McCallum HS Shield—Vol 72 No 3 (Feb 21, 2025)

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McCallum High School / 5600 Sunshine Drive / Austin, TX 78756 / Feb. 21, 2025 / Volume 72 / Issue 3

L.A. wildfires cause mass destruction page 3 Following Trump’s second inaugural, president signs flurry of executive orders page 4 District leaders plan transition from BLEND to Google Classroom page 6

Meet students, teachers who have come to McCallum, central Texas from around the globe page 16-17 EDITORIAL: With campuses subject to ICE raids, AISD must keep students safe page 31

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feb. 21, 2025

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Natural disaster in California heightened by dry climate, extreme temperatures, inadequate fire safety practices, population density.

Concentrating on color guard For the first time anywhere in Texas and the U.S. color guard will be a fine arts major at McCallum, starting next school year.

A world within our school Meet and get to know some of the many Knights who came to McCallum and central Austin from places all over the globe.

Once a PAL, always a pal

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Thanks to his discipline and belief in himself, senior Mark Sanchez will continue football career at Washington University in St. Louis.

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McCallum alum and former PAL utilizes skills learned from gram as first-year teacher at Gullett Elementary School.

Touching down for college

Immigration matters

Democrats lost the election because they failed to reach immigrant voters; Austin ISD needs to do all it can to protect students from ICE.

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS BRINGS MAC MUSICIANS TOGETHER: In our Feb. 11 photo essay, we explore the stories of various student bands, including Unrestricted Internet Access shown here, that competed against one another in the classical guitar program’s annual Battle of the Bands. To check out the whole essay, visit macshieldonline.com. Photo by Maggie Mass.

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L.A. wildfires wreak havoc

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Feb. 24 Blue Brigade tryout parent meeting March 3 CAC meeting, 5:30 p.m.

March 4 SAT testing day March 14 Student Holiday March 17-21 Spring Break March 29 UIL District 24-5A Academic Meet March 31 Staff and student Holiday April 7 PTSA meeting, 6:30 p.m.

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A “MOVING” SHOWCASE: Junior dance major Analise Bady performs her solo in “Murder on the Dance Floor” during the opening night performance of the McCallum Youth Dance Company annual winter showcase, “Movement 2025,” at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center on Thursday Jan. 23. Turn to page 10 to see more photos from the show. Photo by Katie Martin.

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feb. 21, 2024

L.A. wildfires wreak havoc

Urban density, environmental factors, abandoned fire safety practices fuel devastation Mira Patel designs & visuals editor As of Feb. 5, the Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California have been fully contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Collectively, these fires burned over 37,000 acres, resulted in at least 28 fatalities, and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

Evacuation orders affected approximately 180,000 residents and the estimated economic impact exceeds $95 billion.

In the aftermath, Los Angeles remains under a blanket of smoke, posing escalating health risks to its residents. Efforts are underway to assess and remove hazardous materials from affected areas.

Beyond the immediate danger the flames present, lingering smoke has created hazardous air conditions. The crisis has drawn comparisons to wildfire-prone regions across the United States, such as Texas, where similar environmental factors set the stage for future disasters.

So how did it happen?

The intensifying wildfires in California are a result of factors that created the perfect storm: years of drought, increasingly extreme temperatures, heat waves, dry vegetation that acts as fuel and rapid winds that can reignite a contained fire.

Beyond the natural elements, human activity has pushed the environment past its breaking point. In “The Case for Letting Malibu Burn,” historian and urban theorist Mike Davis writes that “periodic firestorms of this magnitude are inevitable as long as residential development is tolerated.”

Increasing demand for housing over the past several decades has caused neighborhoods to encroach into fire-prone areas once naturally regenerated by practices such as controlled burns. According to research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted by forest ecology professor Volker Radeloff, the number of homes in fire-prone areas of California grew by 40 percent between 1990 and 2020.

Another concern is the

reconsideration of the Indigenous practice of “cultural burning,” a practice that was abandoned in the 19th and 20th centuries in favor of other practices. According to the article “Indigenous Fire Practices Shape Our Land,” on the National Park Service website, employing the practice of “cultural burning,” the intentional and controlled use of fire to regenerate life, is being seen as a helpful step not only to promote ecological diversity but to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

These smaller, low-intensity burns were used to replenish soil, aid native plants and restore land. Frank Kanawha Lake, a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, maintains that the practice draws on the view of fire as restorative and not destructive, a positive view of fire that is closely intertwined with Indigenous culture and its respect for the Earth and the ecosystem. The goal of cultural burning is to create fire-adapted ecosystems that leave the land less vulnerable to mass destruction.

According to Digital History, an online American history textbook supported by the University of Houston College of Education, when European colonizers spread across what is now North America, Indigenous people were viewed as primitive despite their complex, agriculturally-based cultures. Skewed by misconceptions about Indigenous peoples’ practices and

relationship to the land, California’s first legislative session in 1850 outlawed the use of cultural burns. This punitive law was part of a larger process that enabled white settlers to enslave Indigenous peoples in California, remove them from lands and separate families. It wasn’t until 172 years later, in 2022, when the right to cultural burns was affirmed and reestablished in California, but some experts say that the recognition of the value of the practice came far too late.

When the fires broke out, was Los Angeles prepared to fight them?

When the fires broke out two weeks ago, emergency respondents faced significant challenges in managing the rapidly escalating situation. The sheer scale of the wildfires overwhelmed infrastructure, leaving firefighters and emergency respondents struggling to keep pace with the rapidly spreading flames.

Key obstacles arose during original containment efforts, such as shortages of water, overwhelmed communication systems and limited access to remote areas.

Los Angeles’ annual Santa Ana winds exacerbated chaos, reigniting embers and spreading flames faster than firefighters could respond. The shortcomings during the fight to extinguish the fires have raised serious questions by citizens about the state’s readiness to face an increasingly unpredictable wildfire season.

The resulting smoke from the L.A. wildfires is an ever-present threat to human health, leaving unseen danger past the burn zones.

How much exposure to wildfire smoke is too much?

Research into the health impacts of wildfire smoke has evolved since the last fires in California, revealing the significant risks posed by prolonged exposure.

Although the smoke

eventually subsides, the air continues to carry dangerous pollutants. While smoke is known to be an irritant to the eyes and throat, experts are discovering that it can infiltrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, with long-lasting effects on health.

Dr. Chandana Banerjee is the dean, director and designated institutional official for graduate medical education at City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles. With years of experience in addressing the convergence of health and environmental factors, Banerjee says that the impact of wildfire smoke on individuals can vary widely.

“The smoke will likely cause mild irritations like runny noses and scratchy throats to many, but to some, more severe conditions such as bronchitis or trigger asthma attacks,” Banerjee said.

She also emphasizes that the smoke could aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases, cancers, depression and anxiety.

“What people don’t always realize is that wildfire smoke isn’t just wood burning like in a campfire,” Banerjee said. “It’s everything in a house—plastic, metal and so many other materials—burning together. When you breathe that in, you’re inhaling a mix of harmful toxins.”

Wildfire smoke contains harmful particles, such as carbon, heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

The most concerning being particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers and smaller, which is small enough to bypass the body’s natural defenses, deteriorating cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

“It’s the particulate matter that is the most dangerous,” Banerjee said. “It can deeply penetrate lungs and even cause long-term Scan the QR code or visit macshieldonline. com to read our full story about the L.A. fires.

Graphic by Mira Patel.

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feb. 21, 2025

Trump presidency returns

Travis County Democrats protest unprecedented flurry of executive actions Priya Thoppil news editor President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Jan. 20, for his second term as President of the United States. The previously planned outdoor inauguration was moved indoors due to temperatures in the 20s.

Compared to previous inaugurations, Trump’s was scaled back with more limited attendance given the lack of space at the indoor event. President Ronald Reagan’s second inaugural was the last indoor ceremony in 1985.

After the traditional inaugural ceremony, Trump promised to sign hundreds of executive orders in front of a crowd as his first action as president. On the evening of Jan. 20, after a speech in which he referred to the insurrectionists of the Jan. 6 incident at the capitol as “J6 hostages,” he sat in a sports arena surrounded by thousands of fans, signing executive orders that ranged from extending the timeline of the TikTok ban, to eliminating birthright citizenship. An aide read out to him the subject of each order, which he then signed to put into action.

Trump’s inaugural speech was almost twice as long as his first inaugural address back in 2017, when he spoke for approximately 30 minutes in the Capitol Rotunda. Of the many Outside the Trump inauguration rally at the Capitol One Arena, a Trump supporter celetopics he covered in his Second Inaugural brates with flags surrounding her, the day before the Inauguration. This photo was taken Address, were his stances on gender identity, three hours before the rally actually began, so this person had already been waiting a diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, long time, much of it in the rain. Photo accessed on the Flickr account of Victoria Pickerimmigration and climate change. The ing. Reposted here under a creative commons license. Photo by Victoria Pickering. overarching theme of his address was that the “golden age of America begins right now.” several elected officials like U.S. Rep. Lloyd Trump might have exceeded Doggett’s As people around the country tuned in Doggett, D-Austin, state Sen. Sara Eckhardt, predictions by issuing more than 200 to watch the inauguration, many took the D-Austin, and state representatives spoke to executive actions, orders and memoranda. On time to reflect on his proposed policies their constituents. Topics at the conference his first day as president alone, Trump issued for the future. A significant number of ranged from acknowledging King’s sweeping pardons to nearly all of the 1,600 them reflected legacy, to future rioters charged with storming the capital. He on how Trump’s improvements to also removed the United States from the Paris proposed policies Texas infrastructure Climate Accord on Day 1, an exit that will represented a and finally to take place one year after his order. reversal of the comments about Travis County Commissioner Brigid His decrees ought to be political agenda the inauguration.

Shea said she strongly objects to the U.S. evaluated not in terms of championed Doggett expressed withdrawal from the accord, noting that the by the Biden sharp criticism of lack of national policy on climate control what they do but also what administration.

Trump’s agenda puts the burden of fighting climate change on Others focused on and leadership style local communities. they fail to address. the coincidence and predicted what “At the national level, the president is being that the the presidency of sworn in today, calling climate change a hoax,” —U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett inauguration was Trump will bring to Shea said, “and [he] says he will absolutely D-Austin on the same day as the United States. withdraw from the international agreement Martin Luther King “As a self-styled to address climate change, so again the Jr. Day, a day of dictator on Day responsibility and the work falls to us in the remembrance for 1, Trump will local community, and we have all the tools civil rights activist reportedly issue and the technology. What we lack, generally Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about 100 executive orders tomorrow, the speaking, is the political will to do it.”

To celebrate King’s accomplishments and largest number of such first-day orders in Doggett highlighted a range of concerns, his legacy, the Travis County Democratic American history,” Doggett said. “His decrees including Trump’s environmental policies, Party hosted an “I have a dream” press ought to be evaluated not only in terms of what tariffs and immigration reforms. conference on Monday morning, in which they do but also what they fail to address.”

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history, Trump remains tied to fossil fuels and fossilized thinking,” he said. “By rejecting vital environmental protections, he endangers our families and our planet.”

He also criticized Trump’s immigration policies, citing the planned mass deportations and the separation of families at the border during his first term.

“Today, after a campaign of villainizing immigrants, he proposes actions that will tear families apart again,” Doggett said.

Sophomore Maureen Horwedel expressed mixed feelings about the inauguration.

“I think that we both have reason to be afraid but also reason to hope,” Horwedel said. “We are a country of the people and always will be. So no matter what happens, I believe we can and will get through it.”

Horwedel noted their struggles to engage with the inauguration itself “I began to watch the inauguration, including the president’s speech,” Horwedel said, “but I couldn’t get through the whole thing as I found it tiring and difficult to watch.”

Horwedel also voiced skepticism about Trump’s rumored plans, including renaming the Gulf of Mexico, taking back the Panama Canal and purchasing Greenland.

“I feel really sickened by the fact that our president would rather waste time on such futile efforts instead of addressing issues like hunger, poverty and economic struggles,” Horwedel said.

Trump ended his speech with optimism about his new term and confidence in his capacity to deliver results in the next four years.

“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” he said.

Doggett promised to fight Trump policies to which he objected.

“Even where we fail to win a vote in the House, we send a message to our colleagues in the Senate to hold firm if we cannot find common ground,” he said.

Texas senator Sara Eckhardt speaks at the MLK Day press conference hosted by the Travis County Democratic Party.

Photo by Thoppil.

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Saved in the 12th hour

Less than a day after ban starts, Trump executive order restores TikTok for 75 days Daniela Di-Capua & Carson Duncan staff reporters

that we’re going to be a lot less connected I feel.”

Like many other TikTok users, McBride believes the ban limits people’s expression and won’t provide any positive results.

“I think it’s really tragic because I spend An app used by over 170 million all my time on TikTok, and I guess I’ll have Americans was momentarily banned a better screen nationwide, on time, but I think the evening of Jan. it’s blocking a lot of 18. After about 12 people from their hours, the app was restored with a pop It’s the amount of time that jobs, and also their creative expression,” up stating “As a [kids] spend watching it that McBride said. result of President Popular users can Trump’s efforts, means that their brains aren’t make a full-time TikTok is back in income based solely the U.S.” Trump’s doing something creative. on their TikTok executive order —yearbook adviser videos. Many delays the ban of the social media app for J. Frank Webster Americans woke up, Jan. 18, to a pop-up 75 days and restored message on the access to the app in app saying in part, the United States.

“A law banning The ban was TikTok has passed in large part because many U.S. been enacted in the U.S. officials had voiced concerns about TikTok, Unfortunately, that means owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, you can’t use TikTok and the security of U.S. citizens’ information. for now.”

In April last year, a law signed by President Yearbook and Joe Biden forced ByteDance to sell the app photography to a U.S. company by Jan. 19 or it would be teacher, J. Frank banned. Nine days before, the U.S. Supreme Webster, thinks Court reviewed the case and determined the app has whether the law banning the app did not damaged violate the First Amendment rights because students’ of the potential national security issues that mental the app poses. health and Users of the app have argued against the productivity. ban of the platform, saying it’s censorship “TikTok is and blocking creative expression. Among weaponized to these users is sophomore Finley McBride, create an entire who has a following of 5,000 and has even generation of gone viral with over 1.8 million likes. distracted American “I like that you can really make anything young people, and it’s and share it with whoever you want, and been very successfully there’s no limits to what you can do,” deployed,” Webster said.

McBride said.

Webster does not believe, Though the app provides the possibility however, it is the videos people of making money or becoming famous on watch or create that’s the issue. the internet, most enjoy creating content “It’s not the content that to share with friends. Without the app, people watch on TikTok that’s McBride believes there could be a decline in damaging,” Webster said. connection between students.

“It’s the amount of time “I think we’ll definitely be communicating that they spend watching a lot less,” McBride said. “TikTok is where it that means that their our common jokes come from and without brains aren’t doing

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something creative. It used to be that when once he takes office.” people were bored, they would satisfy that Sophomore Marlowe Walsh said that she boredom by creating or building, and now spends time on the app whenever she has when people are bored they start consuming free time. media. It is designed to be addictive.”

“I like that it gives me something to do Webster said this new addiction that when I am bored,” Walsh said. “If I want to students have developed has seeped into take a break when I am doing homework or classrooms too. right before bed I “When my automatically scroll students come into on TikTok.” my classroom, they Despite bringing I like that you can really all sit down and communities have their phones make anything and share it together, Walsh out, and they’re not admits she pushes with whoever you want, and away other priorities actually interacting with one another,” on TikTok. there’s no limits to what you to“Iscroll Webster said. “I think that it believe that we have makes me less can do. a generation of productive,” Walsh —sophomore young people who said. “During the Finley McBride time I could be don’t know how to have a face-to-face doing homework, conversation with spending time with anybody.” friends or working In terms of the ban, Webster out, I end up scrolling on TikTok instead.” doesn’t think its effects will During the ban on TikTok, users started to last long, with so many look for alternative apps to turn to. Popular other apps out there apps such as Instagram’s Reels and YouTube’s for students to spend Shorts have been mentioned as the new their time on. replacements for TikTok. “I think banning “I am not worried because I still have TikTok won’t Instagram Reels,” Walsh said. “I think that have a negative they are funnier, but a downside is that I effect,” Webster cannot follow my friends because they don’t said, “but I’m post on Reels.” afraid the Many use TikTok to make different kinds effect that of content. From dances to “day in my we’ll see from life,” it has provided people with a place to it will be very express themselves. temporary.”

“I have a small account with just my close Even before his friends,” Walsh said. “I will vlog my day executive order sometimes, and I like that it is a way to granting a 75-day communicate with my friends.” extension before the While the app will be missed if the ban ban takes effect and is eventually realized, Walsh thinks that before even took office, the adjustment will help improve overall Donald Trump indicated that intelligence in the world. wanted to provide an extension “I think that it will raise productivity and on Day 1 of his second term to people’s IQ and SAT scores,” Walsh said. give ByteDance more time to Despite saying that he would put the app sell TikTok to a non-Chinese out of business, Trump has restored the buyer. The pop-up message functionality of the app. However, there is on TikTok after its ban still a possibility of ban if it is not bought mentioned that Trump had within the 75-day extension. For now, kids promised to “work with who on average spend two hours a day active us on a solution to on the app will be left in the dark. reinstate TikTok

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Graphic by Nate Williams.

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New software loading...

Amid budget challenges, district leaders plan transition from BLEND to Google Classroom Mira Patel design & visuals editor Beginning in 2027, the Austin Independent School District will shift students and staff in grades 6-12 to a new platform to access their class resources: Google Classroom. While AISD will continue to provide and support the existing platform (BLEND) through the 2026-2027 school year, news about the shift is already creating a buzz among students and teachers.

According to a Dec. 19 internal communication, as a preliminary step to the eventual transition, the district has granted all district staff access to Google Classroom so that they have the opportunity to create sample classes and explore the features of the program.

BLEND, also known as Canvas, has been in place for several years. High school students Austin ISD students and teachers who have been in AISD since middle school will be switching to Google Classhave become accustomed to the platform, and room from Canvas (BLEND). The rely on it to access class calendars, resources, district said it will support BLEND assignments and due dates. Many students in grades 3-5 through the end of believe the shift will have negative effects. this school year and in grades 6-12 According to a recent Instagram poll on through the 2026-2027 school MacJournalism, all 21 respondents felt that the year. Graphic by Patel. plan to transition to Google Classroom would not be beneficial to students.

Junior Isadora Lang feels that the $92 million to eliminate the budget deficit transition could create challenges for both while keeping cuts farthest from the classroom students and teachers. and preserving the student experience.”

“BLEND is an expensive platform, but we know To balance the AISD budget, Superintendent how to use it, and switching to another platform Matias Segura presented a three-year proposal to would be difficult,” Lang said. “The transition the Board of Trustees on Nov. 22. Among several wouldn’t just be a logistical challenge—it would options outlined also be hard on was the shift from both students and BLEND to Google teachers. Everyone Classroom. is already familiar According with BLEND, so AISD leaders must find to the AISD introducing a new $92 million to eliminate the website, “Google platform would Classroom is mean retraining budget deficit while keeping included in staff and reorienting the cost of the students.” cuts farthest from the Google Suite, so While limited classroom and preserving this could be a information has potential savings been made publicly the student experience. opportunity. available, the AISD However, it would website offers some —Austin ISD website require staff who insights into the rely on BLEND rationale for the to rebuild their shift. According to curriculum in the website, “school Google Classroom.” funding hasn’t increased in five years and Teachers have already expressed concern remains $4,000 behind the national average about the shift. Amy Smith, who teaches for per-student funding. District leaders, along advanced English and AP Literature and with the Community Budget Committee, are thinking creatively to find ways to cut spending Composition at McCallum, feels that Google Classroom is not an adequate replacement for or bring in revenue. AISD leaders must find

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FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO CANVAS NOT FOUND IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM 1. ready to go content

Canvas Commons offers a ton of existing courses, modules, activities.

2. blueprint courses and course copies

In Canvas, teachers can build one course and push updates to other courses.

3. rich content editor

In Canvas, teachers can make text stand out in pages, assignments, etc.

4. add audio directly into questions

In Canvas, teachers can add embed audio into assignments and quizzes.

5. customizable notification settings In Canvas, teachers can pick and choose email and push notifications.

6. course statistics

In Canvas, teachers can view an overview of course analytics.

7. future relevance

Many colleges use Canvas. Most colleges do not use Google Classroom

Source: Megan Zara, Frisco ISD

BLEND for many reasons.

“Many of our seniors will be attending “While it may be a basic tool for sharing college next year, where they will be using assignments and messages, it lacks the Canvas, and they will be expected to know infrastructure to be a Learning Management how to navigate this type of program,” Smith System,” Smith said. “It does not allow for said. “Other high school students will enter curriculum organization or consistent and college with these skills, while AISD students organized feedback delivery that is vital for will be behind.” student growth.”

The shift There is also concern to Google about the substantial Classroom was time investment for one of several teachers, which may proposed Having to completely create unwanted ripple strategies to effects for already rebuild courses from the balance the stressed teachers. budget. ground up would make the AISD Smith acknowledges McCallum the teacher retention Principal Andy job even harder. concern in AISD and Baxa recognizes feels that discontinuing significant —English teacher the BLEND could make time commitment that problem worse.

Amy Smith that teachers have “Teachers are under invested into the significant pressure,” current BLEND Smith said. “Having platform and to completely rebuild intends to keep courses from the ground up—especially without staff updated as details continue to take shape. the tools you asked us to learn and which we now “This is definitely a hot topic among rely upon—would make the job even harder.” teachers,” Baxa said. Our teachers have Perhaps one of the most significant impacts, invested a lot of time and energy into making however, may be on students who could lose BLEND work for their classes and will need out on valuable college preparation. time to transition to a new system.”

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feb. 21, 2025

news briefs

Hundreds gather at Capitol to protest Trump’s initiatives

Protests against the Trump administration, Project 2025, Elon Musk and Trump’s recent executive orders took place throughout the country on Feb. 5 as part of an opposition movement that initially spread on social media.

The movement known under hashtags like #50501 and #buildtheresistance encouraged protesters to gather at all 50 state capitol buildings around the nation to fight back against recent executive initiatives by President Trump.

The turnout for the Austin demonstration was in the hundreds. DPS officials estimated that at its peak, the crowd size reached 500.

Protesters gathered on the steps of the Capitol

calendar Protesters gathered on the Texas State Capitol grounds on Feb. 5 to protest against the Trump administration and Project 2025. Photo

by Arwen Pelletier.

building to hear the leaders of the Austin #50501 movement shared stories of how President Trump’s legislation and executive orders negatively affected them. As the protest moved onto Congress Avenue, a sea of signs became visible with phrases that

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included “Seeking safety is not a crime,” “Greg Abbott is a DEI hire,” “We the people reject Project 2025,” “Women’s rights are human rights,” and “No one is illegal on stolen land.”

—Arwen Pelletier

march 3

campus advisory council @ mac—5:30 p.m.

PTA @ mac—6:30 p.m. march 4

SAT testing for juniors march 14

student holiday march 17-21

spring break march 31

student/staff holiday

Students of Color Alliance hosts BHM assembly about HBCUs During second and fourth periods on Feb. 10, the Students of Color Alliance hosted the first of two scheduled Black History Month assemblies in the MAC this month. The assembly featured dance performances from the McCallum Knight Steppers and the McCallum Youth Dance Company, a dramatic performance from freshman Laelani Croan and a singing performance from sophomore Paityn Jones.

Jones sang the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and Croan performed a scene from “Lift Every Voice,” a 2021 one-act play by G. Riley Mills.

Written originally as poem in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” became the official song of the NAACP in 1919.

The song became even more prominent in American culture as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Jones appreciates the song and its message of Black freedom, the struggle of overcoming inequality and the enduring, lasting hope of a better future.

“My favorite part of the song is the opening two lines, ‘Lift every voice and sing, til earth and heaven ring,” she said. “When I think of heaven, I think of this joyous [place], contrary to earth, which isn’t perfect. When the lyrics put them together it’s almost like they’re becoming equals, and I like that.”

Jones felt it was important to take the stage to sing the anthem and educate her peers about its significance.

“It’s a very powerful song that’s a big part of Black history,” she said. “I knew that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was so important, and people need to hear it.”

Throughout February, McCallum is hosting various activities, both in school and outside of school, to help celebrate Black history and to encourage people to learn more about it.

“I think it’s important because when people think about Black history, they think of Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and they don’t think about all of the other people and institutions that go into history,” she said. “For example, HBCUs. Nobody knew what those were, and it’s such a large part of Black history, and even applies to current-day schools. These assemblies tell people and get them to know about what has gone on in our world, and what is currently going on.”

The final event of the assembly was a panel of distinguished alumni from historically Black colleges and universities: Carlisha BrownRobinson and Darren and Stephanie Featherstone, graduates of Grambling State University, and Booker Eubacks and Mitchell and Ladeitra Lee, graduates of Jackson State University.

—Wren Vanderford

Sophomore Paityn Jones sings the Black National Anthem at the Student of Color Alliance’s Black History Month assembly focusing on Historically Black Colleges and Universities on Feb. 10 in the McCallum Arts Center. Photo by Jasmine Aung.

Maculty AISD Salute finalists

Teaching assistant Paula Hockaday, front office clerk Sara Zettner, custodian Kenneth Sterling and college and career counselor Camille Nix are among the Maculty members who were announced on Feb. 17 as Austin ISD Salute Award finalists. All of us at MacJ would like to congratulate all the finalists. Photos by Josie Mullan, Edie Davidson, Larry Featherstone and Jolie Gabriel.

A long list of Maculty members have been nominated for Austin ISD Salute Awards and will be joining Teacher of the Year Carlin Shaw and Teacher of Promise Lia Ferrante as Salute finalists.

Finalists include Tonya Moore and Sara Zettner (Campus Clerical/Office Support Staff of the Year), Cristela Garcia and Camille Nix (Counselor of the Year) and Scott Doyle, Paula Hockaday and Roberta Reed (Teaching Assistant of the Year).

There were several nominations for faculty members who were not eligible because they have not worked in their current position the required three years. For them, it is as the old adage says, an honor just to be nominated.

They include Gabriel Adame and Samuel Parrott (Assistant Principal of the Year), Mathew Zuniga (Librarian of the Year) and Andy Baxa (Principal of the Year).

—Dave Winter

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Concentrating on color guard Set for ‘25-’26 school year, Fine Arts Academy major first of its kind in state, nation

Josie Mullan co-web managing editor Starting next school year, for the first time ever, middle school students can audition for the Fine Arts Academy as a color guard major. Although the major will be a smaller portion of the academy with a cap of five to seven new students, Fine Arts Academy Director Samuel Parrott said the decision to add color guard as a major came from wanting to reinforce the growth the program has already been experiencing on its own in recent years.

“We want to invest time and space into [it], and we want to make sure that the color guard program continues to grow and flourish,” Parrott said. “It’s been doing so well over the last few years, and we just want to make sure it keeps going that way.”

Parrott explained that the push to add color guard to McCallum’s fine arts program actually came from middle school students and parents from Kealing and Lamar middle schools. McCallum, Lamar and Kealing have collaborated between color guard programs with McCallum color guard director Wilbert Toruno visiting Lamar and Kealing’s color guard class several times a week to help them with choreography and teaching.

“It actually came from kids outside of the school who said they wanted to come

to McCallum because they wanted that opportunity, and they specifically wanted to do color guard,” Parrott said. “We also had some students on campus saying that they want to be part of the academy, and they want to be held to that standard and just don’t have the opportunities with the programs that are currently in existence.”

Although color guard can often be grouped with marching band or dance, Parrott emphasized that color guard is a distinct fine art form and therefore should be in its own major category.

“After analyzing the program and seeing the level of artistry that goes into the color guard program, it’s very different from other art forms, so we wanted to make sure that we expanded out to allow students to come to school here for that,” Parrott said.

Toruno said he is excited to establish the color guard program as a separate major at McCallum, especially because it will be one of the first of its kind not only in all of Texas but across the country.

“Even though we’re a factor of the marching band, we’re also our own entity; we like to call it the pageantry arts, and I want to implement that to this

Senior Zephr Leblanc poses with a rifle during the band and color guard’s performance of all four movements of their show, Fury Road, before kickoff at the Homecoming game against John B. Connally on Oct. 18 at House Park. Photo by Julia Copas. illiams.

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community of the arts,” Toruno said. “We’re the first school that offers something like this for color guard in Texas, but actually [also for] the whole United States.”

Toruno said one major problem being solved by adding color guard into the academy would be accessing talented students who live outside of the McCallum attendance zone.

Toruno said he is looking forward to growing the color guard program to its full potential.

“I think it will change in a positive way if we look at other schools that have a 60-person color guard, and they all want to go there for that, so we can help build our program by offering spots to students at Kealing and Lamar,” Toruno said. “We lost four people last year who were interested because they were not zoned to McCallum. We have someone who auditioned that’s from Ann Richards, and they want to come to McCallum for color guard, but they’re not zoned, so this is a perfect way for them to come here.”

Senior Audrey Eberly has been in color guard since freshman year. She was first introduced to color guard through dance in middle school.

“My dance teacher in middle school asked me if I wanted to join and then I went to the camp,” Eberly said. “I’ve made a lot of friends and just enjoy doing it a lot. It takes up a lot of my time, but it was definitely

worth it.”

Looking towards the future, Toruno hopes to create a friendly and diverse community and give students the opportunity to move forward with color guard even professionally.

“I just want to build a program to be, one, welcoming, but also a place for people who want to grow in the dance or color guard world and hopefully go march professionally,” Toruno said. “Either the Strum Core which is our professional marching band league, or Winter Guard International, which is our winter guard world league, and that we offer for them to become hopefully educators in color guard one day.”

Parrott sees the addition of a color guard major as part of a larger vision to expand the Fine Arts Academy. He emphasized the importance of continuing to grow the academy over the next decades based on students’ new interests. He sees adding color guard as one positive step in the right direction.

“It’s about catering to the students that are expressing that these are their passions,” Parrott said. “Because right now we’re at the 30th year and normally around year 30 is when we should start thinking about, ‘Is it going the way we want it to go, or is it time to modify and meet the needs of the kids?’ They have growing and changing interests so we want to make sure we meet them where they are so we can continue to bring in the best kids to the school.”

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Hart hearts her music

Sophomore musician fosters passion by playing different instruments Adele Seeboth staff reporter McCallum sophomore, Vi Hart, has been playing musical instruments since she was in first grade, starting with the piano.

Due to the Fine Arts Academy’s many music offerings, Hart was excited to attend McCallum for high school. She is in the Piano 1 class, steel drums, marching band and performance band.

Her passion for music started when she first heard the Lively Middle School band perform. When Hart was in elementary school, her older sister attended Lively and played for the band.

“Hearing them play, I just knew that that’s what I wanted to do,” Hart said.

Hart mainly plays the French horn, which she has been playing since sixth grade. The challenge of the French horn the drew Hart to the instrument from the start.

“I love the way it sounds, and it gives me something to work on, so I’m always busy,” Hart said.

Hart competed for a spot in the region orchestra competition on Nov. 16. There are limited spots available, and players who make it will accompany the orchestra at their regional concert, making this a very competitive competition. Hart got first chair

Hart plays in the fall piano recital.

Photo by Adele Seeboth.

for her instrument, the French horn, out of 30 people in the 5A and 6A districts.

In the competition, all 30 participants are in the same room and called up individually to play a piece of three different etudes, which are short compositions of music. Hart was nervous to play but afterward was confident in her performance.

“I was really excited for the results,” Hart said. “I had put in a lot of effort so I was happy to see in that room, that it had paid off.”

Dillon Junkin, one of Hart’s band teachers, began teaching Hart in August of 2023 when summer marching band practices began.

Junkin has seen Hart’s growth throughout this past year.

“I have not seen many students that practice or work as hard as Vi has and so as a musician she has grown exponentially, in all facets, in tone, confidence, articulation just everything,” Junkin said.

According to Junkin, Hart has always been an extremely hard and talented worker, but he has also seen her transform into who she is as a person, through her music.

“I’ve also seen her grow into a much more confident person and develop into a leader in the program,”

Hart plays in the 2024 graduation entrance.

Photo by David Winter.

Junkin said. “Even though she might not have a leadership position, all of her peers look up to and respect her.”

Fellow band member, Thomas Capitan, also sees Hart as a hard worker and leader.

“She practices anytime she is given the opportunity,” Capitan said. “She really goes deep into the details of her music.”

He added that the effort and energy Hart puts into her instruments motivated him as a player as well. Similar to Hart, Capitan plays two instruments: the piano and the trombone. “[Her work] shows me what the result of putting in effort every day is,” Capitan said.

Capitan also attended the all-region orchestra competition alongside Hart.

He observed that Hart was very calm and collected before her performance and had everything prepared well.

Junkin agrees, stating this is normal operating procedure for Hart.

“I kind of envy her,” Junkin said “Ms. Nelson and I describe her as having nerves of steel. I never really see her get rattled by anything. She is just an absolute machine in her playing and in her technical ability. She always has

such confidence in everything she does.”

Both Capitan and Junkin agree that there is no limit to where Hart’s focus and discipline can take her.

“Her work ethic has yielded great results and growth in her playing,” Junkin states. “It’s brought her fantastic musicianship, and she’s still getting better.”

Hart is going to continue with her music for as long as she can. Her sophomore year has been one success after another. After performing alongside the orchestra at the region orchestra concert, she proceeded to the band region competition where she qualified to move onto area and from there to All-State, which took place last week.

Junkin believes it won’t be her last trip to All-State. Hart credits her McCallum experience with fostering her success in the musical world.

“I’m very proud of what I’ve produced,” Hart said, “and I’m looking forward to continuing with my music.”

Junkin thinks Hart can continue to grow even more as a musician, and it will lead her to great things.

“The sky’s the limit for someone like her,” Junking states. “With how kind she is, with how smart she is, with how hard she works, anything and everything is available to her.”

Hart plays French horn during the band winter concert.

Photo by Maya Tackett.

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Eclectic show incorporates guest choreographers featuring range of styles RIGHT: Juniors Jill Hoffman, Olivia Pittman and Emily Springer dance with the other pre-professional juniors. Pittman was pleased with the performance. “We started learning all of our dances early on in the school year so we had plenty of time to clean and perfect them,” Pittman said. “We got a lot of outside choreographers this year which was a lot of fun.” Photo by Emerson Merritt.

BELOW: Sophomore Opal Rodgers dances in “Bohemian Rhapsody” a ballet piece.

“Whenever I dance, I fully give myself to the dance and try to embody the emotion through both my movement and my face,” said Rodgers, who added that the enthusiastic audience response to the piece validated their hard work.

Photo by Katie Martin.

BELOW: Senior Julia Rasp performs said her favorite piece in the show was the Fosse-style piece choreographed by director Natalie Uehara. “Ms. Nat wanted to give us a special Fosse-style piece for the seniors because as a class we really hold a special place in her heart, and we want to leave our legacy on Mac Dance, which is kind of what the song is about.” Photo by Katie Martin.

RIGHT: Sophomores Fiona Kirsch and Pia Sosa perform a duet to “What You Don’t Know About Women” from the Musical City of Angels during the Jan. 24 encore show. The dance was originally choreographed by director Natalie Uehara; however, the two were able to add their own personal touches to it through the many rehearsals they attended. “Fiona is one of my best friends, so it was really getting to work together on this one,” Sosa said. “I think learning the dance together and getting to perform it many times has brought us closer because we’ve had to learn to be exactly in sync.” Photo

by Sophia Manos.

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ABOVE: Senior Zalie Mann (second from right) joins her peers to take a bow after second and final performance of the McCallum Youth Dance Company show “Movement” on Jan. 24. Due to an injury, Mann was not featured in her last high school faculty-choreographed show, but still bowed because she made significant contributions to the show and program. “I was always really excited about directing,” Mann said. “Freshman and sophomore year you don’t get to choreograph or direct, junior year you can choreograph, and senior year you can direct. I get a lot of experience as a leader as a student rather than just the faculty [doing all the directing].” As a four-year dance major, Mann said she has become a leader for younger students. “As a freshman, I definitely looked up to the seniors,” Mann said. “The first semester, we don’t have any classes together. But in the second semester, we got to interact with the seniors and collaborate with all grade levels.” Photo by Adele Seeboth.

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Orchestra, band members perform with ASO pros during MAC concert

Seniors Kate Talley and Daniel Rhodes stand for applause after they performed Copeland’s “John Henry” with the ASO in the MAC on Jan. 30. Photo by Dave Winter.

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Choir Pre-UIL Concert @ MAC—7 p.m.

Members of the orchestra and band played with the Austin Symphony Orchestra during fifth- and sixth-period performances on Jan. 30 in the MAC. Senior Bea Saffer was one of the nine musicians from McCallum invited to perform with the orchestra. She said she would cherish the moments on stage for a long time.

“I loved playing with the musicians of ASO,” Saffer said. “It was a really cool opportunity to get to sit side by side with the [performers] and experience being a part of a professional ensemble.”

Saffer said the performance was both challenging and enlightening.

“We had a rehearsal [the] Saturday [before] where we practiced our piece with the orchestra,” Saffer said. “We joined them for the last song of the concert, a piece called ‘John Henry’ by Aaron Copland.”

There were other McCallum connections during the performance.

Percussion director Ryan Pride accompanied the orchestra on percussion instruments during the performance and former orchestra director Georgeann DuBell-Shockley, a longtime ASO performer, returned to campus and played the violin.

—Chloe Lewcock

feb. 20-march 2

Spring Musical: Freaky Friday @ MAC feb. 26

Jazz Band Performance @ MAC—1 p.m. march 3-5

Piano spring recital @MAC—6:30-8:30 p.m.

Choir attends masterclass, Dallas Opera show The McCallum choir embarked on its longawaited trip to Dallas, Jan 17. They first stopped at UT Austin for a masterclass and to observe a rehearsal. During the masterclass, the choir met with Dr. Burnett, the director of choral activities at UT. The students learned about the functions of parts of the body while breathing and the most effective techniques to manage your breath while singing.

Sophomore Lucy McTeague said that the masterclass provided an opportunity to learn more about singing techniques.

“One of the things we really went over was how to breathe,” McTeague said. “That really helped me because that’s something that I struggle with.

I think other people feel the same way.”

After the masterclass, the students ate lunch at Jester Dining Hall and sat in on a UT choir rehearsal.

“It was really cool because the UT choir is like, on a different level than what I’ve seen before,” McTeague said. “It was super cool to hear them, even just warming up, they were so skilled.”

Later that night, the choir saw “Come From Away” at the Dallas Opera. “‘Come From Away’ was my favorite part,” McTeague said. “It was an incredible show, and it was really fun to see. I loved that even though it was about 9/11, it was still really funny and super engaging. Everyone had a really great time.”

On Saturday, the choir headed to Andretti Indoor Karting & Games for a day of go-karting and games before heading back home. “[Andretti] was super fun,” McTeague said.

“They had go-karts which were super fun to drive. Plus laser tag, which I never won, but it was still a really fun time.”

—Katie Martin

Senior Zane Wiggins and junior Hannah Schlesinger pose at the Andretti Indoor Karting & Games on their trip to Dallas. Photo by Katie Martin

Malaysiabrunei, Nonsense place at Battle of Bands

Junior Kingsley Taylor jumps in the air during his performance in Battle of the Bands on Feb. 6. Photo by Lucas Walker.

The classical guitar program held its annual Battle of the Bands in the Fine Arts Building Theater on Thursday Feb. 6. Each band performed three original or cover songs, and audience members used their tickets to vote for their favorite musicians. On Friday morning, they counted up the votes, declaring the two winning band that will perform a show at The Hole in the Wall.

Malaysiabrunei got the most votes, and Nonsense placed second, thus earning the coveted Hole in the Wall gigs. Malaysiabrunei, made up of juniors Kingsley Taylor (vocals), Simon Welch (guitar), Wyatt Philpott (bass) and April Kjorness (drums), had a strong stage presence with lots of students congregating in the front of the stage and Philpott descending into the crowd.

Malaysiabrunei didn’t have much experience on stage before last year’s Battle of the Bands.

“In January of 2024 we did our first show in my backyard, and it was OK,” Taylor said. “After a week or two we did the 2024 Battle of the Bands, and it was a fun time. We came into our own then. That experience made us excited to play in this year’s 2025 competition because of how much we would improve. After those first few concerts, we would later become jammier and better songwriters, so it was nice to see all that hard work pay off.”

Despite some initial nerves, Philpott said he was able to get more comfortable onstage, although at times he said his mind just “shuts off ” and “bass playing mode turns on.”

Philpott said he is stoked about playing at Hole in the Wall.

“I’ve driven past that place my whole life,” he said. “Getting to go inside is going to be so cool. I’m excited to just soak it all in, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to play there again so I’m super excited.”

Freshman Preston Cobb said he and the other members of Nonsense were happily surprised by their award.

“We’ve only performed at Battle of the Bands, so I’m still trying to figure out how we managed that because I didn’t expect to win, but we think it’s awesome,” Cobb said. “I think we played in time together, and everything went smoothly.”

Cobb said the band has been together for several years and has gravitated towards a pop-punk genre like Nirvana and Green Day. “We went to middle school together and I played guitar for seven years and eventually I just decided to start playing bass and it stuck with me until now,” Cobb said. “I just liked music, liked performing and decided I wanted to do that.”

—Wren Vanderford, Lillian Gray and Josie Mullan

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Following a family legacy In her sisters’ footsteps, freshman Hendrickse balances music and sports

Priya Thoppil news editor

altogether like maybe I would pursue soccer more,’” she said. “I’m really grateful that I can still play soccer now, but I am really glad that I stuck with violin.”

Shiloh is unaware currently if she will be able to continue playing soccer in the next couple of years, as her orchestra classes will ramp up, and she may not have time for it in the future.

“I’m not sure if I would have an elective in my schedule for soccer, but we’ll see,” she said. “They’re really sweet about things, and sometimes there’s a way you can figure it out.”

While she has no current plan of stopping soccer to play more violin, it is a possibility Shiloh sees coming, but she still believes that choosing either will be beneficial to her for the rest of her life.

“The beautiful thing about both of these things, like a sport like soccer and an instrument like violin, is that they are things you can keep with you throughout your life,” she said. “My stepfather, Richard, he’s 60 now, and he still plays soccer in his over-50s league. And some of the best violinists and musicians are in their 70s, so I’d really like to keep doing both, but as high school goes on, I think violin will probably be prioritized.”

Imogen, who was met with a similar issue her freshman year, believes that Shiloh will choose whichever extracurricular gives her more happiness.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to which ever one gives her the most liberty in her academics and the most time to focus on her academics,” Imogen said.

“She’s so invested in both of them, so I think it just comes down to which passion she feels gives her the most.”

When freshman Shiloh Hendrickse watched her older sister, junior Imogen Hendrickse, pick up the violin, and later her other sister, Cosette, it was only natural to follow in the footsteps of her siblings.

Shiloh Hendrickse, now in her first year at McCallum, is an orchestra major like her two older sisters. Hendrickse has played the violin since she was in kindergarten, and she has played soccer for the past eight years. She has continued the pursuit of her twin passions at McCallum as a soccer player on the girls varsity team and as a fine arts major in the orchestra program.

Hendrickse didn’t feel pressured to pick up the violin like her other sisters had but was instead inspired by them to begin playing.

While at first, she didn’t enjoy practicing, she has grown to appreciate her skill and dedication to the instrument.

“I am really grateful that I stuck with Shiloh Hendrickse performs at the orchestra fall recital. Photo courtesy of Hendrickse. it because it’s given me a lot of great opportunities,” Hendrickse said. “I get to play 4 years old and said ever since then Shiloh “One of the things when choosing a high in All-Region, in UIL, All-City, and ACMC has been a great friend to her and very school was that my mom wanted to make [Austin Chamber Music Center], which has determined. sure that I chose it for myself, not just been really incredible.”

“She’s very hard-working and cares a lot because of my sisters,” Shiloh said. “Definitely Imogen feels that since she and Cosette about her friends and the people around seeing Immie and Cosie go through was began playing violin around a similar time, it her,” Fincher-McConnell said. “As a soccer definitely a factor because, getting to come became a part of Shiloh’s life before she even player, she tries her best all the time, and to their concerts and seeing everything, it began to play it for herself. tries to help her teammates out, making sure seemed like a really good program.”

“Being surrounded by that environment everyone is doing the best they can.”

Imogen recalls their mother telling all the time, like coming home and hearing Also in orchestra, Fincher-McConnell has them how they should have three forms of me and my sister practicing, I think it really been able to observe Shiloh’s dedication to education in their life—academic, musical instilled a value for music in her,” Imogen practicing and her and active. said. willingness to learn.

“She really instilled Shiloh went to “We were in the this value of being the Girls School same orchestra class active and doing music,” of Austin where from kindergarten Imogen said. And so it was always she attended [Shiloh] is very hard-working through eighth expected of us to do soccer or to do kindergarten grade, and she was some sort of physical activity. But Shiloh through eighth and cares a lot about so determined,” immediately showed a passion for it and it grade. It is a fairly her friends and family.

Fincher-McConnell came really naturally to her.” small school, so said. “She practices Imogen, who played soccer at McCallum there weren’t really so much that when her freshman year, chose to stop playing school sports that —freshman we go on trips with after the first year and focus on violin would allow her more extensively. to pursue soccer Luella Fincher-McConnell her family over the summer, she brings “I’ve always expressed more of alongside her fine her violin and an interest in violin than soccer, arts passion.

Scan the QR code practices every day.” whereas Shiloh, it was kind of “I played club to read the full story Fincherthe other way around,” she said, soccer outside of or visit McConnell stopped playing the violin last “but now it’s a little more even school since there was no team, and we also macshieldonline.com. year, but she shares Shiloh’s involvement in for her.” had a really small orchestra,” she said. “It was the girls soccer program at McCallum and Throughout all the years only about a maximum of 10 people at one is excited to cheer her on in both violin and she has been playing violin, time, but it was good because I got to be kind soccer. Shiloh’s two older sisters Cosette and Shiloh recalls a moment in of a leader since I was one of few who took Imogen, a past and a current McCallum eighth grade, which made private violin lessons.” orchestra major, influenced her decision to her question the future of Freshman Luella Fincher-McConnell apply to the Fine Arts Academy, but, as her violin and soccer. attended the Girls School of Austin with Hendrickse plays during the mom made sure, their influence was not the “I was like ‘Wait, what Shiloh and played soccer with her. Finchergirls soccer game versus East only factor in Shiloh’s decision. if I just stop violin McConnell has known her since she was View. Photo by Sofia Saucedo.

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Barbells and Bisc its

Thanks to shared commitment to community and resilience in face of COVID, co-habitation of comfort food and exercise thrives at 2701 Manor Road photos and captions by

RIGHT: Everyone remembers the days of COVID. But no one struggled as much as the local business and restaurants. And for the newly founded Bird Bird Biscuit, it was especially tough. “We adapted and we changed,” Bird Bird Biscuit founder Brian Batch said. “COVID changed our entire business model.” Instead of eating inside, Bird Bird Biscuit is now a walk-up window shop with picnic tables outside to eat.

The former dining area (inside part of the building) is now a big kitchen.

Lucy Tepera BELOW: “Hard. It was really hard.” Those are the words that Dane Krager used to describe his business’ COVID experience.

Since they couldn’t teach in-person workout classes, they switched to online.

Surprisingly that turned out well, with 70% of their membership base staying around. The community was very strong, sending Dane comments such as “We don’t want you to go under,” and “We want you to be here after the pandemic.” Dane’s Body Shop rented out its equipment and slowly started buying it back as customers started returning.

View full photo essay online at macshieldonline.com or by scanning the QR code.

RIGHT: Who doesn’t love fried chicken and biscuits? That’s why Bird Bird Biscuit serves its delectable versions of them to all of the community. Brian Batch, the founder of Bird Bird, created this breakfast/lunch place in 2018, out of his “desire to grow with the people.” Batch also said, “I wanted to build a business that we had a vision for growing.” And that’s what he did. He now has two locations, one on Koenig Lane and another on Manor Road.

LEFT: Many local businesses such as Dane’s Body Shop do not have many staff members, but someone still has to do all the day-to-day tasks that come with the job. For Dane’s Body Shop, that person is Dane Krager. “The hardest thing about running your own business is the day-to-day tasks,” Krager said.

“You have to continue every single day and wake up ready.”

ABOVE: Dane’s Body Shop is completely run and supported by the community. Dane Krager believes that’s what makes his shop different. “You get to know the people around you,” Krager said, “and that is really important.” He thinks that part of the reason why people keep coming into the shop every day is to have fun and grow with the people they know.

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Drew draws future path McCallum alum moves to New York to pursue career in art Gallery of Drew’s artworks presented in her NYC art gallery. Photos courtesy of Drew. Graphic by Chloe Lewcock.

Arwen Pelletier staff reporter

surrounds the visual arts strand.

“I liked having a space where there were other people who are into art, and there was some Ava Drew has always displayed her emotions, seriousness about it,” Drew said. “It helped me her beliefs and her interests on a canvas. Her improve because I felt like I had somewhere art has shaped the way that she has approached to go. I’ve heard a lot of people going to other her education and her self-expression. As a schools where the art isn’t really a focus, and kid, Drew literally drew as much as she could, they’re like the only person they know who does and she came to understand very early in life art. It doesn’t really feel important in the way that she loved creating art. After attending that it did at McCallum. There was more of an Gullett Elementary School near her home and identity around it, for better or for worse.” honing her skills as she grew up, Drew moved At the Fine Arts Academy, artists are offered on to Lamar Middle many media that School specifically allow them to for the opportunity explore different to take advantage ways of expressing of the fine arts and I’ve heard a lot of people going themselves opportunities finding their niche. at the school. mediums offered to other [high] schools where The At the Lamar Fine range from painting Arts Academy, Drew to ceramics and they’re like the only person first entertained the from printmaking to they know who does art. . idea of becoming a jewelry making. In professional artist. her younger years, —Ava Drew “I would say Drew mainly focused Class of 2020 visual arts major around middle on drawing, but school is when I when she arrived at first started thinking McCallum, she was about pursuing art introduced to many as a career,” Drew different media that said. “When I went into Lamar because of the she had not tried before high school.

Lamar arts program I was like, ‘Oh, OK, I want One of Drew’s favorite new mediums was clay. to do this,’ and I realized that this is actually like “I liked that they had a lot of different mediums a path that I can follow.” that we could try out, and especially clay was Like many dedicated fine artists, Drew really good,” Drew said. “Some of the projects decided to continue her arts-focused education Mr. Cauthern did, I really liked. He would have by applying to and enrolling in McCallum’s Fine us sculpt clay heads. That was one of the better Arts Academy as a visual arts major exploring things we did while we were there because it multimedia art creation. really helped us understand anatomy and things Drew joined the academy due to its culture of like that—even if the heads were really ugly.” commitment and constructive competition that Bill Cauthern, the printmaking and sculpture

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teacher, taught Drew throughout her high school years and helped instill in her further discipline, experience and love of her craft.

Cauthern attempts to instill those values throughout his teaching.

“Things I try to achieve in my class are a little bit of self-discipline, a little bit of fun and empathy with one another,” Cauthern said. “It’s great to see them succeed, but they can succeed at anything.”

Cauthern and the other visual arts teachers also encourage student to enter their work into competitions because seeking an external audience instills discipline, focus and productivity. One major competition that students enter at McCallum is the state high school Visual Arts Scholastic Event, or VASE, competition. During her time as a visual arts major, Drew had to overcome the competitive pressure surrounding such events.

“It just really had this pressure on it, especially since at the school there was always this expectation that McCallum students would do well,” Drew said. “I felt like I had to do really well. I think I had this, like, pressure in my mind that I needed to go to state, and I did go to state one year, and then I realized it wasn’t really actually that interesting, but the goal was accomplished, I guess.”

Although Drew said she felt pressure to do well in competitions during her time at McCallum, overall, the pure, genuine community of artists at McCallum made her want to pursue a career in the arts after high school. The flexibility of the different art forms and creative media convinced her to continue her art education at a higher level.

“I really like the sense of community in the art world, and most of my friendships were built around it,” Drew said. “I felt like I could experiment with some of the things I liked more within the art world. You can take the art in any direction you want to. There are tons of jobs that incorporate art, so I think I felt like at least if I go into art, it’s broad enough that I can find my

niche.”

Drew was part of the Fine Arts Academy graduating class of 2020. During her senior year, Drew developed her set of requirements for the college she would attend. She decided she wanted a small, lower-pressure school close to home that wouldn’t cause fear of an immediate viral outbreak due to the pandemic.

“I think I would say that some of the competition at McCallum made me want to go to a place where I would have more of a small, non-pressure college,” Drew said.

“Southwestern University was close enough that I could still come home if I needed to, especially if the pandemic got bad. I was thinking about Texas State, but I was worried that they would immediately be hit by the pandemic and then I would be sent right home.”

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after an undergraduate education at Southwestern University Based on her criteria, Drew chose to attend I wanted to fully go Southwestern University, just north of Austin, out of my comfort for her undergraduate degree in art. Upon zone,” Drew said. entering the campus and art department “I wanted to really facilities, she was impressed with the figure out what opportunities for learning and ability to create exactly I was gonna intricate art. do in art because “When I did a tour, they had a lot of space for there’s so many paths art students, and they had a lot of really detailed that it becomes kind projects,” Drew said. “When I walked in, one of of scary because you the first things I saw was a full-scale drawing of can do a lot of things, a skeleton that a student had done. I was like, I but they’re all so want to be able to do that.” specific. So I was like, One of the benefits, and original attractions, ‘OK, I’ll go there, of attending the school for her was the size. and afterward, I’m Because Southwestern was small, Drew felt gonna know what my that she had a support system around her plan is.’ Luckily, that consisting of professors who cared about her worked out.” improvement and were able to give her critical For the people one-on-one instruction that may not have been closest to Drew, available within a larger art department at a the change was different university. unexpected but “I gained a sense of what I wanted to do welcomed. Her own and how I could accomplish that,” Drew said. brother, Logan Drew, a sophomore currently at “While I was there, the art teachers were very McCallum, felt a sense of pride when he heard of supportive, and they also were prepared to her decision to take a final semester in New York. help me out. I got a lot of skills there that I Growing up around his sister’s work, he’s had a had never been taught before because I had front row seat to her growth from the beginning, individual attention for them to say, ‘Here’s and seeing her transition into bigger opportunities things you need to improve on.’ I think it’s just away from home has been fulfilling. hard to come by.”

“I think her art’s pretty cool, and I’ve seen her While the small size of Southwestern was a change the way she draws and how she creates major plus, there were others. The connections her art,” Logan said. “It was pretty cool to watch between Southwestern and other art programs her achieve things in her career. She stayed close throughout the country also attracted Drew to to home for college, so I saw her all the time. the school. One of Now, whenever she the programs that goes to New York, the school has a and she’s actually large connection getting internships, with is NYAP (New it’s weird and cool.”

You have to believe in your York Arts Program).

Ava packed her As part of NYAP, own work. That’s the hardest bags for the city and Southwestern embarked on her part, is believing that your students are able journey that she to work, create and hoped would give her own work is worth it. learn in New York valuable insight into —Ava Drew the art world. That City with two fulltime, professional Southwestern University graduate hope was realized artists for a semester. when she had the This program offers unique opportunity the chance to work to learn from two as a full-time artist. women who were in Unfortunately, vastly different parts due to the pandemic and scheduling issues, of their careers. there was no feasible way for Drew to attend “One of them was a university professor, and the program during her official time at she’s going to retire soon,” Drew said, “so I saw Southwestern and still complete her degree in the end kind of path, you know? I saw, like, four years. The dilemma caused her to take part how the end turnout was. Her life was settled, in the NYAP semester opportunity the semester and she has everything she wants. Then I also after her graduation in 2024. Drew felt that the was working with an artist who’s younger chance to experience New York City and flesh and a more recent graduate from her master’s out her career choices made the decision to join program. She’s still in the game, building up her the program a no-brainer. career. So it was nice to see both sides of it to get “Since I’d gone to a college so close to home, an idea of what to do.”

“

”

Over her time in the program, Drew gained valuable experience and learned successful ways to approach the art world.

She learned for example that making connections and being patient are two of the most vital skills needed to advance in the art world.

“You have to wait for a lot of opportunities, but you also have to be prepared for them,” Drew said “You know, opportunities will come around, but you also have to make yourself available to them. You have to network. You have to go out and go, just even just going to galleries, seeing people and then just keep working on your art the entire time.”

Another key to success, she learned, is to always believe in yourself. In the art world, the artist is their own promoter, CEO and personal assistant when they start their career.

“It’s essentially running your own business,” Drew said. “Especially if you don’t go into any sort of teaching, then it becomes your career. You’re running a small business, and that business is yourself. You have to market yourself, and you have to believe in your own work. That’s the hardest part, is believing that your own work is worth it.”

After her time during the semester with NYAP, Drew fine-tuned her career ambitions with a better understanding of the different occupations within the art world. Since then, Drew has decided to pursue a master’s degree in art before entering the world of teaching or committing to

More art installed in Drew’s NYC art gallery.

Photos courtesy of Drew. an artist residency program up north.

“I realized while I was [in New York] that I would like to be a professor or at least stay in the academic space,” Drew said, “so my plan is to go to grad school I’m not sure where yet, but probably up north because I did love New York and hopefully from there I’ll go into teaching, or I will look into more residencies.”

Throughout her art career to this point, she’s received advice from peers and mentors, but one piece that has stuck with her is the need to put yourself out there. No matter what you do, you are the most valuable asset to yourself, and presenting your own self-determination to others is key to your success.

“The more that they see your face, the more that they’re going to trust you, and the more that they’re going to see that you are invested in this,” Drew said.

people 15

the

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volume 72

issue 3

A w rld within our school feb. 21, 2025

Moving forward Mexico

Senior Chris Hernandez decided he wanted to pursue higher education in the United States three years before he made the move. Hernandez was born in the U.S. but had lived in Villahermosa, a city in southern Mexico, his whole life.

So, in the summer of 2023, his dad and brother, who had been living in the U.S., came to Villahermosa. They flew with Hernandez to Monterrey and then grabbed a bus to Austin, arriving here in July.

“It was challenging mentally because you have to know you will use English for so many years,” Hernandez said. “It was hard because you have to … translate so many things. After the months you will learn, but it is progressive.”

Like Chris, senior Abdiel Hernandez, who was also born in the U.S., decided to move from Allende, Coahuila, to Austin in mid-August, with his sights set on college.

“It’s been a little difficult, but I got used to it and learned

A series of stories about students and teachers around the globe

things in English that have helped me,” Abdiel Hernandez said.

“I learned a little English in school and thanks to that I have communicated. I also use the translator and some friends who speak English and Spanish.”

Although both Chris and Abdiel left their homes when they were in the later years of high school, freshman Metzi Luna moved here when she was 12 for the “American Dream.”

“It was so different from my country,” she said. “English was so horrible for me. I used to know how to communicate with others because everyone in my old school spoke Spanish so it was more simple.”

As Luna continues to develop her English skills, she encourages her peers to meet students like her, Chris, and Abdiel halfway.

“Try to talk to us,” she said. “We don’t feel like we’re the others.”

Read the full stories at macshieldonline.com or scan the QR code.

Ukraine

Living in Kyiv Ukraine, junior Anastasiia Musiiaka’s childhood dream was to attend college in the U.S. as an international student. At the age of 4, after some encouragement from her mom, Musiiaka started learning English, her third language after Ukrainian and Russian.

What she didn’t know at the time was that her dream of studying in the U.S. would arrive unexpectedly during her first year of high school.

In early 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Musiiaka’s hometown, Kyiv, was under attack. As the war escalated, more and more of her friends began to leave for safer living conditions. Eventually, so did Musiiaka. Her mom found a job in Austin and, after living in Ukraine for six months after the war started, she and her mom began the journey to Texas.

A week later, it was Musiiaka’s first day at McCallum.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to process everything,” she said. “First I had no friends and it was scary because everything was new. English is my third language, so I

A touch of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico

Spanish teacher Janette Miranda-Santiago was born in New York, but her family moved back to Puerto Rico when she was 5. She spent her weekends and breaks at the beach, her favorite part about living on the island. She and her seven siblings celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and her favorite, Three Kings Day. At school, lessons were taught in Spanish, but books and materials were all in English. Even though her family spoke Spanish at home, she and other students had to find a way to adapt to the bilingualism that the school system enforced.

“I’m from New York, but I feel Puerto Rican,” MirandaSantiago said. “I feel like I can bond with the Latino culture and the Hispanic culture, and it is a part of me. It’s like my soul.”

Afghanistan

stories by

Lillian Gray

Chile

16

“The first time was really scary for me because [America] was a big country and I was not used to being in this place,” she said. “It’s a little bit different because America is way bigger, so it was scary, but, then I got used to it.”

Along with getting used to a new country, when Larenas started at Lamar Middle School, she had to adjust to a new school structure, without speaking much of the language that was being spoken to her.

“I was confused and nobody told me that I should have to get used to it,” she said. “I was just thinking it would be like that forever, and you just have to get used to that stuff.”

Three years after leaving Santiago, she’s realized that she did in fact eventually get used to the new country, new school, new friends and new life. Larenas believes she’ll be returning to Chile after high school, but for now, whether she does or not, Chile is found in Chilean food, her family and most importantly, completos.

was like ‘What is going on here?’”

Since moving here in 2022, she’s noticed a drastic change in how the media is covering the war that continues in Ukraine. It seems, to her, that it has been pushed aside.

“A lot of people just forgot about us, but it’s still going and people get killed,” she said. “Everyone talks about Israel and Gaza, but nobody talks about Ukraine anymore because it’s not like the hot topic you know.”

It may feel as though much of the world has forgotten about the war in Ukraine, but Musiiaka can’t, especially when her dad still lives there.

“When it’s war time, men are not allowed to leave Ukraine,” she said. “That’s like their role because a lot of them are taken to the front line.”

Along with her dad, other friends and family, including her grandmother, have stayed in Ukraine. Calling and Facetime help make the distance between them seem smaller, and Musiiaka has had the chance to go back to Ukraine to visit.

We are all humans

As a teacher, she has been struck at times by the lack of knowledge most students have surrounding Puerto Rico, which has been a territory of the United States since 1898.

“Living on the mainland, we realized the importance of being a part of something, but sometimes I feel a part of nothing,” she said. “I feel sad sometimes when I realize that the United States schools do not help U.S. citizens to learn about their territories. They don’t know anything about Puerto Rico.

They did not consider us a part of this process.”

If students ever need help on a project or have questions about Puerto Rico, Miranda-Santiago tries to help them understand it as best she can, so that maybe more mainland citizens will know the significance of where she grew up, the place that she calls her soul.

Staying connected Despite Santiago, Chile being almost 5,000 miles away from Austin, when freshman Pia Larenas cooks or eats Chilean foods, it makes her and her family feel more connected to the home they left when she was 11.

Foods like completos, asado and empanadas of all kinds (“de queso, de pino de camarón”) remind her of Santiago and Chile. Unfortunately, foods like completos are almost impossible to find in Austin.

“Every person in Chile knows how to make completos because it’s so good,” she said.

Completos are a variation of a hot dog, which is usually topped with ingredients like tomatoes, avocados, mayonnaise, sauerkraut and salsa Americana.

Prior to moving to Austin, Larenas had visited the United States a few times since family members like her cousins and grandparents live here. At the time, visiting America was daunting.

Left behind

Just like the movies Brazil

Sophomore Rafael Kubala had never been to the United States before he landed here in August. But after stepping off the plane, and looking around, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

“I came here and I was like ‘Oh, it’s just like the movies,’” he said.

Kubala left Sao Paulo, Brazil with his mom who teaches violin at the University of Sao Paulo. This year, she is a visiting professor at the University of Texas. Although this is a planned year-long stay in the United States for Kubala, it still came with a lot of uncertainty.

“I was nervous at first, but then I got used to how things are here,” he said. “I made some good friends, so now it’s alright.

Everything worked out.”

In getting to know more about the country he had only previously seen in movies, there is one thing that is beginning to stand out to him.

“Brazil is a diverse country,” he said. “There are a lot of nationalities in Brazil, and that’s a thing we are proud of.

People in America should be proud of being a country with multiple nationalities. That makes the country rich.”

Senior Uzma Rahim grew up in Laghman, an eastern province of Afghanistan.

“Life was good there,” Rahim said. “It was a beautiful city.

We had a big house and we had a lot of friends.”

In 2021, as the Taliban took over the country’s government, her family made the difficult decision to leave. Her parents and three siblings traveled through several countries, including Germany, before making their way to Austin.

“We thought that the people would not be friendly… but it wasn’t like that,” she said.

Though finding kind people was a relief, coming to the U.S. was still an enormous change. The family

had to find a home, her parents had to find jobs and Rahim and her siblings had to get settled into school.

And, they had to do that all in a place they had never been before.

“Everything is different here from our country like the language, people, culture, everything,” she said.

Times that Rahim has felt disconnected from others, she says, have nothing to do with where she came from or grew up, but stem from difficulties of navigating the place she is beginning a new life.

“If we are not feeling good that will be from the language, not that we have a different nationality,” she said. “Because we are all humans.”

American enough Malaysia

Nine-year-old Jasmine Aung walked up to a large brick building with her family, all dressed in traditional Karen clothing. Her dad leaned down to her and whispered something in her ear.

“Remember the national anthem just in case anyone tests you,” he said.

Even though Aung has never been back to Malaysia and in her memory, she’s always lived in America, she didn’t become an American until that day.

After entering a large auditorium, she was separated from her mom and sister. Once she was called up, she sat beside her dad, and sang the national anthem.

“We just really wanted to prove that we deserved to be in America just as much as anyone who was born there,” she said.

For Aung and her family, it took years to get to that day.

After living in the United States for five years on a green card, her mom and dad studied for over a year for the test that gave them and their children citizenship, a test that seven-year-old Aung had to help them prepare for. She spent hours translating legal documents, American history textbooks and papers from English to Burmese.

“Getting that citizenship, I felt that I was worthy of being here and worthy of calling myself an Asian American,” she said.

As soon as the family received their citizenship certificates, her parents hung them on their living room wall.

Jasmine still sees the citizenship paper plastered in her living room every day, a reminder of the sacrifices her parents, and entire family, have gone through in order for her to have the opportunities she has today.

17

the

shield

volume 72

issue 3

A w rld within our school feb. 21, 2025

Moving forward Mexico

Senior Chris Hernandez decided he wanted to pursue higher education in the United States three years before he made the move. Hernandez was born in the U.S. but had lived in Villahermosa, a city in southern Mexico, his whole life.

So, in the summer of 2023, his dad and brother, who had been living in the U.S., came to Villahermosa. They flew with Hernandez to Monterrey and then grabbed a bus to Austin, arriving here in July.

“It was challenging mentally because you have to know you will use English for so many years,” Hernandez said. “It was hard because you have to … translate so many things. After the months you will learn, but it is progressive.”

Like Chris, senior Abdiel Hernandez, who was also born in the U.S., decided to move from Allende, Coahuila, to Austin in mid-August, with his sights set on college.

“It’s been a little difficult, but I got used to it and learned

A series of stories about students and teachers around the globe

things in English that have helped me,” Abdiel Hernandez said.

“I learned a little English in school and thanks to that I have communicated. I also use the translator and some friends who speak English and Spanish.”

Although both Chris and Abdiel left their homes when they were in the later years of high school, freshman Metzi Luna moved here when she was 12 for the “American Dream.”

“It was so different from my country,” she said. “English was so horrible for me. I used to know how to communicate with others because everyone in my old school spoke Spanish so it was more simple.”

As Luna continues to develop her English skills, she encourages her peers to meet students like her, Chris, and Abdiel halfway.

“Try to talk to us,” she said. “We don’t feel like we’re the others.”

Read the full stories at macshieldonline.com or scan the QR code.

Ukraine

Living in Kyiv Ukraine, junior Anastasiia Musiiaka’s childhood dream was to attend college in the U.S. as an international student. At the age of 4, after some encouragement from her mom, Musiiaka started learning English, her third language after Ukrainian and Russian.

What she didn’t know at the time was that her dream of studying in the U.S. would arrive unexpectedly during her first year of high school.

In early 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Musiiaka’s hometown, Kyiv, was under attack. As the war escalated, more and more of her friends began to leave for safer living conditions. Eventually, so did Musiiaka. Her mom found a job in Austin and, after living in Ukraine for six months after the war started, she and her mom began the journey to Texas.

A week later, it was Musiiaka’s first day at McCallum.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to process everything,” she said. “First I had no friends and it was scary because everything was new. English is my third language, so I

A touch of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico

Spanish teacher Janette Miranda-Santiago was born in New York, but her family moved back to Puerto Rico when she was 5. She spent her weekends and breaks at the beach, her favorite part about living on the island. She and her seven siblings celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and her favorite, Three Kings Day. At school, lessons were taught in Spanish, but books and materials were all in English. Even though her family spoke Spanish at home, she and other students had to find a way to adapt to the bilingualism that the school system enforced.

“I’m from New York, but I feel Puerto Rican,” MirandaSantiago said. “I feel like I can bond with the Latino culture and the Hispanic culture, and it is a part of me. It’s like my soul.”

Afghanistan

stories by

Lillian Gray

Chile

16

“The first time was really scary for me because [America] was a big country and I was not used to being in this place,” she said. “It’s a little bit different because America is way bigger, so it was scary, but, then I got used to it.”

Along with getting used to a new country, when Larenas started at Lamar Middle School, she had to adjust to a new school structure, without speaking much of the language that was being spoken to her.

“I was confused and nobody told me that I should have to get used to it,” she said. “I was just thinking it would be like that forever, and you just have to get used to that stuff.”

Three years after leaving Santiago, she’s realized that she did in fact eventually get used to the new country, new school, new friends and new life. Larenas believes she’ll be returning to Chile after high school, but for now, whether she does or not, Chile is found in Chilean food, her family and most importantly, completos.

was like ‘What is going on here?’”

Since moving here in 2022, she’s noticed a drastic change in how the media is covering the war that continues in Ukraine. It seems, to her, that it has been pushed aside.

“A lot of people just forgot about us, but it’s still going and people get killed,” she said. “Everyone talks about Israel and Gaza, but nobody talks about Ukraine anymore because it’s not like the hot topic you know.”

It may feel as though much of the world has forgotten about the war in Ukraine, but Musiiaka can’t, especially when her dad still lives there.

“When it’s war time, men are not allowed to leave Ukraine,” she said. “That’s like their role because a lot of them are taken to the front line.”

Along with her dad, other friends and family, including her grandmother, have stayed in Ukraine. Calling and Facetime help make the distance between them seem smaller, and Musiiaka has had the chance to go back to Ukraine to visit.

We are all humans

As a teacher, she has been struck at times by the lack of knowledge most students have surrounding Puerto Rico, which has been a territory of the United States since 1898.

“Living on the mainland, we realized the importance of being a part of something, but sometimes I feel a part of nothing,” she said. “I feel sad sometimes when I realize that the United States schools do not help U.S. citizens to learn about their territories. They don’t know anything about Puerto Rico.

They did not consider us a part of this process.”

If students ever need help on a project or have questions about Puerto Rico, Miranda-Santiago tries to help them understand it as best she can, so that maybe more mainland citizens will know the significance of where she grew up, the place that she calls her soul.

Staying connected Despite Santiago, Chile being almost 5,000 miles away from Austin, when freshman Pia Larenas cooks or eats Chilean foods, it makes her and her family feel more connected to the home they left when she was 11.

Foods like completos, asado and empanadas of all kinds (“de queso, de pino de camarón”) remind her of Santiago and Chile. Unfortunately, foods like completos are almost impossible to find in Austin.

“Every person in Chile knows how to make completos because it’s so good,” she said.

Completos are a variation of a hot dog, which is usually topped with ingredients like tomatoes, avocados, mayonnaise, sauerkraut and salsa Americana.

Prior to moving to Austin, Larenas had visited the United States a few times since family members like her cousins and grandparents live here. At the time, visiting America was daunting.

Left behind

Just like the movies Brazil

Sophomore Rafael Kubala had never been to the United States before he landed here in August. But after stepping off the plane, and looking around, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

“I came here and I was like ‘Oh, it’s just like the movies,’” he said.

Kubala left Sao Paulo, Brazil with his mom who teaches violin at the University of Sao Paulo. This year, she is a visiting professor at the University of Texas. Although this is a planned year-long stay in the United States for Kubala, it still came with a lot of uncertainty.

“I was nervous at first, but then I got used to how things are here,” he said. “I made some good friends, so now it’s alright.

Everything worked out.”

In getting to know more about the country he had only previously seen in movies, there is one thing that is beginning to stand out to him.

“Brazil is a diverse country,” he said. “There are a lot of nationalities in Brazil, and that’s a thing we are proud of.

People in America should be proud of being a country with multiple nationalities. That makes the country rich.”

Senior Uzma Rahim grew up in Laghman, an eastern province of Afghanistan.

“Life was good there,” Rahim said. “It was a beautiful city.

We had a big house and we had a lot of friends.”

In 2021, as the Taliban took over the country’s government, her family made the difficult decision to leave. Her parents and three siblings traveled through several countries, including Germany, before making their way to Austin.

“We thought that the people would not be friendly… but it wasn’t like that,” she said.

Though finding kind people was a relief, coming to the U.S. was still an enormous change. The family

had to find a home, her parents had to find jobs and Rahim and her siblings had to get settled into school.

And, they had to do that all in a place they had never been before.

“Everything is different here from our country like the language, people, culture, everything,” she said.

Times that Rahim has felt disconnected from others, she says, have nothing to do with where she came from or grew up, but stem from difficulties of navigating the place she is beginning a new life.

“If we are not feeling good that will be from the language, not that we have a different nationality,” she said. “Because we are all humans.”

American enough Malaysia

Nine-year-old Jasmine Aung walked up to a large brick building with her family, all dressed in traditional Karen clothing. Her dad leaned down to her and whispered something in her ear.

“Remember the national anthem just in case anyone tests you,” he said.

Even though Aung has never been back to Malaysia and in her memory, she’s always lived in America, she didn’t become an American until that day.

After entering a large auditorium, she was separated from her mom and sister. Once she was called up, she sat beside her dad, and sang the national anthem.

“We just really wanted to prove that we deserved to be in America just as much as anyone who was born there,” she said.

For Aung and her family, it took years to get to that day.

After living in the United States for five years on a green card, her mom and dad studied for over a year for the test that gave them and their children citizenship, a test that seven-year-old Aung had to help them prepare for. She spent hours translating legal documents, American history textbooks and papers from English to Burmese.

“Getting that citizenship, I felt that I was worthy of being here and worthy of calling myself an Asian American,” she said.

As soon as the family received their citizenship certificates, her parents hung them on their living room wall.

Jasmine still sees the citizenship paper plastered in her living room every day, a reminder of the sacrifices her parents, and entire family, have gone through in order for her to have the opportunities she has today.

17

the

shield

issue 3 volume 72

feb. 21, 2025

Once a PAL, always a pal

Wangrin uses skills gained as student in Mac peer program as first-year teacher I am, as well as creating a place where people in schools that will help him in the future. can become a family from all different walks.”

“I’ve learned a lot about how kids of different Wangrin credits the program with teaching ages think,” Howard said. “In PALS, we put her valuable life lessons about children and a large emphasis on communication, which PALS, Peer Assistance Leadership and those around her. is really the foundation for making healthy Service, is a program that is offered throughout “PALS really relationships. I Austin ISD schools in which high school emphasized how think I’ve gained students mentor younger students at everyone you meet a lot of experience elementary schools. The program is beneficial experiences life communicating for both the PALS and PALees as one group differently,” Wangrin with people I think community is the learns how to serve as role models and leaders said. “Everyone has younger than I and the other learns from their older mentors. their own perception am, which will be key to success in our Over the years, many former PALS have gone of the world and very useful in my society. And so I try to on to work in schools and have continued their understands things career.” work as role models and leaders for children. differently. Each Wangrin create community as best Makala Wangrin is one of these former PALS of my PALees had believes that the and is now a first-grade teacher at Gullett their own special PALS program is that I can within McCallum Elementary School. characteristics that beneficial to the Wangrin attended McCallum from 2009 to made them the community. The —PALS sponsor 2013. At UT Austin, she majored in Applied person they are. That interactions that Richard Cowles Learning and Development. Wangrin credits is something that has the PALS and the PALS program as one of her inspirations for really stuck with me PALees have with wanting to become a teacher. going into teaching one another help to “The program definitely allowed me to and throughout my strengthen a much envision myself as a teacher because we spent time as an educator.” larger community. so much time at schools interacting with Cowles believes that the PALS program can “What is so special about a program like children from a mentor perspective, oftentimes, be very beneficial for students who may want to PALS is that you are a person who is part in a more formal and supportive way,” Wangrin be teachers in the future. of the same community your PALee is said. “This allowed me to get a glimpse of what “I think that they [PALS] see the immediate part of,” Wangrin said. “You are both being a teacher could potentially look like.” impact that they can have on young lives and all growing up in Austin and probably have Wangrin knew she wanted to work with kids that the good that can come of it,” Cowles said, similar experiences because of these before joining the “so I think having circumstances. I think it is such a PALS program, but that, that realization, unique experience to be wasn’t sure about and as well as the able to support someone which direction fact that they see who sees you as part of to go. me create a positive their own community. You Some of my best memories “I thought about environment as a are able to see yourself in going into health teacher, they feel their shoes, and they have a from McCallum were with care, being a so a part of the glimpse of what is to come pediatrician or a community that through conversations and PALS. There was so much nurse,” Wangrin said. therefore they want time spent with you.” great energy.

“I also thought about to reach out and Like Wangrin, Cowles being a psychologist; then create those believes that community and —teacher, former PAL however, in my communities as well, kindness are instrumental to heart, I always felt and teaching is a the success of our society.

Makala Wangrin drawn to teaching great way to do that.”

“I think community in a way that I didn’t Nathan Howard is the key to success in quite feel towards is a senior at our society,” Cowles other professions.”

McCallum and said, “and so I try to create Richard Cowles has a current PAL community as best that I been the sponsor of who is interested can within McCallum so the PALS program at McCallum for the last 13 in becoming a teacher in the future. This that they then take it and years and was the sponsor while Wangrin was is Howard’s first year as a member of the do other things with it. I at McCallum. Cowles believes that volunteering program, and he is looking forward to had a PAL, who’s now has been a pivotal part of his life and that helping becoming a music teacher. a social worker. She those around him has been very rewarding.

“I’ve always loved the feeling of being in says that she “As I like to say, my life’s best decisions have rehearsal and working through the highs and uses some of come through volunteering,” Cowles said. lows of a piece with a group,” Howard said. the things, “When I was lost in electrical engineering “There’s a special energy there, picking through that sense and uncertain what to do, I did some details and putting it all together that I thrive of comvolunteer work, teaching a science lesson on. I also just have a passion for teaching and munity, at an elementary school, and that made me giving back what I’ve learned to other kids.” that she learned in PALS, and so realize that I was a teacher. And so service and Howard said that the PALS program has that’s kind of what I’m trying to volunteering has always been a big part of who provided him with useful experience working get them to recognize, is it can

Evelyn Jenkins a&e editor, co-business manager

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18 people

be an element of change in the greater society, and so you create more of those people, then hopefully we progress a little bit.”

The PALS program has been creating lasting memories for PALS and PALees across AISD for years, Wangrin’s experience is proof of that larger truth.

“There were so many memorable moments of PALS,” Wangrin said. “Some of my best memories from McCallum were with PALS. There was so much great energy. I enjoyed visiting with my PALees, hearing what was going on in their lives, and doing fun activities together. I made some great friends through PALS while also strengthening a lot of my existing friendships.”

Makala Wangrin poses on the first day of the 20242025 school year.

Photo provided

by Wangrin.

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ESL aids English learning

Hutcheson, administration create classes to help students adapt to Mac, U.S. Maya Tackett people editor Three years ago, McCallum High School got an influx of refugee students from Afghanistan. There was no English as a second language, ESL, class to help them seamlessly integrate into high school in the United States. The administration noticed that these students were put into regular English classes and were struggling to keep up with the work that they were given.

Some students couldn’t write or read in their home language so throwing them into a class where they didn’t know their new second language, English, made things even more difficult.

This led English teacher James Hutcheson, or Hutch as his peers and students call him, to work with the administration before the start of the ’23-’24 school year to create space for three ESL classes in the master schedule.

“Helping out these kids means the same as helping out all of the kids at our school,” Hutch said. “Each student has their own individual challenges and struggles. It’s our job as educators to meet each kid where they’re at.”

During the ESL class, Hutch focuses more on verbal communication in addition to reading and writing as opposed to English classes for native speakers.

“The texts are simpler, and we hit grammar more explicitly,” Hutch said. “We also do a lot of structured dialogue which looks a lot like a theater class.”

One difficulty that the ESL class is facing this year is the fact that there are five different languages being spoken, and Hutch is a native English speaker. This is why students like junior Sara Hamlet and senior America Franken have chosen to be teacher’s assistants in the class.

Hamlet is a native Spanish speaker and her mom taught ESL English as Second Language teacher James Hutcheson helps freshman Pia Larenas Vasquez during class on Jan 10. when she first moved to the United States from Mexico.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to follow in her Photo by Maggie Mass. footsteps and practice my Spanish and people skills at the same time,” Hamlet said. “I like it because it feels like I’m helping them “Getting to talk to them about transitioning is also something I enjoy up English. Watching their progress every day inspires me, accomplish something and learn skills that they will use for the because many of them just moved here a few months ago,” she said. especially with Mr. Hutcheson’s ability to find ways to make rest of their life.”

Franken is another student who has decided to spend a class learning both engaging and effective.”

Translating instructions from Hutch’s English into Spanish is period helping out students in the ESL class.

One memory that Franken has of Hutch making learning one way that Hamlet helps out.

“I wanted to make a difference for more engaging is him printing out a scene from a play for the She also translates important students who might feel like they’re students to act out in English. This gave the students a chance to information that they may need to struggling to find their voice in a practice speaking and interacting in real-life situations. Hutch know that isn’t given to them. new environment,” Franken said. has also had the students create their own everyday life scenarios Hamlet does acknowledge that As someone who is bilingual, and record them in English for homework.

The opportunity to assist in even though she knows Spanish, Franken understands and “For fun, when everyone is finished with their work [Hutch] the ESL classes allows me to there are many different accents and acknowledges the challenges of sometimes plays music in class and gets song requests from the mannerisms that make it difficult navigating two languages especially students,” Franken said, “but he only allows English songs, and not only improve my Spanish for her to fully understand what a when one is brand new. he displays the lyrics on the board so that the students can pick student might be trying to convey.

“I wanted to use my skills to up words faster.” but also listen to the stories Another struggle is students will support others in building their Franken realizes that helping out students whose first language also join the ESL class whenever and lives of others. confidence and communication,” isn’t English makes them feel welcomed, but it also helps her. She they enroll at McCallum, which she said. “It’s incredible being able to realizes that listening to the stories and lives of others will help —senior can lead to students being at see them grow, not just in language her in her dream of becoming an immigration lawyer.

America Franken different places in the class. but in self-assurance.”

“Being given the opportunity to assist in the ESL classes allows “Hutch just tries to fit them Seeing the students who she has me to not only improve my Spanish but also listen to the stories in because most of the work is grown to know improve and succeed and lives of others,” Franken said. “It gives me a sense of what it independent learning,” Hamlet has made Franken proud and also will be like helping people in the future, which is a huge part of said. “They can use resources like inspired. why I want to pursue this career. Helping them learn English and IXL and Imagine Learning to help “Helping out in the ESL class means a great deal to me because helping them translate words only makes me want to become a them get a good grasp of where they are.”

I know I am contributing to something that will profoundly lawyer even more. I enjoy helping and being kind to everyone.”

One of Hamlet’s favorite parts of the class is getting to know the impact these students’ lives, both now and in the future,” To meet some of the Knights who have come to the United States students and talking with them about how culture, school, and Franken said. “They are all incredibly bright and motivated, from all over the world, please see the feature, “A world within our home life are different in United States than in their home country. and it is so exciting to witness how quickly they are picking school,” on pages 16-17 of this issue.

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Touching down for college

Senior Mark Sanchez commits to Washington University in St. Louis for D3 football Fletcher Vandegrift staff reporter Senior Mark Sanchez has always set his sights on playing college football. He’s spent countless hours in the weight room, training with coaches, at camps and, of course, on the field. Less than 7% of high school athletes play in college, but Sanchez will now be one of them. After years of hard work and dedication, Sanchez accomplished his dream and will start his college football career on a full scholarship in the fall at Washington University in St. Louis.

While Sanchez and the Knights may have fallen short of the playoffs, Sanchez finished his senior year with 80 catches for 1,285 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also had 47 carries for 301 yards, three touchdowns, 114 passing yards and a passing touchdown.

Sanchez said his coaches and teammates are a big part of his success.

“A big motivation is my teammates,” Sanchez said. “My quarterback for throwing me the ball, my line for blocking for me and all of my teammates doing their part. And also my coaches for training me and giving their all to me every week.”

Sanchez also credits his family for his accomplishments.

“The biggest motivation is the idea that I can provide for my family and give back what they gave to me—all the sacrifices made, for taking me to my training and paying for it,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said his recruiting process was very slow.

“I didn’t get my first offer until about halfway through the season, and it was just a small NAIA school,” Sanchez said.

Little did Sanchez know that WashU had prepared him a Christmas gift.

“It wasn’t until after the season that I met the coach,” he said.

“I kept in touch with him, and he gave me an offer on Christmas Eve.” Coach Tom Gammerdinger, athletic director and head football coach, has been part of Sanchez’s life since middle school. Sanchez’s older brother, Joseph, played football for McCallum when Mark was still at Kealing Middle School.

“He was a ball boy at Taco Shack in 2018, and that was the first time I met him,” Gammerdinger said. “I started to get to know him better when he came to high school. I had him

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In 2024 the WashU Bears went 7-2 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, 8-2 overall. The Bears will remain a CCIW school in 2025 before moving to the North Coast Athletic Conference in 2026. Graphic by Chloe Lewcock.

Sanchez had a historic season with 80 receptions for 1,285 yards with 16 touchdown catches. Photo

by Frank Webster.

working with the older kids at speed and strength camp, and he got an interception against the high school boys.”

Coach Gammerdinger said that Sanchez is a player like none other, on and off the field.

“There have been times that I’m on the end of my rope, and Mark has picked me up,” he said. “I’ve never had a player that I’ve coached who’s picked me up when I was down.”

Coach Gammerdinger also pointed to Sanchez’s work ethic.

“I’ve seen him outside this offseason while we’re lifting. It was 37 degrees out and he was running around cones in his off period,” Gammerdinger said. “Some people say that

they’re doing everything they can.

Well, you’re not because Mark’s doing more.”

Like Gammerdinger, senior Braxton Bishop, Sanchez’s friend and teammate, believes that it is Sanchez’s dedication that sets him apart.

“He’s easily the hardest worker on the team,” Bishop said. “He doesn’t Mark chats about his college plans in the first episode of miss practices, he’s first one in last our new podcast, Next Up. Use QR code to listen now. one out, he stays after school, goes to camps, doing whatever he can. He’s one of the most deserving people I know.”

Think again.”

Playing with Sanchez over the last four years, Coach Gammerdinger claims that Sanchez’s Bishop has watched Sanchez become a leader. hard work beats talent.

“He’s always there for you,” he said. “You can “I knew he had what it took [for college ask him a question, he’ll answer. He’s always football],” Gammerdinger said. “It was just a helping out the freshmen receivers and holding matter of finding the right fit and for somebody everyone accountable. Whenever we’re doing to see what he can do.” sprints, he’s the guy that makes sure everybody Sanchez hopes to continue his football career steps up to the line and does their job.” beyond college.

Standing at 5’7”, Sanchez admits to being at a size “It’s a goal of mine, but if it doesn’t happen, I disadvantage, but Coach Gammerdinger believes won’t be upset about it,” Sanchez said. “I’m using that’s what makes him work as hard as he does. football as a way to better my education and get “He’s not the biggest, the fastest or the into a school I most likely wouldn’t have just strongest,” Coach Gammerdinger said. “I through academics.” was concerned that he wouldn’t get the Sanchez believes his time at WashU will help opportunities he deserved because coaches look him grow. for so many measurables, but he has worked “The maturity is different in college,” he said. tirelessly for all these things that have allowed “It’ll help me build more relationships with him to get this opportunity to play in college. people from all over the country, not just Texas.

That’s 100% sweat equity, he’s worked for all It’s also a way to keep me disciplined and make of that and everybody thinks they work hard. sure I’m getting everything done.”

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Coming off an injury, Haikola spreads her passion for cultivating community Josie Mullan co-web managing editor From taking modern dance classes in second grade to becoming the senior captain of a McCallum dance team with a proud history exceeding a half century, senior Catherine Haikola has grown to become a vibrant leader in the dance community.

While she was named captain of Blue Brigade at the end of her junior year, dance has always been an integral part of Hakoila’s life.

“Dance has just become a way for me to express myself,” Haikola said. “You can feel things when you’re dancing. You feel more connected to your body and your mind because you have to think about so many things while you’re doing it.”

Haikola was eager to apply for a junior officer position and then her current position as captain at the end of her junior year because it was a clear way to become more involved in the program.

“I feel like I’ve always been kind of a leader and like to not just be in charge but be able to make a difference, and have a more concrete way to do so,” Haikola said. “It’s nice to have a role where I can be helpful.”

Blue Brigade Director Nancy Searle explained those innate leadership skills that prompted her and the team to select Haikola as their captain.

“Specifically, she loves to dance and so she Haikola performs at the Homecoming pep rally, makes it a priority,” Searle said. “The girls feel that they can go and talk to her, and she’s my personal idea of what I’m doing versus very approachable. When we’re at football thinking, ‘What’s everyone doing and how games, she has their respect enough to where can we all be the same?’” they’re going to listen to her. She just kind Now as the leader, Haikola has learned the of gravitates toward the leadership roles, so challenge of giving constructive feedback I think it’s more to her teammates natural for some while still cultivating than others, and an encouraging for her, she is one and welcoming It would have been really of those natural environment. leaders.”

“I would say easy for her to just have Haikola says balancing positive that since joining feedback and a pity party and not want Blue Brigade as a negative feedback is to be here, but we never freshman, she has something that I’ve grown as a dancer really tried to work had to remind her and a person. on and make sure “I’ve definitely that I do because it’s that this was her job. gained a lot of hard when you’re confidence from —Blue Brigade director telling people that having to perform not perfect Nancy Searle they’re in front of so many all the time and people, and when I if that’s the only became an officer, thing that you’re I got a lot more saying, it can be comfortable being able to speak up in front of counterproductive,” Haikola said. people,” she said. “I definitely think way more This year, as well, Haikola has had an extra about dances as a whole—I had to shift from challenge along with her regular duties as

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Oct. 18. Photo by Julia Copas

captain due to a difficult knee injury that kept her from dancing for most of the football season.

“It was cool because I was able to just watch the dances, so it was nice to just observe, but it was definitely hard to come back from not dancing and expect to be just as good as I was before,” Haikola said. “I would say [one of the biggest challenges] is just being motivated every single day because it does get tiring at some points.”

Despite being out for several months, Searle said Haikola has amazingly remained an engaged and enthusiastic leader.

“It would have been really easy for her to just have a pity party and not want to be here, but we never had to remind her that this was her job,” Searle said. “It was never

a question. She was always here; she was always putting the team first even though she knew that she couldn’t be out there with them, so we’ve been super impressed with her.”

Fellow officer, senior Smith Bohls, said Haikola has always been a positive and encouraging voice on the team despite the obstacles she has had to overcome.

“She is a great motivation to the team, and everyone looks up to her as a great leader,” Bohls said. “She is well respected and makes a positive environment for the team.”

Haikola said one of the most important parts of Blue Brigade has been bonding with the team, which she encourages incoming freshmen to prioritize as well.

“I would say [to new members] to just really enjoy your time on Blue Brigade— just become one class as a whole and be friends because it goes by really fast,” Haikola said.

Although she will not be pursuing dance professionally, Haikola said she has treasured her time in Blue Brigade and the supportive community she has found within it.

“Every year, there’s just a new group of people, and it’s so fun to meet so many new personalities,” Haikola said. “[My favorite part] has been all the amazing people I’ve met.”

Captain Catherine Haikola performs the team pom contest dance to a Pitbull remix at halftime the boys varsity basketball game on Jan. 28 in the large gym.

Photo by Julia Copas.

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Serving into new season

Tennis team prepares for the upcoming individual season in the spring Elizabeth Nation staff reporter While most sports are only in season one time of the year, tennis is an exception, with both a fall and a spring season.

The two seasons, however, are structured very differently from each other. The main difference between the two is that the fall is team tennis while the spring is individual tennis. In the fall, each player’s win counts as a point to the team’s overall score, and the first team to reach 10 points wins. In the spring, athletes choose if they want to compete in singles or doubles, and play as an individual or duo in a bracket in tournaments that include multiple entrants from other schools.

Junior Nadia Tissembaum is currently line three on varsity, meaning she plays other tennis players who are also ranked third on their team, and enjoys the spring’s structure over the fall because there are more chances to play in tournaments.

“I prefer it because I feel like there is more opportunity to play, whereas in the fall season, it’s kind of one tournament, and you only get to play one or two matches in a tournament,” Tissembaum said. “In the spring season, it’s a bracket, so you win or you’re knocked out.”

Not only does the spring season allow tennis players to play more matches in a tournament, it also has far more tournaments than the fall team season.

Although McCallum played a few tournaments against Anderson, Bastrop, LASA and other schools, they didn’t count to the team’s rank and tennis players only participated in one singles and doubles match per tournament.

“The district tournament is the whole shebang,” head tennis coach Michael McLaughlin said. “It’s what determines who comes in first and second, so the tournaments leading up to the district tournament don’t count as far as your placement. Everything’s riding on that district tournament.”

Another upside of the spring season according to McLaughlin is that tennis players get to compete against multiple schools, as opposed to the fall season’s one-on-one team play structure.

Senior Vincent Carney serves in practice on Dec. 16. Photo by Elizabeth Nation.

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“Team tennis is always McCallum versus Crockett, for example, or McCallum versus LASA,” McLaughlin said. “The tournaments that we do in the individual season in spring have a whole bunch of teams. In fact, we’ve played in tournaments that have 30 teams at multiple different sites. They’re huge events.”

Co-captain and senior Ben Reiff feels that the added number of schools fosters an extra layer of competition to the spring tournaments.

“I like it more because there’s more of a chance to win,” Reiff said. “The tournaments are structured differently, and we’re playing more schools at every tournament. It makes it more fun and more competitive.”

Reiff, who plays singles, is looking forward to the spring individual season; however, the season holds mixed emotions for him because it will be his last season playing tennis at McCallum.

“I’m sad but I’m also excited because I’m ready to move on to college,” Reiff said. “[I’m] looking forward to all the tournaments and ready to finish out senior year with some wins.”

While the new season will give veteran players like Reiff another chance to show off their skills on the court, it will also give new players an opportunity to compete in individual tennis tournaments at the high school level for the first time. Despite it being his first year at McCallum, freshman Vincent Becker plays on the varsity team, after originally being on JV for a few weeks at the beginning of the school year.

“I think it’s really cool because I get to be part of the varsity team,” Becker said.

Becker is looking forward to the spring season, and hopes that it will give him a chance to play more and improve his game. To prepare for the upcoming season, Becker and his teammates have been practicing more.

“We’re starting up with afternoon practices now that the weather has changed,” McLaughlin said. “We’re trying to keep the momentum going until winter break and then we start up again with full practices in January.”

McLaughlin said he already sees progress from the beginning of the year.

“It’s super fun to see kids go from that beginner level to where you’re actually competing at a varsity level,” McLaughlin said.

The spring season will begin in January and run until the end of March, when players compete to be ranked in district at the district tournament. Tissembaum has high hopes for the upcoming season.

“I would like to win a few tournaments in singles,” Tissembaum said. “I would like to place in district and maybe go to regionals. As a team, I think that we have goals to go far, and I think that we can this year.”

Junior Nadia Tissembaum and senior captain Rose Blum play doubles together in a tennis tournament in a Taco Shack rematch against Anderson, Aug. 30. Photo by Elizabeth Nation.

Graphic by Nate Williams.

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Eye on the

target McCallum hosts largest archery tournament ever in Austin, plans to keep growing sport SToRY BY camilla

sophomore Brooke “Io” Zarnikau

senior Jada Gonzales

junior Melea Carman senior Diego Custard

Coach Nick Kalakanis

Graphic by Nate Williams.

senior Sadie Swinney

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senior Maya Julien

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he archery team hosted the biggest tournament ever held in Austin in the large gym Dec. 14-15, with schools from all educational levels, public and private, participating in the competition. In addition to this record, the Mac team also shot its highest score ever, 3309 points. Senior Theo Northcutt placed first in the male high school division with an individual score of 285, and sophomore Carley Lardizabal placed first for high school females, scoring 283.

Northcutt finished his first-place effort with a final round of 49 from 15 meters, meaning he shot four bullseyes and a nine with his five arrows. It is much harder to shoot that well from 15 meters than from 10. Each archer shoots 30 arrows in a competition, three sets of five from 10 meters and three sets of five from 15 meters, for a total of 300 possible points.

Several archers at the tournament achieved perfect rounds of 50 from 10 meters. Both Northcutt and Lardizabal posted one 50-point round from 10 meters. Three other Mac archers also posted perfect 50 rounds: Althea Bradbury-Flores, Wren Griffis and Henry Peacock.

Shooting on her 16th birthday and filming a documentary about archery in her downtime, Lardizabal followed her first-place score with a victory in the one-arrow shootoff,

in which archers pair up and shoot one arrow. The closest than the high schoolers. to the center of the target advances to the next round until Lamar archer Sophia Pedregon-Harrington posted the only one archer remains, which in flight 12—the flight filled highest individual score overall with a 292, a score that mostly with McCallum archers—was Lardizabal. She shot her included 15 straight bullseyes from 10 meters (three perfect first-ever perfect 50 at a distance of 50 rounds) and a 49 from 15 meters.

10 meters away from the target and Lamar archer Miles Windler had achieved a personal best score. The the highest individual score for shoot-off is meant to be fun and not male archers with a 286. competitive, but Lardizabal did win [Coach Nick] understands a Bullseye Bakery cookie and a oneccording to senior Diego of-a-kind pen made from a broken Custard, the scale of teenagers, so he knows how arrow by head coach Nick Kalakanis. the tournament and the to make practices fun and involvement of other schools hen she was in elementary including Lamar caused some keep people engaged. school, Lardizabal heard that extra stress and preparation on the she could take archery as a —senior captain McCallum side of operations.

PE credit at Lamar Middle School, “I think the size of it set it apart Maya Julien from but her plans to start archery in sixth previous tournaments,” grade were delayed by the Custard said. “And made it harder COVID quarantine. to do everything from inputting “I joined archery in scores to managing and watching seventh grade, and everyone during the times when I still had to do PE, but whatever,” Lardizabal there were archers there.” said. “I joined, and I actually really enjoyed the Setup in the gym for the record-breaking tournament was community. Everyone is really nice.” extensive, lasting from the end of the school day until around Following her time on the Lamar team, 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

Lardizabal continued archery when she “We had to be extra careful when we were moving got to high school, now in her second equipment, marking shooting lines and taking the year on the Mac squad. tournament down afterwards,” Custard said.

“This year we have a lot more Senior captain Sadie Swinney recorded scores for the large freshmen,” Lardizabal said. “A lot number of archers competing in the tournament. After she of people came from Lamar, and competed in the eighth flight of the tournament, Swinney they’re all really good because received a Nobility Award for work outside of the range and they’ve been doing archery since being involved with the team. fifth grade, some of them third “It was really a group effort,” Swinney said. “We spent four grade if they came from Highland hours setting up the curtains, quivers, decorations, prepping Park [Elementary].” all the scorecards and equipment for scoring, so it was a lot of The archery pipeline of Austin work, but I think it looked really good.” has historically started at Highland Park Swinney was not the only archer to receive a Nobility Award for the youngest archers in the area, and for her work behind the scenes to make the tournament those students feed into Lamar and then happen. Kalakanis also gave Nobility Awards to senior captain McCallum, gaining new members along Maya Julien and junior captain Melea Carman. Kalakanis the way. Both Highland Park and Lamar got emotional in discussing Julien’s strength of character in had archers present at the December sticking with archery and her leadership role despite battling a tournament, with some scoring higher tendinitis injury that made it hard for her to compete.

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Senior Sadie Swinney’s two archery coaches Highland Park Elementary and Lamar Middle School archery coach Jim DeLine and McCallum coach Nick Kalakanis flank her for a group photo after she received a Nobility Award for her work running the McCallum Inivitational Tournament. The McCallum archery team poses after their invitational tournament ended. Photos by Dave Winter.

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his year’s seniors were freshmen during Kalakanis’s first Swinney said it is precisely that community which has year of coaching Mac archery, so they will be his first made her stick with archery for so long. class of graduates. Though Kalakanis stepped back from “I really love shooting, but I also love being a part of coaching during their sophomore year, seniors such as Julien such a unique community of people,” Swinney said, “and have grown close to him during his time leading the team. getting to experience things and meet people I never “We love him so much,” Julien said. “He just makes archery would have otherwise.” fun. He understands teenagers, so he Positive experiences with archery knows how to make practices fun and before high school have not keep people engaged.” just kept Swinney committed to Lardizabal said Kalakanis is very close archery but other team members as to the senior class, especially due to his well, such as Lardizabal.

I love the community. young age and sarcastic humor.

“I love the community,” Lardizabal Archery really helped me “His voice cracked when he was said. “It really helped me in middle giving a speech at the tournament about school. It was my safe space.” in middle school. It was the seniors leaving,” Lardizabal said.

Custard first joined an “He almost cried, which is a big deal.” archery team when he was in my safe space.

The seniors have become close with sixth grade.

—sophomore each other over their four years on “I thought it sounded like the team as well as the coach. Though Carley Lardizabal an awesome team to be a archery has taken them as far as Utah part of,” Custard said. “And for the national tournament, some of the me and my grandpa had biggest team bonding happens right in shot bows in the past, so I the McCallum gym, according to Julien. wanted to get better at it.”

“My favorite part of archery is practice because you just get to hang Six years later, Custard is now a senior leader out with your buddies,” Julien said, “The environment is very chill.” on the team. His role is to help with planning for Julien said many of the seniors have not only been involved events, teaching other archers and volunteering at in archery at McCallum but also in middle school or even tournaments such as the one from this weekend. before then in elementary school.

“I have always gone out of my way to volunteer “So the seniors specifically are really close,” she said. “But and help the archery team,” Custard said. “But the rest of the team is, too. There’s freshmen and people who I now, I can be more of a role model, and I can help would otherwise never talk to.” implement ideas I have for the team.”

Kalakanis said it’s heartbreaking for him to see his first After years of being an underclassman, Custard round of seniors go. said his experience allows him to help the “We’ve been through a lot of tournaments and a lot of team in ways he couldn’t before. practices,” Kalakanis said. “We are a lot closer than the new “It’s super cool being an older team people that come in because our archer-coach relationship member because people look up to you hasn’t really kicked in as much as it has with the graduating more,” Custard said. “And while you have seniors, but after four years, it’s built up quite a bit.” more responsibilities, you also have more Kalakanis deserved a Nobility Award for running the say in what happens with the team.” tournament, but he was the one giving them out, so his captains recognized him between flights eight and nine with a ardizabal said one thing many surprise heartwarming speech and a gift basket of homemade people don’t treats and energy drinks. know about Custard, who brought the gift basket to Kalakanis after the archery is the captains expressed their admiration for their coach, said the discipline tournament demonstrated the progress of the archery program. required “I think it was an awesome way not only for the team to for the show the school that they are serious, but for McCallum to set sport. an example for other schools around Austin,” he said.

“We’re holding weapons,” Lardizabal said. ome McCallum archers have been shooting since they were in “If you turn the other way and elementary school, including Swinney, who joined the Highland hit someone, they’re dead. Not Park team as a fifth-grader in the program’s early years. everyone can do that.”

“My PE coach actually started it, and it was super tiny,” The archery team is moving Swinney said. “That year we ended up winning the state forward into the spring season with tournament, and I decided I wanted to continue shooting for state and national tournaments coming as long as I could stay in a program.” up. Kalakanis said with these larger-scale That PE coach was Jim DeLine, who, according to Swinney, competitions, he hopes his archers having lifestarted an archery program at Lamar Middle, which then changing experiences. grew to McCallum and expanded to other schools in the “But in a close second is improving our Austin area. DeLine brought his teams of younger archers to placement and making sure as a team and as the tournament and beamed from ear to ear because he could individuals we’re becoming better archers,” come to this tournament without having to run it himself as Kalakanis said. “That’s somewhat my main goal, he has so often for the last decade. He thanked the McCallum closely behind making sure we have a close coaches and archers for helping to sustain and grow the community and people there are welcome, and archery community in Austin. feeling like they’re part of an amazing team.”

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The McCallum archery head coach Nick Kalakanis speaks at the Invitational Tournament.

Photo by Dave Winter.

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Eat, sleep, ride, repeat

volume 72

University of Texas grad bikes to Alaska to raise money and awareness for cancer Chloe Lewcock co-editor-in-chief After one year of training, 70 days of riding, two bikes and over 60 miles per day, University of Texas graduate Carolina Arellano was greeted with friends, family, and a finish line marking the end of her 4000-mile ride to Alaska. Over the course of the last two years, Arellano has devoted her life to Texas 4000, a University of Texas-based organization that serves communities affected by cancer via riding to Anchorage, Alaska, raising a dollar for each mile ridden.

After losing her grandmother to cancer in 2008 and seeing the disease affect family members and friends, Arellano applied to be a part of Texas 4000.

“I like being able to explore the country in a way that you really can’t do in any other form of transportation,” Arellano said. “I [just] grew a really extreme passion for biking across the country.”

The riders would either be housed with a host each night, or set up camp at a rest stop. When it came to being hosted in a community, the riders would be provided a home to stay in and a meal with the host family.

“A lot of them are historic hosts who have hosted the team in the past,” Arellano said. “Sometimes we had an activity that they did with us and then from there, we just interacted with the host, told them about their mission and then they talked to us.”

For the majority of the 70-day ride, the schedule was very regimented and followed the same general agenda, but the team did run into emergency situations. While it was a part of their original training, Arellano said, at a certain point, the team couldn’t prepare for the dangers of roadside riding.

Midway through the ride, she and one of her teammates suffered the unexpected loss of their bikes due to theft.

“I woke up really excited to get ready and ride, and my bike was missing from the shed,” Arellano said. “We were all really upset about that, neither of us could ride that day.”

For Arellano, the situation proved to be a test of her problem-solving abilities.

“At this point, I was thinking, I’m gonna have to pay at least $1,000 out of pocket for something that I already had but need to buy myself again, which was really annoying,” Arellano said. “I shouldn’t have to pay for another bike.”

Upon losing their bikes and beginning to

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research finding new ones to continue the ride, Arellano’s ride mate Emma Stromberger connected with a journalist in Eugene, Ore., close to where the pair were camped trying to solve their equipment issue.

“Emma’s friend had a contact in Eugene,” Arellano said. “He worked for the news there, and so she did an interview with the local news station and appeared on the local news.”

According to

Arellano the interview and feature was their saving grace in the difficult situation.

“This guy had seen our news story and was like, ‘Hey, I read this and that’s really unfortunate that that was your experience in Eugene. My friend owns a bike shop, and he could really use the sale; I really feel like doing this. How about y’all come down to Eugene, and I’ll buy the bikes for you guys?’” Arellano said. “He was really incredible.”

Uniquely the donor’s story was a large part of why he wanted to help Arellano and Stromberger in their mission to Alaska. The donor who chose to remain anonymous had battled brain cancer and a nearly fatal cycling

accident.

“It’s just really nice to see someone who maybe shouldn’t have been there for us at that moment,” Arellano said.

Stromberger said that the setback revealed Arellano’s resilient personality.

“She is an awesome and kind and inspiring person and that is someone that I want to be friends with,” Stromberger said.

A large part of the Texas 4000 mission is to connect with people and share with them why they ride, and whom they ride for. Arellano expressed that Texas 4000 brought her closer to cancer-affected communities, as well as her teammates who joined her on the journey.

One of the friendships that Arellano formed on the ride was with a University of Texas student Isam Ahmed. He noted they formed their friendship from day one.

“It was only 52 miles, but my body felt like giving up,” Ahmed said. “But Carolina never let that happen. Despite being super tired herself, she always kept the energy up, putting on reggaeton loud on her speaker, trying to keep my mind off of the sweltering heat.”

Arellano, Ahmed and the rest of the group additionally had the opportunity to bond with cancer patients, and those affected by the disease through visiting research facilities and hospitals.

“Seeing something tangible or something that I could see firsthand was really, really good to see, good to visualize in person,” Arellano said.

Eventually the 70th day hit, Aug. 2. Arellano was met at the finish line 4,000 miles from her hometown, surrounded by friends and family.

The Texas 4000 ride started with a love of exploration, an interest in biking and a passion for advocating for those affected by cancer. It has inspired her to continue involving herself with riding and making an impact on the world around her.

“I love it more than I did before I left,” Arellano said. “It’s something that I’ll never forget and I’ll always carry with me.”

Arellano reaches the Historic Alaskan Highway, just miles away from her destination. Photo courtesy of Arellano.

Arellano and her Texas 4000 team pose for a picture at the USA/Canada border. Photo courtesy of Arellano.

Arellano and her team take a pit stop in Vancouver, Wash., before continuing to Canada.

Photo courtesy of Arellano.

Arellano and her team take a picture at one of their stops in Alaska before reaching Anchorage. Photo courtesy of Arellano.

the

issue 3 volume 72

shield

feb. 21, 2025

sports briefs

calendar

Bouncing back and playing as one

feb. 18

The girls varsity basketball team played its final district game against Bastrop on Feb. 4, boys soccer vs Navarro losing 62-43. This put the Knights’ district record at 8-6, securing the fourth-place spot in @ Nelson Field—7:30 p.m. the district behind Anderson, Bastrop and LASA; however, since they were able to be in the top four, they qualified for playoffs. feb. 19 Looking back at their preseason and district season, second-year varsity player junior Mary Briceño acknowledges that this year was a learning and teaching year for the team. girls soccer vs Navarro “We lost a huge senior class last year, and we definitely relied on them a lot last year, so when they left, we were trying to figure out what we want for the season,” Briceño said. @ House Park—7:45 p.m.

“Although we didn’t make some of our goals like being undefeated or ranking first in district, I think we still had somewhat of a good season. We finally figured out how to feb. 20-22 tournaments play as a team and as one unit.”

While the team didn’t reach some of its goals, Briceño thought the best thing baseball @ Fredericksburg that happened so far this season was at the end. softball @ Cedar Ridge “We got to grow as one,” she said. “Also, I would say our Houston tournaments and the Wimberley tournament because we played against good competitive teams that made us better.”

The Bastrop game also was Senior Knight, a celebration honoring the seniors and their commitment to the program.

Senior Sonya Petersen goes to the “They have impacted the team with their leadership and authority to make basket in a loss against Anderson. sure everyone’s going 100% in practice,” Briceño said.

Photo by Lucas Walker.

This season was senior Sonya Petersen’s first season back after tearing her ACL last year. he girls soccer team just began its 2025 hard games as well. Against, LASA on Jan. “I would say the season is going well for me and I’ve been able to not let the fear of redistrict season with an 8-0 win over the 28, the Knights earned a 0-0 draw. tearing my ACL get in the way of my game play,” Peterson said.

Navarro Vikings on Jan. 24. Sophomore The Knights thrashed Crockett 7-0 on Jan. Playing LASA the first time around and beating them was Petersen’s favorite memory of varsity player Magnolia Miesel said that the 31 before falling at Anderson 2-0 on Feb. 4. the season. game was exhilarating.

The Knights have reeled off three straight “I think it was the first game we began to play cohesively, and it was only the start because “One of the biggest highlights so far this wins to close the first half of the district we kept that same productive energy for the rest of the season,” she said. season was dominating Navarro in our first season with victories over Cedar Creek on The Knights ended their season with a 67-20 first-round playoff loss to Georgetown. district game,” Miesel said. “Being able to Feb. 7 (6-1), Ann Richards on Feb. 10 (2-0) —Maya Tackett come out and win like that was so fun and and Bastrop on Feb. 14 (5-0). very cool.”

Miesel is looking forward to the second The team has been able to bond over such half of the district season. wins at team dinners that have helped the “I’m just really looking forward to the rest To kick off 2025, the Crockett on Feb. 1 for team build chemistry. According to Miesel, of the season and the rest of the games,” boys defeated Akins 2-1 the team’s first district the energy of the team being together at the Miesel said. “Game days are just so fun and six days into the new win. Following a 1-1 tie dinners has strengthening the team. are such an exciting thing.” year. Later that week, against Anderson that That same strength came through during —Arwen Pelletier on Jan. 10, the team featured a controversial took on Austin Achieve disallowed McCallum and won once again goal on Feb. 5, the 2-1. This victory streak Knights traveled to The varsity boys basketball team won its final district game against LASA, continued for their Cedar Creek on Feb. 7 75-54 on Feb. 11, officially clinching both a playoff berth and back-to-back games against Austin and put a 4-0 statement district championships. The last time McCallum secured two district titles High on Jan. 13 and win on the Eagles to in a row was during the 1989-1990 and 1990-1991 seasons.

Lehman on Jan. 17, with pull into a tie for first Senior Tommy Ammerman, who scored 18 points, said scores of 2-1 and 4-2 place in the district. that keeping the district title at home was a goal the team respectively. However, After another scoreless has been working on since the end of last season. when the team played tie against Bastrop on “We knew we were going to have a chance,” Ammerman against Navarro in the Feb. 15, the Knights said. “We have the same core guys this year, so we knew district opening game ended the first half we [could’ve] been undefeated.”

Senior Manu Perez dribbles the ball down the on Jan. 25, the game of the district season The Knights finished with a 11-1 district record, with field during the Knights’ scoreless draw against undefeated with two ended 0-0, resulting in their only loss being by one point, 49-48, against Cedar Navarro on Jan. 25. Photo by Fletcher Vandegrift. wins and four ties. The the team’s first match Creek on Jan. 28. The loss snapped a 28-game district without a win. This trend Raptors with four wins win streak. continued on to the boys’ next game on Jan. 29 and the Bears with three are also undefeated.

“I really wanted the undefeated district season,” junior against LASA, resulting in a 0-0 draw once again.

“I think our district this year has some Ethan Plummer said. “But me and the guys from last year Regardless of the ties, senior and outside left competitive teams such as Anderson, LASA and have the district success. Our main goal coming into the defender Manu Perez believes the season to be Bastrop,” Perez said. “But we have a very strong season was a playoff win. We’re disappointed, but this going smoothly thus far. team this year, and I think we can make it far.” game can actually help us when playoffs come around.”

“We did really well in preseason and we’re doing As the team looks to play through the district For the nine seniors on the varsity roster, every playoff well in district,” Perez said. “Obviously there’s again, Perez hopes the team can improve and win extends their high school careers at least one more always room for improvement, so the training reach its full potential. game. The Knights traveled to Austin High on Feb. 18 for we’re doing outside of games is going to show as “Something we can work on is doing a better the first round of playoffs against Pflugerville. The Knights Junior Ethan Plummer we move further down district.” job communicating through all three of our lines,” previously faced the Panthers on Dec. 28, and lost 39-38. shoots a jumper against The games that followed proved Perez to be Perez said.

The results of the game were not available at press time.

Cedar Creek. Photo by a profit. The Knights broke through 3-0 over —JoJo Barnard —Julia Copas and Fletcher Vandegrift Fletcher Vandegrift.

T

Girls soccer ends first half of district play with 3 wins

Knights undefeated halfway through district

Boys repeat as district champs

sports 27

opinion

Immigration matters

feb. 21, 2025

Failure to appeal to naturalized voters cost Dems the election Beatrix Lozach staff reporter The U.S. Immigration Policy Center found that 97% of naturalized citizens planned to vote in the 2024 presidential election, based on polling between Aug. 16 and Aug. 28. This marks an uptick from 2020 levels, where 86.8% of naturalized citizens voted, the highest level since 1900. Naturalized citizens make up 10% of eligible voters, so their voting power can be consequential and decisive in determining a winning candidate. President-elect Donald Trump earned landslide victories in Florida and Texas, states where the number of naturalized citizens far outstrips the rest of the nation— with the exception of California, which has the most naturalized citizens out of any state. It’s reasonable to ask what makes Trump so appealing to immigrant voters from these states, especially when so much of his rhetoric has focused on demonizing immigrants from “shithole countries,” as he reportedly said in 2018 during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators.

To start off, for a party that claims to champion diversity, equity and inclusion, Democrats have a hard time figuring out that immigrants are not a united voting bloc.

A Gen-Z, naturalized Mexican-American woman who lives in Austin will likely be immeasurably more liberal on issues like the economy, religious freedom and abortion

than a 60-year-old Cuban-American man living in Jacksonville who survived Castro’s regime. You cannot underestimate the loathing and distrust immigrants who have endured communist dictatorships have for socialism, but that is exactly what Democrats have done, time and time again. The refusal to empathize with those valid fears or counter them with effective campaigning is exactly why Democrats have been failing immigrant voters.

Furthermore, you can’t compare the perspectives of people who come from cultures steeped in Catholicism to any other religion. El Papa Francisco looms larger over the ballot box than Democrats will ever begin to comprehend. If they continue to ignore the anti-abortion sentiment that exists in most Latino communities across this country, they will lose the Latino vote. Historically, that has been the best route for assimilation. Yet, a video released a few weeks before Election Day by the political nonprofit Vote Common Good advocated that it was acceptable and normal for wives to vote differently than their (presumably conservative) husbands.

I agree with this sentiment in spirit. Of course, women should be able to vote independently of anyone’s influence. But if you want to appeal to a group of people who have historically relied on presenting a united front, that is not the way to go. This wasn’t directly an issue of Kamala Harris’ campaign, but rather an issue with Democratic rhetoric.

But don’t worry, she didn’t need any help with losing the immigrant vote.

Harris’ bizarrely mismanaged campaign did not make any attempt to appeal to naturalized voters. The entire “brat” aesthetic and overly worshipful posts from Kamala HQ only served to delegitimize her in the eyes of people who come from places where politics are deeply steeped in male chauvinism and dictatorial regimes. I’m the target demographic for Harris’ campaign—I’m Gen-Z, a proud leftist and female—but even I was left dissatisfied with “brat summer”. If that doesn’t signal what a profoundly bad idea this was, I don’t know what will.

It’s not as if Trump presents an especially compelling alternative on the front of immigration policy. Over the course of his first term, the Trump administration passed 472 initiatives to constrict legal immigration pathways. While he didn’t build the wall of his oratorical dreams or deport millions of undocumented immigrants, his administration lengthened the amount of time it takes for asylum seekers to receive work permits, increased the number of immigrants placed into removal proceedings by 52% from 2016 to 2019 and, in 2019, required immigrants to provide proof that they could obtain health insurance within 30 days of arrival on threat of deportation.

He’s even tried to prevent immigrants from sponsoring family members, though his wife Melania Trump successfully sponsored

Graphic by Beatrix Lozach. her parents after becoming a citizen in 2006. Indeed, Melania’s immigration history is questionable in its own right. he secured citizenship on the Einstein visa, or EB-1, which is granted to people who are internationally renowned for their intellectual, political or otherwise professional accomplishments… not to onetime Sports Illustrated models.

The funny thing is, many naturalized citizens don’t seem to care. They are more than willing to shut the door on those who follow in their footsteps for what they perceive as their economic best interest. Yet when 42% of farmworkers in the US lack work visas and undocumented immigrants contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022, it’s hard to imagine the American economy functioning without undocumented people. Perhaps those are the talking points the Democrats should’ve adopted this election cycle, rather than rhapsodizing about the merits of Bidenism.

Austin ISD should join other urban school districts in resisting ICE access Zev Zent staff reporter Imagine sitting in class, focused on your work when suddenly, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent enters your school. The presence of law enforcement in education is already a tender topic, but when it comes to ICE, the stakes are even higher.

We can already feel the consequences of this federal decision right here in Austin: AISD, like most Texas school districts, would have to comply with ICE investigations.

Schools should be safe places for students, not places of fear and intimidation. Allowing ICE into schools creates anxiety, disrupts learning and drastically affects immigrant students and their families.

A large number of AISD students have immigrant families, either personally undocumented or with family members who are undocumented. Allowing ICE into the schools simply sends a different message that students are not welcomed or safe in their place of learning.

AISD policy and public announcements have supported the idea that all students

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deserve to feel welcome and protected Some would say that allowing ICE into regardless of their immigration status. That the schools could be a means of enforcing promise would be broken if access to school immigration laws and taking care of concerns grounds were given to federal immigration about undocumented individuals. However, enforcement. Some this argument turns students would stop a blind eye to the attending school damage targeting due to the risk of young students If ICE were to enter the coming into contact and their families with an Immigraschools, it would not stop at in an educational tion and Customs environment would a few families; it would affect cause.

Enforcement agent.

If ICE were to This is not an the entire student body. enter the schools, immigrant problem; it would not stop it’s a community at a few families; one. Schools are it would affect the supposed to bridge entire student body. Classrooms are built on gaps, not build walls. The presence of ICE trust, community and collaboration. When agents would create division and distrust students are worried that they or their peers among families, educators and school offimay be deported, they become distracted cials. Though it is true federal laws should be and anxious, making it difficult to focus on respected, in many cases those who enter our education. country illegally end up building lives and Teachers would be placed in an impossible sitimproving the economy of where they land. uation too. Educators are not law enforcement Why should contributing members of our officers, and they should never be burdened society be stripped of their rights simply bewith the responsibility to behave like one. cause of the generalization of all immigrants?

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AISD needs to draw a line, no ICE on school property. Other districts, like the Los Angeles Unified School District and Chicago Public Schools, have enacted policies barring ICE from campuses without a warrant. AISD should follow suit and ensure that schools remain places of learning, not enforcement.

Students and community members alike carry a burden in keeping the presence of our students safe from any threat due to ICE intervention. So what can you do? If you are concerned with the threat of immigration agents in schools, go to the school administration with messages to create change, attend school board meetings and be an advocate of policies for protection.

No child should face a decision between pursuing an education and their personal safety. Schools should be places of knowledge, not places of fear. Let’s keep ICE out of our classrooms.

To read the full stories scan the QR Code or visit macshieldonline.com.

the

issue 3

shield

feb. 21, 2025

volume 72

Lizzo and Chappell Roan album covers are included here under the doctrine of fair use. Graphic by Adele Seeboth.

Rise and fall of new artists Fame is short-lived in the 21st century

Adele Seeboth staff reporter

In today’s world surrounded with social with a dance and lots of trends parodying media and cancel culture, artists are coming the song as well. After a few months, and going very quickly. They come to fame however, TikTok moved on. People began incredibly fast, but they seem to slowly fade complaining about Roan’s attitude after away into the background. This could be due videos of her at a music festival shouting at to the nature of social media like TikTok, the VIP section for not fully participating with many musicians promoting their new surfaced online. While she didn’t get music and growing fame there; however, canceled, her hype was gone. Of course, once the artists get big their sound clips get Roan has not completely disappeared, used more and more on social media and many still listen and enjoy her music. people get bored, A larger it’s so much easier example of this to be overplayed is music artist today and become Lizzo. She began a one hit wonder. making music People began complaining We’ve seen this around 2012. In recently with artists the summer of about Chappell Roan’s Chappell Roan and 2019, Lizzo grew Benson Boone but popular with attitude after videos of her at also in the past with the release of a music festival shouting at a artists such as Lizzo. her third album, Roan began “Cuz I Love VIP section surfaced online. making music You.” The music in 2014 with her festival, Austin song “Die Young.”

City Limits had She reached already booked peak popularity Lizzo to perform this year around on a smaller April, however, stage. Since her when she released the song “Good Luck, popularity increased drastically after being Babe!.” TikTok blew this song up, and it assigned to the small stage, however, her now is her top streamed song with over performance was incredibly overcrowded, a billion streams on Spotify alone as of but it was a great example of her quick Nov. 29. Roan grew in popularity with ascent. After that, Lizzo continued to stay her other songs gathering millions of popular until an incident on social media streams as well, her song “HOT TO GO!” where she was accused of mistreating close behind “Good Luck, Babe!.” “HOT her backup dancers in 2023. The backup TO GO!” grew popular through TikTok dancers filed a lawsuit, and word quickly

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155 million followers. She has not lost her following, but she has lost her traction since then. D’amelio has taken her fame to her advantage; however, and is now dancing and got out. After this Lizzo’s on-demand performing for Broadway. audio streams dropped 21.7%, according In today’s social media-driven world, to Billboard, and she lost thousands of artists rise and fall at unprecedented speeds, followers across all social media platforms. their success often hinging on fleeting trends Similarly to Lizzo, musician, and now and viral moments. Platforms amplify their ex-husband of Kim Kardashian, Kanye reach but also expose them to relentless West was also canceled and lost a multitude scrutiny and cancel culture. The same online of his followers. West faced widespread communities that propel them to fame can cancellation in 2022 after releasing a series turn against them just as quickly, fueled of anti-Semitic remarks in interviews and by controversies, over his own missteps or social media. This shifting public caused him to be sentiments. So, banned on social I think that, media platforms The same online because of how such as Instagram artists promote communities that propel and X, and he themselves, their lost many brand them to fame can turn music, their deals. Followers lives and how and collaborators against them just as quickly, they establish distanced platforms, that themselves from fueled by controversies, puts them at a West and his missteps or shifting public greater risk of downfall, allegedly, losing it all quickly. led to his divorce. sentiments.

While this is West has been simply becoming unable to regain just a way of life, this fame after his I think if we help mistakes. encourage new artists to share their music It’s not just music artists either. Other in other ways, through live performances, performers whose entire platform is based radio and attempt to make things less on social media are taking the risk of losing overplayed, the effect of social media could their fame just as quickly. Charli D’amelio, be limited. Artists could make their work for example, got famous for her dancing last, working on establishing authentic videos in 2020, particularly for a video of her connections with fans and people who view doing the “renegade” dance. D’amelio had their product, whether that be music or 41.4 million followers on TikTok in March another form of art. of 2020. Her following has since grown to

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opinion 29

the

shield

issue 3 volume 72

feb. 21, 2025

Free speech or free-for-all?

Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checking amplifies misinformation

Maggie Mass co-business manager Meta’s move to replace its third-party fact-checking program with Community Notes is a bold one, but that doesn’t make it right. At its core, the shift is about loosening the grip on content moderation in the name of free speech and returning to a “more open” platform. But in the process, Meta is simply opening the floodgates for misinformation, manipulation and confusion.

Fact-checking has been a Facebook practice since 2016, but it hasn’t been a perfect system.

It’s filled with flaws and biases, but in comparison to the new direction, it’s Meta doesn’t exactly define what still more reliable than leaving it up community they refer to when to the crowd. describing the Community Notes, If Meta’s Community Notes looks but if the initiative’s demographic like an experiment in crowdsourced is anything like the user base on X moderation, that is because it is. In this (formerly known as Twitter) the experiment, ordinary users, who may crowd is most lack proper likely internet expertise, decide warriors with what content biases and needs more ideologies to context.

In this experiment, ordinary preach. This If we’re users, who may lack proper initiative gives leaving it up to them a perfect a random set of expertise, decide what platform to contributors, so, with no what guarantees content needs more context. do truth limits. that they’re For users providing the in favor of correct context, acting like or even that this won’t be they’re offering weaponized, I something believe that is naive. Right-wing useful? and left-wing extremists Meta claims that “the community” will alike will no doubt abuse keep the system unbiased by requiring this system to push their agreement from people with “a range narratives. of perspectives.” It’s not a “range of The way I see it: this is perspectives” we’re getting; it’s a mix of no longer a battle of fact competing echo chambers that will make but of ideology. any serious attempt at balanced factPoliticians use checking implausible. platforms like Facebook Meta will no longer be able to claim to spin their webs, it’s doing anything to prevent the spread influencers push of misinformation because now, the products and AIproblem will be everyone’s responsibility generated hoaxes are to fix, but no one’s job to solve.

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30 opinion

Graph

ic by

Nate Willi

ams .

becoming harder misunderstands what’s at to detect. At a time stake in moderating content like this, the idea in the first place. The goal that an uninformed of content moderation isn’t and biased crowd will save us from just to “inform” users or let them make harmful content is simply false. This up their minds: it’s to protect the integrity isn’t about empowering users; it’s of the conversation, to ensure that what’s about Meta dodging the responsbeing shared is true, and to minimize the ibility it once spread of harmful, had. false information.

Meta’s Meta’s pivot proposal to to user-driven “allow more moderation is a Community Notes might speech” risky experiment by lifting that undermines look like a victory for free restrictions all of those goals. speech, but in practice, it’s on What happens if “mainstream the system fails? more likely to be a free-for- We’re about to discourse” and find out. But given all. “political the state of online content” can discourse, it’s hard only be deto believe this can scribed end any way but as dangerous. Lifting the badly. Community Notes might look like limits on harmful rhetoric a victory for free speech, but in practice, while giving a free pass to it’s more likely to be a free-for-all. partisan misinformation The old system wasn’t flawless, but it will only drive further worked within a defined structure that polarization. allowed for some degree of accountability.

But the biggest problem This shift to user-generated notes means with Community that Meta will no longer take direct Notes isn’t just that responsibility for the accuracy of its it opens the door for content. In a way, it’s a clean break from misinformation: —it’s any accountability—and that’s the real that it completely problem here.

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the

issue 3

shield

feb. 21, 2025

volume 72

Prioritizing student safety

With its campuses now subject to ICE raids, Austin ISD must protect all students Shield staff During President Donald Trump’s campaign, he made a wide variety of promises to Americans, promised that earned him the votes to win the election, But since his victory, his actions in office reveal that he plans to escalate his policies beyond what he promised. Deportation is a case in point.

During the campaign, Trump gave the impression that his administration would focus on deporting known criminals. Sadly, his executive actions show that he intends to cast a much wide deportation net.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Trump has ended a longstanding policy that there “sensitive zones,” like churches and schools, that should be immune from ICE raids. And he has established deportation quotas for ICE agents.

The actions confirm that instead of the raids solely targeting criminals, they can include any undocumented person, even those who happen to be near those who

are the initial targets.

These executive actions have made the issue of ICE being permitted access to schools of paramount importance.

Schools aren’t off limits from ICE; if given the correct paperwork, Austin ISD must allow ICE to enter its schools. These raids are a burden that no student should have to confront.

While it may be difficult to stop these raids entirely, AISD has said it will take some protective action. AISD General Counsel Kenneth M. Walker II said, “We’re going to exhaust every effort that we can to identify the appropriate person designated by a parent or guardian to take custody of the child.”

AISD needs to provide its students, especially those at the most at-risk campuses, with information on how they can stay safe from these raids and how they can support others.

Even if AISD can’t keep its students wholly safe from ICE and Trump’s government, it should give students the resources and information they need to keep themselves safe.

Photo by Fletcher Vandegrift. Editorial cartoon by Nate Williams.

shield staff

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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

editors-in-chief print managing editor

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news editor

web managing editors

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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.

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Content that may stimulate heated debate is not included in this definition.

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people editor Maya Tackett

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editorial 31

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issue 3, volume 72 feb. 21, 2025

4000 S Interstate 35 Austin, TX 78704-7420

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Issue 3 crossword

@macjournalism @macjournalism @macstudentmedia @macjournalism Interested in advertising in The Shield?

ACROSS 1. Twentieth 3. TikTok 5. Google Classroom 8. Assistance

To find more exclusive stories from MacJournalism, visit our website at macshieldonline.com.

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DOWN 2. Hendrickse 4. Color Guard 6. Tennis 7. Hutch

Advertising in The Shield—in our print edition or on this website—gives you a chance to give your business wide exposure while at the same time showing to your customers that you support McCallum High School and the community we serve with our publications.

Analytics reveal that advertising in The Shield Online makes a big splash. Our lifeguarding ad on the website (a sidebar and in-story ad) received a total of 139,621 views and 105 clicks.

Advertising in The Shield is affordable. It’s effective. It’altruistic. And it’s a good investment.

Please consider advertising in the Shield now and during the 2024-2025 school year. If you are interested in advertising in The Shield or The Shield Online, please contact adviser David Winter at david.winter@austinisd.org.

Across

Down

1. Trump took the oath of office on Jan. ______ 3. Controversial but short-lived ban of this app affected over 170 million Americans 5. Soon to replace BLEND 8. The A in PALS

2. Varsity soccer player and violinist 4. Will be a Fine Arts Academy major starting fall 2025 6. School sport with two seasons 7. Founder and teacher of McCallum ESL classes

Crossword by JoJo Barnard. Graphics by Hannah Crooks.

32 back cover

Cover by Mira Patel.