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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

All content by Emma Baumgardner
More of an effort must be made to expand the literary canon to authors of color. Out of the 43 books McCallum students read in English class, including AP and regular English classes, eight were written by authors of color.

Not a reading rainbow

Emma Baumgardner
August 13, 2018

Speak Visually. Create an infographic with Visme Data collected from Austin ISD reports from the 2015-16 school year. My life outside of school is dominated by white female literature. My mom, who...

For talented artist, no single media, style will do

For talented artist, no single media, style will do

Emma Baumgardner, staff reporter
May 31, 2018

Throughout her four years of high school, senior visual arts major Avery Johnson has explored many mediums of art, including drawing, ceramics, photography and jewelry. Of all of the arts classes she...

Students from schools all across AISD raise signs and chant as the march towards the Capitol Building as part of the National Student Walkout to protest gun violence on April 20. “The reason I came is because three of my friends have died because of gun violence in the last two months,” Robert Spong said. “It is a defining issue and, [from] what I’ve seen today, I really think we’re going to make a change.” Photo by Kristen Tibbetts.

We need gun-control reform not gun-control debate

Emma Baumgardner
May 25, 2018

Emma's column originally appeared on the Youth Radio website. To see the original post, click here. Gun ownership in Texas is treated as a birthright. Having grown up surrounded by this culture,...

Three seniors opt for a path less traveled

Three seniors opt for a path less traveled

Emma Baumgardner
April 30, 2018

How many colleges should seniors apply to? How far away is too far away? What kind of scholarships does each school offer? These are just a few of the questions that seniors have to face every day...

The struggle to legislate gun safety

The struggle to legislate gun safety

Emma Baumgardner
April 2, 2018

To understand Texas’s relationship with guns and gun control it is necessary to understand the historical context of the issue, and that history is a long one. Laws regulating the sale and use of...

The great divide

The great divide

Emma Baumgardner
March 23, 2018

  Created using Visme. An easy-to-use Infographic Maker. On March 6, Texans raced to the polls to cast their ballots in this year’s primary election. Since the 2016 presidential election,...

At the annual Texas Rally for Life on Jan. 27, pro-life marchers were met with counterprotesters  who chanted slogans supporting a women's right to choose and autonomy over their own bodies. Pro-life and pro-choice activists yelled back and forth through a chain of policemen separating the two groups.  Photo by Emma Baumgardner.

Two Saturdays in January

Emma Baumgardner, Staff Reporter
February 15, 2018

As the discussion over women’s rights dominates politics throughout the state and country, Texans continue to remember a landmark decision in the women’s rights movement. In 1973, the Supreme Court...

No gray matter

No gray matter

Emma Baumgardner
January 5, 2018

After the renaming of Robert E. Lee Elementary school to Russell Lee Elementary, AISD is taking action to change the names of other schools named after Confederate figures. There are five schools in...

Sophomores Desaray Trevino and Aaliyah Cruz talk to AISD technology design coach Rita Fennelly-Atkinson about the Chromebooks students will receive in January. During lunch last week, Fennelly-Atkinson demonstrated the new laptops and how to use them. Photo by Maddie Doran.

Chrome sweet Chrome?

Emma Baumgardner
December 13, 2017

In January, all McCallum students are slated to get district-issued Chromebooks. The laptops themselves are touch screen and can be transformed into tablets. Students will be allowed to take these computers...

Luke Thiessen and Pedro Najar perform “Rhapsody in Blue” by composer George Gershwin at the Fall Dance Concert dress rehearsal. They are both piano majors, who will take part in the TMEA region audition process. Photo by David Winter.

Music majors put in work for TMEA region

Emma Baumgardner
October 27, 2017

For musical fine arts majors, the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) region audition process is a familiar one. Students perform in front of judges and are ranked against students from 22 other...

Photo by Madison Olsen.

Coffeehouse combines Halloween theme with original poetry, music

Emma Baumgardner
October 27, 2017

[masterslider id="27"]   McCallum’s literary magazine, Excalibur, held its fall Coffeehouse, a fundraiser to raise money for the publication, last Friday in the library during fourth period....

The Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque was erected in 1959 in the Texas Capitol. Today, many Texans see it as a false rendition of the history of the Confederacy. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus and other lawmakers have voiced their opinion that it be taken down because its message isn’t historically accurate. Photo by Emma Baumgardner.

A monumental effort

Emma Baumgardner
October 11, 2017

On the front lawn of the Texas Capitol, on the base of a statue erected in 1903, there is a plaque that reads “Died for State Rights guaranteed under the Constitution.” This statue, built to honor...

Abdul Hassan stands outside of his World History class. He enjoys learning about ancient civilizations in the Middle East, which he finds fascinating. Photo by Emma Baumgardner.

The long road to McCallum

Emma Baumgardner
September 13, 2017

Recent political headlines reflect the public debate over the issue of refugees seeking asylum from countries affected by war and religious conflict. It is hard for the average American to humanize...

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Emma Baumgardner