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
August Gleason

August Gleason, staff reporter

August Gleason is a second-year staffer for The Shield. He also loves to play water polo, going to the gym, running and mountain biking. At school, he loves to take photos and make friends, and he is eager to be back on the staff.

All content by August Gleason
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

Shila Gill, August Gleason, Hudson Hensley, Chloe Lewcock, V Overstreet, Arwen Pelletier, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, Nate Williams, Zev Zent, and Callen Romell
October 29, 2024
APPRECIATING TRADITION: For senior Kai Talebi’s last teacher appreciation volleyball game on Friday night, she stuck with tradition, and chose to ask English teacher Amy Smith to walk the court with her before the game. “I took her last year too, so it’s kind of like tradition,” Talebi said. “Now I was like, ‘Of course I have to take her.’” Talebi is happy to have had Smith twice in the past four years, first for her sophomore year and again this year. Noting that Smith was an integral part of her high school experience, Talebi said the English teacher had a very positive impact on her. “Senior year, it’s been really fun to have her as a teacher again because I already know her super well, and we have a good relationship,” Talebi said. Having a teacher twice is not very common, but for Talebi, it was a blessing in disguise. “Sophomore year she definitely helped me get out of my shell a lot, and encouraged me a lot throughout the year,” Talebi said. The pair have been close ever since the first class Talebi had with Smith, Advanced English 2. Talebi is also a tutor in the Writing Center, so they see each other very often. “She [Smith] is the sweetest,” Talebi said. “And we have definitely grown closer because of me being her student multiple times.” Caption by Priya Thoppil

Teacher feel the love thrice on Friday

Noah Braun, August Gleason, Hudson Hensley, Carlo Hinsdale, Evelyn Jenkins, Maggie Mass, Piper Norfolk, V Overstreet, Arwen Pelletier, Priya Thoppil, and Zev Zent
September 24, 2024
FLOWER POWER:Juniors Ava Dallesandro, Sara Hamlet, Elizabeth Falkin, and Maya Tackett show off their school spirit as they prepare for the annual Taco Shack Bowl. This year, students dressed in colorful, tropical attire to celebrate the occasion.  Dallesandro treats school spirit as an outlet from the daily routine:  “I like showing school spirit because I think it’s so fun, any excuse for a good time honestly. Highschool can be pretty stressful, so having the chance to dress funny or get loud for the biggest football game of the year is so important,” Dallesandro said. For Dallesandro, the best part of the event was seeing the connections between students. “All the students showing school spirit in the halls and at the pep rally, the roar of the crowd at the game, all of it was perfect,” Dallesandro said.  Another highlight for Dallesandro was seeing Coach Gammerdinger coach the football team.  “Coach Gammerdinger stepped in to help out the girls’ varsity soccer team last year during an uncertain time, and so getting to see him coach another team was so wonderful,” Dallesandro said. This will certainly not be the last time Dallesandro shows her school spirit.  “I definitely plan on dressing up next year, like I said, I love the laughs,” Dallesandro said. “I think it’s important to show school spirit because school can be really stressful and thinking about college and SAT scores and grades and all of that can get really intense so you might as well take part in as much fun as you can while you’re here.” Also pictured,  junior Sara Hamlet expressed her enthusiasm for showing school spirit. “I love showing my school spirit because it creates a sense of community and brings lots of excitement throughout the school,”  Hamlet said. For Hamlet, the most fun part of the Taco Shack Bowl was the game itself.  “The most fun part about Taco Shack this year was the game, especially the first quarter when energy is high and the crowd is hyped,”  Hamlet said. “I will always participate in the Taco Shack spirit day because being the biggest football game of the year, it sets the tone for school spirit throughout for the whole year.” Caption by Mira Patel.

[Photo] Old rivalry creates crowd fun at 2024 Taco Shack

Chloe Lewcock, Fletcher Vandegrift, Tristen Diaz, Carson Duncan, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Beatrix Lozach, Josie Mullan, Mira Patel, Lillian Gray, Daniela Di-Capua, Camilla Vandegrift, Maya Tackett, and Shila Gill
September 3, 2024
For Gleason, shown here lifeguarding at Shipe Pool. lifeguarding has been a good way to earn competitive pay, help others and develop leadership skills. Photo courtesy of Gleason.

Dive into purpose

August Gleason, staff reporter
July 12, 2024
BESTIES TAKE ON PROM: Senior Bella Gonzales dances with junior Helen Rodgers during prom last weekend.  “At dinner before I told my friends they better dance with me and they told me ‘no,’” Gonzales said. “But Helen said, ‘Of course I’ll dance with you,’ so Helen was the first friend that started dancing.”  Instead of taking a traditional date, Gonzales invited various junior friends to join her at prom.  “Instead of having a guy date, I invited a bunch of my junior friends,” she said. “I actually am so happy with that decision because it was just so fun having all my girls with me.”  While the day of prom provided many fun events besides just the dance, Gonzales still enjoyed the dance itself the most.  “The whole day of prom there are so many fun things to do,” Gonzales said. “We made bouquets together and got ready, but I was most excited to be at prom and see everyone I knew, and to see everyone dressed up.”  Gonzales especially appreciated the vibe stablished at prom.  “It was such a positive environment where everyone was hyping each other up, and we were all so high energy,” Gonzales said. “It's just such a positive environment at prom where everyone is so happy and having a good time.”  Besides the welcoming atmosphere, Gonzales especially looked forward to the dancing. “My friend Ellie and I were getting into the song ‘Beauty and the Beat’ together, and also ‘Cupid Shuffle,'” she said. “They are just such classics.”  When looking back on the dance and her senior year as a whole, Gonzales says she will forever remember how kind the class of 2024 is.  “I will always remember how close and how kind every single person in our class is,” Gonzales said. “I feel like we have no mean girls, no enemies, and we all love each other and love being together.” Caption by Naomi Di-Capua.

Students enjoy an ‘enchanted’ night at prom

JoJo Barnard, Naomi Di-Capua, Gaby Esquivel, Shila Gill, August Gleason, Eliza Jensen, Chloe Lewcock, Josie Mullan, Alice Scott, and Priya Thoppil
April 23, 2024
AN EVEN MATCH: Senior Caroline passes the ball down the field during the game against LASA last Wednesday. Earlier in the game, Owen scored McCallum’s sole goal by heading in a corner kick taken by senior Kat Klein. The game concluded with a 1-1 tie. Owen knew that her competition would be fierce before the game even started. “LASA is at a higher level than most of the teams we play,” Owen said. “This game was harder mentally because we’re not used to playing such close games.” Even though her team didn’t necessarily win, Owen is glad to not have had to walk home with a loss.  “I’m glad we got the first round against them out of the way without a loss because next time we’ll know what to expect,” she said.  Caption by JoJo Barnard.

Win, lose or draw (actually all three)

JoJo Barnard, Morgan Eye, August Gleason, Evelyn Jenkins, Chloe Lewcock, Helen Martin, Sofia Saucedo, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, and Camilla Vandegrift
January 30, 2024
Gingerbread houses tops our list of the top 10 Christmas food. Fun to make and fun to eat, gingerbread houses enables creativity, family bonding and provides a tasty holiday treat.

Top holiday treats offer array of festive flavors

August Gleason, staff reporter
December 25, 2023
Junior Theo Northcutt blocks the ball at first water polo tournament of the season in Round Rock on Sept. 15.

[Photo] The sport that no one knows

November 28, 2023
The Austin City Limits Music Festival can be a blast if you approach it the right way and plan ahead to avoid the problems that can drain the fun out of what should be a glorious concert experience.

How to maximize your festival experience

August Gleason, staff reporter
October 5, 2023
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