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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

Grace Nugent

Grace Nugent, co-editor-in-chief

(she/her)

Grace Nugent is a senior and a third-year staffer on The Shield and currently is one of the four editors in chief. For her the most enjoyable parts of being on staff are writing both the quirky eccentric movie reviews as well as the big news pieces and stress ingesting caffeine with her fellow amazing EICs. When Nugent is not stressing over Lucidpress pages, getting a Tuesday Top 10 posted before midnight or frantically writing a baseball caption she enjoys listening to her vinyl record collection of “50 year old man music” watching (and arguing) over any means of sporting event or laughing her butt off with her friends. Nugent is in a place of denial that this is her last go-round but is excited for what the year has to bring. She’d like to thank Mr. Dave Winter for putting up with all of her death stares, aggressive comments and for being the Yoda to her struggling Luke Skywalker.

All content by Grace Nugent
Former Shield co-editor in chief Grace Nugent teaches modular design to first-year journalism students at the Journalism Boot Camp at the Interscholastic League Press Conference summer workshop held June 17-19 on the University of Texas campus.

Grace Nugent: NSPA Designer of the Year portfolio

Grace Nugent, co-editor-in-chief
June 23, 2022

My journalism adviser sometimes jokes that I am She-Hulk: that I will at some point turn green and triple in size. It sounds slightly off-putting and scary, but it’s just because I love and have a passion...

Senior Grace Nugent takes a photo of seniors Colby Napier and Tino Rodriguez at her last football game of her high school career, the playoff loss to Alamo Heights in November. Nugent spent the last game enjoying her time with her fellow journalists even as the score was not in favor of the Knights. Photo by Charlie Partheymuller.

Friday (nights), I’m in love

Grace Nugent, co-editor-in-chief
June 4, 2022

My Sundays were always for two things: Bible stories and Tiger Woods.  At age 5, I would go to church with my mother in the morning and watch golf with my father in the afternoons. To this day, there...

ABOVE: The Friesem brothers Theo (15), Kai (18) and Lyrr (15) pose after a morning Mac baseball practice. 
Photo by Grace Nugent.  BELOW: The Frisesem brothers Theo (age 9), Kai (age 11), and Lyrr (age 9) pose with the Sharon Region Juvenile division trophy after a summer baseball league game in Tel Aviv. Photo courtesy of Kai Friesem.

Fighting Fahrenheit in 512

Grace Nugent, co-editor-in-chief
May 12, 2022

Kai Friesem hates talking about the weather. And it’s not only because he firmly believes that Texas has environmental mood swings—a statement he stands by—but because instead of using Celsius, like...

Free information graphic

[Photo] Setting the bar high

Lucy Marco, online co-editor in chief
April 30, 2022

Sophomore Nathan Nagy struggled to get through the first inning, and erratic team defense did help his cause. After giving him five runs and struggling with his control, he settled down to pitch into the seventh inning allowing only one more run in the game.

Anderson edges Mac to put title streak in jeopardy

Grace Nugent and Thomas Melina Raab
April 21, 2022

The varsity baseball team traveled to Nelson Field Tuesday night for Round 1 of a pivotal district series with Anderson. Both teams started the game undefeated atop the district standings, and the winner...

While freshman Fin Kirsch has enjoyed the New York Times version of Wordle more because he finds the words more challenging, English teacher Amy Smith said she misses the storyline of the game being something its creator made for his partner.

[Photo] Five letters. Six guesses. One shared obsession.

Lanie Sepehri and Sophie Leung-Lieu
April 13, 2022

While freshman Fin Kirsch has enjoyed the New York Times version of Wordle more because he finds the words more challenging, English teacher Amy Smith said she misses the storyline of the game being something...

ONLINE SPORTS ACTION PHOTO: The varsity girls basketball team went on the road on Tuesday to play its second game against the LASA Raptors. The Knights were on top of their game, securing a season sweep against the Raptors with a 51-32 victory. Playing before only a few spectators on an unfamiliar court, the team played stifling defense, preventing the Raptors from getting into their offensive rhythm. Several JV players moved up to bolster the varsity bench that has been decimated by injuries and illness. According to sophomore guard Esme Barraz who returned to the lineup herself on Tuesday, having more roster depth made a big difference after Friday’s tough home loss to Crockett, which left the Knights with three eligible players at game’s end. “I think our intensity needs to go up for the rest of the games and playoffs,” Barraz said. “We need to learn to play without some of our key players.” The varsity and the JV-A teams play against Anderson Friday at home. The JV game tips off at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7:30. Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Reporting by Grace Nugent.

This is literally a SUPERIOR photo and art gallery

In the statewide Texas Association of Journalism Educators Best in Texas print newspaper, online newspaper and broadcast competition, McCallum journalists took home more than 200 awards.  We are working...

AISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde visited McCallum on Thursday to present a Golden Rave Commendation to engineering teacher Audrea Moyers. On Tuesday, Dr. Elizalde responded to Paxton's anti-Pride tweet by  supporting LGBTQ+ students in a tweet of her own.

[Photo] Elizalde to Paxton: We support our LGBTQ+ students

Samantha Powers, co-editor-in-chief
March 26, 2022

AISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde visited McCallum on Thursday to present a Golden Rave Commendation to engineering teacher Audrea Moyers. On Tuesday, Dr. Elizalde responded to Paxton's anti-Pride...

Senior team captain Wyatt Cunningham yells after scoring during the Knights six-run second inning that gave them the upper hand against the Lake Travis Cavs.

With no fear of the Knights, Lake Travis did not survive

Grace Nugent, co-editor-in-cheif
March 14, 2022

If you’re a fan of Longhorn athletics you may be aware that the No. 1-ranked baseball team in the nation, Texas, recently lost to the maroon underdog from San Antonio, the Texas State Bobcats. State...

Senior Holden Satterwhite, CEO of Redfruit Media, works on his computer adorned with his collection of stickers–including his own Applelosophy logo.

Confessions of a teenage CEO

Madelynn Niles and Grace Nugent
March 2, 2022

If you ask senior Holden Satterwhite how he started his independent media business, including an Apple news account with 42,000 followers, he’ll tell you it’s a long story. Here it is: Sixth-grade...

GOLDEN GRINS: While celebrating their win, senior Tino Rodriguez proudly holds the historical Taco Shack Bowl trophy with senior Wyatt Cunningham beaming by his side. Cunningham said there was a rush of emotions following their win. “At first, I felt extremely happy, then relieved after all the obstacles our team had to go through coming into this game,” he said. “I’m very proud of the team and coaching staff’s preparation for this game.” During his final year of high school, he’s thankful that they brought the trophy home. “It’s good to know after the last two years, the Taco Shack trophy is back at McCallum.” Photo by Grace Nugent. Reporting by Lucy Marco.

Grace Nugent — ILPC photo portfolio

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
February 27, 2022

PHOTO 1 -- Taco Shack Bowl returns to normal, Taco Shack trophy returns to Mac *The photo was also the cover image our top Instagram post for the calendar year.   View...

THEY ARE THE OVERALL GRAND CHAMPIONS: The Blue Brigade officers celebrate after winning the Overall Grand Champion Award as the top officer group at the Crowd Pleasers Dance Hill Country MS/HS Showcase on Feb. 19. For junior lieutenant Sophia Kramer, the team's success was more than just a good competition day; it was a redemption story. After a disappointing awards showing at Westwood High the week before, the haul of awards at Seguin was a rejuvenating relief. “There was a huge difference between both contests, and I feel like the whole team being there improved the energy of the dances overall,” Kramer said. “We were really cracking down on time and the day of the contest everyone stepped it up and played their part.” The Blue Brigade won a team Grand Champion Award in the large school category after all of their team dances placed first and earned platinum ratings. The three Blue Brigade duets swept first, second and third places with Kramer and senior caption Charli Cevallos bringing home first place for their duet "Because of you." While Kramer is excited about her personal success, she found more joy in the team's result. “We were all so excited!" she said. "It felt so good having all of our hard work pay off, especially having to choreograph team dances and not necessarily having much time on our own.” Caption by Grace Nugent.

Not throwing away their shot at redemption

It’s not very often that you get to be the opening act and close the show, but that’s exactly what happened Saturday for the Blue Brigade at the Crowd Pleasers Hill Country MS/HS Showcase at Seguin...

Sophomore Cash White, journalism teacher Dave Winter and sophomore King Perez Cude discuss Maus in Winter's FIT session.

[Photo] Students: Holocaust book ban ‘absurd’

Samantha Powers, co-editor-in-chief
February 18, 2022

A student in Winter's FIT class reads his copy of Maus.

Senior captain Tino Rodreguez yells agressivly to try to spark some like into the team.

Senior captain Tino Rodreguez yells agressivly to try to spark some like into the team.

MacJ wins big in NSPA ‘Clips & Clicks’

McCallum earned first place with a total of 112 points, nearly double the second-place score, in the National Scholastic Press Association 'Clips and Clicks' fall competition, for works in broadcast, design,...

Equipped with his backpack and helmet, Eric Wydeven enjoys a climbing trip in Mexico.

Eric Wydeven: climber, craftsman, Carver fan

Samantha Powers and Grace Nugent
January 20, 2022

The Proust Questionnaire, named after French writer Marcel Proust, is a series of 35 questions designed to gauge the personality and values of the answerer. In the Shield's latest edition of the questionnaire,...

Center Braeden Price holds up the Taco Shack Bowl trophy, after they defeated Anderson for the first time since 2018.

Center Braeden Price holds up the Taco Shack Bowl trophy, after they defeated Anderson for the first time since 2018.

Dancers in the Pre-Professional dance class perform the piece "SHEEN," choreographed by Mac and Texas Christian University dance alumnus Terrance L. Carson, Jr., during the winter dance concert on Friday at the AISD Performing Arts Center. The McCallum dance  directors brought in professional dancers to teach the choreography to the majors and the result was a beautifully crafted performance. “The show went amazingly well, especially because of the challenges of the current COVID situation,” said McCallum’s dance director Natalie Uehara. “The dancers overcame many obstacles and together with the technical staff of the AISD PAC, put on a beautiful performance.” Caption by Grace Vitale.

This time the ‘Breaking’ news is good news

The McCallum Youth Dance Company broke ground on "Breaking Ground" Friday night with the first of two 7 p.m. winter concert performances at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. The second performance...

Standardized admissions tests reward those who can afford the resources to maximize their scores, which makes the tests inherently inequitable.

SAT, ACT offer unfair advantages to privileged students

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
January 10, 2022

The standardized test system is classist. Now, I will admit that I’m about to go onto my soapbox about a system that I have played into. My parents had the resources to hire a tutor and finance my three...

Midway through the third period on Wednesday Jan. 6, news broke that Trump supporters protesting the results of the presidential election stormed and broke into the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The insurrection led to the evacuation of the Capitol and four deaths.

Around campus, many teachers tried to keep their classes going, but some teachers switched on the news. World geography teacher Greg Anderson was one of those teachers, with freshman Lucy Minton spending one of her first days on campus watching the news instead of learning about geography.

Reflecting on Jan. 6 insurrection, one year later

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
January 6, 2022

A year ago today supporters of former president Donald Trump broke into the U.S Capitol, interrupting the counting of votes to confirm President Joe Biden. The protesters smashed through barricades, assaulted...

Don’t Look Up: an out-of-this-world satire

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
January 4, 2022

From the mind of Adam McKay comes a movie that is based on “truly possible events”: Don’t Look Up.  McKay (The Big Short, Talladega Knights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers) pairs his...

Sophomore Alice Scott interviews freshman Ben Polega who brought his service dog Friday to school on Aug. 16. The broadcast feature package that came from this interview, "Thank God it's Friday," won first place at the fall National Scholastic Press Association Best of Show competition, marking the first time that MacJournalism has earned a Best of Show Award in broadcast journalism.

The year in review in videos

2021 was a year of first for MacJournalism in the field of broadcast journalism.  For the first time we created broadcast stories that placed in the NSPA Broadcast Story of the Year competition, and we...

Hundreds of students walked out of their third-period
classes on Monday Nov. 15 in a show of support for students
who have been victims of sexual abuse or sexual assault. The
group met in the band parking lot and then marched around
the perimeter of the school, stopping often to hear personal
stories of assault and survival. Each story elicited embraces and
statements of support from members of the crowd.

The year in review in photos

On the last Tuesday of 2021, we are pleased to make our last Tuesday Top 10 photo essay of the year a review of some of our best photos depicting some of the most memorable, significant and poignant moments...

Thomas Melina Raab elegantly runs at the Texas UIL State cross country meet at Old Settlers Park, solely representing McCallum on the field.

[Photo] Cross-country season brings change, adversity, success

Julian Magee, staff reporter
December 10, 2021

Thomas Melina Raab elegantly runs at the Texas UIL State cross country meet at Old Settlers Park, solely representing McCallum on the field.

School administrators told the Shield that Gaggle, the surveillance software AISD schools use to monitor student Chromebook use, is a tool that schools use to help students and keep them safe, but some students and teachers fear that it compromises student privacy and the trust between teachers and their students.

[Photo] District’s new surveillance software sparks debate over proper balance between student privacy, protection

Alysa Spiro, co-editor in chief
December 6, 2021

School administrators told the Shield that Gaggle, the surveillance software AISD schools use to monitor student Chromebook use, is a tool that schools use to help students and keep them safe, but some...

The Mac offensive line, seniors Borman, Bednar, Price, Butler and Holmes, and their coach, Brad Bernard, put the b in belly while posing for a photo at Marble Falls, the site of one the Knights' signature wins this season.

Inside the line

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
November 13, 2021

No one practices quite like the Mac offensive line. Maybe it’s because the five boys have been playing together since freshman year. Or maybe it’s because their o-line coach Brad Bernard has three...

Senior Thomas Melina Raab greets fellow 5A state qualifier Antonio Sanchez of Hendrickson (who finished 14th and claimed the penultimate qualifying spot)
on the podium at Kate Barr Ross Park in Huntsville.

TMR punches ticket to State

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
October 25, 2021

Thomas Melina Raab did not think he was going to qualify for the state cross country meet today at Kate Barr Ross Park in Huntsville. After the outcome of the race, however, he can happily say that...

When setting a Pink Week fundraising record is secondary

If you look only at the bottom line, Pink Week 2021 was an unqualified success. The fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin raised more than $2,000, the highest total since Cowles brought...

Seniors Johan Holmes, Jake Hissey and Cooper Borman celebrate the victory over Marble Falls. "It was a pretty amazing game," Hissey said. "We were able to hold the ball for awhile and run down the clock." Both Hissey and Holmes are excited for the momentum this will bring into next week's matchup versus Liberty Hill. "Last week if you would've asked me about the Liberty Hill game I would be super skeptical about our chances to do anything," Holmes said. "But after that victory against a similar but worse team and a good week of practice I am excited."

Knights corral Mustangs on goal line stand

Thomas Melina Raab and Grace Nugent
October 8, 2021

The varsity football team went into its district opener against the Marble Falls Mustangs looking like a road dog. They entered the game with a 2-2 record and their only losses coming against pedestrian...

The administration expressed general satisfaction with the way that students have responded to the mask mandate enforced by AISD, While some students have needed reminders about how to wear a mask properly and when to change to a new mask, most students are following the policy well, according to assistant principal Andy Baxa.

Mask mandate mostly met at Mac

Madelynn Niles and Grace Nugent
October 7, 2021

With McCallum back at full capacity, students and staff are required to wear masks at all times on AISD property, a policy administrators say is being followed well by most students on campus. “We...

The Blue Brigade performs at halftime of the McCallum-Seguin football game at Matador Stadium on Oct. 18, 2019.

Welcome to our World Photo Day celebration gallery

Aug. 19 was World Photography Day. Inspired by a National Geographic Instagram series in which photographers selected a favorite photo by a peer, we asked our staff to pick a favorite photo from the MacJ...

Knights next-man-up to topple Trojans in Taco Shack Bowl, 14-13

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
September 2, 2021

Football coaches and players often use the phrase “next man up” to say that teams can’t use injuries as an excuse for losing. Perhaps no football game in McCallum history illustrates the truism of...

DEFENSE WINS TACO SHACKS. After a McCallum offsides call on a missed field goal forced the Trojans into going for it on fourth and two, the McCallum defense made the game-saving stop at the goal line. After senior lineman Johan Holmes made the initial hit, senior safety Ez Guenther and senior linebacker Tino Rodriguez made sure the play would go no farther than the line of scrimmage. “I could see that they were in wildcat formation, and their best player was going to get the ball, and it was all going to come down to who wanted it more,” Guenther said. The play thwarted the Trojans' chance at a game-winning score. The Knights then proceeded to trudge 70 yards towards the Anderson end zone and run out the clock. “This photo just shows we wanted the Taco Shack Bowl more,” Guenther said.

Taco Shack Bowl returns to normal, Taco Shack trophy returns to Mac

The Taco Shack trophy has come back to Mac. After losing their sophomore year and their junior year, the football class of 2022 led the Knights to a 14-13 victory over the Anderson Trojans on Thursday...

Taco Shack XX: the last chance

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
August 26, 2021

His freshman year, senior quarterback Jaxon Rosales watched his brother Julian hoist the coveted Taco Shack trophy in victory. Until now, Jaxon has never gotten that experience. He plans to change that.  Not...

Free Guy delivers pixel perfect performance

Grace Nugent, co-editor in chief
August 25, 2021

Imagine if Jumanji, Wreck-it Ralph, Deadpool and Westworld had a baby with Ryan Reynolds, that baby would be Free Guy. I am not at all an avid video game player. More accurately I am a terrible video...

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.

Knights fill the campus on first day of school

Since going virtual in March of 2020, McCallum has finally welcomed back the full student body to an in-person education experience. Between four classes, two of which had not attended Mac in-person before,...

SNL alum, Jason Sudeikis, stars in new Apple TV+ oringial series as Ted Lasso an American football coach turned Premier League Soccer manager. With new episodes Fridays, all are welcome to indulge in this heartwarming witty comedy.

Grace Nugent: NSPA Designer of the year portfolio

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
June 25, 2021

Normally I feel a sinking feeling when two words are placed next to one another: page and design. This is a by-product of many nights spent slaving over InDesign pages and being confounded by the refusal...

Veteran third baseman named second team all-state

Veteran third baseman named second team all-state

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
June 21, 2021

The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association has named McCallum baseball class of 2021 third baseman Jacob Masters second-team all-state. Masters was one of two Knights selected for an all-state...

ABOVE:  Senior Ethan Vandament not only hit a bases-clearing RBI triple to drive in three runs in the top of the fifth to give McCallum the lead, but he also pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and five earned runs allowed in an 8-5 victory over 6A powerhouse Westlake that completed a 5-0 weekend at the AISD baseball tournament March 4-6.

Vandament enjoys home-run season

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
May 20, 2021

Ethan Vandament's greatest baseball achievement is his first home run, something he had been working towards since his humble beginnings in Little League. When the day came, during the annual Fredricksburg...

Senior Trinidad De la Garza celebrates after hitting an RBI double in the second inning of the third playoff game versus the Pflugerville Panthers.

Knights win first bi-district championship series since 2016

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
May 13, 2021

After losing the first game of their opening-round playoff series the varsity baseball team felt a sense of déjà vu. With a 3-0 loss to Pflugerville on Friday evening, the Knights were one loss away...

People hold up signs at an event held by Equality Texas at the Capitol last month. Several speakers opposed a slate of bills at the Texas Legislature that target transgender Texans' access to health care and school sports. Photo originally published on the Texas Tribune website on April 20. Reposted here with permission from the Texas Tribune.

Restrictive trans athlete bill likely to reach House floor

Lucy Marco and Grace Nugent
May 6, 2021

UPDATE: This story has been updated on Saturday May 8 to show that after Friday's developments, Senate Bill 29 is much more likely to reach the House floor. On April 15, the Texas Senate passed Senate...

LIVING LIKE A KING: Senior Amelie Chaouat smiles as she shares a dance with Kyle Davis, who was voted as one of this year’s Mac prom royalty. For Davis, the royal victory came as a complete surprise. “I thought it was cute and all that I made it to the second round of voting,” he said, “but I had no idea that I would win. I was beyond excited, and I’m so thankful to have been chosen.” As for the rest of the night, Kyle spent his time dancing with friends and reconnecting with classmates he hadn’t seen due to COVID. “I was honestly very worried that prom was just going to be awkward for so many people because so many of us haven’t had actual social interactions in big groups, but it was definitely the opposite,” Davis said. “It was full of interaction and everyone was very talkative.” Most of all, Davis is grateful that he and his peers had the opportunity to celebrate the end of senior year. “It was actually super reassuring,” he said. “Being able to even have a prom in general was amazing, and the fact that we got to have at least one event for the class of 2021 was just lovely.” Reporting by Madelynn Niles.

Seniors make most of muddy mask-querade

After months of strategic planning, the student council members and senior class sponsor Amy Smith put together the first, and hopefully last, COVID-safe prom on May 1. Prom night took place at Stubbs...

Senior captain Ethan Vandament leads the varsity baseball team as they "talk about it" before their rivalry game against Anderson on Tuesday April 16.

10 years later and the win streak rests on one game

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
April 30, 2021

After nine consecutive district championships and one year lost to a pandemic, the McCallum Knights must win their next game to keep the streak of district championships alive.   With the 2020 season...

STICKING WITH TRADITION: The McCallum Blue Brigade sticks the final pose during "Last Dance" to conclude their first Spring Show of 2021 on Friday April 16. “My favorite dance is ‘Last Dance’ because it's such a classic!” junior member Natalie Dean said. I think it’s so fun, happy and a great way to end spring show every year,” The routine is full of memories for members past and present as it has been performed at the end of every spring show since 1991. Speaking of traditions, Dean helped to keep another spring show tradition alive when she made a slide show that included photos from the season as well as a tribute to seniors that included current and baby pictures of each graduating dancer.  Reporting by Grace Nugent.

Blue Brigade ends tough year with triumphant show

After not having a spring show in 2020 and after a 2020-2021 campaign that director Nancy Searle said was often characterized by frustrations, disappointments and cancellations, the Blue Brigade ended...

A period of cluttered desks, from college letters, to huge SAT prep books to homework is a constant for Mac juniors.

Confused about college? It’s OK, you’re not alone.

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
April 18, 2021

A few days ago I was recommended an episode of the podcast This American Life by my amazing and thoughtful math teacher, Mr. Pass. The episode was titled “The campus tour has been canceled” and while...

BEAT THE DRUM: The black drum that junior Nicholas Rivera caught appears to be the largest catch of the whole virtual tournament. He said he caught the massive fish in Port Lavaca using crab as bait.

These are real fish stories

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
April 6, 2021

We here at Mac Journalism welcome you to browse the virtual trophy room of the first, and hopefully not last, McCallum Fishing Club virtual fishing competition. The tournament began March 14 and ran through...

Senior Ethan Vandament not only hit a bases-clearing RBI triple to drive in three runs in the top of the fifth but also pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and five earned runs allowed.

Knights defeat Chaps, go 5-0 at AISD tournament

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
March 11, 2021

The McCallum Knights have beaten the Westlake Chaparrals in sports. The win did not come on a walk-off, or with Westlake throwing its JV pitchers in place of its varsity hurlers but rather by a three-run...

Soul: Come for the astounding animation; stay for the identity crisis

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
March 8, 2021

Soul — a movie that makes you fall in love with Pixar animated characters while at the same time giving you an existential crisis. Hats off to Disney. Pixar has managed to take perplexing meta-questions...

Icicles and snow cover the corners of the building site of the outdoor stage. The winter storm caused the first weekend run of Urinetown, the school musical, to be canceled. Urinetown will resume rehearsals this week and will now debut March 4.

Winter storm leads to systemic power, water outages

Ellen Fox and Grace Nugent
February 23, 2021

After a week of extreme winter weather for Texas, many Austin families found themselves dealing with no heat, no power, no water, and no way out in the midst of an uncharacteristic freeze. The 7.9-inch...

Wonder Woman 1984 is not a ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
February 7, 2021

A film about how truth and love will conquer all — how original. However sweet the sentiment, we have learned from politics and life experiences that truth and love do not always triumph, and neither...

U.S National Guard troops stationed at the entrance to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, the same day the House voted to impeach President Trump a second time on the charge that he incited the insurrection that occurred at the Capitol the week before. National Guard troops will be stationed at the Capitol at least until Biden’s inauguration. Photo accessed on Geoff Livingston’s Flickr account. Photo reprinted with permission under a creative commons license.

Knights react to a week in Washington that began with insurrection, ended with Trump’s second impeachment

Ellen Fox and Grace Nugent
January 14, 2021

President Trump was impeached on Wednesday by every House Democrat and 10 House Republicans who accuse the president of inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which occurred exactly a week before...

‘The Mandalorian’ brings back the spirit of Star Wars

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
December 28, 2020

“A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…,” words that launched an epic film series that created beloved characters, some of pop culture’s most iconic lines and inspired countless Halloween...

Senior running back Andres Rodriguez and the rest of the varsity football team celebrates the 20-0 victory over the district rival Northeast Raiders. "A win is a win," quarterback Jaxon Rosales said. "The score should have been much higher on our side, and we just have to keep grinding in preparation for next week." The Knights will play the Georgetown East View Patriots at 7 p.m. at House Park on Friday, Dec. 11. Photo by Lindsey Plotkin.

Knights defeat Northeast, move on to state playoffs

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
December 10, 2020

With a 20-0 shutout of the Northeast Raiders, the varsity football team clinched the No. 2 playoff seed in District 14-5A-2 and home-field advantage for the first round of state playoffs. While the...

Junior Brock Fanning carries the ball past Mustang defenders during Thursday night's 14-0 victory over Marble Falls at House Park. The Knights had an efficient running game, gaining 151 yards to Marble Falls’ 243. Despite being outgained, the Knights outscored the Mustangs to take home the win.

[Photo] Suffocating Knight defense wills Mac to signature win over new District 14-5A-2 rival, Marble Falls

Caleb Melville, staff reporter
November 10, 2020

Junior Brock Fanning carries the ball past Mustang defenders during Thursday night's 14-0 victory over Marble Falls at House Park. The Knights had an efficient running game, gaining 151 yards to Marble...

Young Danny Torrance in Stanley Kubricks classic horror movie "The Shining". If you want to know what is terrorizing Danny you will have to watch and find out. Stills from The Shining accessed on Adam Polessi's Flickr account. Published here with permission under a creative commons license.

Our official Halloween movie guide

Ellen Fox, Madelynn Niles, and Grace Nugent
October 29, 2020

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1964) According to Linus, the Great Pumpkin rises from the pumpkin patch every October to deliver gifts to kids. According to everyone else, Linus is a blockhead....

A tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg placed in front of the Supreme Court during one of the many vigils held around the country. Photo by Yash Mori. Accessed on yashmori Flickr account. Republished with permission.

Knights grieve, celebrate Ginsburg

Grace Nugent, online co-editor in chief
October 24, 2020

She may be known in the history books as the breaker of glass ceilings, an advocate for LBGTQ marriage equality and a trailblazer for women’s rights, but Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was...

History teacher Greg Anderson and former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider smile for the camera at a VIP event during Snider’s solo show in Dallas. After Snider signed Anderson’s copies of the Twister Sister albums You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll and Stay Hungry, Anderson told Snider how much he admired him for his role fighting censorship in the Parents Music Resource Center U.S. Senate hearings. “He made a joke about how funny it would have been if Bob Denver had been at the hearings instead of John Denver,” Anderson said. “He asked if I wanted to make tough guy faces in the picture, and I asked him if we could smile instead. He was very nice and everyone was walking away very happy from the experience.” Anderson also told MacJournalism that he first became a fan of Twisted Sister after seeing the band’s appearance in the final chase scene in the 1985 movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and that he caught a guitar pick during Snider’s show.

Greg Anderson’s musical anthology includes Green Day, the Foo Fighters, Devo and the Ramones

macshieldonline · The S Word -- Episode 16 (Anderson talks heavy metal at the AP level) Part Two In the previous episode of the S-Word podcast, McCallum world history and geography teacher Greg Anderson...

AISD staff rally in front of the district headquarters, were they posted demands and questions regarding COVID response and school reopenings. Photo by Grace Nugent.

[Photo] Staff rally for a say in school re-openings

Bella Russo, co-editor in chief
October 4, 2020

AISD staff rally in front of the district headquarters, were they posted demands and questions regarding COVID response and school reopenings. Photo by Grace Nugent.

Sophomore J.D. Jordan catches his first varsity touchdown and Mac's only trip to the end zone against the Anderson Trojans in the third quarter of the 19th annual Taco Shack Bowl.

Trojans withstand Knight comeback to claim COVID-19th Taco Shack, all-time series lead

Grace Nugent, sports editor
October 3, 2020

Despite the fact that he caught his first varsity touchdown pass, sophomore JD Jordan’s varsity football debut was less than ideal. And not because each team only had about 250 fans or because there...

Anderson's Spotify metal playlist is 34 hours long, and his chart showing different metal genres and their relationship to each other looks like a constellation of stars.

Turns out you can judge a band by its album cover

 macshieldonline · The S Word -- Episode 16 (Greg Anderson on Heavy Metal) Part One Thrash. Pirate. Sludge. Satanic. War. Viking. Doom. Death. Aside from sounding mildly menacing, these words...

‘Lasso’ way relies on exuberance to reel in audiences

Grace Nugent, co-online editor in chief
September 6, 2020

My stance on sports-related films, TV shows, miniseries, or anything of the sort is this: if they are done well and with heart, they are engaging, amazing, and sometimes make you cry (or, in the case of...

McCallum senior Molly Gardner attends the class of 2020 drive-by graduation parade on May 28. The parade has been one of the few on-campus events that have taken place since COVID-19 prompted the closure of the campus on March 13. Photo by Evelyn Griffin.

Virtual education is best bad option

Samantha Powers and Grace Nugent
August 16, 2020

Normally, 16th birthdays are defined by family, friends, and that ceremonial first drive with a newly minted driver’s license—a celebration akin to Molly Ringwald’s ride in Jake Ryan’s cherry-red...

CAN'T STOP CARBAJAL. In a dominant 55-14 victory over the Navarro Vikings during the 2018 football season, the run game and the score were not the only shining stars that night. The big headline of the night was not the win or the three touchdowns by then senior Deron Gage but a defensive touchdown off a blocked punt by Alvino Carbajal. In an interview with Texas Athletes after the game, Carbajal could not stop smiling as he described crossing into the endzone this time with the ball in his hands. Photo by Grace Nugent

Carbajal to continue football career at Trinity Valley

Grace Nugent and Dave Winter
June 22, 2020

CAN'T STOP CARBAJAL. In a dominant 55-14 victory over the Navarro Vikings during the 2018 football season, the run game and the score were not the only shining stars that night. The big headline of the...

UNFINISHED: The photo assignment calendar in the journalism room sits unattended, exactly the way the photo editors left it on March 12. It has become a record of all the games that were meant to be played and covered and a reminder of the year that could have been. Photo by Dave Winter.

Knights stick together, look ahead

Ellen Fox and Grace Nugent
May 25, 2020

What is a team sport supposed to do when the team can’t assemble? This is a question that athletic programs everywhere have had to ask in the face of the coronavirus. McCallum baseball is no different....

In a Shield poll on the MacJournalism Instagram account, 238 of 327 respondents said they did not support the initiative to hide like counts on other people’s Instagram posts. Illustration by Anna McClellan.

What’s not to like about Project Daisy?

Grace Nugent, staff reporter
May 21, 2020

“He loves me...he loves me not” goes the age-old childhood game, also known as effeuiller la marguerite, which originated in France long before the thought of social media was born. The game involves...

RALLY COW AND HOW: The varsity baseball team trailed Dripping Springs 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh then rallied for two runs to defeat the second-place Tigers on April 16 and create a two-game lead in the district standings with only three games left to play. Trinidad De La Garza hit a one-out walk- off single with one out that plated Jacob Castillo with the winning run. Senior Ace Dietz earned the win by pitching a seven-inning complete game, allowing only one run on four hits with five
strikeouts and a walk. Photo by Grace Nugent.

[Photo] MacJournalists earn 19 CSPA Gold Circle Awards

MacJournalism news team
April 9, 2020

RALLY COW AND HOW: The varsity baseball team trailed Dripping Springs 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh then rallied for two runs to defeat the second-place Tigers on April 16 and create a two-game...

Graphic by Anna McClellan.

The essential N&N quarantine movie guide

Madelynn Niles and Grace Nugent
March 27, 2020

Looking to take a break from walking around your neighborhood and scrolling endlessly on your phone? We’ve got the solution for you. Check out some of our stay-at-home-to-order movie picks for you to...

LAST WEEKEND TONIGHT: At the AISD tournament last weekend, the varsity baseball team won twice, lost twice and earned a tie. They opened on Thursday with a 6-5 victory over Del Valle. The offense was powered by doubles from Connor Boggs, Andy Honea and Booga De La Garza. Boggs and Honea also drove in two runs apiece. Easton Salinas was 2-3 with an RBI. Fabian Castillo earned the save in relief of starter Jacob Masters. The Knights lost on Friday against Weiss, 11-5. Cole Davis and Masters were both 2-3 in the game. Masters had a pair of RBI’s, and Davis drove in a run and scored one himself. Jacob Castillo doubled, scored and drove in a run. The Knights then lost their second Friday game, 3-1, to Anderson, in a pitcher’s duel. Yzmael Izquierdo earned the tough complete-game loss with five strikeouts and three earned runs allowed over six innings. Davis drove in the lone Knight run with a single. Marc Juarez also singled in the game for the Knights. The Knights got back in the win column on Saturday against Akins in their next tournament game. Masters went 2-3 with two runs scored, and Davis drove in three runs with one hit in two at-bats. Davis also started the game and struck out seven before yielding the mound to Fabian Castillo who pitched three innings allowing only a single run. The final game of the tournament for Mac was a 3-3 tie against Cedar Creek. Starter Ethan Vandament struck out seven, and De La Garza threw 1.1 scoreless innings in relief. Diego Barraz was 1-2 with 2 RBI’s and a run scored. The Knights were back in action today in the first day of the Leander ISD tournament with a 1 p.m. game against host Eastview and a 4 p.m. game against College Station. Photo by Grace Nugent.

[Photo] Photos of the week

November 11, 2014

LAST WEEKEND TONIGHT: At the AISD tournament last weekend, the varsity baseball team won twice, lost twice and earned a tie. They opened on Thursday with a 6-5 victory over Del Valle. The offense was powered...

‘JoJo Rabbit’ Review: Taika Waititi takes on Hitler and wins

Grace Nugent and Madelynn Niles
March 19, 2020

Countless films have been crafted attempting to diagnose the horrors of World War II to audiences around the world. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas portrays the son of a concentration camp commander...

Originally, varsity baseball coach was going to mow the softball field then head to the Leander ISD Tournament with his baseball team, but instead he spent Friday prepping the locker room in the field house for the deep clean originally scheduled for spring break. Photo by Dave Winter.

COVID-19 measures put Mac sports on hold

Grace Nugent, staff reporter
March 15, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has left sports fans around the world without the NBA, the NHL, March Madness, MLB spring training, professional golf, tennis and international soccer. The disruption to spring...

Knights’ quest for district and beyond

Grace Nugent, staff reporter
February 4, 2020

Senior JK Smith was in the stands last time the McCallum baseball team won a playoff series.  She was in eighth grade.  Her brother, then senior Jonah Smith, helped bring home a victory in...

Left: Georgia Harrington readies to shoot a free throw during the girls varsity basketball win over the Eastside Memorial Panthers. Photo by Sophia Dawson. Right: LEFT: Harrington and a teammate fight for a loose ball against the Panthers. Photo by Grace Nugent.

Work ethic keeps Georgia on our minds

Grace Nugent, staff reporter
January 5, 2020

The Shield: How do you balance technical theatre and basketball? Georgia Harrington: Really poorly. It’s hard, I basically run from one building to the next, but I have to talk to all of my bosses...

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