![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)
Cedar Park’s best and brightest came together on April 18 to face off in the annual talent show sponsored by the Wolfcast. Freshman band member Charlie Hooper came out on top. Senior Raquel Stansbury took second after performing an original song while senior Katie Seesselberg rounded out the top three with a dance solo to “Titanium.”
The diverse range of acts, from singing, dancing, instrument playing, blind folded instrument playing and even stand up comedy posed a challenge to judges AP Biology teacher Brent Grissom, AP English teacher Michelle Iskra and AP Environmental Science teacher Dr. Shannon McPherson.
When it was all said and done, talent show participant and Cedar Park’s resident comedian senior Ben Harral was impressed with the results.
“I respect every person who placed so much,” Harral said.
Second time co-host David Looney was equally excited about the winners.
“Of all the years I’ve done the talent show, this year I was the most pleased with the results,” Looney said.
He and The Wolfcast were especially excited to see Hooper win.
“A lot of us in broadcast were rooting for Charlie,” Looney said. “I thought it was cool a freshmen won because that has never happened before. “
As for the winner himself, who has played violin for the past year six years, was genuinely surprised.
“It was pretty cool,” Hooper said. “I didn’t feel like I was going to win.”
He did have some stiff competition, according to Harral.
“There were so many just legitimately talented kids who performed phenomenally,” Harral said.
One of those kids, second place winner Stansbury wowed the audience with not only her performing skills but also her songwriting.
“I won something, so that was exciting,” Stansbury said. “And winning money reminded me was like getting money from my first gig.”
Stansbury has decided to continue pursuing music. And Hooper, who plays the clarinet and piano along with being an accomplished violinist, plans on defending his title next year.
“I definitely want to be in the talent show again next year,” Hooper said.[imagebrowser id=38]
