![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)
Students in agriculture education classes on campus have the ability to raise animals at the Agriculture Barn, and several Redhawks have taken part in the opportunity.
I decided to show a pig because I thought it was a fun opportunity for me to do and just something new to try, especially living in Frisco, where we’re in a more urban area,
— Senior Lila Elizondo
Future Farmers of America (FFA) member, junior Haley Johnson has been raising her goat, Estaban, since July 2023 and is preparing for her contest next month.
Although all of the other students on campus are raising a pig, Johnson wanted a different experience.
“I got a goat because all of the other members in our chapter had pigs, and I thought that getting a goat would be a more different and unique experience,” Johnson said. “And I just also generally like goats more than pigs. In my opinion, I think they’re cleaner than the pigs.”
According to the city, only 16 percent of land in Frisco remains undeveloped, with Brinkmann Ranch one of the largest chunks of undeveloped land.
With so little farm and ranch land left in Frisco, FFA President and senior Lila Elizondo wanted to add a farm component to her city life.
“I decided to show a pig because I thought it was a fun opportunity for me to do and just something new to try, especially living in Frisco, where we’re in a more urban area,” Elizondo said. “I think this barn is important because it allows students to still be involved in agriculture while also living in Frisco, where it’s a more city area.”
With any livestock project, it’s important to remember the circle of life and everything on this earth has a purpose,
— FFA Advisor Britney Avant
But the animals being raised and cared for by FFA students aren’t pets, the last showing is the last time students are with their animals.
“At the end of the day, it’s sad giving up my animal,” FFA Officer Logan Victory said. “But I mean, I know the only reason I’m raising it is so that it can be processed and used for other reasons.”
It is all part of what FFA is all about according to FFA Advisor Britney Avant.
“With any livestock project, it’s important to remember the circle of life and everything on this earth has a purpose,” Avant said. “My purpose, I feel, is to be a teacher. And our pig’s purpose is to be food for nourishment for our bodies. And so we strive to make sure that all of the students prepare these animals as best they can, treat them as well as they can, and make the best product to go on the plate.”
This story was originally published on Wingspan on February 6, 2024.
