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
Dave Winter

Dave Winter, adviser

All content by Dave Winter
TEA announced they will appoint a conservator to oversee AISD services for special education students. The school board and state representatives soon responded with statements of their own, clarifying what this takeover means for the district.

[Photo] TEA to appoint conservator to oversee special ed services

March 31, 2023
On Wednesday during Pride Week at McCallum, Spectrum members sponsored a Color Your Pronouns activity, where all students could wear a button or color a name badge to help normalize declaring pronouns in support of trans students. According to Equality Texas, Republican lawmakers have filed 140 bills targeting LGBTQ+ Texans during the 88th legislative session. Among those measures is HB 1686, a proposed ban on transition-related care for trans Texans under 18. HB 1507, meanwhile, seeks to prohibit public school districts and charter schools from organizing or hosting programs dedicated to celebrating or providing special instruction regarding a sexual preference. The Pride Week observation that made the Color Your Pronouns activity possible would no longer be allowed if the bill passes.

[Photo] Happy International Trans Day of Visibility

March 31, 2023
YEAR ROUND PRIDE: Principal Nicole Griffith fixes a pride flag to the Knight mural in the main hallway. Though the official PRIDE Month is not until June, AISD has hosted a PRIDE Week during the school year since 2014. “I know that this isn’t when everyone else celebrates PRIDE, but I love that AISD takes a moment in the year to celebrate,”  Griffith said. “We can’t celebrate during the summer because all of our students are here, so taking that extra step so we can have that PRIDE Week where we validate and celebrate and empower students and staff and their families to feel that there is a place for them here is really important.” Griffith compared the current environment favorable to her experience as a student growing up in a less tolerant age where it was much harder to LBBTQ+ students to be visible and free to express themselves. “This whole generation is so much more accepting,” Griffith said. “As an educator, I think back to my own time as a middle and high school student, and there was zero representation and certainly no representation so to be able to see young people embrace diversity is really refreshing because that is not the world I grew up in.”  Caption by Morgan Eye. Photo by Dave Winter.

[Photo] Mac ‘PRIDE’ more than just school spirit

March 28, 2023
Construction crews lift beams to build the framework for the new dance studio on Feb. 17. Since, construction for the studios exterior has progressed, and the dance teachers have begun ordering everything from shelves to paints in preparation for its opening next spring.

[Photo] Mac dance makes a move

March 27, 2023
Senior Sarah Hauck and junior Ellie Knoll are all smiles moments after the final buzzer sealed the Knights redemptive win over Ann Richards to end the district season on a high note. After suffering a decisive road loss to the Stars in February, the Knights overcame an early Stars goal to take the lead 2-1 midway into the second half then answered the Stars game-tying goal with the game winner on penalty kick with three minutes remaining after Ann Richards was called for a hand ball in the box.

[Photo] Knights end regular season with huge redemption win

March 23, 2023
Current PALS Anderson Zoll, Bella Gonzalez, Leah Gordon and Kate Boyle serve snow cones at the Pink Week courtyard fundraiser. Pink Week is without a doubt an iconic school tradition, an event that has always been spearheaded by the PALs.

[Photo] THROWBACK THURSDAY: PAL program starts strong

March 9, 2023
In one memorable portion of his presentation, UT history professor Dr. Leonard Moore likened the economic legacy of this discrimination to a messed up version of Monopoly where he (representing a Black southerner) plays a board game with white neighbors in which he was not allowed to buy anything until after going around the board 20 times.

Dr. Leonard Moore: Studying Black history an excellent way for students to increase their cultural intelligence

Ava Bernitz, Morgan Eye, Ellie Loudermilk, Merrill Price, Dave Winter, and Tristen Wright
March 1, 2023
Junior co-captain Sarah Hauck finds some open space to dribble past two LASA opponents during the second half of the Knights 1-0 district loss to the Raptors at House Park Saturday morning. While the shutout loss was disappointing, Hauck found the Knights overall effort encouraging given what she deemed a lackluster effort in another big rivalry game at Ann Richards earlier in the season. “We are not the team we were last year,” Hauck said. “Our game against Ann Richards has pushed us to be more aggressive. We all have to learn to put in 100%.”

Now entering the rivalry portal … the LASA Raptors

Naomi Di-Capua and Dave Winter
February 26, 2023
In a fierce contest between two skilled and highly motivated teams, the middle of the field was a battle zone, one on which sophomore Harper Bergeron fought fearlessly all game long. Bergeron, one of the teams captains, gained possession for the Knights throughout the game and made entry passes to the forwards nearer the goal. The Knights other JV co-captain, sophomore Satya Russ, scored the Knights only goal in a game that ended in a 1-1 draw.

JV KNIGHTS 1, RAPTORS 1 — Defenses up to challenge of all-out offensive attack

Dave Winter, Shield adviser
February 26, 2023
After Shield co-editor in chief Evie Barnard presented a guest lecture to the class about student press rights and the New Voices campaign, Mr. Anderson passes out Student Press Freedom Day arm bands to his eighth-period students who asked for them.

[Photo] Friday Feb. 24

February 25, 2023
MacJournalism celebrated the Student Press Law Center’s fifth annual Student Press Freedom Day on Thursday. To show their support for students right to freedom of the press, they wore black armbands and provided them for any students, teachers or administrators who wanted to join them by picking up an armband in the newspaper classroom, room 134. Pictured in the photo: junior Shield staffers Naomi Di-Capua, Francie Wilhelm, Lanie Sepehri, Alice Scott and Ingrid Smith sporting their Student Press Freedom Day armbands.

[Photo] Thursday Feb. 23

February 25, 2023
A display of black armbands, reminiscent of the armbands worn by Mary Beth Tinker and others in 1959, on a table in Room 134 for students to take during Student Press Freedom Week.

[Photo] MacJournalism recognizes Student Press Freedom Week

February 25, 2023
Photo of juniors Lanie Sepehri and Meredith Grotevant preparing for distribution of Issue 2 of the Shield.

[Photo] Wednesday Feb. 23

February 25, 2023
While the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and press under the First Amendment, student journalists are not guaranteed those same rights thanks to the Hazelwood v. Kulhmeier ruling.

[Photo] Monday, Feb. 20

February 23, 2023
The alumni brain trust of Hudson Stancliff (Class of 2009), Colton Collins (Class of 2009), Travis Russell (Class of 2010) and Sam Russell (Class of 2016) survey their varsity opposition as the latest edition of McCallum Baseball takes the Northwest Park Field for the 2023 Alumni Baseball Game.

Before Collins lost the 2023 alumni game, he won it

Dave Winter, Shield adviser
February 23, 2023
LET THEM EAT CAKE: Senior Scarlett Bowmen (left) and junior Edie Birkholz (right) walk down the runway holding two cakes in outfits designed by seniors Jaoquin Godines, Clarrisa Villarreal and Esme Moreno. After directing the fashion show last year, Birkholz decided to get involved in a new way. Modeling was nerve-racking, but with her previous knowledge of the fashion show Birkholz was ready for the challenge.  “I was like third to go on so I was definitely nervous about messing up,” Birkholz said. “But I thought it was fun to be pampered and put on an outfit that I didn’t have to choose. I was initially going to change during half-time and put on a different thing, but I was like I don’t feel like doing that. I felt awesome and beautiful in Joaquin, Clarrisa and Esme’s stuff.” Birkholz enjoyed every part of the show and the outfit she wore, but her favorite part was the hoopskirt.  “I felt like a cake. I felt like I was the cake, and I think everyone should wear hoopskirts to school,” Birkholz said. “ I was like walking around backstage and telling everyone to move because I was taking up so much space. I don’t know, it was just awesome and I felt fancy.” Caption by Eliza Jensen. Photo by Morgan Eye.

Fashion show ‘reflects’ artistic identities

JoJo Barnard, Morgan Eye, Chloe Lewcock, Helen Martin, Ingrid Smith, Elena Ulack, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
February 22, 2023
Here is a practice for the quiz you are about to attempt. Do you know where the photographer was when they took this picture? If you guessed, the field house, you were on the money.

[Photo] Test your campus knowledge with our ice storm 2023 quiz

February 7, 2023
A worker for Asplundh Tree Expert Co., a private tree service company that works with Austin Energy, cuts branches away from power lines moments before Austin Energy restored power to about 20 homes in the Northwest Hills neighborhood late Sunday afternoon. The homes had been without power since Wednesday afternoon. A walk around the block on Monday morning revealed that two home were still completely dark, and one of them had a generator running in the driveway, a indicator that some homes in the neighborhood are likely still without power.

[Photo] Ice storm leaves students, teachers in dark

February 6, 2023

Knights vanquish Jaguars in second faceoff to stay unbeaten in district play, crack 5A state Top 25

JoJo Barnard, Isley Cameron, Lillian Gray, Amira Habib Weymouth, Stella Little, Helen Martin, Elena Ulack, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
January 25, 2023
McCallum students navigate through the rain as school dismissed on Aug. 22, 2022. Across campus, sidewalks and courtyards were flooded due to unusually heavy rainfall.

[Photo] Lack of green space causes floods

February 4, 2023
Jace Klein spots a white-winged dove during his bird-watching FIT on March 29 of last school year.

[Photo] Bringing birding to Mac

January 14, 2023
Watson coaching a soccer game in 2021.

[Photo] Where are they now?

January 3, 2023
The Class of 2022 graduated on June 2 during a commencement ceremony at the Burger Activity Center. The ceremony was replete with the traditional moments of a graduation ceremony. Principal Nicole Griffith welcomed those in attendance and introduced the school and district leaders who gathered on the dais. Class president Naya Domingo and student council president Anna McClellan led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag. Members of the choir performed the Mac commencement ceremony staple, In My Life. The resilience of students and the pivotal role of teachers were two themes that emerged from Thursdays ceremony. AISD District 4 Trustee Kristin Ashy stressed the latter in an address in which he fought back tears in honoring the memory of Robb Elementary teachers Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia in order to illustrate the selfless heroism of teachers. The selfless and essential role of teachers was an idea that was later amplified in the salutatory address of Samantha Powers and the valedictory address of Alysa Spiro.  In her address to the Class of 2022, outgoing superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde praised graduates for overcoming a litany of unannounced challenges, everything from the pandemic, to the debate over masks, from the winter storm to the boil water notice, joking that she had never heard of such a thing before moving to Austin. Principal Nicole Griffith echoed that theme in her address to the class. “Your high school experience has been different than anyone could have predicted,” Griffith said. “Your sophomore year was cut short as we all went home for what we thought would be a quick little pandemic. You spent your junior year staring at little black boxes on Zoom, sometimes forgetting to mute. Then came senior year. With a mask on your face and a heart full of hope you led the charge to breathe life back into our school. When ninth graders didn’t know what they were supposed to do, you showed them. Thank you for your leadership during this trying time. Through everything you have endured, the McCallum Knights Class of 2022 has risen to the occasion. Being here today tells us all that you made it work. That you are more resilient than you ever thought. Your strength to overcome gives us all hope for the future.” Griffith went on to review the long list of stellar achievements of the Class of 2022, academic, athletic, fine arts and extracurricular. She closed with a poignant shout out to the students who balanced their school work with essential work doing in the service of their family. “During this challenging time, many of our seniors stepped up to help care for younger siblings and family members so their parents could continue to work,” Griffith said. “Others worked jobs to help their family make ends meet while attending school full time. We are proud of you for stepping up for family while you continued to manage your obligations at school.” The addresses were followed by the distribution of diplomas and a final singing of the alma mater.

[Photo] 2022: A year In review in photos

December 28, 2022
Bauld was at the center of the teams identify and chemistry as evidenced by this team photo taken out side the teams home locker room between their season-opening scrimmage wins against Anderson and Pflugerville Connally on Oct. 29.

[Photo] Surrounded by her peers, Bauld goes out a winner

December 27, 2022
AV teacher Ken Rogers gets interviewed by Austins local FOX news station in March 2020.

[Photo] Rogers to retire

December 12, 2022
Junior Sarah Hauck in last seasons bi-district championship game against Pflugerville on Mar. 25.

[Photo] Committed to committing

December 8, 2022
Freshman Julia Copas consoles classmate freshman Cadha Proctor after Mexico falls just short of advancing to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup despite defeating Saudi Arabia, 2-1, on Wednesday.

World Cup drama comes to Room 134

Dave Winter, Shield adviser
December 4, 2022
Members of the Hershey production crew, intern Tuana Allen and man-of-the-moment Bob Bedard watch the sequence filmed during eighth period on Thursday. The clip shows Bedard standing still in the main hallway as the traffic rushes behind him as if they are apparitions.

[Photo] Bob to hit the big screen

November 20, 2022
FISHING FRIENDS: Freshmen Sienna Gunning and sophomore Fin Kirsch sit at the Mac Angling Club table, advertising to visitors at A Knight at McCallum. Gunning decided to join the club at the beginning of this school year to find new ways to experience one of her favorite hobbies. “I’ve always enjoyed fishing, and I was looking for a club to join,” she said, “so I joined fishing club, [and] it was something different.”  Even though it’s only her first year as a Knight, Gunning appreciated the opportunity to show off one of the many extracurriculars that McCallum offers, as well as getting to see the future freshmen take a look around campus. “I enjoyed showing the bait off and just talking to other people about fishing,” she said. “It was nice to see them interested and excited to be apart of Mac fishing club when they come to McCallum.” Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Dave Winter.

[Photo] A ‘Knight at McCallum’ to remember

November 16, 2022
Pedro Sanchez and Deion McClarin-Martinez celebrating Pedro’s touchdown in the in zone during the Connally game.

[Photo] For these young Knights, experience the best teacher

November 9, 2022
RIGBY RETURNS: She may not work at McCallum anymore but former special education department chair Julie Rigby remains a huge supporter of Mac volleyball. After making the trip to Pflugerville for the bi-district playoff match between the Knights and Panthers, Rigby offers a huge hug to senior outside hitter Jette Morris. Photo by Dave Winter.

Volleyball program savors its championship season

November 8, 2022
El actual asistente director y medio tiempo santa clos Larry Featherstone se toma una foto con Zertuche antes de su jubilación en 2017.

[Photo] Recordando a Yolanda Zertuche

November 6, 2022
Zertuche with assistant principal (and part-time Santa Claus) Larry Featherstone.

[Photo] Remembering Yolanda Zertuche

November 6, 2022
Chamila Munoz as Mirabel from the movie Encanto at MacTheaters 2022 Princess Tea Party.

[Photo] Flipping the script

November 8, 2022
Junior Annabel Winter plays the board game Catan with her parents in their powerless house on Monday night. Like many families in Austin, the Winters lost power around 2 a.m. Monday morning and didn’t have their power restored until three days later on Wednesday afternoon around 5 p.m. “It was a surreal experience,” Winter said. “It felt kind of apocalyptic because we were holding flashlights and were all bundled up in blankets, kind of like a dystopian novel.” Photo by Dave Winter.

[Photo] A post-debate fact check of Abbott, O’Rourke

November 3, 2022
Moments after the Fall Fiesta awards ceremony concluded, Shield co-editors in chief Alice Scott and Evie Barnard proudly display MacJs three Best of Show awards and its third place overall sweepstakes award.

[Photo] MacJ takes third place in Fall Fiesta sweepstakes

October 22, 2022
Drum majors junior Sofia Hamlet and sophomore Bea Saffer help lead the marching band during warm-ups before the Connally game on Sept. 8.

[Photo] Conducting with confidence

October 19, 2022
SEEING DOUBLE: Freshman Chim Becker and history teacher Greg Anderson twinned in Anderson’s typical fashion last Thursday. “He’s definitely one of my favorite teachers I have this year,” Becker said. “I love being in his classroom because he always makes everyone laugh and it’s just a really comfortable place where you can talk about anything.” The pair coordinated their matching Twin Day outfit over email after Becker decided paying homage to Anderson’s style was the best way to give back the laughs. “I thought it would be funny to return the favor,” she said. While Twin Day was a major highlight of the spirit week festivities for Becker, one of her favorite parts was the togetherness that homecoming brought to the school. “I liked that everyone could come togethr and have fun no matter who you are or who you hang out with.”

[Photo] Mac pulls out all the stops for Homecoming 2022

October 11, 2022
Tennis coach Juan Braucho at the varsity tennis challenge match. The challenge matches determine the seed of the varsity players. Lavine is currently sitting at the number one spot.

[Photo] Families that play together stay together

October 10, 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
After pitching a shut out since the beginning of the second quarter, senior linebacker Pedro Sanchez couldnt help holding back how he felt about the defenses turnaround.

[Photo] Houston’s seven touchdowns help tame the Cougars after Knights yield 28 points in first quarter

September 23, 2022
Junior Hannah Van Houten cheering at Taco Shack. All the students in the student section helped keep up the school spirit, Van Houten said. We didnt want the loss to stop us from being energetic and cheering on the team.

[Photo] New kids on the pyramid

September 26, 2022
During the first faculty meeting of the school year, principal Nicole Griffith welcomes new social studies teachers Jennifer Richter and Catherine ONeal.

[Photo] New school year brings mix of young, veteran teachers

September 20, 2022
Knight adviser Frank Webster discusses with Shield co-editor-in-chief Evie Barnard while covering the Taco Shack pep rally. Only two weeks into school and Webster has already jumped into helping with coverage coordination.

[Photo] Frank Webster

September 2, 2022
Principal Nicole Griffith welcomes AVID and English teacher Nathan McCallum.

[Photo] Nathan McCallum

September 2, 2022
Your subscription guarantees that you wont miss a single issue of the Mac newspaper and that we have the funds we need to continue to bring you stories that matter.

[Photo] Please subscribe to the Shield today

September 17, 2022
After completing the comeback win for the Knights, kicker Dash Levy gets to break the team out heading into district play.

[Photo] Levy kick says good Knight to Cougars as time expires

September 15, 2022
Frank Webster smiles for the camera while photographing last Thursdays pep rally.

[Photo] Back to the beginning

August 31, 2022
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE: For senior Jack Stites, walking across the field as one of four captains during Thursdays game couldnt be more rewarding. “It feels like a lot of hard work paid off,” Stites said. “Ive spent a lot of time over the past three years preparing for this.” Before every football game, the chosen team captains for that game participate in the coin toss. The toss determines who kicks off and which side of the field the Knights will take first. Despite Thursdays loss,  Stites says there is nothing to do but learn from it. “We’re a young team,” Stites said. “We knew we would have to take this as a learning experience.”

Taco Shack 2022 offers a full range of emotions

Evie Barnard, JoJo Barnard , Isley Cameron , Naomi Di-Capua , Julia Husted, Alice Scott, Lanie Sepehri, Sofia Thatcher, Francie Wilhelm , and Dave Winter
August 30, 2022
UNDER THE UMBRELLA: Junior Wilson Corbitt heads toward his dad’s car near the portables during Monday afternoon’s rainstorm. Corbitt faired better than some students, having the forethought to bring an umbrella to school. “In that moment I thought ‘I bet you all thought I was crazy for bringing an umbrella on a sunny day,’” Corbitt said. His intuition proved right, but Corbitt connects this occurrence to a larger issue facing Austin and the planet. “Every year the weather in Texas gets more and more unpredictable and severe due to climate change,” Corbitt said. “And that’s coming off the back of one of the hottest summers on record where today was the first day since May under 90 degrees, which is making it progressively difficult to tell what might happen.” Reporting by Alice Scott.

Flash flood strikes Austin as school dismisses Monday

Isley Cameron, Naomi Di-Capua, Meredith Grotevant, Sophie Leung-Lieu, Oliver Harrington, Helen Martin, Caroline Owen, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
August 23, 2022
BACK FOR SECONDS: Sophomore Kyan Adams participated in digital media teacher Dave Winter’s ice breaker activity during third period on the first day of school. Attached to each Jenga block was a mailing label with a different icebreaker question on it. Students pulled a block off the tower and then read and answered the question. For Adams the activity provided a nice change of pace from the normal icebreakers that day. “It was fun, it was different, Adams said. Ive never seen an icebreaker with Jenga.” Adams went first in the class and successfully replaced his block atop the tower, but when his team was a player short, he volunteered to take a second turn which did not end quite as well as his initial effort. Caption by Naomi Di-Capua.

Welcome back to Mac

August 16, 2022
Tucked away in a non-descript shopping center on North Lamar just south of Justin Lane, Tous les Jours is a hidden gem, a bakery with a warm environment and menu items pleasing to both the eye and the palate.

[Photo] Tous les Jours offers something for everyone

August 8, 2022
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