![With the AISD rank and GPA discrepancies, some students had significant changes to their stats. College and career counselor Camille Nix worked with students to appeal their college decisions if they got rejected from schools depending on their previous stats before getting updated. Students worked with Nix to update schools on their new stats in order to fully get their appropriate decisions. “Those who already were accepted [won’t be affected], but it could factor in if a student appeals their initial decision,” Principal Andy Baxa said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53674616658_18d367e00f_o-1200x676.jpg)
![Junior Mia Milicevic practices her forehand at tennis practice with the WJ girls tennis team. “Sometimes I don’t like [tennis] because you’re alone but most of the time, I do like it for that reason because it really is just you out there. I do experience being part of a team at WJ but in tournaments and when I’m playing outside of school, I like that rush when I win a point because I did it all by myself, Milicevic said. (Courtesy Mia Milicevic)](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/c54807e1-6ab6-4b0b-9c65-bfa256bc7587.jpg)
![The Jaguar student section sits down while the girls basketball team plays in the Great Eight game at the Denver Coliseum against Valor Christian High School Feb. 29. Many students who participated in the boys basketball student section prior to the girls basketball game left before half-time. I think it [the student section] plays a huge role because we actually had a decent crowd at a ranch game. I think that was the only time we had like a student section. And the energy was just awesome, varsity pointing and shooting guard Brooke Harding ‘25 said. I dont expect much from them [the Golden Boys] at all. But the fact that they left at the Elite Eight game when they were already there is honestly mind blowing to me.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_7517-e1716250578550-900x1200.jpeg)
![BACKGROUND IN THE BUSINESS: Dressed by junior designer Kaitlyn Gerrie, senior Chamila Muñoz took to the “Dreamland” runway this past weekend. While it was her first time participating in the McCallum fashion show, Muñoz isn’t new to the modeling world.
I modeled here and there when I was a lot younger, maybe five or six [years old] for some jewelry brands and small businesses, but not much in recent years,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz had hoped to participate in last year’s show but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. For her senior year, though, she couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by.
“It’s [modeling] something I haven’t done in a while so I was excited to step out of my comfort zone in a way,” Muñoz said. “I always love trying new things and being able to show off designs of my schoolmates is such an honor.”
The preparation process for the show was hectic, leaving the final reveal of Gerrie’s design until days before the show, but the moment Muñoz tried on the outfit, all the stress for both designer and model melted away.
“I didn’t get to try on my outfit until the day before, but the look on Kaitlyn’s face when she saw what she had worked so hard to make actually on a model was just so special,” Muñoz said. “I know it meant so much to her. But then she handed me a blindfold and told me I’d be walking with it on, so that was pretty wild.”
Caption by Francie Wilhelm.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53535098892_130167352f_o-1200x800.jpg)
Every year, the tennis team organizes an annual cancer awareness event. This year, they planned to spotlight Mike Wagner, science teacher, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in January.
Due to rain, that match was canceled and couldn’t be rescheduled.
Wagner said it was an honor that the team planned to recognize him and that their efforts to spread awareness are important to the community as a whole.
“What I’m going through, every family seems to go through at one point or another,” Wagner said.
It’s hard seeing a teacher go through something that you have no control over,
— Isabella Tyulyayev
Wagner was diagnosed with abdominal cancer in early January and then went through four sessions of chemotherapy. After a respite period, he had surgery on Monday, April 26, with the goal to be cancer-free following that surgery.
“His family reached out to some faculty members and said that he’s having a hard time,” Alex Nelle, varsity tennis coach, said. “We wanted to do something to try to boost his spirits.”
Isabella Tyluyayev, junior, has Wagner in AP Physics class and is happy the team was planning to recognize him.
Doing something that is out on the track, visible that people are doing together just seemed a little bit more active, visual and meaningful,
— Dr. Michael Wegener
“It’s hard seeing a teacher go through something that you have no control over,” Tyulyayev said.
The administration and staff also recognized and fundraised for Wagner during the Walk for Wagner event on Friday, May 3.
Dr. Michael Wegener, associate principal, participated in and helped plan the event. Dr. Wegener said the administration wanted the staff involved in fundraising.
“Doing something that is out on the track, visible that people are doing together just seemed a little bit more active, visual and meaningful,” Dr. Wegener said.
There were more than 45 teachers participating in the walk, and they raised $1,500. Dr. Wegener joined the administration to ensure a principal is always walking the track during the seven-hour fundraiser.
This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on May 6, 2024.
