![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)
On the morning of Oct.16, while many students were perhaps still at home, or rather asleep, the PSAT team was indulging in Rudy’s breakfast tacos to ease the stress of the upcoming test. The team had been preparing for this day since early August and had a PSAT boot camp even before school had begun.
“The bootcamp really helped,” junior Emily Ismail said. “We took a practice test at the beginning and end of the week, and my scores improved a lot.”
The class, taught by Mrs. Hexter and Mrs. Ziemann, focuses on the testing subjects, which include math, writing and reading, and switches between the subjects every two weeks. Many students’ scores improved, as they took frequent practice tests and further developed testing skills and strategies.
“The class prepared me because we took a lot of practice tests and went over test taking tips,” junior Maddie Kress said. “The best part was being able to see a huge improvement in my scores.”
With the PSAT in the rearview mirror, the team is driving ahead towards preparation for the SAT and college admission process. The class will now focus on college exploration and the SAT, which many of the students plan to take this winter and spring.
“I think my SAT scores will be higher because I learned new strategies that will help me on the test.” Ismail said.
The PSAT is long since forgotten, however, and students are anxiously awaiting the results.
“I look forward to seeing my official PSAT scores and seeing where those scores can get me,” Kress said.
