![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Not only did Mac alum Jamie Smith find her place on the basketball court during her time in high school, but she created it too. Smith attended Lamar Middle School from 1974 to 1976, and was later a student at McCallum from 1976 to 1980. When attending Lamar, she asked to play basketball on the boys basketball team in the seventh grade, and the school denied her request.
As a result, Smith advocated for a girls basketball team to be created at the middle school level, and after several meetings with parents, principals and lawyers, middle schools throughout AISD and neighboring school districts began implementing girls basketball into their sports programs.
Due to her groundbreaking work to build the girls basketball programs not only at Lamar and McCallum, but throughout AISD and neighboring school districts, Jamie Smith’s jersey number 22, will be retired on Wednesday.
“[She set the] tone for all of us currently coaching and playing. Seeing how that opportunity is something she had to fight for, [she] needs to be rewarded,” current McCallum head girls basketball coach Carly Kehn said. “She did the hard work so we could enjoy the fruits of her labor.”
Smith first became interested in basketball after visiting her uncle in Brock, Texas. After discovering the sport, she couldn’t stay out of the gym.
“I was a self-motivator,” Smith said. “I just loved basketball. They would just give me a key to the gym and I would come in and shoot for hours. I wouldn’t leave the gym until I made 25 for 50 free throws in a row.”
At the time, girls basketball was played half-court, with three players from each team on either side of the court. It wasn’t until Smith’s junior year when girls began playing full court 5 on 5.
Ronda Lawrence, a friend and former teammate of Smith’s who played with her from seventh grade to 12th grade, said that Smith is a wonderful person and player.
“She is the most joyful person on the planet,” Lawrence said. “All she does is spread joy and smiles everywhere she goes, but she’s also extremely motivated and committed to everything she does. Playing basketball was great because I got to play with Jamie and other friends.”
At the end of her high school basketball career, Smith had accumulated over 3,400 points and had an average of 27 points per game full court and an average of 42 points half court. Smith won many awards throughout her time at McCallum such as First Team All-District ’76-’77, First Team All-District ’77-’78, Third Team All-State ’78-’79, Second Team All-State ’79-’80 and many more.
After high school, Smith went on to play two years at Delta State on a full-ride scholarship. Later, she transferred and graduated from Texas State. In her senior year at Texas State, she was the team captain.
“I loved the discipline it gave me,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t be who I am without that experience. Basketball took me all over the country and the world. It took me to Japan and China and I got to play with Athletes in Action.”
After years of playing, Smith moved on to coaching. She was a volunteer coach for the University of Texas girls basketball team when they won their national championship in 1986. Later, she was a middle school coach in Pflugerville for 15 years and a school administrator for 13 years.
“I knew basketball was my key to go anywhere I wanted to,” Smith said. “It gave me so many opportunities.”
Smith’s accomplishments, which paved the way for female athletes for more than 40 years throughout Texas, will be honored at her jersey retirement ceremony.
“Everyone that I’ve talked to that used to play with her or coach with her has said that this has been a long time coming and well deserved,” Kehn said. “I feel like we’re doing the right thing and sort of setting a precedent for everything that she has done, so it will be in the rafters forever.”
This story was originally published on The Shield Online on December 14, 2023.