![It was definitely out of my comfort zone to get [the dress] and decide I loved it enough not to wait and risk not having something that memorable.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Precious_20180902_JRS_00008_ed1.jpg)
![Sophomore Sahasra Mandalapu practices bharatanatyam choreography in class. These new dances will be performed in an annual show in February. Mandalapu found that practicing in class helped her overcome stage fright during her performances. “When [I] get on stage, Im nervous Im going to forget, even though Ive done it for so long,” Mandalapu said. “Theres still that little bit of stage fright [when] I second-guess myself that I dont know it enough, but I do because Ive been practicing for a whole year.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sahasra-6-Large-1200x844.jpeg)
![In their full runway outfits, (from left) Audrey Lee 25, Olivia Lucy Teets, 25, Fashion Design teacher Ms. Judy Chance, and Xueying Lili Yang pose for a photo. All three girls made it to Austin Fashion Week by getting in the top 10 in a previous runway show held by Shop LC.
[I like my students] creativity and how they can look at a fabric and make it their own, Ms. Chance said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_9686-e1714088765730-1129x1200.jpeg)
![IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Zalie Mann performs “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” an ensemble piece from the fall musical Sweet Charity, to prospective students during the Fine Arts Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The showcase is a compilation of performances and demonstrations from each fine arts strand offered at McCallum. This show is put on so that prospective students can see if they are interested in joining an academy or major.
Sweet Charity originally ran the weekends of Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, but made a comeback for the Fine Arts Showcase.
“[Being at the front in the spotlight] is my favorite part of the whole dance, so I was super happy to be on stage performing and smiling at the audience,” Mann said.
Mann performed in both the musical theatre performance and dance excerpt “Ethereal,” a contemporary piece choreographed by the new dance director Terrance Carson, in the showcase. With also being a dance ambassador, Mann got to talk about what MAC dance is, her experience and answer any questions the aspiring arts majors and their parents may have.
Caption by Maya Tackett.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53321803427_47cd17fe70_o-1-1200x800.jpg)
![SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club.
“It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.”
Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac.
“I think its important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.”
Caption by JoJo Barnard.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53221601352_4127a81c41_o-1200x675.jpg)
Silence envelops the crowd; not a word is uttered. The only sound is the squeak of basketball shoes. When the ninth point is scored, the silence shatters and cheers ripple through the stands in the Robinson gymnasium.
Every year, Robinson hosts its annual Break the Silence basketball game. The boys’ basketball team will play against the Wharton Wildcats this year on Friday, Jan. 19. The game will start at 8 p.m. Free shirts will be distributed starting at 7:30 p.m., while supplies last.
The tradition started at Robinson in 2015; this year, Robinson will be hosting its seventh annual Break the Silence game.
“Coach Saunders and the Knightmare Club started it, and they reached out to the Crisis Center. They saw it online that other schools had done it and that it was a very cool event. So, they organized it and got it started and it has been a great tradition at Robinson and the student body does a great job [at organizing it],” IB Math Teacher and Basketball Coach Steven Smith said.
Break the Silence is an organization that focuses on creating a world without domestic violence. It aims to create a safe space where anyone can speak out and feel safe and protected.
“Every nine seconds, a woman in the U.S. is domestically abused and this is not something most high schoolers know of. Showing up to this event is important since a group of students come together to support a cause and spread awareness,” Knightmare President Mina Kuklen (’24), who is in charge of planning this event, said.
Although the game only lasts for two hours, organizing Break the Silence has been a longitudinal process. Kuklen emphasized how she has been planning this since October of this school year.
“I started planning in October and began finding contacts for the crisis center and people we have been in contact with in the past. I’ve been emailing the crisis center, the RHS foundation and Junior Civitan and have worked with them to raise money for this event. I’ve been spending months trying to find more sponsors and reach out to people so they could donate more money to make this event as special as possible,” Kuklen said.
The Break the Silence game is always one to remember.
“The game stands for a huge problem for women in our world’s society. There is a very strong meaning behind the game and there’s no better place to be in South Tampa on a Friday than the Robinson gym,” Basketball player Donavan Kelly (’24) said. “I love it when people come out to the games. Me and the team play better with more people because we wanna put on a show for everyone.”
This story was originally published on RHS Today on January 18, 2024.
