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
Camilla Vandegrift

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor

Bio goes here.

All content by Camilla Vandegrift
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE: Junior defensive end Nehemiah Trejo reflects on the varsity football team’s intense game against Anderson. “Our coaches did an excellent job preparing us for this game,” Trejo said. “They spent a lot of time game planning and reviewing our strategies. We saw many of the things we expected, and we came into the game focused and ready to give it our all.” Trejo praised Coach Gammerdinger for his role in adapting during the game. “Coach G was great at addressing what was working for us, correcting mistakes, and improving communication,” Trejo said. “He reminded us that our defense had the capability to hold them back and make crucial stops.” As for the game’s outcome, Trejo noted it was an intense fight, but did not come as a surprise. “It went exactly as we anticipated. Anderson came out with a strong offense, and it turned into a shootout between who could score more and who could get the most stops. We showed in the second quarter that we weren’t giving up and fought hard throughout,” Trejo said. Caption by Tristen Diaz.

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
At the UIL 24-5A District Championship at Burger Stadium on April 2-4, sophomore Cheezey Bell took third in the 100-meter dash, running 13.49. The result helped the girls team win the district title.

Speedy soph answers the Bell for her teams

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor
June 6, 2024
MAXWELL’S MASTERPIECE: Members of Zoe Maxwell’s choreographed dance for the spring student directed show 'Perennial' form a group pose.  For both the choreographers and directors the performance was an opportunity to show off their unique style of dance and bring together the dancers, the theme, and music to create a dance that resembled them. For junior Zoe Maxwell the performance was unique because while it was her third year performing in the show, it was her first time getting the chance to choreograph a dance and have a more hands-on role with the show.  “It was my last show with all of my senior friends and it was the first student directed show that I got to contribute to choreographically [which was special],” Maxwell said. “My favorite part of the experience was getting to showcase my creativity and seeing that come to life.”  Maxwell said her song choice inspired her choreography.  “Since I heard the song 'MOVE' by Beyonce I knew I wanted to choreograph it,” Maxwell said. “The tricky part was matching it to the themes of the dance show, but luckily the song mentions fire so I connected it to the element theme of the show,”  The role as choreographer proved to be a learning experience for Maxwell because the process of creating a dance differed from just performing in one. “The biggest challenge was managing the rehearsal time we were given and planning accordingly so that our dances would be finished in time for the show,” Maxwell said. “I took some inspiration from videos and choreography online, but other than that I just kind of improved to the song until I found moves I liked.”

Mac Youth Dance Company proves ‘Perennial’ impact on students in annual spring show

JoJo Barnard, Campbell Epperly, Sophie Leung-Lieu, Chloe Lewcock, Harper Binfield Maxwell, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Ingrid Smith, Maya Tackett, Camilla Vandegrift, Nate Williams, and Dave Winter
May 14, 2024
Seniors Jude Masoni and Lainil Ortiz pose behind the counter of Amy's Ice Creams on Burnet Rd. where they are working a Friday evening shift.

An Amy’s family on Burnet– and elsewhere

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor
May 8, 2024
A TURNING POINT IN BB SEASON: While Blue Brigade typically focuses on the spirited pom routines and kick lines at football games, according to sophomore Chloe Seckar-Martinez, the team’s Spring Show provides a unique opportunity for them to tune into a different style of dance. Seckar-Martinez takes the stage during the team’s contemporary dance “Turning Tables.” The dance, since it differed from normal Blue Brigade style, was especially rewarding to perform and see succeed according to Seckar-Martinez. “It’s like one of our only dances where we’re really more into the emotional side of it,” Seckar-Martinez said. “It was almost our first run to be able to just see how much our hard work had paid off.” For Seckar-Martinez, the dance was especially unique because it was the second to last time she would be performing with seniors, and that moment would be memorable. “It was meaningful because our seniors were able to have this show without feeling really sad,” Seckar-Martinez said. “This was our chance to do it [perform] with not as necessarily high of emotions since we didn’t know we were going to be able to dance it again.” The contemporary dance was choreographed by assistant director Jamie Friedman. Her addition to the team was new this year, so the dance provided a special element for Blue Brigade in knowing how much she worked at improving the team, according to Seckar-Martinez. “This was the first dance that we ever got choreographed by our assistant director for the first time, so that was really special,” Seckar-Martinez said. “To be able to do one of her pieces, especially at the show, since this is her first year was something very meaningful. Seckar-Martinez said the dance created an emotional connection amongst those who performed it, given the emotions that came with it, and the amount of work that went into perfecting it for the stage. “It was a very meaningful dance, and It was our chance to just have a lot of fun with it and just see what we can show the audience for the first time,” Seckar-Martinez said. “It may be something that no one’s heard of, or that no one’s seen.” Caption by Chloe Lewcock.

‘Live’ spring show blends energy, emotion

Chloe Lewcock, Helen Martin, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, and Camilla Vandegrift
April 30, 2024
As head coach Thomas Gammerdinger claps for his team, defenders Isa Lopez Reed and Ruby Barnett flank Madi Briggs as she raises the area championship trophy before rushing to her teammates with it. Considering that Lopez Reed, Briggs, Barnett and Sienna Gunning anchored the back line throughout the game, the image seems like an apt symbol for how the game was won.

Stingy defense makes Hauck goal stand up as McCallum tops Magnolia 1-0 in ‘slugfest’

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor
March 30, 2024
GOOD START, UNFORTUNATE FINISH: Senior Liam Plum brings the ball under control during the boys varsity team's 4-3 loss against Navarro on Friday March 3. The Knights started the game on a positive note, scoring just seconds into the game. Plum, who scored the goal, said the moment was a career highlight. “Scoring in the first 25 seconds of the game is one of my favorite memories of the team,” Plum said. “Although we lost, it was a competitive game and ending with a full senior squad was special.” Senior Eli Benitez said the opening goal put the Knights a step ahead; however, it also caused a confidence boost that may have caused them to let up later in the game. “We started the game great.” Benitez said. “It was nice to be up 1-0 in less than 30 seconds, but it made us believe that the rest of the game was going to be easy.”The Knights scored two more goals in the game, but the Vikings scored four times to earn a comeback win. “Our team needs to improve on playing at the same high intensity the whole match,” Benitez said. “Midfield slacked off a lot during the game, and it cost us; however, the forwards were able to connect a lot more passes, which is something we have been working on.”

[Photo] Photos of the week

November 11, 2014

Musical ‘Mean Girls’ misses orginal’s magic

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor
February 14, 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 31, 2024
Owen Lucente stands in front of a birdhouse in the breezeway courtyard accompanied by fellow troop member John McFarland, a senior at Austin High, on the left and Mac 2022 alum Eli Tachovsky on the right. Photo courtesy of Owen Lucente.

Lucente builds legacy to last lifetime

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor
December 21, 2023
One of the main changes to the PSAT is that students are now given access to calculators for the entire test. Graphic by Nate Williams.

Digital does damage

Camilla Vandegrift, sports editor
November 16, 2023
KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE: Senior Edward Bomba rings the bell after the Knights’ victory over Travis on Thursday while quarterbacks junior Luke Dunham and senior Jack McGinnis wait their turns. Bomba, a defensive end, suffered an injury earlier in the season but still supported his team from the sidelines. Even though the Knights have won the last 13 Battle of the Bell games, the Knights still see the Travis game as a rivalry game, and they wanted to keep their streak alive. “Their coach was saying he thought they were going to win, and we couldn’t let that Battle of the Bell 12-year win streak end,” Bomba said. “Their coach told us he wanted to keep [the rivalry game] going even if they went down to 4A. They obviously want another shot at us.” Going into the game, the team had the mentality of this being a rivalry game and that they needed to be prepared to go out and play their hardest. The Travis coach’s statement fueled their desire to win. “We wanted to do what we do best, which is playing more physical than our opponent and starting and finishing the game strong,” Bomba said. Caption by Callen Romell.

Mac wins big against school rivals

JoJo Barnard, Julia Copas, Shila Gill, Chloe Lewcock, Helen Martin, Callen Romell, Alice Scott, Lanie Sepehri, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, and Camilla Vandegrift
October 31, 2023
GAME GETS INTENSE: The crowd watches intently as junior co-captain Greta Carlson rears up for a spike during the third set of an intense varsity matchup with Ann Richards last Friday evening. Despite displaying an impressive level of prowess befitting of her position, Carlson and her comrades ultimately took home the first district loss for the varsity girls volleyball team since 2021, Despite the defeat, she is confident that with better coordination, future success is all but assured. “I think we’re fully capable of beating Ann Richards,” Carlson said. “I think that Friday was just an off night for everybody.” Caption by Noah Braun.

A great volleyball night with a sad ending

JoJo Barnard, Noah Braun, Julia Copas, Evelyn Jenkins, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, and Francie Wilhelm
September 26, 2023
TIGERS TALE OF THE TAPE: Clemson junior Tarees Rhoden reacts to the Tigers’ victory in the finals of men’s 1600 sprint medley on Friday March 31 at Mike A. Myers Stadium. The Tigers won the race in 3:14.02, less than a second of a second faster than Yusuf Bizimana and Texas (3:14.81). Clayborn Pender ran the anchor leg for Georgia, which finished fourth in 3:17.11, just behind third-place Arizona State in 3:15.17. The Longhorns led at the halfway point by a half-second, but the Tigers caught them in the final 800 meters.

MacJ sports photographers place third in ATPI Top Program contest

Julia Copas, Naomi Di-Capua, Lillian Gray, Amira Habib Weymouth, Charlie Partheymuller, Camilla Vandegrift, and Macjournalism sports team
May 30, 2023
LOVE AND JOY: As she dances in her beautiful dress, sophomore Amy Love reflects on the joy it brings to see her father so happy during the McCallum Quinceañera. "I think that this event was really beautiful and fun to experience especially for my dad, seeing him so happy and having my family experience this," Love said. "My family isn’t big on doing huge celebrations so me and my sister weren’t able to have a quinceañera, but we loved being able to share this day with all the other quinceañeras and their families." Despite the stress of daily meetings and practices leading up to the event, Love found it all worth it for the fun and memories made on the quinceañera day. "It was really stressful doing the whole entire meetings and practice because it was every single day, but whenever it was the actual day of it, it was actually really fun," Love said. Overall, Love found the quinceañera event to be a very meaningful experience, which could not have happened without the hard work of Spanish teacher Juana Gun. "I want to give a huge thank you to Ms. Gun for making it all possible and being such a sweet person to all of us," Love said. Caption by Gergő Major.

McCallum Quinceañera celebrates comeback

Kate Boyle, Tristen Diaz, Chloe Lewcock, Gergő Major, Lanie Sepehri, Ingrid Smith, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, Grace Vitale, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
April 11, 2023
Senior softball captain Ary Sanchez poses with her bat out on the field at Feb. 6 scrimmage against Manor Tech. Sanchez's love for the sport started when she was young, growing up in a family of softball and baseball fanatics and joining her first team at age 5. Now, she leads the varsity Knights and represents the school decked out in a white and blue uniform.

Sanchez finds home plate

Camilla Vandegrift, staff reporter
March 12, 2023
Conradie sits behind the wheel of her 1990 BMW 325i convertible. From a young age, Conradie was exposed the automobile world through Austin's F1 track and Disney's classic 'Cars' trilogy. As soon as she could, she set out to get her hands dirty and work on cars of her own.

On the road to success

Camilla Vandegrift, staff reporter
January 25, 2023
Mac students shared their opinions on recent controversies with Elon Musk and Twitter.

Musk’s layoffs of half Twitter workforce part of larger shedding of workers across whole technology sector

Camilla Vandegrift, staff reporter
January 16, 2023
Evan Peters stars in this drama-filled true crime mini-series that focuses on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s upbringing, murders and arrest. Beginning in 1978, Dahmer dismembered 17 men and boys over the course of 13 years, committing acts of necrophilia and cannibalism in the process.

Dark side of ‘Dahmer’

Camilla Vandegrift and Nate Williams
December 14, 2022
REPPING THE SENIOR: Senior Helena Finos dances at the Winter Fairytale Dance last friday. Finos had been planning to come to the event from the start due to her position as senior class president. “I wanted to come represent my class and it turned out to be a lot of fun so I’m glad I went!” she said. Finos was also pleasantly surprised by the number of students that showed up after disappointing crowds at prior events. “It was a lot of fun [since] a lot of people came,” she said. “Which I didn’t necessarily expect since we didn’t have the best turnout at the last dance. I think are excited that we’re doing dance again after COVID and the long break from a lot of school events.” Reporting by Ingrid Smith and Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Morgan Eye.

Mac becomes ‘fairytale’ for winter dance

JoJo Barnard, Kate Boyle, Morgan Eye, Iris LaRue, Callen Romell, Ingrid Smith, Andie Svatek, Camilla Vandegrift, and Francie Wilhelm
December 14, 2022
LAST TIME FOR THE TRIO: Seniors and chamber choir members Cate Thomason, Georgiana Murray and Stella Pitts perform “Landslide” in the style of The Chicks during a performance of the annual choir cabaret. This year’s cabaret production, themed “This is the Moment… Be a Light,” featured songs about the choice humans face to build someone up or break them down. Thomason said after four years of performing together, the trio’s personalities blend as well as their voices. For the trio, this Cabaret was bittersweet. “We weren’t that nervous this year because we’ve been singing together for so long,” Thomason said.  “We were mainly just excited and sad that it was our last year singing together.” Former choir directors Malcolm Nelson and Cheryl Lindquist returned to Mac to put on Cabaret this year. Thomason said Nelson and Lindquist’s fun taste in music made the experience even better. “Cabaret is a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun music and an exciting experience,” Thomason said. “We are really fortunate to have Mr. Nelson and Dr. Lindquist coach and help us with everything. I think they’re really good at picking fun songs and putting so much together in such a short amount of time.” Photo by Francesca Dietz. Reporting by Ingrid Smith.

Cabaret 2022 succeeds in bringing the ‘Light’

JoJo Barnard, Francesca Dietz, Chloe Lewcock, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Camilla Vandegrift, and Francie Wilhelm
December 7, 2022
Senior Charlotte Wunz (right) with teammate Abbey Saray at the Hoka McNeil Cross Country Invitational. Wunz is captain of the girls cross country team this season, as well as the girls varsity tennis co-captain and one of the founders of the crochet club.

Wunz for the win

Camilla Vandegrift, staff reporter
October 16, 2022
Blackwell races the 5K at the Georgetown Invitational where she established a new school record.

Blackwell’s cross-country record just the beginning

Camilla Vandegrift, staff reporter
October 12, 2022
FUN WITH FRIENDS: Sophomores Hazel Trominski, Julia Rasp and Zalie Mann pose for the camera during Pink Week’s lunch festivities. Students in the science courtyard throughout the week enjoyed the activities while spending time with friends and sporting their best pink wear. Rasp went all-out during Pink Week, pink being her favorite color. “I think it’s awesome that they’re raising money for breast cancer awareness and doing fun stuff and that a lot of it is student-organized,” Rasp said. Caption by Camilla Vandegrift.

Pink Week 2022 sets standard for fun, fundraising

Evie Barnard, JoJo Bernard, Isley Cameron, Jolie Gabriel, Chloe Lewcock, Gergo Major, Helen Martin, Emerson Merritt, Lanie Sepehri, Ingrid Smith, Rio Sotelo, Sofia Thatcher, Elena Ulack, Camilla Vandegrift, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
October 4, 2022
Total student loan debt held by age group. Collectively, Americans owe $1.75 trillion in student loans. Source: Federal Student Aid cited on Forbes.com.

Student loan debt relief would make impact at Mac

Camilla Vandegrift, staff reporter
September 28, 2022
It may not include modern technology, but S. E. Hinton's 1967 novel The Outsiders speaks to the most pressing issues of the present as well as touching on fundamental themes that apply universally to any time period. Image accessed on the Devlin Thompson Flickr account. Reposted here with permission under a creative commons license.

‘The Outsiders’ a must-read classic

Camilla Vandegrift, Mac photojournalism
July 7, 2022
ANONYMOUS PIZZA ENJOYERS: Two unidentified diners and their dog, Waffles, sit at a picnic table in front of Little Deli, a pizza restaurant in the heart of Crestview. Little Deli, originally a sandwich shop, added a pizza kitchen to the business in 2009 and has been attracting huge numbers of customers for years. “It’s a great gathering spot for the community,” one of the diners said. Photo by Camilla Vandegrift.

A photo walk through Crestview

Chloe Lewcock and Camilla Vandegrift
January 18, 2022
Freshman Finley Dixon practices footwork in a drill on McCallum’s track field at Thursday’s soccer practice. The team spent the time during the practice working on their formation and building teamwork skills for their upcoming game on Friday. “I hope that people will be able to play on the sports teams they want to like I can,” Dixon said.

ME TOO: In the second-period women’s studies class on Oct. 4, Ms. Northcutt observes her class participating in a carousel activity relating to the Me Too movement. The students read the questions on the walls and talked about their responses with partners. “We used it to connect modern issues with literature and it’s such an easy activity to use!” said Ms. Northcutt about the discussion.

[Photo] Northcutt puts her stamp on women’s studies class

Zahraa Alogaili, staff reporter
October 30, 2021
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Camilla Vandegrift