![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)
Next year, head volleyball coach, Rebekah Almanza, will be giving up her position to a new head coach. Almanza has been the head coach at CPHS for ten years, and in that time she has been named All Central Texas Coach of the Year twice and has been given the honor of coaching in the All Star game this summer.
“What I will miss about coaching are the girls,” Almanza said. “It’s fun to get to know them and to watch them grow and succeed. Coach Womack and Coach Teuton are two of my closest friends and I will miss working with them every day. I have a ton of respect for them as coaches as well.”
Almanza said that she will also miss the competition of the volleyball season.
“Coaching is like trying to figure out a rubix cube,” Almanza said. “It’s so rewarding when all of the pieces finally fit.”
Almanza decided to not coach next year so she could spend more time at home with her three boys.
“It was a tough decision, but necessary for my family,” Almanza said. “Luckily, Mrs. Spelman has worked very hard to keep me on this campus teaching next year. I love Cedar Park and am so thankful to be able to stay here and be a part of this culture of success.”
The new head coach will be Mr. Chad Jones, who has been a high school volleyball coach in Texas for the past 10 years. He has coached at Tascosa High School and most recently at Coronado High School in Lubbock where he served as the Girl’s Athletic Coordinator as well as Head Volleyball Coach.
Jones was also the District 2-5A Coach of the Year in 2012, 2011, 2007 and 2003 and has a career record of 255-148. He served on the Texas Girls Coaches Association – 5A All State Committee in 2011 and 2012 and was the clinic speaker in 2013.
