![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)
Many students at Cedar Park spend their summer hanging out on the lake. This year AquaPalooza, a massive waterfront concert, will be making its way to our very own Lake Travis. AquaPalooza, hosted by the Sea Ray Sport Boat Company, will hit the water July 10. The Signature Event of Aquapalooza will be sponsored by the Sail&Ski Center, a leading Sea Ray dealer based in Austin. The event will take place at The Reserve at Lake Travis, located at Calcasieu Point near mile marker 22 on the lake. Aquapalooza looks to top last year’s record breaking attendance numbers. With more than 15,600 boats and 84,000 people potentially honing in on Lake Travis, be prepared to see a host of new faces ready to party. With many different artists performing, the concert will have something for everyone. The event could be one of the biggest events on Lake Travis this year.
When AquaPalooza started in 2006, only about 500 boats showed up, now it has more than quadrupled in size. The Aquapalooza organizers plan over 123 separate concerts every year during the last two weeks of July; headlining performers such as Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, Everclear and Uncle Kracker. The family friendly event features live entertainment, games and giveaways suitable for all ages. This “celebration of the boating lifestyle” will be commemorating its fourth year with a bigger bash than ever before. This year’s headliner will be country music superstar Brad Paisley whose current single, Water, peaked at number three on U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs.
“I’m excited because [Brad Paisley is] my favorite artist,” Matt Gallagher, senior said.
AquaPalooza at Lake Travis should be a huge event that will have many Cedar Park students wanting to attend. In addition to the biggest names in country music performing, the concept of a lake concert has piqued the interest of many students.
“It’s cool that we get to sit in the boat and listen to music,” Taylor Chew, senior, said. “It’s not a normal concert.”
Not very many students know about this concert, but the ones that do are getting revved up for the event. The event is completely free and open to all boaters and non-boaters. This is handy as not everyone in Cedar Park owns a boat. However, those who are looking to enjoy the show from land may find themselves very disappointed as there is no land access at The Reserve. Those bringing their own boat must register it on the AquaPalooza website, www.aquapalooza.com. The website also contains boating safety tips and information on prizes and cool giveaways.
Registering may be somewhat of a lengthy process, but it’s sure to be worth it. After all, the boats are the tickets to this huge event. So slather on some sunscreen, designate a captain and make sure you’re on the lake when Aquapalooza comes to Lake Travis, July 10.
