The McCallum HS Shield -- Vol 67, Number 4

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shield McCallum High School / 5600 Sunshine / Austin, TX 78756 Feb. 13, 2020 / Volume 67 / Issue 4

McCallum Underground How musicians at Mac are taking advantage of growing up in the live music capital of the world.

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WHAT’S INSIDE From half a world away, Austinites and Knights contribute to Australian fire relief page 7 From McCallum student to McCallum teacher: Erika Elder’s return to Mac page 15 Wrestling’s Hudnall and soccer’s Walker settle into leadership roles pages 22 and 23

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What it means that Trump has become the third president to be officially impeached and what students have to say about his recent aquittal.

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We examine sexual harrassment on campus, its consequences and why it’s often unreported, plus why you should tell someone if it happens to you.

Following announcement of forest fire outbreak in Australia, Austininites, including Mac students, are making efforts to help their “mates” down under.

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A behind-the-scenes look at MacTheatre’s Grand Hotel where cast, crew and directors talk about the importance of collaboration, hard work.

Shield reporters take a journey across Austin to five different taco locations, rating each on taste, presentation, ambiance and cost.

people History teacher Joseph Carcione joins the Proust Questionnaire list, sharing his belief in the health and human connection, as well as love for the job.

sports Junior London Hudnall becomes girls wrestling captain her first year at Mac, encouraging team motivation, pride and self-reflection.

We explore why and how the hand gesture with many ascribed meanings caused the basketball banners in the gym to come down and go back up.

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Nicotine age restrictions won’t stop underage vaping; rather, companies should be held accountable for marketing nicotine products to teens.

Two Shield seniors reflect on their high school career and the tolls of their college application process in a letter of advice to their younger selves

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NOT JUST GOOSIN’ AROUND: Charlotte Stevens chases her English teacher Nikki Northcutt during the Social and Emotional Learning sessions on Jan. 27, which were held during second period STIR time.

These SEL lessons are a part of Principal Hosack’s new restorative practice initiative. “If you take 10 minutes to build community with your classroom, you will save the 30 minutes that you waste trying to get them back in line and back on track and focusing,” Hosack said. Photo by Emily Arndt.

ON THE COVER: Senior Paulo Zambarano plays drums with the Point during the Micromoon Battle of the Bands on Feb. 1 at Lazarus Brewing Co. Photo by Ian Clennan.

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Senior environmental club leader Sabri Armani-Khaldi uses art, science and passion to advocate for the earth and it’s creatures.

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HEARTWARMING HOTEL: Junior Helena Laing, as 51-year-old ballerina Elizaveta Grushinskaya, stands singing in front of co-star senior Duval Bingham, the Baron, during a scene of their opening night Grand Hotel performance on Thursday, Jan. 30.“This scene is the finale of Act One where my character, the Baron, falls in love with Helena’s character, Elizaveta,” Bingham said. “This scene was very fun to do because of the huge shift from frantic thief to lover.” Laing expressed utmost love for the scene while reflecting on the show which closed on Sunday, Feb. 9. “This was my favorite scene in the show because it was one of the most heartwarming scenes,” Laing said. “The song is absolutely gorgeous and was my favorite to sing.” Photo by Alysa Spiro.

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Coffee House, 8th period @ the library Valentine’s Day, student holiday

Varsity baseball @ Eastview, 6:30 p.m.

Softball scrimmage vs. Lago Vista @ Noack, 7 p.m.

Boys basketball vs. LBJ @ Mac, 8 p.m.

UIL state swim meet @ UT

Boys soccer vs Navarro @ Noack, 10:45 p.m.

Staff development, student holiday Softball @ Cedar Ridge, 7 p.m.

Boys basketball @ Lockhart, 7 p.m.

Hidden Figures @ MAC Theatre, 5:30 p.m.

Girls soccer vs. LBJ @ House, 7:30 p.m.

Softball tournament @ Killen

Boys soccer vs. Lockhart @ Nelson, 7:30 p.m.

Girls soccer @ Lockhart, 7:45 p.m.

Alumni baseball game @ Northwest, 1 p.m.

Girls soccer senior night vs. Crockett @ House, 7:45 p.m.

Expo night for rising 9th graders, 5 p.m.

Boys soccer vs. Crockett @ House, 7:30 p.m.

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House impeaches, Senate acquits

Final verdict on Trump’s presidency to come in November when Americans cast their votes GRACE NUGENT staff reporter

With a new decade comes political history being made. Until Dec. 18, 2019, there had only been two U.S. presidents who had been formally impeached. On Dec. 18, president Donald Trump became the third, joining Andrew Johnson (1869) and Bill Clinton (1999). President Richard Nixon was facing impeachment in 1974 but resigned before his impeachment reached the House floor for a vote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initiated the process when she announced a formal impeachment inquiry on Sept. 24. The inquiry centered on two charges: (1) that President Trump abused his power by withholding foreign military aid from Ukraine in order to force them to dig up “dirt” on political rival Joe Biden and (2) that he obstructed Congress by not complying with their investigations. Trump’s defense is that the House never accused him of an actual crime.

After private committee meetings and testimonies, the House of Representatives voted on the rules for President Trump’s impeachment inquiry. After more meetings, the judiciary committee decided on the two articles of impeachment: obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. The articles of impeachment then went to the House floor for debate and a vote. The House voted separately on the articles but only needed to pass one of the articles in order for the president to be impeached.

The majority of the House voted yes for both articles on Dec. 18, and, as a result, Trump was officially impeached. After the House managers and Trump’s defense team spent about a month preparing, the Senate trial began on Jan. 21, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. presiding.

The four-month impeachment saga came to a close on Feb. 5 when the Senate voted to acquit Trump on both charges. Although he was not removed from office, Trump’s impeachment was historic. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the lone Republican senator who crossed party lines to cast a vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power charge.

“The president’s purpose was personal and political,” Romney said as he spoke to the Senate on Feb. 5 announcing his vote. “Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of the

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TOP: Throughout the impeachment drama, President Trump has stayed on the campaign trail. Photo by Nikolas Liepins.

BELOW: Anti-Trump demonstrators gathered in downtown Minneapolis to protest Donald Trump at his rally in Minneapolis that same week. Impeachment protests popped up all over the country following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initiating a formal impeachment inquiry. Photo by Nikolas Liepins. Both photos were accessed on the NSPA & ACP Flickr account and are reposted here with permission. public trust.”

Romney’s vote marked the first time a senator has voted to convict a president from the same political party of an impeachment article.

McCallum students said that the impeachment saga provided one more example that the United States government is fueled by politically charged feuds and personal agendas instead of the interests of the American people.

“It’s safe to say that the political climate in the United States has been very tense,” sophomore Marina Garfield said. “The tensions continue to grow the closer we get to the 2020 elections.”

Sophomore John Hamlet, who told MacJournalism that he had been following the impeachment since the House trial began, agreed that the impeachment reflects a larger political divide, but felt that it probably won’t impact the 2020 election much if at all.

“The country is as divided as always, with the Democrats already not voting for him and the Republicans, for the

most part, following him,” Hamlet said.

“It’s going to just get crazier the closer we get to the election.”

Garfield said she found it difficult to read that Trump had been acquitted. She questioned if the Senate trial was even a trial at all.

“The acquittal makes me dubious of the Senate’s morality,” Garfield said. “Although I am

disappointed, I am unfortunately not surprised.”

Some students who believe Trump did wrong still feel he should remain president.

“Trump was clearly guilty of abusing his power for personal interest,” junior Marley Gattis said. “I’m happy he was put on trial for the crime. For the well being of America though, I’m glad he wasn’t removed from office.”

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Strengthening community at Mac Hosack establishes campuswide restorative practice to build relationships

ABOVE: Sherwynn Patton demonstrates a restorative practice circle to the McCallum vertical team during a teacher workday on Jan. 6.

Photo by Larry Featherstone. Originally published on the McCallum High School Twitter feed.

LEFT: World geography teacher Robert Bucher observes his class’s SEL lesson led by sophomore Alysa Spiro. Photo by Dave Winter.

SAMANTHA POWERS staff reporter

Have you ever noticed that at school, students tend to retreat to the safety of their phones rather than socializing? Or that everyone sits with the same people at lunch? Or that teachers have to spend so long getting their kids to focus that they can’t get to the lesson?

Principal Brandi Hosack believes that a lack of personal relationships in the classroom perpetuates this cycle, and she has a possible solution. This year, she brought in an initiative meant to strengthen the community at McCallum: restorative practice.

Hosack previously implemented the practice when she was principal at Akins High School. It helped to reduce discipline by 50 percent and cut suspension rates by 40 percent, Hosack said.

“The black and white data is there, but the feeling of the school changed,” Hosack said.

“That’s what’s important. It started to feel like a community.”

Originally adapted from a form of problemsolving in the prison system called restorative justice, this method strays from disciplinary norms in public school.

Hosack explained that participants in the discussion sit in a circle, so to emphasize equity, and calmly communicate in a constructive manner. The purpose is to get down to the very root of a problem and solve it systemically.

“I have my campus leadership team go through a protocol called the five whys,” Hosack said. “When you see something and it doesn’t look right, ask why. Then when you answer that question, ask why again and then when you answer that question, ask why again, so that you drill down to the root problem. And what I’m looking to disrupt is … institutional bias against any given group.”

Hosack is implementing restorative practice at McCallum through a student

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leadership program where student leaders were recommended by their teachers for their ability to demonstrate leadership qualities.

This group, which is comprised of 75 students, will continue to lead restorative practice meetings and work at implementing the practice campus-wide. Hosack plans to utilize the team in social-emotional learning and in professional development.

The student leaders have already met a number of times. Their first meeting took place on Dec. 12, and most of the time was spent getting acquainted with their new teammates and brainstorming ideas on how to foster positive relationships in the academic environment.

“It was really fun being able to meet new students and have deep conversations,” freshman Jayden Mason said. “I just think that it’s awesome that we get to have a voice.”

The largest-scale meeting the student leaders had was a workday with teachers and administrators from the vertical team that

took place on Jan. 6. Hosack and the staff were impressed by the performance of the students.

“I think that Jan 6 was a pivotal day for this campus,” Hosack said. “[The teachers] were so impressed with our student leaders. I’m so impressed with our student leaders. I think that there were quite a few adults on our campus and in the vertical team that are like, ‘Our kids are simply amazing,’ and they are. And if you’ll just stop and listen to them for a second, they’ll show you that.”

Although cultivating personal relationships with teachers and classmates may seem daunting at first, Hosack believes it will boost efficiency and morale in the classroom. Building an empathetic environment will save time in the long run, Hosack says.

“If you take 10 minutes to build community with your classroom, you will save the 30 minutes that you waste trying to get them back in line and back on track and focusing,” Hosack said. “And so it is an investment in time in the beginning, and ongoing, but you reap the

benefits tenfold.”

Besides improving student-teacher relationships, restorative practice is also meant to serve and strengthen the student community.

Junior Emily Arndt described how quickly she was able to bond with her fellow student leaders during their preliminary meetings.

“Even though there were 70 of us, I still feel a personal connection to these people, because some people were telling some really personal stories,” Arndt said. “Some things hit close to home, some of them, I couldn’t relate to at all, but I can understand the feelings. It was very impactful.”

Senior Connie Pierce appreciates the diversity of the student leadership team.

“It’s really nice because a lot of the people that are in it are not people I would see every day,” Pierce said. “So it’s like making new friends, but also seeing different perspectives from people who don’t necessarily think the way you think, so I think that’s really cool, and it helps us keep an open mind during the process.”

Although the road to restoration of the McCallum community is a challenging one, it is a road Principal Hosack is willing to take to reach equity. By beginning to problem-solve from the bottom up, Hosack is optimistic for McCallum’s future.

“Everybody has to feel like they belong here,” Hosack said. “Every single person, meaning every single student, every single adult, every single parent, has to feel like they have a place at the table.”

—with reporting from Maeve Walsh

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Water leak disrupts routine

McCallum custodians, administrators and security personnel worked to contain a water leak on the entrance to the science hall closest to the courtyard on Monday, Feb. 3.

The hallway was blocked off all day Monday to investigate the leak and clean up the water. The source of the leak was reportedly a chiller line to an air conditioning unit, which has since been repaired.

When walking down the main hallway towards the breezeway this week, however, students could still look up to see a hole in the ceiling.

—Kristen Tibbetts

Head custodian Daniel Sena and assistant principal Gabe Reyes push trashcans into the main hallway to help collect the water leaking from the ceiling.

Photo by Dave Winter.

Library registers seniors to vote in Texas primaries On Jan. 31, the library hosted a voter registration center where students could fill out the paperwork needed to register to vote in the 2020 primary elections. By day’s end, the library brought its total number of registered seniors for the school year to 62 students, and the Friday registration push came just in time for Monday, Feb. 3, the last day to register before the primaries.

“Just being registered is good because you can be registered and be like, ‘Alright I’m not going to vote,’ but that puts the pressure on you because now you know full well that you can,” said senior Ruby Del Valle, who registered to vote on Jan. 31.

Del Valle said that it was important for her to register so she could help elect a president who represents all Americans.

Del Valle and volunteer Pamela Orr who helped with the registration process agreed that getting registered was as easy as it was rewarding.

“You just fill out this form, and I sign it and date it and give you a receipt, and then in 30 days you’ll get a card from the tax office where the voter registration is located,” Orr said. “ [Voting is] the only way that you can feel like you have a say in what’s going on. You don’t always get

Shield a finalist for top national award The National Scholastic Press Association named 28 schools as national Online Pacemaker finalists last Thursday, Feb. 6, and for the third year in a row, The Shield Online was named as one of the finalists.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” said Laura Widmer, NSPA’s executive director. “NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best.”

The 28 Pacemaker finalists represent 12 states. California, Missouri and Texas set the pace with five finalists each.

“I guess that shows we’re doing something right,” said Shield Online editor in chief Max Rhodes.

Rhodes is the only Shield staff member who has been on staff all three of years that the staff has been an Online Pacemaker finalist.

His national-award winning blog, “Rhodes Traveled,” has also been a central feature of the site during all three years. When asked for a reaction to the news, however, Rhodes was quick to praise the work of his colleagues.

“With a rock star staff like ours, this news is not a huge surprise.”

It’s also not a time for the staff to rest on its laurels. Between now and April 18, NSPA will be monitoring The Shield Online and the other 27 finalists to determine which finalist websites will be named Online

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PREPARING FOR THE PRIMARIES: Seniors Ruby Del Valle, Duval Bingham and Preston Howard register to vote with the help of volunteer Pamela Orr. All students who were at least 17 and 10 months had the opportunity to register to vote in the Texas primaries. Photo by Lydia Reedy. your way, but imagine if everyone did go vote, what we could do.”

Also at the event was Sami Sparber, a journalist for The Daily Texan and intern for the Texas Tribune and Texan photojournalist and Texas Tribune intern Eddie Gasper. Sparber is writing about the voting registration Texas high schools are required to provide twice a year and hoped to get the perspectives of first-time voters as they registered.

“I got in touch with Jain [Thompson] and heard they were registering students to

vote here. I wanted to talk to the students, because obviously it’s one thing to register but it’s [another] thing to actually go vote,” Sparber said. “I’m just curious to see if students are actually excited for voting because people always say that if young people voted it would completely change the outcomes of elections, so I wanted to see if that’s really true.”

The library will continue to register students during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

—Lydia Reedy and Josie Bradsby

Moms in Prayer Meet at Covenant Presbyterian Church Library

(Fellowship Education Building, 1st floor) Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

BUILDING A BETTER MACJOURNALISM: The MacJournalism crew spent much of the morning of Feb. 6 thinking about how it runs its Instagram account and how the process and product could made better.

During FIT, Shield visuals editor Bella Russo convened a meeting of newspaper and yearbook staff members to consider how the staff might improve its coverage the rest of this semester and beyond. Photo by Dave Winter.

Pacemaker winners at the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville on April 18.

“The judging teams will now continue to study the sites named as Pacemaker finalists on a frequent basis,” said Gary Lundgren, NSPA associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition. “The Pacemaker winners will be selected shortly before they are named on April 18, so for the 28 schools we are naming as finalists today, the competition is really just heating up.”

—Dave Winter

November 5 &19 December 3 & 17 January 7 & 21 13

February 4 & 18 March 3 & 24 April 14 & 21

Contact Krista Sherwood for more information ksherwood7604@gmail.com news 05

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Sexual harassment exacts heavy toll School, professional counselors urge people to talk about instances of abuse to a ‘safe adult’ EVELYN GRIFFIN staff reporter High school has always been a time for teens to experiment, test limits and break boundaries.

However, some poor decisions are much more serious than sneaking out late or cutting a class or two. Even though it is often not reported, sexual harassment is an issue at McCallum, at high schools across the nation and in adult life as well.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines sexual harassment as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature … [that] explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.”

Because not everyone defines sexual harassment the same way, it can be difficult to discipline sexual harassers.

“I have had students in my office who have openly discussed with me being groped by another student, being called certain names or being catcalled,” guidance counselor Mickey Folger said.

“It seems to me that the largest issue seems to be inappropriate touching.”

One female student said that during the fall semester she was physically harassed when getting food from one of the vending machines in the breezeway.

“Someone asked me if they could borrow a dollar, and I said no, and by the time I turned back to the vending machine, someone was grabbing my neck and kissing me on the back of my head,” she said. Because she could not identify the person who harassed her, she did not report the issue and wishes to remain anonymous.

“When I turned around to see if they were there they were gone.”

She said the experience has affected how safe she feels at school.

“It makes me feel weird when I’m walking in the hallways alone.”

Another student claims that she has been harassed by a group of students for months but has not reported anything. She is not sure if she will, so she requested anonymity.

“It really hurts me because there’s not anything I can do to stop it,” she explained. “I’m basically being objectified in a way that I can’t do anything about [it].”

For McCallum students, the punishment for committing sexual harassment is fairly severe.

“I can tell you, based on my experience, that [offenders] would be removed from school,” Folger explained. “They would be required to go to ALC for 21 days, and they would have to go through some [sexual harassment] classes there with their parents before they would be allowed to come back to campus.”

In the long run, the consequences go even further.

Kate Carmichael, a licensed professional counselor who specializes in working with adolescents, said the

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Sources: American Association of University Women, National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Graphic by Evelyn Griffin. consequences can be life-altering.

“If you are a perpetrator of sexual trauma you can face jail time, probation and community service, as well as a permanent record where the incident will follow you for the rest of your life, making it difficult to find jobs, apply for loans or buy a house.”

Although the consequences are serious, Carmichael said that some students face social pressure that also strongly influences their behavior.

“There is pressure to be sexually active and ‘cool,’ which means having many sexual experiences by graduation,” Carmichael said. “This kind of pressure is also insidious and hard to identify as it is happening in a group. It can feel isolating and shaming if you don’t feel you are far enough along sexually, which causes low feelings of self-worth.”

One McCallum student said he has witnessed these pressures firsthand.

“I think [harassment] is [a] normal [occurrence], but it shouldn’t be,” he said. He claims to have witnessed many of his friends talk about and treat women with disrespect. Although he wishes to remain anonymous to protect his friends, he does not support their behavior.

“The culture that we’ve established, the media saying what guys can and can’t do is influencing all this behavior.”

Carmichael also stated that some harassers might hurt others as a way to heal themselves.

“Many offenders have been abused in some form in the past as well and act out on others as a way of managing untreated trauma,” Carmichael explained.

The current generation faces a new challenge when it comes to sexual harassment: social media.

Now, it is easier than ever for anyone to become a victim or an offender, and unlike in person, messages over social media can be erased with the swipe of a finger, and consequences are much less likely. When it comes to minors, this form of harassment can be very dangerous. If a student is sexually harassed

over social media, what they do in response can lead to legal issues on both sides, possibly felonies. “[People] are less scared to say things over social media because they won’t get as harsh of a reaction,” said one student who told The Shield she is sexually harassed in person and over social media every other day.

Around the beginning of the school year, she started getting regular Snapchat messages from another student that she didn’t know very well.

“He Snapchatted me and told me that I was luring him in, then he told me, ‘You should send [pictures],’” she said. “He tried to make me feel sorry for him.”

These messages made her uncomfortable, but because she sees him at school regularly, she has not reported the issue and requested to remain anonymous.

“Maybe I should report it, but it’s just how it is,” she told The Shield. “I’ve accepted it at this point.”

In a 2002 survey conducted by the American Association of University Women on 2,064 students in eighth through 11th grade, 83 percent of girls and 78 percent of boys claimed to have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their lives. If this is such a prominent issue in society, then, why do so few people report it?

“Many do not ever speak about the event for fear of being shamed further,” Carmichael said.

She told The Shield that many of the teens she has talked to who experience sexual harassment deal with trauma long after the incident. “[They] often bottle up these feelings, causing other side effects such as self-harm, drug dependence, isolation, anxiety and depression,” she said. “Untreated sexual trauma causes difficulty forming healthy relationships with others, a lack of trust in relationships, and, ultimately, further feelings of isolation and loneliness.”

Oftentimes, Carmichael states, the punishment for the offenders is not what concerns the victims when they are considering coming forward. They

are more concerned with their own consequences.

“As a victim,” she said, “you will have to face the emotional pain of navigating a legal system that is often not well-organized and can be retraumatizing as you are asked to recount your story over and over.”

In some cases, students do not think that talking to an adult is necessary or that adults can offer the right kind of help.

“I don’t think that going to a trusted adult is necessarily the right move, just something you’re told to do,” a student who claims to be a victim of sexual harassment told The Shield.

Nonetheless, Folger and the other guidance counselors encourage students to come forward if they are having these issues, even if they feel uncomfortable talking with an adult.

“I think that there’s a level of shame that comes with opening up to an adult,” Folger said.

She and her fellow counselors are trying to break that stigma.

“Use your voice. Articulate your boundaries. Be firm in them,” Folger said.

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, sexual harassment can be interpreted as child abuse and failing to report child abuse is against the law. In encouraging people to report harassment, the department also points out that if someone reports an incident with good intentions, they are not legally responsible if the report turns out to be untrue.

Whether or not the incident is reported right away, Carmichael urges anyone who knows someone who has been a victim of harassment or violence to listen to and support them.

“Becoming a safe person to talk to allows people to share and find the help they need,” she said.

“Know the signs of sexual abuse and talk to a safe adult. Nobody needs to navigate this time alone.”

—with reporting by Kennedy Weatherby

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How to be a ‘mate’ from miles away Effort to aid communities devastated by bush fires extends all the way from Australia to Austin SAMANTHA POWERS staff reporter

Email to Michelle Heustess from Paul Laws: Subject: Cry from smoky, smoggy Melbourne Hello Michelle, The last few days, it’s like fog here, 24 hrs a day.

Except it’s smoke from the bush fires that are still burning in so many places.

The elderly and very young are being warned to minimize [outdoor] activities. As far as air pollution is concerned, we are one of the worst cities in the world at the moment.

For the past few weeks, as news feeds have been flooded with headlines similar to the email above, you might be asking yourself, “How can I help?” It may seem difficult to make a difference from 8,464 miles away, but there are many ways Americans, Austinites, and even McCallum students have been getting involved.

Someone who knows a little bit about this is all three. Junior Helen Heustess is a citizen in Australia as well as the United States. Her mother is an Australian native, and her grandfather is currently living there in Melbourne.

“Melbourne is actually one of the worst-hit cities other than anywhere in New South Wales,” Heustess said. “It’s not a lot of open fire, but the smog over the city is pretty incredible. And by incredible, I mean devastating.”

Heustess and her family are keeping a close eye on her grandfather. For their family, as well as anyone concerned who lives far away from this disaster, the distance can be frustrating.

“There’s not a whole lot to do other than donate to any of the charities that are helping out with relief and the effort to stop the fires, which is part of what makes it so difficult: it feels like there’s not much you can do,” Heustess said.

Heustess recommends a number of reputable charities that you can donate to, including the Australian Red Cross, First Nations Communities, and Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.

“I personally donated to the Australian Red Cross because they’re the organization I’m most familiar with, and the one I know will spend the money responsibly even if it’s not right now,” Heustess said.

Chris Bennett is a native Texan who now lives in Australia and manages the WA/NT region of Crawford & Company Australia, an insurance relief program. His company has been busy with the mass of disaster-stricken families who have been displaced from their homes. As of Jan. 20, they had received 1,284 bush fire claims.

“We’re talking thousands, plural, nationwide,” Bennett said. “These are just the people who have filed insurance claims that have made it to us.

There are people who may not have insurance.”

Bennett explains that although there are a number of charities that people at home can donate to, it takes time for that money to trickle down to the people who need it. Bennett recommends that to make an immediate impact, concerned citizens should donate directly to people in need.

“The idea is you do a smaller amount of

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A lone kangaroo stares down the camera amidst a burnt forest. This kangaroo is one of many Australian animals affected by the fire. The animal death toll is estimated at 1 billion. The Key Club is selling Candy Grams to raise money for Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. Photo by Richard Brailsford. money straight away,” Bennett said, “so someone could have a hotel, they can have a place to live, they’ve got clothes for their kids. They can [meet] immediate needs that they have.”

Insurance companies all across Australia have set up recovery centers with information desks to aid anyone who needs it.

“One of my crew will sit in that office just to answer the question that someone may or may not know,” Bennett said, “and we don’t care if you are with us or with somebody else or you’ve got an insurance policy or not. We’ll tell you how you [can] get help.”

This unconditional compassion that Australians are showing for one another reflects a broader theme of friendship in the “land down under.”

“Australia is one of those countries where you look out for your mates,” Bennett said.

“When something happens, you’ll find people who will give you time off from work to go help.

When we’ve had floods, the whole town is shut down. They still paid salaries, and everyone went out and just dug people’s houses out. You really look out for your mates, and her mates and his mates.”

This generosity does not stop at the Australian coast; it reaches across the ocean all the way to Austin. Australians have “mates” living right here, and they are eager to do all they can.

Many local Austin companies, including The Little Darlin’, Antonelli’s Cheese and LOVE Cycling Studio, have been hosting benefits for fire relief. Through these benefits, citizens can get involved and feel like they’re doing more than just pressing a “donate” button on a web page.

On Jan. 26, Austinites gathered at the Little Darlin’ for drinks, live music and a silent auction.

A portion of the proceeds was donated to the Red Cross and the World Wildlife Foundation.

A group of former teachers called Charity Craft

Austinites enjoy a silent auction, live music and drinks, all to raise funds for Australian fire relief. Charity Craft Collective, a local charity group, partnered with the Little Darlin’, a local restaurant, to organize this benefit. “We all were teachers or parents of students and have known each other for the last eight years, and in the last three years [we] have started hosting benefits,” organizer Libby Brennan said. “[There are] usually one or two a year, and it just seems so seamless.” Photo by Samantha Powers.

Collective organized the event. One of the organizers, Libby Brennan, explained why they got involved.

“Whenever something comes up, we’re just really lucky to have the resources and connections that we do to be able to host things like this,” Brennan said. “It’s just about giving back to our community.”

The event was well-attended by many Austinites eager to do their part. Dads in baseball caps sipped on beers and listened to the live music, moms in sunglasses perused the silent auction, and young children hula-hooped

in the yard.

“The city of Austin, as you can tell, has no problem showing up in one way or another,” Brennan said, “whether it’s physically or if it’s through their donations.”

Even closer to home, the Mac Key Club is selling Valentine’s candy grams, which will be distributed today. The proceeds will go to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in Australia.

Through the devastation many Australians are facing, there is comfort in the fact that they have “mates” looking out for them all across the globe.

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Checking in to the Directors, performers, technicians of Grand Hotel worked hard to create a whimsical world for the audience TOP: The antique chandelier and marquee are the cherry on top of the Grand Hotel set. The chandelier is from The Phantom of the Opera musical set. “For me, the most interesting part of the set is all of the fly stuff we’ve got going on,” Dooley said. Photo by Angus Sewell.

MIDDLE: Junior Will Dooley follows along with the script from backstage. As one of two production coordinators, he stays backstage while the show is running in case sound and lighting issues arise.

“To keep the ship running smoothly, it’s important to coordinate who’s working on what,” Dooley said. Photo by Alysa Spiro.

LEFT: Senior Mia Terminella and freshman Anderson Zoll perform “Valero”, an intense and emotional ballroom dance. “We have done a ton of character work throughout the rehearsal process and that has been a huge game changer,” Terminella said. “Everyone is very grounded in what they’re doing.” Photo by Angus Sewell.

TOP: Emma Wallace as Flaemmchen performs “I Want To Go To Hollywood,” an upbeat dance number where Wallace’s character imagines herself as a Hollywood actress. “This show is just fun,” she explained. ”I wanted my choreography to make people happy.” Photo by Angus Sewell.

MIDDLE: Junior Dashel Beckett makes calls over the crew speaker. “The process never really ends,” Beckett said. “There’s always more to do.” Photo by Alysa Spiro.

BOTTOM: Charlotte Bearse (center) as prima ballerina Grushinskaya dances en pointe alongside ensemble members Kathryn Dooley, Lila Plummer, Mollie King and Mia Terminella.

“Pointe is such an art form,” Bearse said. “I really had to sustain energy throughout the entire process.” Photo by Alysa Spiro.

BOTTOM: Junior Corin Vandenburg and senior Toshaan Arora hit their final poses in the number “Raise A Glass.” This song is a celebration of friendship between Vandenburg and Arora’s characters. Photo

by Alysa Spiro.

ALYSA SPIRO staff reporter It’s 7:30 on a Thursday evening. The fluorescent lights of the McCallum Arts Center Theater dim into a foggy combination of reds and purples.

A sudden hush falls over the crowd: whispers replaced with silent yet static anticipation.

Suddenly, a limping, elderly doctor stumbles on stage. Music flares from the orchestra. The lights brighten and a marquee with the words “Grand Hotel” illuminate the stage. The audience is transported to 1920s Berlin, where they will experience the love and tragedy that makes Grand Hotel true to its name.

For the audience, Grand Hotel spanned two hours and 30 minutes. But for the show’s

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dedicated cast and crew, Grand Hotel was not just a show, but a process spanning over three months that required much creativity and determination in order to create characters, dances and technical designs.

Manifesting a vibrant, realistic character from the script took a lot of work from both the actors and the creative team. The entire cast was assigned a character analysis profile to help them bring their characters to life.

“Mr. Denning kept talking about characterization, but this [the character analysis profile] really forced us to be specific,” said freshman Kathryn Dooley, a member of the dance ensemble. “We also got to request our own character props. It’s very nice because we got to add a little bit of ourselves into our characters.”

For some actors, the process of character

development stretched even further and required more attention. Sophomore Charlotte Bearse played the role of Grushinskaya (she shared the role with junior Helena Laing), a 51-year-old ballerina. Bearse credited assistant director Sam Richter with helping her prepare for her role.

“Sam made me walk around as an animal that represented my character,” Bearse recalled. “That actually really helped me. It made me think, ‘Is my character really motivated or is she hesitant?

Would she care if anyone saw her walk like this?’ That exercise especially helped with the physicality because Grushinskaya is 51. That can be really hard for a 15-year-old to play because that’s literally the numbers of my age reversed.”

Grand Hotel is also characterized by its stylistic dancing. The show is a melting pot

of different dance styles, including ballet, jazz, ballroom and Charleston. To get the dances looking clean and the dancers feeling comfortable took a lot of love and work.

Senior Blair Kinsey, one of the two assistant choreographers (along with senior Owen Scales) believed that cleaning (polishing or fine-tuning) the dances proved to be the most difficult part of the entire process.

“There were times it got tedious to clean number after number,” Kinsey said, “but once we worked on a number a lot it always looked so much better.

It was so nice to actually see progress.”

Dancing also proved to be the most difficult aspect of the show for Bearse, whose character dances en pointe throughout the entire show.

Pointe is a technique of classical ballet that consists of a dancer balancing all of his or her

13 feb. 2020

body weight on the tips of their feet.

“Pointe is such an art form,” Bearese said. “I had to start forcing myself to practice pointe work at home every day until I felt really comfortable so I wouldn’t mess up on stage. It was hard not to burn myself out. I really had to sustain energy throughout the entire process— both rehearsals and shows.”

The depth of putting a show together extended beyond the on-stage performances.

The technical aspects, including lighting, sound, scenic, props and costume design, took another army of students willing to put in many after-school hours. The responsibility of delegating, streamlining and making sure the show’s technical designs were completed on time fell partially on one of two co-production coordinators: junior Will Dooley.

13 feb. 2020

“Ms. Vandenburg, the tech teacher, was in charge of everyone, and she would tell us what we needed to do and what things needed to be delegated and planned,” Dooley said, “and so we made her job easier. Mr. Denning would have big ideas and plans, then Ms. Vandenburg would tell us what they were.

With her, we worked to figure out how to execute everything.”

Execution relied heavily on teamwork, according to sophomore Dashel Beckett, one of two scenic crew heads responsible for creating the show’s set.

“So much of it was getting in the right mindset,” Beckett said. “A lot of the first week was talking to the crew and getting to know them so that the entire process was more fun and more productive as we went on.”

Unlike other shows MacTheatre has done, Grand Hotel had a very static set.

“The show was very much in one location and that location was very interesting, and there was a lot to learn about it,” Beckett said.

“Instead of having a lot of moving sets on wheels to signify moving positions, there was a bunch of stuff on stage all at once. Kind of like a grand hotel.”

So what makes all the hard work, lack of sleep and long hours worth it? Realizing the show, says the cast and crew.

“It was just the satisfaction of seeing the entire show on stage and knowing that you did that and your friends did that,” Beckett said.

“You find these new people and you realize that everyone has grown because of the show.”

Kinsey agreed and added that the show’s

opening elicited an influx of emotions, happiness foremost among them.

“Seeing the end product and getting to see everyone’s parents be proud of their kids was so rewarding,” she said. “Even the people who don’t have kids in the show were like ‘Wow, this is so amazing!’ Just seeing the audience love the show; it meant so much.”

For the actors, working towards inner satisfaction was a constant, never-ending process.

“I know that I didn’t have that pure satisfaction the first time I performed in front of an audience,” Bearse said. “But I think near the middle and end of the run, I got so used to the routine I was able to not focus on my dancing and my lines and my singing. I was just able to enjoy myself in the moment.”

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Checking in to the Directors, performers, technicians of Grand Hotel worked hard to create a whimsical world for the audience TOP: The antique chandelier and marquee are the cherry on top of the Grand Hotel set. The chandelier is from The Phantom of the Opera musical set. “For me, the most interesting part of the set is all of the fly stuff we’ve got going on,” Dooley said. Photo by Angus Sewell.

MIDDLE: Junior Will Dooley follows along with the script from backstage. As one of two production coordinators, he stays backstage while the show is running in case sound and lighting issues arise.

“To keep the ship running smoothly, it’s important to coordinate who’s working on what,” Dooley said. Photo by Alysa Spiro.

LEFT: Senior Mia Terminella and freshman Anderson Zoll perform “Valero”, an intense and emotional ballroom dance. “We have done a ton of character work throughout the rehearsal process and that has been a huge game changer,” Terminella said. “Everyone is very grounded in what they’re doing.” Photo by Angus Sewell.

TOP: Emma Wallace as Flaemmchen performs “I Want To Go To Hollywood,” an upbeat dance number where Wallace’s character imagines herself as a Hollywood actress. “This show is just fun,” she explained. ”I wanted my choreography to make people happy.” Photo by Angus Sewell.

MIDDLE: Junior Dashel Beckett makes calls over the crew speaker. “The process never really ends,” Beckett said. “There’s always more to do.” Photo by Alysa Spiro.

BOTTOM: Charlotte Bearse (center) as prima ballerina Grushinskaya dances en pointe alongside ensemble members Kathryn Dooley, Lila Plummer, Mollie King and Mia Terminella.

“Pointe is such an art form,” Bearse said. “I really had to sustain energy throughout the entire process.” Photo by Alysa Spiro.

BOTTOM: Junior Corin Vandenburg and senior Toshaan Arora hit their final poses in the number “Raise A Glass.” This song is a celebration of friendship between Vandenburg and Arora’s characters. Photo

by Alysa Spiro.

ALYSA SPIRO staff reporter It’s 7:30 on a Thursday evening. The fluorescent lights of the McCallum Arts Center Theater dim into a foggy combination of reds and purples.

A sudden hush falls over the crowd: whispers replaced with silent yet static anticipation.

Suddenly, a limping, elderly doctor stumbles on stage. Music flares from the orchestra. The lights brighten and a marquee with the words “Grand Hotel” illuminate the stage. The audience is transported to 1920s Berlin, where they will experience the love and tragedy that makes Grand Hotel true to its name.

For the audience, Grand Hotel spanned two hours and 30 minutes. But for the show’s

8 a&e

dedicated cast and crew, Grand Hotel was not just a show, but a process spanning over three months that required much creativity and determination in order to create characters, dances and technical designs.

Manifesting a vibrant, realistic character from the script took a lot of work from both the actors and the creative team. The entire cast was assigned a character analysis profile to help them bring their characters to life.

“Mr. Denning kept talking about characterization, but this [the character analysis profile] really forced us to be specific,” said freshman Kathryn Dooley, a member of the dance ensemble. “We also got to request our own character props. It’s very nice because we got to add a little bit of ourselves into our characters.”

For some actors, the process of character

development stretched even further and required more attention. Sophomore Charlotte Bearse played the role of Grushinskaya (she shared the role with junior Helena Laing), a 51-year-old ballerina. Bearse credited assistant director Sam Richter with helping her prepare for her role.

“Sam made me walk around as an animal that represented my character,” Bearse recalled. “That actually really helped me. It made me think, ‘Is my character really motivated or is she hesitant?

Would she care if anyone saw her walk like this?’ That exercise especially helped with the physicality because Grushinskaya is 51. That can be really hard for a 15-year-old to play because that’s literally the numbers of my age reversed.”

Grand Hotel is also characterized by its stylistic dancing. The show is a melting pot

of different dance styles, including ballet, jazz, ballroom and Charleston. To get the dances looking clean and the dancers feeling comfortable took a lot of love and work.

Senior Blair Kinsey, one of the two assistant choreographers (along with senior Owen Scales) believed that cleaning (polishing or fine-tuning) the dances proved to be the most difficult part of the entire process.

“There were times it got tedious to clean number after number,” Kinsey said, “but once we worked on a number a lot it always looked so much better.

It was so nice to actually see progress.”

Dancing also proved to be the most difficult aspect of the show for Bearse, whose character dances en pointe throughout the entire show.

Pointe is a technique of classical ballet that consists of a dancer balancing all of his or her

13 feb. 2020

body weight on the tips of their feet.

“Pointe is such an art form,” Bearese said. “I had to start forcing myself to practice pointe work at home every day until I felt really comfortable so I wouldn’t mess up on stage. It was hard not to burn myself out. I really had to sustain energy throughout the entire process— both rehearsals and shows.”

The depth of putting a show together extended beyond the on-stage performances.

The technical aspects, including lighting, sound, scenic, props and costume design, took another army of students willing to put in many after-school hours. The responsibility of delegating, streamlining and making sure the show’s technical designs were completed on time fell partially on one of two co-production coordinators: junior Will Dooley.

13 feb. 2020

“Ms. Vandenburg, the tech teacher, was in charge of everyone, and she would tell us what we needed to do and what things needed to be delegated and planned,” Dooley said, “and so we made her job easier. Mr. Denning would have big ideas and plans, then Ms. Vandenburg would tell us what they were.

With her, we worked to figure out how to execute everything.”

Execution relied heavily on teamwork, according to sophomore Dashel Beckett, one of two scenic crew heads responsible for creating the show’s set.

“So much of it was getting in the right mindset,” Beckett said. “A lot of the first week was talking to the crew and getting to know them so that the entire process was more fun and more productive as we went on.”

Unlike other shows MacTheatre has done, Grand Hotel had a very static set.

“The show was very much in one location and that location was very interesting, and there was a lot to learn about it,” Beckett said.

“Instead of having a lot of moving sets on wheels to signify moving positions, there was a bunch of stuff on stage all at once. Kind of like a grand hotel.”

So what makes all the hard work, lack of sleep and long hours worth it? Realizing the show, says the cast and crew.

“It was just the satisfaction of seeing the entire show on stage and knowing that you did that and your friends did that,” Beckett said.

“You find these new people and you realize that everyone has grown because of the show.”

Kinsey agreed and added that the show’s

opening elicited an influx of emotions, happiness foremost among them.

“Seeing the end product and getting to see everyone’s parents be proud of their kids was so rewarding,” she said. “Even the people who don’t have kids in the show were like ‘Wow, this is so amazing!’ Just seeing the audience love the show; it meant so much.”

For the actors, working towards inner satisfaction was a constant, never-ending process.

“I know that I didn’t have that pure satisfaction the first time I performed in front of an audience,” Bearse said. “But I think near the middle and end of the run, I got so used to the routine I was able to not focus on my dancing and my lines and my singing. I was just able to enjoy myself in the moment.”

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Elizabeth Street Café on South First Street is famous for their fusion of French baked goods and creative Vietnamese eats, like their rice paper and vermicelli spring rolls served with sweet chili vinegar, ginger-jalapeño and peanut sauces. Photos courtesy of Steele Bradford.

What to do this February

Four things to eat, do, enjoy that will make your four-day weekend brighter

Vietnamese fare at

Elizabeth Street Café: a vibrant restaurant that has left me craving Vietnamese cuisine time and time again, and wishing that I didn’t have to conquer traffic in order to get another taste.

The restaurant, located on South First Street, just a six-minute drive from the Texas State Capitol, is a favorite among locals and tourists alike. After entering through the café’s pastel pink doors, you will find yourself in a chic dining room, complete with a tantalizing pastries case.

I found myself strolling back to it in order to gaze upon the multitude of macaroons and mini-opera cakes after finishing my food. There is also the option to dine on an outside patio adorned with lovely sycamore trees.

Whatever option you choose, the café is as easy on the eyes as it is on the pallet. Between the dishes, I tried, the shrimp and pork crepes proved to be my favorite dish. The crepes were crispy, crunchy and delicious. The combination of the crunchy crepe shell with the sprout and meat filling formed a savory and satisfying entrée.

For drinks, my friend and I ordered a Vietnamese coffee and a mocha: both tasted strong and full-bodied.

Although it isn’t the kindest to your wallet, Elizabeth Street Cafe is a great place to visit, not only for the unique design but of course the cuisine, which has definitely impacted my opinion of Vietnamese food.

—Scarlett Houser

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Sweets at Omg Squee

If I told you there was a place in Austin that served delicious macaroons, jiggly cheesecake, and elaborate Taiyaki sundaes (pictured at left), and all made gluten-free, you’d probably say “What’s the catch?” No catch at all, except that this small-batch, “Tex-Asian” bakery in East Austin is only open on Saturdays and Sundays, and when they are open, they sell out fast.

Squee Club is known for its fluffy, soufflé-style Japanese cheesecakes that tower over their squat New York-style siblings like a cumulonimbus cloud and their Taiyaki sundaes served in fish-shaped cones reminiscent of a Belgian waffle. The sundaes are filled with a rotation of soft-serve flavors like vibrant purple ube, classic matcha, strawberry, chocolate and cereal milk, as well as the occasional vegan option. You can choose to fill the tail of your cone with Nutella or red-bean paste, and top your swirl of ice cream with a variety of sauces such as marshmallow fluff, Fruity Pebbles, sprinkles and Oreo dust, or for those who have to have it all, a mini-slice of cheesecake or a macaroon on top. If all those baked goods made you thirsty, Squee Club also offers a variety of drinks to wash it all down. Choose from Thai iced tea, matcha lattes and coffees and pair them with one of the club’s signature macaroons or cakes. The shop seems to attract customers for both their treats and their ambiance. You’ll see quite a lot of photo taking as the whitewashed storefront and rainbow neon signage make for quite the photo opportunity. No matter why you come to Squee Club, the bakery is just the place to share a treat with friends and family.

—Bella Russo

Squee Club’s Taiyaki Sundae; a fish-shaped (not flavored) cone filled with matcha softserve and Nutella, topped with rainbow sprinkles. Photo by Bella Russo.

Movie-watching at Blue Starlight Urban Drive-in

You’ve spent the day hiking through the Barton Creek trail, eating great food and have just polished off a slice of cheesecake or a cone of soft serve. What’s next? We recommend heading just up the road from Squee Club to the outskirts of the Mueller district to find the Austin classic that is the Blue Starlight Mini Urban Drive-in Cinema. You can start your fourday weekend off right with a showing of Say Anything Thursday night, celebrate Valentine’s Day by watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the drive-in and come back on Saturday to see a showing of The Princess Bride. What better way is there to enjoy these three classic films than at Blue Starlight’s unique drive-in experience?

Just like the drive-ins of the past, you and your Valentine(s) can enjoy the movies from the comfort of your cars, all while enjoying classic movie theater snacks like popcorn, sodas, candy and hot dogs. Pro tip: if you’ve got a truck (Or even an SUV) at your disposal, we recommend pulling into your spot backwards and camping out in the tailgate for an even cooler outdoor movie-watching experience.

—Bella Russo

Sculpture Falls, along the Barton Creek Trail, runs dry in the winter to expose limestone formations that are buried under water in the summertime. Photo by Bella Russo.

Though crowded during spring and summer, the Barton Creek Greenbelt during the winter months is serene and as always, a much-needed escape from the bustle of the city. To explore Sculpture Falls, park by the trail head off of the south Mopac frontage road, and take the trail north.

After a short walk, hikers will find the Barton

Creek creekbed.

Normally filled with water, the creek runs dry in the winter, leaving lots of terrain great for walking, and the occasional limestone formation perfect for bouldering. Along the trail in both the north and south directions are tall live oaks, limestone cliffs and even small cave formations cut through the rock.

—Bella Russo

Explore Sculpture Falls

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Say ‘Hye’ to small towns in Texas

It may not be a vacation destination for the masses, but I still believe in a place called Oatmeal MAX RHODES

online editor in chief Most of the destinations previously discussed on Rhodes Traveled have been exactly that: destinations. These are places I would suggest going to, places with enough merit to justify the hour and a half (or however long) drive it takes to get there. Major cities like Houston or Dallas for sure, but also smaller cities like Corpus, Denton or Waco. But what about the places in between these cities?

Dotted around the state and along the major highways are small towns with small populations. You drive through these all the time, sometimes you stop to get gas, but usually it’s just a mild annoyance because there are sometimes stop lights. You know the places I’m talking about.

Let me paint a picture. You’re driving down the highway. You see the green highway sign that says “Flatonia 6” referring to the distance in miles to this place that no one has ever heard of. You’ve got a destination to get to, plenty of gas, it’s hot outside.

The idea of stopping here never even crosses your mind. Getting closer the speed limit falls. 60 mph. 55. 45.

35. Entering the town you are first greeted by another green highway sign “Flatonia: population 2,056.” If paying attention, the sign may make you chuckle, the thought of a town the size of a high school is amusing.

The sign is followed by a series of houses, filled with overgrown lawns, various yard equipment and old half assembled cars. Once you get to the town center, if you can call it that, you see old three story brick buildings, most of which are empty. On the side of these buildings are the remains of advertisements that were painted on probably 75 years ago, for things like Coca-Cola or a local restaurant. As for open businesses, there are two or three gas stations at which most of the customers are either enormous trucks hauling horse trailers or confused Subaru drivers wishing they were somewhere else. If you are lucky, there is a courthouse on the square, but this is not in every town. Over the street are banners hung from the few power lines that say something about a local event for a church. After seeing a few more vacated buildings and trucks carrying bales of hay in their beds, you exit. Just like that. The speed limit climbs back up to 65 or 70.

You don’t dwell on this place, you may pass through five or six of these towns before reaching your destination.

But sometimes you must be adventurous. Instead of just stopping

13 feb. 2020

The historic Hye market and post office in downtown (if you can call it that) Hye Texas. Although over 100 years old this is still a functioning post office, as well as a restaurant. Its claim to fame is that former president Lyndon B. Johnson mailed his first letter here. Photo by Max Rhodes

for gas, maybe you can stop your lunch, maybe you can stretch your legs and explore a little bit. There are people who live here, remember?

What do they do in their free time?

Allow me to tell you what there is to do in small, and I mean really small, towns in Texas.

First of all, let’s talk about expectations. Small towns such as Johnson City, Wimberley, Flatonia, Shiner or wherever else one winds up could never compare with cities with a greater population, such as Waco.

For those who remember, I wrote an article about central Texas barbecue, which featured some obscure places like Taylor, Lexington and Dime Box. You see what I’m saying? These places are home to some of the best food in the state, I would hardly consider that boring.

As I said before, some of these places have a courthouse, but even if they don’t there should be a little town square area. This is usually in towns with a population over two or three thousand. If it’s smaller than that you are more likely to find a main street, which should be similar to a town square. Places with a square are good spots to stop, get out of the car and explore a little bit.

Most of the attractions worth going to are on the square, which include restaurants, antique shops, history centers and other stuff. Sometimes there will be a river park, which is also a nice place to stop. Of course the best way to learn about a place is to ask the people who live there. No one knows some obscure town with a population of a few thousand, or hundred better than someone who has lived there for 40 years.

This brings me to the Dairy Queen phenomena. Several of these places are in the middle of nowhere and can only be reached by a two-lane highway or even a dirt road. But, there are also a lot of towns off of the interstate, towns that have the privilege of having frequent visitors stopping there for things like food or gas. And so to meet this demand for basic necessities, the town will

host a Texaco gas station and a Dairy Queen. Sure, some will also have Whataburgers and McDonald’s, but nine times out of 10 they will have a Dairy Queen. Just a Dairy Queen.

And this makes sense. The DQ isn’t just for the highway-goers, it’s also for the locals. Think about it. You can get all the culinary wonders of the big city, hamburgers, chicken tenders, ice cream cakes, all tucked away into one little store. DQ is a part of small town culture, just ask anyone who lives outside of a big city.

Now I want you to think. Think about the last time you were at a Dairy Queen. Was it in Austin?

Probably not. Even if it was, I’m sure you noticed the decor. It’s different than a McDonald’s or a Jack in the Box. There are old photos on the wall. Sometimes there are easy chairs around a circular table. It feels like it’s trying to be down home and comfy, as opposed to crisp and modern. Now you know why.

Anyway, with that out of the way, let me talk about some specific places.

Flatonia, the place I described in the second paragraph is real. And, yes, it has a Dairy Queen. But it also has an old drugstore that sells trinkets and memorabilia, as well as actual medications. Around the railroad

tracks that split Main Street in half (another common thing) is a nice park where you can have a picnic or just stretch your legs. Flatonia is located on I-10, and is about halfway between Austin and Houston.

Out west, on 290 toward Fredericksburg are the small towns of Hye and Stonewall. Hye is home to a historic post office/restaurant that is definitely worth a stop for lunch.

Stonewall is famous for its peaches, and also has a decent restaurant in the back of a Chevron station. I’ve gotten mixed results on whether this place was named after General “Stonewall” Jackson, or someone else. Either way, it’s a nice stop. Between these two towns is the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site.

Sometimes the whole draw to a town can be its name. I traveled about 30 miles out of my way to go to a place called Oatmeal.

Was there anything there? No. But it was funny, and I got some good pictures with the sign.

For me, it can be fun just to drive on those little windy two lane highways through the Hill Country. Whatever you end up doing, it’s always fun to get out of the city and explore a little, even if your destination is a place called Oatmeal.

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Passion for fashion A behind-theclothes look at the annual McCallum Fashion Show MADELYNN NILES staff reporter

“Scrapbook.” To many, images of heart stickers and seasonal stamps may flash by. Thoughts of double sided tape galore and zigzag-cutting scissors may flood in. But, in this case, what we are talking about is far from Aisle 7 at your local Hobby Lobby.

The annual McCallum Fashion Show is seen by students as a parade of artistic decisions, the end result of a four-month process. However, this leaves the extensive stages of creating and organizing unseen, the entire in-between known only to participants.

From the early stages of the Shown above is junior designer Veronica Crist’s design process to the untold sketchbook for her line this show. stories of trend-setting fourthGraphic by Madelynn Niles. graders, the roots of this student-organized event and the people that Kinard said a few weeks prior to the it consists of come show. “There’s always so much to do. in many different … Every year, it’s just a long period shapes and forms of hard work, and it’s us being one of — and for the dethose faces that people can ask anything to, one signers, sophoof those people who knows the answer to every more and junior question and knows what’s going on. And interns, and then in the back of my head it’s like ‘I senior directors, don’t know what what’s going on — I there is so much more than hope this works out!’” The two the polished product. laughed again and agreed In the early months of the fall that, despite these semester, the preparation process challenges, the payoff kicks off with the senior directors—this of seeing the show is year’s being Brooke Miller, Byron Kinard and “totally, absolutely, 100 Finn Shehan—recruiting and organizing the percent worth it,” as Byron participants, including models, designers, and described it. sponsors. For the models, this marks the first The sophomore interns must tackle different, and primary step in joining the event, but for smaller-scale responsibilities. the directors, this moment is only the first of an “As an intern, you’re basically learning endless list of tasks to be completed throughout how to be a junior director,” sophomore the semester. When asked about their official Veronica Britton said. “You do swag bags, get responsibilities, both Kinard and Miller let out sponsorships, other prep stuff like that.” a laugh. “Oh God,” Miller said. “A lot.”

From there, the sophomore interns progress The two went on to describe their never-ending to the junior intern position and, eventually, to-do list of contacting, organizing and preparing senior director. each aspect of the show leading up to February.

Britton said that for her, joining the fashion “Even today, still, there’s so many things that show community was random. “I decided very I’m just like, ‘Wow, we need to get that done,’ or last-minute, actually the day of interviews,” she ‘We have this that we haven’t even started on,’” recalled with a laugh. “I was kind of like, ‘Hey,

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this could be fun!’ I love making clothes, but I thought it would be cool to see the process behind the designs, and it’s turned into something I am so happy to be a part of.”

Junior Veronica Crist, winning designer of the 2018 Mac fashion show and designer in this year’s show, feels that participating in the show gives her an outlet for one of her favorite things in life—designing.

“I’ve been interested in fashion forever,” she stated. “I was the kid in elementary school who started all the trends. Yes, I was that kid.”

She reminisced further, describing that she attended a charter elementary school where uniforms were required, so “spicing it up” with accessories was an absolute must.

“In sixth grade, my dad finally bought me a sewing machine and sent me to classes where I spent one week learning the basics of making clothes,” she said.

Crist also happily described her gratitude for being part of the fashion-show community, specifically near the end of the process. “During the dress rehearsals, [the designers] get to talk about things, like ‘Hey I did this technique; let me show you what I did.’ Or ‘Oh my God, that was so good; teach me how to do that!,’” she said with a smile. “We all learn from each other.”

Going forward from these early preparations, models begin attending extensive rehearsals and designers begin crafting their ideas in response to the year’s theme. This year, the senior

directors decided upon the theme “Scrapbook.”

“What scrapbook means to us is a cohesive collection of art, which can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people,” Kinard stated. “People are doing, for example, a music album, childhood movies, books, just things that go together.”

Miller agreed that this year’s overarching theme is on the loose end of the scale, allowing designers to take many artistic liberties.

“Looking at the pieces, you should be able to tell that they fit together, but other than that it’s pretty much up to them,” she stated. The two agreed that this allows the designers to heavily leverage their own creativity and ideas rather than having to follow a cookie-cutter, strict outline, which, in turn, led to a lengthy process—both in design and creation.

Besides the work, there were many memorable moments and takeaways. Both Kinard and Miller giggled as they reminisced upon the silly games they would play to test the model’s ability to keep a straight face on the runway. They agreed that they have also learned so much sheerly from being a member of the community.

“You can’t go to school without seeing a ton of people in the fashion show in your classes or walking in the halls, and it’s cool to know you are working on this together,” Kinard stated. “And after the show, everyone knows everyone’s names, even though there are so many people. I truly love everybody that participates in the show, and I love that they love it so much.”

And, of course, there must be acknowledgment to the day of the show itself. The consensus between Crist, Britton, Kinard and Miller was a resounding “show day!” when asked about their favorite part of the overall experience. “That feeling watching the aftermath of it all,” Miller stated, “It’s just so satisfying.” Kinard agreed with her co-director. “It’s amazing. … We didn’t even make the clothes, but we’re still just so proud to watch it.”

For the models, interns and designers, seeing all of the puzzle pieces fit together and the loose ends tied up as the show begins, the months of practice and preparation become worth it. By the end of the process, the theme of “Scrapbook”—a unifying bond between a variety—seems to have become something not only describing the lines of clothes, but the people involved themselves.

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An informal Capital of Texas taco tour

Some tortillas are luckier than others. Read this review to see which tacos shredded the competition.

OLIVIA CAPOCHIANO staff reporter

With avid taco eaters Bella Russo and Ellen Fox by my side, I was ready for the Battle for the Best Taco to begin. In one corner, corporate chain Taco Cabana; in the other, food trucks, Arlo’s and Kitchen for the Soul, and opposing them, local franchises Tacorrido and Taqueria Los Jaliscienses.

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Taco Cabana For a chain with taco in the name, the taco selection was lackluster. The tacos come naked, not even a shred of lettuce to grace the chicken fajita. For 40 cents, add vegetables. For free, add salsa.

“The salsas are free, but in reality they take away value from the taco.” Russo said. “They’re watery, bland and do not make up for the fact that literally nothing but meat is inside the $3 taco.”

As recommended by our cashier, the steak taco was above average. Simply put by Fox, “It delivers.”

The brisket taco chosen by myself, was below average. Flavor and texture were hardly stunning.

“This is a lot of tortilla. The meat-tortilla ratio is off,” Fox said.

Taco Cabana provided the bare minimum to us. It reminded me of what a serf would eat in the 1500s if they were lucky, an unflavored carbohydratemeat combo. We deserve better in 2020.

The ambiance, however, was better than at other fast-food restaurants. The patio was nice and offered an unbeatable view of Lamar and the empty lot next door. The undeveloped field is a picturesque break from the industrial mess of the street. The bustle of the Lamar and North Loop intersection provided calming white noise adjacent to rain sounds.

Taco Cabana rated on taste is underwhelming.

However, the location is great. Points for proximity to school. If you’re looking to catch lunch during the 40 minute allotment, Taco Cabana is fine, but if you have other choices, we wouldn’t recommend it.

El Tacorrido As we opened our tacos in Russo’s Honda Odyssey, they seemed to glow with natural light.

It might have been 1 p.m., but these tacos were experiencing golden hour. The al pastor taco in particular was arresting, with colorful reddish meat.

“A little spicy, a little tangy,” Fox said. “That’s a good taco.”

The barbacoa was delicious as well. Covered in cilantro and onion, this taco is a classic.

“Not too crazy but that is enough for a great taco,” Russo said.

The chicken fajita was our least favorite. The chicken was chewy, and the simple toppings did not save it.

“Maybe it was just my bite, but I didn’t love the chicken fajita,” Fox said. “In general, it was good.”

The atmosphere of Tacorrido doesn’t stand out, but its proximity to McCallum is stellar. We

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TACO ABOUT A DREAM STORY ASSIGNMENT: (1) The chicken pechuga taco from Taqueria Los Jaliscienses, located off Airport Boulevard.

(2) Plant-based jackfruit tacos from food truck Kitchen for the Soul. (3) Chicken taco from Taco Cabana. (4) The chicken, al pastor and barbacoa taco from El Tacorrido. (5) The vegetarian taco made of seitan from Arlo’s food truck. Photos by Olivia Capochiano. made it back with time to spare.

Kitchen for the Soul Tacorrido is relatively cheap, although the Across from Arlo’s was another plant-based tacos are small. Compared to other Austin meals, food truck, Kitchen for the Soul. The jackfruit al they’re cost effective. pastor taco was almost absurd.

Inventive, I would say. It was definitely the Arlo’s farthest away from a traditional taco out of all After searching the drag for “Cool Beans,” an the sampled meals.

The first thing that stood out about the unfindable vegan food truck, we found ourselves sitting down at the picnic tables next to Arlo’s. $8 tacos were the ingredients. Shrouding the Arlo’s is a plant-based food truck stationed next jackfruit was a heaping of avocado, sprouts and a sweet sauce.

Spider House Cafe.

The jackfruit mimicked meat in texture but First, we struggled with the price and content of the taco. We ordered the “Street or Chik’n” not in taste. If you haven’t had jackfruit, it’s taco, which included a meat substitute called reminiscent of pineapple.

Fox thought that the taco was much too seitan. We later learned that seitan is pure gluten, much to the dismay of our gluten-free reporter. sweet.

“There’s a lot happening here,” Russo added.

I still do not understand what “Street or Chik’n” means. Is “Street” a different taco than “Chik’n”? “The presentation is good until you get to the Look, I hate vegan food as much as the next bottom, and it looks like the Krabby Patty that guy, but the seitan taco was delectable. Perhaps to killed the inspector in SpongeBob.” The sweetness of the cooked fruit overwhelms make up for the lack of meat, the substitute was beautifully flavored. The accompanying chipotle the taco, so it’s more of an innovative salad than anything else. ranch was so good that Russo took it home.

I personally have no beef with this taco, “I’m not missing the meat,” Russo said. considering there’s no meat. The chef just took “Wait, I’m actually impressed.” Fox said.

“And the corn tortilla is freaking good,” Russo creative liberty with it.

As for ambiance, I find it important to point added.

Two tacos for $7 was certainly a reasonable out I could distantly hear the buzz of a tattoo price, especially considering the quality of needle from next door.

Is that a health code violation? our meal.

Taqueria Los Jaliscienses I looked down to realize I had begun eating without pausing to photograph the barbacoa taco in its full glory.

It was just too tempting.

The tacos, barbacoa, al pastor, and chicken pechuga, were all good. They were pretty average tacos.

“It’s very much like a stewed meat,” Russo said about the barbacoa taco. “It’s very fatty.”

“It’s just a chicken taco,” Fox said about the pechuga. “It really is just a chicken taco.”

The corn tortilla from Los Jaliscienses was light but didn’t crack. It complemented our tacos well.

The highlight of Taqueria Los Jaliscienses was the horchata, which was served in a gargantuan Styrofoam cup that looked like a prop from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

That cup had a larger gravitational pull than Pluto.

In taste, the horchata had a distinct cinnamon flavor.

All in all, Taqueria Los Jaliscienses was an average authentic Mexican restaurant.

The winner of the McCallum taco tour is Arlo’s.

Arlo’s was impressive in terms of creativity and taste. If you’re wallet is feeling light and you don’t want to be late to third period, however, Tacorrido might be your best bet.

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Baughman titled Teacher of the Year Students, colleagues praise forensics teacher for her innovation, differentiation and empathy

KRISTEN TIBBETTS & DAVE WINTER editor and adviser

The response to Ms. Hosack’s announcement that the faculty has voted Ms. Elise Baughman to be the 2020 Teacher of the Year has drawn widespread approval from students in her forensics science classes.

Senior forensic science student Henry Winter touched on some oft-mentioned themes when he shared why he thought Baughman deserved the TOY nod.

“You can tell she cares,” Winter said. “She genuinely tries to make the class the best possible environment for her students to learn in.”

As an example of her efforts to differentiate her classroom so her students could succeed Winter mentioned one Baughman innovation: the playlist, where students can choose the sequence of activities and how much emphasis they place on each one.

“The playlist allows students to do [activities] in any order they want and [to do] whatever they think will help them out the most,” Winter said.

“It’s very cool.”

Another forensics student, senior Ella Irwin also mentioned the playlists as an example of how effective she is as a teacher.

“She makes time for every student to have check-in with her, where we are able to ask her for help or ask any questions we might have,” she said. “I think that’s a good example of how she cares for each of her students as individuals and really wants to make sure we understand the material.”

Irwin also said Baughman brings an enthusiasm to the classroom that sets her apart.

“One of the things that I think that makes Ms. Baughman such a special teacher is how much energy and work she puts into her lessons and labs,” Irwin said. “As a student I always have felt supported and cared for by Ms. Baughman.

She believes in each of her students and gives them all her time and energy in helping them to be successful.”

Junior Nadine del Gallo echoed the same refrain in her assessment of Baughman’s teaching.

“She’s very helpful and she always tries to interact with you,” del Gallo said, “and she makes the class very accessible and easy because it’s on Blend. All the quizzes are on Blend. All the notes are on Blend. And if you ever have a question, you can come in during lunch and she’ll help you. I’ve had so many questions, but she’s always been able to answer them.”

Senior Janael Copeland also said that Baughman cares about more than just how her students perform in class.

“She continuously checks on her students to make sure they’re doing OK both inside and outside of the classroom,” she said. “She’s extremely open-minded to feedback from her students on how she can better help them with their work.”

Copeland also emphasized Baughman’s ability to connect with her students.

“She’s also able to joke around with her students and have a good time during class and

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Wearing a cap to honor Jackie Robinson, Baughman explains the procedure for a forensics lab to senior Sam Sherrill. “[Baughman] believes in each of her students and gives them all her time and energy in helping them to be successful,” senior Ella Irwin said. Photo by Dave Winter.

Mrs. B gets an A-plus “Ms. B always makes sure every student is set up for success by providing the resources for every unique learner to do their best.”

—senior Lilah Guaragna “Her ability to make connections with students, passion and fun personality makes Mrs. B’s classroom a fantastic place to be.”

—senior Austin Rummel “When I thought my life was ending, she slowed me down and told me it was OK. No one else succeeded like this. A goddess among mortals.”

—senior Zion Flores

Elise Baughman receives her Teacher of the Year certificate from principal Brandi Hosack and assistant principals Tamara Stone, Larry Featherstone, Andy Baxa and Sophia Sherline. Photo by Dave Winter. seems to always be in good spirits,” she said.

“She’s by far one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I’m very glad to have her as a teacher.”

According to athletics director Thomas Gammerdinger, Baughman is as kind with her coworkers as she is with her students.

“First of all, Ms. Baughman is awesome and was my original nomination for [Teacher of the Year],” he said.

Baughman has allowed the football team to use her classroom for Tuesday and Thursday morning meetings.

“We have morning meetings ... to install offensive and defensive schemes,” Gammerdinger said. “She has graciously allowed

us to use her room to teach these things in an academic setting.”

Baughman’s Teacher of the Year award reflects the fact that not only her coworkers, but her bosses appreciate the work that she does.

“Today is your day,” Hosack told Baughman when presenting her with the award on Jan. 21. “We want you to be celebrated for all that you do.”

Hosack stated that she hears good things from both students and faculty about Baughman, and that has had the opportunity to see them for herself.

“Continue to do what you do because we are in awe every time we come into your classroom,” she said. “Thank you for being amazing.”

“She really gives kids a chance. One day, we were doing a Socratic seminar, and I didn’t bring my notes, and she didn’t even blink twice. She didn’t make me feel bad for forgetting my notebook. She just nodded and allowed me to continue on and join the conversation.”

—senior Stella Shenkman “Ms. Baughman is a teacher’s teacher in my world- she’s generous, humble, and REALLY helps- WANTS to help me- when I need help with Blend; I suspect she’d help with anything in the world though! It’s just how she rolls.”

—teacher Jennifer Wood

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Formerly taught, currently teaching Elder returns to McCallum as assistant orchestra director

ABOVE: Elder conducts a piece with the orchestra during the program’s holiday concert on Dec. 17 in the MAC. Elder feels that they were successful, particularly because the time restraint didn’t stop them from organizing and preparing the entire event. “I think we did well, especially considering that we didn’t have a lot of time to learn the pieces we played,” she said.

“I learned that we can work as a team to put a concert together in a short amount of time.” Photo by Samantha Powers.

LEFT: Elder (Class of 2014) plays violin as a MacOrchestra student. She credits part of her career decision to her former teacher, now co-worker, Ricky Pringle. “I remember Mr. Pringle saying there will always be jobs for music educators because they’re always looking for good music educators,” she said. “I think that was kind of the turning point for me.” Photo courtesy of Pringle.

KRISTEN TIBBETTS co-editor in chief

A decade ago, eighth-grade Lamar student Erika Elder walked into the McCallum Fine Arts Building with her violin, nervous but ready to audition for the Fine Arts Academy in front of orchestra director Ricky Pringle. Flash-forward to just last summer, and Elder walked into the same school, perhaps even more nervous, but ready for her first staff meeting as the McCallum assistant orchestra director, now working alongside her former teacher. ““I walked in and immediately the smell of the school just took me right back,” she joked.

Elder began playing violin when she was five years old. Before being a part of the Fine Arts Academy, she played at the Monarch Suzuki Academy and performed with the Austin Youth Orchestra. Elder credits her decision to go to McCallum to her older sister, Elise.

“She was part of the orchestra program also, and she was also part of the theatre program, which everyone knows is outstanding,” Elder said. “I remember going to all her concerts and theatre productions and loving it and wanting to come here.”

At McCallum, she spent her first year in the freshman orchestra and then moved on to chamber, the top orchestra, as a sophomore.

“She was very kind, she was very courteous, [and] very polite,” Pringle said. “She worked hard.”

Outside of class, Elder participated in nearly every performance or event she could. From playing in the pit during theatre shows to playing

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scores from popular movies in Mueller Park, she earned a reputation as a student deeply involved in the orchestra program.

“I think the cool thing I learned from those events is that there’s just so much more to being a musician than just what happens here in the classroom,” she said. “There’s a wide range of things that we can do, from classical to fiddling to pop music and rock.”

Elder also states that the orchestra program at McCallum reignited her passion for music.

“Right before I came to McCallum … I was starting to feel a little burnt out, kind of disinterested,” she said. “But, when I got [here], I was introduced to [a lot of] new stuff that I didn’t even know we could do, that was a huge thing for me.”

By her senior year of high school, Elder knew that she wanted to pursue music in college, but she didn’t know what she would major in until the end of the year.

“I remember Mr. Pringle saying there will always be jobs for music educators because they’re always looking for good music educators,” she said. “I think that was kind of the turning point for me.”

Elder attended Stephen F. Austin State University and graduated last spring with a bachelor or arts degree in music education. Before coming to McCallum, she gained experience by student teaching at Kealing Middle school and LBJ High School. When Georgeann Shockley, the previous orchestra director, decided to retire last year, she and Pringle reached out to Elder and encouraged her to apply.

“Now I’m coming back and teaching to younger people the same kind of musicality [that I learned here].”

—Erika Elder

“I knew that she was student teaching at LBJ and Kealing, and so I asked the teacher over there how she was doing,” Pringle said. “She said she was doing great. Things just kind of worked out. … She went through the application process and did a great interview for the job. We knew that she was the right fit.”

For Elder, the interview, led by former principal Mike Garrison, was accompanied by a mixture of nostalgia and fear.

“I think I blacked out,” she joked. “It was my first real job interview because I just graduated college, but everyone was so nice. … [Garrison] was principal when I was in school here too, so it was very comforting to see [him].”

Pringle and Garrison were not the only familiar faces that Elder saw during her transition back to McCallum.

“I remember the first thing I did was come on campus for a staff meeting and immediately walking into a room full of teachers that used to be my teachers,” she said. “It was kind of scary, I’m not going to lie.”

Though excited, Elder also felt intimidated on

her first day teaching.

“I was terrified. I didn’t know any of the kids yet,” she said. “I felt like I needed to put on a show. I just went in there thinking, ‘I’m going to try to build as many relationships as I can.’”

As the year has progressed, Elder has become more and more comfortable in her teaching role.

“When she first came, she was very nice and was a little bit more soft-spoken, but she is finding her voice,” Pringle said. “She tells them things that she remembers [from when she was a student].”

Pringle also stated that Elder has brought more to the program beyond her ability to relate to the experiences of her students.

“She came in with her own skill set that was unique to what Mrs. Shockley had and what I have, so it’s really good,” Pringle said. “She brings something new.”

Though she may be biased, Elder believes that there is something special about McCallum and McCallum students.

“This program does way more advanced music than almost any other school in Austin,” she said. “Now I’m coming back and teaching to younger people the same kind of musicality [that I learned here].”

Even though she might not have known it when she was a student first walking through the faded blue doors of the Fine Arts Building, Elder is happy with the place she has found back at McCallum.

“I love music, so I love bringing all these kids together to create music,” she said. “I can’t wait to work here for a long time.”

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low jazz spilling softly from the record store down the street. A violinist, case open for tips, pouring melodies onto the sidewalk. That monthly summertime magic of Blues on the Green on the cool grass of Zilker Park and losing your voice as you scream the lyrics along to your favorite artist under the moonlight at Stubb’s, or Emo’s, or at your neighborhood bookstore. Living in the Live Music Capital of the World, music is something nearly inescapable. Whether it be sold-out shows of world-famous performers or underground gigs by high school students, the Austin culture is undoubtedly drenched in pursuers of music, both creators and lovers — and, at a school like McCallum, with a Fine Arts Academy that encourages students to study, make and perform music — connecting with that larger culture is natural and essential.

For many students at Mac, a passion for music extends far beyond the Fine Arts Building, with a handful of students even producing original albums and playing gigs around the city. The Point, a musical duo consisting of seniors Joe Roddy and Jack Montesinos, is a prime example. Although they were in the same kindergarten class, Roddy said that the two really became close and started making music together their sophomore year of high school, playing more than 130 gigs since between beat sets, DJ sets and live performances of their originals, as well as recently releasing a record. But for them, it’s not about pocketing a little extra cash after school.

“It’s so cool to see people buy our record, not because they’re paying for it, but because they went out of their way to listen to our music,” Roddy said. “No one [at McCallum] is really old enough or professional enough to just be in it just for making money, so it’s really just for fun — making music for music.”

When asked about their creative process, the boys laughed as Roddy shared that “there’s a lot of yelling at each other.”

“He’ll come over to my house, sit down at my computer where we have all the instruments, and we’ll just go from there,” he said.

The two agreed that after this initial creation process, their favorite part of making music is the live shows.

“We do a lot of DIY shows where we organize everything and do it in a weird spot like a coffee shop or a bookstore, and we fill that place up,” Montesinos said.

Roddy added that connecting with people in these more underground shows is “much more intimate,” and that it is what they plan to do more of going forward. Montesinos also encouraged students to look out for some music videos in the future, as Roddy is hoping to branch into aspects of film.

Headed to Belmont University in Nashville next year as a major in songwriting, senior Cora Jordan has also turned tunes into a lifestyle, with her biggest inspirations close to home.

“I am so, so grateful that I grew up in Austin,” Jordan said, smiling.

“First of all, it’s just a good place to grow up, but second, my parents will just buy tickets to random shows, and that’s how we found some of my favorite artists like Jade Bird.”

She went on to describe how fun it has been for her to dive into the live music scene, even if she’s never heard the artist before, just to “feel the music.”

Jordan also expressed her admiration for the McCallum music community, which she connected with during her first performance at Coffee House — a biannual showcase for student musicians, spoken word poets, and visual artists hosted by the school literary magazine, Excalibur. (The next Coffee House is eighth period today.)

“Looking around, I was shocked,” she recalled, laughing. “I knew that a lot of people wrote their own music and played a lot here, but it was just so cool to see other people play their songs and get into it. I kind of looked around and realized ‘Man, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life. Look at all these cool ass people doing what they love.’”

Moving forward, Jordan hopes to put some of her songs together to release an EP, with help from her computer-savvy little brother, and to keep experiencing what she describes as her favorite feeling.

“There is that special moment where you write something down and you’re like … this it it. This is how it feels, this is exactly how I feel … before, you couldn’t put it into words, and then all of a sudden when you put it to some guitar chords, it’s magical.”

Junior Jay Mathias, another artist at McCallum, has also come to the conclusion that music is something he will always have a passion for, creating what he describes as indie-electronic production.

“I go home and I spend hours on my computer making music,” he

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For these high school musicians, living the Knight life means immersing themselves in Austin’s rich music culture.

ALL SMILES: Senior Cora Jordan smiles as she performs one of her original songs at Coffee House, a biannual showcase held in the library for McCallum artists and creators of all types. Jordan said that her first time playing at Coffee House served as a turning point in her admiration for the Mac community. “I kind of looked around and realized ‘man, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life,” she stated. “Look at all these cool-ass people doing what they love.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

Music to Mac’s ears

Story by Madelynn Niles

MASSIVE NIGHT OF MICRO-MUSIC: Sporting his festival T-shirt, junior Jay Mathias dances on stage at the Micro-Moon concert held last fall at the Austin Film School. The festival showcased Mathias as well as a variety of other musicians at Mac including Marlee Foster, Will Dooley and The Point. “I had always wanted to perform music, sort of a pipe-dream type of thing, and we threw our first concert, and it just felt so great to do that, even if it was a little rough,” Mathias recalled. “That’s when I realized: I have to do this.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

STRINGS ATTACHED: At the inaugural Micro-Moon Festival held last fall, junior Will Dooley, takes center stage as he performs on his electric guitar. Music is a really accessible art form,” he said.

“It’s just something I can sit down and do and can connect with.”

Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

THE POINT STRIKES A POSE: Showing off the prestigious MicroMoon, seniors Joe Roddy and Jack Montesinos of The Point pose for a picture with Dalton James, whom they call their manager.

“It’s cool having your own product that you like listening to and that others like to listen to,” Montesinos said. “It’s like painting something and having someone look at it and saying it’s awesome and making them want to paint.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

MELODIC MERLIN: Singer-songwriter Marlee Foster, who performs as the musical artist Merlin, sings out at the Micro-Moon Festival. “I love being able to look into the audience and see that people are actually affected by what we are doing,” she said. “If people are actually affected by my songs, that’s what makes it all worth it for me.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

“It’s so cool to see people buy our record, not because they’re paying for it, but because they went out of their way to listen to our music.”

—Joe Roddy

said. “That’s just what I do.”

Living in Austin, Mathias feels, is not only a shaping factor in terms of the live music scene but also the people that came for it.

“My parents, my friends, my friends’ parents, they all influence what I listen to,” he said. “I’ve also seen a ton of really good concerts here in town. It’s inspiring to be around.”

When asked about other performers at Mac, Mathias excitedly described his experience working with The Point.

“I love The Point, absolutely love them,” he said. “I’ve done work with them, and they played at my concert. … It’s awesome having a community at school. I think everyone here is really honest with each other and just wants to make good music.”

He also mentioned his gratitude for working with another musician and close friend of his at school—junior Will Dooley.

Dooley, another Mac-based artist, is a part of the musical duo “Phonie” alongside Georgia Boutot, who, after graduating last year, moved to New York.

“She sings and I do … basically everything else,” he said. “We met through tech theatre — she was friends with one of my friends, and one day Georgia texted me. I didn’t even have her number, and she was like ‘Do you want to make music?’ and so I said OK, and that’s how it all started — very random.”

Since then, the two have put out two albums and played several gigs thanks to Dooley’s co-creation of Five Pin Productions, a record

label and production company for musicians at McCallum. He has also collaborated with some of these other artists, such as Mathias and The Point.

“The Point and Jay and I collectively are a set group, and we play shows together,” he said. “Everyone [at McCallum] is always helping each other out. Shows that I’ve gotten opportunities for and couldn’t play I’ve given to Jay and vice versa. It’s really nice to be a part of.”

Junior Marlee Foster has also grown to be a part of the Mac musical community, as well as the industry itself, with two released singles — “Red Eyes” and “Boys Club.”

“When I was little, I used to like writing songs, and it just became something I was obsessed with,” she recalled. “I’ve always been

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a singer, so it just kind of became my dream to become a singersongwriter. … it’s just something I’m always gonna do because, well, I can’t stop.”

Foster also expressed her gratitude for living in Austin, specifically for the opportunity to have been introduced to a recording studio, which she discovered through a fellow musician.

When asked if she had anything to add, she said that if anyone is even considering starting to release music, “it is a process, but it’s 100 percent worth it.”

And, of course, this isn’t to say that these are the only creators at Mac — other musical groups including Deva, Flip 45, Pit Punch and Pax among them — also reflect this passion for the

“There is that special moment where you write something down and you’re like… this it it. This is how it feels, this is exactly how I feel. Before, you couldn’t put it into words, and then all of a sudden when you put it to some guitar chords, it’s magical”

—Cora Jordan

music community, and countless students participate in fine arts classes through the school. From basses to beats, late night musical theatre rehearsals to afternoon Coffee House showcases, the culture in which our school and city is rooted surrounds us in our day-to-day lives, and for these students this music has become not only an aspect of life, but a lifestyle itself.

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low jazz spilling softly from the record store down the street. A violinist, case open for tips, pouring melodies onto the sidewalk. That monthly summertime magic of Blues on the Green on the cool grass of Zilker Park and losing your voice as you scream the lyrics along to your favorite artist under the moonlight at Stubb’s, or Emo’s, or at your neighborhood bookstore. Living in the Live Music Capital of the World, music is something nearly inescapable. Whether it be sold-out shows of world-famous performers or underground gigs by high school students, the Austin culture is undoubtedly drenched in pursuers of music, both creators and lovers — and, at a school like McCallum, with a Fine Arts Academy that encourages students to study, make and perform music — connecting with that larger culture is natural and essential.

For many students at Mac, a passion for music extends far beyond the Fine Arts Building, with a handful of students even producing original albums and playing gigs around the city. The Point, a musical duo consisting of seniors Joe Roddy and Jack Montesinos, is a prime example. Although they were in the same kindergarten class, Roddy said that the two really became close and started making music together their sophomore year of high school, playing more than 130 gigs since between beat sets, DJ sets and live performances of their originals, as well as recently releasing a record. But for them, it’s not about pocketing a little extra cash after school.

“It’s so cool to see people buy our record, not because they’re paying for it, but because they went out of their way to listen to our music,” Roddy said. “No one [at McCallum] is really old enough or professional enough to just be in it just for making money, so it’s really just for fun — making music for music.”

When asked about their creative process, the boys laughed as Roddy shared that “there’s a lot of yelling at each other.”

“He’ll come over to my house, sit down at my computer where we have all the instruments, and we’ll just go from there,” he said.

The two agreed that after this initial creation process, their favorite part of making music is the live shows.

“We do a lot of DIY shows where we organize everything and do it in a weird spot like a coffee shop or a bookstore, and we fill that place up,” Montesinos said.

Roddy added that connecting with people in these more underground shows is “much more intimate,” and that it is what they plan to do more of going forward. Montesinos also encouraged students to look out for some music videos in the future, as Roddy is hoping to branch into aspects of film.

Headed to Belmont University in Nashville next year as a major in songwriting, senior Cora Jordan has also turned tunes into a lifestyle, with her biggest inspirations close to home.

“I am so, so grateful that I grew up in Austin,” Jordan said, smiling.

“First of all, it’s just a good place to grow up, but second, my parents will just buy tickets to random shows, and that’s how we found some of my favorite artists like Jade Bird.”

She went on to describe how fun it has been for her to dive into the live music scene, even if she’s never heard the artist before, just to “feel the music.”

Jordan also expressed her admiration for the McCallum music community, which she connected with during her first performance at Coffee House — a biannual showcase for student musicians, spoken word poets, and visual artists hosted by the school literary magazine, Excalibur. (The next Coffee House is eighth period today.)

“Looking around, I was shocked,” she recalled, laughing. “I knew that a lot of people wrote their own music and played a lot here, but it was just so cool to see other people play their songs and get into it. I kind of looked around and realized ‘Man, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life. Look at all these cool ass people doing what they love.’”

Moving forward, Jordan hopes to put some of her songs together to release an EP, with help from her computer-savvy little brother, and to keep experiencing what she describes as her favorite feeling.

“There is that special moment where you write something down and you’re like … this it it. This is how it feels, this is exactly how I feel … before, you couldn’t put it into words, and then all of a sudden when you put it to some guitar chords, it’s magical.”

Junior Jay Mathias, another artist at McCallum, has also come to the conclusion that music is something he will always have a passion for, creating what he describes as indie-electronic production.

“I go home and I spend hours on my computer making music,” he

shield story by Madelynn Niles

For these high school musicians, living the Knight life means immersing themselves in Austin’s rich music culture.

ALL SMILES: Senior Cora Jordan smiles as she performs one of her original songs at Coffee House, a biannual showcase held in the library for McCallum artists and creators of all types. Jordan said that her first time playing at Coffee House served as a turning point in her admiration for the Mac community. “I kind of looked around and realized ‘man, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life,” she stated. “Look at all these cool-ass people doing what they love.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

Music to Mac’s ears

Story by Madelynn Niles

MASSIVE NIGHT OF MICRO-MUSIC: Sporting his festival T-shirt, junior Jay Mathias dances on stage at the Micro-Moon concert held last fall at the Austin Film School. The festival showcased Mathias as well as a variety of other musicians at Mac including Marlee Foster, Will Dooley and The Point. “I had always wanted to perform music, sort of a pipe-dream type of thing, and we threw our first concert, and it just felt so great to do that, even if it was a little rough,” Mathias recalled. “That’s when I realized: I have to do this.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

STRINGS ATTACHED: At the inaugural Micro-Moon Festival held last fall, junior Will Dooley, takes center stage as he performs on his electric guitar. Music is a really accessible art form,” he said.

“It’s just something I can sit down and do and can connect with.”

Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

THE POINT STRIKES A POSE: Showing off the prestigious MicroMoon, seniors Joe Roddy and Jack Montesinos of The Point pose for a picture with Dalton James, whom they call their manager.

“It’s cool having your own product that you like listening to and that others like to listen to,” Montesinos said. “It’s like painting something and having someone look at it and saying it’s awesome and making them want to paint.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

MELODIC MERLIN: Singer-songwriter Marlee Foster, who performs as the musical artist Merlin, sings out at the Micro-Moon Festival. “I love being able to look into the audience and see that people are actually affected by what we are doing,” she said. “If people are actually affected by my songs, that’s what makes it all worth it for me.” Photo by Risa Darlington-Horta.

“It’s so cool to see people buy our record, not because they’re paying for it, but because they went out of their way to listen to our music.”

—Joe Roddy

said. “That’s just what I do.”

Living in Austin, Mathias feels, is not only a shaping factor in terms of the live music scene but also the people that came for it.

“My parents, my friends, my friends’ parents, they all influence what I listen to,” he said. “I’ve also seen a ton of really good concerts here in town. It’s inspiring to be around.”

When asked about other performers at Mac, Mathias excitedly described his experience working with The Point.

“I love The Point, absolutely love them,” he said. “I’ve done work with them, and they played at my concert. … It’s awesome having a community at school. I think everyone here is really honest with each other and just wants to make good music.”

He also mentioned his gratitude for working with another musician and close friend of his at school—junior Will Dooley.

Dooley, another Mac-based artist, is a part of the musical duo “Phonie” alongside Georgia Boutot, who, after graduating last year, moved to New York.

“She sings and I do … basically everything else,” he said. “We met through tech theatre — she was friends with one of my friends, and one day Georgia texted me. I didn’t even have her number, and she was like ‘Do you want to make music?’ and so I said OK, and that’s how it all started — very random.”

Since then, the two have put out two albums and played several gigs thanks to Dooley’s co-creation of Five Pin Productions, a record

label and production company for musicians at McCallum. He has also collaborated with some of these other artists, such as Mathias and The Point.

“The Point and Jay and I collectively are a set group, and we play shows together,” he said. “Everyone [at McCallum] is always helping each other out. Shows that I’ve gotten opportunities for and couldn’t play I’ve given to Jay and vice versa. It’s really nice to be a part of.”

Junior Marlee Foster has also grown to be a part of the Mac musical community, as well as the industry itself, with two released singles — “Red Eyes” and “Boys Club.”

“When I was little, I used to like writing songs, and it just became something I was obsessed with,” she recalled. “I’ve always been

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a singer, so it just kind of became my dream to become a singersongwriter. … it’s just something I’m always gonna do because, well, I can’t stop.”

Foster also expressed her gratitude for living in Austin, specifically for the opportunity to have been introduced to a recording studio, which she discovered through a fellow musician.

When asked if she had anything to add, she said that if anyone is even considering starting to release music, “it is a process, but it’s 100 percent worth it.”

And, of course, this isn’t to say that these are the only creators at Mac — other musical groups including Deva, Flip 45, Pit Punch and Pax among them — also reflect this passion for the

“There is that special moment where you write something down and you’re like… this it it. This is how it feels, this is exactly how I feel. Before, you couldn’t put it into words, and then all of a sudden when you put it to some guitar chords, it’s magical”

—Cora Jordan

music community, and countless students participate in fine arts classes through the school. From basses to beats, late night musical theatre rehearsals to afternoon Coffee House showcases, the culture in which our school and city is rooted surrounds us in our day-to-day lives, and for these students this music has become not only an aspect of life, but a lifestyle itself.

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A very Carcione confession

APUSH teacher reflects on greatest fears, greatest aspirations and greatest qualities The Proust Questionnaire, named after French writer Marcel Proust, is a series of 35 questions meant to gage the personality and values of the answerer. Janssen Transier caught up with U.S. History teacher Joseph Carcione, the latest Maculty member to sit for our version of the Proust Questionnaire.

The Shield: What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Joseph Carcione: To me perfect happiness is when you’re in a particular moment, just living in that moment and appreciating it for what it is. Not worrying about the future, not regretting the past, just living in the moment.

TS: What is your greatest fear?

JC: My greatest fear would have to be losing my physical and mental health. I work really hard to keep that from happening, so it would be a shame to have my health deteriorate.

TS: What is your current state of mind?

JC: I’m in a really good place right now. Things seem to be going pretty good. Most of my life is managed pretty well, so I feel really good. Of course, If I could stay caught up on grades that would be even better.

TS: On what occasion do you lie?

JC: I don’t really lie too much, it’s more like withholding information

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TOP: Carcione explains an assignment to a group of students in his first period AP US History class. “I’m really happy to be able to work at such a good school and pursue a career that I love,” Carcione said.

Photo by Janssen Transier.

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE from someone because it would be hurtful, or it’s not the right time to tell them. I try to be upfront and honest overall, but there might be times where I might omit some information, so I wouldn’t call it an explicit lie.

TS: What quality do you most like in a person?

JC: I really admire someone who can experiment and possibly fail, and the quality I most like in a person is when they do fail, being able to learn from it and improve as a person.

It’s kind of like a boxing metaphor, where if you get knocked down, are you able to get back up again?

TS: What words or phrases do you overuse the most?

JC: A class pointed out to me that I randomly put a “t” at the end of words, which I didn’t realize I did. I probably use “like” too much.

TS: When and where are you happiest?

JC: Probably at home. I really like cooking for my daughter. that’s definitely a super happy moment for me. Besides that, just being out on my bicycle riding around town on a nice day, just out and about.

MIDDLE: Carcione and current senior Max Rhodes dress up as Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam for Halloween in 2017. “We didn’t plan it at all,” Rhodes said, “I remember I was walking down the hallway and Mr. Carcione told me to follow him into the journalism room where Mr. Winter took this picture.” Photo by Dave Winter.

TS: What’s one talent you wish you had?

JC: I would really like to play a musical instrument. I know that you can always learn, but that’s one skill I just never quite acquired. I’d also really like to be able to sing.

It’d be really fun to whip out a guitar in class and sing through the lecture.

TS: What is your greatest

achievement?

JC: Probably making it through this career for 21 years. I’ve taught about 18 different courses throughout my career, and I’m really happy that I’m able to work at such a good school and pursue a career I love.

TS: Where would you most like to live?

JC: I really like living in Austin,

but when I retire I’ll probably move to New Orleans. I would also like to go teach in a foreign country, just to see what it’s like.

TS: What is your most treasured possession?

JC: Honestly, I’m happy with all that I have. I would treasure my relationship with other people instead of physical objects.

—interview by Janssen Transier

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shield Crested gecko.

MEET SABRI’S MENAGERIE:

Uromastyx lizard.

Chinese painted quail.

Egg-eating snake.

Baby leopard gecko.

Uromastyx lizard.

One with the arts, one with the Earth Senior conveys love of the natural world through his art, his advocacy and his animals LUCY MARCO staff reporter

Teenagers these days, so lazy, not a care in the world. Well, senior Sabri ArmaniKhaldi sure isn’t lazy and he cares a great deal about the world. He’s not only a multimedia artist but also an environmentalist, a taxidermist, a reptile lover, a dedicated vegan and a veterinary surgical intern.

His passion for the earth and all of its creatures takes many forms including painting, drawing, sculpture, hiking, petting lizards, advocating for the environment, working against climate change and practicing taxidermy.

“He’s extremely s e l f- m o t i v a te d and passionate,” chemistry teacher and Naturalist Club sponsor Shelly Pringle said. “It is unique for a person his age to be so passionate about the natural world and also to be enough of a self-starter to put multi-step plans into action.”

Armani-Khaldi was practically born an artist. From a very young age, he drew whenever he had a chance.

“I remember I used to have a sketchbook under my stroller so I could doodle while my parents went shopping or hiking,” Armani-Khaldi said. These days, his art is directed towards portraying scenes of nature, including acrylic painting and a variety of 3D sculptures.

“It’s how I am channeling my fear for the environmental apocalypse we are beginning, as well as my admiration for the natural world,” Armani-Khaldi said.

But among these forms of art, he also has an

13 feb. 2020

interest in taxidermy. Taxidermy, the art of preparing and stuffing animals to make them look true-to-life, was popular in the early 19th century.

According to the Museum of Idaho, taxidermy was a way for scientists and naturalists to catalog species. His interest in taxidermy started when he was trying to figure out how to create a realistic statue of a mouse.

“I have done it a few times, and I’m saving carcasses in the freezer for whenever I get a flesh-eating beetle colony. ... I had a background in herpetology, so I simply used one of my snake’s frozen feeder mice.”

His friend, senior Louisa Najar, says taxidermy is another way for him to explore his interests in biology and animal anatomy.

“He’s got nerves of steel, man. ... It shows that he’s

“I’m saving carcasses in the freezer for whenever I get a flesh-eating beetle colony.”

—senior Sabri Armani-Khaldi

always thinking outside the box, combining his art with other areas of focus,” Najar said.

Armani-Khaldi really wasn’t kidding when he said he had a background in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians): he’s a surgical intern at the Austin Animal Center working 20 hours a week and the founder of the Reptile Club and the Naturalist Club at McCallum.

“He’s always tickled by how things work, especially info related to animal biology,” Najar said.

With all his knowledge of the animal kingdom, it’s no surprise that he’s good with pets.

Though, he’s narrowed his menagerie down to a pair of eggeating snakes, as he is preparing for college.

“I do still own four uromastyx lizards, six Chinese painted quail, three leopard geckos, and a crested gecko as well. I still have a lot of animals to find homes for before I start school,” Armani-Khaldi said.

He’s also a talented leader and good friend.

“There is a sureness in the way he holds himself that I think really draws people to him, and makes him such a

lovely person to be around,” Najar said.

As the founder of two clubs at McCallum, he has a flair for leadership: “He is well organized and thoughtful and has great relationships with the rest of the Naturalist Club,” Pringle said.

Since going vegan, he’s found it difficult to understand and respect anyone who is aware of their lifestyle’s damage to the environment and yet refuses to change anything about it.

“It can be frustrating to see people disregard the importance of flora and fauna,” Armani-Khaldi said.

He idolizes Charles Darwin and Sir David Attenborough, he believes that Greta Thunberg’s international emergence as a voice against climate change proves that young people can not only have an opinion but can wield power to effect change.

With his thoughtful and unique approach to the world and its creatures and his ability to express himself in multiple media and art forms, ArmaniKhaldi is poised to do the same now and into his considerably bright future.

HEAD OVER HEELS: Louisa Najar and Sabri Armani-Khaldi tend the plants in the Naturalist Club. “He has an eye for aesthetics when it comes to Naturalist Club ventures,” chemistry teacher and Naturalist Club sponsor, Shelly Pringle said. Photo by Lucy Marco.

Animal photos above by Sabri Armani-Khaldi.

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Senior: Coding is key to everything

From programming video games to designing jets, Burghart learns joy, utility of computer science ELLEN FOX

operations manager When you ask senior Calvin Burghart what he likes to do, you probably would not expect him to say that it’s banging his head on the desk until he solves his most recent computer science problem, but that was his answer. As a prospective computer scientist, he sees the beauty in the frustration that can come with the inner workings of simulations and software.

It all started five years ago when Burghart was looking for a new hobby as a young middleschooler.

“When I was in seventh grade, I was in a club in Florida called the Technology Student Association, where we designed a video game, and I had to learn my first language to design it called JavaScript. And I hate Javascript,” Burghart said. “But I really enjoyed the problemsolving aspect of banging my head against the table for two weeks straight trying to figure out how to make this little guy jump or whatever, and I kinda got addicted.”

Once he was introduced to coding, he began to use his skills to create simple computer games.

“I think the most fun thing [I’ve made] is this video game that I made a long time ago,” he recalled. “That one was so good that everyone at my school was like, ‘Can I get this game, can I get this game?’ And then from like seventh to ninth grade I was just trying to refine [some] physics tools for this game. It was super simple visually, but the mechanics of the game were so good. And everything else was blocked, so kids wanted the game because they were ‘testing it.’”

Though he seemed to have a knack for it, the making and selling games side didn’t interest Burghart as much as the scientific, real-world possibilities of coding did.

“No, I wouldn’t consider selling [my games]; it’s not what I want to do with my life,” he said.

“So, for now I don’t really care [if people play my game].”

After he began coding, what began as an interest grew to a full-fledged possible career path. The problem-solving aspect that Burghart finds captivating is a hot commodity in the working world. As global technological dependence increases, the need for computer scientists and software engineers increases with it.

“Computer science has infected every single area of study,” Burghart said. “So pretty much if you look at any scientific paper done in the last five or 10 years, all the charts and stuff has been done by a computer scientist using coding.

So all the work in the sciences uses coding, all the work in private business, creating like astrophysics, they use MatLab almost constantly. If you go to school for astrophysics, most of what you learn is coding simulations.

All the big companies that are making jets and stuff, they need simulation software that isn’t necessarily on the open market. So they hire software engineers and computer scientists to make that software for them.”

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KEEPING BUSY: To take a break from coding his Physics II orbital simulation, Burghart works on a smaller coding project to cure boredom and foster a creative environment. The small project is a hypothetical coin-flip statistic graph. “You just import packages that help you graph stuff, and then you get raw data by picking a random number and then assign zero to heads and one number to tails, and then percent difference is regular percent difference formula.” Burghart explains. Photo by Ellen Fox.

“I think the most fun thing [I’ve made] is this platform video game that I made a long time ago ... that one was so good that everyone at my school was like ‘Can I get this game, can I get this game?’”

—Calvin Burghart

For students who want to get into coding, Burghart recommends finding a professional program to help them with the essential first step: learning the first language.

“Getting into coding is the hardest part,” he explained. “Once you know how to code it’s super easy to get into it because it’s as easy as a Google search, but, if you Google search ‘how to code’ and you don’t know how, it just looks like gibberish, and it’s pretty awful. Taking classes is

really nice, online classes. There are a bunch of online websites where you can buy courses that are really nice and good introductions to coding.”

Burghart states that after learning a first coding language opens the world of coding and its infinite possibilities.

“You can code anywhere, you just need a laptop,” Burghart said.

A laptop and maybe a desk with a softer surface for all the head-banging it takes to arrive at the final solution to the next coding challenge.

THE OUTPUT: One of Burghart’s crowning achievements, the famed orbital simulation.

This reportedly took hours to complete and has over 150 lines of code. The simulation began as a Physics II assignment simulating real-world astronomical orbits. The blue represents a planet with Earth’s mass, the green and yellow represent a hypothetical binary star system, with both of the stars having the same mass as our sun. “I used a lot of stuff I found online because I’m not good enough to just design my own simulation,” Burghart said. “It’s really easy to read, so I can just find something and read it and understand it and like now I know how it works.”

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Parker signs to play for K-State

In honor of a teammate’s Division 1 signing, varsity girls soccer team proudly wears purple in public PURPLE KNIGHTS: At her lunchtime Signing Day ceremony in the library on Feb. 5, senior Lily Parker discovered that the entire varsity soccer team had shown up to the ceremony wearing Kansas State T-shirts to show their support for Parker signing to play Division 1 soccer with the Big 12 Conference power. “I want to thank y’all, I want to thank my parents, all my coaches for supporting me,” Parker said to the audience who attended the ceremony. “I [also] wanna thank you guys (my teammates) for always being there for me.” Photo by Tomas Marrero.

TOMAS MARRERO staff reporter

As the District 25-5A girls soccer season unfolds, girls soccer players at McCallum get ready for long practices and intense games.

Everyone, that is, except Lily Parker, who is preparing to play, but not for McCallum.

Parker played for Mac in 2017, scoring 29 goals en route to being named second team All-District even though she was only a freshman at the time.

Since then, however, she has been unable to play for Mac because of her involvement in her club team, Development Academy, which forbids her from playing for any other team “The DA is a program that’s super intense and year-round,” Parker said. “You aren’t allowed to play high school soccer because of how much work is put on you as a player.”

The program was created by U.S. Soccer, the same organization that manages the U.S. women’s and men’s national soccer teams.

Although extremely prestigious, the DA program is demanding and somewhat unforgiving.

“You can always quit mid-season and play [high school], but you are never to return to the DA once you leave,” Parker said.

Even so, Parker planned on leaving the DA to play for the school her senior year.

“I was always set on playing for my senior year,” Parker said.

“But ultimately the decision came down to my head coach at K-State.”

Kansas State approached Parker in the spring of last year They saw her score a winning goal in a club game in Kansas and shortly after flew out to see her play.

On March 13 of last year, Parker committed to Kansas State.

STRIKER NO STRIKING: Then freshman Lily Parker leaves a defender on the ground behind her. During her stellar freshman season at Mac in 2016-2017, Parker earned second team AllDistrict honors. She scored four goals during a 5-2 blistering of LBJ at Nelson Field on Feb. 22, 2017, during which she repeatedly got behind Jag defenders to create scoring chances. Since that sensational breakout freshman season, Parker has played club soccer with Lonestar SC and for the United States Development Academy. Photo by Tom McClure.

“I had offers from other D1 schools waiting for my decision,” Parker said, “But they were in a lower collegiate conference, and I decided that the Big 12 at a Power 5 school is the competition and level that I needed for my potential moving onwards in my career.”

Committed to playing soccer at the collegiate level, she still hoped to play her senior soccer season at Mac, but problems arose when she tried to rejoin the Knights on the field.

“Every single time she’s in a game, she just does the perfect play. You’re like, ‘Oh my God, how are you doing this?’”

—Issy Wilson on Lily Parker

13 feb. 2020

Parker’s coaches at Kansas State weren’t as thrilled about her plans and decided she should not play for Mac. She did, however, get to play briefly as a senior Knight.

“I went to the tournament in College Station and played with Mac one last time before calling my coach,” she said. “He told me to stay with my club team and finish out the year to be 100 percent ready to go in the fall.”

Parker is currently finishing out her commitment with the Lonestar SC team, which she says is closer to the competition she’ll face in Division 1 soccer.

Parker’s impact on the McCallum soccer team is sorely missed. Karen Esparza, a senior on the girls team who is not playing due to seasonending knee surgery, played with Lily Parker on the Lonestar SC team and at Mac. “Her [college] coach didn’t allow her to play

because of her commitment that she made to Lonestar,” Esparza said. “She did play a few games with us, though, and she did really well. She would’ve been a really good addition to the team.”

While Esparza has played with Parker for a few years, Issy Wilson, another senior on the girl’s soccer team, has more of an observer’s perspective.

“Every single time she’s in a game, she just does the perfect play,” Wilson said. “You’re like, ‘Oh my God, how are you doing this?’”

Wilson also praised Parker for the enthusiasm and optimism she brought to the McCallum soccer community and culture.

“She’s really sweet, and she’s really funny too,” Wilson said. “Our sophomore year they had this whole group of people, and they would lift weights together and they were always so funny.”

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Hudnall hopes for state

Girls wrestling captain values leadership, self-motivation, pride, on the mat and off The Shield: What’s your favorite part about wrestling?

London Hudnall: It’s like my escape. I consider myself to be a very nice person, and that’s my time to get out [my emotions]. I can release everything that I have on the inside. And the community is really great. Honestly, it seems like everyone might be scary, but everyone is really friendly and open.

TS: What kind of relationship do you have with your McCallum teammates?

LH: We’re a family. That’s what it feels like.

That’s your home away from home, and it’s really nice to have that.

TS: How long have you been wrestling?

LH: Since seventh grade, and I’m a junior now so I think like five or six years.

TS: How do people react when you tell them that you wrestle?

LH: A lot of people [are] really shocked. I feel like womens’ wrestling is really looked down upon in a way. It’s not seen as the same as men’s wrestling when we’re doing the exact same workouts [and] the exact same moves. A lot of people are like, “Oh, you’re a girl wrestler; that’s nothing.” They just see it as “You’re just going out there to cat-fight,” when it’s not. It’s a lot more intense than people like to believe that it is. But they’ll never know because they aren’t me, and they don’t go out there and do it themselves.

TS: How did you become girls wrestling captain during your first year here?

LH: Well, last year, at my old school [Lubbock Monterey], I was the captain as well, as a sophomore, which was kind of a big deal because normally that role is for seniors or upperclassmen. Some people think that being captain means that you’re really awesome at what you do, or you’re the best at what you do, but I don’t think that’s the case. Being a captain shows that you’re a good leader and that you can work through your losses and work with your team and motivate them and motivate yourself. ... I wanted to help [my teammates] and be a leader to them and show them how to be better, not even on the mat, but just in general.

TS: What motivates you to do all that you do?

LH: Mainly myself. I’ve always been very big

on self-motivation. I have other support systems like my family and my friends and my teachers, but in the end, you only have yourself. I do these things because it makes me proud of me. It makes me proud of who I am. Pushing myself to go as far as I can will just bring self-happiness. I try to be as optimistic as I can.

TS: Do you have a favorite memory from this year? Or any memory in your wrestling career?

LH: Honestly, no. There [aren’t] too many things that really stand out to me, which may sound bad, but it’s like, in some ways I do and I don’t like to look back on the stuff I’ve done. I like to look back on the stuff that I’ve done wrong to help fix it. It’s like every match, you’re on a clean slate because not only are you getting better, but your opponent’s also getting better. You’re never going to wrestle the same match twice. So if anything, all of them have stood out because they’ve all been very different. But I did have a match a few tournaments ago where I went against [the] No. 5 [girl] in the state, but she has since been knocked down to No. 7 in the state. ... When I wrestled her, I think she was very surprised to get someone who actually challenged her and who she didn’t pin in like 30 seconds. I ended up going all three rounds with her, and she won only by a few points. So that was a really big moment for me because I could tell she was very frazzled by that when she normally isn’t.

TS: How do you feel in the moment when you’re on the mat wrestling?

LH: There’s a lot of different emotions that I feel.

And I guess that also depends on the match.

Before my match, ... I get into a zone. When I’m warming up, I don’t talk to people.

I get in my own head and then my own little world. You have to tell yourself, “Hey, you’ve got this. You just have to go out there and wrestle your match.” ... If you have that negative mindset, then you’re already defeated.

I was guilty of that a long time ago, so now that’s what I try to combat when I warm up. I’m like, “Yes, you got this” and then in the middle of the match depending on how it’s going, that’s when I start to tell myself, “Keep on fighting. Keep on doing what you’re doing; you’re doing awesome London.” You have to also remember, that’s not going to be the last time that you see that person and you have a chance for redemption for yourself. Overall, though, yeah,

“Wrestling is like a language, just with your body. It’s a physical art.”

—London Hudnall

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Junior London Hudnall (above) defeated Myah Alvear from Glenn High School, 6-2, at the district meet at Delco Event Center on Feb. 7.

Photo by Elisha Scott. Hudnall poses outside the mat room in the field house (left). She placed second overall at the tournament, which qualified her for regionals back at Delco, on Feb. 14-15 . Photo by Dave Winter.

SPORTS PROFILE: London Hudnall I feel empowered and I feel motivated and very grateful that I’m there doing the sport and showing what I got.

TS: Have you ever suffered any injuries?

LH: Yes, nothing serious that has completely taken me out, but I did. I had a pretty bad back injury in middle school. I was having to go to the chiropractor, like once or twice every week for over a few months’ span because my back was really, really hurt and my nerves were getting pinched really bad. Shoulder injuries are very, very common amongst wrestlers. I can’t even tell you how it happened. With all the fighting that you’re doing, your muscles start to wear out. So last year, we had to bring our own personal trainer with us, and they had to bring a whole electrotherapy kit to help my shoulders keep their strength. Even right now, it’s actually starting to kind of catch up to me again, like my shoulders are starting to feel a lot more sore than they should, and for a lot longer than they should. But if you want an interesting story, we did have a girl last year get paralyzed from the waist down. It can be a dangerous sport. Someone fell on her and she did something to her neck and then it pinched a nerve and did something to a nerve to where she could not move her legs. So, it’s scary, and I’ve

seen people’s arms get broken and stuff like that.

It can be intense, but me personally, no.

TS: So, what makes it worth it?

LH: For me, it’s just fun [and] I enjoy it. Wrestling is like a language, just with your body. It’s a physical art. It’s something that I can be satisfied with in myself. It’s something that I can look back on when I’m older and be like, “London, you were this really bad-ass wrestler.” The wins are awesome and then the [losses] are also awesome. The experiences make it worth it. The joy that I get from it is worth the fun [and] the knowledge [I’ve gained.] Everything makes it worth it.

TS: What are your plans? What are you hoping for the team for the rest of this year and maybe next year, as captain?

LH: I just want my team to be proud of themselves. I want them to see that they actually know what they’re doing. I want them to be proud of their work and what they have done, and I want them to make it as far as they hope to and want to.

I truly believe that we have a very, very talented team this year. My hope for all of them is to go to regionals, but what’s most important to me is that they’re happy doing what they do, and they’re pleased with how they performed in their matches and throughout the whole entire year. I don’t want anyone leaving this season feeling disappointed in themselves or feeling like they could have done better. I want them to come into next season feeling motivated to get even further.

TS: Do you have any personal goals, like in your performance?

LH: I want to make it to state. That’s my biggest goal. I guess personally, I need to get more aggressive. I’m a pretty defensive wrestler.

I’m good at getting reversals and stuff, but I’m usually not the one to make the first move. So that’s something that I want to try to get better at.

Hopefully, in getting more aggressive, I can start to dominate more. And then hopefully make it to state because that’s been my goal the last two years and we still haven’t made it. So, that’s what we’re hoping for this year. That’s my goal.

—interview by Evelyn Griffin and Elisha Scott

13 feb. 2020

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Being a good teammate trumps all As senior year unfolds, veteran defender Jimmy Walker settles into a leadership role The Shield: When did you start playing soccer?

Jimmy Walker: I’ve been playing soccer as long as I can remember. Since kindergarten I’ve been playing on rec teams and stuff. Soccer has kind of always been a part of my life, and I’m interested to see what kind of place that soccer holds in my future.

TS: How long have you been playing for McCallum?

JW: I made the McCallum team in my freshman year, and I played all four years, but I didn’t make varsity until my sophomore year.

TS: What position do you play?

JW: I play right defense, but in our formations I work as a winger as well because I get to push up a lot and help attack.

TS: Your name was mentioned in an article published in the Statesman, in which they described you as a player who brings “speed and an offensive threat to the wings.” How did you work to ensure that you were a notable name on the varsity roster?

JW: I’ve been working hard and keeping a good attitude as long as I’ve been on the team. Soccer is something I have enjoyed for a long time now, and I’ve always been super dedicated to the team and it’s been an important part of my life for a long time now.

TS: How did seeing your name in that article make you feel?

JW: It felt really good. I feel like there are other players on the team who are more notable, but I was still really proud to be a part of it.

TS: What is your favorite memory from being on the team?

JW: We had a tournament freshman year that we got to miss a day of school for, and me and my friends got to play and watch games all day, and just hang out. Last year, we headed to the third round of the playoffs, which was the farthest our team has made it in 20 years. We worked really hard last year, and it paid off, because we ended up doing really well and building a reputation for our team that hadn’t been achieved in such a long time.

TS: What have you provided the team that makes you unique as a player?

JW: I’m quick, and I’m good at defending.

Over the last three years, I’ve been working on my performance as an individual, as well as my performance as a team member. I can interact and kind of flow with my team members, which is a skill that takes a lot of work and a lot of practice. As a defender, I have a fast reaction time, and I’m able to back my teammates up and make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be. Having that solid defense

SEASON OPENER: Senior defender Jimmy Walker shields the ball from an oncoming opposing player in the district opener against McCallum rival LB.J. “The game against L.B.J was a rough one,” Walker said. “We weren’t as well-organized as a team, and we didn’t handle the ball as well as we should have. But it was kind of eye-opening, learning experience for all of us and we figured out how to improve from it.” Photo by Ale Luera.

STARTING OFF WITH A BANG: Walker stands on the sideline during halftime and prepares to head back on the field during the Knights’ 2-1 loss at Lockhart on Jan. 28. In including Walker among his “players to watch” this season, Stateman sports reporter Thomas Jones wrote: “This starter on last year’s 5A regional quarterfinalist team brings speed and an offensive threat to the wings.” Since district play starter, the Knights have struggled earning two draws and suffering four losses.

Despite these struggles, Walker is confident the team will turn its season around. The Knights battle Navarro on Saturday. Photo by Esme Moreno.

SPORTS PROFILE: Jimmy Walker that you can trust and feel secure with is really important for a team, and I feel like I’ve definitely worked hard to provide that for us.

TS: Who’s your idol in the world of soccer?

JW: My idol is probably Gareth Bale.

He played as a defender, a similar position to what I play, and he kind of worked his way to being a forward. I really respect the way he plays and he plays a position I really like. He put his all into his career, and it paid off, which is really cool.

He’s also from Wales, which is where I’m from as well.

TS: What the best part of playing soccer?

“We don’t have a lot of the superstar players that we had last year, but we have far more chemistry as a team”

—Jimmy Walker

13 feb. 2020

JW: I like that it’s a team sport, and that I get to play and bond with my friends. That’s always been an important part for me, and was actually one of the big reasons why I chose to play soccer initially.

I’ve also always been good at it, and so playing with them, and being able to put the work in on the field has been really fun for me.

TS: Has being a senior changed your outlook on anything?

JW: I feel like being a senior has helped me start to be more of a role model for the younger kids, but honestly not much has changed because I’ve always tried to be helpful and hard-working during practice and in our games. So not a whole lot has changed now that I’m a senior, but it’s definitely provided me with some new insight.

TS: It’s your last soccer season at McCallum.

Have you felt like this is a good season to end your career at McCallum yet?

JW: I’m feeling good about it. Our record hasn’t been as good as we’d hoped so far, but I have no doubt we’ll be coming back. I also really like the team that we’ve put together this year, and how

everyone plays and interacts with each other. I’m really excited to see how the team performs this year and how we grow as a unit. We definitely lost some talent on the field last year with the graduating seniors, but we’re bringing our all to this season and improving with every game we play.

TS: What are your plans for the future? Do you plan to play in college?

JW: The colleges I’m looking at don’t really have a division team, but most of them have club teams, so I’ll probably try out for a club team, see if I like the guys there, and the energy there, and see if that’s something I’d want to do. I haven’t decided on anything just yet. I’ve been looking at the University of Oregon and the University of Washington.

TS: What are your goals for the season?

JW: Our team hasn’t been doing as well as I’d hoped, so I want to turn that around. ... We don’t have a lot of the superstar players that we had last year, but we have far more chemistry as a team, and I’m pretty confident that we can get some wins this season because of that.

—interview by Cohen Johnson-Dye

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Knights sports round-up Swim sets 10 school records at districts, 11 at regionals Fresh off a historic district meet in which the team set 10 school records, the swim team did one better at regionals at College Station by setting 11. The McCallum Knights finished the region meet in sixth place out of the 21 teams competing.

Two of the relay teams qualified for state: the team of junior Jack Hester, senior Cole Kershner, freshman Luke Gordon and junior Izak Zaplatar qualified in the 200-yard medley relay, and the team of Kershner, junior Kyle Larson, Alex Lynch and Zaplatar in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

The Knights also had multiple individuals qualify: Kershner in the 50-year freestyle, Zaplatar in the 100-yard breast, Zoe Lynch in the 200-yard IM and the 100-yard breast, and Alex Lynch in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard breast.

Two weekends before regionals, the swim team dominated at the District 20-5A meet on Jan. 18 at UT’s Lee and Joe Jamail swim center, setting 10 new McCallum records in the process, as well as winning district titles in six events, finishing second in five events and third in six. Coach Jeff Rudy told MacJournalism on Friday that he has never had so many strong relay teams in one calendar year.

Girls basketball loses finale The varsity girls basketball team hoped to complete a season sweep of the Navarro Vikings to end its 2019-2020 season, but it was not to be as the host Vikings avenged their earlier loss with a 38-35 home victory on Tuesday night.

Junior Abby Robison and sophomore Fayth Schumann led Knight scorers with 13 points. Robison also led the team in rebounds with 14.

The close game was reminiscent of the Knights’ Feb. 11 home victory over the Vikings earlier in the season. In that game, Schumann delivered a game-winning assist to teammate Natalie Suri who squared up and sank a jump shot with 20 seconds remaining to deliver the Knights a 33-31 victory. The Knight also defeated Northeast in district play, 45-43, on a late bucket by Abby Soto on Jan. 31. —Sarah Slaten

Sam, Takai sink Vikings, 66-31, on Senior Night Appropriately led by two seniors on Senior Night, the Knights routed Navarro on Tuesday, 66-31, to snap a threegame district losing streak.

Forward Takai Satberry and guard Sam Werkenthin led all scorers with 19 points apiece.

Werkenthin closed the third quarter with eight straight points on a pair of identical 3-pointers and a slam dunk.

The Knights (5-7) face LBJ in their final home game of the season on Friday. —Sarah Slaten

Senior Sam Werkenthin nails a 3-pointer over a Viking defender in the third quarter of the Knights’ home win on Tuesday.

Photo by Dave Winter.

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Junior forward Avery Miller shoots during McCallum’s 3-1 victory over Crockett on Feb. 1. Photo by Caleb Melville.

Sophomore Zoe Lynch competes in the 200 IM in the District meet on Jan. 18. Lynch finished first in this race, setting a new McCallum record and beating her own personal best at the same time. Photo by Daniela Morrow.

As of the regional swim meet, McCallum has two swimmers ranked in the top 10 in our region: siblings Alex Lynch and Zoe Lynch. Alex is ranked third out of 88, and Zoe is ranked seventh out of 86.

—Sarah Slaten

During the Knights’ 4-1 loss to Travis last Friday at Nelson Field, sophomore Michael Alverson makes a run up the field. The Knights face Navarro on Saturday morning at Noack #1. Photo by Ale Luera.

Tigers tame Knights, 4-0 Coming off a 4-1 loss to Travis last Friday, the Knights hosted Dripping Springs at House Park on Tuesday. The varsity lost, 4-0. The varsity has four losses and two draws in its first six district games. The Knights hope to reverse course when they play Navarro Saturday morning at Noack.

In sub-varsity action on Tuesday, the JV-A team lost to Dripping Springs, 2-1, while the JV-B team earned a 1-1 draw. Goal scorers: Milo Froese for JV-A and Tomas Diago Leon for JV-B. —Sarah Slaten

Knights fall to second place after loss at Dripping Springs In a rematch of 2019 co-district champions on Tuesday in Dripping Springs, the Lady Knights came up short, losing to the host Tigers, 2-0. The Tigers scored a first-half goal to take the lead and added an insurance goal in the second half.

“I think we played a good game,” sophomore centerback Lily Dickey said. “We got tired and didn’t mark tight enough in the middle. That let them get shots off. We have work to do to win the next one, but this loss gives us a bigger drive to win next time.”

After Tuesday’s loss, the Knights stand in second place in District 25-5A with a record of 5-1. The first-place Tigers are 6-0. The Knights face Navarro on Friday at Nelson Field. The rematch with Drip will go down March 7 also at Nelson.

—Sarah Slaten

5 wrestlers make regionals At the District 13-5A wrestling tournament last Thursday, five wrestlers qualified for the regional meet: senior Gabe Felan, freshman Erik Lopez, junior London Hudnall, junior Sontriya Gilbert and freshman Ruby Cloke.

Hudnall (see page 22) placed second in district out of 12 wrestlers in her weight class. The boys earned a sixth-place team finish while the girls were seventh out of 12.

The five Knight wrestlers will compete at the Region 4-5A meet at the Delco Center on Friday and Saturday for the right to compete at the 5A state wrestling meet on Feb. 20-22 at the Berry Center in Cypress.

—Sarah Slaten

Bowling tops in district play After losing the first two Baker games to Weiss on Friday Jan. 24 at Spare Time Lanes in Pflugerville, the boys bowling team was looking at its first district loss of the season, but the team rallied to win the third Baker game and had a chance to win the final one and the match if Bruno Cioci could roll a strike in the 10th frame. He did, and the Knights prevailed, 9-8, after a 142-126 final Baker game victory. Bowling matches begin with a round of two individual games and end with four Baker games, in which each bowler rolls one frame in frames 1-5 then again in frames 6-10.

After a bye in the three-team district on Jan. 31 at Dart Bowl to get to 4-0 on the season, the Knights were back in action last Friday night at Spare Time Lanes against Pflugerville Co-op, whom they defeated, 14-3, on Jan. 17. In the Friday rematch, the Knights were not as fortunate. After falling being in the individual round, 6-1, the Knights split the Baker games but lost the two bonus points for total pins for a final score of 12-5. It was the first loss of the Austin

Junior Miles Lee, junior Bruno Cioci, Coach Dave Stanton, sophomore Keegan Langley and junior John Pratt. Photo by Frances Arellano.

Capital District season for the Knights (4-1), who remain in first place ahead of Weiss (3-2) and Plugerville Co-op (3-2). Over the past three weeks, the girls (5-0) remained undefeated in district play.

Second-place Hendrickson has been steadily improving. Last Friday, the Hawks earned two points Friday in both the individual and Baker rounds but still lost, 13-4.

—MacJournalism Sports Team

13 feb. 2020

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Banners installed, removed, replaced In wake of banner controversy, AISD promises new policy for approving official team photos

ELLEN FOX AND JULIA KAY SMITH staff reporters At a Jan. 21 meeting, the boys and girls basketball teams, their parents, school officials and associate superintendent Dr. Craig Shapiro met to discuss the district’s decision to remove and ultimately replace the boys and girls team banners because they both included a player making a hand symbol in which the thumb and index finger form a circle and the remaining three fingers are extended.

The symbol has been long used to indicate that things are “OK” or that a basketball shot attempt is beyond the 3-point arc, but recently, the commonly used hand symbol has in some contexts taken on a more sinister meaning: white supremacy.

According to The New York Times, the signal was originally ascribed the sinister meaning as a hoax.

In early 2017, several members of the anonymous message board, 4Chan, made a plan to try and trick liberals and much of the western world into believing that the “OK” symbol is a covert symbol for white supremacists.

The campaign to promote this hoax was so successful on many mainstream social media platforms that alt-right groups, such as NeoNazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan, started using the gesture as a serious expression of their racial ideology. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the direct use of the symbol to convey racism was made clear in March of 2019 when Brenton Tarrant, the mass shooter of two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, held out the symbol to reporters at his court hearing.

Entirely unaware that the hand symbol had been used to convey this sinister meaning, when it came time to take pictures for a promotional banner, junior shooting guard Makayla Mason put up the symbol in order to indicate that she is good at making 3-point shots. Mason’s hand signal caught the attention of team member Natalie Suri’s father Jeremi Suri, a historian at The University of Texas.

“Someone texted a picture on the groupchat of the banner, and then I showed it to my parents,” Natalie Suri said. “At the time I had no idea about the symbol ... and then my dad said something because he’s a historian and very into activism.

I showed it to him, and he was saying things like ‘This is not OK.’” Mr. Suri said at the Jan. 21 meeting that he brought the gesture to the team’s attention in an email message over the winter holiday. After the banner was installed, the issue escalated to the superintendent’s office, and after considering the matter, the district ordered that both the boys and the girls banners be taken down because a player on the boys team also made the hand gesture in that banner.

In a email response to a Shield request for comment, Natalie Suri wrote that the symbol should not be displayed in a public place such as the large gym.

“Although unintended, displaying a symbol utilized by white supremacists could be interpreted as endorsement of white supremacist views,” Suri wrote. “Remember that the gym is a public place. Many of the visitors of the gym do not know much about McCallum or the people depicted in the poster.”

13 feb. 2020

Girls varsity basketball team captain Ruby del Valle (above) speaks at the Jan. 21 meeting.

She argued against the removal of the banner.

McCallum principal Brandi Hosack (left) attempts to calm the group. Her goal at the meeting was to make sure that everybody had their opinion heard. “I support that everyone feels respected,” Hosack said. “And that includes both sides of the equation.” Photos

by Gabby Sherwood.

Suri does not claim that any sinister message was intended by the gesture in the banners but rather that any possible misinterpretation of its meaning should be prevented. Suri wrote in the same email that the symbol’s appropriation makes it similar to other symbols, like the swastika, that once were innocuous but are no longer so.

“We should do everything possible to deny haters an ability to display their symbols,” Suri said. “That is why we prohibit swastikas in schools, even though it is a common symbol used by Hindus in India, many of whom live in Austin today.”

In addition to the current meaning of the hand symbol, Suri also worries about what the publication of the poster could do to her teammates’ futures.

“Obviously context matters, and Makayla didn’t mean it, but if somebody else saw [the basketball poster] it could be worse in the future, and we don’t want anyone to think McCallum would do that.”

Principal Brandi Hosack said she worries that the white power symbol could become something much more widespread and serious than it currently is now.

“Right now, in January 2020, we know what the intention was. But especially with the rise of social media and whatnot, 15 years from now, first of all we don’t know what’s going to become of this particular hand symbol or anything else. We don’t know what the future looks like and that’s for sure,” Hosack said.

Mason sees the matter differently.

“I get how they were offended by it, but I felt threatened after everything blew up,” Mason said.

“All of the attention was on me, and I felt attacked.”

At the Jan. 21 meeting, senior team captain Ruby del Valle argued that the symbol should be allowed because of its intended meaning.

“Since [the symbol’s misuse] is in its infancy, we shouldn’t succumb to its power. We should reclaim it and use it as ‘OK’ and threes, because it’s still used for threes in college and professional basketball,” del Valle said. “[The gesture] is even on our phones. We shouldn’t completely stop using the sign only because one hateful group is turning it into something horrible.”

Del Valle also pointed out how reading the symbol with context is very important. Since the

gesture is shown in a basketball setting, del Valle argues that there shouldn’t be a problem with defining Mason’s signal in terms of the game of basketball.

“I feel like McCallum is such a good community that we wouldn’t even think about that,” del Valle said. “We used the symbol solely in a basketball context, and McCallum would 100 percent not support that [white supremacist] meaning. They put the poster up and took it down, and we were hurt by it.”

Del Valle acknowledged that there are two sides to every story and that professional and college basketball programs players are only allowed to use the hand sign while they are on the court, not in any sort of promotional poster or published photos, but she also said that using the symbol in its basketball context was effectively fighting against the racist meaning of the gesture.

In a comment made to our initial Instragram post covering this controversy on Jan. 23, graduate Townes Hobratschk agreed.

“The only way we can keep [white supremacists] from taking this from us is to make it clear that the ‘a okay’ sign means ‘a okay,’” Hobratschk wrote. “This is a situation where we lose if we yield to racists.”

Dr. Shapiro began the Jan. 21 meeting by expressing regret that the district did not have a set procedure in place to handle the controversy over the banners. He said that a policy has been developed that will prevent similar problems from recurring in the future. He stressed that he did not think that any Mac basketball players meant to convey a discriminatory message with the symbol as it appeared in the banners. New banners were installed at the district’s expense on Jan. 23.

Principal Brandi Hosack anticipates that the future policy will give principals the responsibility to review documents and promotional materials before they are disseminated before the local community.

“I don’t think anyone here would intentionally try to hurt anyone else, but I’m also not wanting to say, ‘You’re not allowed to be offended by that.’ So, I think the policy will be that the principal has to review all of these things,” Hosack said.

Suri said the procedure should be similiar to the review of photos that occurs in student publications.

Hosack says that her decision-making will be driven by avoiding offending any students.

“I think the easy thing to do, not the popular thing to do, but the easy thing, is to tell the coaches that when they take the pictures make sure that your students are showing nothing that could be misinterpreted,” Hosack said. “I don’t want students to feel that they can’t be themselves; in fact, that’s what I’m working against, I want you to be yourself, but we have to make sure that we aren’t offensive.”

Makayla Mason opposes Hosack’s view.

“If we take every poster that offends someone down, we can’t hang anything up,” she said. “You can probably pick something out that’s offensive in anything. Giving it this much attention takes away from the true meaning of the sign in the context of the photo.”

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Finally done with finals overload How a finals-opt out policy could reduce stress and create a level playing field Senior Charlotte Evelyn works on her homework for statistics, one of three AP classes she is currently taking. Under McCallum’s current system, Evelyn can exempt finals if she has a high average and takes the AP exam. A finals opt-out program, like the one at Austin High, would allow Evelyn to omit two finals if she has an 85 average and good attendance. Photo by Alysa Spiro.

ALYSA SPIRO staff reporter

Let me tell you something you might not know, but that will certainly affect your high school career if it hasn’t already.

At Austin High School, juniors are eligible to opt out of two of their finals and seniors can skip up to four. To qualify, students need an 85 average or higher, no more than three absences and no serious disciplinary actions. A student can only opt out of the fall or spring final for a course but not both. Students who waive their exam are given a make-up assignment and are expected to still be present during the exam period.

When I first heard about this opt-out program, I couldn’t help but have an emotional response, namely lust and desire. A final opt-out policy could make those four, dreadful days of test-taking so much more bearable.

What makes me drool over this policy is its ability to reduce stress, something I struggle with especially every time the end of a semester rolls around.

Eight classes, eight semesters of lessons, equates to a monstrous amount of material to memorize. A student can only spend so much time studying until eventually their brain feels numb, unable to grasp anything else.

By removing two or four semester finals, Austin High students are able to narrow the scope of subjects to study and dramatically reduce their workload. Their study time, focus and attention is consolidated into fewer classes. When more time is spent studying, test scores go up. Students are happy; teachers are happy.

Way too often, students are given finals that are either a near exact copy of a study guide or simply a long list of concepts to

26 opinion

memorize. When students have fewer tests to prepare for, their time and attention can be much better spent by focusing on the more challenging tests, maybe the ones where their grade in the class is below an 85, instead of spending time reviewing for subjects on which they already have a solid grasp. With a finals opt-out policy, McCallum students would be able to excuse themselves from these tests, giving them a clearer line of focus and more time to dedicate to other subjects.

Furthermore, a finals opt-out policy provides positive incentive for students to keep good grades, attendance and behavior in their classes.

Nobody loves finals. For a lot of students, finals pose the nasty threat of severely dropping their semester average. If McCallum were to introduce a policy similar to Austin High’s, students would have a positive incentive to do well and work hard in their classes all semester long.

Higher grades and attendance and fewer behavioral issues doesn’t just promote a better learning environment for students, but it also makes teachers’ lives a whole lot easier. Once again, students are happy, teachers are happy.

Lastly, this policy would act as an equalizer between students who can and cannot pay for the pricey AP test.

Right now, students with a high enough grade and the ability to shell out $94 for an AP test can waive their spring semester exam.

This policy screams “pay to play.”

Let’s do some math. Two AP tests cost $188. Four AP tests cost $376. $376 is a lot of money to anyone. And, for many juniors and seniors taking AP electives, the price increases even more rapidly.

Yes, McCallum is quick to claim that it has a scholarship

program for students who can’t afford AP tests. However, these scholarships are only given to students on the free or reduced lunch program. Everyone else, despite their financial circumstances, are left in the dark.

Many students are in a sort of in-between zone. They can afford their own lunches, but spending $94 on a single test is a major financial burden. Spending upwards of $376 on a handful of tests is, for many students, financially impossible.

On the other hand, this policy encourages wealthier students to sign up for AP tests simply because it allows them to get out of a few finals. Instead of being seen as a way to get college credit, the cost of the test is the price they are willing to pay to experience a little less stress at the end of the semester.

A final opt-out policy creates a level playing field. Students who can’t afford to spend nearly $100 on an AP test will no longer be at a disadvantage to students whose families are willing to pay the price.

This entire discussion begs a bigger question: do finals do more harm than good? Is it fair to expect students to re-learn an entire semester’s worth of material within a week, only to be printed on a test and never seen again? Are finals more of an analysis of how well a student understands information or how good of a testtaker they are? Do finals promote unhealthy habits such as undersleeping, cheating or even substance abuse?

However you answer these questions, a finals opt-out policy is step in the right direction. Because of its success at Austin High, there is no reason to believe that it wouldn’t work just as well at McCallum. In fact, who actually benefits from not installing this program at McCallum? Certainly not the stressed-out students, grading-overloaded teachers, or really, the school as a whole.

13 feb. 2020

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Spending money for your honey Has Valentine’s Day become a capitalist holiday?

TOMAS MARRERO staff reporter

Have you ever noticed that every year it seems Valentine’s Day season starts earlier and earlier?

Or how there’s a seemingly endless stream of commercials claiming the only way you can truly express your love to your valentine is to buy ridiculously overpriced jewelry or get them this brand of chocolates? For most of high school, I have been single, so I haven’t been concerned with chocolates or flowers. But this year, that has changed. I began thinking about Valentine’s Day before I even asked my significant other out. I had a moment of self-realization, and questioned why I was stressing about gifts and what I should plan more than a month in advance. This led me to do some searching and find out how and why the day of love became so much about gifts and spending money to show your affection.

Although there are many myths and legends surrounding the origin of the holiday, V-Day came from a Pagan holiday during the Roman Empire called Lupercalia. It occurred midFebruary, and was a festival to celebrate fertility and pay homage to the god of agriculture, Faunus. It shared some elements of how we celebrate today, but much of the rituals involved animal sacrifice and auctioning off women to the bachelors in town. Valentine’s Day began to change around the fifth century when it was outlawed due to the rise of Christianity.

It was officially named St. Valentine’s Day and decriminalized towards the end of the century. It was however not associated with love for much longer. It’s believed that since the mating season of birds coincided with the holiday, it eventually became associated with love. As for St. Valentine himself, there are many theories as to who he is and how he became the namesake of the day of love. Some suggest he was a priest who openly defied the emperor of Rome when he continued to perform marriage ceremonies when it was outlawed for young men by Claudius II. Others believe it was Saint Valentine of Terni who was later executed by the same Claudius II. All this still didn’t explain the hyper-capitalist nature of the holiday today, so I dug a little deeper. Giving cards on Valentine’s Day, one of the very earliest traditions I could find, began as far back as 1400 in England. These were all handwritten cards, and didn’t become printed until the 1900s. This made sense not only with the technology available at the time, but as consumer culture began to take hold with the rise of the middle class. This is also around when Hallmark was created, the card company that has attained massive success today. It wasn’t until later in the opulence and spending of the 1980s when the holiday took its true form.

Advertisements began pushing the idea of buying jewelry, chocolates and other presents for your valentine. These ads were extremely effective. According to a study released in 2019, the National Retail Federation saw men spend an average of just over $225, while women spend just under $100. With this all-time high in spending, it is worth noting that this increase

13 feb. 2020

Graphic by Bella Russo

% Americans Celebrating Valentine’s Day 2009-2019

Average Spending per American 2009-2019

The downward sloping graph (left) shows the change in percentage of Americans celebrating Valentine’s Day from 2009-2019. Interestingly enough, the percentage of people has been steadily declining, from 63% in 2009 to just 51% last year. The upward sloping graph shows the spending of those who do celebrate, which hit an all-time high of $162 lasr year. All data from the National Retail Federation. comes with a decrease in the overall percentage of people celebrating the holiday.

This statistic truly shocked me. I can’t even imagine spending $225 for myself, let alone someone else. I’m already thinking about what I should get my significant other, and the expectation to spend real money has put more pressure on me to get something nice. I’m in a fortunate enough position to be able to afford chocolates, flowers and maybe something else small, but I wonder about those less fortunate than me. I wonder about those who can’t spare $20 for a bouquet of flowers or chocolates. Love is universal. Why shouldn’t the day of love be too?

Is spending $200 the new way of saying I love you? Well, of course not. Some would say plenty of people don’t spend that much or anything at

all on Valentine’s Day and just celebrate privately.

And of course, this is true. After all, fewer people are celebrating V-Day overall. But I worry about the holiday is going the way of the wedding ring, if it hasn’t already.

To clarify, I mean pushy marketing tactics creating a social norm, like DeBeers diamond company’s marketing campaign in the 1980s.

This campaign set the “expectation” of spending two month’s salary on a proposal ring. Debeers ran the same ad campaign in the Asian market years later, except instead of two months salary they changed it to three. It worked, and the norm in wealthier Asian markets such as Japan is spending three month’s salary. Maybe Valentine’s Day has already had its heyday in terms of profitability for huge companies, but it will only

take another very successful ad campaign to make the new social norm spending $100 on roses, or jewelry, or maybe a new product the market has decided is essential for love.

I worry about the future of Valentine’s Day. As it stands now, I believe spending money to somehow prove you love someone is ridiculous.

Of course, many people realize this idiocy and spend very little or nothing and simply enjoy their valentine’s company. But, it only takes a singular wildly successful marketing campaign over a few years to change the social norm and possibly ostracize those who prefer to celebrate privately. So, talk with your significant other.

Flowers and chocolates can be a beautiful gesture, but agreeing to celebrate smaller or without buying anything can be just as powerful.

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Letters for us, to us, by us

Seniors reflect on their high school years and share their excitement for the future My dearest Alex from the beginning of junior year, There’s a storm coming. Expect at least 50 feet of rain, winds up to a hundred miles per hour and hail the size of basketballs. Guess what? You missed the evacuation. Sit tight, board up the windows and suck it up, girlie. This is going to be a long year.

High school lore states that junior year is the hardest academic year of a standard education career. It is painted as “the year that matters for college” by nearly every adult and “hell” by upperclassmen, which is anything but a confidence booster for an anxious high school student. As someone who has been through the “hell” year, I want you to know that everything will turn out OK. You’re going to live through this year, and, though your life will do a full 180, you will find where you belong. On your way, here are some things to keep in mind: Where you go to college doesn’t define the course of your future.

The idea that getting into a good school means that you essentially have a golden paved road to success has been pounded into your mind since you started middle school. “Brand name” has little to no effect on the job you will get in your future.

It doesn’t matter where you go; what matters is the work you do and the connections that you make. Several successful people have graduated from community colleges or not graduated from college at all. Look at John Walsh of CNN and America’s Most Wanted or Jim Lehrer from PBS. Even Guy Fieri graduated from a junior college with no graduate school. Also, transferring is a pretty common thing that people do. If you aren’t where you want to be, switch.

Also, be sure your FERPA status is waived. This is 100 percent my biggest regret of the college application process. It’s a small step that can easily be looked over but DO NOT FORGET ABOUT IT. Accept that you don’t know what FERPA means and accept that you need help figuring it out.

Follow the directions of your counselors because they know much more about this stuff than you do. When you don’t waive your status, you have to send every part of your application separately to each college. It creates a ton of extra work.

Trust me, give up your pride and ask for help.

The college process is longer than I had originally thought. When you finally submit every single one of your applications, complete with transcripts, SAT scores, teacher recommendations, etc., you’re still not done. You’ll be just chilling someday and you’ll get an email from a college asking for another form, or essay, or supplement or something else that threatens the completion of your application. Take care of yourself throughout this process and prioritize what you really care about. Sometimes you’ll have to get a bad grade on a science quiz because you were completing an application instead of studying. It isn’t worth losing sleep or sanity.

This letter is different from the ones I wrote a year ago. It was horrible what happened to you and your family, but without tragedy, I wouldn’t be in the place, physically or mentally, that I am now. I said then that “some people just weren’t built to last, and I need to accept that I’m one.”

Now, I can say with full certainty that I was wrong. People aren’t built for anything. We all choose our own futures and can switch the entire makeup of our lives at any point and time.

Though it won’t be without consequences, good or bad, it is so important to remember that you don’t owe anything to anyone, and nobody owes anything to you.

Where I am right now might seem like your worst nightmare, but you’ll see that you’ve never felt better. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything: not for an Ivy League education, not for a fullride scholarship and not for a six-figure salary.

Trust your talent, trust your mind, trust yourself.

Alex from the end of senior year

“I wouldn’t trade my life for anything: not for an Ivy League education, not for a full-ride scholarship and not for a six-figure salary.”

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Dear Julia Kay from the past, Be nicer to your parents. Do your homework.

Read more. And for the love of God please drink more water. Yes, of course I wish I had the ability to go back and improve in all of these areas, but what I sincerely wish I could tell you is about applying to college.

The application process was much different than I ever thought it would be. Up until junior year, applying to college felt elusive, but it started to feel real when I met my first deadline this past fall. The notorious Nov. 1 ran up on me and attacked me from behind, leaving me exhausted and full of numerous regrets. I submitted applications, financial aid information, transcripts and test scores and my brain wanted to spin. Such a long to-do list can drive a person crazy, especially if they’re still in high school. What I wish I would’ve known when I was where you are right now was how applying to college made me feel. If I would have known the stress and self-contemplation that came with the process, I would have made sure to take care of myself better. I want to make it clear that no one tells you just how much a rejection letter hurts. It’s hard for “we are unfortunately not able to offer you admission” to not feel a little personal. And with that, I need you to know that it’s not where you go that defines you, but rather what you do with the opportunities you’re given. If I could approach any given situation again, I would open my decision letters with a little more grace. The college-application process is an ugly one, and it truly brought out your ugly side. Opening rejection letters fed my ego, when in reality I should have felt humbled by the news.

As my high school career comes to a close, I’ve had to work to no longer feel regret and take a step down from my high horse. The funny thing is that life doesn’t end after high school, and it also doesn’t end with a rejection letter.

I’m tired of being questioned about where

I’m going next. And I’m tired of feeling like my choices aren’t good enough or somehow don’t make me unique in some way. The process made me angry and tired in the end, even though picking out what I want to do next after I graduate should be something exciting.

Even though we’ve never felt the pressure from our parents to be an Ivy League student or to make perfect SAT scores, there’s the most obscure pressure that I’ve felt from myself, making me feel like I’ve wasted potential or haven’t worked hard enough in the end. If I could go back to my freshman year, I would be sure to ask myself the following questions and truly internalize my answers to them. Do the colleges I apply to define me? Does my GPA and rank ensure the fact that I’ll be successful later in life? Moving through high school and the highs and lows that have come with it, I’ve started to answer those questions.

I want you to know that it’s really important to remember who you are and what your priorities are. I want you to know that it really is going to be OK in the end and that you will end up where you belong. And I want you to know that it’s OK to feel frustrated with higher education because frankly, it’s unfair the way we’ve been pitted against our peers for all of about 10 spots at top-tier colleges.

The best thing you could ever do for yourself is to do the things that make you happy and not worry about what others’ opinions are of you. Ever since I stopped caring about what people think about me, my life has been absolutely perfect, and I have had an incredible amount of confidence. Just kidding, it doesn’t work like that. Even though that’s not a realistic depiction as to what happened, I’ve done my best to no longer have regrets for the past.

After the application process ended, I started to love the place that I’d gotten to. I’m finally ready to move onto the next phase of my life, and it’s taken a lot of self-acceptance to get here. I really do wish you the best of luck.

Best, Julia Kay

“I’m finally ready to move onto the next phase of my life and it’s taken a lot of self-acceptance to get here.”

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I’m sick of nic regulation This new law isn’t going to be as effective as the government hopes it will be ALEX DOWD copy editor This new law changing the smoking age to 21 isn’t going to be as effective as the government hopes it will be.

I’m a senior in high school. I’m 17, one year away from becoming an adult. In under six months, I can live on my own, get a tattoo, vote, be sued, serve on a jury, become a notary public, sky dive, fight and die for my country and pose fully naked in the centerfold of a magazine.

Becoming 18 marks a new chapter in life where I have near full autonomy over myself and my actions. I can legally do almost anything that isn’t causing harm to others … except smoke.

On Dec. 20, President Trump signed a government-funded bill that included a new age limit on the sale and possession of tobacco and nicotine products.

The law went into effect the same day, and it’s failure to include a grandfather clause, left many young adults forced to face panic and withdrawal.

Though lawmakers, lung doctors and the entire #truth staff rejoiced in this subjective victory, the potentially life-altering effects of this new law were nearly completely looked over.

For starters, people are already addicted.

According to a central Massachusetts experiment performed by the Center For The Advancement Of Health, a nicotine addiction forms very quickly due to its ability to release excessive dopamine in the brain, overwhelming the brain’s receptors and forcing them to work at an accelerated rate even when nicotine isn’t present.

It takes about two to four weeks for a young adult to become addicted to nicotine and only a few days for a dependence to form. An addiction that occurs so quickly and forcefully is hard to boot, especially with the looming threat of a harsh withdrawal period standing in the way of sobriety.

Smokers between the ages of 18 and 20 were blindsided by this government-forced withdrawal. Now, an action that was built into their schedule is a crime that could get them fined and enrolled into a Tobacco Awareness Program.

For nicotine addicts under 18 that were already abusing nicotine illegally, little to nothing has changed. Their actions were and still are illegal, but that didn’t stop them before and therefore, won’t stop them now. Fake IDs exist.

If you have the right connections, you can be any age that you want. A new age limit won’t reduce the amount of people vaping, it will just reduce the amount of people vaping legally.

Reducing nicotine and tobacco’s legality presents a whole new problem for smokers. Now, if they are caught in possession of a nicotine product, they’ll suffer legal consequences that will affect their personal records. Once we, as a country, go down this path of restriction, we are falling down a slippery slope.

Here’s a situation that current high school students can relate to: A student in their senior year is in possession of a product containing nicotine (pick your poison, cigarette or puff stick or whatever) and they’re confronted by an officer. What would have been a frisk with no consequences, is now a chargeable offense. This student will be put into the government system

13 feb. 2020

THE STRANGEST THING is that cigarette ads are illegal under Article 13 while vaping ads don’t have the same restrictions. Graphic by Anna McClellan.

The real villains who should be targeted are the tobacco and nicotine companies who are profiting off the illness of addiction. We shouldn’t make nicotine products less accessible; we should make them less desirable. and now, on their college applications, and later, job applications, they will be required to state that they have been in legal trouble. With this box checked, they could be denied scholarships, federal aid for loans and even admission to schools. These consequences already exist for even the smallest nonviolent drug-related crimes.

Nobody is being hurt except for the person ingesting the nicotine or tobacco, and they are more than likely aware of the damage these chemicals will do to them. By creating legal trouble for nonviolent, not even drug-related crimes, the futures of talented, intelligent students are jeopardized.

If the goal of this law is to reduce the amount of young people addicted to nicotine, which it is, this is far from the most effective solution. Most kids who smoke or vape get these products from their peers, not from a corner store or smoke shop, and those who do buy directly, have ways around showing real age identification.

I agree, the amount of kids addicted to nicotine is definitely concerning. I’m friends with people under 18 who have full-fledged nicotine addictions, people who smoke a cigarette or hit a Juul when it’s convenient,

and people who have fully sworn off of all nicotine products (which doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone else, it just means you can probably hold your breath for longer). Every single one of those people recognizes that smoking and vaping are both bad for you, but no one has a concrete idea of how to stop this nicotine craze from spreading and how to reverse its effects.

If we truly want to end teen nicotine addiction, restriction isn’t the answer. Keep the age at 18, where it has been since 1984.

Legal adulthood should present kids with more freedom and even subjective “danger.” Let’s stop demonizing children who are experimenting, finding themselves and trying to grow up.

The real villains who should be targeted are the tobacco and nicotine companies who are profiting off of the illness of addiction. We shouldn’t make nicotine products less accessible; we should make them less desirable.

Though cigarette ads and commercials are illegal under Article 13, electric cigarettes and vapes don’t have the same restrictions. Take away these companies’ abilities to advertise their products.

With no way to get the word out, nicotine product companies won’t be able to alert the public of new products or price changes, slowing their wildfire-like spread and notoriety. You can’t smoke what you don’t know about.

In addition, their advertising should be banned from online platforms so social media influencers can’t promote these dangerous products to their younger audiences.

The government should instead replace these ads with warnings about the dangers of tobacco.

We’ve all seen these and know that they’re relatively ineffective, but prior to a #truth ad that I saw starring puppets, I, along with many of my friends, was under the impression that vaping was better for you than smoking. Turns out, that is false. Thank you, knock-off Muppets.

For the privatized side of the United States, or businesses, create more smoke-free spaces and include all nicotine devices. The more inconvenient smoking is, the less likely people will be to take it up.

Let’s face it, as teenagers, many of us are looking for convenient vices to help us get through our final years as a “child.” We aren’t really known for going far out of our way to get a new drug with minimal effects: that tends to happen after the addiction has formed. So companies, do your part!

I don’t think that this age change is going to be successful and the harm it will cause clearly outweighs the good.

On behalf of teenagers and young adults in the United States, do you think changing the alcohol age to 21 stopped underage drinking?

Because I know it didn’t.

opinion 29

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Context is everything Out of context, once innocent commonly used hand gesture can now have serious consequences The commonly used “OK” hand symbol can be defined as many things, depending on who you ask. It is used to check one’s scuba gear after entering the water and in yoga to symbolize inner perfection. In basketball, the “OK” symbol is used by referees to signal that a shot attempt has been released beyond the three-point arc and is worth three points if it goes in.

When the basketball teams took their team pictures, two players, one on the boys team and one on the girls team, made the hand symbol in order to celebrate their ability to make long-range shots worth three points. When the girls banner was installed in the gym, the issue of the hand gesture and its contested meaning became a controversy.

This matter is a difficult one to come to terms with for three reasons.

The first and most obvious one is that the students who made the hand gesture clearly did not mean to convey anything other than to celebrate their ability to make 3-point shots on the basketball court.

The second is that the recent history of the hand gesture is very problematic. The hand sign has been used over the last three years to symbolize the letters “W” and “P” for white power, first in a successful social media hoax and then just as an expression of straight-up hatred.

The third issue is that there were communication breakdowns throughout this controversy. An original concern was raised, and the girls banner went up before that concern was addressed.

Complaints were raised when the district considered taking the banners down, and they were not adequately answered.

It was clear at the meeting on Jan. 31 that people were upset not just about the banner decision but about how the decision was made. The district basically apologized for the communication gaps and for not having a clear policy in place for approving team banners and promotional banners before

they are approved and installed. The promised new district policy will undoubtedly prevent another public controversy over promotional posters in the future.

And that’s a good thing.

The larger question of whether the hand gesture should be permitted in a promotional banner would have been much less contentious if such a policy had been in place.

Those that argue in favor of the removal of the banner have just reasoning. The “OK” hand symbol, when taken out of context, can have a sinister and seriously offensive meaning. The New York Times identified its origins as a hate symbol to a 2017 campaign started by a few 4-Chan users to trick people into believing that the “OK” symbol was now a white supremacy symbol. The campaign worked, and was furthered as white supremacists adopted the symbol to convey their racist beliefs.

The symbol, however, has long had meanings not related to white supremacy. Besides it’s far-reaching use in basketball, the hand gesture has also been

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A.N. McCallum High School 5600 Sunshine Drive Austin, TX 78756 (512) 414-7539 fax (512) 453-2599 contact.macshield@gmail.com

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used simply to convey that everything is OK. The Anti-Defamation League has urged that people use caution when evaluating what the symbol is meant to convey.

“Because of the traditional meaning of the ‘okay’ hand gesture, as well as other usages unrelated to white supremacy,” the ADL writes on its website, “particular care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intent behind someone who has used the gesture.”

Since the gesture conveyed a clear basketball message in a basketball context, the symbol’s usage in the posters should be understood as a basketball symbol not a hate symbol.

Even if someone walked into the gym and saw the symbol without knowing what its usage meant, they could assume the symbol conveyed a basketball meaning.

Those who have argued in favor of replacing the banners with gesture-free alternatives are fueled by concerns that the symbol could be misunderstood as a symbol promoting hate, and reflect negatively on

the individuals who used them.

It is true that taking down the banners was an effective method to prevent future misunderstanding, but the censorship itself also reflected negatively on the team. By admitting that the gesture has multiple meanings and choosing to remove the banners, the district inadvertently prescribed the hateful meaning to the symbols in the banner. Removing the banners implies that the players had something to hide, and that the symbol’s meaning was not as debated as it was full on shameful.

Leaving the banners up may have caused some debate, but at least the players could have pointed to their actions and justified them with context.

Since the banners are now removed, the players are represented by the fact that their banner was taken down, not by their fight to educate people on what they feel the 3-point sign should mean.

The bottom line is that this symbol was not originally created out of hate. To compare it to a swastika or a Confederate flag is disproportionate solely because of the extreme gravity these other hateful symbols carry. History is important when weighing the pros and cons of the banner’s removal.

The use of the symbol to convey a white power message is relatively recent compared to its other meanings. Banning the symbol and removing the banner is essentially allowing white supremacists to steal the gesture’s meaning. The rest of the world should not have to change their definition of a positive gesture because of a hate group.

The best way to go forward as a community is to listen to each other and to learn how to differentiate between intentionally hateful images and unlucky coincidences. To take down the banner and ban the symbol draws more attention to hate groups, as well as villanizing the students in question.

As a community, we must focus on eradicating hate when it is intentional, and not on taking actions out of the context that justifies them.

editors-in-chief KRISTEN TIBBETTS AND JANSSEN TRANSIER adviser

ALEX DOWD, ELLEN FOX, MAX RHODES, BELLA RUSSO, ELISHA SCOTT, SARAH SLATEN, MIA TERMINELLA reporters

DAVE WINTER

ALYSA BIJL-SPIRO, OLIVIA CAPOCHIANO, KATHRYN CHILSTROM, GRAYSON CRUISE, EVELYN GRIFFIN, COHEN JOHNSON-DYE, LASZLO KING-HOVIS, LUCY MARCO, TOMAS MARRERO, ANNA MCCLELLAN, CALEB MELVILLE, ASLY MENDEZ RUIZ, JESSICA MONTOYA-MORENO, MADELYNN NILES, GRACE NUGENT, SAMANTHA POWERS, JULIA KAY SMITH, KAYCEE STROTHER, ISABELA TAPPERSON, GRACE VAN GORDER, JAVIER VELA, KENNEDY WEATHERBY, LOKI WILSON The Shield is published by journalism students in the newspaper production class.

Although students work under the guidance of a professional faculty member, the student staff ultimately determines the content.

Students may not publish material that is obscene, libelous or that which will cause a “substantial disruption to the educational process.” Content that may stimulate heated

30 editorial

debate is not included in this definition.

The Shield operates as an open forum for exchange of ideas. Opinions expressed in editorials are the ideas of the staff. Opinions expressed in the columns are that of the writer’s alone.

Letters to the editor are encouraged and must be signed. Positive identification may be required when a letter is submitted. Letters

may be edited.

Letters that are critical of the newspaper staff’s coverage of events or that present information that may stimulate heated debate will be published.

Letters that contain malicious attacks on individual reporters, the adviser or the principal will be rejected.

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should contact adviser Dave Winter at (512) 414-7539. Ads published in The Shield do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff.

The Shield is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association.

13 feb. 2020

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Knights’ quest for 10th straight district title and beyond

Photo by Grace Nugent

From city council to U.S. Senate?

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Inspired by Bryant’s legacy, Knights mourn his death Photo by Christopher K.Nelson reprinted under the Creative Commons Public License.

share the shield Like us on facebook.com/MacJournalism Follow us on Twitter @macstudentmedia Follow: @macjournalism on Instagram 22 feb. 2019

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Black History Month at McCallum Featherstone, Moore elevate student voices, African American experiences in presentation

EXCERPTS FROM AN EXPERT: For the sixth straight year, Dr. Leonard Moore, a U.S. History professor at the University of Texas, spoke at the Black History Month presentation to teach students about the history of race in America. Dr. Moore was invited by the event’s main organiser Larry Featherstone, and was followed by a panel of student speakers who had also helped to organize the event. Photo by David Winter FIRST A LISTENER, NOW A PRESENTER: .As a student panelist following Moore’s speech, sophomore Tracy Atoo spoke on the challenges she faces being the only student of color in some of her Pre-AP classes. “I always have to prove myself that I belong in the PreAP classes,” Atoo said. Afterward, Atoo felt that the presentation was a success, and served as an eye-opener to some of the audience members. “This was a very important presentation for me because I feel like—not everybody—but a good chunk of the kids and adults at school are pretty ignorant on the issues that we face being black in America,” Atoo said. “It’s important that they can see our daily struggles and possibly understand and be sympathetic.” Photo

by Regan Sims.

JUST SMART: Seniors Danielle Atwood, Lia Jones, Brooke Miller and Kyla Gibson, and junior Vivian Odoms volunteer to go on stage during Dr. Leonard Moore’s fourthperiod talk. Gibson said that being a person of color has impacted her experiences at school “In AP classes the teachers are always like, ‘Oh my God we love you, you’re so smart.’ But there’s always that stereotype of “you’re smart for a black person,” Gibson explained. “I just want to be smart for being smart.” Photo by Regan Sims.

SPREADING UNDERSTANDING: Senior Jaylen Wilbourn worked towards “knowledge and empathy” by speaking on the differences between black youth and their peers, representation of people of color, and how to recognize and acknowledge differences. “We live in a world where everybody is different and [we’ve] all been through different things,” Wilbourn said. “We have to be aware that we see things in a completely different way and the world sees us in a different way. Just recognize that everyone has different experiences and respect it.“ Photo by Regan Sims.

IDENTITY CHANGED: Junior Taft Stansel, freshman Ron Wolleben and junior Corin Vandenberg join Dr. Leonard Moore’ on stage in the FABT during second period last Friday. “He brought a set of white kids and a set of black kids on stage to show that it doesn’t matter what nationality you were in Europe or Africa; in America you are just white or black,” Wolleben said. Photo by David Winter.

HALLWAY GALLERY SHOWCASES STUDENT ARTIST OF COLOR Greeting students and staff as they walk into school, the gallery wall across from the main office is filled with art from African American artists here at McCallum, as well as featured artists of color renowned throughout the world for Black History Month. The Shield asked three of the showcased artists to share more about their works and the inspiration behind them. Here are the responses from freshman Sahara Cumberpatch, sophomore Montrel Beverley and senior Brooke Miller.

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SAHARA CUMBERPATCH: “I used a lot of shapes and bright primary colors like red, yellow and blue.

I also did a lot of black to make it stand out more, and a lot of shapes. I try and draw a lot of black people and people with natural hair because I don’t see that a lot, and I feel like I should just do that.”

Photo by Josie Bradsby .

MONTREL WILLIAMS: “In elementary, I didn’t really have any friends, and the teacher was doing a project with pipe cleaners, and I just started messing around with pipe cleaners and over time I got better and better, and then I started making the figures, and, well that’s that.”

Photo by Lydia Reedy.

BROOKE MILLER: “What usually inspires me is my family. I do a lot of portraits, and if not, nature. I’m a [visual art] major and I’m also one of the ambassadors of the Fine Arts Academy, I’m also director for the fashion show, and I’m designing in the fashion show. I’m really excited [to be a featured artist].”

Photo by Anna O’Keefe.

13 feb. 2020