![Walking through the tunnel created by the cheerleaders and Celebrities, senior Frances Tran smiles as the soccer team is sent off during DEN for their playoff game against Rouse tonight. Tran said the wins against Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights gave the team a morale boost to take on the Raiders tonight. “I know we were not 100% confident in those games,” Tran said. “But, Rouse is a big opponent for sure. We’re definitely going into tonight with a lot of morale [because of the previous wins].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/frances-tran.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6.png)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901.jpg)
![Holding her dog, Nova, senior Ariana Balakrishnan poses for her senior pictures while Nova wears a bandana with her college decision. Balakrishnan applied to 18 colleges in total, but she decided on Columbia in the end. “Right before I clicked the button to open Columbia’s letter, I literally looked at the camera and go ‘This is just gonna really suck because I wanted it so bad,’ and I clicked it and all of a sudden you hear trumpets,” Balakrishnan said. “There’s a video that plays when you open it and I actually didn’t watch the video, I just watched the screen go black, because every day of December before ED [Early Decision] I would go on YouTube and watch the acceptance video to manifest it, so immediately when the screen went black, I started screaming and jumping up and down. And my parents in the video are like ‘What are you doing, where’s the letter,’ and I was just screaming ‘I got in, I got in.” I just started crying, and it just felt like everything in the world came together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ariana-2-300x217.jpg)
Dirty boots walk across the hay-covered grounds where “oinks” float through the air. While you’re sitting at home doing homework, hanging out with friends or getting ready for school, some kids are spending their time in the barn. Some people might even say the barn is their second home.
Junior Tori Amato goes every morning at 7:30 a.m. and every afternoon around 4:00 p.m. to the barn where she feeds, bathes, brushes, weighs, walks and visits with her pig. This cuts into her homework time and also time with her friends, so sometimes she has to put her pig before her social life. She joined FFA to make new friends and to become more mature by challenging herself with such a big responsibility.
“My pig is what motivates me,” Amato said. “I love my pig, she’s just like a child, and she needs love and attention just like children do.”
For Amato, not only did making new friends and a chance to gain responsibility influence her to join FFA, but also her parents. They had mentioned it to her as a possibility, and after that she decided to join. The people in FFA all help each other every chance possible, and for the most part, everyone contributes to make FFA a welcoming environment.
“Everyone is so great and helps each other out,” Amato said. “They all make the vibe very bright and enjoyable.”
Amato isn’t the only one who spends a lot of time at the barn. Freshman Wesley Sherrill takes care of his pig twice a day as well. He joined FFA because his family has always been interested in agriculture, so Sherrill decided to give it a try.
“It takes a lot of effort and time, but being in charge of an animal is very rewarding,” Sherrill said.
Along with Amato and Sherrill, sophomore, Trey Miller is also a part of the barn life. He joined FFA due to interest in agriculture and also to join his
friends who are a part of it. He and his friends spend a lot of late nights at the barn which effects his homework time like Amato. Miller is at the barn till around 7:00 p.m. then goes home to take care of his homework or other school related activities.
“My piggy princess motivates me,” Miller said. “Also, just my friends and hanging out with them and helping each other around the barn.”
This weekend, FFA will host the Cedar Park Jackpot show on Oct. 13 at Cedar Park Middle School. They will also attend a show in Georgetown Nov. 26-30. The show lasts all week, and different animals are shown on different days. Later in the year they will have shows in Leander, Liberty Hill, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
