Martin, Tallulah McAuliffe, Sienna Martens, Aubrey Macedo, Priya Thoppil, Chloe Lewcock, and Harper Maxwell
October 1, 2024
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