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
Beatrix Lozach

Beatrix Lozach, staff reporter

Beatrix Lozach is a first-year staffer who adores photography and tends to cover the arts and social justice. She is very passionate about songwriting and poetry, having performed original songs at coffeehouse, as well as writing six poems for Excalibur. Lozach also treasures theater and has been in six musicals and plays at McCallum as a theater major, and worked on an original play centered on sustainability with the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department. This summer, she was able to study abroad in France with CIEE, which was very exciting due to her being bilingual in English and French. Lozach also excels in academics, as she is a member of NHS, and a UIL All-State Journalist.

All content by Beatrix Lozach
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
A PLACE FOR PIANO: Junior Maggie Brown (far left) stands with Dr. Parrot (right) and other fine arts major ambassadors, as he gives out instructions to middle schoolers about where to go if they are interested in attending an information session about fine arts majors offered at McCallum on Nov. 7.  While Brown is an ambassador for the piano program, she was not in the showcase to perform, she was there to facilitate and make sure everything went smoothly, as well as inform future students about the piano program if they had any questions.  “I helped by assembling the stage setups between each performance, and answering the attendees' questions about the program after the event,” Brown said.  Between each event, Dr. Parrot would give a brief description of each fine arts academy, and what future students could expect should they major in it. Brown became a piano ambassador after Kate Wiley, the piano teacher, nominated her candidate last year. “Being an ambassador is something I really love because I had no idea how accessible the Mac Piano program was when I was an eighth grader applying to MAC,” Brown said. “Since I'm also a theater major, it is easy to see how such a small and selective program could get overlooked.” Brown believes that the students in the program have created a unique space for all levels of pianists to learn and celebrate each other. Brown said she looks up to the other two student ambassadors, Maverick Larson, a fellow piano ambassador, and Senior Bea Schaffer, a band ambassador.  “I really look up to them as artists and leaders, since they both use their skill as musicians to create a community within their respective majors,” Brown said. Brown hopes that future students who attended this showcase were inspired by performances they saw, and feel encouraged by these students' confidence.  “I hope the pianists in the crowd recognized and admired how piano students at MAC are pushed to try new things and learn challenging pieces,” Brown said. Caption by Priya Thoppil.

[Photo] 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
Sixteen of the AP exams will be fully digital in 2025. These exams fall into the arts and humanities category, with exceptions being AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles and AP Environmental Science. Twelve will be hybrid exams—virtually all math or science—ranging from AP Calculus classes to AP Biology. For arts, language and music AP tests, the audio components of the tests will remain unchanged.

AP goes digital

Beatrix Lozach, staff reporter
October 26, 2024
A BROADER PERSPECTIVE: Last Tuesday, seniors Grace Valdez and Ben Martinez spoke at The Student of Color Alliance’s Lunch and Learn for Hispanic Heritage Month. Valdez talked about her experience fitting into the McCallum community as a Hispanic student. The Lunch and Learn was organized to help others gain a better understanding of Hispanic students' experiences and the importance of learning about and celebrating Hispanic culture. “I personally spoke about a large variety of topics,” Valdez said. “I mentioned my personal experiences with learning English. I also spoke about passing as a white person, and my feelings of at times trying to prove myself Mexican enough for certain people.” The panelists spoke about how their culture is important to themselves and their families. Valdez shared how her Mexican heritage has always been important to her and how it reflects in her family life. “My Mexican culture is portrayed within my family in the food we eat and my dad's music taste as well as hearing the stories of my parents' experiences when they were growing up,” Valdez said. Regarding the discussion of the importance of Hispanic heritage and celebrating it at McCallum, Valdez said it is especially important because of the lack of representation of Hispanic heritage at McCallum in the past. “It used to be that people of color couldn’t be in any extracurriculars besides the Hispanic Heritage Club, and it wasn’t until the '80s or so that it was changed,” Valdez said. “Now whenever I see the huge poster with all the names of Hispanic people of importance it makes me happy, and makes me feel like McCallum had come a long way.” Caption by Tallulah McAuliffe.

[Photo] From the 15th to the 15th, nothing but food, festivities, fun, family, fellowship

Noah Braun, Carlo Hinsdale, Evelyn Jenkins, Sophia Manos, Maggie Mass, Tallulah McAuliffe, Piper Norfolk, Sofia Saucedo, Priya Thoppil, and Camilla Vandegrift
October 22, 2024
Setting a new Pink Week precedent, puppies were introduced into the Pink Week festivities this year. Two 6-week-old puppies-Mae and Millie were brought from Austin Pets Alive, and students, including Mariana Silva shown here, were able to pay to cuddle and play with the puppies. The event turned out to be extremely popular at McCallum with a huge line twisting around the courtyard, and the PALS program reported that just on Tuesday alone, the group raised $700 dollars for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas. Not only did the puppies help to raise money for the BCRC, but the event also served as an adoption event for Austin Pets Alive, as students and their families were given the puppies' information about how to adopt puppies in the future. Caption by Josie Mullan.

[Photo] PALS work to fight breast cancer, bring campus together

JoJo Barnard, Daniela Di-Capua, Carson Duncan, Josie Mullan, Elizabeth Nation, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Adele Seeboth, and Fletcher Vandegrift
October 15, 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
TAKING ACTION: The photo above was from the 2023 statewide gun control walkout. Now alumni, Zephan Mayeda leans against a tree during the walkout holding a sign reading “Bullets aren’t school supplies.” He participated in the walkout to protest against the lack of gun protection in the U.S. and to draw attention to the statewide protest. “Children are dying due to government’s apathy and corporate lobbying against any action of any kind,” Mayeda said. Mayeda was disappointed in the lack of organization that came with the protest but still participated. “Better something than nothing,” he said. Mayeda offered what he would love to see at the walkout. “I would have loved to see marching, chants, speeches, lists of phone numbers to call senators, names pictures and birthdays of the victims, flyers promoting the protest days weeks or months even in advance, mass absences, an actual walkout for those who can’t not go to school that isn’t just 20 minutes of sitting,” Mayeda said. Although he was underwhelmed, Mayeda appreciated the symbolism. “I think it held some importance in regards to symbolic gestures,” Mayeda said. Reporting by Kate Boyle.

Gun violence ravages American youth

Beatrix Lozach, staff reporter
September 27, 2024
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
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE: Junior defensive end Nehemiah Trejo listens intently to head coach Thomas Gammerdinger's instructions for the team's next offensive possession against Anderson. Trejo praised the coaching staff for its work leading up to game. “Our coaches did an excellent job preparing us for this game,” Trejo said. “They spent a lot of time game planning and reviewing our strategies. We saw many of the things we expected, and we came into the game focused and ready to give it our all.” Trejo praised Coach Gammerdinger for his role in adapting during the game. “Coach G was great at addressing what was working for us, correcting mistakes and improving communication,” Trejo said. “He reminded us that our defense had the capability to hold them back and make crucial stops.” As for the game’s outcome, Trejo noted it was an intense fight but did not come as a surprise. “It went exactly as we anticipated,” Trejo said. “Anderson came out with a strong offense, and it turned into a shootout between who could score more and who could get the most stops. We showed in the third quarter that we weren’t giving up and fought hard throughout [the game].” Caption by Tristen Diaz.

Old rivalry creates crowd fun at 2024 Taco Shack

Chloe Lewcock, Fletcher Vandegrift, Tristen Diaz, Carson Duncan, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, Beatrix Lozach, Josie Mullan, Mira Patel, Lillian Gray, Daniela Di-Capua, Camilla Vandegrift, Maya Tackett, and Shila Gill
September 3, 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
EDUCATING FRESHMEN: Principal Andy Baxa gives a speech at freshman orientation in the MAC this morning to welcome the class of ‘28. Baxa came up with the idea for a Freshman Orientation last year after discovering that some freshmen didn’t understand the nuances of McCallum’s culture. ”Freshman Orientation accomplished what I wanted to accomplish: introduce the kids to McCallum’s culture and ease them into the transition to high school. We wanted to show them that this is a safe place and that this is a place that celebrates your individuality,” Baxa said. Caption by Beatrix Lozach.

Mac abuzz with first-day festivities

Shila Gill, Lillian Gray, Chloe Lewcock, Beatrix Lozach, Callen Romell, Sofia Saucedo, and Maya Tackett
August 20, 2024
Photo by Harper Binfield Maxwell.

PhotoJ students spark creativity through emulation

Harper Binfield Maxwell, Carson Duncan, Olivia Dungan, David Herring, Carlo Hinsdale, Elli Grace Hodges, Katie Hyzak, Sophia Lopez, Beatrix Lozach, Aubrey Macedo, Sophia Manos, Katie Martin, Vivian Moore, Riley Pita, Adele Seeboth, and Cash Sims
July 16, 2024
DANCING QUEEN ONLY 15: The Mccallum quinceañera took place Saturday May 18 in the cafeteria. Students who danced at the quinceañera practiced for weeks during lunch and after school with the help of Señora A to perfect this special moment. “I signed up for fun and for the dress originally, but I actually made a lot of friends, and it helped me want to come back to practice,” said Elizabeth Peables, a freshman quinceñeara. “It’s been stressful, but it always works. We stayed very late yesterday [the day before the event], but today it feels like everything came together.” Caption by Nellie Eschberger with reporting by Beatrix Lozach. LA REINA DE BAILE, SOLAMENTE TIENE 15 AÑOS DE EDAD: La Quinceñera de McCallum fue el 18 de Mayo en la cafetería.  Estudiantes que bailaron en la quinceañera practicaron por semanas durante el almuerzo y después de la escuela con la ayuda de la Sra. A para perfeccionar este momento especial. “Originalmente me inscribí para divertirme, y por el vestido,  pero actualmente hice muchos amigos y me ayudó a querer regresar a la práctica.” Dijo la estudiante de primer año Elizabeth Peables. “Ha sido muy estresante, pero siempre funciona.” “Nos quedamos muy tarde ayer el día antes del evento pero hoy se siente que todo está cayendo en forma.” Leyenda por Nellie Eschberger con reportaje de Beatrix Lozach. Traducción por Maverick Palacios.

Quince fotos durante quince años

Lily Castellow, Nellie Eschberger, Daniel Fuentes, Beatrix Lozach, Maverick Palacios, and Dave Winter
June 11, 2024
Beatrix Lozach: NSPA Photojournalist of the Year portfolio

Beatrix Lozach: NSPA Photojournalist of the Year portfolio

Beatrix Lozach, Mac photojournalism
June 3, 2024
MESMERIZING MAZATLAN: Sophomore Mailyn Gil and senior Keegan Sarwate dance the Mazatlan together during the Cinco De Mayo show on May 3, put on by Ballet Folklorico. The Mazatlan dance comes from the region of Sinaloa.  During the show, various dances, songs, and beats were performed to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, which celebrates the Mexican victory over France on May 5, 1862. This is Gil’s second year being part of Ballet Folklorico time and second year being a part of the Cinco De Mayo show. With Juana Gun, the former sponsor of Ballet Folklorico, leaving and Telvi Altamirano-Cancino taking over as the new sponsor, new performances were introduced into this year's Cinco De Mayo show.  One of which was the introduction of the steel drums. Watching the steel drums performance was Gil’s favorite part of this year’s show.  “All of the club members were dancing and having fun backstage,” she said.  As well as watching the drum performance, performing the Torito was Gil’s favorite part because of the costume elements. “Women wore the traditional Chiapas dress which has colorful flowers embroidered in it,” Gil said. “The men wear Torito masks which are handmade masks that look like bulls.” Ballet Folklorico has been practicing traditional dances for multiple weeks leading up to the big performance and also has spent time making various parts of costumes.  Caption by Maya Tackett.

Cinco de Mayo show celebrates Mexican culture

Beatrix Lozach, Chloe Lewcock, Josie Mullan, Maya Tackett, Priya Thoppil, and Francie Wilhelm
May 7, 2024
A PRIDE-FUL WEEK OF CELEBRATION: As part of AISD's week-long celebration of PRIDE, students of the McCallum Spectrum Club worked to create a week full of activities, prizes and helping hands to support the school's LGBTQ+ community. The club is widely available for anyone to join, and specializes in creating a safe space for students to share and give advice. While Pride month itself isn’t until June, AISD designates one week in March to celebrate and commemorate the importance of this part of the student body. As part of the week of festivities, the club held a booth in the front hall handing out pride stickers, pins and merch to passers by. For junior Zane Joly, the booth idea was brought up as a way for students to engage with one another, and connect with the community. “I call out to people in the halls, ‘hey, do you want stickers?’” Joly said. “We just give out free pride stickers and sometimes other free pride merch to the students of Macallum because everybody likes pride stickers.” While the week itself is packed with a variety of different activities, the overall goal is to bring students closer together and create a safer environment for self expression at McCallum. “The idea for the student panel largely came from the black [history] student panel that is done during Black History Month,” Joly said. “And the idea for giving out free stuff was developed at Spectrum last year.” Joly is not only a member of the Spectrum club, but also holds a leadership position giving them a more hands-on role with the projects and Pride Week activities. “McCallum has a very high queer population,” Joly said. “I think It's nice that we get a chance to celebrate Pride because Pride Month is during the summer, and I think it's just a nice thing for the community and getting to just celebrate it.” While the merch table at lunch was only a small part of the numerous parts of McCallum’s Pride week, for Joly this small impact made all the difference. “The purpose of Pride is to make people not feel alone and to make them feel safe,” Joly said. “The goal is [to make people] happy about a part of themselves that they're often conditioned to not feel good about.” Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Shila Gill.

McCallum takes ‘PRIDE’ in LGBTQ community

Shila Gill, Chloe Lewcock, Beatrix Lozach, Priya Thoppil, and Francie Wilhelm
March 26, 2024
WILLING WILL: Tegan Hahn and Will Bowman perform in the one act play, She Stoops To Conquer during the third of three community performances on Sunday March 3 in the MAC Theater. The plays offered a story filled with laughs and love onstage. Offstage, however, there was a little bit of nerves from an understudy, Will Bowman. About a week before opening night, Bowman had to quickly learn the role of Tony Lumpkin. “For the first couple of days it was horribly nerve-racking,” he said. Caption and photo by Katie Hyzak.

MacTheatre is all over the place these days

Katie Hyzak, Campbell Epperly, Beatrix Lozach, Maya Tackett, Katie Martin, Vivian Moore, Elli Grace Hodges, and Alice Scott
March 19, 2024
FRIENDLY FIRE FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Senior Peer Assistance and Leadership program member Jude Masoni holds up his fellow PAL, senior David Herring, as a human shield to protect himself from the path of an incoming water balloon. Students paid $1 to throw a balloon at the PALS on Tuesday as part of the shooting PAL-ery, one of the Pink Week fundraisers intended to raise money for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Central Texas, an Austin-based non-profit that provides personalized support to those affected by breast cancer. Year after year the PALS put on Pink Week in order to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. The PALS put on a variety of different events the whole week at lunch in hopes of both bringing in profits and bringing an exciting week of fun to the McCallum community. Herring was made a target of the water balloon by his cross-country teammates. “I enjoyed seeing my teammates coming out to donate as I was telling them about it the week prior,” Herring said. “I was also just having fun on that nice day with my fellow PALS. Some of them that did the PAL-lery that day, like Jude, I’ve known since elementary school.”

[Photo] A spring break shout out for our SIPA winners

Shield staff
March 12, 2024
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

ILPC Photo Portfolio

Beatrix Lozach, Mac photojournalism
February 16, 2024
La professeure de français Charlotte Favrin et le chef invité Kevin d'Andrea posent avec les délices desserts qu'il a apportés à la classe. La classe communiquait avec lui principalement en français.

Le top chef: Il a la réf:

Beatrix Lozach, Photojournalisme Mac
February 9, 2024
French teacher Charlotte Favrin and guest chef Kevin d’Andrea pose with the dessert delicacies he brought for the class to sample. The class communicated with him mostly in French.

Love language: the power of cuisine

Beatrix Lozach, Mac photojournalism
February 9, 2024
SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch  of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club. “It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.” Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac. “I think it's important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.” Caption by JoJo Barnard.

Mac celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

JoJo Barnard, Shila Gill, Evelyn Jenkins, Chloe Lewcock, Beatrix Lozach, Josie Mullan, and Alice Scott
October 17, 2023
WATER BALLOONS AND SMILES: Senior Peer Assistance and Leadership program member Jude Masoni holds up his fellow PAL, senior David Herring, as a human shield to protect himself from the path of an incoming water balloon. Students paid $1 to throw a balloon at the PALS on Tuesday as part of the shooting PAL-ery, one of the Pink Week fundraisers intended to raise money for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Central Texas, an Austin-based non-profit that provides personalized support to those affected by breast cancer.  Year after year the PALS put on Pink Week in order to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. The PALS put on a variety of different events the whole week at lunch in hopes of both bringing in profits and bringing an exciting week of fun to the McCallum community.    Herring was made a target of the water balloon by his cross country teammates. “I enjoyed seeing my teammates coming out to donate as I was telling them about it the week prior,” Herring said. “I was also just having fun on that nice day with my fellow PALS. Some of them that did the pallery that day, like Jude, I’ve known since elementary school.” Caption by Chloe Lewcock with reporting by JoJo Barnard.

Pink Week soars to new fund-raising heights

Sutton Banning, JoJo Barnard, Olivia Dungan, Carlo Hinsdale, Chloe Lewcock, Beatrix Lozach, Helen Martin, and Olin Michalovic
October 10, 2023
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