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
Delaney Lavelle

Delaney Lavelle, opinion editor

Junior Delaney Lavelle is an opinion editor for The Shield, and this is her second year on staff. She has gone to state for headline writing in UIL, and loves to write articles and captions. She is playing water polo at McCallum for a second year, and is in the guitar program for her fifth year of guitar. Lavelle also played volleyball freshman year and junior varsity basketball sophomore year. She is in the National Honor Society and the president of the Mac Drives club. 

All content by Delaney Lavelle
BEATING BOWIE: Senior Will Bowman swims towards the ball, attempting to gain possession, in the first district tournament for water polo on Sep. 13. The Knights faced Austin High, Anderson, Bowie, and LASA, but Bowman’s favorite game was their victory over Bowie. “It was great,” Bowman said. “We knew going into the game we had a good shot, and we were able to deliver.” Although Bowman wishes the Knights had beaten Bowie by a greater number of points, he enjoyed the consistency of the Knights’ performance. “We didn’t crush them hard,” Bowman said. “But it’s fun when you’re actually playing and shooting goals and doing good.” Bowman primarily plays point, covering the middle of the court and making long passes. He occasionally fills in at set. He acknowledges that while the position still feels difficult, he has greatly improved at it since freshman year, when he began playing water polo for the first time. “When I was a freshman, I was a skinny little kid,” Bowman said. “I still am, but I know what I am doing, and it’s pretty satisfying.” After playing water polo all four years in high school, Bowman will miss the sport when he goes to college next year. “It’s a little unfortunate this is my last time playing because I don’t think I’m going to play in college,” Bowman said. “At least I’ll have memories of these four years.” Bowman has one more opportunity to form more memories with the water polo team this Saturday, Sep. 27, at the second district tournament. If the team wins one game, they will advance to bi-districts which will take place on Oct. 6. Bowman hopes not only to make bi-districts but to make a run in the playoffs and believes that the team can as long as it plays consistently. “As long as we’re making goals and hitting well, we should do good,” Bowman said. Caption by Elizabeth Nation.

Treading toward success

Carlo Hinsdale, Delaney Lavelle, Elizabeth Nation, Emerson Merritt, Fletcher Vandegrift, Julia Copas, Kaylee Breecker, Mira Patel, and Vera Petrowsky
September 25, 2025

On Sept. 13 at the Round Rock Aquatic Center, the McCallum boys and girls water polo teams competed in a tournament, with the girls team coming away with a win against Bowie, which was also their first...

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

Daniela Di-Capua, Delaney Lavelle, Eva Sanchez, Isadora Truan, Riley Pita, Sylvia Hurtado, and Zanna Allen
September 11, 2025

    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,...

We have covered a lot of Mac moments here. To celebrate post No. 10,000, we take a look back at some of the moments that made a significant impact in our collective life at Mac.

10,000 posts and counting

Shayla Allen, Evie Barnard, Elin Campana Wadman, Ian Clennan, Amaya Collier, Julia Copas, Kylie Elkow, Gaby Esquivel, Morgan Eye, Lillian Gray, Gregory James, Sophie Kessler, Delaney Lavelle, Chloe Lewcock, Beatrix Lozach, Emerson Merritt, Olin Michalovic, Esme Moreno, Grace Nugent, Mads Olsen, Charlie Partheymuller, Adrian Peña, Lexi Ramos, Bella Russo, Sofia Saucedo, Alice Scott, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Stella Shenkman, Bela Tapperson, Isabela Tellez, Camilla Vandegrift, Lucas Walker, Kennedy Weatherby, Francie Wilhelm, Dave Winter, and many more
April 22, 2025

Would you believe it began with a sales pitch for the 2015 yearbook on May 6, 2015? Well, it did. View this post on Instagram   A...

LOVELY RITA: Senior designer Rita Hagerty was the lucky winner of the 2025 show. Hagerty participated in the show for her second year. “Rita has incredible dedication and her eye for detail is incredible," one of Hagerty's designer peers said. "I'm glad her hard work paid off.” Each designer put countless hours into the show, sacrificing sleep and free time for the opportunity to share their work with the community. For some of these young designers it may have been their first time participating, some say that the hardest part was finding the time to dedicate to the competition. “Of course, designing the clothes was challenging, but that's what I was expecting," first-year sophomore designer Tallulah McAuliffe said. "It was really hard to find the time to put it all together though. Between school, homework and friends. The show was always following me.” Caption by Isa Truan.

Braving the ‘Wilderness’ together

JoJo Barnard, Delaney Lavelle, Sienna Martens, Sophia Manos, Maggie Mass, Elizabeth Nation, Callen Romell, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, Isa Truan, Camilla Vandegrift, Nate Williams, and Harriet Zettner
March 18, 2025

McCallum had its annual student-directed fashion show in the MAC this past weekend with a performance on Saturday at 7 p.m and a matinee on Sunday at 2 p.m. The theme of the show was “Celestial Wilderness:...

Sophomore Elora Clarke chose to cheer for British skipper Samantha Davies, pictured here during the 2020 race, because she is a woman and because of her work to raise money for good causes. “She supports multiple charities, not just one,” Clarke said. “There were not that many women skippers, so I wanted to choose a girl.” Image accessed on the Flickr account of Liloo F. Reposted here with permission under a creative commons license.

French students study, follow Le Vendée Globe

Delaney Lavelle, staff reporter
March 2, 2025

The AP French Language and Culture class studied Le Vendée Globe, a non-stop unassisted yacht race around the world. Students studied this race to learn about the sailors’ dedication and about the importance...

NEW YEAR, NEW SAMBAS: The Samba Knights performed at the girls varsity basketball game against Anderson on Friday. This was the group’s first performance of the school year. The club consists of students with ranging musical experience, from marching band members to those having never picked up an instrument. Friday’s halftime show was senior Finley Dixon’s first as a Samba Knight, being a new club member this year. Dixon said the performance was nerve-racking but she ultimately felt a sense of accomplishment. “We only had about three practices before this performance, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” Dixon said. “But I was proud of our performance and how I played overall. We spent our first practices basically just diving into playing for this show, so I feel that our work paid off.” Dixon discovered the group after watching them perform at a boys soccer game last year. “I was really amazed by the group and the genre of music they were playing,” she said. “I thought it would be a really fun opportunity and very unique.” Dixon said her intention to join Samba was not only for the musical lessons but also for the community that the group fosters, especially under the leadership of club director Richard Pride. “I think it is a great way to meet new people and bond over a shared experience,” Dixon said. “Mr. Pride also creates a really exciting environment and makes the learning process very fun.” Dixon said she is excited for her next performance with the Samba Knights and encourages those interested in discovering a new hobby to try it out. The Samba Knights will next perform at halftime of the JV boys basketball game on Wednesday in the gym. Caption by Nate Williams.

[Photo] Expanding the Samba Knights

Maya Tackett, people editor
March 31, 2025

NEW YEAR, NEW SAMBAS: The Samba Knights performed at the girls varsity basketball game against Anderson on Friday. This was the group’s first performance of the school year. The club consists of students...

SPENDING THANKSGIVING IN NATURE: Junior Elizabeth Falkin feeds deer who wander around her grandfather’s lakehouse on Lake Buchanan during Thanksgiving break. Falkin travels to her lakehouse during long breaks and spent six days there during this break. One thing that makes Falkin’s lakehouse special for her is the ability to feed the deer. “There are a ton of deer up there, and we always keep tins of deer food so that we can feed them and see them more up close,” Falkin said. This trip also allowed Falkin the opportunity to see her cousins, who showed up to her family’s lakehouse on Thanksgiving without her knowing they were coming beforehand. “I never get to see my baby cousins, so I loved going to the beach with them and sitting by the fire at night,” Falkin said. “I love the fire because I feel like I don’t have to worry about anything else like school for just a little while.” Falkin has been going to the house for as long as she can remember and always enjoys the sense of serenity it brings. “It is an amazing, isolated place that allows me to calm down and spend time with the people I care about as well as with nature,” Falkin said. Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Falkin.

All over for autumn

Noah Braun, Carlo Hinsdale, Delaney Lavelle, Beatrix Lozach, Chloe Lewcock, Riley Pita, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, Nate Williams, and Josie Mullan
December 3, 2024

During Thanksgiving Break, McCallum students traveled far and wide, from New Orleans to New York, encountering everything from picturesque beaches to Hawaiian volcanoes. From brief road trips to epic treks,...

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

JoJo Barnard, Tristen Diaz, Daniela Di-Capua, Carson Duncan, Shila Gill, Delaney Lavelle, Josie Mullan, Riley Pita, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Adele Seeboth, Priya Thoppil, and Fletcher Vandegrift
November 19, 2024

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...

FROM TUTOR TO TEACHER: Special education teacher Miles Korzekwa enjoys McCallum’s classrooms and community. When he's not teaching, he enjoys running, the outdoors and his dog, Sam. Before coming to McCallum, he was a tutor on campus at the University of Texas for two and a half years. “I really like McCallum so far,” Korzekwa said. “It’s a lot different from where I graduated. My class had 69 people, so this is massive. But I’ve really enjoyed the culture here and everyone’s welcoming.” When he was looking for teaching jobs, McCallum offered an attractive location, but during his job interview and a campus observation allowed him to see that there was a lot more to like about the campus and the special education department than just where it was. "Seeing what I had already heard from some people about McCallum actually in action was really cool to me," he said. The city of Austin offered other benefits beyond an ideal workplace. "I’ve been trying to get into running again, so Austin’s perfect for that." He also said he wanted to become a special education teacher because it gave him a chance to tap into his talents and prior experience in finance and as a tutor. "I wanted to combine both of those things," Korzekwa said.  "With special education there’s a lot of data analysis but you're also getting to work one on one with kids, which is why I didn’t want to go into finance, which isn’t really working with people. I wanted to see the progression throughout the year and keep building upon that, and seeing actual partners being made. I've worked with a lot of students, and I really like working with students because they typically want to be there, and that’s always enjoyable.” Caption by Delaney Lavelle.

Fresh faces across the faculty

Daniela Di-Capua, Carson Duncan, Nellie Eschberger, Delaney Lavelle, Josie Linton, Beatrix Lozach, Katie Martin, Sophia Manos, Aubrey Macedo, Harper Binfield Maxwell, Tallulah McAuliffe, Elizabeth Nation, Maddie O’Connor, Arwen Pelletier, Riley Pita, Eva Sanchez, Adele Seeboth, Fletcher Vandegrift, and Nico Williamson
August 27, 2024

FROM TUTOR TO TEACHER: Special education teacher Miles Korzekwa enjoys McCallum’s classrooms and community. When he's not teaching, he enjoys running, the outdoors and his dog, Sam. Before coming to...

COLALEO IN THE YELLOW SUIT: Senior Joe Colaleo rehearses ferociously confronts the Tuck family about the water that turns people immortal as the cast of McCallum Theater’s fall production Tuck Everlasting blocks a scene. The rehearsal is for the actors to know where to be placed and stand throughout the show. “I am feeling great about the process and creation of the show as a whole,” Colaleo said. “We are working really fast, we are super prepared. Everyone is working really hard, and we are just finishing up learning set traffic, cleaning and perfecting the show.” In the show, Colaleo plays The Man in the Yellow Suit, a character he was hoping to get when auditioning. The character is greedy and selfish and his goal is to become wealthy by selling water from the spring in the woods. “I want the water to sell for money and they are stopping me,” Colaleo said. For Colaleo, Tuck Everlasting represents the start of his senior year and the final season with McCallum Theater. “Playing this role as a senior is very fulfilling and fun,” Colaleo said. “Everyone looks up to you and you get a sense of accomplishment and pride when you see others doing well.” Looking back on his four years in theater production, Colaleo said he wants to do everything he can this year to support the underclassmen and have fun in the rest of the shows this year. “I really appreciate the process a lot more this year, knowing it will be one of the last times I’m doing something like this at McCallum and I won’t see a lot of these people for a long time,” Colaleo said. Caption by Nate Williams.

‘Everlasting’ rehearsal process nears its end

JoJo Barnard, Sunday Cardinal, Tegan Hahn, Delaney Lavelle, Lilah Lavigne, Beatrix Lozach, Sophia Manos, Tallulah McAuliffe, Josie Mullan, Riley Pita, Adele Seeboth, Nico Williamson, and Nate Williams
September 10, 2024

MacTheatre has been closely working on the fall musical Tuck Everlasting since Aug. 5, when the cast of 35 people leapt headfirst into vocal and choreography rehearsals. They spent hours rehearsing everything...

Freshman Paityn Jones speaks as part of the panel during the Black History Month assembly during fifth period. Jones said that being a member of the Knights Steppers and having Black teachers have given her spaces where she can be herself.

Opening doors to appreciating Black history

Shayla Allen, Gaby Esquivel, Lillian Gray, Carlo Hinsdale, Delaney Lavelle, Beatrix Lozach, Josie Mullan, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Francie Wilhelm, and Chloe Lewcock
March 5, 2024

On Tuesday Feb. 20, members of the Students of Color Alliance put on a Black History Month panel, welcoming all students and faculty of McCallum to learn about their personal experiences with being Black...

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Delaney Lavelle