Francie Wilhelm, co-online managing editor, co-news editor
Francie is a junior and a co-news and co-online managing editor. This is her second year on the McCallum newspaper staff. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and going on runs. She has loved writing since elementary school, so being on MacJ as an editor is very exciting. This year she is hoping to help others and learn new skills.
![PART OF HISTORY: Principal Nicole Griffith, journalism teacher Dave Winter and science teacher Elaine Bohls-Graham pose with pride flags on the first day of AISD PRIDE Week. At his previous school in Midtown, Atlanta, Winter witnessed a similarly accepting and robust observance of PRIDE week. However, he feels that McCallums history and culture, particularly with Spectrum, make Macs PRIDE celebrations unique.
For as long as I have been at Mac and before that, [Spectrum] has been vital in providing a safe space for LGBTQ students to be themselves, Winter said. The group has had a lot of turnover with faculty sponsorship in recent years, but its essential role has stayed constant through all of that. I think that the main thing is that Spectrum and PRIDE Week helps to give students a voice on campus.
PRIDE Week closely followed Black History Month, where students and faculty organized similar events, like student panels. In both instances, Winter saw how crucial and courageous it is for students to lead the conversations on issues like identity.
I was impressed [by] the fearlessness and leadership of the panelists and the willingness of students and teachers to listen and work to understand better the experience of others, Winter said.
Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Lillian Gray.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/dsc09798_52760398309_o-900x600.jpg)
![BACK TOGETHER AGAIN: Former McCallum soccer players pose for a group photo at the annual varsity vs. alumni match. The teams of graduated Knights consisted of students as recent as the Class of ‘22 all the way back to 2003. After two years of COVID delays, coach Nick Martin was finally able to hold the match on Dec. 28.
“[The alumni game] provides like a continuity for the program. It doesn’t matter what year you are,” Martin said.
While some organizational changes were made to the event this year, with matches being held tournament style rather than a free-for-all, Martin maintained the spirit of community that the match holds for his past and current players.
“Getting the chance to come back and see each other whilst also playing some soccer is something me and my friends have a hard time turning down,” class of 2021 alumn Aiden Golliher said. “I’d predict and hope that as the years continue, the close-knit community the boys varsity had will continue [and] that will allow this program to grow.”
Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Morgan Eye.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/dsc_2412_52601882073_o-900x600.jpg)
![REPPING THE SENIOR: Senior Helena Finos dances at the Winter Fairytale Dance last friday. Finos had been planning to come to the event from the start due to her position as senior class president.
“I wanted to come represent my class and it turned out to be a lot of fun so I’m glad I went!” she said. Finos was also pleasantly surprised by the number of students that showed up after disappointing crowds at prior events.
“It was a lot of fun [since] a lot of people came,” she said. “Which I didn’t necessarily expect since we didn’t have the best turnout at the last dance. I think are excited that we’re doing dance again after COVID and the long break from a lot of school events.”
Reporting by Ingrid Smith and Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Morgan Eye.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/52561412854_9decf47bc2_o-900x600.jpg)
![SUNNY CALIFORNIA: Principal Nichole Griffith poses with her wife Brenda and son Langston at the golden gate bridge in San Francisco.
For Griffith, Thanksgiving break is perfectly timed.
“Thanksgiving comes at just the right time every year when we all really need a mental break from school, and this year I was able to completely forget that I was a high school principal and just be on vacation with my family. I didn’t check my email which I needed to do. It was a nice refresher.
In their time in California, the group, along with Griffith’s mother, saw sights such as Alcatraz, took a cable car ride, rode a train and visited the science museum.
“San Francisco is a fun place to be but it is also a place that is special to our family,” Griffith said. “My wife lived there and really loves it. I always joke that she left her heart there and we have to go pick it up every once and a while.”
Most excited for the trip was Langston.
“[My son] loves travel. He gets so excited. He is a definite travel bug, which I don’t know where he gets that. But he loves travel, loves being around his grandparents. It was really great.”
The young adventurer got to lean his head out the window on the train, learn cards with his grandmother and explore all of the sea creatures at the aquarium.
Griffith was also thankful to miss the rainy weather in Austin.
“The weather was beautiful [in San Francisco],” Griffith said. “We missed all the rain in Texas. By the time we got back on Saturday it had passed. But it was sunny in San Francisco and super clear. We never didn’t have these beautiful expanses of light.”
Photo courtesy of Nichole Griffith. Reporting by Morgan Eye.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FullSizeRender-900x675.jpeg)
![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.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/dsc01004_52501886876_o-900x601.jpg)
![ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES: Seniors Mira Wagner and Tyler Mankinen duke it out during the first moments of the final round at the Cap City Marching Competition. The 2022 marching show “Seeing Stars” gets its name from its boxing theme, and according to Wagner, who represents the woodwinds section, the early fight scene “definitely sets the tone.”
“Right off the bat you see two people fighting so you know that this show is full of energy,” Wagner said.” “Even throughout the show the woodwinds and brass are ‘competing’ against each other which goes with the boxing theme.”
Mankinen, who represents the brass section, believes the fight scene is a crucial element in the marching show.
“[The fight scene] usually gets the crowd pumped up and draws the attention of the audience into the show,” Mankinen said. “The show is super unique and seeing the crowd react to an unconventional element of a marching show is really exciting.”
Caption and photo by Morgan Eye.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/img_5736_52385662511_o-900x600.jpg)
![GETTING IN THE SPIRIT: On Saturday, Aug. 20, the cheer team gathered at the Domain Northside for a cheer-off against the Anderson cheer squad. Freshman Vivian Medina thought the cheer-off helped prepare her for cheering at the Taco Shack football game. “The cheer-off help me feel out what it would be like to cheer in front of a crowd,” she said. “It helped me overcome some of my nerves and got me excited [for] the game.”
Despite narrowly losing the Domain cheer-off and the football game, Medina felt that this year’s Taco Shack was still a positive learning experience for the cheer team. “I was a little disappointed but I know there’s always next year. We know now what we can work on and what we can improve.”](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/52297648647_aa97101bb6_o_52320397365_o-900x600.jpg)
![SENIOR SEASON: Decked out in their jerseys, senior Parker Mitchell takes a photo of senior Sophia Kramer and friends before the first day of school in the senior parking lot. The night before, the class of ‘23 decorated their cars to show their senior pride going into their last year of high school. “It’s tradition for seniors to come and take [pictures] the morning before the first day of school,” Kramer said. “Being able to share that memory together is definitely bittersweet. I’m super excited for this year but I am anticipating all the lasts.” Reporting by Alice Scott.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/52288662181_5a1d0b7ef8_o-900x438.jpg)
![FIVE-STAR CAPTAIN: In One Night Only, the opening number of the spring show on Saturday night, Blue Brigade captain Charli Cevallos is front and center setting the mood and tempo for the number and entire show. Cevallos said the opening number of the spring show is always upbeat and fun and this year’s edition was no exception. Cevallos said she remembers the moment as one of pure adrenaline. “Since opener is the first dance, the excitement is running high and it’s such a great feeling to be performing our hard work for an audience.” As the photo suggests, the team was able to perform the number in sync even though it was a new dance choreographed exclusively for the spring show by first lieutenant Annabel Winter (left) and senior lieutenant Emily Garza. “Opener was our first spring show dance we learned,” Cevallos said, “and it came together super well. … [It was] definitely a team favorite.” Cevallos said her favorite part of the number was the very beginning when Winter (left) woke her up stage left from a deep sleep to start the show. “It’s so fun,” she said, “and the audience loved it.” For the first time in three years, that audience was in the MAC and at full capacity without pandemic restrictions.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/dsc04748_52025488192_o-900x600.jpg)
![JUMPING AROUND : As sophomore Finn Griffith (Joseph) performs “Joseph’s Coat,” Marshall Clifton (front and center) plays Gad, one of Joseph’s brothers. who holds up the coat during the song. Clifton’s role as a swing was to step in to perform if any actors were missing. “Getting this opportunity to hop in and out of different roles was amazing,” Clifton said. Joseph was his third musical. “I’m pretty new to musical theatre,” they said. ”While this was definitely a lot of work, I am so glad I [had] this opportunity.” Reporting by Cassidy Levin.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/51849012688_e19245d93d_c.jpg)
![SINGING FOR SCROOGE: To preface the choir concert, a group of choir members sang Christmas carols in a “Dickens-esque” fashion. Senior chamber choralist, Evelyn Griffin (second from the left), told Macjournalsim that the group stuck to classic Christmas songs. “[We sang] We Wish You a Merry Christmas, some Latin thing, Silent Night, that kind of thing,” Griffin said. “My wardrobe situation was a bit stressful, but I enjoy singing with tenors and basses.” Caption by Lucy Marco.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/dsc00040_51737185954_o-900x600.jpg)
![CROWDSOURCING: Arwen Frederiksen (far left) walks down the hallway before school starts to re-familiarize themselves with the campus. “[The hallways] were definitely busier than I expected,” Frederiksen said. After almost a year and a half of virtual learning, Frederiksen expresses how they are simply happy to be around other people once again. “I haven’t seen a bunch of my just school friends in forever,” Frederiksen said. “It was great.” Reporting by Alysa Spiro.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/03-Alysa-900x598.jpg)
