Mccallum Shield, Vol. 64, Issuu 1

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McCallum High School / 5600 Sunshine / Austin, TX 78756 / Oct. 7, 2016 Issue 1/ Volume 64

The Friends of McCallum mobilize the community to help Mac students in need. page 4

While the AISD student population is decreasing, McCallum’s student body is growing. page 14

Which Wydeven are you? Take our completely scientific quiz to find out. page 24

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the issue

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The Shield goes behind the scenes to learn more about McCallum’s new technical theatre teacher: Laura Kieler.

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What was like to be on this campus on Sept. 11, 2001? We asked four teachers who vividly remembered that awful day.

No child left behind isn’t just a political slogan for the Friends of McCallum. It’s a noble ambition the group is making true.

people

With Austin becoming more and more expensive, many families are leaving town for the suburbs, causing AISD enrollment to shrink. We explore how AISD is making a case for them to stay.

sports

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MAC’s rivalry with Austin High has been dormant for two decades, but it hasn’t always been that way. As the Maroons return to our district, we remember when the rivalry was real.

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Senior athletes—football player Griffin Garbutt and volleyball player Greta Colombo—share what their years at McCallum have meant to them.

7 Battle of the Bell @ House Park 7:30 p.m.

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No classes for students; AISD Pride Week begins.

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Opening night of Cyrano: The Musical @ 7 p.m. in MAC

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Football vs. Crockett @ Burger Stadium 7:30 p.m.

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Volleyball senior/Alumni Night vs. Lanier @ 6 p.m.

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Orchestra Concert in MAC @ 7 p.m.

Above: The varsity volleyball team celebrates after a 3-2 win over Stephen F. Austin High School. The Maroons took the first two sets, 25-23 and 25-14, but the Knights stormed back to take the final three sets, 25-20, 25-15 and 15-11.

This instant classic was a great way to renew a rivalry that dates back to the 1950s. Photo by Karel Tinkler.

Right: The McCallum student section throws up its arms as the school song is played at the Knights’ homecoming game on Sept. 23 against the LBJ Jaguars. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Cover Photo by Gregory James, design by Julie Robertson.

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Kieler enters a new stage in her career McCallum’s technical theatre department has a new teacher running the show.

ZOE HOCKER

assistant editor Laura Kieler has always had McCallum and the Fine Arts Academy in the back of her mind as a potential place to work. It wasn’t until recently, however, that those thoughts became a reality.

“McCallum always pushes the envelope in the type of shows they chose to do, and that was something that I really wanted to be able to do,” Kieler said. “So when this job opened up last year, I wanted to apply,” Starting at a new school as a teacher is hard, and it takes lots of adjusting. Kieler has faced a wide variety of difficulties from trying to figure out the copy machine to learning where everything belongs in the MAC. “Every theater always has quirks, and slowly but surely I am starting to discover plenty of them and things that don’t work or are wired weird or just strange places things live,” Kieler said. “It’s pretty crazy, but I feel like a lot of students are well-versed in different areas. I also try to keep reminding myself where things are by constantly opening doors and looking in.”

Kieler started doing tech theatre in high school and then worked in some theatre companies in Chicago which is where she grew

up. She was unsure about teaching but then spent a year in an Americorps.

“I worked in the west and south sides of Chicago in schools and in the community doing a lot of service and planning services events, and it was through that time that I realized that I enjoyed working with students and that I wanted to combine my love of theatre with working with young people,” Kieler said.

After finishing her theatre education degree at the University of Texas, she spent five years teaching at other schools in places like Round Rock and the Woodlands before coming to McCallum this year.

“I have to say this campus is probably one of the friendliest; it is very welcoming. Both student and teacher wise it has been incredible and very much a wonderful experience starting off here,” Kieler said. “It just seems like a different place, and people are much quirkier here: it’s nice.”

Like any other teacher, Kieler has a favorite part of her subject. She likes doing lighting and set design for shows and finds both tasks have their own perks.

“I really like lighting. It’s not really a tangible art form, but I think that is part of the joy in doing it. It’s an experiential thing,” Kieler said. “Set design is taking an empty stage and creating a world based on a story you’re trying

Fine Arts Academy coordinator Heather Ramsay

“In order for students to be successful, I believe in our future, they have to be thoughtful, creative, innovative. The skills that you get in an art classroom are embedded with those concepts.”

to tell. We are telling the story through visuals, which I think is really exciting. Then you take it all down and then move on to the next one, which is a nice lesson in beginnings and endings and the whole process.”

Kieler is excited for the upcoming productions at McCallum and seeing what the whole process and experience will be like. There are a few things, however, that concern her.

“I think every show is its own challenge so I don’t know if it’ll be more or less challenging, but it’ll just be different no matter what,” Kieler said. “It’ll be a different kind of challenge learning what sort of style Denning is and learning the capabilities of the students and things we need to work on, I think all of that is the biggest challenge currently,” Kieler said.

Coming to a new school and new theatre program can be challenging for a new teacher, but Kieler feels she can handle it.

“In terms of production, I think I am ready for any challenge they throw at me. The stage is massive though so making sure things aren’t looking tiny on that big stage is also something that’s in the back of my head.”

Kieler is excited about her future at McCallum and is figuring out McCallum theatre’s system one step at a time.

“The program here is established and coming in here being new is really just catching up to

NEW FACES AT MAC

Language arts teacher Dana Olson “I love how there’s not one type of kid who goes here.

It seems to me that everyone gets along, and everyone likes it here.”

speed to everything that has been done and continuing the good work that has been done before me.”

New technical theatre teacher, Laura Kieler. Photo provided by Laura Kieler.

Dance teacher Natalie Uehara

“I love teaching because I love making personal connections with students, and I love watching students grow. Whether they have lots of dance experience or they’ve never danced before, I just love watching the progress they can make.”

For the complete story on these teachers and more, please see macshieldonline.com.

07 oct. 2016

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You’ve got a friend in us Friends of McCallum Students is committed to helping students in need ANNA ADDISON staff reporter

According to McCallum parent Stephanie Savage, who chairs the group Friends of McCallum Students, there were 34 homeless students and eight emancipated minors on campus last year, and almost one third of these students were on free and reduced lunch.

Half of the 12 schools that feed into McCallum are Title One Schools, meaning that more than half of students at feeder schools are considered economically disadvantaged. Last year, McCallum parent Kristen Knifton saw that the school was in constant need of donations to fund bus passes for students who otherwise couldn’t afford them. To address this need, she formed a group of parents who were interested in ameliorating poverty at McCallum - named Friends of McCallum Students.

This committee partners with the school’s social worker Brooke Anderson to try and meet the needs of disadvantaged students and their families at McCallum and throughout its vertical team.

The majority of the Friends of McCallum budget funds bus passes, which are given to about 75 students a month. They also provide supermarket gift cards and emergency financial assistance to families in need.

So far this year, they’ve already received three requests for financial aid.

The group provides care packages for students who need support, snacks for hungry students (distributed by the counselors, the social worker and security officers). It also fulfills “one-time” needs such as buying a new laptop or covering graduation fees.

In addition to this assistance, the group runs programs such as Pantry to Schools (where food from the food pantry is delivered directly to Title One schools in McCallum’s vertical team), and events such as the Benefit Shopping Night at Ten Thousand Villages, the school supply and holiday gift drives, and the upcoming clothes swap on Oct. 21 and 22.

Most recently the charity held a fundraiser at Pinthouse Pizza that raised $1,440 to address the needs of the students and families that Friends of McCallum supports.

Savage said that seeing the direct impact

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Chamber orchestra members Matthew Weinberg, Ciana Rosenblad, Mitchell Wright, and Monica Hart perform for the Friends of McCallum Students Benefit Shopping Night at Ten Thousand Villages on Dec. 3. Matt the Electrician and the Kealing choir also performed. Photo by Isabel Garza. of her work and knowing that she’s making a difference is very rewarding. She added that seeing the community rally around the organization and being supported by so many people has also been an amazing experience.

“Besides raising my son, I think that it’s the most important thing that I do,” Savage said.

Junior Roxy Smith also felt the power of coordinated community service after volunteering for the Friends of McCallum School Supplies Drive last year.

“It felt really good to know that the people we were helping were so grateful and happy,” she said. “I didn’t know how many school supplies were needed at those elementary schools.”

According to Savage, the biggest challenge

they’ve faced yet is a shortage of volunteers.

There’s just too much work to be done and not enough manpower.

“There are people at this school who can’t go home and know where they’ll sleep the next night and that’s a huge problem,” said senior Mitchell Wright who volunteered at the Friends of McCallum Benefit Shopping Night fundraiser last year. “If there’s more people involved, then at least it lets the people affected know that people are there to help them and that they care.”

Savage says students, parents, teachers, and community members all are equals in the organization. Two of the committee members aren’t McCallum parents and one of them doesn’t even have kids; she’s just a

person who cares about their cause.

Savage says that even if you don’t have time to volunteer, you can still donate to the cause.

Friends of McCallum is launching an email distribution to get the word out concerning upcoming events or any resources they might need.

If you are a parent or student who is interested in volunteering either as part of a group you belong to or as an individual (and yes, you can get NHS volunteer hours for this), contact Stephanie Savage at ssavage4105@gmail.com or go to the website, https://mccallumhs.com/programs/ parents/ptsa/friends-of-mccallum-students/ for more information.

07 oct. 2016

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Turning Texas purple Two of the Young Democrat co-presidents discuss the influence of blue voices in a red state MADDIE DORAN assistant editor

The Shield: Can you explain what turning Texas Blue is?

Sarah Brownson: In the simplest terms, it basically means turning Texas into a Democratic state, or a swing state. Battleground Texas [a Democratic grassroots voter registration initiative] said, or at least said when it was more relevant, [that the key issue was] to get Texas minority voters to vote because they hadn’t had very large voter turnout in the past.

TS: How do you think Battleground Texas worked out?

SB: Not very well. It’s kind of a process.

I think the thing that would be different about this election is that you have to have a candidate that’s so repulsive especially to minority voters that would make the challenge of leaving your kids at home, or going to work to vote worth it.

TS: What did you think about the first recent debate ?

SB: I thought she did pretty well.

Grace Bonilla: Yeah, Me too. I think she stood her ground, but I also wish they talked about policy more.

SB: Yeah! I think that [Trump] had a lot more speaking time so the moderator was a little frustrated.

GB: Lester Holt really needed to step it up.

SB: I also think that the more [Trump] goes on, the worse he makes himself sound, so I don’t think it was that bad, but also it might be a bit unfair. Especially at the very end when they were talking about the things he says about women, she just dragged him. I think he was really doing poorly in the end.

GB: I think you could really tell that she had put real thought and a lot of preparation into the debate because everything she said was so well thought out in the times that she could talk, which weren’t very many.

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TS: Did you have a favorite part or quote from the debate?

GB: My favorite part was when she was talking about how people who don’t pay income taxes for everything and then Hillary said, “ He owes you.”

SB: I also liked the part where he said that she didn’t have a tax plan because she has a plan for everything. If anything, people don’t like her because she has too many plans, and it annoys people. Then she said that it was all written in her book and that everyone should go buy it.

TS: Do you think that it changed any significant amount of voters’ minds about a candidate?

GB: If I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t think it changed a lot of people’s minds, but I think it made Donald Trump look worse, so maybe it changed some undecided voters’ minds.

SB: I don’t think it changed the minds of any people who were Trump supporters from the beginning, but I think for conservatives, who don’t like Hillary or Trump, maybe it helped them?

really helpful and beneficial for anyone who was interested to have a group that was in a scheduled place. That way we could just talk and clear the air on a bunch of issues that were arising in the election and that got really confusing. Politics can just get so confusing and sometimes you just need to have someone sit you down and explain what’s going on.

SB: This year we have been pretty busy because we have been registering voters for the actual election ... so we have been pretty busy. We all watch the debate together though. It was pretty nice though because last year every week we would pick a topic, and then after every week I always felt like I learned a lot about something that I didn’t know.

TS: Have you ever had more conservative students come to Young Democrats Club?

SB: Everyone that has been in Young Democrats has been Democratic.

GB: The only real issues we have had are people who were diehard Bernie fans versus people who are diehard Hillary fans SB: Diehard Hillary wasn’t that common.

GB: I wouldn’t even really say it was an issue just more of a disagreement because even though everyone was still a Democrat, it still causes a lot of differences than I had really thought there were going to be.

SB: It wasn’t really differences on ideology, it was just differences on what people thought was realistic.

GB: It also wasn’t bad differences, it just opened the doors for more discussion and learning.

Comic by Charlie Holden

TS: Do you think that any conservatives don’t want to admit that they would vote for Hillary, but secretly they will?

SB: I think that both of the Bushes will secretly or publicly announce that they are voting for Hillary.

GB: I read somewhere in an article that all four of our living presidents will all vote for Hillary.

SB: Wow! I think that most career politicians would vote for Hillary because that would make their lives a lot easier. They probably want to elect someone that they can work with, and they know her.

TS: Can you explain about the Young Democrats Club at McCallum?

GB: Well in our friend group it started out with me, Sarah and Hanan. We would always talk about the election all the time, and we thought that it would be

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News in a FLASH More than 500 students go to 2016 homecoming dance The homecoming dance, which took place at McCallum on Sept. 24, enjoyed significantly higher attendance than last year’s dance enjoyed, said math teacher Stephanie Stanley, who organized the event.

“Last year we probably sold around 450 tickets, and this year we sold about 560,” Stanley said, “so every year it’s about 100 more, which is awesome.”

Stanley credited the student council members with engineering the success of this year’s dance.

“I am the student council sponsor,” Stanley said “Student council is in charge of planning, so we met and came up with the theme and designed T-shirts. From there my job was just the executive part of it.”

Student council comes up with the theme and creates the T-shirts for the homecoming football game.

“The kids come up the ideas, and the T-shirts and stuff like that, and I just make it happen so as far as ... writing checks for the DJ and the officers for the security and making sure there were parents there for chaperones,” Stanley said.

According to Stanley, students do most of the work.

“So I just make sure that the event happens and looks and feels like the student council wants it to go,” Stanley said.

“Then I organize with the students like ‘Who’s going to sell T-shirts’ and ‘Who’s gonna help me sell tickets?’

The ticket sales help make money for the student council to execute the dance.

“We don’t aim to make any proceeds off of it,” Stanley said. “We try to come out even so if I think I am going to make a certain amount of money off of T-shirts and tickets then I use that money to pay for a good DJ and for the security and all the stuff for the homecoming court as well.”

But, this year the student council did make a profit.

“I think we might have made a couple hundred dollars profit this year so we will just use that money towards next year’s homecoming or some other student council event we might put on in the spring,” Stanley said. “I would rather use any money we make on making homecoming better than trying to profit student council because we need the money to make things better.”

Other school’s homecomings tend to be bigger than McCallum’s, but many students still attend.

“It’s in the cafeteria, it’s kinda lowkey but at the same time it enables everyone that wants to go to go,” Stanley said. “Some people might think it’s kind of lame, [but] I think it makes it to where people can go because it’s $5 as opposed to other schools that charge like $20 to have their homecoming dance that’s more like prom,” Stanley said..

She added that the homecoming dance has become more popular to attend at McCallum throughout the years. “[Ticket sales are] steadily increasing, and I think that has

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a lot to do with the fact that school spirit is increasing,” Stanley said. “I had some student council members that wanted to decorate the hallways, so we did that and I think that got people kind of excited.”

Stanley sees the dance as just the beginning of an upward trend in school spirit.

“There are some cool traditions we are trying to start,” Stanley said. “I think people buy into the fact that homecoming is a pretty cool thing, and they’re less concerned about it being a lame dance in the cafeteria.”

-Maddie Doran

Portfolio Night was not only for students looking to pursue art in college.

“Kids that don’t really want to go to art school but still want to get feedback can get feedback from different schools so they can find out how they can make their portfolios better and so they can use it in the work force,” Seckar-Martinez said.

An art portfolio is 8-14 pieces of artwork that represent the artist and his or her skills best. The pieces could be photographs, sculptures, paintings or anything that shows the creative process. McCallum students were at the event showing their portfolios from 4:30-5 p.m. and then it was open to other schools in the Austin area.

“We even had some students from community colleges come in,” Seckar-Martinez said. “It was a really good event and I hope to have it again in two years.”

-Zoe Hocker

Fall blood drive results in 24 donations, 7 deferrals

Junior Avery Johnson meets with a college representative to get feedback about her art portfolio. Photo by Celeste De Oca.

Inaugural portfolio night helps art students prepare for life beyond high school Portfolio night took place on Sept. 27 in the cafeteria. Jeff Seckar-Martinez, one of the art teachers, was in charge of the event with the help of Nancy Nitardy. Portfolio night is typically a national event that takes place every other year, but because 2016 is a year where there is no portfolio night, Seckar-Martinez thought it would be a good idea to host one for the Austin area at McCallum.

“Ms. Nitardy and I organized a variety of colleges to come into one venue here at McCallum and set up tables in the cafeteria so that students from McCallum and other schools in the area could come and show their work,” Seckar-Martinez said.

“The goal was for students to get information from various schools, get feedback on their portfolio and their work and then for schools to actually look at a variety of students with the possibility that they might be able to go to those schools.”

Art schools were the main colleges represented at the event, but there were also a few larger universities in attendance such as University of Texas and the University of Iowa.

McCallum’s biannual blood drive took place on Sept. 27 in the field house. The Blood Center of Austin reaches out to PALs sponsor Richard Cowles every year to organize a fall and spring drive for McCallum students.

“This year 34 people came.,” Cowles said. “[There were] seven deferrals, which means they had some kind of issue like iron deficiency or a fever or something like that, and 24 whole blood donations [were collected] and six red blood cell [donations].”

Cowles thinks the turnout is always lower in the fall as opposed to spring because students are still adjusting to school and forget about the blood drive. This year a new policy was put into place where students under the age of 18 had to get a permission form signed by a guardian to give blood because of the Zika virus.

This new provision caused more deferrals because a few people forgot their forms. In the 2016 spring blood drive, 48 people donated. Cowles is hopeful for a bigger turnout this spring. He feels donating blood regularly is a good habit to form.

“It’s an essential part to our system, and if we do not have blood to provide the injured then the vitality rate would be greatly increased,” Cowles said.

PALs provides volunteers who help out at the event throughout the day.

“As the PALs sponsor, I am the one who coordinates it and the PALs man the volunteer [stations] so if a student needs help getting back to class or something the PALS do that,” Cowles said. “We make the signs for around the school.”

The next blood drive will be held in April and will be announced in the spring semester.

For more news and additional reporting, please visit www.macshieldonline.com.

07 Oct. 2016

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What the bell? Schedule draws criticism Teachers, students struggle to adjust to alternating Fridays, extended A-day first period ANNA COMPTON staff reporter

Since Robert Lehman first started teaching chemistry at McCallum—in 1968— he has taught under many different bell schedules. Based on his experience, he has reached a conclusion about the current A/B schedule, a schedule that fixes Mondays and Wednesdays as A days, Tuesdays and Thursdays as B days and alternates each Friday between A and B days. The first period on Mondays and Wednesdays is almost 15 minutes longer than it is on other days.

“As long I’ve been teaching, about 58 years,” Lehman said, “this is the worst schedule I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Assistant principal Gabriel Reyes said that AISD established the schedule in order to enable the student sharing program, in which students take morning classes on other campuses that aren’t offered on their home campus.

“All high schools had to get along as far as the calendar,” Reyes said. “We all had to follow the same calendar so that we could facilitate the kids, as they move from school to school, with the same schedule.”

The schedule had to be standardized so that all campuses had the same classes at the same time. And first period needed to be longer in order to allow for transportation between campuses.

The Shield contacted associate superintendent Thyrun Hurst, at the Office of High Schools, to get the district’s perspective on the new schedule. Hurst agreed to be interviewed, but by press time, he had not yet granted that interview.

Reyes said that approximately 10 McCallum students are participating in the student sharing program. Reyes said that more students might have participated if they knew that the option was available.

“I think it’s a good system in that it allows kids to go take these classes,” Reyes said. “As we go more and more, I think more and more kids will take advantage of these opportunities, like the Austin High sign language [class].”

Reyes said that more McCallum students would have taken the sign language class, but rising enrollment on the Austin High

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Infographic

by Anna Compton

1/5 2/6 LUNCH

3/7 4/8

A

B

9:00-10:52

9:00-10:39

10:59-12:29

10:46-12:21

12:29-1:16

12:21-1:06

1:23-2:52

1:13-2:48

3:00-4:30

2:55-4:30

campus reduced the number of slots available to students from other campuses.

Reyes said that the fixed A/B schedule helps students taking ACC classes as well.

“Another one of the benefits is that our students who are taking ACC classes can now take not only one, but two classes because it would not mess up their schedule, because it is set,” Reyes said. “We aligned all of our schedules, so we could facilitate that.”

While the program has given some McCallum students the opportunity to take a class they couldn’t take otherwise, teachers and students say the new alternating Friday schedule has made it difficult for A and B classes to stay on the same schedule. That change plus the addition of 22 minutes, compared to last year, has caused students to be in classes for very different amounts of time.

History teacher Joe Carcione said, “The new schedule has affected how I do Fridays

The new schedule by the numbers

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number of extra minutes in first period compared to fifth period

approximate number of students in the student sharing program at McCallum

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because I try to keep both classes even, but when they end up doubled up, I flip which class I lead with, from A to B day.”

With the alternative Fridays, B days are double blocked on Thursdays and Fridays every other week.

The added time to first period has caused a change in the bell schedule for A and B days. Some students find this very confusing and hard to remember when their classes get out. Students and teachers say that the inconsistency of the schedule has been a challenge.

“Everyone knows that consistency is the best thing for young people, and this schedule is highly inconsistent,” science teacher Richard Whisennand said. “For some of the students, it’s not a big deal, but for a lot of the students, especially those who are easily distracted, it’s horrible.”

The new schedule is also causing unintended consequences for some groups at McCallum. The Blue Brigade, for example,

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number of extra minutes in the school day compared to the 20152016 school year

has suffered bad luck with the alternating Friday schedule. Last year, the Friday after every Thursday football game was an A day.

Because Blue Brigade is first period, members of the team got to sleep in the next day. This year, however, after an 18-hour Taco Shack Thursday, Blue Brigade did get to sleep in because the Friday after Taco Shack was a B day. The Lehman game on Thursday night was also followed by a B-day Friday.

“This schedule change has been very confusing,” Blue Brigade member Lilly Ponce said. “Now that Fridays switch alternatively between A and B days, Blue Brigade does not get to sleep in after a very long day.”

But the students in Blue Brigade aren’t the only ones that are blue because of the new schedule.

“I feel that we’ve made an adjustment for a few select programs, that’s had an impact on all of the students,” Whisennand said, “and I don’t know if that’s best for education.”

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It’s (Amazon) Prime time for AV project GRACE SCHMIDHAUSER staff reporter

The film department at McCallum, led by Ken Rogers, has for many years cultivated innovative young filmmakers. The department not only offers training in the fields of filming, writing, editing and directing but also offers tangible, real-world experience in the field of filmmaking.

In late September 2015, a troupe of 13 McCallum film majors began working on Professor Isle’s Laboratory, a quirky sevenepisode series following the life of a disgruntled and misunderstood fifth-grade teacher.

Professor Isaac Isle, played by Austin actor Jeremy Vandermause, is a young and idealistic man convinced he can change the world if only he weren’t surrounded by blubbering morons who prevent him from doing so, including his rambunctious and rebellious fifth-grade class. The show follows the often absurd situations he’s faced with in his daily life with a sarcastic narrative that analyzes social situations, politics, relationships and the perils of everyday life.

The show’s writer and director, Lance Barnett, initially approached Rogers to produce the show, but Rogers determined that it was a great opportunity for his AV kids.

“Lance had acted in a few of my kids’ films, and [when he] asked me if I would produce the show for him, I told him I would do it for him if my kids could get involved.

He agreed,” Rogers said. He felt that it would be a great opportunity for the kids to get a view into the world of filming for TV and film outside of the walls of McCallum.

The McCallum students involved in the production of the show devoted many hours throughout the past year to filming the show, having jobs ranging from interns on set, to makeup artists and even paid set jobs.

They got the chance to work with all of the equipment as well as to work firsthand with the director and the actors.

“A bunch of (the kids) came on as interns for it, and Alex Tzaperas and Thoren Claytor kind of stood out and really worked hard, so we gave them a job,” Rogers said. Not only do the “stand-out” workers get useful experience in their field of interest, but they also have the opportunity to make money off of the show if it begins to make a profit.

“It was a great opportunity to be able to work on a full set, and uh… learn how to deal

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Jeremy Vandermause and Cole Allen play the disgruntled Professor Isle and the rebellious genius Poindexter in Professor Isle’s Laboratory filmed at Lamar Middle School.

Professor Isle’s Laboratory Director: Lance Barnett Producer: Ken Rogers Gaffer operator: Thoren Claytor Boom operator: Alex Tzaperas and Sam Hearne Makeup: Lola Sackett Original Score: Max Becker, Josh Bell, and Tre Pham with shooting [film] with children,” Claytor, a senior, said of the experience, his voice tinged with good-natured sarcasm.

The show filmed most of the classroom scenes at Lamar Middle School, the alma-mater of many McCallum students, using extras and characters from Austin-area elementary and middle school students. The combination of 17 year-olds and fifth-graders isn’t a common one, so the team had to learn how to work with a cast of characters that pushed them outside of their comfort zones.

In addition to individual students getting paid for their work on the show, Rogers

AV student, Taylor Renfro, operates the boom while MAC graduate Nate Ziven operates sound while filming for Professor Isle’s Laboratory. Photo courtesy of Ken Rogers. also plans to share the potential profits of the show with his future students.

“Ten percent of the profits from here will go toward scholarships for the kids, if [the series] makes any money.” Rogers said.

The show has been picked up by the streaming service Amazon Prime. This online opportunity is an exciting development that offers a lot of potential exposure for the show, as well as an impressive bullet point to add to the students’ resumes.

Though Rogers understands the realities of the world of TV and online streaming and its unpredictably, he still remains hopeful

that he and his students may be able to gain some tangible profit from the show in addition to the valuable experience.

“It cost $35,000 to make and that will take awhile to make back,” he admitted, “but hopefully it’ll eventually make all its money back. And maybe I’ll even make some money!”

Though it’s free to stream, the profits made from the show are dependent on the amount of times people view it, so for once students can actually help MAC students by watching the show on the smart phones, computers and tablets.

07 Oct. 2016

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Milo the puzzle prince

Junior solves Rubik’s Cubes in a matter of seconds at competition CHARLIE HOLDEN assistant editor Junior Milo Maher can solve a Rubik’s Cube in a matter of seconds— 9.03 seconds, to be exact.

“It’s a ton of fun,” Maher said. “Anyone can learn how to [solve a Rubik’s Cube] online. The people who average seven seconds learned to do it online. I learned how to do it online. And you can always figure out more yourself, but it’s really neat to know that those resources are out there.”

Maher first started to play with Rubik’s Cubes in the eighth grade, but it wasn’t until two years ago that he got serious about it.

“I definitely pract i c e ,” M a h e r s a i d .

“There’s always more to learn, more algorithms or sets of moves to solve different ways the cube is set up. The more you practice, the more you’re going to figure out, or the more you research, the more you’re going to find.”

This practice has enabled Maher to place in competitions like Westlake Open 2016, a speed-solving competition that took place in Austin last month. “[T he Westlake Open] was the fourth competition that I’ve been to,” said Maher.

“I got 14th place in 3x3 and fifth place in 2x2 and worse places in other events that I don’t practice as much, but I compete in

07 Oct. 2016

because it’s fun.”

Not many people can do what Maher does, so solving a cube in public can really attract some attention.

“I’ll [solve Rubik’s Cubes] sometimes in class or at lunch or on the bus if I have one,” Maher said. “Sometimes people will just say, ‘Oh wow, that’s really amazing, that’s really neat,’ and then sometimes I’ll just be sitting there kind of in my own zone, and I’ll hear someone whispering. There was this one lady who was talking on the phone on the bus, and she was speaking Spanish, and I think she knew I couldn’t speak Spanish, but when she said Rubik’s Cube I knew she was talking about me. It was a little neat but also, like, I’m not trying to show off.”

But show off he can.

“Theoretically I could solve however big of a cube you put in front of me because after a certain point you just can apply previous knowledge to higher order cubes,” Maher said.

“I have a 7x7 [cube].

It’s pretty intimidating I guess, but I can do it.”

Junior Milo Maher poses with a solved Rubik’s Cube. Photo by Charlie Holden.

Watch a video of Maher solving a Rubik’s Cube at macshieldonline.com.

Fast Facts about the Cube The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian architect Erno Rubik. The corners were rounded, and it was made from wood, not plastic. Rubik was only 29 years old when he invented what is now the best selling toy of all time.

Rubik patented his cube in 1977, calling it the Magic Cube. Sales rocketed once he licensed his design to Ideal Toy Co. in 1980. More than 100 million cubes were sold within the first three years, making the toy an icon of the ’80s.

The cube recently celebrated its 40th bithday. In the decades since its release, more than 350 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold. It’s been estimated that as many as one in every seven people on Earth have attempted to solve a Rubiks Cube. That’s about a billion people.

The record for solving a Rubik’s Cube with two hands is not held by a human. Cubestormer III, a machine built from LEGO Mindstorms and piloted by a Galaxy S4 Smartphone, solved it in just 3.25 seconds.

The record for a two-handed solve by a human is held

by Lucas Etter, an American teenager who completed the puzzle in 4.904 seconds when he was only 14 years old. There are many, many world records in the books concerning Rubik’s Cubes. These include, but are not limited to, the fastest solve using only feet, the most cubes completed underwater, the fastest blindfolded solve and the solve in the fewest moves.

There are 519 quintillion possible cominations for a Rubik’s Cube. In case you were wondering, written out, that’s 519,000,000,000,000,000,000. For all of these combinations there is still only one solution.

Source: The New York Post

people 09

the SOPHIE RYLAND staff reporter

shield A SHOWCASE DIRECTOR: Carol Nelson directs the jazz band at the Fine Arts Showcase in the MAC on Sept. 27. Photo by Ramona Sever.

“G

ame days are pretty crazy around here,” says Carol Nelson as she leads me into her office.

She’s right; the band hall is packed with kids practicing their music and loudly talking with one another.

This game day, Friday, Sept. 9, is a special one for the McCallum band director of 37 years. McCallum is playing its first road game of the season against Seguin High School, where Nelson was once a student and a member of the marching band.

Nelson was a first-chair trumpet player in the Seguin Matador Band, which consisted of about 200 people.

Although marching band was a huge part of her high school experience, she was also involved in many other extracurricular activities.

“I was president of the band, president of the National Honor Society, president of the Spanish Club, vice president of Future Teachers of America, on the track team [and] in the church choir,” Nelson said. “I was also an All-State Trumpet player. ... I [also] took academics very seriously and was salutatorian of my class.”

Nelson’s list of accomplishments are more than impressive. At the time, they were ground-breaking.

“When I was a sophomore, the band director asked me if I wanted to be in jazz band,” Nelson said. “I said, ‘Sure,’ and he said, ‘Oh good, [but] we’ll have to let the boys in the band vote to see if you can be in the band.’ They voted yes, so I got to be in it.”

Nelson’s success did not stop in high school; she continued to achieve heavily in college at UT. “I was in the Longhorn band, I think the first female trumpet section leader, and I got a bachelor’s in music education,” Nelson said. “I also was in a concert group called the Wind Ensemble; it was the top wind players, I got to do that as a freshman. I got my master’s in applied conducting.

I was also the graduate assistant for the Longhorn band, so I got to chart a show and teach it to them. I was also president of Tau Beta Sigma, a girls’ sorority for band, so we did a lot of community service for the band. After I got my master’s, my first job was at McCallum.”

Nelson has become a staple of McCallum’s fine arts program since 1980, earlier than when one of her assistant directors was even born. One of her former students has even gone on to teach at another high school in AISD. “Ms. Nelson is one of the most experienced teachers at McCallum, and I think it shows,” junior and percussion section leader Keane Sammon said. “She knows when to push her students to be better, but as a person can be very relatable and very easy to have a conversation with.”

Sammon also mentioned that Nelson isn’t just relatable: she genuinely cares for and connects with her students beyond the band room: “At the end of the last school year, one of our tuba players had a tumor found in his

10 people

NELSON THROUGH THE YEARS 1972 — Nelson is an All-State trumpet player and is the first female student in jazz band at Seguin High School.

1979 — Nelson gets her bachelor’s degree in music and becomes the first female trumpet section leader in the Longhorn Band 1980 — Nelson starts her teaching career at McCallum.

2016 — Nelson returns to Seguin as the McCallum band director.

QUEEN FOR A SEASON: In 1974, Nelson was crowned Miss Seguin. In that role, she met Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe and rode atop many parade floats. She was also Miss South Texas pageant runner-up. Photo from The Seguin Gazette archive. brain, and had to be taken into surgery to have it removed,” Sammons said. “On his final day of being in the hospital after his surgery, Ms. Nelson [worked] with [him] on playing the tuba, to help him gain back some of his skills.

Sammon isn’t the only one who mentioned Nelson’s empathy; assistant band director Matt Ehlers, who has worked with Nelson for over 10 years, echoed the sentiment.

“Ms. Nelson shows an incredible amount of empathy in her teaching,” Ehlers said. “She truly cares about each student’s feelings and makes an effort to ensure everyone’s experience in her program is a positive one.

Teaching is not just a job to her; it is a realization of who she really is.”

Many of her students, after hearing her stories of her high school band experience, were eager to honor her

experience as they played at halftime.

“Playing at Seguin was super fun, but it was a little stressful, because we all wanted to perform well for the school Ms. Nelson graduated from,” sophomore and trumpet player Chance Green said.

Though she remembers her high school times fondly, Nelson very enthusiastically said she supports the Knights in victory and that she loves McCallum’s high school experience.

“It’s a different climate altogether,” Nelson said. “At Seguin you just went to your classes and did your things.

[McCallum has] so many more opportunities for people to be involved, like we didn’t have an orchestra at Seguin.

There is a wealth of opportunities to perform and engage in creativity here that there weren’t when I was at Seguin.”

07 Oct. 2016

HALF

Nelson instructs senior Brooke Heffington on the trumpet on the band room on Sept. 23. Photo

by Madison Olsen.

For 37 years, Carol Nelson has been the heart of the McCallum marching band, but that’s only half of the story.

When McCallum travelled to Seguin to play a football game As a Seguin senior, Nelson made the All-State band in her sophomore year as a trumpet player. Photo from The Seguin Gazette archive.

last month, Nelson returned to where her high school band career started. The Shield is proud to bring you the other half of her story.

story by Sophie Ryland

07 Oct. 2016

people 11

the

shield

9/11 as McCallum lived it Teachers on campus during the Sept. 11 attacks describe the event from their perspectives RACHEL WOLLEBEN editor in chief

With the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks,

many upperclassmen and teachers at McCallum have made the connection that this year’s freshmen will be the first class at McCallum with students that were not alive on Sept. 11, 2001. Though most students currently at McCallum were too young to remember that day, teach-

ers who held classes on campus during the disaster can describe that mournful time with great detail. To get an inside look on what happened at McCallum on 9/11, The Shield asked four teachers to recount their experiences that day.

Richard Cowles: “I believe I was teaching an Algebra 1 class. After we heard the news, it was very somber, very surreal in terms that it was very far away, and we could tell it was significant, but there was no physical thing to grab a hold of. I think at some point in time Mr. Garrison made an announcement and said, ‘This has happened, and if you need help the counselors are available.’ I remember feeling sadness for the families with loved ones in New York. Sadness knowing that conflict was going to result because of this event. Sadness also knowing that, you know, people were going to associate an entire religious group with a decision even though it was clearly just a radicalist decision.”

Diana Adamson: “I went on my way to McCallum in the morning, and when I had the radio on I heard that

they were talking about a plane that had flown into the World Trade Center. And I was like, ‘God, what a weird accident’.

At school, and no one really knew what was going on. By first period the second tower was hit, I think. So in my first period we wanted to watch the news, but my classroom in the portables had no working TV. So I took my students into my friend’s classroom. He had a radio, so we all just sat there, his class and my class, and we sat together in a big circle and held hands with each other and listened to what was going on. It was so strange. So surreal.”

Richard Whisennand: “I was in the same room that I teach in today when it happened. I turned on the TV

and watched some of the coverage, but by that time the first tower was already hit. I can’t remember what class I was teaching, but we kept watching the news and then we saw the second one hit. It was just really jaw dropping. There was nothing but silence and disbelief. And lots of anger, too. People suddenly realized that this was an attack, not an accident.

And when the towers pancaked, it was just unreal. It was hard to believe that. That’s when everyone realized how well engineered this assault was. It was well-thought out, well-planned. Students were sad, upset..”

Rhonda Moore: “I went to the office before school to check my mailbox. Ms. Adamson was there, and she asked me if I had heard a plane had crashed into the World Towers. I hadn’t, so I went back to my room and turned on the television. It stayed on the rest of the day. It was horrifying to watch, but I wanted the television on because as a journalism teacher, I knew how important it was for my students to witness history, no matter how terrible it is. I remember standing in my room at one point, looking up at the TV, and I said, ‘Is that building starting to fall? That building can’t be falling.’ I couldn’t believe what I was seeing was real. It was like watching an action movie, but there was no happy ending. “

12 people

07 Oct. 2016

the

shield

Story and photos

by Julie Robertson.

This month: October

TV SHOW

SWIM SPOT Gus Fruh Park

I went there recently with friends, and it has a variety of options for whatever type of swimming you want to do. If you enjoy cliff jumping, you will enjoy Gus Fruh because of its limestone cliffs, perfect for jumping. There are small 10 footers but also 20 footers just a shorter climb up. If you prefer just chilling in the shallow water, you can do just that in the easy flowing water. Bring your dogs!

To get to the accessing point, go down Barton Hills Drive for two miles, the entrance is in between a few houses but is fairly clearly marked. From there follow the trail down to where you first see the creek, and turn left to continue to an area where there are higher cliffs and less foot traffic.

Halcyon Gus Fruh Park is the perfect place to cool off after spending a hot day hiking the Green Belt.

07 Oct. 2016

If you’re looking for a new fall show to start, Stranger Things, might be the show for you. It is a creepy, thriller mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Netflix has hit it out of the park again with an original series that is instantly addictive must-watch TV. This series is the perfect fall TV Show. After watching the pilot episode, I ended up watching the entire first season in just a couple of days. If you’re looking for a break from all the homework your teachers are assigning, Stranger Things is just the ticket.

MAKE IT

EATERY Moojo Ice Cream is one of the best dessert joints in Austin.

They have options for everyone including those that are gluten free or vegan. For those whose stomachs get irritated easily by dairy, the vegan ice cream is an excellent option.

This spot is an excellent option for people in my family who have gluten intolerances. My dad usually is not able to get food to eat when we go out to new restaurants.

At Moojo, however, my dad is able to enjoy his dessert along with my whole family. The freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle makes a delicious ice cream sandwich.

Photo courtesy of Moojo Ice Cream

Iced Sparkling Honey Lime Tea

What You’ll Need:

1. Red Tea Bags 2. Honey 3. Fresh Lime Juice 4. Club Soda 5. Lime Slices How to make: 1. Brew red tea according to package instructions, stir in honey and let cool.

In a larger pitcher stir together the tea and lime juice, then top off with club soda.

a & e 13

the

123456789 shield

AISD, MAC CAUGHT IN A NUMBERS GAME

While district enrollment shrinks, McCallum’s student body swells

MEDIAN ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME Austin

SOPHIE RYLAND staff reporter

78,927

Texas

62,830

USA

65,910

0

10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000

58.4%

THE RISING COSTS OF SHRINKING ENROLLMENT

Of Austin homes being sold that are affordable to households earning Austin's median family income, compared to the national average of 63.3%

T

TOTAL AISD ENROLLMENT 84000

82000

80000

78000

76000 2015

14 news

2017

2019

2021

2023

M

any McCallum students have lived in Austin long enough to have seen Austin rapidly grow from a fairly small capital of around 700,000 people to a hipster mecca of more than 2 million residents. This boom affects much than just the traffic on MoPac; it’s changing education in Austin.

One could reasonably assume that the influx of new residents would translate to a growing student population. For AISD, however, that simply isn’t the case.

Last year, AISD released a demographic study that showed that Austin could lose 7 percent of its student population in the next 10 years.

2025

his number may not seem too large, but it does have a large influence on the AISD’s funding.

“Overall, when our district declines, the way it impacts us the most is the funding we get from the state,” trustee Julie Cowan said. “The state pays us for the people in seats every day; we still have some overhead costs that won’t change, and yet we don’t get dollars if the kids aren’t in the seat. This year it’s projected we will give over 4 million dollars back under property taxes, because the values of your home and my home have gone up so much.”

One major cause of the decline is that many Austin residents, when faced with rising prices, have been forced to move. As housing prices go up, wealthier individuals tend to migrate to Austin, which further drives prices up, creating a cycle that negatively affects less wealthy residents. One group particularly affected is teachers and students, many of whom don’t make enough money to reside close to their schools and families.

“I know many colleagues (teachers) who are renting because they cannot afford to buy a house within a reasonable commute of school,” McCallum parent Susanna Cohen said. “But their rent is more than my mortgage, which is ridiculous. I look

around at neighborhoods where people have torn down houses and are building enormous homes, and I don’t understand where the money comes from. There are some very wealthy people in Austin, but there are many more people who struggle every day. The public transit system in Austin is lacking. The traffic is horrendous. People can’t afford to live near where they work. As a native Austinite, I get more than annoyed by all the growth.”

It’s also become notably more difficult for families to afford Austin as it becomes a wealthier city.

City demographer Ryan Robinson recently released a list of top 10 demographic trends in Austin, where he directly discussed AISD’s shortage.

“Although there will continue to be pockets and neighborhoods with high concentrations of affluent families in Austin, it has been middle-class families that are becoming increasingly less common within the urban core,” Robinson said. “Without a sizable share of middle-class families to stabilize the urban core, working-class families suffer because the rung above them on the socioeconomic ladder has been removed, making it more difficult for them to achieve upward social mobility.”

WHY FEWER FAMILIES CHOOSE AISD

T

here are two reasons for the decrease in families with children in Austin: first of all, the national birth rate how lowered greatly since the recession of 2008, dropping by more than 3 million births per year in the span of five years. Additionally, because of the increasing issues with affordability in Austin, many families have been forced out to areas such as Manor and Buda, leaving room for even more wealthy individuals to move in their place.

“What concerns me is that this just widens the chasm between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ here in Austin and in the surrounding area,” McCallum parent Della Molloy-Daugherty said.

The rising prominence of charter schools, publicly-funded but independently run schools, in Austin is also a large factor in the missing-student problem.

“It’s been a wake up call for AISD,” Cowan said.

“My friends who are trustees in other central Austin school districts are realizing that they’re coming along and taking part of the share. You can look at charters in two ways. They’re a threat, tak-

ing our students; but they’re also a challenge making us step up our game. It’s not great that we have to use our budget dollars, instead of on educating kids, on marketing ourselves. But if that’s the environment that the state legislature has put us in, then that’s what we’ll have to do. It challenges us; we have not provided the same outcome of education for kids all throughout our district, and charter schools have come in where outcome isn’t as good as we like, and they’re making us look at the schools there and make sure that we’re doing the best things for our students.”

Many parents have or are considering making the switch to one of the 17 local charter schools, or at least see them as a viable competitor to traditional public schools.

“Charter schools were created in response to the (substantiated) claim that public schools are not doing a good job at education,” McCallum parent Mike Laymon said. “They obviously take away from enrolment of public schools, but I don’t believe it is a significant number at this time. Charter schools do not have the same financing structure as public schools, so they have to educate the students with less money, [but] they still seem to be doing a better job. The public schools need to rise to the challenge to match the quality of education provided by the charters.”

WHAT AISD IS DOING ABOUT IT

O

ne strategy AISD is employing is a PR campaign with the intent of recruiting (or re-recruiting) students from charter or private schools. $350,000 of last year’s budget was spent on hiring an independent firm to promote AISD, a move which was criticized by some.

“I think that our schools are great schools,” Cowan said. “We just haven’t let the community know the great programs we have inside them. It’s making us think about that a little better.”

Other solutions that have been explored include partnering with realtors to promote affordable housing, allowing students from other districts to transfer to AISD schools, and resizing certain portions of the district; potentially closing underenrolled schools.

“We need to rightsize our district,” Cowan said.

07 oct. 2016

“If we’re going to have 83,000 kids instead of 86,000 kids, we need to have the facilities and the best teachers for those 83,000. Some of my trustee friends really want to work on bringing people back and making it more affordable, but I think our No. 1 goal needs to be on educating kids, so that when they’re adults they’re self sufficient and can provide for themselves and their families.”

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500 2015-16

25-26 McCallum

LBJ

Anderson

Travis

Austin High

AND THEN THERE’S MAC

D

espite AISD’s steadily declining numbers, some schools, like McCallum, are experiencing a population boom, and in some cases even overcrowding. McCallum is expected to grow 46 percent in the next 10 years; the most out of all high schools in the district. McCallum’s population is expected to increase from 1,414 students to 2,069 by 2025.

“I think it’s increasing because McCallum is a good school because of the subjects we have,” attendance specialist Jewell Jackson said. “The Fine Arts Academy, all of those fine arts classes, when they go to competitions they usually win. Even our newspaper gets first place. I think overall McCallum is just a good school, and people are becoming aware of that fact.”

Assistant principal Andy Baxa attributes the enrollment increase to factors beyond McCallum.

“First, more students are staying within the vertical team of schools,” Baxa said. “Lamar has done a good job of bringing neighborhood students back to Lamar, which has increased the size of our freshman class each of the past three years.

Second, the Mueller housing development brings in more families to our attendance zone.”

In contrast to McCallum, LBJ is expected to drop 27 percent, while Travis is supposed to drop by 37 percent. McCallum is one of the few exceptions to the declining trend; most high schools are expected to face decreasing enrollment in the upcoming years.

While McCallum’s growth is a sign of success, not everyone is sure the trend is for the best.

“I don’t want [McCallum] to get too big,” Cohen said. “It’s always been considered a school where everyone has a place—a diverse and welcoming student body. I hope it stays that way.”

REASONS 1. Affordability in Austin FOR THE 2. Increasing popularity of charter schools DECLINE 3. Lower birth rates

Austin 2010

40

30

Austin 2014

PERCENTAGE OF AGE GROUPS WITHIN TOTAL POPULATION

20

10

0 Under 18

25-44

45-64

Over 65

Sources: AISD, census.gov, Austin Chamber

news 15

the

123456789 shield

AISD, MAC CAUGHT IN A NUMBERS GAME

While district enrollment shrinks, McCallum’s student body swells

MEDIAN ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME Austin

SOPHIE RYLAND staff reporter

78,927

Texas

62,830

USA

65,910

0

10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000

58.4%

THE RISING COSTS OF SHRINKING ENROLLMENT

Of Austin homes being sold that are affordable to households earning Austin's median family income, compared to the national average of 63.3%

T

TOTAL AISD ENROLLMENT 84000

82000

80000

78000

76000 2015

14 news

2017

2019

2021

2023

M

any McCallum students have lived in Austin long enough to have seen Austin rapidly grow from a fairly small capital of around 700,000 people to a hipster mecca of more than 2 million residents. This boom affects much than just the traffic on MoPac; it’s changing education in Austin.

One could reasonably assume that the influx of new residents would translate to a growing student population. For AISD, however, that simply isn’t the case.

Last year, AISD released a demographic study that showed that Austin could lose 7 percent of its student population in the next 10 years.

2025

his number may not seem too large, but it does have a large influence on the AISD’s funding.

“Overall, when our district declines, the way it impacts us the most is the funding we get from the state,” trustee Julie Cowan said. “The state pays us for the people in seats every day; we still have some overhead costs that won’t change, and yet we don’t get dollars if the kids aren’t in the seat. This year it’s projected we will give over 4 million dollars back under property taxes, because the values of your home and my home have gone up so much.”

One major cause of the decline is that many Austin residents, when faced with rising prices, have been forced to move. As housing prices go up, wealthier individuals tend to migrate to Austin, which further drives prices up, creating a cycle that negatively affects less wealthy residents. One group particularly affected is teachers and students, many of whom don’t make enough money to reside close to their schools and families.

“I know many colleagues (teachers) who are renting because they cannot afford to buy a house within a reasonable commute of school,” McCallum parent Susanna Cohen said. “But their rent is more than my mortgage, which is ridiculous. I look

around at neighborhoods where people have torn down houses and are building enormous homes, and I don’t understand where the money comes from. There are some very wealthy people in Austin, but there are many more people who struggle every day. The public transit system in Austin is lacking. The traffic is horrendous. People can’t afford to live near where they work. As a native Austinite, I get more than annoyed by all the growth.”

It’s also become notably more difficult for families to afford Austin as it becomes a wealthier city.

City demographer Ryan Robinson recently released a list of top 10 demographic trends in Austin, where he directly discussed AISD’s shortage.

“Although there will continue to be pockets and neighborhoods with high concentrations of affluent families in Austin, it has been middle-class families that are becoming increasingly less common within the urban core,” Robinson said. “Without a sizable share of middle-class families to stabilize the urban core, working-class families suffer because the rung above them on the socioeconomic ladder has been removed, making it more difficult for them to achieve upward social mobility.”

WHY FEWER FAMILIES CHOOSE AISD

T

here are two reasons for the decrease in families with children in Austin: first of all, the national birth rate how lowered greatly since the recession of 2008, dropping by more than 3 million births per year in the span of five years. Additionally, because of the increasing issues with affordability in Austin, many families have been forced out to areas such as Manor and Buda, leaving room for even more wealthy individuals to move in their place.

“What concerns me is that this just widens the chasm between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ here in Austin and in the surrounding area,” McCallum parent Della Molloy-Daugherty said.

The rising prominence of charter schools, publicly-funded but independently run schools, in Austin is also a large factor in the missing-student problem.

“It’s been a wake up call for AISD,” Cowan said.

“My friends who are trustees in other central Austin school districts are realizing that they’re coming along and taking part of the share. You can look at charters in two ways. They’re a threat, tak-

ing our students; but they’re also a challenge making us step up our game. It’s not great that we have to use our budget dollars, instead of on educating kids, on marketing ourselves. But if that’s the environment that the state legislature has put us in, then that’s what we’ll have to do. It challenges us; we have not provided the same outcome of education for kids all throughout our district, and charter schools have come in where outcome isn’t as good as we like, and they’re making us look at the schools there and make sure that we’re doing the best things for our students.”

Many parents have or are considering making the switch to one of the 17 local charter schools, or at least see them as a viable competitor to traditional public schools.

“Charter schools were created in response to the (substantiated) claim that public schools are not doing a good job at education,” McCallum parent Mike Laymon said. “They obviously take away from enrolment of public schools, but I don’t believe it is a significant number at this time. Charter schools do not have the same financing structure as public schools, so they have to educate the students with less money, [but] they still seem to be doing a better job. The public schools need to rise to the challenge to match the quality of education provided by the charters.”

WHAT AISD IS DOING ABOUT IT

O

ne strategy AISD is employing is a PR campaign with the intent of recruiting (or re-recruiting) students from charter or private schools. $350,000 of last year’s budget was spent on hiring an independent firm to promote AISD, a move which was criticized by some.

“I think that our schools are great schools,” Cowan said. “We just haven’t let the community know the great programs we have inside them. It’s making us think about that a little better.”

Other solutions that have been explored include partnering with realtors to promote affordable housing, allowing students from other districts to transfer to AISD schools, and resizing certain portions of the district; potentially closing underenrolled schools.

“We need to rightsize our district,” Cowan said.

07 oct. 2016

“If we’re going to have 83,000 kids instead of 86,000 kids, we need to have the facilities and the best teachers for those 83,000. Some of my trustee friends really want to work on bringing people back and making it more affordable, but I think our No. 1 goal needs to be on educating kids, so that when they’re adults they’re self sufficient and can provide for themselves and their families.”

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500 2015-16

25-26 McCallum

LBJ

Anderson

Travis

Austin High

AND THEN THERE’S MAC

D

espite AISD’s steadily declining numbers, some schools, like McCallum, are experiencing a population boom, and in some cases even overcrowding. McCallum is expected to grow 46 percent in the next 10 years; the most out of all high schools in the district. McCallum’s population is expected to increase from 1,414 students to 2,069 by 2025.

“I think it’s increasing because McCallum is a good school because of the subjects we have,” attendance specialist Jewell Jackson said. “The Fine Arts Academy, all of those fine arts classes, when they go to competitions they usually win. Even our newspaper gets first place. I think overall McCallum is just a good school, and people are becoming aware of that fact.”

Assistant principal Andy Baxa attributes the enrollment increase to factors beyond McCallum.

“First, more students are staying within the vertical team of schools,” Baxa said. “Lamar has done a good job of bringing neighborhood students back to Lamar, which has increased the size of our freshman class each of the past three years.

Second, the Mueller housing development brings in more families to our attendance zone.”

In contrast to McCallum, LBJ is expected to drop 27 percent, while Travis is supposed to drop by 37 percent. McCallum is one of the few exceptions to the declining trend; most high schools are expected to face decreasing enrollment in the upcoming years.

While McCallum’s growth is a sign of success, not everyone is sure the trend is for the best.

“I don’t want [McCallum] to get too big,” Cohen said. “It’s always been considered a school where everyone has a place—a diverse and welcoming student body. I hope it stays that way.”

REASONS 1. Affordability in Austin FOR THE 2. Increasing popularity of charter schools DECLINE 3. Lower birth rates

Austin 2010

40

30

Austin 2014

PERCENTAGE OF AGE GROUPS WITHIN TOTAL POPULATION

20

10

0 Under 18

25-44

45-64

Over 65

Sources: AISD, census.gov, Austin Chamber

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The Real Teachers’ Pets

The Shield asked faculty members to share pet photos and got a virtual MAC menagerie

Ms. Summerville and Sasha

Mr. Pringle, Spike and Champ

Ms. Tucker and Nala

Ms. Hathaway and Micah June

Ms. Farmer and Sunnie

Ms. Tsai and Sky

Ms. Northcutt and Sprinkles

Ms. Wood, Mr. Bean

and Jim Yong Kim

Ms. Olson and Cody

Ms. Smith and Strider

16 people

Coach Nitardy and Ginger

Mr. Watterson and Otis

Ms. Jones and Wyatt

Mr. Winter and Marty

Ms. McGahon and Squidgie

Ms. Goldstein and Phoebe

07 Oct. 2016

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shield MEMORABLE AUSTIN-MAC MOMENTS

THEN: In 1966, the Knights beat Austin High 7-0 on a touchdown set up NOW: Deron Gage rushed for three scores and 90 yards in the Knights’ by this 25-yard reception by Robert Morgan. Photo from 1967 Knight.

44-41 victory over Austin High last Friday. Photo by Adrian Peña.

Once upon a rivalry MILES HANSEN staff reporter

The names alone conjure up memories of an old Austin rivalry, fueled by hatred and jealousy. The two West Austin schools battled it out for decades, until Austin High became a 5A school in 1988, while McCallum remained a 4A. When McCallum became a 5A school, Austin became a 6A and the schools still avoided each other in district competition.

But this year--thanks to new UIL enrollment numbers that placed Austin High 70 students under the 6A cutoff--the Maroons are back in McCallum’s district and at least for now, an age-old rivalry has been reinstated.

And it resumed with a bang last month when the two schools squared off in volleyball in the first district meeting between the two schools since 1987. McCallum fell behind two sets to none but then stormed back to win the final three sets in the match. The Maroons are still trying to catch the Knights in the 25-5A volleyball standings.

The last time the school were in the same district the two teams were bitter rivals.

“McCallum had a chip on its shoulder,” said Bill Hemphill, a 1984 McCallum graduate. “Austin High had all its Tarrytown kids, with all the money and newer facilities, but our McCallum kids continued to give them competitive games, which made it exciting.”

McCallum and Travis high schools were founded in 1953 in order to relieve overcrowding at Austin High. In that sense, the rivalry seems a bit like Luke Skywalker fighting Darth Vader, and in fact, the rivalry goes back a long time ago if not a

07 oct. 2016

Two of original three

city teams fight again

“

“It made the rivalry so much more fun,” said Eric Hansen, The entire school would get a 1984 McCallum graduate. really into the Austin High game.

“McCallum and Austin had the same hangout place, the Holiday Students and faculty would spend House on Exposition, where we’d the week decorating the school, and talk smack.”

When the historic site of some students even took to changing the rivalry closed its doors in the McCallum fight song by inputting 2004, many longtime Austinites mourned the death of the city’s Austin High’s name along with best hamburger. While Knights profanity. and Maroons may have both loved the food there, they dis- counselor and alumnus agreed on pretty much everyMindy Croom thing else.

The intensity of the actual football between the two schools was much like the Anderson or LBJ rivalry today: student sections screaming and bands incessantly playing each school’s fight song. MAC galaxy far away. Back in the ’50s and ’60s, McCal- alumni remember that the football games always lum devoted a week to the Austin High game. It brought out the best in the players on both sides.

“The players always brought more into the was called “Beat Austin Week,” and, as with Anderson and LBJ/LASA today, all students demon- game,” said Hemphill, who played wide receiver for the Knights. “I remember always coming away strated their Mac pride. from the Austin game covered in bruises. We beat “Never before has there been an event in the Austin twice in my four years; it was always split life of McCallum such as the ‘Beat Austin’ week,” the 1962 Knight reported. “Loyal students re- down the middle.”

The football team won the rivalry resumption sponded by buying and selling stickers, streamers, game last Friday in an instant classic. With the pom-poms, and tickets; and by decorating their score knotted at 41, Ian Carson kicked a 36-yard advisory doors, windows, lights, blackboards and field goal as time expired resulting in a walk-off bulletin boards in blue and grey.” victory for the Knights. Next Tuesday, the volleyThe rivalry was special not only due to the ball team will host a Maroon squad set on exactshared history of the schools but also because a ing revenge after letting a 2-0 lead and the match lot of McCallum students had childhood friends slip away in a dramatic 3-2 Mac victory. that attended Austin High.

”

1954 – In the first meeting between the two schools, a 55-yard fumble return and a 63-yard run, both for touchdowns were the most memorable plays as the Knights shut out the Maroons, 19-0.

1962 – Austin snatched the district championship from McCallum, 7-0, by producing the game’s only score on a tricky reverse halfback option touchdown pass to John Stitt.

1966 – McCallum rode a late first-half scoring drive to a 7-0 win over Austin that clinched a spot in the South Zone playoff game for the Knights.

1977 – In the 25th meeting between the two schools, Austin cruised past McCallum, 35-0.

1986 – The Knights defeated the Maroons to win their homecoming game and a silver lining to the team’s first losing season in nine years.

1987 – In what appears to be the final district game played between the two 4A schools before Austin moved up to 5A, the Knights defeated the Maroons, 33-14.

1996 – In the non-district opener for both teams, McCallum upset favored Austin, 19-14, thanks to a last-minute interception that preserved the Knights’ five-point lead.

2000 – Austin High defeated McCallum 48-0 in a non-district opener that began a dismal eightgame losing streak for the Knights that ended when the Knights defeated Anderson on Homecoming and Travis in the Battle of the Bell.

2016 – The Knights trailed the Maroons 34-20 at halftime but came out swinging in the second half, tying the score at 41 with minutes left to play. Thanks to a pivotal tackle, Austin High was pinned on its own 1-yard line. Following a quick threeand-out, the Knights drove for a game-winning field goal by junior Ian Carson. The Knights won 44-41.

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Having a ball in the fall Team bonding more memorable than winning matches

The Shield : When did you first get involved in volleyball?

Greta Colombo: I started playing in fifth grade. I went to a private school so I started playing through school.

TS: What is your favorite part of playing volleyball for McCallum?

GC: I think my favorite part is just getting to meet people, like I’m friends with a lot of people I wouldn’t have [otherwise] been friends with. I guess it’s just a fun way to spend my time.

TS: What is your favorite memory from volleyball season?

GC: I think my favorite memory would probably be last year, so junior year, we took a trip to Victoria and played in a tournament. We all got to stay in a hotel; it was just a really fun bonding experience.

TS: How do you want to remember playing volleyball in high school?

GC: I just want to remember that it was a really

fun experience, and that it was a good thing that I got involved in it?

TS: How has the varsity team changed throughout the past two years?

GC: Last year we were definitely a team made up of juniors. We only had two seniors, so we were working to be better because we didn’t have a lot of older girls. This year we have a lot of seniors; so it’s really fun just getting to help out the younger girls.

TS: With the new teams in district, what has changed for you guys?

GC: I think that it isn’t as hard of a district because Bastrop and Cedar Creek, two of our really good rivals, left. We played Austin High, and we beat them, which I’m glad we did because that way they can’t walk into our district thinking they can just walk over everyone.

TS: What has been your favorite game this season?

GC: I think the Austin High game.

It was really fun and really exciting.

Interviews by Maddie Doran

Being king for a day was great, but Taco Shack was better The Shield: When did you first start playing football?

Why? Griffin Garbutt: I think it was sixth grade, I played Pop Warner then and I started playing for school in seventh. I played before that, just never tackle football. Texas and football always seemed like a big deal, so that’s why I started playing.

TS: What makes your position different than any other?

GG: I play holder and wide receiver.

The holder is different because no one else does that; I basically just hold for a field goal and [for] extra points. I’ve always been kind of quick and good at catching, so I think I just thought that I would do OK at wide receiver, but other people play that too.

TS: What is going through your head at the beginning of a game?

GG: Well, at the first game, I was pretty nervous, but after that I guess it’s kind of the calm before the storm. Everyone is just getting ready to go out there and play.

TS: How was the Taco Shack Bowl for you?

GG: It was awesome! It was so great that we won my senior year.

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TS: What is a normal week of football like?

GG: Monday morning we come in and watch film, then we practice during the period and after school. Tuesday morning we lift, then practice more.

Wednesday, same thing as Tuesday. Thursday we have off in the morning, and we just walk through during the period and no practice after school. Friday is game day, so we just hang out and make sure we know where everyone is going.

TS: What is your favorite field?

GG: Definitely House Park because it is just so central and downtown near the buildings.

TS: What is your favorite memory of football at McCallum?

GG: For sure [it was] when I caught a touchdown at Taco Shack.

TS: How did it feel to be homecoming king?

GG: I was pretty excited, I didn’t think I was going to win. I thought Ronald or Andre was going to win, but it would have felt a lot better if we would have won [the game].

TS: How do you want to McCallum to remember this years football team?

GG: 10-0

Photos by Julie Robertson.

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District 25-5A roundup Knights down SFA on last-second FG

With setter Lauren Freng out, seniors Margeaux Brown and Andrea Janss recorded 14 and nine assists respectively against Reagan on Tuesday. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Lady Knights a perfect 8-0 in district The Lady Knights swept Reagan at home on Tuesday to win their eighth district match in a row. The Lady Knights lead District 255A by one game over 7-1 Crockett.

The 25-4, 25-14, 25-10 sweep over the Raiders was all the more impressive because the team’s primary setter and assists leader, senior Lauren Freng, was forced to miss the game with a lung infection. In her absence,

senior Margeaux Brown led the team with 14 assists; senior Andrea Janss had an excellent all-around match with 12 kills, five aces, and nine assists.

The Lady Knights have won 18 straight sets and hope to continue their streak at LBJ tonight. After that test, the Lady Knights face a big rematch at home against Austin High on Tuesday.

— Maddie Doran

Thanks to Ian Carson’s game-winning, walkoff field goal last Friday, the varsity football team knocked off the Austin Maroons to bring its overall record to 5-1 and its district record to 1-1.

The Knight offense, frustrated against LBJ the week before, exploded for six touchdowns, three by Daron Gage and one each by Andre Blakemore, Alex Julian and Joseph Weathersby.

Carson’s kick broke a 41-41 tie as time expired. In the celebration that followed, Carson received a Gatorade shower and was carried to the bus on the shoulders of his teammates.

“When I kicked the winning field goal, the pressure was pretty overwhelming, but at the same time, it was one that I had made all the time in practice and before the game,” Carson said. “After I made the kick, I was excited for myself but more excited for my teammates and the coaches. We were able to comeback after being down at halftime, and all I did was put the icing on the cake.”

Austin High led at halftime, 30-24.

“During the first half, our team was very frustrated with ourselves,” Carson said. “After halftime we came out and changed the tone of the game. We knew we could win the game if we did our assignments and did what our coaches taught us to do,” Carson said.

— Maddie Doran

Standings FOOTBALL

District Overall LBJ 2-0 5-1 Travis 1-0 3-2 Reagan 1-0 1-4 McCALLUM 1-1 5-1 Austin 1-1 1-5 Lanier 0-2 1-4 Crockett 0-2 0-6 Source: Austin American-Statesman

Key district games tonight

LBJ @ Reagan, 7:30 p.m.

Travis @ MCCALLUM, 7:30 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL VOLLEYBALL

DIstrict Overall

District Overall MCCALLUM 8-0 5-1 McCALLUM 8-0 22-16 Crockett 7-1 3-2 Crockett 7-1 20-17 Austin 6-2 1-4 Austin 6-2 12-20 AnnRichards RIchards 5-3 5-3 1-5 Ann 10-12 LBJ 3-5 1-4 LBJ 3-5 3-10 Crockett 0-2 0-6 Lanier 1-7 2-11 Travis 0-6 3-16 Reagan 0-7 0-10 Source: Max Preps

Key district games tonight

MCCALLUM @ LBJ 7:30 p.m.

Austin High @ Crockett 7 p.m.

Ann Richards @ Reagan 8 p.m.

Questions about College? Go 1-on-1 with ACC today!

ACC advisors are here to help with your college and career planning.

1-on-1 assistance is just a visit, call, or click away!

austincc.edu/startnow

07 oct. 2016

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Clueless (about fashion) Are the ’90s really coming back in style this year?

ANNA ADDISON staff reporter

I wouldn’t call myself the authority on ’90s fashion (I was born in 1998), but I think that I’ve watched enough Seinfeld and listened to enough Britney Spears to know that what they’re calling ’90s fashion these days is an extremely watered down and overplayed version of what actually went down. Therefore, I would like you all to stop calling your space buns, matte brown lipstick, and high-waisted American Apparel shorts “’90s attire.”

It’s not accurate. You’re seeing those glorious 15 years (let’s be real, the ’90s didn’t end until 2005) through 2016 tinted glasses. The ’90s were wonderfully hideous; mistakes were made and made frequently, and all of them were iconic fashion moments (example: the entirety of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks). I certainly don’t see any of you trying to emulate Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne, and that’s absolutely tragic.

The ’90s were an absolute treasure trove of unique fashion, and we all chose to remember only the cropped tee and

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high waisted shorts? What about Christina Aguilara and her two-toned platinum and black hair and her jeans of the absolute lowest rise possible? What about Britney in the “Oops….I Did It Again” video? The red vinyl bodysuit! The slicked back side part with chunky brown highlights! The powder blue matte eye shadow! Cher and Dionne in their matching tartan schoolgirl ensembles?

What about JNCO jeans in all their baggy, denim glory???

If you want to go early ’90s, there’s Courtney Love, a fashion icon for the gal who likes to be a little (or a lot) messy, Will Smith in overalls and baseball caps galore, and Jerry Seinfeld (the ultimate ’90s icon) in his sparkling white Nikes and “puffy shirt.”

We’ve turned ’90s fashion, something that was colorful and experimental and fun, bland and modernized (quite honestly if I see one more of you wearing a flannel from Brandy Melville on Decades Day, I’m going to lose it).

If you want to dress like the ’90s, don’t be afraid for it to get a little unusual. In other words, I better see one of you rocking a latex mini dress emblazoned with the Union Jack a la Ginger Spice in 1997 after this article comes out!

Some of the more noteable style icons of the decade. Illustration by Anna Addison.

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The Making of Moana How Disney’s new princess will change the world MADISON OLSEN staff reporter

In the past, Disney has received criticism for making female characters in its movies “shallow” and purely focused on finding a romantic partner. Only two of the 11 Disney princesses wear pants at least once. But in 2014, Disney announced that it would introduce a new kind of princess to the stage: Moana, a sea navigator from Motinui Island in ancient Oceania. In the movie that bears her name, Moana sets sail for a fabled island and is joined by legendary demigod Maui along the way. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, Moana promises to be a groundbreaking film for Disney and for feminism.

What makes Moana different from other princesses, you ask? Moana will be the very first Polynesian Disney princess, and the story is based on actual legends from the South Pacific. The directors did extensive research and made many trips to Fiji, Samoa and Tahiti to find variations of the legend of the wind demigod Maui on every island. The main reason for all the excitement surrounding Moana and her movie came during a Comic-Con in San Diego last July, when the directors confirmed that Moana will be the hero of the movie, and that there would be no romantic interest for her in the film. This fact has received a wave of approval from fans because the only other Disney pr incess film with a main character that didn’t have a love interest was Brave. Most Disney princess movies are either about being a princess or becoming a princess, but Moana’s stor y

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is going to be about Moana becoming the best person she can be. Disney hopes that having a female character that can take care of herself and doesn’t live out the movie in search for love will inspire the millions of children who aspire to live their lives the same way. Feminists insist that it is funamentally important that children watch and come to love movies that don’t end with a girl and a guy falling in love, especially since life doesn’t turns out that way for everyone. A Disney movie that can accurately represent what life is like will help people confronted with that same reality.

Speaking of reality, Moana also helps diversify the Disney princess portfolio. According to a survey by Buzzfeed. com, girls of color make up only 28.6 percent of Disney’s animated women. Of that 28.6 percent, none of these women so far have been Polynesian.

In addition to the speculation surrounding Moana, Disney’s portrayal of the legend of the demigod Maui has received strong reactions from the Polynesian community on both ends of the spectrum. Some members of the Polynesian community are outraged, saying that in Disney’s version Maui seems to appear “overweight,” mainly feeding into stereotypes of unhealthy Polynesian men. “It is unfortunately a stereotype, and it is based on what the Americans see Polynesians as, because obesity is actually a recent phenomena amongst our people because of the junk food we’re forced to eat from the First World,” said Will Ilolahia, president of the Pacific Islands Media Association.

Not everyone from the Polynesian community, however, shares this point of view. Many say he looks physically capable of fighting off whatever comes his way, not like someone suffering from obesity. Others says that fussing over Maui’s body is missing the point. It’s important that Disney is choosing to tell a culturally diverse story worth telling in a way that will inspire people to live their lives are the heros of their own story.

Disney is making movies children can fall in love with that aren’t centered around falling in love.

Hopefully having a film with a protagonist female capable of holding her own and sailing across the ocean will show the world that women are more than the men at their side.

The Favorites

= 5 votes

Tiana Show White Rapunzel Pocahantas Mulan Jasmine Elsa Belle Aurora Ariel

Memorable Responses “She is one of the few Disney princesses who didn’t give up her whole life for a guy.”

“She stood up for herself instead of falling in love with the first hunk she saw.”

The Least Favorites Show White Pocahantas Merida Elsa Cinderella Aurora Ariel Anna

Memorable Responses “She’s only a princess because she had the correct shoe size...”

“She changed everything about herself for some dude...”

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The not so magnificent iPhone 7 Apple’s latest cellphone release has a lot of new features and a hefty price tag ANNA COMPTON staff reporter

The iPhone 7 is supposedly the best one yet. The new model features the “brightest, most colorful iPhone display yet,” splash- and water-resistance and a new HD-quality camera lens. While these features may seem enticing, I don’t see what the big hype is. I currently have an iPhone 6s, and I am fine with it. I think the features on the iPhone 6s, are great. Though it wouldn’t be bad to have the iPhone 7, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy one.

The only iPhones that I have ever had were the 5 and currently the 6s. The step-up between these two models were pretty drastic. The iPhone 5 was very slow and did not have the fingerprint. The step-up from 6s to 7 however is far less drastic. The iPhone 7 just improves the important features already included in the iPhone 6s. The 7 is faster, has better battery life and is water-resistant, which I must admit is a very useful upgrade. I’ve dropped my 6s in the bathtub before, and it actually survived! But it would be nice for it to be water-resistant just in case I accidentally drop it again.

The feature that everyone seems to be talking about is that the iPhone 7 Plus has two cameras that shoot as one.

With a combination of a wide-angle lens and telephoto lens, you can now zoom from farther away and shoot very up close. Another camera feature is the depth-of-field effect. The dual-camera system is put to use for this kind of depth-of-field image. The system puts the subject in focus and blurs the background. These features are only included in the iPhone 7 PLUS, not the regular 7, though there are other advances in the camera on the basic iPhone 7. I do use my phone a lot for photography so these features do seem like they would come in handy.

The new speakers on the phone are also a nice feature.

They’re two times louder than the speaker is in the 6s. Whether I am on a run, or just jamming with friends, the features of the new speakers on the iPhone 7 would be nice to have.

In conjunction with the release of the iPhone 7, Apple will also unveil the new wireless headphones called “Airpods.”

In addition to being wireless, the Airpods recognize when you take them out of your ears and pause automatically.

Not having to untangle all the wires to listen to your music would be nice, but you look a bit odd when you use them.

After looking at the price tag, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to buy them. For only $15, you could buy normal headphones, but for $159 you could buy wireless headphones, which perform about the same.

The Airpods who have to be charged after you use them, and they can run 24 hours after being charged. They come in a little case, which supposedly charges them while you’re not using them. If you’re ever wondering what battery percentage you’re at, you can just tap into Siri, and she’ll tell you,

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*New 7 MP resolution, which also uses color capture

*Better battery life

which is handy. I’ve never really used Siri on any of my devices, but out of all the Apple products I think I would most likely use Siri with these Airpods.

The looks of the iPhone have also changed. Kind of like the old Model T, there is a black and “jet” black. I think it’s kind of pointless to have two different shades of black, but a lot of people did not like the black iPhone 6s. There are also two different sizes for the iPhone 7, 4.7-inch, and iPhone 7 Plus, 5.5-inch. My hands are way too small to have the 5.5-inch version. The home button is also different.

It is more pressure sensitive so that it will not be as likely to break. The Touch ID is supposedly way faster and more secure.

Overall, the new advancements of the new iPhone 7 are nice, just not that big of a change from the iPhone 6s. These changes are improvements, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy one. I am just fine with my iPhone 6s. Considering the new changes to the headphones or “Airpods” I do not think I could afford one anyway, which is fine because frankly I don’t want them.

*New format for notifications

*Water resistant *Comes in jet black, black, gold, rose-gold, and silver

*Touch ID is faster than ever. *The home button is a solid-state button and is much more pressure sensitive.

The iPhone 7 offers several improvements to its predecessor, the iPhone 6s, but not enough to be worth the money.

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Writing 650-word life stories Insider tips on the college-essay process from someone who’s living it For those reading this advice article who want a short-and-sweet summary on how to successfully write a college application essay, my main tip in all of this is to lower your standards. You’re a 17- or 18-year-old trying to record your life story in fewer than 650 words. editor in chief This would be hard for anyone to do since you’ve spent your entire academic career focusing on writing to analyze text and not your life experiences. I myself am pretty nervous about the whole essay process, so don’t consider me an expert. But I feel like I’ve learned some stuff that could be pretty helpful. So take a breath, maybe go on a soul-searching journey, find whatever your inner peace is (I find mine while binging Stranger Things on Netflix), and listen to my advice.

RACHEL WOLLEBEN

1) 1

2

3

For my first choice school, I have a personal deadline to turn in my application by October, so what I did first to get the essay-ball rolling was set up a schedule for my writing process. I personally need this kind of structure or else I’ll freak myself out and stress like crazy. So to make my schedule, I pulled out my old assignment sheet for the super-long essay everyone had to write sophomore year in English, and I figured out the amount of time they gave us between due dates for our research, outlines, first drafts, revisions and final drafts.

I then used this information to set up my own due dates. I think most of my deadlines were all a week apart and were all due on the same day of the week so I had a routine. But your deadlines shouldn't be set in stone. Don't stress out about it. I've already missed a ton of my personal deadlines, but I know where I am in the process and keep working.

2)

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t just look at the various college essay prompts provided and suddenly think of ideas and old stories to write down. I needed more specific questions to jog my memory and get me inspired. So I tried looking for long lists of introspective questions online that would trigger me to write stuff, and even came up with my own questions, but I still really couldn’t find anything that worked.

So my advice to you all is get a book called 642 Things to Write About Me. It’s a literal godsend to the prospective college student. You will cry tears of joy after coming into contact with this book. Basically the book just lists 642 really creative and introspective questions about you and your life experiences that are meant to help you generate ideas and memories. And they give you a ton of writing space after each question to respond in there. Now, 642 questions is a lot, so I kind of went through and only answered the ones that I thought would help me with my specific essay prompts.

3)

4

Now it’s time to outline! I made two versions of an outline per essay: a rough outline and a full-on outline.

The rough outline is where you just copy the sections you want from your inspiration collection and organize them into the order you’d want for your essay. Feel free to move things around and see what looks good until you feel happy about what you have. The full-on outline is where you take all the basic and jumbled rubbish you put into your rough outline and actually write it out into coherent paragraphs. This might as well be called an actual draft in terms of your writing, but it’s just in the outline format.

4)

Once you have your first few drafts, you’re gonna want to get a lot of people to revise them. Get a variety of people who know you at different levels, too. They will be able to judge from multiple perspectives whether or not your essay is an accurate snapshot of you. And for a final note—don’t worry about word count until your last couple revisions. That’s when you need to really cut out stuff to make sure your essay fits. When you get your final draft that’s it! Turn that sucker in!

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Which Wydeven Are You?

It’s a fat stack of fun!

He’s a beloved lit teacher, but he can’t be contained in just one persona. Take our quiz to learn, which one you mesh with the best.

ANNA ADDISON AND GRACE SCHMIDHAUSER staff reporters

1. Where is your dream vacation?

A. New York City B. Caribbean cruise C. The pits of Hades D. Vegas E. Mount Everest F. The Italian countryside 2. Pick a dog: A. Corgi B. Golden Retriever C. A Lone Wolf D. Papillon E. Husky F. A Wild Coyote

3. Pick a book: A. Bossypants by Tina Fey B. A Visit From The Goon Squad

by Jennifer Egan C. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath D. The Fellowship of the Ring

by J.R.R. Tolkein E. Walden by Henry David Thoreau F. A Farewell to Arms

by Ernest Hemingway 4. Pick an artist: A. The Beatles B. Bob Marley C. Crystal Castles D. Drake E. Bob Dylan F. Lamb of God

MOSTLY A’S

CLEAN - SHAVEN Wydeven

5. Describe your typical weekend.

A. Going to brunch w/ my significant other B. Chilling at home C. Sitting in my darkened bedroom, contemplating the meaning of life D. Partying with the bros E. Climbing, duh F. Building handcrafted furniture 6. What do you do before you sleep?

A. Drink warm milk and honey B. Stay up ‘til 2 a.m., thinking about the papers you should’ve graded six months ago C. Lay on my roof, staring at the stars D. Have a heartfelt conversation with Mr. Watterson E. Watch Planet Earth F. What are you talking about?

I just go to sleep.

MOSTLY B’S

7. Pick a movie A. Forrest Gump B. Dazed and Confused C. Donnie Darko D. The Hangover 3 E. 127 Hours F. Full Metal Jacket 8. Pick a facial hair A. Clean-shaven B. Soul Patch C. Goatee D. Sideburns E. Full Beard F. Handlebar Moustache

MOSTLY C’S

E N D - O F - Y E A R DARK WYDEVEN Wydeven, a.k.a. “John Eric”

Your students all gasp as you enter the room, wondering who the new substitute is … and they’re not wrong: you’re practically a new man. Fresh and clean-shaven, there’s a bounce in your step and a twinkle in your eye. A coffee in one hand and copies of a surprise reading test in the other, you’re ready for a day full of joy and jubilee.

It’s May. AP season is officially over. You’re currently reading a contemporary novel with your class. You’re planning on assigning them a 150-point project soon, but what they don’t know yet is that you’ll let them self-grade it: you’re just that chill. Your shirt is untucked and unbuttoned at the collar, and your beard is coming in nicely. You’re calm and relaxed and you know it’s all because you’re about to escape the AISD for three sweet, sweet months.

Darkness. Chaos. Disarray. An ominous cloud has been cast over your portable. Most days you can be found sitting outside in the rain playing the blues on your guitar so that everyone knows that you’re in a mood. A stack of papers lies on your desk waiting to be graded, but you can’t be bothered. You’re too busy wondering what your “real truth” is. During class, you gaze out across a sea of 16-year-olds and know that they’ll never really understand you.

MOSTLY D’S

MOSTLY E’S

MOSTLY F’S

“SQUAD-UP” Wydeven

All work and no play makes John Eric a dull boy!

You’re a social butterfly, and everyone wants to be in your squad. Even Mr. Carcione is trying to break his way in. Your portable is the go-to spot for all the hip teachers to eat lunch. You love your bros and would do anything for them. Just remember that it’s important to balance work and fun.

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R O C K C L I M B I N G H E M I N G WAY M A N Wydeven

Grizzly, raw and rugged, you are a true Man Of The Earth who’s always DTC (Down To Climb). You’re at peace with yourself and with nature, you love your gear more than life itself, and your favorite snack is a Clif Bar™. The whole reason you teach is so that you can sponsor the Rock Climbing Club.

Wydeven

You’re a real man’s man. You roll up your sleeves and stroke your goatee. You eat the Wolf’s chili that’s been sitting in your room for the past four months because real men aren’t afraid to get food poisoning. You have nothing to prove, especially not to these weak-minded, technology-addicted millennials. Like A Farewell to Arms, you are straightforward and impossible to read.

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‘What is Aleppo?’

Americans need to look at their own actions to combat ignorance CHARLIE HOLDEN assistant editor

Early in September Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson received a considerable amount of media coverage, although not for the reason he had hoped.

On Sept. 8, Johnson appeared as a guest on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where he was interviewed by political correspondent Mike Barnicle. Barnicle asked Johnson what he would do “about Aleppo” if he were elected president. Johnson’s response quickly reached headlines: “What is Aleppo?”

Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It has three private universities, hundreds of historic buildings and religious sites and a climate that supports little pistachio tree farms. Aleppo is also the most populated city in Syria— but the numbers are

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changing. Since 2012, more than 4,000 people in the city have been reported missing. More than 10,000 more have been pronounced dead. Snipers crouch in the windows of bombed-out buildings. Rescue crews pick over ruins at their own risk, trying to find survivors like Omran Daqneesh, a 5 year-old boy who was pulled from the rubble on Aug. 17 and became a viral hit as a face of Syria’s suffering.

Gary Johnson doesn’t know Aleppo, but before condemning his ignorance, we must confront our own. The American public, with a looming election and shortening attention spans, doesn’t know Aleppo. We may have seen it on the news, but many of us haven’t set aside a piece of our heart for the people there. Syrians live in what seems to us like another world, with skies of smoke and streets that have been bombed until they resemble the surface of the moon. The pain of losing a home to war is not something many of

us can comprehend, so it is easy to dismiss Aleppo as an unfortunate, albeit far off, reality which cannot be helped.

Aleppo isn’t Paris, it isn’t Brussels; Facebook doesn’t make filters to put on our profiles for each car bomb, for each boat of refugees lost in the Mediterranean. When news of such things blinks up at us from our phones we read a paragraph, then turn it off, put it away. Perhaps you started to read what I’ve written here and then saw ‘Syria’ and some unconscious feeling told you to turn it off, to put it away. Don’t.

The news that scrolls across our televisions may not tell you what is happening on the Syrian front, and if it does, it will be in between hour long reports on Hillary Clinton’s cough or the empty seats at Donald Trump’s rallies. Gary Johnson, like any efficient politician, focuses on the issues that matter to people. Why, then, would he be unclear as to what Aleppo is? We can point the blame at lopsided coverage by mainstream media outlets, but like politicians, the

media has learned to give the people what they want— what we want.

Human as we are, there is only so much we can do to bring about change. We must accept the things that are beyond our control while continuing to fight to make a difference with the time we have. This balance is delicate and crucial. For each life cut short in Aleppo, there are thousands more who could be saved, from the Bangladeshi factory workers to the children of Honduras, from the huddled refugees in Greece to the homeless camps in every major American city. Our world is overrun with tragedies, but tied to each sorrow is a name. This name belongs to a face, and that face has a story, which might not be so different from your own. If each of us set aside a little bit of ourselves to listen to the stories of downtrodden people, perhaps Aleppo can be safe for students to attend its universities and for little pistachio trees to take root.

Boys bike past a building in Aleppo which has fallen to ruins after years of civil war. Photo by Hosam Katan from Creative Commons.

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Time to get a new schedule New AISD bell schedule leaves many students at teachers upset and unable to catch up Ask just about any teacher at McCallum what they think about this year’s new bell schedule, and you are likely to hear a complaint or silence and for good reason: it’s terrible.

This year, we have fixed A days on Mondays and Wednesdays, fixed B days on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and alternating days on Fridays. Additionally, the timing of the classes are different with A days having a first period that’s almost two hours long; almost 15 minutes longer than first period on B days.

The alternating Fridays have proven to be both confusing and annoying. It might be one thing if they alternated evenly, but the erratic schedule (this October, we have three A-day Fridays in a row) just serves to confuse everyone. Additionally, for teachers who teach the same class across A and B days, it’s hard to keep track of which classes are ahead in the curriculum, which causes unnecessary stress for teachers that we students have witnessed firsthand. It’s also hard to remember what you have learned if

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it’s a B-day week and you don’t go to your A-Day classes for four days in a row, and double B-days just mean less time to finish your homework for those classes.

Finally, though we understand that it’s for the students in the campustransfer program, the extra-long first period is a waste of time (few teachers have two hours worth of material for their classes) and the difference in class times over the two letter days just throws everyone off.

Don’t get us wrong; some of the changes from last year’s schedule are a great improvement. Having fixed days is a logical idea that clears up confusion; It is good never have to wonder what letter day it is after a particular holiday or some other similar event. It additionally benefits the students taking classes on other campuses or ACC classes. It seems to us, however, that in attempting to accommodate a small number of students in those particular programs, it has inconvenienced a much

Cartoon

by Charlie Holden

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larger number of people.

Next school year, AISD definitely needs to reexamine its plan and try to find a better solution. One idea that might work is to make every Friday a C-day instead of having rotating Fridays. We know that most people hate C-days, but having fixed days has proven to be effective, and it would be a good way for students to leave school for the weekend with every class’s information freshly reviewed in their brain. The district also needs to find a way (perhaps by beginning a little earlier in the day) to unify the schedule across A and B days Look, the bell schedule may not seem important in the grand scheme of things, but small things add up to big problems.

We’ve seen how the new schedule has inconvenienced our teachers, and we’ve heard many students talking about how it’s made it just that much more difficult to stay on top of their classes. It’s a fixable problem, and AISD can definitely take this year’s experience to heart to ensure that next year’s schedule makes things easier for teachers and students just trying to do their jobs.

A.N. McCallum High School 5600 Sunshine Drive Austin, TX 78756 (512) 414-7539 fax (512) 453-2599 contact.macshield@gmail.om

editors-in-chief JULIE ROBERTSON AND RACHEL WOLLEBEN assistant editors MADDIE DORAN

ZOE HOCKER

CHARLIE HOLDEN

adviser DAVE WINTER

reporters ANNA ADDISON, JOSEPH CARDENAS, ANNA COMPTON, MILES HANSEN, MADISON OLSEN, SOPHIE RYLAND, GRACE SCHMIDHAUSER, D’AZHANE YANCEY The Shield is published by journalism students in the newspaper production class. Although students work under the guidance of a professional faculty member, the student staff ultimately determines the content.

Students may not publish material that is obscene, libelous or that which will cause a “substantial disruption to the

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

The Shield operates as an open forum for exchange of ideas. Opinions expressed in editorials are the ideas of the staff. Opinions expressed in the columns are that of the writer’s alone.

Letters to the editor are encouraged

and must be signed. Positive identification may be required when a letter is submitted. Letters may be edited. Letters that are critical of the newspaper staff’s coverage of events or that present information that may stimulate heated debate will be published.

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principal will be rejected.

Anyone interested in purchasing an ad should contact adviser Dave Winter at (512) 414-7539. The Shield is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, the National Scholastic Press Association the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association.

07 oct. 2016

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07 oct. 2016

MAC Archives: The origin story of the Battle of the Bell

Exclusive interviews and photos from the Mac-SFA footbal game Say Hola to SeĂąora Altamirano!

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Students celebrate despite tough loss Senior guard member Erin Elliot waves her flag at the Homecoming pregame show on Friday Sept. 23. “In band we have to be very uniform, but we were able to perform with symbols on our faces showing our school pride,” Elliot said, “That made my last homecoming pretty special.”

Photo by Madison Olsen.

Blue Brigade officers Laney Hawn, Brittne Miller, and Ariella Skloss Dos Santos lead the Blue Brigade in a kick routine to “Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. “The homecoming game is one of the more exciting games to perform at,” Skloss Dos Santos said. “Everyone comes out to support the Knights.” Photo by Madison Olsen.

Sarah Childs, Aly Candelas, Aubrey Rowan, and Xiaoman Lancaster dance in the stands of House Park. “The best part is getting to show off to my friends and family that are there,” Rowan said. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Jack Switzer tackles LBJ player Brian Batts to force a fumble that resulted in a turnover for the Knights. The Knight defense played strong throughout the game, holding the Jaguars scoreless the entire second half. Photo by Dave Winter.

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Smiling at the crowd as they accept the homecoming courtship, Brittne Miller (‘17) and Griffin Garbutt are crowned at the LBJ game last Friday. “I was surprised and excited at the same time,” Miller said. “I was flattered that my schoolmates voted for me.” Photo by Madison Olsen.

07 oct. 2016