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
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

Addison Wagoner, Mac photojournalism
May 31, 2022
A cornucopia of Senior Carnival images

A cornucopia of Senior Carnival images

Evie Barnard, Leah Gordon, and Dave Winter
May 28, 2022
HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT: Junior Charlotte Blackmon (Eurydice) performs one of the final scenes in the second act of MacTheatre’s production of Eurydice. During the scene, Eurydice, who has just reconnected with Orpheus in the underworld, contemplates whether or not Orpheus is truly her husband or not. For Blackmon, developing such a complex character took time. “Eurydice is probably the most difficult character I’ve ever played,” Blackmon said. “I got an idea of who she was when I read the script, but running the scenes and physically being in the position of the character helped me connect to her more.” Reporting by Alice Scott.

During furious fine arts weekend, twin theaters teeming with thespians, vocalists, pianists, filmmakers

Kiki Baker, Morgan Eye, Tate Jones, Lucy Marco , Caroline Owen, Samantha Powers, Lydia Reedy , Alice Scott, Francie Wilhelm, and Avi Zeifman
May 24, 2022
ONE LAST HURRAH: Members of the senior dance company hold hands at the end of their piece called Sound and Color, the closing dance of the student directed-dance show. “It’s a very sentimental moment because it’s like the end where we all are holding hands and were all connected,” senior dance company member Wynter Winston said. “The senior dance was wholesome and had us reflecting on all the times and memories we shared together as a senior company.” Caption by Grace Vitale. Photo by Meredith Grotevant.

Finding ‘Solace’ on the stage

Smith Bohls, Meredith Grotevant, Sophie Kessler, Chloe Lewcock, Thomas Melina Raab, Lydia Reedy, Alice Scott, Grace Vitale, Francie Wilhelm, Nate Williams, and Dave Winter
May 14, 2022
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: This year was Jessie Lucas’ first time attending prom, since she didn’t get the chance last year. “I tried to have little to no expectations,” they said. “All I hoped for was fun and dancing with my friends, which prom definitely lived up to!” Caption by Francie Wilhelm.

‘One last Knight’ to remember

May 3, 2022
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

Zahraa Alogaili, Naomi Di-Capua, Sophie Leung-Lieu, Helen Martin, Madelynn Niles, Charlie Partheymuller, Alice Scott, Elena Ulack, Kennedy Weatherby, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
May 3, 2022
ONLINE SPORTS ACTION PHOTO: The varsity girls basketball team went on the road on Tuesday to play its second game against the LASA Raptors. The Knights were on top of their game, securing a season sweep against the Raptors with a 51-32 victory. Playing before only a few spectators on an unfamiliar court, the team played stifling defense, preventing the Raptors from getting into their offensive rhythm. Several JV players moved up to bolster the varsity bench that has been decimated by injuries and illness. According to sophomore guard Esme Barraz who returned to the lineup herself on Tuesday, having more roster depth made a big difference after Friday’s tough home loss to Crockett, which left the Knights with three eligible players at game’s end. “I think our intensity needs to go up for the rest of the games and playoffs,” Barraz said. “We need to learn to play without some of our key players.” The varsity and the JV-A teams play against Anderson Friday at home. The JV game tips off at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7:30. Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Reporting by Grace Nugent.

This is literally a SUPERIOR photo and art gallery

Evie Barnard, Amaya Collier, Meredith Grotevant, Sophie Kessler, Kai Kirkham Macias, Anna McClellan, Madelynn Niles, Grace Nugent, Lexi Ramos, Kennedy Weatherby, and Nate Williams
April 12, 2022
MAKE THE FAMILY PROUD: Chris Riley was met with a swarm of overjoyed friends in the stands after his record 1600m run. One of those friends, Alex Tita, experienced firsthand how much Riley had trained for moments like these, and couldn’t be more proud of him. “I was so proud of him. Watching him cross the finish line with not only a personal record, but a school, and meet record was very special. His dedication to running is unmatched, and I hope to see him cross the finish line with even more record breaking times in the future.” After missing the entirety of his cross country season with a stress fracture, the dedication that Tita mentioned has become Riley’s greatest weapon. Through 60 mile weeks and hours upon hours of training, he’s been able to propel himself, not just back to where he was pre-injury, but much, much, faster. With the way he’s been running this season, it will be no surprise to anyone when there are many more moments like these. Riley will only run faster, and the stands will once again fill with crowds of people ready to watch the show. Caption by Thomas Melina Raab.

Knight Time at the Texas Relays

Thomas Melina Raab, sports editor
April 5, 2022
Senior Kyla Murphy embraces Mia Gomez as part of a team celebration after Gomez scored her 130th goal this season. The milestone was a goal that Gomez set at the beginning of the season. “It was really exciting,” she said, “It was a playoff game, so going into it I knew I really wanted to score for the team, but also I had in the back of my head that I was at 129.” Gomez’s goal was the third and final goal of the game. “It was nice to seal the game,” she said, “but overall I was really excited that I was able to score in the playoff game.” Caption by Cassidy Levin. Photo by Dave Winter.

Knights tame Panthers to repeat as bi-district champs

Meliah Arias, Oliver Boyd, Chris Ferina, Cassidy Levin, Grace Vitale, Elena Ulack, and Kennedy Weatherby
March 29, 2022
English teacher Daniel Mayers places his hand over his heart to thank the crowd for making him feel special and appreciated. He said that much of his concert experience was a blur. “I thought, Wow this is really happening, and then my wife showed up, which was weird but also really cool.” When asked to identify a memorable moment, Myers pointed to Z Campbell’s viola solo to close the show. “The kids were all watching Z, the way they held Z up was amazing. It was really cool that I wasn’t the focus the whole time,” Myers said. “The focus was on them and on the music and on each other.”

Students stage benefit concert to honor Myers’ impact

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Lucy Marco , Xel-Ha Montejano , Madelynn Niles, and Grace Vitale
March 22, 2022
GEOMETRIC GLAM: Sophomore Lucy Praxmarer-Holloway poses on the fashion show runway in an outfit of her own design. Inspired by the techno beat of 17 Going Under by Sam Fender, the album that played as she and sophomore model Chloe Marco showed off the designs, first-time designer Praxmarer-Holloway’s collection explores geometric shapes and the feelings they evoke. “I felt pretty nervous at first, but when I was on stage I felt confident and proud of what I had accomplished,” Praxmarer-Holloway said. “When my model walked in my design it was amazing to see the idea in my head come together.” According to Praxmarer-Holloway, the design modeled by Marco used triangles, the strongest shape, to convey power. The design Praxmarer-Holloway chose to model herself incorporated cardboard panels to allow rectangular pieces to shoot out from the skirt, her favorite detail from the collection. “I would love to do it again because I got to meet a bunch of amazing people and also just see different styles of fashion which was very inspiring,” Praxmarer-Holloway said. Caption by Ingrid Smith.

Lines from a favorite song

Kiki Baker, Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Evelyn Griffin, Lucy Marco, Madelynn Niles, Charlie Partheymuller, Samantha Powers, Alice Scott, Lanie Sepehri, and Ingrid Smith
March 8, 2022
Senior Ashley Nicely and Fine Arts Academy clerk Tonya Moore pose in the Black Girl Magic contest T-shirts in front of the Black Girl Magic poster in the main hallway. The poster featured artwork created by students about what the Black Girl Magic movement means to them. On Feb. 17, junior Regan Sims and sophomore Jendayi Innocent were named the winner and the runner up in the contest. Black girl magic is so important because we have to teach our kids that theyre beautiful no matter what skin tone they are, Moore said.

Black History Month revisited and remembered

Terra Balentine, Kate Boyle, Noah Braun, Amaya Collier, Gaby Esquivel, Evelyn Griffin, Emma Hagood, Cassidy Levin, Helen Martin, Madelynn Niles, Samantha Powers, Ingrid Smith, and Francie Wilhelm
March 2, 2022
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