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
Eva Sanchez

Eva Sanchez, staff reporter

Junior Eva Sanchez is more than excited to begin her second year as a staff member. Her experience with The Shield last year allowed her to grow as a writer and work on her camera skills. Sanchez hopes to write more and capture the stories of many. Overall, she is excited to contribute to the team and challenge herself for the fun year ahead. 

All content by Eva Sanchez
Junior Beatrix Lozach is all smiles while wearing her gold medal as the 5A state champion in ready writing. She also placed fourth in the 5A classification at State in headline writing.

Lozach wins 5A state ready writing title

Eva Sanchez, staff reporter
June 14, 2025
Two protesters hold signs at rally for Planned Parenthood in New York City in 2011. Photo accessed on the American Life League Flickr account. Reposted here with permission under a creative commons license.

Trend toward restricting birth control worries health professionals

Eva Sanchez, staff reporter
April 27, 2025
TODAY AND EV’RY DAY: The cast and crew held its first performance of Freaky Friday in the MAC on Feb. 20. The musical stars Ellie and Katherine Blake, a mother-daughter duo who swap bodies in this story of self-determination and acceptance. Although the musical is a comedy, it offers a deeper message for audiences according to sophomore Elora Clarke. “I think Freaky Friday is about accepting yourself and everyone around you for who they are, flaws and all, Clarke said. “More than anything it’s about love and positivity and how you should put kindness and acceptance into the world.” Clarke (far right) plays the role of Lois, a sassy wedding photographer helping Katherine with her upcoming wedding. “I’m the photographer that works for weddings magazine to photograph Katherine’s wedding,” Clarke said. “I think my favorite moment in the show is the song ‘What You Got’ with me, Danielle, Torrey and Katherine.” Clarke said that opening night went well despite a few technical errors. “There were a few mistakes and technical errors, but overall I think the energy was good, the audience was good, and everyone gave a great performance.” Caption by Katie Martin.

A Throwback Thursday to ‘Freaky Friday’

Sunday Cardinal, Avital Cuevas, Etta Fannin, Tegan Hahn, Anais Long, Sienna Martens, Katie Martin, Harper Maxwell, Piper Norfolk, Eva Sanchez, and Adele Seeboth
April 17, 2025
CLOSING OUT FIRST ACT: During Blue Brigade’s performance this weekend, the audience was treated to an electric intermission number that marked a pivotal moment in the show at the close of its first half. This high-energy routine wasn’t just a highlight for the crowd, but a special moment for the dancers themselves. Junior Jill Hoffman, an Junior Lieutenant on Blue Brigade, reflected on the experience, noting that this particular piece held extra meaning.  “That was our intermission dance, so it closed off the first part of the show,” Hoffman said. “All the officers do a special little mark before the team comes off.” Hoffman, along with Captain Catherine Haikola, choreographed the routine, a process that started with a strong sense of musical intuition.  “We start by listening to the music and making sure we get the vibe right,” Hoffman said. “We also make sure to include tricks that highlight what the team is really good at.”  Once choreographed, the duo taught the dance to the rest of the team, refined the moves through cleanup sessions, and brought the polished performance to the stage. Hoffman said the season, now winding down, has been an emotional one.  “It’s been super fun,” Hoffman said. “It’s super sad the seniors are going to leave, but I’m also really excited to step up and lead the team more next year.” With another season around the corner, Hoffman said she’s already preparing to make her senior year a memorable one for Blue Brigade. Caption by Zev Zent. Photo by Eva Sanchez.

[Photo] Embracing their final dance

Carson Duncan, August Gleason, JoJo Barnard, Harper Maxwell, Sienna Martens, Josie Linton, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, V Overstreet, Priya Thoppil, Zev Zent, and Camilla Vandegrift
April 15, 2025
SHAPING MEDIA, STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY: NEW YORK CITY—the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, celebrating its centennial, began its convention on the Wednesday of spring break on the Columbia University campus. The opening keynote, titled “The Evolution of Media & Democracy: How We Got Here, How We Might Move Forward,” featured Richard Gingras, strategic adviser and former global vice president of Google News. Gingras addressed the challenges of fragmented media on democracy, the importance of rebuilding trust in journalism, and the role of media in strengthening communities.

Knights spring about

Beatrix Lozach, Katie Martin, Josie Mullan, Elizabeth Nation, Mira Patel, Eva Sanchez, Sofia Saucedo, and Maya Tackett
April 1, 2025
Dressed up for USA Day, senior StuCo members Evan Bausman, Kalliope Haltom, Poppy Harris and Christina Petropoulos pose near the office where they present the morning news to Mac. Photo by Eva Sanchez.

Knock Knock. Who’s There?

Eva Sanchez, staff reporter
January 1, 2025
EXCLAIMING FOR THE ECLIPSE: Freshmen Jack Wood, Arwen Pelletier and Cole Truong watch the eclipse from the softball field with their digital media class. Pelletier said she was glad she chose to experience the eclipse with friends at school. “So many kids were exclaiming whenever the clouds broke and you could actually see it,” Pelletier said. “I live really close, and my mom was at home and she was outside. She said that she could hear everyone yelling.” For Pelletier, the highlight of the eclipse was the few seconds when the clouds parted and the eclipse was visible in totality. “I'll always be able to remember what it looks like in my mind,” Pelletier said. “Some things I think about, but I can't remember what they looked like. But this was memorable enough and incredible enough that I'll be able to picture it forever.” Caption by Ingrid Smith.

2024: A year in review in photos

Julia Copas, Morgan Eye, Lillian Gray, Chloe Lewcock, Beatrix Lozach, Sophia Manos, Katie Martin, Emerson Merritt, Josie Mullan, Elizabeth Nation, Callen Romell, Eva Sanchez, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Adele Seeboth, Ingrid Smith, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, Wren Vanderford, Nate Williams, and Dave Winter
December 31, 2024
ONE LAST BATTLE CRY: Seniors Joe Colaleo and Theo Northcutt dressed as Mario and Waluigi cheer hard as they win their last senior battle cry. “I was very excited and happy because we had just won,” Colaleo said. “Now that I look back on it, it feels a little sad knowing I can’t go to another one.” Colaleo said although the moment was bittersweet, it’s also nice to know other things in life are coming up. Colaleo and his two friends said they dressed as Mario characters because it was a simple and fun costume idea. “I decided on the costume because it’s so iconic and recognizable,” Colaleo said. Caption by Josie Linton.

Students, faculty convene campus costume party

Julia Copas, Josie Linton, Sienna Martens, Katie Martin, Harper Maxwell, Elizabeth Nation, Mira Patel, Eva Sanchez, and Wren Vanderford
November 6, 2024

Day of Dance debuts at Austin ISD PAC

Shayla Allen, Shila Gill, Lillian Gray, Josie Linton, Beatrix Lozach, Elizabeth Nation, Josie Linton, Beatrix Lozach, Vera Petrosky, Callen Romell, Eva Sanchez, Maya Tackett, David Winter, and Abigail Wood
October 8, 2024
A DELIGHTFUL DANCE: Freshman Gideon Adair performed in the ensemble in Tuck Everlasting and as Angus Tuck on his alternate night. While reflecting upon the show as the performance comes to an end, Adair said it strengthened his connection with the theater community and his confidence on stage.  Throughout rehearsals the cast remained very close-knit, all working tremendously hard to put on a beautiful show. Adair loved the process of learning the choreography and felt this was due to how good of a teacher, Academy Director Natalie Uehara was. “My favorite part of producing the show was my castmates, it was just such a wonderful cast, we were all really close to each other,” Adair said. Adair loved every part of the musical but his absolute favorite was the fair scene. During this scene, Adair performed a duet dance with senior Sophia Rayas. “My favorite part of the show had to be the fair scene, during which I had a dance part that I thought was super fun,” Adair said. On his alternate night, Adair got the chance to perform the role of Angus Tuck which he worked tirelessly for as an understudy. The photo shows Adair as Angus singing alongside Fiona Kirsch, who played the role of Angus's wife Mae Tuck. Over the rehearsals, Adair enjoyed spending his time working with Joseph Blackwood who played Angus Tuck for seven of the eight performances. “I was understudying Joseph Blackwood, and he was always so helpful,” Adair said. “I had such a fun and awesome time during my alternate night. I loved getting to perform as Angus Tuck.” In the end, the musical expressed an important message, which was to appreciate life and all it's experiences.  “I feel like the best way to explain the message of Tuck Everlasting is when Angus is talking to Winne and he says, 'You don’t need to live forever; you need to just live,'” Adair said. Caption by Tallulah McAuliffe.

[Photo] ‘You don’t need to live forever; you need to just live’

Sofia Saucedo, Mira Patel, Camilla Vandegrift, Katie Martin, Tallulah McAuliffe, Sienna Martens, Aubrey Macedo, Priya Thoppil, Chloe Lewcock, and Harper Maxwell
October 1, 2024
THE ROBINHOOD ISSUE: Texas state Rep. Ken King, a Republican, addresses his audience on Sept. 6 at the Texas Tribune Festival about funding public education in Texas. King stated that to have Texas citizens pay less taxes to support public education, the state needs to reach 51% funding. “When I served on the committee that instated House Bill 3, it seemed to me that we were at 36 percent state funding,” King said. “After we instated House Bill 3, we were at 46 percent. The goal was to get to 51 percent by the 21st session, but we went backward. The state needs to put a huge amount of money into that system in order to meet that constitutional obligation.” Another issue King spoke to was the Robin Hood Plan, also known as recapture. The plan was enacted around 1993 as a way to provide equity in school financing. After the plan was enforced, many citizens were upset because the state took a huge percentage of their property taxes and redirected them to less property tax rich districts. King agrees that it should be overturned. “It’s been said that we need to get rid of Robin Hood, and as a representative who has watched my community pay so much in Robin Hood, I agree,” King said. “Problem is, the Supreme Court has ruled Robin Hood to be a part of equity three different times, and I think it’s gonna stay.” Caption by Sofia Saucedo.

Debates over education persist as legislators, districts consider budgets, vouchers

JoJo Barnard, Lillian Gray, Josie Linton, Tallulah McAuliffe, Elizabeth Nation, Maddie O’Connor, Callen Romell, Eva Sanchez, Sofia Saucedo, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, and Zev Zent
September 17, 2024
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

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
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Eva Sanchez