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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

Daniela Di-Capua

Daniela Di-Capua, a&e editor

Junior Daniela Di-Capua is co-a&e editor going into her second year on staff. This year she is looking forward to covering more events in the fine arts academy and serving her first year as an editor. Outside of The Shield, Daniela is in the fine arts academy, majoring in classical guitar. She is also involved in several clubs like Student Council, Key Club and Science National Honor Society. 

All content by Daniela Di-Capua
Chloe Seckar Martinez performs at the Shoal Creek Showdown halftime on Aug. 28 at House Park.

Sidelines to center

Daniela Di-Capua, a&e editor
November 5, 2025

Growing up with two parents teaching at McCallum, senior Chloe Seckar-Martinez always admired Blue Brigade from afar, not knowing that one day she would be leading the team. After four years on Blue Brigade...

CELEBRATING CULTURE: During the Student of Color Alliance’s Hispanic Heritage Month fundraiser, junior Tegan Hahn helped lead the event by organizing volunteers, managing sign-ups, and selling traditional Hispanic snacks during lunch. As SOCA’s secretary, Hahn played a key role in planning the two-day sale.
 “I attended several SOCA meetings where we as a group collectively decided on what dates worked best for us,” she said. “Day of, I left class early to set up tables and snacks and then sold them during lunch.”
For Hahn, the fundraiser wasn’t just about selling treats, but sharing stories and building connections. 
“The treat-selling day is one of my favorite events SOCA does,” she said. “It’s cool to expose people to new foods and, in turn, teach them a little about a culture they’re not a part of.” 
Hahn added that events like this make McCallum feel more inclusive. 
“It’s super important to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month because it provides educational opportunities for our community and helps marginalized groups feel seen. I love sharing my culture with others and learning about theirs, too.”
Caption by Mira Patel.

[Photo] Homage to heritage

CELEBRATING CULTURE: During the Student of Color Alliance’s Hispanic Heritage Month fundraiser, junior Tegan Hahn helped lead the event by organizing volunteers, managing sign-ups, and selling traditional...

BIM teacher Ms. Primeaux in her classroom.

Business in fashion

Daniela Di-Capua, a&e editor
October 8, 2025

In Room 127, tucked in the back of the classroom, you can find McCallum's newest Business Information Management teacher, Sondra Primeaux. After being a long-term sub for the BIM class last school year,...

FROM PLAYGROUNDS TO PLAYWRIGHTS: In room 103, one can find a bustling classroom of students lively chatting and working. The new English teacher, Abigail Pfeiffer, said she feels quite at home here. 

“I love the students here,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s been such a pleasure to teach them.”

This is Pfeiffer’s second year of teaching. Her previous teaching experience was for a fourth grade classroom. Some might say fourth grade to 10th is a huge jump, but Pfeifer has been facing it with great enthusiasm. She majored in English in college and finds that a high school setting gives her more room to explore her passion. 

“There’s much more freedom when teaching high schoolers,” Pfeifer said. “I really get to put my skills to work.”

Pfeiffer was drawn to McCallum because of its commitment to Fine Arts and its welcoming community. So far, her experience at Mac has not let her down. 

“It’s clear how passionate students are, and it’s very inspiring to see,” Pfeiffer said.

Ultimately, Pfeiffer’s hope for this year is for her students to feel accomplished and for her to feel as if she taught them something worthwhile. 

Caption by Zanna Allen.

A fresh start for mac-ulty

    This week is all about celebrating new beginnings at McCallum. As the school year begins, we are excited to welcome a new group of teachers who bring fresh energy, unique experiences,...

GRAND REVEAL: Sophomore Cruz Gonzales performs alongside the other baritone saxophone players during Bandapalooza on Aug 22. Bandapalooza allowed the band to perform what they’ve been practicing during the summer to an audience full of friends and family. 

While this wasn’t the band’s first full run through, it was their first in front of an audience. 

“I feel like we’ve done better in rehearsals, and due to the pressure and other things, it hindered our performance a little bit, but I was still proud,” Gonzales said.

One thing that Gonzales pointed out that the band needs to work on in the future is making sure everybody knows exactly where they’re supposed to be and knows the repetition. 

This performance also allowed the band to introduce their new theme of Gothic Renaissance to their audience. 

“This year’s costumes are totally different,” Gonzales said. “We have hip capes and shako hats, which is a big change from last year.” 

Looking towards the future and big pictures, Gonzales wants the band to have a successful season and make state.

“Considering how close it was last year, we were pretty bummed,” he said. “So this year, I think everybody is really trying to work harder to get there and make state again.”

Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo by Wren Vanderford.

Bandapalooza marches into new year

  Just as the sun was setting on Friday evening, the McCallum marching band began its annual Bandapalooza performance in the band parking lot. After the last month of all-day rehearsals during...

Senior John Scott Mabry jumps up to block ball from senior Devon Robinson for the match of the Senior Boys's A Team against the Senior Boys' B team during the Bro-Ball tournament held on Wednesday. The Senior A Team ended up taking home the championship title at the end of the rounds. The tournament which is annual serves as a fundraiser for the volleyball program at McCallum. The volleyball team is responsible organizing the event and coaching the players beforehand.

Battle of the bros

The volleyball program put on its annual Bro-Ball tournament in the gym last Wednesday. During the tournament, teams of boys from each grade play in a tournament against each other in rounds, ultimately...

Sophomore Lucinda McCollum performs during a group performance of "Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight" by ABBA on Sunday night's closing performance. 

Due to some pieces being mixed with other classes within the choir program, McCollum explained it was a challenge to find time to rehearse, but the show still ended up being a success. 

"We only had a few rehearsals where we learned choreo and practiced with the other choirs, but I feel like we had good energy and did well on stage," McCollum said. 

McCollum said one of the best parts of the show was the audience's reactions to the pieces. 

"It was really fun watching the audience’s reactions to some of the small groups and hanging out with my friends backstage," McCollum said. 

Caption by Carlo Hinsdale. Photo by Josie Mullan.

A throwback Saturday and Sunday

This past weekend, the McCallum Choir performed their annual Cabaret show, with this year’s theme being “A Knight in the Past.” The tradition, existing for over 15 years, is an opportunity for choir...

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD: The McCallum Blue Brigade performs their opening dance to the song ‘Someone in the Crowd’ choreographed by Junior Lieutenant Paige Mitchell and First Lieutenant Gaby Alvarado. Senior Greta Waymay hits her final end pose completing her last opening dance as a member of the Blue Brigade. 

Wayman has been watching the Blue Brigade perform their opening dance since her sister performed as a member. Wayman was a 4 year member on the team and said this opening dance was her favorite. 

“I loved this year's opener because I loved the song,” Wayman said. “I also loved how energetic the dance was.” 

For Wayman, however, performing this opener was a bittersweet moment as her last performance on Blue Brigade. 

“It didn’t really hit me during the opener that it was my last spring show,” Wayman said. “Although it did hit later in the show.” 

Wayman said her favorite part about performing with Blue Brigade over the years has always been being able to do it with some of her best friends.

“I love being able to perform with all my friends,” Wayman said. “Growing with a tight knit community that Blue Brigade creates is my favorite part.” 

Aside from performing the dances, Wayman said the show was an important moment to watch her fellow seniors say their goodbyes. 

“I loved getting to see all of the senior solos and cheer on my friends from backstage,” Wayman said. 

Caption by Chloe Seckar-Martinez. Photo by Daniela Di-Capua.

[Photo] Embracing their final dance

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD: The McCallum Blue Brigade performs their opening dance to the song ‘Someone in the Crowd’ choreographed by Junior Lieutenant Paige Mitchell and First Lieutenant Gaby Alvarado....

Blue Brigade senior Greta Wayman dancing during the team's opening dance.

Blue Brigade senior Greta Wayman dancing during the team's opening dance.

Sophomore model Maggie Peterson and Junior model/designer Mira Patel getting ready before the show

Sophomore model Maggie Peterson and Junior model/designer Mira Patel getting ready before the show

Senior designer London Holtz making last minute adjustments to her pieces.

Senior designer London Holtz making last minute adjustments to her pieces.

Sophomore fashion intern Alice Roquemore (left) and Senior fashion director WIll Simms (right) celebrating on stage after night one of the fashion show.

Sophomore fashion intern Alice Roquemore (left) and Senior fashion director WIll Simms (right) celebrating on stage after night one of the fashion show.

Senior directors Reyn Linder, Will Sims and Larsen Krell introduce the fashion show to the audience on the second performance of the show on Sunday.

[Photo] Senior director Linder takes the lead

Tallulah McAuliffe, staff reporter
March 15, 2025

Senior directors Reyn Linder, Will Sims and Larsen Krell introduce the fashion show to the audience on the second performance of the show on Sunday.

LEAVING A LASTING IMPACT: Senior Larsen Krell stands amongst fellow fashion show directors on the final night of this year’s show. Krell’s work on this year’s production began months ago when the directors started to raise funds and brainstorm themes for the show, ultimately deciding on “Celestial Wilderness: Beyond the Horizon.” “It was a very bittersweet moment for me,” Krell said. “There were a lot of tears shed because I was thinking about how much I love the team that puts this show on and the hard work that we all put in to make the show a success.” Krell had previously been a model but stepped up when there was a vacancy in the director’s crew. Part of Krell’s job was picking her successors and organizing the event between the models, designers and school. “I’ve been watching the fashion show here for so many years, and I think this was the best one yet,” Krell said. “We were under pressure to get lots of ticket sales and market the event well, and so I think we accomplished all the goals we set four ourselves. Just watching it I was like ‘this is perfect.’” Krell hopes that the senior directors had a significant impact on the fashion show and looks forward to seeing its success in the future. “I’m just so very proud of our work and love our little team running it,” Krell said. “I’m super excited to see what the junior and sophomore directors have planned because I know it will be amazing.”
Caption by Nate Williams.

[Photo] Braving the ‘Wilderness’ together

LEAVING A LASTING IMPACT: Senior Larsen Krell stands amongst fellow fashion show directors on the final night of this year’s show. Krell’s work on this year’s production began months ago when the...

Sophomore Paityn Jones sings "Lift Every Voice and Sing" for the Black History Month assembly on Feb. 10. Written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was originally a poem but became the official song of the NAACP in 1919 and became even more prominent during the Civil Rights Movement. In the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020, the NFL made the song a fixture at its championship game.

Caption by Wren Vanderford. Photo by Jasmine Aung.

Acknowledging and celebrating Black history, culture and expression

For the month of February, the Students of Color Alliance hosted a number of events in honor of Black History Month. These included two Black history assemblies in the MAC on Feb. 25 and an HBCU panel...

Sophomore Ivy Stone practicing hurdles at practice. Jan 28, 2025

Sophomore Ivy Stone practicing hurdles at practice. Jan 28, 2025

Junior Paige Mitchell leaps during group performance for Blue Brigade's annual show-off held last Wednesday commencing the contest season.

Twirl, leap and spin into contest season

  Last Wednesday, Blue Brigade kicked off their competition season with their annual show-off of all their competition pieces in front of family and friends in the McCallum gym. The show-off...

Blue Brigade performed a showoff of its contest dances in the gym on Jan. 29 in preparation for their upcoming competitions. The performance included 32 dances, with 20 of those being solos and the others being the full team, officers, or duos. Photo and caption by Daniela Di-Capua.

[Photo] Photos of the week

November 11, 2014

Blue Brigade performed a showoff of its contest dances in the gym on Jan. 29 in preparation for their upcoming competitions. The performance included 32 dances, with 20 of those being solos and the others...

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: Senior Sasha Grapko is highlighted on stage by a spotlight during  the McCallum Youth Dance Company show this past Thursday and Friday at the AISD PAC.
The company put in tireless efforts to make the show a reality with late rehearsals and all-day preparations at the PAC in the days leading up to the show. 

The show was unique with multiple ensembles performing throughout the night. Since the company consists of students ranging from their freshmen to senior years, the dances vary in complexity which created a balance throughout the program over the two days.

Overall, the efforts of the dancers and choreographers paid off, and the show was a success. As Grapko is shining above, every McCallum dancer was able to highlight their commitment to the program with their performances.

Caption by Arwen Petellier. Photo by Adele Seeboth

McCallum Youth Dance Company delivers ‘moving’ showcase

The McCallum Youth Dance Company performed its annual winter showcase, “Movement 2025” at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center last Thursday and Friday night. The company began working on these...

Juniors Paige Mitchell, Amelia Cahoon, and Larkin Long create a TikTok in the cafeteria during group photo day day on Wednesday Jan. 15.

TikTok back after Trump executive order

Daniela Di-Capua and Carson Duncan
January 24, 2025

An app used by over 170 million Americans was momentarily banned nationwide, on the evening of Jan. 18. After about 12 hours,  the app was restored with a pop up stating “As a result of President Trump's...

Austin Football Club’s starting keeper, Brad Stuver, came to speak to the McCallum girls soccer program after school on Jan. 7 after the creator of the Austin FC logo and girls soccer parent Marty Butler reached out to him. 
Many of Stuver's comments impressed the coaches and players who heard him speak, but more than one Knight reported that they were impressed with Stuver's resilience in surviving 10 years of professional soccer before landing his first starting gig as the Austin FC goalkeeper. Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo by Daniela Di-Capua.

[Photo] A totally Brad guest speaker

Maya Tackett, people editor
January 9, 2025

Stuver said he felt that he and his Austin FC teammates had a responsibility to be leaders in their community and to help grow the game of soccer in Austin.

Varsity member, Maya Garwood playing in East View Scrimmage

Varsity member, Maya Garwood playing in East View Scrimmage

JV-A team member playing in East View scrimmage

JV-A team member playing in East View scrimmage

Senior captain Ashley Mankinen pushes the ball upfield during the Knights' 3-0 scrimmage victory over East View at Burger Stadium on Dec. 14.

[Photo] What’s next for senior athletes?

Piper Adair, Mac photojournalism
January 6, 2025

Senior captain Ashley Mankinen pushes the ball upfield during the Knights' 3-0 scrimmage victory over East View at Burger Stadium on Dec. 14.

AN ABUNDANCE OF OPPORTUNITIES: Senior Harper Freach, a cello player in the chamber orchestra, plays the first movement of “Triptyque” by Yasushi Akutagawa, which they began practicing in August. Freach said she was nervous going into the concert, having recently focused on other pieces.

“I was feeling pretty nervous because we hadn't played it for a while because we had been focused on pieces for another concert, so everyone was a little rusty,” Freach said.

After the performances, the fine arts majors separated into smaller groups so that the audience could interact with whatever fine arts they were most interested in learning about. Freach’s younger sister is interested in the dance department, so they went into that group. 

“We went to the dance building and got to watch a bunch of different types of solos of all different dance types to show what you could audition with for your audition and got to talk to the dance teachers,” Freach said.

Freach said she had a very different experience with orchestra before high school.

“I went to a private school, and we had a very different way of playing, we would have to audition for actual seatings and chairs,” Freach said. “It's different because now you walk into orchestra, and you don't know what to expect. Pringle will either have you play for the class or play with a different section; it's just a very broad range, and you never know what you're going to get. I like it because it tests my abilities and tells me what I need to work on and sometimes shows that I can pick up on things faster than I thought I would be able to.”

Freach’s advice for any new Knights is to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible.

“Any opportunity that you are presented with you should take it,” Freach said. “I couldn't do that my freshman year because we were still pretty shut down due to COVID. I was scared to try other things besides orchestra, but I regret not involving myself in other areas at McCallum where I could have possibly found my passion.”

Caption by Shila Gill.

Inspiring aspiring artists

McCallum hosted the Fine Arts Showcase on Nov. 7 in the MAC theater for prospective students and their parents to demonstrate the variety of interests and majors new students would be able to pursue during...

Sophomores Lincoln Faber, Samantha Panzar, and Hallie Cooper at McCallums 2024 Homecoming dance

Sophomores Lincoln Faber, Samantha Panzar, and Hallie Cooper at McCallums 2024 Homecoming dance

Models lined up at callbacks on Oct 22, 2024 waiting for their turn to audition.

Models lined up at callbacks on Oct 22, 2024 waiting for their turn to audition.

Sophomore Maggie Peterson poses at model callbacks on Oct 22, 2024.

Sophomore Maggie Peterson poses at model callbacks on Oct 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

The Peer Assistance and Leadership Service program held its annual week-long event, Pink Week, last week to raise funds and bring awareness to the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas. Many of the most...

The change in the auto admit threshold looms over potential Class of 2026 UT applicants who meet the current threshold (top 6%) but not the new one (top 5%).

UT to limit automatic admissions rate to Top 5%

Daniela Di-Capua, staff reporter
October 15, 2024

High school students all around Texas expecting to gain automatic admission to The University of Texas at Austin now have a new threshold to meet. On Sept. 19, UT Austin's president Jay Hartzell announced...

Friedman teaching her first period AP World History class.

Friedman teaching her first period AP World History class.

READY FOR THE CHALLENGE: Junior defensive end Nehemiah Trejo listens intently to head coach Thomas Gammerdinger's instructions for the team's next offensive possession against Anderson. Trejo praised the coaching staff for its work leading up to game.

“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,” Trejo said. “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 third quarter that we weren’t giving up and fought hard throughout [the game].”

Caption by Tristen Diaz. Photo by TC Brosnan.

Old rivalry creates crowd fun at 2024 Taco Shack

Taco Shack XXIII was full of high energy with festivities beforehand including an exciting pep rally and a spirit contest the morning of Taco Shack with performances from band, Blue Brigade and the cheer...

AN EARLY HOMECOMING: Newly appointed assistant principal Gabriel Adame returned to McCallum this year after spending a year obtaining his master’s of education with the UT Texas Principals Leadership Academy.

During his studies, Adame acted as an assistant principal at a middle school and an elementary school in order to gain more experience.

Nevertheless, Adame felt compelled to return to Mac.

“There are three main reasons I came back to McCallum,” Adame said. “Besides the students, who have been incredibly kind, supportive and funny, my colleagues and the friendships I developed here have been a huge part of the reason I came back.”

Adame also said the community within the faculty was one of the main reasons he chose to return.

“I felt so supported as an AP Biology teacher and coach,” Adame said. “And I can never repay them for the help I received, whether it was in the form of an email that made me feel good about what I was doing as a teacher or whether it was a kind remark as we were cheering on a kiddo in the stands.”

Moving forward, Adame plans to take his role as an assistant principal seriously. He’s committed to leading by example when it comes to establishing a work ethic and a positive mindset.

“The biggest value I want to embody is integrity,” Adame said. “I really hope that by the time I’m done here, people can really see me for the work that I did and the people I helped. Because really, this job is not about me. This job is about how I can get students to the place they want to be and how can I get teachers to be the best versions of themselves.”

Fellow assistant principal Larry Featherstone believes that Adame continuously embodies that integrity.

“I feel great about him being back here at McCallum,” Featherstone said. “He’s doing a phenomenal job. He’s training teachers, supporting students, and the best part is that he does it all with a smile on his face. He has a great spirit about him.”

No matter how beloved he is on campus, however, Adame takes a humble approach to his work.

“I’m a servant of the public, and it’s something I take great pride in, helping people accomplish the goals, the aspirations, the endeavors they set out for themselves,” Adame said. “If I can be a guide for them to navigate that, that’s what I want to do. Those are things I really try to live by, integrity and servitude.”

Fresh faces across the faculty

The new school year has not only welcomed one of the largest freshman classes in recent memory, but also countless new teachers and other staff members to fill out the roster and (almost) accommodate for...

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Daniela Di-Capua