Tuesday Top 10 – The Shield Online

SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND TAMALES: Senior Daniel Dueñas-Lujan inspects his handiwork building a snowman with all the finishing touches. Dueñas said that Sunday's snow caught him off guard and that after realizing it was showing he decided to build a snowman, which we have to say looks pretty darn lifelike almost as if Dueñas was meeting Olaf on the set of Frozen. What's the secret to Dueñas' snowman success?

We are proud to present the best of snow, ATX edition

Kate Boyle, staff reporter
January 12, 2021

Shopping safely: Kinokuniya is a Japanese book and gift store that has been taking many COVID precautions these last few months, including a mandatory shopper temperature check at the entrance to ensure the safety of their customers. Pictured here, a Kinokuniya worker checks the temperature of customer Jenny, who said, “I feel safer knowing that the store is being so careful.” A sign at the door lists all of the store’s COVID precautions and rules, stating that “during holiday season, there is a 20-minute shopping time limit in order to avoid a long wait outside.”

Pandemic survival: Austin businesses adapt

Ingrid Smith, Mac photojournalism
January 6, 2021

MAY -- PROTESTORS ADVOCATE JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD, MIKE RAMOS: A woman is forced over a wall as state troopers force protesters off of the Capitol grounds. Hundreds of protesters met at the Austin Police Department headquarters downtown on the afternoon of May 30 to demand justice for African-American victims of police brutality. The protests filled the streets surrounding the Police Department headquarters and at times blocked traffic on I-35, and eventually protests spread to Austin City Hall and the Texas Capitol. Some protesters were met with pepper spray and rubber bullets as APD officers tried to control the crowd and clear the highway. This protest comes as part of a national spread of protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer. Austin protesters are also calling for justice for Mike Ramos, an Austinite who reportedly was unarmed and shot by the police in late April.

2020: A Year in Review in Photos

Kate Boyle, Risa Darlington-Horta, Anna Garcia, Madelynn Niles, Lindsey Plotkin, Samantha Powers, Bella Russo, Hannah South, Bela Tapperson, and Dave Winter
December 29, 2020

FESTIVE FACETIME- After reciting the Hanukkah prayers and lighting her menorah the first night of Hanukkah, Carolyn Schwarz talks with her parents, John and Rhoda Schwarz over Facetime. Usually the Schwarzes would gather in-person to celebrate Hanukkah, but due to the safety concerns of coronavirus they decided to take part in the festivities virtually this year. “Having older parents and knowing the health risks the virus could have on them made our holiday plans very clear” Carolyn said. “We knew that physically getting together would not be a safe option this year.” Carolyn celebrated the holiday at home with her husband and children while her parents celebrated with their dog, Winston. “So much is different this year,” Rhoda said. “It is a blessing that we can still celebrate with each other in some way.”

Celebrating the season despite COVID-19

Sophi Beardslee, Josie Bradsby, Lissa Castro, Amaya Collier, Maggie Coulbourn, Naomi Di-Capua, Meredith Grotevant, Ari Miller-Fortman, Madelynn Niles, Lanie Sepehri, and Dave Winter
December 22, 2020

Senior lineman Charlie Pecina kneels, taking in his last few moments on the field at House Park as a McCallum football player. Pecina said the team was optimistic heading into Friday's bi-district playoff game. “Going into the game I knew we had to win or else it would be my last game in a McCallum jersey, but I felt confident because the coaches and the team felt like we had a good week of practice.” The game was a tough one as the Knights lost several players to injury or penalties. Despite the attrition, Pecina said he and his teammates left all they had on the field. Pecina made one of the game's best plays for the home team, a first-quarter interception the extinguished a Patriot scoring threat. “Things didn’t go our way with calls and injuries, but that doesn’t matter. We still played our game and still put the most effort we could into the game.” Although the game was a loss, Pecina focused on the progress he, and his teammates have made. “Even though we lost I was proud of how far we came from only winning one game our freshman year to having a winning season and making the playoffs.”

Seniors share their emotions as their high school football experience ends with Friday’s playoff loss

Caleb Melville, staff photographer
December 15, 2020

A WARM WINTER WELCOME: The glow of Zilker Park's annual light show illuminates the entrance to the trail as visitors begin to file in. Although the Trail of Lights is an exclusively drive-through event this holiday season, the tradition of the downtown, twinkling show remains alive, even with COVID precautions.

Zilker Park event sheds light on unusual holiday season

Madelynn Niles, A&E editor
December 8, 2020

STRIKE A CHORD: Oliver Bennett works on his music theory book pages to learn what the new chords they are playing look like. He wrote C, F and G7 chords in the empty boxes above the chords. Bennett takes extra precautions to make sure online learning goes smoothly. “'Hi, my name is Oliver Bennett. I’m in second period first piano' that’s what I say every time I start recording to avoid any confusion if I turn it in wrong,

Times like these

Principles of Arts and AV students
December 1, 2020

Social studies department chair Katie Taylor sets up shop in an outdoor classroom featuring perhaps the most impressive canopy available to any of the outdoor spaces on the Mac campus, a massive tree near the solar classroom on Sunshine Drive.

Presenting #aweekinthelifeatmac

Macjournalism photo team
November 24, 2020

Students from the LBJ Fire Academy work their way towards a propane fire, using fire hoses to control the blaze. The purpose of the drill wasn’t to put out the fire, but to use the spray to get close enough to the propane tank to turn off its fuel source.

Five McCallum seniors, John Hughes, Thomas Lucy, Tex Mitchell, Molly Odland and Will Russo, participated in the live fire skill day, where they put into practice what they’ve learned during the two year student-sharing program at LBJ High School.

“Being in the live fire gave me really intense adrenaline,” senior Molly Odland said. “I was the head of my group, meaning I was in charge of directing the hose line at the fire while my group supported me from behind.”

Senior Will Russo, who also had the chance to lead the group, said that the drill felt like being in a hot car.

“It wasn’t all that scary since you were with a bunch of people, but it was kind of intimidating because there was nothing in between you and the fire but water,” Russo said.

Weekend fire drill

Bella Russo, co-editor in chief
November 17, 2020

Coach Russell and the Knights celebrate after Jake Allison recovers a Marble Falls fumble. The Knight defense played a stout game, allowing no points and creating two fumble recoveries and one interception while holding the Mustangs' run-heavy offense to 281 total yards. “They had fumbled it earlier in the game, so the fact that we were able to get a forced fumble that we recovered set the tone for the game” Allison said.

Suffocating Knight defense wills Mac to signature win over new District 14-5A-2 rival, Marble Falls

Caleb Melville, staff reporter
November 10, 2020

seniors Jackson Carpenter and Olivia Navarro and Austin High senior Izzy Williams

Mac votes 2020, an Election Day #TuesdayTop10 gallery

McCallum voters new and old
November 3, 2020

Election signs of the times

Election signs of the times

Cassidy Levin, Anna McClellan, Alice Scott, and Dave Winter
October 27, 2020

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Tuesday Top 10