![High-fiving a band member in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Head Director of Bands Christopher Yee celebrates the band’s fifth UIL state win with his students. The band faced several challenges this marching season due to the difficult show routine, but was able to come in first at the state contest. “Every year is different,” Yee said. “The show is different, the kids are different, the challenges are different and the competition is different. This [year] feels a little more special. Theyre all special, but this one is particularly special because it was so hard fought. Weve mentioned several times to the kids that they seem like theyre one of the happiest bands weve ever taught. Theyre just happy kids. This years student leadership team [also] stepped up more than normal. I think that theyre very talented. Because it was a hard show, they have a lot of skills and a lot of determination and grit.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/unnamed.jpg)
![Dressed as a cow, PALs member and junior Lynnea Bergman smiles at her friends with a face covered in whipped cream. The annual trunk or treat took place on Oct. 26 during which the PALs pie in the face activity was very popular, according to Bergman. “We were doing a pie in the face and cakewalk to get the kids to have fun,” Bergman said. “Some of the kids in the PALs [program were at the trunk or treat] and they got to pie us in the face. [My favorite memory] so far is probably getting pied in the face by a four year old. He went so hard and it was very funny.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Trunk-or-Treat-Photo-Lilly-182-1200x800.png)
![Posing next to her 2015 Hyundai Sonata, junior and Celebrities Dance Team Second Lieutenant Sophie Poulsen holds up her license. Poulsen’s car was stolen on Aug. 28 from the school parking lot, and was missing for a day before police recovered it. “I was shocked,” Poulsen said. “I never expected, especially in Cedar Park, for my car to get stolen. I still don’t know who [stole my car], but I wish I knew. I don’t think the cops are going to figure it out, because there’s no point. It already happened. We’re probably never going to know. I feel like it was a student, but who knows? [Nevertheless], Cedar Park is not that [kind of place].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/View-recent-pho11tos.jpg)
![Taking a selfie with some of their castmates, including senior Aidan Cox, who plays Buddy the Elf, junior Brooke Ferguson shows off a sign presenting the arrival of “Elf. This year’s musical, “Elf” runs Dec. 1-3 in the CPHS PAC. “[Learning a new script is] always kind of a challenge,” Ferguson said. “You get a new cast and you get your own part. I’ve never worked closely with these people before. It’s a different environment and doing character work with someone new, trying to partner work and scene work is interesting. The script is good and it has a lot of jokes, it’ll be a lot of laughs.” Photo by Brooke Ferguson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_2048-e1701374239425-1200x900.jpg)
![Dressed as “H-E-B Buddy,” senior Logan Hedges entertains shoppers during a shift at H-E-B. Hedges has fun on the job, as there’s significantly less pressure than other jobs he has had. “I [used to umpire] little league baseball, and it’s definitely less stressful,” Hedges said. “There’s not much [that can go wrong] scanning groceries. Making a bad call in baseball is so easy.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BF3C2083-817E-4847-B673-1FEF973AB972.jpeg)
![One student talks about how attractive they imagine the main protagonist is, another describes the negative effects mental health can have on a student, and a third just blatantly states that she hates the ending of her book. The club Page Turners, led by President senior Ellie Knaggs, meets every Tuesday in the library and is a place for students to come and talk about books. “It’s just a place to come and bring so many ideas and opinions into play,” Knaggs said. “We have had some really great discussions in the past, sometimes it’s just talking about like ‘Oh yes, I love that trope’ or ‘this fictional couple is so cute.’ Sometimes the [author] talked about this really heavy topic like abuse or hunger or war and I think it’s something we should talk about and so we will.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Copy-of-STRESS.png)
![Delbridge smiles with hands wide after a performance at Kelly Reeves Stadium for the Bands of America Austin Finals. “I can’t imagine my life without band,” Delbrdige said. “In 2020 it was the only thing that kept me going—playing my instrument and going into rehearsals. I really don’t want to lose that part of life. It’s kind of sad to leave [that passion] here, but I’d like to find it somewhere else even after I graduate high school.”
Photo courtesy of Lauren Delbridge](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/image_50379265-1200x900.jpg)
![Backstage, junior Erica Mihealsick and Cara Allen are setting up for The One Act Play That Goes Wrong. Originally, I wanted to be an actor, but then I didnt want to because Id have to catch up [in skills] to the other kids. So I decided to join tech, and Ive never looked back.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/P1010905-1200x675.jpg)
![FFA member and junior Max Adams will show his pigs and heifer at the Cedar Park Barn Show on Nov. 12. “When you think you have a good animal, and then you’re surrounded by a bunch of other [showmen with their animals], it will humble you really quick,” Adams said. “If I keep working and I do good [at shows], it makes me feel good about myself. I just like the competitiveness. Its fun taking care of [them]. Putting in a bunch of work and then not doing good upsets me a lot. It makes me want to do better.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_9790-1200x800.png)
![Taking a shot at the basketball hoop, senior point guard Drew O’Connor participates in a drill with Nabil Ismail during practice Oct. 30. O’Connor said he is excited to be a leader for his team this year. “It feels good to be a leader,” O’Connor said. “I think it’s fun because I just like helping others on the team with stuff. [Also], with it being my senior year, [I can] play with less pressure since it’s my last year, and playing with a lot of my friends is fun too.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/drew-oconnor.jpg)
![One of the few stick vehicles in the school parking lot, senior Alex Trebilco’s 1970 Ford Maverick is a restoration project he worked on with his dad. He and his father have worked on cars together for all of Trebilco’s life, and have several finished projects because of it. “[My favorite memory with my car is] honestly just cruising with my dad in his truck and my car,” Trebilco said. “Both of the [cars] are restored. He did the truck and we did the Maverick, so it’s cool to roll down in two cars that we made run together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ford-Maverick.png)
There is a constant rumble of vibrations as thousands of people scurry, scream and cry excitedly in the presence of their favorite artists and bands. Concert venues boom and shake the fields the people populate, adding to the grumble in the ground.
Taking place every October for two weekends at Zilker Park, Austin City Limits, or ACL, is a music festival that boasts a large number of famous names such as Miley Cyrus, Paramore, Foo Fighters and more. ACL partners with the Austin Parks Foundation to provide enhancements to Austin’s parks or the weekend concerts?.
“It’s a very fun but tiring weekend,” sophomore Mykaela Tapia said. “All your dreams come true if you’re a really big music fan. For me it’s just a very joyous time. I wouldn’t say it’s very overwhelming because I like to be out in public. It’s cool to be able to go from one concert of an artist you really love to another one that you also really enjoy. Time after time it’s just new experiences that you’ve always wanted to have. It’s cool to be surrounded by people who you know love this same artist as you.”
During the festival, varying sizes of stage venues, areas for restrooms, food and shops are placed all over Zilker Park. The shops include clothing, jewelry and merchandise.
“My favorite part is getting ready with my friends,” sophomore Ahnna Breiner said. “The build-up to seeing your favorite artists is so exciting. I also love that everyone your age is really nice and you get to meet a lot of cool people. I met girls from Vandegrift and Lake Travis and you just get a lot of opportunities to make friends.”
ACL was established in 1974 by the PBS affiliate KLRU-TV but only started hosting at Zilker Park in 2002. Since being established, it has received several awards, such as the National Medal of Arts and a Peabody Award.
“This is my third year going [to ACL],” senior Zoe Byabagye said. “I would say that my first year was the most fun because it was my first year ever. I remember Doja Cat was so fun. To this day, she’s still one of my favorite artists that I got to see perform. It was such a spontaneous decision. My friends and I bought the tickets that Saturday morning and ever since then we’ve been going every year. I think that this year definitely beat last year’s. The lineup and the crowds this year were just so much better.”
I like being up front and in close proximity to the artist because I feel more in the moment. When you are very much surrounded by it all, it’s easier to be in the moment, just enjoying your time. I feel like when you’re further back and the show is more in the distance, your mind wanders more. In the front you can really focus yourself in the moment.”
— Mykaela Tapia (10)
Every year there is a new array of artists ranging from popular, well-known performers to smaller artists, all of many different genres. An artist’s popularity affects how large or small of a venue they are given to perform at.
“It’s really fun and it’s not as overwhelming as you [would] think it is because it’s so spread out,” Breiner said. “There’s a lot of stuff to do other than standing in the sun and listening to music. You can lay down in the grass or just walk around and look at all the sets. There’s always something to be doing without stressing yourself out.”
In order to get closer to the stage, Tapia suggests getting to the set early or going up through the sides and then cutting through the middle. Since ACL happens during a time when it is usually still very hot in Austin, it is recommended to bring sunscreen, water and a bandana to wipe off sweat.
“I’ve been in the first or second row for a lot of concerts,” Tapia said. “I like being up front and in close proximity to the artist because I feel more in the moment. When you are very much surrounded by it all, it’s easier to be in the moment, just enjoying your time. I feel like when you’re further back and the show is more in the distance, your mind wanders more. In the front you can really focus yourself in the moment.”
Every year around 450,000 people attend ACL. According to Breiner, having so many people there makes her feel not embarrassed about being loud and having fun.
“I loved how energetic the crowds were, that’s what always makes it,” Byabagye said. “Something that separates a really good concert [from] a not-so-good one is definitely the crowd. ACL is such a staple and I look forward to it every year. The food, the people, the dressing up and just being able to see the artists are all such a unique thing to experience. It’s fun, energetic, memorable and it’s so cool to see how everyone comes together just for a common reason. Even there, all the people are so nice. It’s just so interesting how many people can gather just to all do the same thing and enjoy each other’s favorite artists.”
